Door switch assembly and refrigerator

Abstract

The present invention provides a switch assembly for a door body and a refrigerator. The switch assembly for the door body includes: a door body rotating shaft for fixedly connecting to the door body; a first gear whose axis is nested in the door body rotating shaft and fixedly connected to the door body rotating shaft, and having multiple teeth distributed around the circumference of the gear, and at least one tooth having a notch; a second gear meshing with the first gear and having a first protrusion on the circumference that fits the notch; and a driving component connected to the second gear and configured to drive the second gear to rotate, thereby driving the first gear to rotate in the door closing direction until the door body is closed, and causing the first protrusion to abut against the tooth adjacent to the notch to prevent the user from manually rotating the first gear in the door opening direction, thereby preventing the user from opening the door body due to accidental operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of door bodies, and in particular to a switch assembly for a door body and a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] Refrigerators are now widely used in people's lives. Users need to manually open and close the refrigerator door during use. This manual process is inconvenient for users. Although existing technologies have enabled automatic opening and closing of refrigerator doors, some drawbacks still exist. For example, after the door automatically closes, existing technologies cannot lock it. This can lead to users accidentally opening the door manually, which reduces the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, a switch assembly for a door and a refrigerator are proposed to overcome the above problems or at least partially solve the above problems.

[0004] One object of the present invention is to make the door body unable to be opened manually after the door body is automatically closed.

[0005] In particular, according to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a switch assembly for a door body, comprising:

[0006] A door body rotating shaft, used for fixedly connecting with the door body;

[0007] A first gear, the axis of which is nested in the door body shaft, thereby being fixedly connected to the door body shaft, and having a plurality of teeth distributed in a circumferential direction, and at least one tooth having a notch;

[0008] a second gear meshing with the first gear and having a first protrusion on its circumference; and

[0009] A driving component is connected to the second gear and is configured to drive the second gear to rotate, thereby driving the first gear to rotate in the door closing direction until the door body is closed, and to make the first protrusion abut against the teeth adjacent to the notch to prevent external force from causing the first gear to rotate in the door opening direction.

[0010] Optionally, a partial section of the circumference of the second gear is provided with a plurality of teeth, and another partial section of the circumference not provided with teeth extends in the radial direction to form the first protrusion.

[0011] Optionally, the distance from the outer edge of the first protrusion to the axis of the second gear is equal to the distance from the outer edge of the tooth of the second gear to the axis of the second gear.

[0012] Optionally, the notch is located at the end of the tooth where it is located;

[0013] The length of the first protrusion along the axial direction of the second gear matches the length of the notch along the axial direction of the first gear.

[0014] Optionally, the cross-section of the first gear is fan-shaped, and the notch is located on at least one tooth at one circumferential end of the first gear.

[0015] Optionally, there are multiple teeth with the notch, and the notches on each tooth are connected to form a whole.

[0016] Optionally, the switch assembly further comprises:

[0017] a limiting plate, located on one side of the axial direction of the second gear, and having a first limiting recess on a surface thereof facing the second gear, wherein the first limiting recess is arc-shaped;

[0018] The end surface of the second gear facing the limiting plate has a second protrusion, and the second protrusion is located in the first limiting recess;

[0019] The first limiting recess is configured to cause the second protrusion to move along the first limiting recess during the rotation of the second gear.

[0020] Optionally, a second limiting recess is further provided on the surface of the limiting plate facing the second gear;

[0021] The second gear has a third protrusion at the axis center of the end surface facing the limiting plate, and the third protrusion is located in the second limiting recess;

[0022] The second limiting recess is configured to cause the third protrusion to rotate in the first limiting recess during the rotation of the second gear.

[0023] Optionally, a third limiting recess is formed on a portion of the third protrusion of the second gear facing the driving component;

[0024] The portion of the driving component facing the third limiting recess has a fourth protrusion adapted to the third limiting recess, and the fourth protrusion is located in the third limiting recess so that the driving component drives the second gear to rotate.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0026] Door body; and

[0027] The switch assembly for a door body described in any of the above items is fixedly connected to the door body via a door body rotating shaft.

[0028] In the switch assembly for the door body of the present invention, the axis of the first gear is nested on the door body rotating shaft, thereby being fixedly connected to the door body rotating shaft, and it has multiple teeth distributed in the circumference, and at least one tooth has a notch. The second gear is engaged with the first gear, and has a first protrusion in the circumference. The driving component is connected to the second gear, and is used to drive the second gear to rotate, so as to drive the first gear to rotate in the door closing direction until the door body is closed, and the first protrusion is abutted against the teeth adjacent to the notch to lock the door body, so as to prevent external force from causing the first gear to rotate in the door opening direction, prevent the user from manually opening the door body in the case of misoperation, and make the door body close more tightly.

[0029] Furthermore, a partial section of the second gear is provided with multiple teeth in the circumferential direction, and another partial section without teeth in the circumferential direction extends in the radial direction to form a first protrusion, so that the first protrusion and the head and end of the partial section with multiple teeth are abutted against each other. After the door body is closed, one end of the partial section with multiple teeth moves to the circumferential gap of the first gear, so that the first protrusion is close to a part of the partial section with multiple teeth and is located in the gap, and abuts against the teeth adjacent to the gap, thereby locking the door body and closing the door body more tightly.

[0030] Furthermore, the distance from the outer edge of the first protrusion to the axis of the second gear is equal to the distance from the outer edge of the teeth of the second gear to the axis of the second gear, that is, the contours of the outer edge of the first protrusion and the outer edge of the teeth of the second gear can form a circle. After the door body is closed, one end of the partial section with multiple teeth moves to the circumferential notch of the first gear, which can make the first protrusion more easily collide with the teeth adjacent to the notch to lock the door body.

[0031] Furthermore, the notch is located at the end of the tooth where it is located, and the length of the first protrusion along the axial direction of the second gear matches the length of the notch along the axial direction of the first gear. After the first protrusion abuts the tooth adjacent to the notch, the portion of the first protrusion located in the notch can more fully contact the teeth surrounding the notch, making the first and second gears more stable and reducing the possibility of door shaking.

[0032] Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will become more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention. The same reference symbols are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0034] Figure 12. It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a switch assembly for a door according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a switch assembly for a door according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0038] Figure 1 2. It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a switch assembly for a door according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a switch assembly for a door according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is in an open state as shown in the structural diagram; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 1 to 3 The switch assembly 100 for the door body 201 may include a door body shaft 101, a first gear 102, a second gear 103 and a driving component 104. The door body shaft 101 is used to be fixedly connected to the door body 201. The axis of the first gear 102 is nested on the door body shaft 101, thereby being fixedly connected to the door body shaft 101, and a plurality of teeth are distributed circumferentially, and at least one tooth has a notch 1021. The second gear 103 is engaged with the first gear 102, and has a first protrusion 1031 on its circumference. The driving component 104 is connected to the second gear 103, and is used to drive the second gear 103 to rotate, so as to drive the first gear 102 to rotate in the door closing direction until the door body 201 is closed, and the first protrusion 1031 is abutted against the teeth adjacent to the notch 1021 to prevent external force from causing the first gear 102 to rotate in the door opening direction.

[0040] In this embodiment, the axis of the first gear 102 is nested on the door body shaft 101, thereby being fixedly connected to the door body shaft 101, and it has multiple teeth distributed in the circumference, and at least one tooth has a notch 1021. The second gear 103 is engaged with the first gear 102, and it has a first protrusion 1031 in the circumference. The driving component 104 is connected to the second gear 103, and is used to drive the second gear 103 to rotate, so as to drive the first gear 102 to rotate in the door closing direction until the door body 201 is closed, and the first protrusion 1031 is abutted against the teeth adjacent to the notch 1021, locking the door body 201 to prevent external force from causing the first gear 102 to rotate in the door opening direction, preventing the user from manually opening the door body 201 in the case of misoperation, and making the door body 201 close more tightly.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, a partial section of the circumference of the second gear 103 is provided with a plurality of teeth, and another partial section of the circumference not provided with teeth extends in the radial direction to form a first protrusion 1031 .

[0042] In this embodiment, a partial section of the circumference of the second gear 103 is provided with multiple teeth, and another partial section without teeth is extended in the radial direction to form a first protrusion 1031, so that the first protrusion 1031 and the head and end of the partial section with multiple teeth are abutted against each other. After the door body 201 is closed, one end of the partial section with multiple teeth moves to the circumferential notch 1021 of the first gear 102, so that a part of the first protrusion 1031 close to the partial section with multiple teeth is located in the notch 1021, and abuts against the teeth adjacent to the notch 1021, thereby locking the door body 201 and closing the door body 201 more tightly.

[0043] In one embodiment of the present invention, the distance from the outer edge of the first protrusion 1031 to the axis of the second gear 103 is equal to the distance from the outer edge of the teeth of the second gear 103 to the axis of the second gear 103 .

[0044] In this embodiment, the distance from the outer edge of the first protrusion 1031 to the axis of the second gear 103 is equal to the distance from the outer edge of the teeth of the second gear 103 to the axis of the second gear 103, that is, the outline of the outer edge of the first protrusion 1031 and the outer edge of the teeth of the second gear 103 can form a circle. After the door body 201 is closed, one end of the partial section with multiple teeth moves to the circumferential notch 1021 of the first gear 102, which can make the first protrusion 1031 more easily collide with the teeth adjacent to the notch 1021, thereby locking the door body 201.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the notch 1021 is located at the end of the tooth where the notch 1021 is located. The length of the first protrusion 1031 along the axial direction of the second gear 103 is adapted to the length of the notch 1021 along the axial direction of the first gear 102 .

[0046] In this embodiment, the notch 1021 can be located at any end of the tooth where it is located, such as the upper end or the lower end. Figure 1 , the notch 1021 is located at the lower end of the tooth where it is located. The notch 1021 is located at the end of the tooth where it is located, and the length of the first protrusion 1031 along the axial direction of the second gear 103 is adapted to the length of the notch 1021 along the axial direction of the first gear 102. After the first protrusion 1031 and the tooth adjacent to the notch 1021 are abutted, the part of the first protrusion 1031 located in the notch 1021 can be in more complete contact with the teeth around the notch 1021, making the first gear 102 and the second gear 103 more stable and reducing the possibility of the door body 201 shaking. Generally, the length of the first protrusion 1031 along the axial direction of the second gear 103 is less than the axial length of the teeth of the second gear 103. The axial length of the first gear 102 can be equal to the axial length of the second gear 103.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cross section of the first gear 102 is sector-shaped, and the notch 1021 is located on at least one tooth at one circumferential end of the first gear 102. The central angle of the sector-shaped first gear 102 can be 90 to 180 degrees.

[0048] In this embodiment, if Figure 1 As shown, the notch 1021 is located on two adjacent teeth at one circumferential end of the first gear 102. During the opening process of the door 201, the angle of rotation of the door 201 is often less than 180 degrees. The rotation angle of the first gear 102 only needs to meet the angle of opening of the door 201. Therefore, the first gear 102 is a sector gear, which can reduce the space occupied by the first gear 102. Furthermore, the notch 1021 is located on a tooth at one circumferential end of the first gear 102, which allows the first protrusion 1031 to more easily abut against the teeth adjacent to the notch 1021.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple teeth with notches 1021 , and the notches 1021 on each tooth are connected to form a whole.

[0050] In this embodiment, the plurality of adjacent teeth of the first gear 102 may have gaps 1021 so that the gaps 1021 on the respective teeth are connected to form a whole. Figure 1 , the teeth with the notch 1021 are two adjacent teeth. Of course, the number of teeth with the notch 1021 can also be 3 or 4. When the number of teeth with the notch 1021 is multiple, and the notches 1021 on each tooth are connected as a whole, the first protrusion 1031 can be connected to the teeth adjacent to the notch 1021 ( Figure 1The third tooth in the counterclockwise direction of the first gear 102 in the middle) is more stable after being offset, preventing the first protrusion 1031 from separating from the notch 1021.

[0051] In some other embodiments, the angle between the connecting line from the head and end of the partial section of the second gear 103 with multiple teeth to the axis center of the second gear 103 is greater than or equal to the central angle of the sector-shaped first gear 102, so as to ensure that the first gear 102 can rotate according to its maximum rotation angle.

[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the switch assembly 100 may further include a stop plate 105. The stop plate 105 is located on one axial side of the second gear 103. A first stop recess 1051 is defined on the surface of the stop plate 105 facing the second gear 103. The first stop recess 1051 is arc-shaped. The end surface of the second gear 103 facing the stop plate 105 has a second protrusion 1032 located within the first stop recess 1051. The first stop recess 1051 causes the second protrusion 1032 to move along the first stop recess 1051 during rotation of the second gear 103.

[0053] In this embodiment, the first limiting recess 1051 can pass through the limiting plate 105. The central angle of the arc-shaped first limiting recess 1051 is greater than or equal to the angle between the two circumferential ends of the first gear 102 and the axis of the first gear 102. The center of the arc-shaped first limiting recess 1051 can be located on the axis of the second gear 103. The second protrusion 1032 is located in the first limiting recess 1051. During the rotation of the second gear 103, the first limiting recess 1051 causes the second protrusion 1032 to move along the first limiting recess 1051, which can limit the movement range of the second gear 103, prevent the second gear 103 from disengaging from the first gear 102 during the rotation process, and make the first gear 102 and the second gear 103 more stably engaged.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, a second limiting recess 1052 is further defined on the surface of the limiting plate 105 facing the second gear 103. A third protrusion 1033 is formed at the axis of the end surface of the second gear 103 facing the limiting plate 105. The third protrusion 1033 is located in the second limiting recess 1052. The second limiting recess 1052 causes the third protrusion 1033 to rotate within the first limiting recess 1051 during the rotation of the second gear 103.

[0055] In this embodiment, the second limiting recess 1052 can pass through the limiting plate 105. The cross-section of the second limiting recess 1052 can be circular. The third protrusion 1033 is adapted to the second limiting recess 1052. The second gear 103 has a third protrusion 1033 at the axis of the side facing the limiting plate 105. The third protrusion 1033 is located in the second limiting recess 1052, so that the second gear 103 rotates in the same position, which can prevent the second gear 103 from disengaging from the first gear 102 during rotation, thereby making the first gear 102 and the second gear 103 more stably engaged.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present invention, a third position-limiting recess 1034 is defined on the portion of the third protrusion 1033 of the second gear 103 facing the driving component 104. A fourth protrusion 1041 is defined on the portion of the driving component 104 facing the third position-limiting recess 1034, and is adapted to fit within the third position-limiting recess 1034. The fourth protrusion 1041 is positioned within the third position-limiting recess 1034, enabling the driving component 104 to drive the second gear 103 to rotate.

[0057] In this embodiment, the third position-limiting recess 1034 can extend through the third protrusion 1033. The cross-sectional shape of the third position-limiting recess 1034 can be polygonal, such as a triangle or a quadrilateral, which are not listed here. The fourth protrusion 1041 of the driving component 104 is located in the third position-limiting recess 1034, thereby fixedly connecting the driving component 104 and the second gear 103, so that the driving component 104 drives the second gear 103 to rotate. The driving component 104 can be a stepping motor, but of course, other types of motors can also be used.

[0058] In one embodiment of the present invention, the switch assembly 100 may further include a tray 106 . The tray 106 accommodates the door shaft 101 , the first gear 102 , the second gear 103 , the driving component 104 and the limiting plate 105 .

[0059] In this embodiment, the tray 106 accommodates the door shaft 101, the first gear 102, the second gear 103, the drive component 104, and the stop plate 105, making the entire switch assembly 100 more compact and easier to package and transport. Specifically, the drive component 104 has a plurality of first fixing holes 1042, and the stop plate 105 has a plurality of second fixing holes 1053. The drive component 104 and the stop plate 105 can be secured to the tray 106 by screws passing through the first fixing holes 1042 and the second fixing holes 1053, respectively. Generally, the tray 106 can be secured to the body of the refrigerator 200.

[0060] See also Figure 3Based on the same concept, the present invention further provides a refrigerator 200. Refrigerator 200 may include a door 201 and a switch assembly 100 for door 201 according to any of the above-described embodiments. Switch assembly 100 is fixedly connected to door 201 via a door shaft 101. Specifically, for example, door shaft 101 may generally be fixedly connected to the bottom of door 201.

[0061] The above embodiments may be combined in any way. According to any one of the above preferred embodiments or a combination of multiple preferred embodiments, the embodiments of the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0062] The axis of the first gear 102 is nested on the door body shaft 101, so as to be fixedly connected to the door body shaft 101, and it has multiple teeth distributed in the circumference, and at least one tooth has a notch 1021. The second gear 103 is engaged with the first gear 102, and has a first protrusion 1031 in the circumference. The driving component 104 is connected to the second gear 103, and is used to drive the second gear 103 to rotate, so as to drive the first gear 102 to rotate in the door closing direction until the door body 201 is closed, and the first protrusion 1031 is abutted against the notch 1021, locking the door body 201 to prevent external force from causing the first gear 102 to rotate in the door opening direction, preventing the user from manually opening the door body 201 in the case of misoperation, and making the door body 201 close more tightly.

[0063] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features, that is, include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. When a feature "includes or contains" one or more of the features it covers, unless otherwise specifically described, this indicates that other features are not excluded and may further include other features.

[0064] Unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connect," "fixed," "coupled," and the like should be interpreted broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed or detachable connections, or integration; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. A person of ordinary skill in the art should be able to understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0065] At this point, those skilled in the art will recognize that, although a number of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the present invention may be directly determined or derived from the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A switch assembly for a door body, comprising: A door body rotating shaft, used for fixedly connecting with the door body; A first gear, the axis of which is nested in the door body shaft, thereby being fixedly connected to the door body shaft, and having a plurality of teeth distributed in a circumferential direction, and at least one tooth having a notch; a second gear meshing with the first gear and having a first protrusion on its circumference; as well as a driving component connected to the second gear and configured to drive the second gear to rotate, thereby driving the first gear to rotate in the door closing direction until the door body is closed, and causing the first protrusion to abut against the teeth adjacent to the notch to prevent external force from causing the first gear to rotate in the door opening direction; The cross-section of the first gear is fan-shaped, a partial section of the circumference of the second gear is provided with a plurality of teeth, and another partial section of the circumference without teeth extends in the radial direction to form the first protrusion, and an angle between the connecting line from the beginning and end of the partial section of the second gear provided with a plurality of teeth to the axis center of the second gear is greater than or equal to the central angle of the first gear of the fan-shaped structure.

2. The switch assembly for a door body according to claim 1, wherein: The distance from the outer edge of the first protrusion to the axis of the second gear is equal to the distance from the outer edge of the tooth of the second gear to the axis of the second gear.

3. The switch assembly for a door body according to claim 1, wherein: The notch is located at the end of the tooth where it is located; The length of the first protrusion along the axial direction of the second gear matches the length of the notch along the axial direction of the first gear.

4. The switch assembly for a door body according to claim 1, wherein: There are multiple teeth with the notches, and the notches on the teeth are connected to form a whole.

5. The switch assembly for a door body according to claim 1, further comprising: a limiting plate, located on one side of the axial direction of the second gear, and having a first limiting recess on a surface thereof facing the second gear, wherein the first limiting recess is arc-shaped; The end surface of the second gear facing the limiting plate has a second protrusion, and the second protrusion is located in the first limiting recess; The first limiting recess is configured to cause the second protrusion to move along the first limiting recess during the rotation of the second gear.

6. The switch assembly for a door body according to claim 5, wherein: A second limiting recess is further provided on the surface of the limiting plate facing the second gear; The second gear has a third protrusion at the axis center of the end surface facing the limiting plate, and the third protrusion is located in the second limiting recess; The second limiting recess is configured to cause the third protrusion to rotate in the first limiting recess during the rotation of the second gear.

7. The switch assembly for a door body according to claim 6, wherein: A third limiting recess is formed on a portion of the third protrusion of the second gear facing the driving component; The portion of the driving component facing the third limiting recess has a fourth protrusion adapted to the third limiting recess, and the fourth protrusion is located in the third limiting recess so that the driving component drives the second gear to rotate.

8. A refrigerator comprising: Door body; as well as The switch assembly for a door body according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is fixedly connected to the door body via a door body rotating shaft.

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