Door panel lifting mechanism and door box apparatus

Abstract

This application relates to a door panel lifting mechanism and a door box device, which can automatically lift the door panel during the opening process, not only avoiding structural interference between the door panel and the kick plate, but also minimizing the gap between the door panel and the kick plate, thus improving the user experience. The door panel lifting mechanism includes: a hinge base frame for fixed connection to a box assembly; a hinge bracket rotatably disposed on the hinge base frame and for fixed connection to the frame of the door assembly; a sliding assembly slidably disposed on the hinge bracket and for limiting connection with the panel of the door assembly; and a linkage assembly including a first linkage rotatably disposed on the hinge base frame, a second linkage rotatably disposed on the sliding assembly, and a third linkage rotatably disposed on the hinge bracket and rotatably connected to the first and second linkages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of home appliance technology, and in particular to a door panel lifting mechanism and door box device. Background Technology

[0002] Door-mounted appliances, such as built-in dishwashers, are commonly used home appliances. To increase the cavity capacity, these appliances typically achieve this by compressing the base height. Furthermore, to improve the cavity's sealing effect, the pivot point of the door assembly is lowered along with the reduced base height. This leads to increased interference between the door assembly and the kick plate during opening and closing, requiring more kick plate material to ensure smooth door opening and closing. This results in a larger gap between the door assembly and the kick plate when the door is closed. For example, for a 100mm high kick plate, the actual installation process often requires cutting the kick plate to 70mm. This leaves at least a 30mm gap between the door assembly and the kick plate when the door is closed, severely impacting the user experience. Utility Model Content

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to address the problem of interference between the door assembly and the kick plate during the opening and closing process in existing door box equipment. This application provides a door panel lifting mechanism and a door box equipment that can automatically lift the door panel during the opening process, which not only avoids structural interference between the door panel and the kick plate, but also minimizes the gap between the door panel and the kick plate, thereby improving the user experience.

[0004] In one embodiment of this application, a door panel lifting mechanism is provided, comprising:

[0005] Hinged base frame, used for fixed connection with the housing assembly;

[0006] A hinge bracket is rotatably mounted on the hinge base and is used for fixed connection with the frame of the door assembly;

[0007] A sliding assembly, slidably disposed on the hinge bracket and used for limiting connection with the plate of the door assembly; and

[0008] The linkage assembly includes a first link rotatably disposed on the hinge base, a second link rotatably disposed on the sliding assembly, and a third link rotatably disposed on the hinge support and rotatably connected to the first link and the second link.

[0009] In one embodiment of this application, the third link includes a first end pivotally connected to the first link, a second end pivotally connected to the second link, and a fulcrum located between the first end and the second end and connected to the hinge bracket.

[0010] In one embodiment of this application, the distance between the first end and the fulcrum portion is greater than the length between the second end and the fulcrum portion.

[0011] In one embodiment of this application, the third link extends obliquely downward from the first end to the second end; the first link extends obliquely downward from the first end of the third link; and the second link extends obliquely from the second end of the third link.

[0012] In one embodiment of this application, when the door is closed, the angle between the first link and the third link and the angle between the second link and the third link are both acute angles, and the angle between the first link and the third link is greater than the angle between the second link and the third link; when the door is opened, the angle between the first link and the third link and the angle between the second link and the third link are both obtuse angles, and the angle between the first link and the third link is smaller than the angle between the second link and the third link.

[0013] In one embodiment of this application, the length of the first link is greater than the length of the second link.

[0014] In one embodiment of this application, the sliding assembly includes a slider slidably connected to the hinge bracket, a support column protruding from the slider, and a hook hooked to the support column for fixing the plate.

[0015] According to another aspect of this application, this application further provides a door box device, including:

[0016] Enclosure assembly;

[0017] A door assembly, including a frame and a plate slidably disposed on the frame; and

[0018] The door panel lifting mechanism described in any of the preceding claims is disposed between the housing assembly and the door assembly, for lifting the panel relative to the frame during the opening process.

[0019] In one embodiment of this application, the two door panel lifting mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the housing assembly and the door assembly, respectively.

[0020] In one embodiment of this application, the door assembly further includes a panel frame mounted on the frame and having a sliding groove, and a sliding buckle fixed to the panel and inserted into the sliding groove; the sliding groove has an upper opening and a lower slot extending downward from the upper opening; the sliding buckle is inserted from the upper opening to slidably engage with the lower slot.

[0021] In summary, during the opening and closing process, the first, second, and third links in the linkage assembly move in unison under the drive of the hinge base and the hinge bracket, pushing and pulling the sliding assembly relative to the hinge bracket. Therefore, the sliding assembly can drive the panel away from the kick plate during the opening process and drive the panel closer to the kick plate during the closing process. This avoids structural interference between the panel and the kick plate without cutting the kick plate, ensuring that the gap between the panel and the kick plate is as small as possible when the door assembly is closed, improving the overall aesthetics of the device and enhancing the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of a door box device when it has completed closing, according to one embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the door box equipment.

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the state of the door box device according to the above embodiments of this application when the door is opened;

[0025] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the door box equipment.

[0026] Figure 5 and Figure 6 This diagram shows the state of the door panel lifting mechanism in the door box equipment when the door is closed.

[0027] Figure 7 and Figure 8 This diagram shows the state of the door panel lifting mechanism in the door box equipment when the door is opened;

[0028] Figure 9 A perspective view of the door assembly in the door box device according to the above embodiments of this application is shown;

[0029] Figure 10 An exploded view of a door assembly according to the above embodiments of this application is shown;

[0030] Figure 11A schematic diagram of the panel frame in the door assembly according to the above embodiments of this application is shown.

[0031] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0032] 10. Door panel lifting mechanism; 11. Hinge base frame; 12. Hinge bracket; 13. Sliding assembly; 131. Slider; 132. Support column; 133. Hook; 14. Link assembly; 141. First link; 142. Second link; 143. Third link; 1431. First end; 1432. Second end; 1433. Support point; 20. Box assembly; 30. Door assembly; 31. Frame; 32. Panel; 33. Panel frame; 330. Slide groove; 331. Upper opening; 332. Lower slot; 34. Sliding buckle; 35. Inner door; 36. Middle door.

[0033] The above description of the main component symbols, together with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0035] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0036] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0037] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0038] Considering that existing door box devices experience significant interference between the door assembly and the kick plate during opening and closing, requiring the cutting of more kick plates to ensure smooth door opening and closing, and resulting in an increased gap between the door assembly and the kick plate when the door box is closed, the applicant has designed a door panel lifting mechanism and door box device that automatically lifts the door panel during opening. This not only avoids structural interference between the door panel and the kick plate but also minimizes the gap between them, improving the user experience.

[0039] Specifically, see the attached document. Figures 1 to 11 As shown, one embodiment of this application provides a door box device, which may include a box assembly 20, a door assembly 30, and a door panel lifting mechanism 10 disposed between the box assembly 20 and the door assembly 30. The door assembly 30 includes a frame 31 and a plate 32 slidably disposed on the frame 31. The door panel lifting mechanism 10 is used to lift the plate 32 relative to the frame 31 during the opening process, so that the plate 32 slides away from the baseboard, thereby avoiding structural interference between the plate 32 and the baseboard without cutting the baseboard. In other words, during the closing process, the plate 32 of the door assembly 30 slides relative to the frame 31 towards the baseboard, so that the gap between the plate 32 and the baseboard is small enough when the door is closed, ensuring the overall aesthetics of the door box device and improving the user experience. It is understood that the door cabinet device of this application may be implemented as other embedded devices such as embedded dishwashers or embedded refrigerators; in addition, the door cabinet device of this application may also include, but is not limited to, functional subjects capable of performing functions such as washing dishes or refrigeration, which will not be elaborated here.

[0040] More specifically, such as Figures 1 to 8As shown, the door panel lifting mechanism 10 may include a hinge base frame 11 fixedly connected to the housing assembly 20, a hinge bracket 12 rotatably disposed on the hinge base frame 11 and fixedly connected to the frame 31 of the door assembly 30, a sliding component 13 slidably disposed on the hinge bracket and limitedly connected to the plate 32 of the door assembly 30, and a connecting rod assembly 14. The connecting rod assembly 14 includes a first connecting rod 141 rotatably disposed on the hinge base frame 11, a second connecting rod 142 rotatably disposed on the sliding component 13, and a third connecting rod 143 rotatably disposed on the hinge bracket 12 and rotatably connected to the first connecting rod 141 and the second connecting rod 142. It is understood that in other embodiments of this application, the first connecting rod 141 may also be rotatably disposed on the housing assembly 20; the sliding component 13 may also be slidably disposed on the frame 31 of the door assembly 30, which will not be described in detail here.

[0041] Thus, as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, during the opening process, the frame 31 of the door assembly 30 drives the hinge bracket 12 to rotate relative to the hinge base frame 11. This causes the third link 143 to rotate relative to the hinge bracket 12 under the constraint of the first link 141, thereby driving the second link 142. The second link 142 then pushes the sliding assembly 13 upwards, causing the plate 32 of the door assembly 30 to slide away from the baseboard, avoiding structural interference with the baseboard. Similarly, during the closing process, the frame 31 of the door assembly 30 drives the hinge bracket 12 to rotate in the opposite direction relative to the hinge base frame 11. This causes the third link 143 to rotate in the opposite direction relative to the hinge bracket 12 under the constraint of the first link 141, thereby driving the second link 142. The second link 142 then pulls the sliding assembly 13 downwards, causing the plate 32 of the door assembly 30 to slide closer to the baseboard, minimizing the gap with the baseboard.

[0042] It is worth noting that during the opening and closing process, the first link 141, the second link 142, and the third link 143 in the linkage assembly 14 move in conjunction with each other under the drive of the hinge base 11 and the hinge bracket 12, pushing and pulling the sliding assembly 13 relative to the hinge bracket 12. Therefore, the sliding assembly 13 can drive the plate 32 to slide away from the kick plate during the opening process and drive the plate 32 to slide closer to the kick plate during the closing process. This avoids structural interference between the plate 32 and the kick plate without cutting the kick plate, ensuring that the gap between the plate 32 and the kick plate is as small as possible when the door assembly 30 is closed, improving the overall aesthetics of the device and enhancing the user experience. It is understood that the rotatable arrangement mentioned in this application can be connected by, but is not limited to, pins or pivots, which will not be elaborated further in this application.

[0043] In addition, such as Figure 3 As shown, each door box device may include, but is not limited to, two door panel lifting mechanisms 10. The two door panel lifting mechanisms 10 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the box assembly 20 and the door assembly 30, respectively, so as to smoothly lift the plate 32 of the door assembly 30 during the opening process.

[0044] For example, such as Figures 5 to 8 As shown, the third link 143 may include a first end 1431 pivotally connected to the first link 141, a second end 1432 pivotally connected to the second link 142, and a fulcrum portion 1433 located between the first end 1431 and the second end 1432 and connected to the hinge bracket 12, such that the third link 143 forms a first type of lever. Thus, during the opening process, the first end 1431 of the third link 143 moves downward under the restriction of the first link 141, while the second end 1432 of the third link 143 moves upward to drive the second link 142 to push the sliding assembly 13 upward, thereby driving the plate 32 to slide away from the kick plate.

[0045] Optionally, such as Figure 7 As shown, the distance L1 between the first end 1431 and the fulcrum 1433 is greater than the distance L2 between the second end 1432 and the fulcrum 1433, so that the third link 143 forms a force-saving lever, so as to drive the second link 142 with the sliding component 13 to slide relative to the hinge bracket 12 with less effort.

[0046] Optionally, such as Figure 2 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 As shown, when the door is closed, the third link 143 extends obliquely downward from the first end 1431 to the second end 1432; the first link 141 extends obliquely downward from the first end 1431 of the third link 143; and the second link 142 extends obliquely upward from the second end 1432 of the third link 143, so that the link assembly 14 forms a three-link bending structure. Thus, during the opening process, the third link 143 rotates counterclockwise under the pull of the first link 141, causing the second end 1432 of the third link 143 to move upward, thereby pushing the sliding assembly 13 upward through the second link 142, so as to better drive the plate 32 to slide away from the kick plate.

[0047] Optionally, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, when the door is closed, the angle α between the first link 141 and the third link 143 and the angle β between the second link 142 and the third link 143 are both acute angles; the angle α between the first link 141 and the third link 143 is greater than the angle β between the second link 142 and the third link 143. Thus, in the initial stage of opening the door, the angle α between the first link 141 and the third link 143 is closer to 90°, ensuring that the power arm of the first link 141 acting on the third link 143 is greater than the resistance arm of the second link 142 acting on the third link 143, making it easier to push the plate 32 upwards and slide it upwards.

[0048] Optionally, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, when the door is opened, the angle α between the first link 141 and the third link 143 and the angle β between the second link 142 and the third link 143 are both obtuse angles; the angle α between the first link 141 and the third link 143 is smaller than the angle β between the second link 142 and the third link 143. Thus, in the initial stage of opening the door, the angle α between the first link 141 and the third link 143 is still closer to 90°, ensuring that the power arm of the first link 141 acting on the third link 143 is greater than the resistance arm of the second link 142 acting on the third link 143, making it easier to pull the plate 32 backward.

[0049] Optionally, such as Figures 5 to 8 As shown, the length of the first link 141 is greater than the length of the second link 142. This not only ensures that the pin / rotation axis between the first link 141 and the hinge base 11 avoids the hinge bracket 12 to prevent structural interference, but also controls the sliding distance of the plate 32 during the opening and closing process, preventing the plate 32 from protruding too far from the frame 31 and occupying too much space when the door is opened.

[0050] It is worth noting that the sliding component 13 can be directly fixed to the plate 32, or indirectly fixed to the plate 32. To reduce assembly difficulty, such as... Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, the sliding assembly 13 of this application may include a slider 131 slidably connected to the hinge bracket 12, a support column 132 protruding from the slider 131, and a hook 133 hooked to the support column 132 and fixedly connected to the plate 32. Thus, when disassembling and replacing the plate 32, it is only necessary to remove the hook 133 from the support column 132, without disassembling other components of the door panel lifting mechanism 10.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the above embodiments of this application, such as Figures 9 to 11As shown, the door assembly 30 also includes a panel frame 33 installed on the frame 31 and having a slide groove 330, and a sliding buckle 34 fixed to the plate 32 and inserted into the slide groove 330, so as to restrict the plate 32 from sliding relative to the frame 31 in the vertical direction and prevent the plate 32 from falling off.

[0052] Optionally, such as Figure 11 As shown, the slide 330 has an upper opening 331 and a lower groove 332 extending downward from the upper opening 331; the sliding buckle 34 is inserted into the upper opening 331 and slidably latches onto the lower groove 332 to prevent the plate 32 from detaching from the frame 31 during the opening and closing of the door. It is understood that both the lower groove 332 and the sliding buckle 34 may have, but are not limited to, an L-shaped structure, such that the L-shaped flanges of the sliding buckle 34 and the lower groove 332 engage with each other, preventing the plate 32 from detaching from the frame 31 and allowing it to slide up and down along the slide 330.

[0053] It is worth noting that the panel 32 mentioned in this application usually refers to the outer door of the door assembly 30, so that the outer door can slide down to the ground when closed, and even eliminate the need for a kick plate, thus ensuring the overall aesthetics of the door box equipment; while when open, the outer door slides up to avoid interference between the bottom of the door panel and the kick plate.

[0054] In the above embodiments of this application, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the door assembly 30 may further include an inner door 35 fixed to the frame 31 and a middle door 36 located between the inner door 35 and the panel 32; the panel frame 33 is located above the middle door 36 and is used to install the control panel; the middle door 36 has a through groove corresponding to the hook 133 to avoid structural interference between the hook 133 and the middle door 36 during the opening and closing of the door.

[0055] In addition, the door box device may also include an elastic component (not shown in the figure) disposed between the box assembly 20 and the door assembly 30, for applying a pulling torque to the door assembly 30 in the opposite direction to the gravitational torque of the door assembly 30, so as to achieve torque balance during the opening and closing process, so that the door assembly 30 can be suspended relative to the box assembly 20 to realize the door suspension function; at the same time, it can also prevent the door assembly 30 from generating a large impact sound due to the excessive opening speed.

[0056] It is understood that in other embodiments of this application, the door box device may further include a drive mechanism (not shown in the figure) drivenly connected to the elastic component, for adjusting the magnitude of the pulling torque applied by the elastic component to the door body component 30, so as to break the torque balance and realize the automatic opening and closing of the door box device. This application will not elaborate further on this.

[0057] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0058] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed. However, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application's patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A door panel lifting mechanism, characterized in that, include: Hinged base frame, used for fixed connection with the housing assembly; A hinge bracket is rotatably mounted on the hinge base and is used for fixed connection with the frame of the door assembly; A sliding assembly, slidably disposed on the hinge bracket and used for limiting connection with the plate of the door assembly; and The linkage assembly includes a first link rotatably disposed on the hinge base, a second link rotatably disposed on the sliding assembly, and a third link rotatably disposed on the hinge support and rotatably connected to the first link and the second link.

2. The door panel lifting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The third link includes a first end pivotally connected to the first link, a second end pivotally connected to the second link, and a fulcrum located between the first end and the second end and connected to the hinge bracket.

3. The door panel lifting mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The distance between the first end and the fulcrum is greater than the length between the second end and the fulcrum.

4. The door panel lifting mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the door is closed, the third link extends obliquely downward from the first end to the second end; the first link extends obliquely downward from the first end of the third link; and the second link extends obliquely upward from the second end of the third link.

5. The door panel lifting mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the door is closed, the angles between the first and third links and between the second and third links are both acute angles, and the angle between the first and third links is greater than the angle between the second and third links. When the door is opened, the angles between the first and third links and between the second and third links are both obtuse angles, and the angle between the first and third links is less than the angle between the second and third links.

6. The door panel lifting mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that, The length of the first link is greater than the length of the second link.

7. The door panel lifting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The sliding assembly includes a slider slidably connected to the hinge bracket, a support post protruding from the slider, and a hook hooked to the support post for fixing the plate.

8. Door box equipment, characterized in that, include: Enclosure assembly; A door assembly, including a frame and a plate slidably disposed on the frame; as well as The door panel lifting mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the door panel lifting mechanism is disposed between the housing assembly and the door assembly for lifting the panel relative to the frame during the opening process.

9. The door box device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The two door panel lifting mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the housing assembly and the door assembly, respectively.

10. The door box device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The door assembly further includes a panel frame mounted on the frame and having a sliding groove, and a sliding buckle fixed to the panel and inserted into the sliding groove; the sliding groove has an upper opening and a lower slot extending downward from the upper opening; the sliding buckle is inserted from the upper opening to slidably engage with the lower slot.

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