Automatic door return hinge, cabinet door and refrigerator
The automatic door-returning hinge with spiral guide groove and slider structure solves the problems of complex structure and high cost in the existing technology, and achieves low cost and long service life, improving user experience and maintenance convenience.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ICCOLD REFRIGERATION EQUIP LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing automatic door closing mechanisms are complex in structure, require high processing precision and cost, and have a short lifespan, making them unsuitable for widespread adoption.
The door hinge, slider, and guide post structure with a spiral guide groove are used. The slider is driven to perform linear reciprocating motion through the spiral guide groove. The elastic element stores energy to drive the cabinet door to close automatically. The locking groove and clearance position are combined to improve the structural compactness and service life.
It reduces structural complexity and processing costs, improves the convenience of inspection and maintenance, extends service life, has wide applicability, and provides a good user experience.
Smart Images
Figure CN122014083A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of hinge technology, and in particular to an automatic door closing hinge, cabinet door, and refrigerator. Background Technology
[0002] In daily use, users often forget to close the doors of freezers, refrigerators, and disinfection cabinets due to negligence, leading to increased power consumption or the equipment failing to start. To prevent this, most freezers now have automatic door closing mechanisms installed on the doors to automatically close them.
[0003] For example, Chinese invention patent with publication number CN101135218A discloses an automatic closing structure for a large freezer door, including a connector and a hinge shaft. The hinge shaft is connected to the connector. The automatic closing structure is set above and / or below the door. The connector has a first support wall and a second support wall with a rectangular structure and a through hole in the center. A hinge shaft is set in the through hole. One end of the hinge shaft passes through the through hole. The other end of the hinge shaft is sequentially fitted with a hinge and a spring. Finally, the spring is positioned and fixed by a spring plug at one end.
[0004] However, the above-mentioned solution has a relatively complex overall structure, high processing precision, high assembly difficulty and processing cost, and a short structural lifespan, making it unsuitable for large-scale promotion and application. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In order to overcome the defects of the existing technology, the present invention provides an automatic door hinge, a cabinet door and a freezer.
[0006] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: an automatic door closing hinge, comprising: The base is installed on the cabinet. The door hinge is rotatably mounted on the base, and its surface has a spiral guide groove. One end of the door hinge is connected to the cabinet door. Guide posts are installed on the base; The slider is slidably connected to the guide post and is provided with a pusher that is slidably connected to the spiral guide groove; The elastic element has one end movably abutting against the base and the other end movably abutting against the slider, which is used to push the slider to slide away from the elastic element. When the rotating shaft of the return door rotates in both directions, the spiral sidewall on one side of the spiral guide groove pushes the slider, causing the slider to reciprocate in a straight line along the spiral guide groove, and compressing or releasing the elastic element.
[0007] Preferably, in order to improve the overall structural compactness, a through hole is opened in the middle of the slider, the return door pivot is movably inserted in the through hole, and the pushing part is located inside the through hole; The elastic element is a spring, and it is movably sleeved on the guide post; The spiral guide groove is provided in at least two sets and is arranged symmetrically at the center. The number of spiral guide grooves and push parts can be set according to the needs. For example, when the cabinet door is heavy, more sets can be set to provide more elastic elements and increase the push force of the automatic door closing.
[0008] Preferably, the spiral guide groove adopts a variable helix angle spiral, and when the door hinge rotates as the cabinet door gradually opens from the closed state, the helix angle increases linearly or piecewise linearly with the change of the slider position.
[0009] Preferably, in order to mechanically limit and lock the cabinet door when it needs to be opened for a long time, that is, when the cabinet door is opened to a certain angle, the upper end of the spiral guide groove is provided with a locking groove, and the locking groove is located on the outer side of the upper end of the spiral guide groove in the axial projection direction of the door shaft.
[0010] Preferably, to prevent the cabinet door from suddenly closing due to accidental contact when locked, a stop part is provided on the bottom surface of the locking groove away from the spiral guide groove.
[0011] Preferably, the stopping part is a stopping groove or a downwardly inclined stopping slope, wherein the angle α between the stopping slope and the horizontal plane is in the range of 2°-10°.
[0012] Preferably, in order to avoid the push part frequently impacting the spiral guide groove when the door is closed, which would cause the spiral guide groove to wear and fail, a clearance is provided on one side of the lower end of the spiral guide groove. In the axial projection direction of the door shaft, the width of the clearance is greater than the width of the spiral guide groove.
[0013] Preferably, in order to reduce wear between the pushing part and the spiral guide groove and improve the smoothness of opening and closing, the pushing part is provided with a rolling element that cooperates with the spiral guide groove, and the rolling element is a ball or a rolling bearing.
[0014] A cabinet door includes a door body on which the aforementioned automatic closing hinge is installed.
[0015] A freezer includes a cabinet body and a cabinet door, the cabinet door being mounted on the cabinet body via the aforementioned automatic retraction hinge.
[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: by using a door hinge with a spiral guide groove as a drive connector, in conjunction with a slider and guide column, the elastic element is compressed and stored during the opening of the cabinet door, thereby providing driving force for the automatic closing of the cabinet door. Compared with the prior art, it reduces the structural complexity, the requirements for processing accuracy, and the processing cost, effectively improves the convenience of inspection and maintenance, and has a longer overall service life and wider applicability. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the automatic door hinge in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the automatic door hinge in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 1 (Cabinet door closed); Figure 3 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the automatic door hinge in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 (Cabinet door at maximum opening angle); Figure 4 This is a partial simplified diagram of the automatic door hinge in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 1 (Cabinet door closed); Figure 5 This is a partial simplified diagram of the automatic door hinge in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 (Cabinet door at maximum opening angle); Figure 6 The three-dimensional rotating shaft of the return door in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Figure 1 ; Figure 7 The three-dimensional rotating shaft of the return door in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Figure 2 ; Figure 8 This is a front view of the rotating shaft of the return door in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the slider in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 10 This is an assembly diagram of the guide post, slider, and elastic element in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the cabinet door in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 12 This is a perspective view of the freezer in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 13 This is a perspective view of the slider in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Figure 14 This is a perspective view of the return door hinge in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
[0018] In the diagram, 10 is the base; 20 is the door hinge; 21 is the spiral guide groove; 22 is the locking groove; 23 is the stop part; 24 is the clearance position; 30 is the guide post; 40 is the slider; 41 is the through hole; 42 is the pushing part; 43 is the rolling element; 50 is the elastic element; 60 is the door body; and 70 is the cabinet body. Detailed Implementation
[0019] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these descriptions are for the purpose of aiding understanding the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.
[0020] Example 1 As attached Figure 1-12 As shown, the present invention provides an automatic door retraction hinge, comprising: Base 10 is installed on cabinet 70; The return door pivot 20 is rotatably mounted on the base 10, and has a spiral guide groove 21 in a spiral shape on its surface. One end of the return door pivot 20 is connected to the cabinet door, and opening or closing the cabinet door can drive the return door pivot 20 to rotate synchronously. Guide column 30 is provided on base 10; The slider 40 is slidably connected to the guide post 30 and is provided with a pusher 42 that is slidably connected to the spiral guide groove 21; The elastic element 50 has one end movably abutting against the base 10 and the other end movably abutting against the slider 40. It is used to push the slider 40 to slide away from the elastic element 50. When the cabinet door is opened, the elastic element 50 pushes the slider 40, which can keep the pushing part 42 sliding against the spiral sidewall of the spiral guide groove 21. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the door hinge 20, the slider 40 and the elastic element 50, the base 10 is provided with a cavity. The guide post 30, the slider 40 and the elastic element 50 are housed in the cavity. The door hinge 20 passes into the cavity and the spiral guide groove 21 is located in the cavity. When the door hinge 20 rotates in both directions, that is, when the cabinet door is opened or closed, the spiral sidewall of the spiral guide groove 21 pushes the slider 40, causing the slider 40 to reciprocate in a straight line along the spiral guide groove 21, and compressing or releasing the elastic element 50.
[0021] Specifically, during the process of opening the cabinet door, the door is rotated, which drives the return door shaft 20 to rotate. During this process, the spiral guide groove 21 moves synchronously circumferentially relative to the central axis of the return door shaft 20. When the pushing part 42 slides against the spiral sidewall on one side of the spiral guide groove 21, the spiral sidewall on one side of the spiral guide groove 21 can push the slider 40, causing it to slide along the spiral sidewall of the spiral guide groove 21 and compress the elastic element 50, so that the elastic element 50 stores energy. When the cabinet door needs to be closed, the user only needs to release their hand, and the elastic element 50, which is in the energy storage state, can push the slider 40 to slide in the opposite direction by releasing energy. It is held in place by the push part 42 and pressed against the spiral side wall of the spiral guide groove 21, which simultaneously pushes the door shaft 20 to rotate, that is, drives the cabinet door to close automatically.
[0022] It should be noted that by replacing the elastic element 50 with different specifications or adjusting the pre-compression amount of the elastic element 50, it can be adapted to cabinet doors of different weights, thus making it more versatile. For example, replacing the elastic element 50 with one of larger cross-sectional area or increasing the pre-compression amount of the elastic element 50 can accommodate heavier cabinet doors. In the event of a malfunction, the above solution allows for the quick and individual replacement of damaged components, such as the door hinge 20, guide column 30, slider 40, and elastic element 50, making inspection and maintenance more convenient.
[0023] By using a door hinge 20 with a spiral guide groove 21 as a drive connector, and in conjunction with a slider 40 and a guide post 30, the elastic element 50 is compressed and stored during the opening of the cabinet door, thereby providing driving force for the automatic closing of the cabinet door. Compared with the existing technology, this reduces the structural complexity, the requirements for processing accuracy, and the processing cost, effectively improves the convenience of inspection and maintenance, and has a longer service life and wider applicability.
[0024] Furthermore, in order to improve the overall structural compactness, a through hole 41 is opened in the middle of the slider 40, the return door shaft 20 is movably inserted in the through hole 41, and the push part 42 is located inside the through hole 41. The elastic element 50 is a spring and is movably sleeved on the guide post 30. Using the spring as an energy storage mechanism and directly sleeved on the guide post 30 can further improve the structural compactness. At the same time, it is also convenient to select springs of different specifications or adjust the pre-compression of the spring as needed. When it is necessary to adjust the pre-compression of the spring, it is only necessary to lock an adjusting nut that can press against one end of the spring on the guide post 30. The pre-compression of the spring can be adjusted by rotating the nut. To ensure force balance and avoid unilateral force on the slider 40, which would exacerbate local wear, at least two sets of spiral guide grooves 21 are provided and arranged symmetrically at the center. The number of spiral guide grooves 21 and push parts 42 can be set according to needs. For example, when the cabinet door is heavy, more sets can be set, thereby setting more sets of elastic elements 50, increasing the pushing force of the automatic door closing, and also improving the smoothness of the energy storage and release process of the elastic elements 50, as well as the overall life of the mechanism.
[0025] Furthermore, in order to improve the user experience, the spiral guide groove 21 adopts a variable helix angle spiral. When the door hinge 20 rotates as the cabinet door gradually opens from the closed state, the helix angle increases linearly or piecewise linearly with the position of the slider 40. In the initial state, i.e. when the cabinet door is closed, the helix angle of the spiral guide groove 21 is the smallest. When the cabinet door is closed and the lifting angle is at its minimum, the spiral guide groove 21 is at its smoothest, allowing the user to open the cabinet door with minimal force. Especially when the cabinet door is closed to the cabinet body 70 by magnetic attraction, in the latter half of the opening, as the lifting angle of the spiral guide groove 21 increases, the user can smoothly and gradually increase the opening force, resulting in a better overall user experience.
[0026] Furthermore, in order to mechanically limit and lock the cabinet door when it needs to be opened for an extended period of time, i.e., when the cabinet door is opened to a certain angle, a locking groove 22 is provided laterally at the upper end of the spiral guide groove 21. In the axial projection direction of the return door shaft 20, the locking groove 22 is located on the outer side of the upper end of the spiral guide groove 21. Specifically, as the cabinet door opens, the spiral guide groove 21 of the return door shaft 20 pushes the pushing part 42 upward along the spiral sidewall to the highest point of the spiral sidewall. Then, as the return door shaft 20 continues to rotate, the pushing part 42 can slide directly into the locking groove 22. Because the elastic element 50 keeps pushing the slider 40 to slide in the opposite direction, the pushing part 42 can stop smoothly in the locking groove 22. That is, the elastic element 50 is locked and cannot push the door hinge 20 to rotate in the opposite direction to close the cabinet door by releasing energy, thus preventing the cabinet door from rebounding directly. This makes it easier for users to organize the items inside the cabinet. When it is necessary to close the door, it is only necessary to push the cabinet door to rotate in the opposite direction by a small angle, so that the pushing part 42 is disengaged from the locking groove 22. The elastic element 50, which is in the energy storage state, can then push the slider 40 to slide in the opposite direction by releasing energy, thereby driving the cabinet door to close automatically.
[0027] Furthermore, in order to prevent the cabinet door from closing suddenly due to accidental touch when locked, a stop part 23 is provided on the bottom surface of the locking groove 22 away from the spiral guide groove 21. The stop part 23 is a downwardly inclined stop slope, wherein the angle α between the stop slope and the horizontal plane is 2°. Specifically, when the push part 42 slides into the locking groove 22, the door hinge 20 continues to rotate due to the push of the elastic element 50. The push part 42 will slide down along the stop slope to the lowest point of the stop slope. When the user needs to close the door, the push part 42 needs to be pushed up along the stop slope and fall back into the spiral guide groove. During this process, the user needs to increase the pushing force, which can effectively prevent the cabinet door from closing suddenly due to accidental contact.
[0028] Furthermore, to prevent the pushing part 42 from frequently impacting the spiral guide groove 21 when closing the door, thus causing wear and failure of the spiral guide groove 21, a clearance 24 is provided on one side of the lower end of the spiral guide groove 21. In the axial projection direction of the door hinge 20, the width of the clearance 24 is greater than the width of the spiral guide groove 21. When the elastic element 50 pushes the slider 40 to the lowest position, the clearance 24 effectively prevents the pushing part 42 from directly impacting the spiral sidewall on the other side, thus avoiding damage to the spiral guide groove. At the same time, when the pushing part 42 is in the clearance 24, the rotation of the door hinge 20 will not exert force on the elastic element 50. For example, by adjusting the width of the clearance 24, no pushing force is applied to the slider 40 before the door is opened to 10°. Therefore, by setting the clearance 24 and controlling its width, the user's door opening experience can also be improved.
[0029] A cabinet door includes a door body 60, on which the aforementioned automatic closing hinge is installed.
[0030] A freezer includes a cabinet body 70 and a cabinet door, the cabinet door being mounted on the cabinet body 70 via the aforementioned automatic closing hinge.
[0031] Example 2 As attached Figure 13 As shown, the difference between this embodiment and the above embodiment is that, in order to reduce the wear between the pushing part 42 and the spiral guide groove 21 and improve the smoothness of opening and closing, the pushing part 42 is provided with a rolling element 43 that cooperates with the spiral guide groove 21. The rolling element 43 is a ball or a rolling bearing. In this example, the rolling element 43 is a ball.
[0032] The angle α between the stopping inclined plane and the horizontal plane is 6°.
[0033] Example 3 The difference between this embodiment and the above embodiment is that the angle α between the stopping inclined plane and the horizontal plane is 10°.
[0034] Example 4 As attached Figure 14 As shown, the difference between this embodiment and the above embodiment is that the stop part 23 is a stop groove; Specifically, when the push part 42 slides into the locking groove 22, the door hinge 20 continues to rotate due to the push of the elastic element 50, and the push part 42 will fall into the stop groove. When the user needs to close the door, due to the limit of the stop groove, the user needs to increase the pushing force to push the push part 42 out of the stop groove and fall back into the spiral guide groove. This can effectively prevent the cabinet door from closing suddenly due to accidental contact.
[0035] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and these variations still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An automatic door closing hinge, characterized in that, include: Base (10); The door hinge (20) is rotatably mounted on the base (10), and a spiral guide groove (21) is provided on its surface. Guide column (30) is provided on base (10); The slider (40) is slidably connected to the guide post (30) and is provided with a pusher (42) that is slidably connected to the spiral guide groove (21). The elastic element (50) is used to push the slider (40) to slide away from the elastic element (50); When the door hinge (20) rotates in both directions, the slider (40) moves in a straight line along the spiral guide groove (21) and compresses or releases the elastic element (50).
2. The automatic door hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slider (40) has a through hole (41) in the middle, the return door pivot (20) is movably inserted in the through hole (41), and the push part (42) is located inside the through hole (41); The elastic element (50) is a spring and is sleeved on the guide post (30); The spiral guide groove (21) is provided in at least two sets and is arranged in a centrally symmetrical manner.
3. The automatic door hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spiral guide groove (21) adopts a variable helix angle spiral, and the helix angle increases linearly or piecewise linearly with the position of the slider (40).
4. The automatic door hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the spiral guide groove (21) is provided with a locking groove (22), and the locking groove (22) is located on the outer side of the upper end of the spiral guide groove (21) in the axial projection direction of the return door shaft (20).
5. The automatic door retraction hinge according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the locking groove (22) is provided with a stopping part (23) on the side away from the spiral guide groove (21).
6. The automatic door retraction hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that, The stopping part (23) is a stopping groove or a downwardly inclined stopping slope, wherein the angle α between the stopping slope and the horizontal plane is in the range of 2°-10°.
7. The automatic door hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower end of the spiral guide groove (21) is provided with a clearance position (24). In the axial projection direction of the return door shaft (20), the width of the clearance position (24) is greater than the width of the spiral guide groove (21).
8. The automatic door hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pushing part (42) is provided with a rolling element (43) that cooperates with the spiral guide groove (21), and the rolling element (43) is a ball or a rolling bearing.
9. A cabinet door, including a door body (60), characterized in that, The door body (60) is equipped with an automatic door hinge as described in any one of claims 1-8.
10. A freezer, comprising a cabinet body (70) and a cabinet door, characterized in that, The cabinet door is mounted on the cabinet body (70) by any one of the automatic door hinges as described in claims 1-8.