Refrigerator hinge and refrigerator

Abstract

The application discloses a refrigerator hinge and a refrigerator, which comprise a cabinet hinge plate, a door hinge plate, and a damping mechanism. The damping mechanism comprises a first damping part, a second damping part and a compression spring. One of the first damping part and the second damping part is arranged in a shaft sleeve of the cabinet hinge plate, and the other is arranged in a shaft sleeve of the door hinge plate. The first damping part has a first end face and a groove which is opened in the first end face. The second damping part has a second end face and a protrusion which protrudes axially along the second end face. With the opening of the door, the protrusion approaches the groove from the first end face and can slide to the groove bottom. The compression spring pushes the first damping part or the second damping part, so that the damping side wall of the protrusion is pressed against the pressure side of the groove in the sliding process. The refrigerator hinge can make the door hover when the door is opened.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Existing freezers generally use external convex hinges or separate hinges to achieve the rotational connection between the cabinet door and the cabinet body. The existing hinge structure has many defects. This type of structure is cumbersome to assemble, easy to loosen under stress, and the cabinet door cannot be suspended when it is open, requiring both hands to cooperate when opening the cabinet door to take out items. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigerator hinge and a refrigerator to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A refrigerator hinge includes a cabinet hinge plate fixed to the side wall of the cabinet body and a door hinge plate fixed to the side wall of the door body. The cabinet hinge plate and the door hinge plate are connected by a hinge shaft. The hinge is characterized by further including a damping mechanism, which comprises a first damping element, a second damping element, and a compression spring. One of the first damping element and the second damping element is disposed within a bushing of the cabinet hinge plate, and the other is disposed within a bushing of the door hinge plate. The first damping element has a first end face and a groove opening into the first end face. The second damping element has a second end face and a protrusion axially protruding along the second end face. As the door is opened, the protrusion approaches the groove from the first end face and can slide towards the bottom of the groove. The compression spring pushes the first damping element or the second damping element, such that during sliding, the damping sidewall of the protrusion abuts against the pressure side of the groove, or the top surface of the protrusion abuts against the first end face. The protrusion and the groove are shaped and their surfaces match, ensuring smooth sliding.

[0005] One of the first damping element and the second damping element is fixedly disposed in the bushing, and the other is disposed in the bushing in an axial sliding manner and a non-circumferential rotation manner. The second damping element has two or three protrusions, which are symmetrical about the axis of the second damping element. The first damping element is provided with the same number of grooves to match the protrusions of the second damping element.

[0006] The hinge shaft passes through the first damping element and the second damping element, and the compression spring is sleeved on the hinge shaft.

[0007] Both sides of the door hinge plate are paired with box hinge plates. The damping mechanism includes two sets of first damping elements and second damping elements. Two of the first damping elements or the second damping elements are set in the bushing of the door hinge plate, and the other two are respectively set on the box hinge plate.

[0008] The first damping element is installed inside the bushing of the hinge plate of the box body, and the two second damping elements are installed at both ends of the bushing of the door hinge plate. The two ends of the compression spring press against one of the second damping elements respectively.

[0009] A first mounting groove is provided inside the bushing of the hinge plate of the box body, and a first mounting rib is provided on the outer wall of the first damping member to fit the first mounting groove; a second mounting groove is provided inside the bushing of the hinge plate of the door body, and a second mounting rib is provided on the outer wall of the second damping member. The second mounting groove is longer than the second mounting rib, and the second mounting groove is used to accommodate the axial sliding of the second mounting rib.

[0010] A freezer, including the aforementioned freezer hinge.

[0011] The above technical solution has the following beneficial effects: The refrigerator hinge and refrigerator of the present invention rely on the cooperation between the protruding damping sidewall of the second damping member and the groove of the first damping member, and the compression spring continuously applies a clamping force. When the door is opened and closed, the protrusion of the second damping member and the first damping member slide relative to each other along the inclined plane. The second damping member generates axial movement to compress the spring. The compression spring generates elastic force, which acts on the contact surface between the first and second damping members. The contact surface generates pressure, and the mutual movement of the damping members generates a large frictional force. When the frictional force between the damping members is greater than the weight of the door, the problem of the door not being able to stop when opening the door to take out items can be solved.

[0012] The invention is configured such that when the door and the housing are closed, the protrusion completely exits the groove, so that the compression spring is in the state of maximum compression. At this time, the maximum friction force can be generated, which is in line with the law that the gravitational torque of the door gradually decreases as the opening angle increases, so that the door can be freely suspended throughout the entire opening process. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in 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 merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0014] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the conditions under which the present invention can be implemented. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives that the present invention can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the freezer of the present invention; Figure 2 A 3D view of the freezer hinges in the 90-degree open position; Figure 3 Exploded view of the freezer hinge with the door open at 90 degrees; Figure 4 An exploded view of the freezer hinge in the closed position; Figure 5 This is an exploded view of some components of the freezer hinge when the door is opened and closed. Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the refrigerator hinge in the open and closed states; Figure 7 A 3D view of the first damping component of the refrigerator hinge; Figure 8 This is a 3D view of the second damping component of the freezer hinge. Detailed Implementation

[0016] 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.

[0017] See Figures 1-8 As shown, this invention discloses a refrigerator hinge, including a cabinet hinge plate 3 fixed to the side wall of the cabinet 6 and a door hinge plate 4 fixed to the side wall of the door 7. The cabinet hinge plate and the door hinge plate are connected by a hinge shaft 5. The invention also includes a damping mechanism, which includes a first damping element 1, a second damping element 2, and a compression spring (not shown). One of the first damping element 1 and the second damping element 2 is disposed within a bushing 33 of the cabinet hinge plate, and the other is disposed within a bushing 44 of the door hinge plate. One of the first damping element 1 and the second damping element 2 is fixedly disposed within the bushing, while the other slides axially and does not rotate circumferentially. The movement mechanism is set inside the bushing. The first damping member 1 has a first end face 11 and a groove 12 opening into the first end face 11. The second damping member 2 has a second end face 21 and a protrusion 22 protruding axially along the second end face. As the door opens, the protrusion 22 slides from the first end face to the bottom of the groove 12. The compression spring pushes the first damping member 1 or the second damping member 2, so that during the sliding process, the damping sidewall of the protrusion 22 presses against the pressure side of the groove 12, or the top surface of the protrusion 22 presses against the first end face 11. The damping sidewall of the protrusion 22 is a wedge surface, and the shape of the pressure side of the groove 12 is adapted to the damping sidewall.

[0018] The second damping element 2 has two or three protrusions, in this embodiment two protrusions 22. The protrusions are symmetrical about the axis of the second damping element 2. The first damping element 1 is provided with the same number of grooves 12 to match the protrusions 22 of the second damping element 2.

[0019] The hinge 5 passes through the first damping member 1 and the second damping member 2, and the compression spring is sleeved on the hinge (not shown in the figure).

[0020] See Figure 1 As shown, both sides of the door hinge plate 4 are paired with box hinge plates 3. The damping mechanism includes two sets of first damping elements 1 and second damping elements 2. Two of the first damping elements or the second damping elements are set in the bushing of the door hinge plate, and the other two are respectively set on the box hinge plate.

[0021] The first damping element 1 is installed inside the bushing 33 of the hinge plate of the box body, and two second damping elements 2 are installed at both ends of the bushing 44 of the door hinge plate. The two ends of the compression spring press against one of the second damping elements 2 respectively.

[0022] A first mounting groove 7 is provided inside the bushing 33 of the hinge plate of the box body, and a first mounting rib 77 is provided on the outer wall of the first damping member 1 to fit the first mounting groove 7; a second mounting groove 8 is provided inside the bushing of the hinge plate of the door body, and a second mounting rib 88 is provided on the outer wall of the second damping member 2. The second mounting groove 8 is longer than the second mounting rib 88, and the second mounting groove 8 is used to accommodate the axial sliding of the second mounting rib 88.

[0023] When the cabinet door is closed, the top surface 25 of the protrusion 22 of the second damping element is in close contact with the first end face 11 of the first damping element. The protrusion 22 of the second damping element does not enter the groove 12 of the first damping element. At this time, the compression spring continuously applies axial pressure. This elastic force acts between the protrusion 22 of the first damping element and the first end face, and the contact surface generates pressure, so that the protrusion 22 of the second damping element always stays in contact with the first end face 11 of the first damping element. The first damping element 1 and the second damping element 2 have a large frictional force when they move relative to each other.

[0024] During the cabinet door opening process, the spring is in a compressed state. The spring force pushes the first damping element 1 or the second damping element 2 to slide axially within the second mounting groove 8. During the sliding process, the protrusion 22 of the second damping element slides from the first end face 11 of the first damping element to the bottom of the groove 12 of the first damping element. The damping sidewall 23 of the protrusion 22 of the second damping element presses against the pressure side of the groove 12, generating continuous frictional damping resistance. When the damping resistance offsets the downward torque caused by the weight of the cabinet door, the cabinet door can be suspended. When the cabinet door is opened to its maximum, the elastic potential energy of the spring is at its minimum, and the friction between the damping elements is at its minimum.

[0025] 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. A refrigerator hinge, comprising a cabinet hinge plate fixed to the side wall of the cabinet body and a door hinge plate fixed to the side wall of the door body, wherein the cabinet hinge plate and the door hinge plate are connected by a hinge pin, characterized in that: It also includes a damping mechanism, which comprises a first damping element, a second damping element, and a compression spring. One of the first damping elements and the second damping element is disposed within the bushing of the hinge plate of the housing, and the other is disposed within the bushing of the hinge plate of the door. The first damping element has a first end face and a groove opening into the first end face. The second damping element has a second end face and a protrusion protruding axially along the second end face. As the door opens, the protrusion approaches the groove from the first end face and can slide towards the bottom of the groove. The compression spring pushes the first damping element or the second damping element so that during sliding, the damping sidewall of the protrusion abuts against the pressure side of the groove, or the top surface of the protrusion abuts against the first end face. The protrusion and the groove are shaped and their surfaces match to ensure smooth sliding.

2. The refrigerator hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that: One of the first damping element and the second damping element is fixedly disposed in the bushing, and the other is disposed in the bushing in an axial sliding manner and a non-circumferential rotation manner. The second damping element has two or three protrusions, which are symmetrical about the axis of the second damping element. The first damping element is provided with the same number of grooves to match the protrusions of the second damping element.

3. A refrigerator hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hinge shaft passes through the first damping element and the second damping element, and the compression spring is sleeved on the hinge shaft.

4. A refrigerator hinge according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: Both sides of the door hinge plate are paired with box hinge plates. The damping mechanism includes two sets of first damping elements and second damping elements. Two of the first damping elements or the second damping elements are set in the bushing of the door hinge plate, and the other two are respectively set on the box hinge plate.

5. A refrigerator hinge according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first damping element is installed inside the bushing of the hinge plate of the box body, and the two second damping elements are installed at both ends of the bushing of the door hinge plate. The two ends of the compression spring press against one of the second damping elements respectively.

6. A refrigerator hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that: A first mounting groove is provided inside the bushing of the hinge plate of the box body, and a first mounting rib is provided on the outer wall of the first damping member to fit the first mounting groove; a second mounting groove is provided inside the bushing of the hinge plate of the door body, and a second mounting rib is provided on the outer wall of the second damping member. The second mounting groove is longer than the second mounting rib, and the second mounting groove is used to accommodate the axial sliding of the second mounting rib.

7. A freezer, characterized in that: Includes the refrigerator hinge as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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