Guide rail structure, flip cover and household appliance

Abstract

The application discloses a guide rail structure, a flip cover and a household appliance, wherein the guide rail structure comprises a guide rail body, the guide rail body comprises two side portions and a bottom portion, the two side portions and the bottom portion define a sliding groove, and the bottom portion is movably arranged in the direction of the depth of the sliding groove to form a movable adjusting segment. In the technical scheme, when the mounting surface of the guide rail is raised, the spacing between the two bottom portions of the sliding groove is reduced, when the rotating shaft of the flip cover slides along the sliding groove, the movable adjusting segment moves along the depth direction of the sliding groove, the depth of the sliding groove is adjusted, the length of the rotating shaft of the flip cover is adapted, and the interference between the flip cover and the guide rail body is avoided, so that the problem that the existing guide rail structure is prone to interfering with the rotating shaft of the flip cover and causing the drawer to be not smoothly pulled out is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of household appliances, and more particularly to guide rail structures, flip-top panels, and household appliances. Background Technology

[0002] To facilitate storage and preserve food in the refrigerator, shelves or flip-tops are installed at different positions on the upper and lower parts of the refrigerator compartment. The typical installation method involves setting two guide rails on opposite sides of the refrigerator compartment. The length of the flip-top's pivot is matched with the distance between the bottom of the two guide rail grooves. Then, the two ends of the flip-top's pivot are inserted into the grooves of the two guide rails, and finally, the flip-top is pushed to the appropriate position.

[0003] Because the hinged covers are installed in different positions, the guide rails are installed in different locations on both sides of the refrigerator compartment. However, due to stress during the foaming process of the refrigerator body, deformation occurs at different locations, causing the guide rails installed on the side walls of the compartment to deviate from their preset state. This results in different distances between the two opposing guide rails. Since each hinged cover is sized uniformly during molding, when the distance between the two guide rails is less than the preset distance, the hinged cover's pivot point will interfere with the guide rail, causing the hinged cover to slide unevenly along the groove. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to propose a guide rail structure that aims to solve the problem that existing guide rail structures are prone to interference with the hinge of the flip cover, resulting in uneven sliding.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes a guide rail structure, the guide rail structure comprising a guide rail body, the guide rail body comprising two sides and a bottom, the two sides and the bottom defining a groove, and at least one section of the bottom being movably disposed in the groove depth direction to form an adjustable section.

[0006] Optionally, the bottom includes a base plate and an adjusting cantilever, with the two sides of the base plate connected to the two side portions;

[0007] The adjusting cantilever extends along the extension direction of the slide groove. The adjusting cantilever has a fixed end and a free end. The fixed end is connected to one end of the base plate, and the free end is oscillatingly arranged in the depth direction of the slide groove. The adjusting cantilever forms the movable adjusting section.

[0008] Optionally, gaps are formed between the two sides of the adjusting cantilever and the two sides, respectively.

[0009] Optionally, the base plate and the adjusting cantilever are integrally formed.

[0010] Optionally, at least one of the two sides has a mounting notch on the side away from the base plate.

[0011] Optionally, the direction in which the mounting notch penetrates the side portion forms an angle with the thickness direction of the side portion.

[0012] Optionally, the included angle is η, where η ≤ 30°.

[0013] Optionally, the mounting notch is located near the fixed end, and the mounting notch extends gradually away from the slide groove in the direction from the free end toward the fixed end.

[0014] The present invention also provides a flip cover, which is rotatably mounted on two side walls of a refrigerator compartment. The pivot of the flip cover is slidably inserted into a groove in the guide rail structure of the refrigerator, and the pivot of the flip cover is telescopically arranged in its axial direction.

[0015] The present invention also provides a household appliance, which includes the above-described guide rail structure.

[0016] The present invention also provides a household appliance, which includes the above-mentioned flip cover.

[0017] The present invention also provides a household appliance, which includes the above-described guide rail structure and the above-described flip cover.

[0018] Optionally, the household appliance is a refrigerator.

[0019] Optionally, the household appliance includes a mounting rail having a mounting groove for slidably inserting a hinge of a flip-top.

[0020] The mounting guide rail includes multiple guide rail structures connected in sequence, and multiple sliding grooves form the mounting groove.

[0021] In the technical solution provided by this invention, the guide rail structure includes a guide rail body, which includes two sides and a bottom. The two sides and the bottom define a sliding groove. At least one section of the bottom is movably disposed in the direction of the groove depth to form a movable adjustment section. By providing the movable adjustment section, when the mounting surface of the guide rail protrudes, the distance between the bottoms of the two sliding grooves decreases. When the rotating shaft of the flip cover slides along the sliding groove, the movable adjustment section moves along the depth direction of the sliding groove to adjust the depth of the sliding groove, thereby adapting to the length of the rotating shaft of the flip cover and avoiding interference between the flip cover and the guide rail body. This solves the problem that existing guide rail structures easily interfere with the rotating shaft of the flip cover, resulting in uneven sliding. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 A front view of an embodiment of the guide rail structure provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the guide rail structure AA in the diagram;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the active adjustment segment in the initial and adjusted states;

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Enlarged diagram of point B in the image;

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the angle and dimensions of the installation notch.

[0028] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0029] 100 Guide rail structure 21 Activity adjustment section 10 Guide rail body 21a Fixed end 1 Side 21b Free end 2 bottom 22 base plate a chute c Installation gap

[0030] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0033] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the meaning of "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions; for example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0034] The existing installation method for partitions or flip-top panels involves installing two guide rails on opposite sides of the refrigerator compartment. The length of the flip-top's pivot is matched to the distance between the bottom of the guide rail grooves. The two ends of the flip-top's pivot are then inserted into the grooves of the two guide rails, and finally, the pivot is pushed to the appropriate position. Because the installation position of the flip-top varies, the positions of the guide rails on both sides of the refrigerator compartment are also different. However, due to stress during the foaming process of the refrigerator body, different deformations occur at different locations, causing deviations between the guide rails installed on the sides of the compartment and their intended state. This results in variations in the distance between the two opposing guide rails. Since each flip-top panel of the same model or series has the same dimensions during molding, when the distance between the two guide rails is less than the preset distance, interference occurs between the flip-top's pivot and the guide rails, causing the flip-top to slide unevenly along the grooves.

[0035] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a guide rail structure 100. Figure 1 Figure 5 shows a specific embodiment of the guide rail structure 100 provided by the present invention.

[0036] The guide rail structure 100 can be installed inside a refrigerator for mounting a flip-top, or inside an oven for mounting a baking rack, or inside a sterilizing cabinet for mounting a shelf. For the convenience of the following description, the guide rail is located inside the refrigerator, that is, the guide rail structure 100 is the guide rail structure 100 of the refrigerator.

[0037] Please see Figures 1 to 3 The guide rail structure 100 includes a guide rail body 10, which includes two side portions 1 and a bottom portion 2. The two side portions 1 and the bottom portion 2 define a groove a. At least one section of the bottom portion 2 is movably disposed in the direction of the groove depth of the groove a to form a movable adjustment section 21.

[0038] In the technical solution provided by this invention, the guide rail structure 100 includes a guide rail body 10, which includes two sides 1 and a bottom 2. The two sides 1 and the bottom 2 define a groove a. At least one section of the bottom 2 is movably disposed in the direction of the groove depth of the groove a to form a movable adjustment section 21. By providing the movable adjustment section 21, when the mounting surface of the guide rail protrudes, the distance between the bottoms 2 of the two grooves a decreases. When the rotating shaft of the flip cover slides along the groove a, the movable adjustment section 21 moves along the depth direction of the groove a to adjust the depth of the groove a, thereby adapting to the length of the rotating shaft of the flip cover and avoiding interference between the flip cover and the guide rail body 10. This solves the problem that the existing guide rail structure 100 is prone to interference with the rotating shaft of the flip cover, resulting in uneven sliding.

[0039] It should be noted that at least one section of the bottom 2 is movably disposed in the direction of the groove depth of the slide a, indicating that the bottom 2 consists of a fixed section and a movable adjustment section 21. It can be understood that the fixed section can be a small section connecting the movable adjustment section 21 to the two side parts 1, or it can be a plate segment with a relatively long length. The length of the fixed section is less than the length of the two side parts 1. When the fixed section is connected to the two side parts 1, a hollow movable area is formed on the plane where the bottom 2 is located, and the movable adjustment section 21 is disposed in the hollow movable area.

[0040] Specifically, the movable adjustment section 21 can be connected to one side of one of the side portions 1 near the bottom 2, or both ends can be separated from the two sides of the two side portions 1. When the movable adjustment section 21 is abutted by the rotating shaft of the flip cover, since its two ends are fixed but its two sides are not fixed, it can deform within a certain range along the groove depth direction of the slide groove a, and thus achieve the purpose of adjustment. In this embodiment, the bottom 2 includes a base plate 22 and an adjusting arm. Two portions of the two side sections 1 are respectively connected to both sides of the base plate 22. The remaining portions of the two side sections 1 form the aforementioned hollowed-out movable area. The adjusting arm is located within the hollowed-out movable area. Specifically, the adjusting arm extends along the extension direction of the slide groove a. The adjusting arm has a fixed end 21a and a free end 21b. The fixed end 21a is connected to one end of the base plate 22. Thus, the free end 21b can be oscillating along the depth direction of the slide groove a, forming the movable adjusting section 21. When the hinge of the flip cover is engaged within the slide groove a, the flip cover slides, and its hinge abuts against the adjusting arm. Because one end of the adjusting arm is suspended, the adjusting arm can compensate for the deformation of the refrigerator liner caused by the foaming process along the depth direction of the slide groove a. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3The solid line of the movable adjustment section 21 represents the initial state, and the dashed line represents the position of the movable adjustment section 21 after adjustment. This allows the installation space of the hinge of the flip cover to be adjusted to a preset distance.

[0041] Specifically, in this embodiment, gaps are formed between the two sides of the adjusting arm and the two side portions 1, so that when the adjusting arm swings, it will not interfere with the two side portions 1, thus preventing the adjustment function of the adjusting arm from being affected.

[0042] Specifically, the base plate 22 and the adjusting arm can be connected together by snap-fit ​​or by adhesive bonding. However, neither snap-fit ​​nor adhesive bonding can guarantee that the base plate 22 and the adjusting arm are on the same plane, which is not conducive to the sliding of the flip cover. In this embodiment, the base plate 22 and the adjusting arm are integrally formed, that is, when the guide rail body 10 is formed, the base plate 22 and the adjusting arm are injection molded in one step. This ensures that the base plate 22 and the adjusting arm are on the same plane, and ensures that the rotating shaft of the flip cover slides more smoothly from the base plate 22 to the adjusting arm.

[0043] Furthermore, when installing the flip cover into the groove a, because the side portion 1 of the groove a has a large dimension in the groove depth direction, the flip cover can only be installed and removed by bending and deforming the flip cover itself. However, due to the different material properties, the flip cover is difficult to install and remove and is prone to breakage. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4 In this embodiment, one of the two side portions 1 has an installation notch c on the side away from the base plate 22. Because of the installation notch c, the hinge of the flip cover is provided with clearance when it enters the slide groove a. Thus, the flip cover only needs to be installed from the installation notch c to the slide groove a, and the flip cover does not need to be bent or deformed, thereby reducing the probability of the flip cover being easily damaged during installation.

[0044] Furthermore, since the refrigerator may shake during transportation, and one of the two side portions 1 is provided with the mounting notch c, when the hinge of the flip cover collides with the two side portions 1, the hinge of the flip cover may fall out from the mounting notch c, which may easily damage the flip cover. In this embodiment, the direction in which the mounting notch c penetrates the side portion 1 is set at an angle to the thickness direction of the side portion 1. Since the general direction of movement of the hinge of the flip cover is perpendicular to the side portion 1 when it collides with the side portion 1, and the mounting notch c is inclined, the hinge of the flip cover is limited by the inclined surface of the mounting notch c, and the inclined surface can play a certain guiding role, so that the hinge of the flip cover is guided back into the slide groove a.

[0045] Specifically, to simultaneously satisfy both ease of installation and limiting functionality, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4 and Figure 5 In this embodiment, the included angle η can be set to less than or equal to 30°, thus ensuring that the vertical distance D between the beveled surfaces of the mounting notch c is greater than the horizontal distance X of the mounting notch c.

[0046] Furthermore, to facilitate the installation of the flip cover, in this embodiment, the installation notch c is positioned close to the fixed end 21a, and the installation notch c extends from the free end 21b toward the fixed end 21a in a direction away from the slide groove a. This ensures that when the installer installs the flip cover, the direction of the installation and the pushing force are consistent, resulting in a better user experience.

[0047] Based on the above-mentioned inventive concept, the present invention also provides a flip cover, which is rotatably installed on two sides 1 of the refrigerator compartment. The pivot of the flip cover is slidably inserted into the slide groove a of the guide rail structure 100 of the refrigerator. The pivot of the flip cover is telescopically arranged in its axial direction, so that by adjusting the length of the pivot of the flip cover, it can be adapted to slide groove a of different installation spaces.

[0048] The present invention also provides a household appliance. In a first embodiment, the household appliance includes the aforementioned guide rail structure 100. The specific structure of the guide rail structure 100 is as described in the above embodiments. Since this household appliance adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here. In a second embodiment, the household appliance includes the aforementioned flip cover. The specific structure of the flip cover is as described in the above embodiments. Since this household appliance adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here. In a third embodiment, the household appliance includes the aforementioned guide rail structure 100 and the aforementioned flip cover. The specific structures of the guide rail structure 100 and the flip cover are as described in the above embodiments. Since this household appliance adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0049] Furthermore, when the length of the guide rail is too long, or when adjustments are required in multiple places, in another embodiment, the household appliance includes a mounting guide rail with a mounting groove for a cover plate to be slidably inserted. The mounting guide rail includes multiple guide rail structures 100 connected in sequence, and multiple sliding grooves a form the mounting groove. Thus, by splicing multiple guide rail structures 100, a mounting guide rail with multiple adjustment functions is formed, and the required mounting guide rail can be freely combined as needed, making the adaptability and flexibility of the mounting guide rail better.

[0050] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A guide rail structure, characterized in that, The guide rail body includes two sides and a bottom, the two sides and the bottom defining a groove, and at least one section of the bottom is movably disposed in the groove depth direction to form an adjustable section. The bottom includes a base plate and an adjustable cantilever, with the two sides of the base plate connected to the two side portions; The adjusting cantilever extends along the extension direction of the slide groove. The adjusting cantilever has a fixed end and a free end. The fixed end is connected to one end of the base plate, and the free end is oscillatingly arranged in the depth direction of the slide groove. The adjusting cantilever forms the movable adjusting section. When the rotating shaft of the flip cover is engaged in the slide groove, the flip cover slides, and its rotating shaft abuts against the adjusting cantilever. The adjusting cantilever is used to compensate for the deformation of the refrigerator liner caused by the foaming process along the groove depth direction. At least one of the two sides has a mounting notch on the side away from the base plate; The direction in which the installation notch penetrates the side portion is set at an angle to the thickness direction of the side portion; The included angle is η, where η≤30°; The mounting notch is located near the fixed end, and extends gradually away from the slide groove in the direction from the free end toward the fixed end.

2. The guide rail structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The two sides of the adjustable cantilever are respectively separated from the two sides.

3. The guide rail structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The base plate and the adjustable cantilever are integrally formed.

4. A flip cover, characterized in that, The flip cover is rotatably mounted on the two side walls of the refrigerator compartment. The pivot of the flip cover is slidably inserted into the slide groove of the refrigerator's guide rail structure. The pivot of the flip cover is telescopically arranged in its axial direction. The guide rail structure is configured as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A household appliance, characterized in that, Includes the guide rail structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, and / or the flip cover as described in claim 4.

6. The household appliance as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The household appliance in question is a refrigerator.

7. The household appliance as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The household appliance includes a mounting rail having a mounting groove for slidably inserting a hinged flap. The mounting guide rail includes multiple guide rail structures connected in sequence, and multiple sliding grooves form the mounting groove.

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