Hinge structure and refrigerator

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of refrigerator technology, and discloses a hinge structure and a refrigerator, including a first hinge member and a second hinge member. The first hinge member has a first groove and a second groove, and the second hinge member has a first shaft and a second shaft fixedly disposed thereon. The first shaft is inserted into the first groove, and the second shaft is inserted into the second groove. The first groove portion of the first groove and the fourth groove portion of the second groove extend towards the junction surface of the cabinet and the door, so that during the movement of the first shaft and the second shaft in the corresponding groove, the door body can move away from the cabinet in the first stage. This reduces the door-cabin distance when the door is closed without affecting the opening and closing of the door, and can even achieve zero distance. Furthermore, it does not affect the door seal structure for doors with door seals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of refrigerator technology, specifically to a hinge structure and a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] Existing refrigerator and hinge technologies necessitate increasing the gap between the door and the refrigerator body to prevent interference between the door side and the cabinet during door opening and closing. This affects heat conduction inside and outside the refrigerator, increasing power consumption. Even with door seals installed, conventional hinges still pose a risk of lateral deformation of the door seal during opening and closing, affecting the sealing effect. (Lateral deformation of the door seal: During door opening and closing, the door seal interferes with the cabinet until it deforms and adheres, preventing the door seal from achieving its intended sealing effect and also posing a risk of cold leakage.) Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem solved by this invention is that the existing hinge structure has a large gap between the box and the door, and there is a possibility that the door seal may be deformed by lateral compression, which affects the sealing effect.

[0004] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A hinge structure, comprising:

[0006] The first hinge has a first groove and a second groove. The first groove includes a first groove portion and a second groove portion that are connected to each other. The second groove includes a fourth groove portion and a fifth groove portion that are connected to each other. The first groove portion and the fourth groove portion extend from the starting end toward the contact surface of the closed box and the door body. The included angle of the tangents of the center lines of the second groove portion and the fifth groove portion gradually increases.

[0007] The second hinge member has a first shaft and a second shaft fixedly mounted on it. The first shaft is inserted into the first groove and the second shaft is inserted into the second groove.

[0008] The first hinge and the second hinge switch between an initial position and an open position. In the initial position, the first shaft is located at the end of the first groove away from the second groove, and the second shaft is located at the end of the fourth groove away from the fifth groove. Between the initial position and the open position, the first shaft moves within the first groove, and the second shaft moves within the second groove.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention: a first transition portion is provided between the first groove portion and the second groove portion, and between the fourth groove portion and the fifth groove portion.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention: a guide slope is provided on the first hinge member, and the angle between the guide slope and the opening / closing direction of the inner wall of the door body is an acute angle; a thrust member is fixedly provided on the second hinge member, and the thrust member contacts and engages with the guide slope when the door is closed.

[0011] In one aspect of the present invention, the thrusting component is a cam structure, a piston structure, or a shaft structure.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention: the thrust member is a third shaft, and the guide slope is the sidewall of the third groove.

[0013] In one aspect of the present invention: the distance ratio between the first shaft, the second shaft and the reference surface 3 is between 1:1.8 and 1:3.3, and the distance ratio between the second shaft, the first shaft and the reference surface 2 is between 1:1.47 and 1:1.6.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention: the ratio of the straight-line distance between the third shaft, the first shaft and the reference surface 2 is between 1:1 and 1:2.8; the distance between the first shaft and the third shaft in the y-axis direction is 25 mm or more.

[0015] In one aspect of the present invention: the initial movement directions of the first shaft and the second shaft are at an angle between 0° and 25° and the side wall of the box, with a difference between 0° and 10°, and the angle of the first shaft is greater than the angle of the second shaft.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the included angle between the tangent directions of the center lines of the second groove and the fifth groove is greater than 20°.

[0017] A refrigerator includes a cabinet and a door body, which are rotatably connected by the aforementioned hinge structure.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0019] The hinge structure in this application includes a first groove and a second groove, with the first groove portion of the first groove and the fourth groove portion of the second groove extending towards the junction surface of the box and the door. This allows the door body to move away from the box in the first stage during the movement of the first and second shafts within their respective grooves, reducing the door-box distance when the door is closed without affecting its opening and closing, and even achieving zero distance. Furthermore, it does not affect the door seal structure for doors with door seals.

[0020] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a refrigerator device according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram illustrating the interaction between the closed state and the environmental structure of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the force exerted on the door at the moment of opening from the closed state according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the hinge structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first hinge member of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the force exerted on the door body during the first stage of opening according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first stage of opening the door body of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the component vector of the first-stage trajectory of point b in this invention;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the second stage of the opening and closing of the door body of the present invention. The diagram includes the movement trajectories of points a and b throughout the entire opening and closing process.

[0031] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the door body of the present invention when it is opened or closed to 90°.

[0032] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the third stage of the door opening process of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the maximum opening angle of the door body and the environmental structure of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the movement trajectories of points a and b during the entire opening and closing process;

[0035] Figure 14 It is a curve diagram showing the angle between the shaft movement direction and reference plane 1 during the entire opening and closing process of this invention;

[0036] Figure 15 It is a curve diagram showing the angle between the shaft movement direction and the reference plane 2 during the entire opening and closing process of this invention;

[0037] Figure 16 It is a curve diagram showing the angle between the trajectory of point a and the reference surface 2 during the entire opening and closing process of this invention;

[0038] Figure 17 This is a curve showing the angle between the axis movement direction and reference plane 1 during the first stage of the door opening of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 18 It is a curve diagram of the angle between the axis movement direction and the reference plane 2 during the first stage of the door opening of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 19 It is a curve diagram of the angle between the axis movement direction and the reference plane 1 in the second stage of the door opening of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 20 It is a curve diagram of the angle between the axis movement direction and the reference plane 2 in the second stage of the door opening of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 21 It is a curve diagram of the angle between the axis movement direction and the reference plane 1 in the third stage of the door opening of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 22 This is a curve showing the angle between the axis movement direction and the reference plane 2 during the third stage of the door opening of the present invention.

[0044] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0045] 10. Box body; 20. Door body; 30. First groove; 40. Second groove; 50. Third groove; 60. First shaft; 70. Second shaft; 80. Third shaft;

[0046] 31. First groove; 32. Second groove; 33. Third groove;

[0047] 41. Fourth groove; 42. Fifth groove; 43. Sixth groove. Detailed Implementation

[0048] 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 some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0049] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0050] In the description of this invention, "several" means one or more, "more than" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0051] Please see Figure 1-22 This application discloses a refrigeration device, which includes low-temperature storage devices such as refrigerators, freezers, and ice bars. Of course, the refrigeration device can also be other devices with a cabinet and door assembly, and the door assembly is required to be able to rotate relative to the cabinet. The following description of the refrigeration device in this application uses a refrigerator as an example; this example is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the specific form of the refrigeration device.

[0052] When the door body is installed to a fixed cabinet or door frame via hinge assemblies, the door body may interfere with the cabinet or door frame during movement. Therefore, existing refrigerator and hinge technologies must increase the distance between the door and cabinet to prevent interference between the side of the door and the cabinet during door opening and closing. This affects the heat conduction inside and outside the refrigerator and increases power consumption. Even so, with door seals installed on the door, conventional hinges still have the possibility of the door seal being laterally squeezed and deformed during opening and closing, affecting the sealing effect. (Lateral compression deformation of the door seal refers to the door seal interfering with the cabinet during the opening and closing process, until it deforms and fits tightly, negatively affecting the door seal performance, failing to achieve the actual sealing design effect, and also posing a risk of cold leakage.)

[0053] To resolve the aforementioned issues, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1-22 This application provides a hinge assembly with a special trajectory that can realize the change of door-to-box spacing, so that the side edge of the door does not rotate or rotates very little when the door is opened or closed, so that the side edge of the door near the cabinet will not move in the direction of moving closer to the cabinet, thereby changing the overall running trajectory of the door, effectively reducing the door-to-box spacing (achieving zero spacing), improving the sealing effect, and reducing the power consumption of the refrigerator.

[0054] Before describing the hinge assembly of the embodiments of the present invention, the application scenarios of the hinge assembly of the embodiments of the present invention will be described. However, the application scenarios of the hinge assembly of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the listed application scenarios.

[0055] refer to Figures 1 to 13 As shown, the hinge assembly of this embodiment can be applied to the door body 20 connected to the cabinet 10, allowing the user to directly observe the front side of the door body 20; it can also be applied to the door body 20 of refrigerator-like refrigeration equipment that is installed in a recessed (flat-mounted) manner, with the front side of the door body 20 flush with the front wall of the surrounding structure. In the case of a recessed door installation, it is necessary to ensure that the side edges of the door body 20 do not interfere with the surrounding structure and to guarantee the opening and closing angle of the door body 20.

[0056] Please see Figure 2 In this context, the environmental structure can be understood as walls, cabinets, appliances, etc. The side edge of the door body 20 (hereinafter referred to as the first side edge, or point a) can be understood as the junction of the front side of the door body 20 and the first side wall (the left or right side wall of the door body 20, shown as the right side wall in the figure). The front side and the first side wall are adjacent sides of the door body 20. The first side wall is located on the hinge side of the door body 20, and the hinge assembly is installed on the hinge side of the door body 20. The opening / closing side of the door body 20 is opposite to the hinge side in the left-right direction. On the opening / closing side, the front side of the door body 20 connects to the second side wall, which is also opposite to the first side wall in the left-right direction. Users typically grasp the opening / closing side of the door body 20 to open and close the door body 20. Regarding the first side edge: When the front side of the door body 20 intersects with the first side wall, the intersection is the first side edge; when a chamfered area is provided between the front side of the door body 20 and the first side wall, any straight line extending along the height direction of the chamfered area can be understood as the first side edge. The first side edge is not limited to a fixed edge line; the first side edge can switch among multiple perpendicular lines between the front side of the door body 20 and the first side wall. The second side edge (point b) of the door body 20 is located at the connection between the first side wall and the rear side of the door body 20 (the side of the door body 20 that is used to fit against the box 10).

[0057] Please see Figure 2-12A hinge assembly includes a first hinge member and a second hinge member. The first hinge member has a first groove 30 and a second groove 40. The second hinge member has a first shaft 60 and a second shaft 70 fixedly disposed thereon. The first shaft 60 is inserted into the first groove 30, and the second shaft 70 is inserted into the second groove 40. The first hinge member and the second hinge member are configured with a double-shaft, double-groove mating structure. The first shaft 60 moves within the first groove 30, and the second shaft 70 moves within the second groove 40, thereby causing the first hinge member and the second hinge member to open or close relative to each other. When one of the first hinge member and the second hinge member is installed on the door body 20, and the other is installed on the housing 10 or the door frame, the opening and closing control of the door body 20 can be realized.

[0058] Please see Figure 2-12 In the following embodiments, one of the first hinge and the second hinge is disposed on the door body 20, and the other is disposed on the housing 10, as an example. The housing 10 has an opening on its front side, and the door body 20 switches between an open and closed state. The fact that one of the first hinge or the second hinge is disposed on the hinge side of the door body 20 (or housing 10) can be understood as either the first hinge or the second hinge being integrally formed with the door body 20 (or housing 10), or the first hinge or the second hinge being a separate part fixedly installed on the door body 20 (or housing 10).

[0059] Please see Figure 2-12The first groove 30 includes a first groove 31, a second groove 32, and a third groove 33 that are connected to each other. The second groove 40 includes a fourth groove 41, a fifth groove 42, and a sixth groove 43 that are connected to each other. The first groove 31 and the fourth groove 41 extend from their starting ends toward the mating surface (reference surface 1) of the closed box 10 and the door body 20. The angle between the tangents of the center lines of the second groove 32 and the fifth groove 42 gradually increases to ensure that the door body 20 opens relative to the box 10 as quickly as possible. The third groove 33 and the sixth groove 43 are groove structures with the same center but different radii. When the first shaft 60 is in the first groove 31, the second shaft 70 is located in the fourth groove 41. At this time, the first shaft 60 and the second shaft 70 can move relative to their respective groove structures toward the reference surface 1. When the first shaft 60 moves within the second groove 32, the second shaft 70 is located within the fifth groove 42. When the first shaft 60 operates in the third groove 33, the second shaft 70 is located within the sixth groove 43. The sixth groove 43 corresponds to the second shaft 70, and the third groove 33 is an arc-shaped structure extending along the center of the sixth groove 43. A second groove 32 is provided at the terminating end of the first groove 31, allowing the first shaft 60 to move from the first groove 31 to the second groove 32. A fifth groove 42 is provided at the terminating end of the fourth groove 41, allowing the second shaft 70 to move from the fourth groove 41 to the fifth groove 42.

[0060] Please see Figure 2-12 The first hinge and the second hinge switch between an initial position and an open position. In the initial position, the first shaft 60 is located at the end of the first groove 31 away from the second groove 32, and the second shaft 70 is located at the end of the fourth groove 41 away from the fifth groove 42. Between the initial position and the open position, the first shaft 60 moves within the first groove 30, and the second shaft 70 moves within the second groove 40. In the open position, the first shaft 60 is located in the third groove 33, and the second shaft 70 is located in the sixth groove 43.

[0061] Please see Figure 2-12A first transition portion is provided between the first groove 31 and the second groove 32, and between the fourth groove 41 and the fifth groove 42, respectively, so that the first rotating shaft can smoothly enter the second groove 32 from the first groove 31, and at the same time, the second rotating shaft can smoothly enter the fifth groove 42 from the fourth groove 41. Similarly, a second transition portion is provided between the second groove 32 and the third groove 33, and between the fifth groove 42 and the sixth groove 43, respectively, so that the entire door opening trajectory is smooth. The fifth groove 42 and the sixth groove 43 are set at an angle, and the inner sidewalls of the two are protruded to form a blocking portion, so that when the first shaft 60 is in the third groove 33, the second shaft 70 can be positioned in the sixth groove 43, so that the door body 20 performs a single-axis opening and closing action with the second shaft 70 during this stage. Meanwhile, the process of the second shaft 70 entering the sixth groove 43 from the fifth groove 42 and completing its positioning will cause the first hinge to move relative to the second hinge in the open direction, reducing the distance the first side edge moves outward during the opening process and avoiding interference between the first side edge of the door body 20 and the adjacent environment.

[0062] Please see Figure 2-12 In the initial stage of opening the door, the user typically grasps the door body 20 on the opening / closing side to open and close it. In the aforementioned dual-axis, dual-groove mating trajectory, initially, the movement direction of the first axis 60 and the second axis 70 relative to their respective grooves is roughly towards the mating surface of the housing 10 and the door body 20. At the moment of opening, the opening force deviates significantly from the movement direction of the hinge structure, potentially causing jamming during the opening and closing of the door body 20. Furthermore, the existence of a mating gap between the axis and the groove causes the door body 20 to generate a false center of motion at the second axis 70 at the moment of opening and closing, further increasing the likelihood of jamming. Therefore, a guide slope is provided on the first hinge member, with an acute angle between the guide slope and the opening / closing direction of the inner wall of the door body 20. A thrust member is fixedly provided on the second hinge member, which contacts and engages with the guide slope when the door is closed. Thus, at the moment the door opens, regardless of how the direction of the force applied to the door body 20 changes, through the cooperation of the thrust component and the guide ramp, there is always a component force in the negative y-axis direction, so that the movement of the hinge side of the door body 20 and the rotation of the door body are synchronized.

[0063] Please see Figure 2-12 The thrust element can be implemented as a cam, piston (push rod), shaft, or other means. When the structural form of the thrust element changes, the guide ramp adapts accordingly. For example, the thrust element is a third shaft 80, and the guide ramp is represented by a corresponding third groove 50 formed on the second hinge. The distance ratio between the third shaft 80, the first shaft 60, and the reference surface 2 is between 1:1 and 1:2.8; the distance between the first shaft 60 and the third shaft 80 in the y-axis direction is 25 mm or more.

[0064] Working principle of the invention:

[0065] Please see Figure 1-22 The following describes the opening and closing process of the door body 20 with the first hinge fixedly mounted on the door body and the second hinge fixedly mounted on the housing 10. The door body 20 can also be directly used as the first hinge. In this case, the first groove 30 and the second groove 40 are directly opened at the end position of the door body 20.

[0066] Please see Figure 2-22 In the closed state, the plane containing the side of the housing 10 that mates with the door body 20 is defined as reference plane 1. The plane containing the side of the housing 10 perpendicular to reference plane 1 is defined as reference plane 2. A plane parallel to reference plane 1 and spaced at a specified distance (the specified distance can be the door thickness t) is defined as reference plane 3. A plane parallel to reference plane 2 and spaced at a specified distance is defined as reference plane 4. Reference plane 4 can be understood as a plane parallel to the side of the housing 10 and the environmental structure. A reference point e is set on reference plane 4, which can be understood as the position of the side edge of the environmental structure. The distance between reference plane 2 and reference plane 4 is h, that is, the distance between the side wall of the housing 10 and the environmental structure. The hinge assembly is located between reference plane 1 and reference plane 3. In this embodiment, the plane containing the front side of the door body 20 can be selected as reference plane 3. In the top / bottom view, a coordinate system is established with reference plane 1 as the x-axis and reference plane 2 as the y-axis. At the same time, four points a, b, c, and d are set in four directions (positions are as follows). Figure 3 As shown), when closed, ab coincides with reference plane 2, bc is parallel to reference plane 1, the vertical distance between point b and reference plane 1 is L1 (which is the distance between the door and the box when closed; when the door is closed, the vertical distance L1 between point b and reference plane 1 is defined as s), and the vertical distance between point a and reference plane 2 is L2.

[0067] Please see Figure 2-12When the door is closed, the first shaft 60 is located at the beginning of the first groove 30, and the second shaft 70 is located at the beginning of the second groove 40. At this time, the distance ratio between the first shaft 60, the second shaft 70 and the reference surface 3 is between 1:1.8 and 1:3.3 (in a flush-mounted environment, the outer side of the door body (reference surface 3) needs to be flush with the environmental structure. Therefore, in order to ensure that the front side of the door body does not interfere with the environmental structure during opening and closing, it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the first shaft 60, the second shaft 70 and the reference surface 3 is within the set range. The change in the thickness t of the door body 20 can only be reflected in the change of parameters between the first shaft 60, the second shaft 70 and the reference surface 1); the distance ratio between the second shaft 70, the first shaft 60 and the reference surface 2 is between 1:1.47 and 1:1.6. The door and housing 10 are connected by a hinge assembly to achieve opening and closing. The opening and closing process is divided into three stages, which will be referred to as I, II, and III in the following text. Further, I1 represents the direction of movement of the first shaft 60 in the first stage (the tendency of the first shaft 60 to move relative to the first groove 30), and II1 represents the direction of movement of the first shaft 60 in the second stage. (The illustrated example does not show the shaft moving, but rather the movement of the shaft relative to the groove). ΔI1 represents the reference angle difference of a certain segment of the trajectory in this stage, and α represents the door opening angle.

[0068] Please see Figure 2-12 In the first stage, which is the variable spacing stage, the opening angle is less than or equal to 5°. The user's opening force F acts on the opening and closing side. Under the action of the reaction force, the third shaft 80 applies a force F1 to the door body through the third groove 50. This force F1 is along the normal direction of the contact point with the guide slope, and there is at least one component force in the negative y-axis direction (away from the reference surface 1), so that the door body 20 will not jam at the moment of opening.

[0069] Please see Figure 2-12 Then, the first shaft 60 moves in the first groove 31, and the second shaft 70 moves in the fourth groove 41. Initially, both shafts move in the direction of reference surface 1, or at least there is a motion component in the direction of reference surface 1. This allows the door to move in the y-axis direction during this stage, so that the door moves away from the housing 10 during the opening process. This optimizes the opening and closing action of the door body 20, reduces the door-to-housing distance when the door is closed, and the door with a door seal can also prevent problems such as lateral compression deformation between the door seal and the housing 10.

[0070] Please see Figure 2-12In the first stage, taking point b as the research point in the movement trajectory of the door body 20, when the door is closed, the position of point b is b0. During the process of moving point b from b0 to b1 through the hinge, the distance L1 at any point will only increase, not decrease, that is, L1 ≥ door box spacing. Because the force does not act directly on the hinge during the opening process of the door, according to the way people open doors, under normal circumstances, the direction of force F will change along a curved trajectory. The initial direction of force F should be perpendicular to the door surface, or point to the fourth quadrant at an angle of less than 45° (with the point of force application of F as the origin, right as positive x, and up as positive y as the coordinate system). Therefore, to satisfy the condition that L1 ≥ door box spacing, the door needs to be moved in the negative y-axis direction at the moment of opening, that is, the initial movement direction of point b points downwards from the reference surface 1.

[0071] To meet the above requirements, the initial motion directions I1 and I2 of the first axis 60 and the second axis 70 in the first stage should point to the upper left of the initial position (the second quadrant of the coordinate system), and I3 should point to the first quadrant. From the initial position to the end of the first stage, the motion directions I1 and I2 of the first axis 60 and the second axis 70 should rotate clockwise from pointing to the second quadrant to pointing to the first quadrant. The angles of the initial motion directions I1 and I2 with the y-axis should be between 0° and 25°, with angle I1 > I2 and the difference between 0° and 10°. The initial motion direction angle of I3 is greater than 0.3 times (I1 + I2) and less than 180°.

[0072] The illustration uses a 2° opening angle as an example. Point b1 is the position when the door is opened to 2°. The distance from b0 to b1 (b0b1 is its directional scale, not the actual trajectory of point b) is decomposed into two vector distances in the x and y directions, namely bx and by, satisfying 0 < by ≤ 0.2bx, that is, the angle between b0b1 and reference plane 2 is 0 < θ < 30°. When the opening angle is 0-2°, the trajectory of point b is approximately a straight line. From the trajectory of point b, it can be seen that the center of the osculating circle in stage one is always located to the upper left of point b.

[0073] Please see Figure 2-13In the second stage, the center of the closely spaced circle of point b's trajectory will change to the lower right. Therefore, to prevent the trajectory from getting stuck, a transition stage is needed, with an opening and closing angle of at least 1°. In the first transition stage, the first shaft 60 moves from the first groove 31 to the second groove 32, while the second shaft 70 moves from the fourth groove 41 to the fifth groove 42. The illustration uses a transition period of 2°-9°. The unit variable of point b's trajectory gradually decreases in the by direction and gradually increases in the bx direction to smoothly connect with the curve of the second stage and prevent getting stuck. During the transition stage, as the angle between the movement direction of the first shaft 60 and the reference plane 1 decreases overall, there will be a sudden increase (the angle between the extension line of the movement direction of the first shaft 60 and the positive x-axis). This process is when the position of the center of the closely spaced circle of point b's trajectory changes from the upper left to the lower right. At the end of the transition phase, the change in the direction of motion of I3 is greater than 0.5 times the sum of the changes in the direction of motion of I1, I2 and the initial change in the direction of motion (i.e., ΔI3 ≥ 0.5 (ΔI1 + ΔI2)), and the angle of motion of I3 at the end of the transition phase is less than 180°. At this time, the angle between the direction of motion of the second axis 70 and the reference plane 1 is 45° or less. If a door seal is installed on the inner side of the door body 20, the motion trajectory of the door seal will be similar to the motion trajectory of point b. After setting the distance (the distance between the box and the door in the closed state), since the door body 20 will first move away from the box 10 in an approximately straight line, there will be no interference or friction with the box 10 during the opening and closing process.

[0074] Please see Figure 2-13 After the first stage trajectory ends, it gradually transitions to the second stage trajectory. Since the trajectory after the first stage will no longer have an excessively large angle between the force and the direction of motion, the third axis 80 disengages from the third groove 33 at the end of the first stage. The movement trajectory of the hinge structure changes from three axes to two axes to reduce the frictional consumption of the third axis 80. At the same time, it reduces the movement complexity of the hinge structure and ensures the smoothness of the opening and closing of the door body 20.

[0075] Please see Figure 2-13The second stage of the trajectory begins. The initial angle between the movement direction of II1 and the reference surface 2 is between 0-20°, and the initial angle between the movement direction of II2 and the reference surface 2 is between 20-45°. The angle difference between II1 and II2 in the second stage is always greater than 20°. During this process, the angle changes of II1 and II2 are initially stable and then increase. The angle between them also initially tends to stabilize, then gradually increases, and finally stabilizes, indicating the end of this stage. During the movement of the shaft relative to the groove (i.e., the movement of one hinge relative to another), the instantaneous movement direction of a certain point is consistent with the tangent of the groove centerline (shaft movement trajectory line) at that point. To accommodate market changes and user needs, in this stage, the distance by which the position of point 20a of the door body exceeds the reference surface 2 should not exceed h (for example, h can be 3mm). Therefore, the angle between the movement direction angle of the second shaft 70 and the reference surface 1 in this stage should always remain below 45°, so that the movement of the door body will always keep the distance the point a moves to the right less than 3mm.

[0076] Please see Figure 2-13 As an example, after the door body 20 opens by 15°, the angle difference between II1 and II2 gradually increases to prevent the distance L2 from exceeding h when point a reaches the same horizontal line as the center of the trajectory circle. In this example, at 55°, point a reaches above the center of the trajectory circle (i.e., L2 is at its maximum), and thereafter the distance L2 gradually decreases. The angle difference between II1 and II2 gradually stabilizes, indicating the end of this stage. At the end of the second stage, the angle between the motion direction of II2 and the reference plane 1 is between -45° and -55° (the negative sign indicates the direction), and the angle between the motion direction of the initial position of the third stage exceeds 90°.

[0077] Please see Figure 2-13 After the second stage, the third stage begins. This stage may include a second transition phase between the second and third stages, during which the first shaft 60 moves from the second groove 32 to the third groove 33, and the second shaft 70 moves from the fifth groove 42 to the sixth groove 43. This process completes the positioning of the second shaft 70. As an example, the door body 20 completes the positioning of the second shaft 70 at 66° to 80°. In the third stage, the second shaft 70 moves from the beginning of the sixth groove 43 (the end closest to the fifth groove 42) to the end of the sixth groove 43. This movement is represented on the door's trajectory as the door moves towards the left side (i.e., the opening / closing side; in the example drawing, the hinged side is on the right and the opening / closing side is on the left) to reduce interference between the front side of the door, the first sidewall, and the surrounding environment. After the second shaft 70 is positioned, it is located at the end of the sixth groove 43, while the first shaft 60 moves within the third groove 33. The hinge trajectory changes from a dual-axis motion to a near-single-axis motion rotating around the second shaft 70. This process reduces friction, lowers the structural failure rate, and improves trajectory smoothness.

[0078] Please see Figure 2-13 The third stage mainly transitions the trajectory to single-axis rotation. Therefore, the motion angle of the first axis 60 becomes relatively stable, and the motion direction angle of the second axis 70 changes approximately linearly. In the third stage, due to the presence of a sixth groove 43 that forms an angle with the fifth groove 42, when the door body 20 is opened to approximately 80°, its hinge side can displace a certain distance away from the environmental structure before continuing the single-axis opening and closing action. This allows the door body 20 to maximize its opening and closing angle relative to the housing 10 while avoiding interference with the environmental structure.

[0079] Please see Figure 2-13 The following description uses the example of the first hinge connecting to the door body 20 to illustrate the movement trajectory of the door body 20. The two side edges of the door body 20 that are prone to interference are labeled as point a (first side edge) and point b (second side edge) in the top view. Point a prevents interference with the environmental structure and the housing 10 during movement, while point b prevents interference with the housing 10. During the opening and closing process, regardless of the type of hinge used, the non-linear movement trajectory of the door body 20 exhibits a circle of curvature. Therefore, the movement trajectory of point b at any given moment can be considered as a circular motion around a certain center, but the center of the circle of curvature changes constantly due to the change in the trajectory. The movement trajectories of points a and b and the change in the center position of point b during the opening and closing process of the door body 20 using the special hinge structure of this application are roughly as follows: Figure 13 As shown.

[0080] Please see Figure 2-13At the beginning of the first stage, the center of the close circle of point b's trajectory is to the upper left of point b. Therefore, the initial direction of movement of point b is downward or to the lower left. The opening angle is between 0 and 5°. This allows point b to quickly detach from the box 10, reducing the risk of friction and interference, and achieving an ultra-thin door-box spacing in the closed state. In the closed state, the initial position of point b is b0, and it reaches point b1 at the end of the first stage. The distance from b0 to b1 is decomposed into two vector distances in the x and y directions, namely bx and by (b0b1 are its directional scales, not the actual trajectory of point b), satisfying 0 < by ≤ 0.2bx, that is, the angle between b0b1 and the reference surface 2 is 0 < θ < 30°. Simultaneously, this stage also satisfies the following parameters: L2=t*tanα-bx; bx≥t*tanα-h; L1=by=(tanα*(90°-θ)*bx) / α+s; where L1 is the vertical distance between point b and reference surface 1; L2 is the vertical distance between point a and reference surface 2; α is the door opening angle; θ is the angle between the trajectory of point b and reference surface 2; t is the door thickness; h is the distance between the side wall of box 10 and the environmental structure; and s is the vertical distance between point b and reference surface 1 when closed. The distance by is adjusted according to the actual situation due to the different compensation heights of the door seal, and by is approximately equal to the compensation height of the door seal.

[0081] When the door is closed, the distance between the second axis 70 and reference surface 4 is D1, and the distance between it and reference surface 3 is D2. When the door is opened 90°, the distance between the second axis 70 and the front side of the door body 20 (reference surface 2) is D3. During the opening and closing process of the door body 20, the straight-line distance from the center of the second axis 70 to point a is A1, and the straight-line distance to point e is B1. The maximum opening angle of the door body 20 satisfies αmax = 90° + β, where β is the opening angle value after the door is opened 90°. Angle β and D1, D2 satisfy the following setting: cosβ = 1 - ((D1 - D3)) 2 / B1 2 ); among which, B1 2 =D1 2 +D2 2 That is, cosβ = 1 - ((D1 - D3)) 2 / (D1 2 +D2 2 )). Where, 0≤D1-D3≤11; 32.5≤D1+D2≤48; β satisfies 0≤β≤50°. The positional relationship between the first shaft 60 and the second shaft 70 satisfies tanγ=(O1O3) / (O2O3), where 0.58<tanγ<0.63; 30°<γ<32°.

[0082] In the three stages of the opening and closing trajectory of the door body 20 relative to the box 10, the first stage trajectory is mainly used to make the door body 20 move away from the box 10 at the moment of opening. The second stage is the angle expansion movement of the door body 10. The third stage is mainly used to enable the door body 20 to move towards the opening and closing side, thereby reducing the risk of interference with the environmental structure and thus expanding the maximum opening angle of the door body 20. Therefore, in the above three stages, the first and second stages can be implemented independently to achieve the purpose of reducing the distance between the door and the box. The second and third stages can be implemented independently to solve the problems of interference between the door body 20 and the environmental structure and insufficient opening angle. In addition, the entire opening scheme of the first, second, and third stages can be used as a whole, or it can be combined with existing related technologies to solve corresponding technical problems.

[0083] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of one embodiment of the present invention, but this description is merely a preferred embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. All equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this invention should still fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A hinge structure, characterized in that, include: The first hinge has a first groove and a second groove. The first groove includes a first groove portion and a second groove portion that are connected to each other. The second groove includes a fourth groove portion and a fifth groove portion that are connected to each other. The first groove portion and the fourth groove portion extend from the starting end toward the mating surface of the closed box and the door body. The included angle of the tangents of the center lines of the second groove portion and the fifth groove portion gradually increases, and the included angle of the tangents of the center lines of the second groove portion and the fifth groove portion is greater than 20°. The second hinge member has a first shaft and a second shaft fixedly mounted on it. The first shaft is inserted into the first groove and the second shaft is inserted into the second groove. The first hinge and the second hinge switch between an initial position and an open position. In the initial position, the first shaft is located at the end of the first groove away from the second groove, and the second shaft is located at the end of the fourth groove away from the fifth groove. Between the initial position and the open position, the first shaft moves within the first groove, and the second shaft moves within the second groove.

2. The hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first transition section is provided between the first groove and the second groove, and between the fourth groove and the fifth groove.

3. A hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first hinge has a guide slope, and the angle between the guide slope and the opening / closing direction of the inner wall of the door body is an acute angle. The second hinge has a pusher fixedly installed, and when the door is closed, the pusher contacts and engages with the guide slope.

4. A hinge structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thrust component is a cam structure, a piston structure, or a shaft structure.

5. A hinge structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thrust component is a third shaft, and the guide slope is the sidewall of the third groove.

6. A hinge structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The distance ratio between the first shaft, the second shaft and the reference surface 3 is between 1:1.8 and 1:3.3, and the distance ratio between the second shaft, the first shaft and the reference surface 2 is between 1:1.47 and 1:1.

6. The plane on the side of the box that is used to cooperate with the door body is the reference surface 1, the plane on the side of the box that is perpendicular to the reference surface 1 is the reference surface 2, and the plane on the front side of the door body is the reference surface 3.

7. A hinge structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The ratio of the straight-line distance between the third axis, the first axis and the reference surface 2 is between 1:1 and 1:2.8; the distance between the first axis and the third axis in the y-axis direction is 25mm or more.

8. A hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The initial movement directions of the first and second shafts are at angles between 0° and 25° and the side wall of the box, with a difference between 0° and 10°, and the angle of the first shaft is greater than that of the second shaft.

9. A refrigerator, characterized in that, It includes a housing and a door body, which are rotatably connected by a hinge structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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