Height adjusting device and refrigerator with same

Abstract

The utility model discloses a height adjusting device and a refrigerator with the height adjusting device. The height adjusting device comprises a bottom hinge and a middle hinge. A lifting mechanism is arranged in the bottom hinge, the middle hinge is rotated to enable the upper surface and the lower surface of the supporting plate of the middle hinge to be installed in a reversing mode, and the lifting distance of the supporting plate corresponds to the maximum lifting distance of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge. The bottom hinge is arranged in a lifting mode, meanwhile, the middle hinge is rotated to enable the upper surface and the lower surface of the supporting plate to be installed in a reversing mode, the lifting distance between the downward surface of the supporting plate and the ground is correspondingly equal to the maximum lifting distance of a lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge, and therefore the vertical height positions of a freezing door and a cold storage door of the refrigerator can be adjusted. Therefore, the refrigerator can be matched with table tops of different cupboards in height for installation, and the visual effect of space tidiness and simplicity is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a height adjustment device, and more particularly to a height adjustment device that can be used as a support and has a lifting function, as well as a refrigerator having the adjustment device. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous improvement of living standards, refrigerators have become a household appliance owned by most families. The refrigerator industry is developing rapidly, gradually catering to the home furnishing market and the use of refrigerators in small apartments, with increasingly higher demands for unified interior design styles. Since refrigerators are often placed next to the sideboard in the kitchen or living room, it is usually required that the refrigerator and cabinets be coordinated in height, with seams aligned and surfaces flush. For example, the waistline between the refrigerator and freezer doors of a larger refrigerator should be flush with the countertop of the sideboard, thus making the entire space look neat and simple.

[0003] Please refer to Figure 12 and Figure 15 Most refrigerators currently have a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. The freezer door 3 is connected to the bottom of the refrigerator body 1 by a bottom hinge 5 and a middle hinge 4, allowing it to rotate open and close. The refrigerator door 2 is connected to the top of the refrigerator body 1 by a middle hinge 4 and an upper hinge 6, also allowing it to rotate open and close. A waistline separates the refrigerator door 2 and the freezer door 3. Because the existing bottom hinge 5 and middle hinge 4 cannot be adjusted vertically, the height of the refrigerator door 2, the freezer door 3, and the waistline between them are fixed after the refrigerator is installed. Furthermore, the height of the refrigerator waistline is currently fixed according to conventional standards; for example, the height of the refrigerator waistline from the ground is generally 830mm, 835mm, 840mm, 850mm, etc. Such a waistline height may result in the refrigerator waistline being too low or too high when coordinating with kitchen cabinets, causing it to be uneven with the countertop and affecting the overall visual effect of the space.

[0004] Therefore, overcoming the limitation that the height of the existing door waistline cannot be adjusted is a problem that needs to be solved in this field. Utility Model Content

[0005] To solve the technical problem that the height of the waistline of a refrigerator door cannot be adjusted, this utility model provides a height adjustment device that can be used as a support and also has a lifting function, as well as a refrigerator with the height adjustment device.

[0006] This utility model provides a height adjustment device, including a bottom hinge and a middle hinge. The bottom hinge includes a lifting mechanism. Rotating the middle hinge causes the upper and lower surfaces of its support plate to reverse orientation, and the lifting distance of the support plate corresponds to the maximum lifting distance of the bottom hinge's lifting mechanism. This height adjustment device uses the lifting mechanism in the bottom hinge to change the height of the freezer door, while simultaneously rotating the middle hinge causes the upper and lower surfaces of its support plate to reverse orientation. This ensures that the lifting distance of the downward-facing surface of the support plate from the ground matches the lifting distance of the bottom hinge's lifting mechanism. This allows the upper and lower doors to move up and down synchronously, adjusting the height of the waistline between the freezer and refrigerator doors to meet different needs.

[0007] Preferably, the bottom hinge includes a connecting plate and a lifting mechanism disposed on the front support surface of the connecting plate. The lifting mechanism is a stepped telescopic sleeve structure. The bottom hinge can use an existing refrigerator leveling device, except that the chain axle of the bottom hinge is changed to a stepped telescopic sleeve structure, so that various lifting mechanisms can be flexibly adopted.

[0008] Preferably, the lifting mechanism includes a hollow shaft connected to the connecting plate, and a support shaft disposed within the hollow shaft and capable of stepped telescoping along the axial direction of the hollow shaft. The use of a coaxial hollow shaft and a telescoping structure for the support shaft within the hollow shaft facilitates manufacturing and installation.

[0009] Preferably, the hollow shaft has at least two pairs of slots with different heights on its circumferential wall, the axial distance between the bottoms of the slots being the lifting distance. The outer circumference of the support shaft has symmetrical bosses, which engage with the slots on the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft has slots with different heights, and the outer circumference of the support shaft has bosses that mate with these slots. When the bosses of the support shaft engage with slots of different heights, the lifting distance of the support shaft relative to the hollow shaft can be easily adjusted.

[0010] Preferably, when the boss of the support shaft is engaged in the low-position opening slot of the hollow shaft, the end face of the support shaft is flush with the end face of the hollow shaft. When the boss of the support shaft is engaged in the lowest position opening slot of the hollow shaft, the tops of the two components are flush. This allows the distance by which the top of the support shaft rises or falls relative to the top of the hollow shaft to be used as a reference, thus determining the distance by which the door's rise and fall needs to be adjusted.

[0011] Preferably, the hinge includes a fixed plate, a support plate cantileveredly connected to the surface of the fixed plate, and hinge shafts vertically disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate. The fixed plate has at least two horizontal mounting holes. Connecting the support plate to the fixed plate surface in a cantilevered manner, i.e., the support plate is in a horizontal position, facilitates the vertical placement of the hinge shafts to support and connect the upper and lower door panels. Providing at least two mounting holes ensures a stable and reliable connection.

[0012] Preferably, there are two mounting holes, and the hinge axis is symmetrically positioned on the fixed plate. When there is an even number of mounting holes, it facilitates the symmetrical arrangement of the mounting holes relative to the hinge axis of the support plate. When it is necessary to adjust the height and flip the hinge, it is not necessary to move the mounting position of the hinge.

[0013] Preferably, the central hinges are a pair installed on the left and right, and the support plate is located on one side of the mounting hole of the fixed plate. When the positions of the left and right central hinges of the pair are interchanged, the central hinges are rotated simultaneously to reverse the orientation of the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate. By placing the mounting hole on one side of the hinge axis, central hinges with different structures can be manufactured to adapt to different installation requirements.

[0014] Preferably, when the middle hinge is in the low position, the vertical distance L1 between the downward-facing surface of the support plate and the line connecting the centers of the two mounting holes on the fixing plate is half the sum of the maximum lifting distance Lmax of the support shaft of the bottom hinge and the thickness of the support plate, i.e., L1 = (Lmax + thickness of the support plate) / 2.

[0015] When the middle hinge is in the low position, the relationship between the vertical distance L1 between the downward-facing surface of the support plate and the line connecting the centers of the two mounting holes on the fixed plate, and the maximum lifting distance Lmax of the support shaft of the bottom hinge, ensures that when the middle hinge is flipped and installed in the high position, the height of the downward-facing surface of the support plate from the ground can be matched to meet the maximum lifting height of the support shaft of the bottom hinge. This ensures that when the middle hinge is flipped and installed in the high position, the space provided by its support plate can accommodate the space for the door to rise. This facilitates the manufacture of a middle hinge that meets the requirements.

[0016] This utility model provides a refrigerator, characterized in that it includes a height adjustment device provided by this utility model. The height adjustment device has a wide range of applications; in addition to adjusting the height of furniture and office cabinet doors, it can also be used to adjust the height of appliance doors.

[0017] This utility model provides a height adjustment device with lifting function, including a bottom hinge and a matching middle hinge. This adjustment device allows for convenient adjustment of the height of upper and lower components, such as adjusting the height of upper and lower cabinet doors; it can also be used to adjust the height of the freezer and refrigerator doors. Specifically, the lifting mechanism in the bottom hinge changes the height of the freezer door, while simultaneously flipping the middle hinge, causing the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate of the middle hinge to reverse their orientation. At this point, the lifting distance of the downward-facing surface of the support plate from the ground matches the lifting distance of the bottom hinge's lifting mechanism. This allows the upper and lower doors to move up and down synchronously to meet different needs. For example, the height of the waistline between the freezer and refrigerator doors can be adjusted to ensure the refrigerator's waistline is flush with the countertop of the sideboard, resulting in a neat and tidy appearance. This utility model's adjustment device can be configured with different height levels as needed, such as two levels (high and low) or three levels (high, medium, and low). The height of each lifting level can also be selected as needed, such as 5mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, etc., to accommodate the waistline height adjustment of refrigerators of different sizes, thereby meeting the requirements for matching and installation with different cabinet countertop heights and improving the user experience.

[0018] This invention can be used to adjust the lifting position of single-door or double-door cabinets or refrigerators. For single-door refrigerators, for example, the hinge shaft on the horizontally symmetrical support plate of the two mounting holes of the middle hinge fixing plate is provided, that is, one mounting hole is provided on each side opposite to the hinge shaft. During installation and adjustment, the rear part of the bottom hinge is connected to one side of the lower end face of the refrigerator body, the front support surface of the bottom hinge extends out, the outer side of the lower end face of the freezer door is loosely fitted on the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge, and the upper end face of the freezer door is loosely fitted on the downward hinge shaft of the middle hinge, so that the freezer door can rotate. At the same time, the lower end face of the refrigerator door is loosely fitted on the upward hinge shaft of the middle hinge, and finally the downward-facing spindle of the front part of the upper hinge is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper end face of the refrigerator door, and the upper hinge is fixed to the top of the refrigerator, so that the refrigerator door can also rotate. When it is necessary to adjust the height of the refrigerator door waistline, simply adjust the height of the bottom hinge lifting structure and the position of the hinge during the flipping process. This will allow the upper and lower doors to rise and fall synchronously, thus ensuring the proper raising and lowering of the waistline between the upper and lower doors.

[0019] For double-door refrigerators, a bottom hinge is installed on the outer side of the lower end face of each of the left and right freezer doors, which are adjusted synchronously for height adjustment. The middle hinges used in conjunction with these hinges have their support plates located on one side of the mounting holes in the fixed plate. They must be used in pairs, with two middle hinges installed on the left and right sides of the door. Other installation procedures are similar to those for single-door refrigerators. However, when adjusting the height of the refrigerator's waistline, the positions of the two middle hinges must be interchanged, and the hinges must be flipped so that the upper and lower surfaces of their support surfaces are reversed. That is, when the bottom hinges are raised and the freezer door is raised, the middle hinges on both sides simultaneously allow space for the lower door to rise and fall smoothly. Users who purchase the adjustable waistline refrigerator provided by this invention can adjust the height of the refrigerator's waistline according to their interior decoration requirements during installation, or they can adjust the waistline height themselves. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge of this utility model when it is in a low position.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge of this utility model when it is in a high position;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge of this utility model when disassembled.

[0023] Figure 4 This is an exploded enlarged view of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a low-angle view of the first embodiment of the hinge in this utility model;

[0025] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A high-angle view of the hinge flip-mounted installation;

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the hinges on the refrigerator door;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the hinge installed on the left side in the second embodiment of the hinge of this utility model.

[0028] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the hinge installed on the right side in the second embodiment of the hinge of this utility model.

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the left and right mounting positions of the hinge in the second embodiment of this utility model and the interchange of the left and right mounting positions after flipping.

[0030] Figure 11 This is a front view of the double-door refrigerator of this utility model when the waistline of the door is in a low position;

[0031] Figure 12 This is a front view of the double-door refrigerator of this utility model when the waistline of the door is in a high position;

[0032] Figure 13 This is a frontal comparative diagram showing the waistline of the double-door refrigerator of this utility model at different heights.

[0033] Figure 14 for Figure 11 A sectional view;

[0034] Figure 15 for Figure 12 A sectional view;

[0035] Figure 16 This is a comparative cross-sectional diagram showing the waistline of the double-door refrigerator door at both the high and low positions.

[0036] Figure 17 for Figure 15 Enlarged view of section A;

[0037] Figure 18 for Figure 15 Enlarged view of section B.

[0038] In the picture:

[0039] 1-Box;

[0040] 2-Refrigerated door;

[0041] 3-Freezer door;

[0042] 4-Middle hinge;

[0043] 41-Fixed plate; 42-Support plate; 43-Hinge shaft;

[0044] 5 bottom hinges;

[0045] 51-Connecting plate; 52-Refrigerator leveling knob; 53-Lifting mechanism; 531-Support shaft; 532-Boss;

[0046] 533 - Hollow shaft; 534 - Open slot;

[0047] 6. Install the hinge. Detailed Implementation

[0048] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are only used to explain this utility model and do not constitute a limitation on this utility model.

[0049] Because the height of the existing refrigerator door waistline is not adjustable, when refrigerators and cabinets are placed together, the refrigerator door waistline is not flush with the cabinet countertop, affecting the visual effect.

[0050] To address these issues, this utility model provides an embodiment of an adjusting device with lifting and lowering functions, such as... Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the adjustment device includes a bottom hinge 5, a middle hinge 4, and an upper hinge 6. The bottom hinge 5 includes a long strip-shaped connecting plate 51, a lifting mechanism 53 located on the upper front surface of the connecting plate, and a refrigerator leveling knob 52 located on the lower front surface of the connecting plate. Typically, the rear part of the connecting plate 51 is used to connect to the lower end face of the cabinet, while the lifting mechanism 53 extending from the front cooperates with the lower end face of the lower cabinet door, serving as the hinge axis for rotating the lower cabinet door. At the same time, adjusting the height of the lifting mechanism 53 can also adjust the height of the lower cabinet door.

[0051] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the lifting mechanism 53 on the bottom hinge 5 is a telescopic sleeve structure capable of extending and retracting in stages, i.e., a stepped telescopic sleeve structure. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 53 includes a hollow shaft 533 fixedly connected to the connecting plate 51, and a support shaft 531 disposed within the hollow shaft 533 and capable of sliding up and down along the axial direction of the hollow shaft. Two pairs of high and low opening slots 534 are axially provided on the circumferential wall of the hollow shaft 533, each pair of slots being radially symmetrical. The axial distance L between the bottoms of the high and low pairs of opening slots 534 is the lifting height of the lifting mechanism. The outer circumference of the support shaft 531 is symmetrically provided with bosses 532. These symmetrically arranged bosses can be engaged in a pair of open slots 534 of the hollow shaft 533. That is, by pulling the support shaft 531 axially out and rotating it along its own axis so that the bosses 532 on it align with the slots of the other pair of open slots 534 of the hollow shaft 533 and then inserting them downwards, the support shaft 531 can be raised and lowered relative to the hollow shaft 533. Since the circumferential wall of the hollow shaft 533 in this embodiment is only provided with two pairs of open slots 534, one high and one low, the lifting mechanism of this embodiment can only achieve two position changes: high and low.

[0052] The lifting structure 53 can also be configured with multiple levels of height changes as needed, simply by setting multiple pairs of opening slots 534 at different heights on the circumferential wall of the hollow shaft 533. For example, setting three pairs of opening slots at different heights allows the support shaft 531 to be in three positions: high, medium, and low. Moreover, the distance between the three positions is selectable, with the axial distance between the low-position opening slot and the high-position opening slot being the maximum distance Lmax, to meet the needs of lifting at different heights.

[0053] like Figure 1As shown, when the boss 532 of the support shaft 531 is engaged in the low-position opening slot 534 of the hollow shaft 533, the end face of the support shaft 531 is flush with the end face of the hollow shaft 533. Figure 2 As shown, when the boss 532 of the support shaft 531 is engaged in the high-position opening slot 534 of the hollow shaft 533, the end face of the support shaft 531 rises by a distance L. The axial distance between the bottoms of the two pairs of opening slots 534 of the hollow shaft 533 is the distance L that the end face of the support shaft 531 can rise by, and this rising distance L can be selected in the range of 5mm-20mm. The specific value of the lifting distance L can be selected as needed, such as 5mm, 10mm, 15mm, or 20mm, etc. When the shaft hole on the lower end face of the lower compartment door is fitted onto the hollow shaft 533 of the lifting mechanism, the lower compartment door can not only rotate around the hollow shaft 533, but also rise in height as the support shaft 531 rises.

[0054] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the middle hinge 4 used in conjunction with the bottom hinge 5 of this utility model includes: a fixed plate 41, and a support plate 42 connected to the fixed plate in a cantilever beam configuration, i.e., the support plate is perpendicular to the surface of the fixed plate 41. There is also a hinge shaft 43 vertically disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate 42, which passes through the support plate 42 both upwards and downwards. The fixed plate 41 has at least two mounting holes laterally on its surface. The fixed plate 41 is connected to the housing screws through the mounting holes. During installation, the downward hinge shaft 43 of the middle hinge 4 is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper end face of the lower housing door. The downward hinge shaft 43 of the middle hinge 4 and the hollow shaft 533 of the bottom hinge then form the pivot for the rotation of the lower housing door. The upward hinge shaft 43 is inserted into the shaft hole on the lower end face of the upper housing door. Then, the downward-facing spindle of the upper hinge 6 is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper end face of the upper housing door, and the upper hinge 6 is then fixed to the top of the upper housing. The upward hinge axis 43 of the middle hinge 4 and the core axis of the upper hinge 6 constitute the core axis for the rotation of the upper door.

[0055] When adjusting the height of the door, first adjust the support shaft 53 of the bottom hinge 5 relative to the hollow shaft 533 to a height of L; at the same time, move the middle hinge 4 from... Figure 5 The low-level removal shown is flipped to the position as indicated. Figure 6 Secure it with screws after it reaches the high position shown. (As shown) Figure 5 As shown, when the middle hinge 4 is in the low position, the vertical distance between the downward-facing surface of its support plate 42 and the ground is H. When the middle hinge 4 is flipped to the position as shown... Figure 6When the middle hinge is in the high position, the surface of the support plate 42, which was originally facing upwards, is flipped downwards. At this moment, the vertical distance between the downward-facing surface of the support plate 42 and the ground is greater than or equal to H + Lmax, where Lmax is the maximum distance the support shaft 531 can rise. If the support shaft 531 has only two positions, high and low, then Lmax is simply L. Similarly, the upward-facing surface of the support plate 42 is also raised by L + the thickness of the support plate 42. Therefore, when the middle hinge 4 is rotated to reverse the orientation of the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate 42, the lifting distance of the support plate 42 from the ground corresponds to the lifting distance of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge 5.

[0056] In fact, to coordinate with the lifting and lowering of the bottom hinge 5, the height of the support plate 42 of the middle hinge 4 relative to the fixed plate 41 can be reasonably set during manufacturing. Please refer to... Figure 5 , Figure 6 When the middle hinge 4 is in both the low and high positions, the distance from the center line connecting the two mounting holes on the fixing plate 41 to the ground remains unchanged because the position of the screw holes remains the same; only the height of the support plate 42 changes. Therefore, as long as the downward lifting distance of the support plate 42 is not less than the maximum lifting distance Lmax of the support shaft 531 of the bottom hinge 5 when the middle hinge 4 is in both the low and high positions, the lower and upper doors will rise and fall synchronously with the lifting and lowering of the bottom hinge 5 and the corresponding flipping installation of the middle hinge 4.

[0057] like Figure 5 As shown, when hinge 4 is in the low position, the vertical distance H between the downward-facing surface of its support plate 42 and the ground is minimum. The vertical distance L1 is defined as the distance between the downward-facing surface of the support plate 42 of hinge 4 and the line connecting the centers of the two mounting holes on the fixing plate 41; Figure 6As shown, when the middle hinge 4 is flipped and installed in the high position, the vertical distance between the upward-facing surface of its support plate 42 and the line connecting the centers of the two mounting holes on the fixed plate 41 remains unchanged at L1. Therefore, as long as L1 + L1 minus the thickness of the support plate 42 is at least equal to the maximum lifting distance Lmax of the support shaft 531 of the bottom hinge 5, i.e., 2L1 - thickness of support plate 42 = Lmax, or L1 = (Lmax + thickness of support plate 42) / 2, the lifting distance of the downward-facing surface of the support plate 42 can be guaranteed to be Lmax. For example, if the maximum lifting distance Lmax of the support shaft 531 of the bottom hinge 5 is 10mm and the thickness of the support plate 42 is 2mm, then L1 is calculated to be 6mm. That is, during manufacturing, the middle hinge 4 is in the defined low-position structural state, ensuring that the vertical distance L1 between the downward-facing surface of the support plate 42 and the line connecting the centers of the two mounting holes on the fixed plate 41 is 6mm, and then fixedly connected, the maximum lifting distance of the lower door can be satisfied as 10mm without interference. Other calculation methods are also possible, as long as the lifting distance of the rear support plate 42 can meet the lifting requirements of the lower box door.

[0058] This invention also provides a refrigerator using the aforementioned adjustable device with lifting function. For an embodiment of a single-door refrigerator, the adjustable device with lifting function includes a bottom hinge 5, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown. A middle hinge 4, as... Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown. An upper hinge 6, as... Figure 7 As shown. In this embodiment, the hinge shafts 43 on the horizontally symmetrical support plate are provided with two mounting holes on the fixing plate 41 of the middle hinge 4, that is, one mounting hole is provided on each side opposite to the hinge shaft 43. During installation and adjustment, the rear part of the connecting plate 51 of the bottom hinge 5 is connected to one side of the lower end face of the refrigerator body, the front support surface of the bottom hinge extends out, and the shaft hole on one side of the lower end face of the freezer door is loosely fitted onto the hollow shaft 533 of the lifting mechanism 53 of the bottom hinge. The downward hinge shaft 43 of the middle hinge 4 is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper end face of the freezer door, and the middle hinge 4 is fixed to the refrigerator body with screws, so that the freezer door can rotate. Then, the shaft hole on the lower end face of the refrigerator door is loosely fitted onto the upward hinge shaft 43 of the middle hinge, and finally, the downward-facing spindle of the front part of the upper hinge 6 is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper end face of the refrigerator door, and the rear part of the upper hinge 6 is fixed to the top of the refrigerator, so that the refrigerator door can also rotate. When it is necessary to adjust the height of the waistline between the upper and lower doors of the refrigerator, simply adjust the height of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge 5 and the position of the hinge 4 in the middle by flipping it to adjust the height of the upper and lower doors synchronously, thus ensuring the height of the waistline between the upper and lower doors of the refrigerator.

[0059] For a two-door refrigerator example, such as Figure 11 , Figure 14As shown, the double-door refrigerator includes a body 1, left and right opening refrigerator doors 2, and left and right opening freezer doors 3. The lower freezer door 3 is mounted on the body 1 via a middle hinge 4 and a bottom hinge 5, and the upper refrigerator door 2 is mounted on the body 1 via a middle hinge 4 and an upper hinge 6. The bottom hinge 5 is a pair, located on the left and right sides of the lower end face of the refrigerator, used to connect the lower end faces of the left and right freezer doors 3. Figure 17 As shown, during installation and adjustment, the rear part of the connecting plate 51 of the bottom hinge 5 is connected to the lower end face of one side of the refrigerator body. The front support surface of the bottom hinge extends out of the cabinet 1, and the shaft hole on the outer side of the lower end face of the freezer door 3 is loosely fitted onto the hollow shaft 533 of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge 5. Figure 11 , Figure 17 and Figure 8 , Figure 9 As shown, the central hinge 4 also needs to be positioned separately for the left and right doors. The downward-facing hinge shaft 43 of the central hinge 4 is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper end face of the freezer door 3, and the central hinge 4 is simultaneously fixed to the cabinet 1 with screws, allowing the freezer door 3 to rotate. The support plate 42 of this type of central hinge 4 is located on one side of the mounting hole of the fixing plate 41, as shown... Figure 8 As shown, the central hinge 4, installed on the left side of the housing 1, has a support plate 42 located to the left of the mounting hole in the fixing plate 41. Figure 9 As shown, the middle hinge 4, installed on the right side of the cabinet 1, has its support plate 42 located to the right of the mounting hole of the fixing plate 41. The shaft hole on the lower end face of the refrigerator door 2 is then fitted onto the upward-facing hinge shaft 43 of the middle hinge. Finally, the downward-facing spindle of the upper hinge 6 is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper end face of the refrigerator door 2, and the rear of the upper hinge 6 is fixed to the top of the refrigerator, allowing the refrigerator door to rotate.

[0060] When it is necessary to adjust the height of the waistline between the upper and lower doors of the refrigerator, first remove the refrigerator door 2 and the freezer door 3, then adjust the height L of the bottom hinge 5 relative to the hollow shaft 533; at the same time, the... Figure 8 , Figure 9 The lower positions of the left and right middle hinges 4 shown are interchanged. For example... Figure 10 As shown, the left-side middle hinge 4 is flipped to the higher position shown in the lower right and then fixed with screws; the right-side middle hinge 4 is flipped to the higher position shown in the lower left and then fixed with screws. This involves swapping the positions of the left and right middle hinges 4, and simultaneously flipping the middle hinges so that the upper and lower surfaces of the middle hinge support plate 42 are reversed. The distance the middle hinge support plate 42 rises after flipping is equal to the maximum distance Lmax that the support shaft 53 can rise relative to the hollow shaft 533. That is, when the refrigerator bottom hinge 5 is raised, the freezer door 3 rises accordingly, and the support plates 42 of the left and right middle hinges simultaneously make room for the freezer door 3 to rise, ensuring smooth lifting and lowering of the door. Then, the shaft hole on the lower end face of the refrigerator door 2 is fitted onto the upward-facing hinge shaft 43 of the middle hinge 4, as shown. Figure 18As shown, the upper hinge 6, with its front end facing downwards, is inserted into the shaft hole on the upper surface of the refrigerator door 2. Finally, the upper hinge 6 is fixed to the top of the refrigerator, allowing the refrigerator door 2 to rotate. Figure 13 and Figure 16 As shown, comparing the refrigerator door at different heights reveals that... Figure 12 and Figure 15 The height ratio of the freezer door 3 and the refrigerator door 2 shown is... Figure 11 and Figure 14 The middle position should be high. That is... Figure 12 and Figure 15 The waistline between the freezer door 3 and the refrigerator door 2 is raised. Users who purchase the refrigerator with the adjustable waistline provided by this invention can adjust the height of the waistline according to their interior decoration requirements during refrigerator installation. They can also adjust the waistline height themselves to meet the visual effect of their interior decoration. Similarly, by reversing the operation—removing the refrigerator door 2 and the freezer door 3—and lowering the support shaft 531 of the bottom hinge 5 by a height L relative to the hollow shaft 533, so that the support shaft 531 is completely hidden inside the hollow shaft 533, simultaneously, the pair of left and right middle hinges 4 are flipped and repositioned, causing the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate 42 on them to be installed in opposite directions. Generally, the core shaft of the hinge 6 is relatively long, and the shaft hole on the upper surface of the refrigerator door 2 is also relatively deep, providing sufficient space for the refrigerator door 2 to move up and down.

[0061] For double-door refrigerators, the bottom hinge 5 and top hinge 6 remain unchanged, or the middle hinge 4 used in single-door refrigerators can be used. For example... Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the fixing plate 41 of the middle hinge 4 has an even number of mounting holes, for example, two mounting holes. The two mounting holes of the fixing plate 41 are symmetrically positioned on the hinge shaft 43 on the horizontal support plate, meaning one mounting hole is provided on each side opposite to the hinge shaft 43. When adjusting the door height, it is only necessary to flip the middle hinge 4 in place to reverse the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate 42 of the middle hinge, without needing to interchange the left and right positions of the two middle hinges 4. This allows them to cooperate with the bottom hinge to make the upper and lower doors rise and fall synchronously, thus ensuring the rise and fall of the waistline between the upper and lower doors of the refrigerator. Because the position of the axis of the hinge shaft 43 on the support plate 42 does not change after the middle hinge 4 is flipped in place, no structural changes are required when installing the freezer door 3 and the refrigerator door.

[0062] It should be noted that the terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the technical features and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art are not discussed in detail in this specification, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of this specification. Any specific values ​​in this specification should be interpreted as merely exemplary and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention.

[0063] For ease of description, the terms used in the specification to describe position, such as "above", "to the left of", "in front of", etc., are only used to describe the spatial positional relationship between a certain component and other components in the embodiment shown in the figure. When the position of the component is different, the relative position will change. Therefore, the positional relationship of the embodiment in the figure should not constitute a limitation on the present invention.

[0064] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in the specification is merely for distinguishing similar components and does not imply a sequential order; therefore, it should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model. The above description is only a specific embodiment of this utility model. It should be pointed out that any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and variations made within the spirit and framework of this utility model's concept should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A height adjustment device, comprising a bottom hinge and a middle hinge, characterized in that, The bottom hinge is equipped with a lifting mechanism. The middle hinge includes a fixed plate connected to the box body and a support plate connected to the fixed plate. The upper and lower surfaces of the support plate are hinged to the upper and lower boxes respectively. The middle hinge is flipped so that the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate are installed in opposite directions. The lifting distance of the support plate corresponds to the maximum lifting distance of the lifting mechanism of the bottom hinge.

2. The height adjustment device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom hinge includes a connecting plate and a lifting mechanism disposed on the front support surface of the connecting plate. The lifting mechanism is a stepped telescopic sleeve structure.

3. The height adjustment device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The stepped telescopic sleeve structure includes a hollow shaft connected to the connecting plate, and a support shaft disposed inside the hollow shaft and extending and retracting in stages along the axial direction of the hollow shaft.

4. The height adjustment device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The hollow shaft has at least two pairs of opening slots with different heights on its circumferential wall, and the axial distance between the bottoms of the opening slots is the lifting distance. The outer circle of the support shaft has symmetrical bosses, and the pair of bosses are correspondingly engaged in the opening slots of the hollow shaft.

5. The height adjustment device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, When the boss of the support shaft is engaged in the low-position opening groove of the hollow shaft, the end face of the support shaft is flush with the end face of the hollow shaft.

6. The height adjustment device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed plate is provided with at least two mounting holes for connecting to the box body. The support plate is connected to the surface of the fixed plate in a cantilever beam manner. It also includes a hinge shaft vertically arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate. The upper box door and the lower box door are respectively hinged to the hinge shaft.

7. The height adjustment device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The mounting holes are two in number, and the hinge axis of the support plate is set on the fixed plate in a horizontally symmetrical manner.

8. The height adjustment device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The central hinges are a pair installed on the left and right, and the support plate is located on one side of the mounting hole of the fixed plate; when the left and right positions of the two central hinges are interchanged, the central hinges are flipped and the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate are reversed.

9. The height adjustment device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the middle hinge is in the low position, the vertical distance L1 between the downward-facing surface of the support plate and the line connecting the centers of the two mounting holes on the fixed plate is half the sum of the maximum lifting distance Lmax of the support shaft of the bottom hinge and the thickness of the support plate, that is, L1 = (Lmax + thickness of the support plate) / 2.

10. A refrigerator, characterized in that, Includes the height adjustment device as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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