An automatic door closing mechanism and a refrigerator including the same

Abstract

The present invention provides an automatic door closing mechanism and a refrigerator including the same. The automatic door closing mechanism includes: a housing for connecting with a cabinet body, an installation cavity being formed inside the housing; a connecting shaft rotatably arranged in the installation cavity, one end of the connecting shaft extending outside the installation cavity and being used for connecting with a rotating shaft of a door body on the cabinet body, and driving the rotating shaft to rotate through the connecting shaft to control the closing of the door body; a reset mechanism including an elastic member, the elastic member being in transmission connection with the connecting shaft, and the elastic member being capable of driving the connecting shaft to rotate. The present invention can realize the automatic closing function of the refrigerator door body through the automatic door closing mechanism, and moreover, due to the provision of an adjustment structure, the closing force can be adjusted, thereby avoiding the situation that the closing force of the door body is too large or insufficient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigerators, and particularly to an automatic door closing mechanism and a refrigerator including the same. Background Art

[0002] Common structures in life such as wardrobes, cabinets, refrigerators, etc. have similar structures, that is, when in use, the door body needs to be opened to take and place items, but the door body often cannot be automatically closed and needs to be manually closed by the user, which is not very convenient to use.

[0003] At present, some cabinets on the market are provided with an automatic door closing mechanism, which can realize the function of automatic door closing, but there are often problems such as the non-adjustable closing force and easy failure after long-term use, bringing a lot of trouble to the user. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides an automatic door closing mechanism and a refrigerator including the same, at least for solving the technical problem of low reliability of automatic door closing of the door body in the cabinet structure in the prior art. Specifically:

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an automatic door closing mechanism, including:

[0006] A housing, which is used to be connected to a cabinet, and an installation cavity is formed in the housing;

[0007] A connecting shaft, rotatably arranged in the installation cavity, one end of the connecting shaft extends outside the installation cavity and is used to be connected to the rotating shaft of the door body on the cabinet, and the rotating shaft is driven to rotate through the connecting shaft to control the closing of the door body;

[0008] A reset mechanism, including an elastic member, the elastic member is in transmission connection with the connecting shaft, and the elastic member can drive the connecting shaft to rotate,

[0009] The reset mechanism further includes an adjustment structure, and the adjustment structure is used to adjust the elastic force of the elastic member.

[0010] Further optionally, the reset mechanism further includes:

[0011] A driving gear, arranged in the installation cavity, the driving gear is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft, and the driving gear is used to drive the connecting shaft to rotate;

[0012] A rack, connected to the elastic member, the elastic member can drive the rack to move, and the rack can drive the driving gear to rotate.

[0013] Further optionally, the adjustment structure includes an adjustment block, and the adjustment block is arranged in the installation cavity with adjustable position,

[0014] The elastic member is a spring, which is arranged between the adjusting block and the rack, and the elastic force provided by the spring can push the rack to move.

[0015] Further optionally, a sleeve is arranged in the installation cavity, and the spring is arranged in the sleeve.

[0016] The adjusting block is a bolt, the inner wall of the first end of the sleeve is provided with internal threads, and the bolt is threadedly connected to the first end of the sleeve.

[0017] Further optionally, the automatic door closing mechanism further includes a locking structure.

[0018] When the door body is opened to a preset angle, the locking structure can lock the position of the rack so that the door body maintains the opening angle.

[0019] Further optionally, the locking structure includes a locking rotating shaft, and the first end of the locking rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the rack.

[0020] A locking slider is formed on the circumferential wall of the locking rotating shaft, a sliding groove is arranged on the inner circumferential wall of the sleeve, and the locking slider is slidably arranged in the sliding groove.

[0021] The sliding groove has a locking position, and when the locking slider slides to the locking position, the position of the locking rotating shaft is locked.

[0022] Further optionally, the sliding groove further includes:

[0023] A sliding section, the locking slider can reciprocally slide in the sliding section, the locking position is arranged at the first end of the sliding section, and the sliding section is communicated with the locking position;

[0024] A locking section, which is communicated with the locking position, and the locking position is formed at one end of the locking section;

[0025] A reset section, the first end of the reset section is communicated with the locking section, and the second end of the reset section is communicated with the second end of the sliding section, so that the sliding groove forms a closed annular groove.

[0026] Further optionally, a limiting seat is formed in the installation cavity, and the sleeve is arranged in the limiting seat.

[0027] Limiting blocks are arranged on the inner circumferential wall of the installation cavity, limiting grooves are formed on the outer circumferential wall of the sleeve, and the limiting blocks are embedded into the limiting grooves to limit the sleeve in the circumferential direction of the sleeve.

[0028] Further optionally, the housing includes an upper housing and a bottom housing, and the upper housing and the bottom housing are assembled to form the installation cavity therebetween. Among them,

[0029] A limiting seat is formed inside the upper shell, and the limiting seat limits both ends of the sleeve.

[0030] A limiting block is formed on the inner wall of the bottom shell, and the limiting block extends along the axial direction of the installation cavity.

[0031] Further optionally, the automatic door closing mechanism further includes an upper hinge, and the upper hinge is used to be fixedly arranged on the cabinet body.

[0032] The upper hinge includes:

[0033] A fixing hole for fixedly connecting with the cabinet body.

[0034] The supporting groove corresponds to the position of the connecting shaft, and the connecting shaft is rotatably embedded in the supporting groove.

[0035] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a refrigerator, including the above automatic door closing mechanism, the housing is fixedly arranged on the cabinet body of the refrigerator, and the connecting shaft is connected to the rotating shaft of the refrigerator door body.

[0036] The present invention can realize the automatic closing function of the cabinet door through the automatic door closing mechanism, and moreover, due to the setting of the adjusting structure, the closing force can be adjusted, thereby avoiding the excessive or insufficient closing force of the door body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] By referring to the accompanying drawings and describing in detail its exemplary embodiments, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. The following described drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0038] Figure 1 Showing a schematic structural diagram of the automatic door closing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 Showing a schematic internal structural diagram of the automatic door closing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 Showing a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the automatic door closing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 Showing a schematic structural diagram of the locking rotating shaft according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 5 Showing a schematic structural diagram of the sleeve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 6 Showing a schematic diagram of the internal unfolded state of the sleeve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 7 Shows a schematic structural view of the upper shell of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 8 Shows a schematic structural view of the bottom shell of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 9 Shows a schematic structural view of the upper hinge of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 10 Shows a top view schematic of the refrigerator of an embodiment of the present invention (door closed);

[0048] Figure 11 Shows a top view schematic of the refrigerator of an embodiment of the present invention (door opened at the first preset angle A);

[0049] Figure 12 Shows a top view schematic of the refrigerator of an embodiment of the present invention (door opened at the first preset angle B).

[0050] In the figure:

[0051] 1. Housing; 11. Upper shell; 111. Limit seat; 112. Adjustment hole; 113. Through hole; 114. Limit rib; 12. Bottom shell; 121. Limit block; 122. Rack chute; 123. Support hole; 13. Upper hinge; 131. Fixed hole; 132. Support groove; 2. Connecting shaft; 3. Adjustment block; 41. Driving gear; 5. Rack; 42. Transmission gear; 6. Elastic member; 7. Sleeve; 71. Internal thread; 72. Chute; 73. Limit groove; 8. Locking rotating shaft; 81. Locking slider; 82. Connecting hole; 91. Cabinet body; 92. Door body. Detailed implementation manners

[0052] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0053] The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a", "the" and "said" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. "Plural" generally includes at least two, but does not exclude the case of including at least one.

[0054] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used herein is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this text generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0055] It should also be noted that the term "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a commodity or system comprising a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such commodity or system. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising one..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the commodity or system comprising the said element.

[0056] The automatic closing mechanism of the present invention can achieve the automatic closing function of the refrigerator door body. Moreover, due to the provision of an adjustment structure, the closing force can be adjusted, thereby avoiding excessive or insufficient closing force of the door body. In addition, the present invention is also provided with a locking structure, which can fix the opening position of the door body at a specific angle, facilitating users to pick up and place food. The structure of the present invention is simple, easy to install, and has a wide range of applications. The following is a detailed introduction to the present invention in combination with specific embodiments:

[0057] As Figures 1 - 11 shown, the present invention provides an automatic closing mechanism, which can be used to control the automatic closing of the refrigerator door body. Preferably, it can also be used for the automatic closing of door bodies on other structures such as wardrobes and cabinets. In this embodiment, taking the application on a refrigerator as an example for introduction, it includes:

[0058] A housing 1, the housing 1 is used to connect with the cabinet body 91 of the refrigerator, and an installation cavity is formed inside the housing 1;

[0059] A connecting shaft 2, rotatably arranged in the installation cavity, one end of the connecting shaft 2 extends outside the installation cavity and is used to connect with the rotating shaft of the refrigerator door body 92, and the rotating shaft is driven to rotate through the connecting shaft 2 to control the closing of the door body 92;

[0060] A reset mechanism, including an elastic member 6, the elastic member 6 is in transmission connection with the connecting shaft 2, the elastic member 6 can drive the connecting shaft 2 to rotate, and the reset mechanism further includes an adjustment structure for adjusting the elastic force of the elastic member 6.

[0061] As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3As shown, specifically, the reset mechanism further includes: a driving gear 41, which is arranged in the installation cavity. The driving gear 41 is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft 2. The driving gear 41 is used to drive the connecting shaft 2 to rotate. Preferably, the driving gear 41 can be integrally formed with the connecting shaft 2; a rack 5, which is connected to the elastic member 6. The elastic member 6 can drive the rack 5 to move, and the rack 5 can drive the driving gear 41 to rotate.

[0062] Preferably, in this embodiment, the reset mechanism includes two transmission gears 42. The transmission gears 42 are arranged between the rack 5 and the driving gear 41 to transmit torque through the transmission gears 42. Preferably, the transmission gears 42 have the same number of teeth as the driving gear 41 and only play a role in transmitting torque. Or, the transmission gears 42 can also have a different number of teeth from the driving gear 41.

[0063] The adjusting structure includes an adjusting block 3. The adjusting block 3 is arranged in the installation cavity with adjustable position. The elastic member 6 is a spring, and the spring is arranged between the adjusting block 3 and the rack 5. Adjusting the position of the adjusting block 3 can change the compression amount of the spring, thereby changing the elastic force provided by it. The spring provides an elastic force to push the rack 5 to move.

[0064] As Figure 5 shown, a sleeve 7 is arranged in the installation cavity, and the spring is arranged in the sleeve 7. The adjusting block 3 is a bolt. The inner wall of the first end of the sleeve 7 is provided with internal threads 71, and the bolt is threadedly connected to the first end of the sleeve 7. Rotating the bolt can change the position of the bolt.

[0065] The automatic door closing mechanism further includes a locking structure. When the door body 92 is opened to a preset angle, the locking structure can lock the position of the rack 5 to keep the door body 92 at the opening angle. In this embodiment, as Figure 4 shown, the locking structure includes a locking rotating shaft 8. The first end of the locking rotating shaft 8 is rotatably connected to the rack 5. Preferably, a connecting hole 82 is formed at the first end of the locking rotating shaft 8, and a connecting ball head is formed at the end of the rack 5. The connecting ball head is connected to the connecting hole 82. In the axial direction of the locking rotating shaft 8, the two cannot move relative to each other, and the locking rotating shaft 8 can rotate about its axis.

[0066] As Figure 4 、 Figure 5As shown, a locking slider 81 is formed on the circumferential wall of the locking rotating shaft 8, and a sliding groove 72 is provided on the inner circumferential wall of the sleeve 7. The locking slider 81 is slidably disposed in the sliding groove 72. The sliding groove 72 has a locking position. When the locking slider 81 slides to the locking position, the position of the locking rotating shaft 8 is locked. Preferably, the sliding groove 72 further includes: a sliding section where the locking slider 81 can reciprocally slide, the locking position is provided at the first end of the sliding section, and the sliding section communicates with the locking position; a locking section that communicates with the locking position, and the locking position is formed at one end of the locking section; a reset section, the first end of the reset section communicates with the locking section, and the second end of the reset section communicates with the second end of the sliding section, so that the sliding groove 72 forms a closed annular groove.

[0067] As Figure 6 shown, the unfolded state of the sliding groove 72 includes multiple sections. Among them, the C-D section is the sliding section, the D-E section is the locking section, where D is the locking position, and E-C is the reset section. Preferably, in order to achieve the locking function, a limiting groove is formed at the locking position, and a guiding portion F is formed at the connection between the locking position and the locking section. The guiding portion F is preferably a rounded guiding groove, and the locking slider 81 can slide into the locking section through the guiding portion F.

[0068] Specifically, as Figure 11 、 Figure 12 shown,

[0069] When the user does not need to open the refrigerator door body 92 for a long time to take items, the opening angle of the refrigerator door body 92 can be made less than the first preset angle A. The rotation of the door body 92 drives the rotation of the rotating shaft, thereby causing the driving gear 41 and the driven gear 42 to rotate, and driving the rack 5 to move. The rack 5 drives the locking rotating shaft 8 to rotate forward in the sleeve 7. Since the opening angle is less than the first preset angle A, the locking slider 81 on the locking rotating shaft 8 does not reach the Figure 6 D position shown in the figure, and the locking slider 81 slides between C and D (sliding section). After the user completes the action of taking items, at this time, affected by the spring elastic force, the rack 5 moves in the reverse direction, thereby driving the gear and then driving the rotating shaft to close the door body 92 to achieve automatic door closing.

[0070] When the user needs to spend a long time taking items from the refrigerator, the door body 92 can be opened to a position greater than the first preset angle A and less than the second preset angle B, where the first preset angle A is less than the second preset angle B. At this time, the rotation of the door body 92 drives the rotation of the rotating shaft, thereby driving the driving gear 41 and the transmission gear 42 to drive the rack 5 to move. The rack 5 drives the locking rotating shaft 8 to rotate forward in the sleeve 7 and compress the spring. When the opening angle is greater than the first preset angle A and less than the second preset angle B, the locking slider 81 on the locking rotating shaft 8 reaches Figure 6The D - E position (locking section) shown in the figure, and finally falls into the locking position at position D, thereby realizing the angular locking of the door body 92. At this time, the user can freely take items and the refrigerator door body 92 will not automatically close. When the user finishes taking items, just push the door body 92 to rotate towards the opening direction to the second preset angle B. At this time, the rack 5 drives the locking rotating shaft 8 to rotate and advance in the sleeve 7. The locking slider 81 on the locking rotating shaft 8 enters the locking section under the guiding action of the guiding part F and reaches position E, then enters the E - C section (reset section), and under the action of the spring elastic force, finally falls back to position C to realize the automatic closing of the door body 92.

[0071] A limit seat is formed in the installation cavity. The sleeve 7 is arranged in the limit seat. Limit blocks are arranged on the inner peripheral wall of the limit seat. A limit groove 73 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the sleeve 7. The limit blocks are embedded into the limit groove 73 to limit the sleeve 7 in the circumferential direction of the sleeve 7. Preferably, the housing 1 includes an upper housing 11 and a bottom housing 12. As Figure 7 shown, the upper housing 11 and the bottom housing 12 are butted to form the housing 1. The upper housing 11 and the bottom housing 12 are assembled to form the installation cavity. A limit seat 111 is formed in the upper housing 11. The limit seat 111 limits the two ends of the sleeve 7. Preferably, an adjustment hole 112 is formed at the first end of the upper housing 11, and the bolt can extend through the adjustment hole 112 for convenient adjustment by the user. A through hole 113 is formed at the second end of the upper housing 11. When the rack 5 moves, it can partially extend through the through hole 113. Further, a rack limit rib 114 is also arranged in the upper housing 11 to guide and limit the movement of the rack 5.

[0072] As Figure 8 shown, a limit block 121 is formed on the inner wall of the bottom housing 12. The limit block 121 extends along the axial direction of the installation cavity and is used for limit cooperation with the limit groove 73 on the sleeve 7 to limit the sleeve 7 in the circumferential direction. Preferably, the bottom housing 12 is a plate - like structure. Support holes 123 for gear installation and a rack chute 122 are arranged on the bottom housing 12 to limit and guide the sliding of the rack 5.

[0073] As Figure 9 shown, the automatic door - closing mechanism further includes an upper hinge 13. The upper hinge 13 is fixedly arranged on the cabinet body 91 and is located below the bottom housing 12. The upper hinge 13 includes a fixing hole 131 for fixedly connecting with the cabinet body 91. The upper hinge 13 further includes a support groove 132. The position of the support groove 132 corresponds to that of the connecting shaft 2. The connecting shaft 2 is rotatably embedded into the support groove 132 to support the connecting shaft 2 through the support groove 132.

[0074] The present invention also provides a refrigerator. As Figure 10 、 Figure 11 shown, it includes the above - mentioned automatic door - closing mechanism. The housing 1 is fixedly arranged on the cabinet body 91 of the refrigerator, and the connecting shaft 2 is connected to the rotating shaft of the refrigerator door body 92.

[0075] Since it is considered that there may be a situation where the elastic force is insufficient and the automatic door closing function fails after long-term use by the user, or a situation where the elastic force is set too large by the manufacturer at the time of factory shipment, an elastic force adjusting bolt is added to this device. When the elastic force is insufficient, the user only needs to tighten the bolt appropriately to adjust the elastic force to an appropriate size, and vice versa.

[0076] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically shown and described above. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the detailed structures, setting manners or implementation methods described herein; on the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent settings included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic door closing mechanism for controlling the automatic closing of the door of a cabinet, characterized in that, Comprising: A housing for connecting with a cabinet body. An installation cavity is formed inside the housing, and a sleeve is arranged in the installation cavity; A connecting shaft rotatably arranged in the installation cavity. One end of the connecting shaft extends outside the installation cavity and is used for connecting with the rotating shaft of the door body on the cabinet body. The rotating shaft is driven to rotate through the connecting shaft to control the closing of the door body; A reset mechanism including an elastic member, an adjustment structure and a rack. The rack is connected with the elastic member, the elastic member is in transmission connection with the connecting shaft, the elastic member can drive the connecting shaft to rotate, and the adjustment structure is used for adjusting the elastic force of the elastic member; The automatic door closing mechanism further includes: A locking structure. When the door body is opened to a preset angle, the locking structure can lock the position of the rack to keep the door body at the opening angle; The locking structure includes a locking rotating shaft. The first end of the locking rotating shaft is rotatably connected with the rack; a locking slider is formed on the circumferential wall of the locking rotating shaft, and a sliding groove is arranged on the inner circumferential wall of the sleeve. The locking slider is slidably arranged in the sliding groove; the sliding groove has a locking position, and the position of the locking rotating shaft is locked when the locking slider slides to the locking position; The sliding groove further includes: A sliding section. The locking slider can reciprocally slide in the sliding section. The locking position is arranged at the first end of the sliding section, and the sliding section is communicated with the locking position; A locking section communicated with the locking position. The locking position is formed at one end of the locking section; A reset section. The first end of the reset section is communicated with the locking section, and the second end of the reset section is communicated with the second end of the sliding section, so that the sliding groove forms a closed annular groove; A guiding portion is formed at the connection between the locking position and the locking section. The guiding portion is a rounded guiding groove.

2. The automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein The reset mechanism further includes: A driving gear arranged in the installation cavity. The driving gear is fixedly connected with the connecting shaft and is used for driving the connecting shaft to rotate; The elastic member can drive the rack to move, and the rack can drive the driving gear to rotate.

3. The automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adjustment structure includes an adjustment block, and the position of the adjustment block is adjustably arranged in the installation cavity, The elastic member is a spring. The spring is arranged between the adjustment block and the rack, and the elastic force provided by the spring can push the rack to move.

4. The automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The spring is arranged inside the sleeve, The adjustment block is a bolt. Internal threads are arranged on the inner wall of the first end of the sleeve, and the bolt is threadedly connected to the first end of the sleeve.

5. The automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, A limiting seat is formed in the installation cavity, and the sleeve is arranged in the limiting seat, Limiting blocks are arranged on the inner circumferential wall of the installation cavity, and limiting grooves are formed on the outer circumferential wall of the sleeve. The limiting blocks are embedded into the limiting grooves to limit the sleeve in the circumferential direction of the sleeve.

6. The automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that, The housing includes an upper shell and a bottom shell. The upper shell and the bottom shell are assembled to form the installation cavity therebetween. Among them, The limiting seat is formed inside the upper shell, and the limiting seat limits the two ends of the sleeve; The limiting block is formed on the inner wall of the bottom case, and the limiting block extends along the axial direction of the installation cavity.

7. The automatic door closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The automatic door closing mechanism further includes an upper hinge, and the upper hinge is used for being fixedly arranged on the cabinet body. The upper hinge includes: A fixing hole for fixedly connecting with the cabinet body. The support groove corresponds to the position of the connecting shaft, and the connecting shaft is rotatably embedded in the support groove.

8. A refrigerator, characterized in that, Comprising the automatic door closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1-7, the housing is fixedly arranged on the cabinet body of the refrigerator, and the connecting shaft is connected with the rotating shaft of the refrigerator door body.

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