Upper hinge structure and refrigerator

Abstract

The application relates to an upper hinge structure and a refrigerator, the upper hinge structure being used for connecting a door body and a cabinet of the refrigerator, the upper hinge structure comprising a connecting seat, a rotating shaft and an elastic supporting piece, the connecting seat being used for fixedly connecting the top of the cabinet, the connecting seat being provided with a through hole, one end of the rotating shaft being used for fixedly mounting the top of the door body, the other end of the rotating shaft being fixedly connected with a limiting piece, the rotating shaft being arranged in the through hole, two ends of the elastic supporting piece being connected with the limiting piece and the connecting seat respectively, and the elastic supporting piece being used for applying an acting force to the limiting piece in a direction away from the connecting seat. The door body provided by the application can provide a supporting force, and effectively shares the weight load of the door body borne by the lower hinge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigerator technology, and in particular to an upper hinge structure and a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] Refrigerator doors are typically connected to the refrigerator body via hinges, which include an upper hinge mounted at the top of the door and a lower hinge mounted at the bottom. The upper hinge simply connects the door to the refrigerator body via a simple pivot structure, without providing any support to the door; the entire weight of the door is borne by the lower hinge. This makes the lower hinge prone to deformation and fatigue damage. Utility Model Content

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an upper hinge structure and a refrigerator that can provide support for the door.

[0004] An upper hinge structure is used to connect the door and the cabinet of a refrigerator. The upper hinge structure includes a connecting seat, a pivot, and an elastic support. The connecting seat is used to fix the top of the cabinet and has a through hole. One end of the pivot is fixedly installed to the top of the door and the other end is fixedly connected to a limiting member. The pivot passes through the through hole. The two ends of the elastic support are respectively connected to the limiting member and the connecting seat, and the elastic support is used to apply a force to the limiting member in a direction away from the connecting seat.

[0005] In one embodiment, the upper hinge structure further includes a gasket disposed between the elastic support and the connecting seat, and the two ends of the gasket along its own thickness direction respectively abut against the elastic support and the connecting seat.

[0006] In one embodiment, the gasket has a mating hole, and the gasket is sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft through the mating hole. Furthermore, the wall of the mating hole and the side wall of the rotating shaft are matched and limited around the axis of the rotating shaft, so that when the rotating shaft rotates relative to the connecting seat, the gasket, the elastic support and the limiting member can rotate synchronously.

[0007] In one embodiment, the sidewall of the rotating shaft includes an adjacent first arc surface and a first limiting plane, and the wall of the mating hole includes an adjacent second arc surface and a second limiting plane. The second arc surface is attached to the first arc surface, and the second limiting plane is attached to the first limiting plane.

[0008] In one embodiment, the limiting member is detachably connected to the rotating shaft.

[0009] In one embodiment, the upper hinge structure further includes a fastening screw, the rotating shaft has a threaded hole, the limiting member has an assembly hole, and the fastening screw passes through the assembly hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole to fix the limiting member to the rotating shaft.

[0010] In one embodiment, the limiting member has a positioning groove, one end of the rotating shaft away from the door body is inserted into the positioning groove, and the groove wall of the positioning groove and the side wall of the rotating shaft are matched in a limiting fit around the axis of the rotating shaft.

[0011] In one embodiment, the sidewall of the rotating shaft includes an adjacent first arc surface and a first limiting plane, and the groove wall of the positioning groove includes an adjacent third arc surface and a third limiting plane. The third arc surface is attached to the first arc surface, and the third limiting plane is attached to the first limiting plane.

[0012] In one embodiment, the number of first arc surfaces and first limiting planes is configured to be multiple, and the multiple first arc surfaces and multiple first limiting planes are evenly spaced around the axis of the rotating shaft.

[0013] A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door, and an upper hinge structure as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the upper hinge structure connects the cabinet and the door at the top of the refrigerator.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the upper hinge structure and refrigerator provided in this application, by setting up an elastic support member, and the elastic support member is used to apply a force to the limiting member away from the connecting seat, so that the elastic support member can apply an upward supporting force to the door body along the height direction of the cabinet through the limiting member and the pivot, that is, an upward supporting force in the vertical direction. This can effectively share the weight load of the door body borne by the lower hinge, and the stress intensity of the lower hinge is significantly reduced, which can avoid deformation and fatigue damage caused by long-term overload and extend the service life of the lower hinge. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the refrigerator provided in this application;

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram at point A;

[0018] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the upper hinge structure provided in this application;

[0019] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the gasket and shaft assembly provided in this application;

[0020] Figure 5A schematic diagram of the structure of the limiting component provided in this application.

[0021] Reference numerals: 1. Refrigerator; 100. Upper hinge structure; 10. Connecting seat; 11. Through hole; 20. Rotating shaft; 21. First arc surface; 22. First limiting plane; 23. Threaded hole; 30. Limiting component; 31. Assembly hole; 32. Positioning groove; 321. Third arc surface; 322. Third limiting plane; 40. Elastic support component; 50. Fastening screw; 60. Washer; 61. Mating hole; 611. Second arc surface; 612. Second limiting plane; 200. Cabinet; 300. Door. Detailed Implementation

[0022] 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.

[0023] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0024] 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.

[0025] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] Please see Figures 1 to 3 This application provides an upper hinge structure 100 for connecting the door 300 and the cabinet 200 of a refrigerator 1. The upper hinge structure 100 includes a connecting seat 10, a rotating shaft 20, and an elastic support member 40. The connecting seat 10 is used to fix the top of the cabinet 200, and the connecting seat 10 has a through hole 11. One end of the rotating shaft 20 is used to fix it to the top of the door 300, and the other end is fixedly connected to a limiting member 30. The rotating shaft 20 passes through the through hole 11. The two ends of the elastic support member 40 are respectively connected to the limiting member 30 and the connecting seat 10, and the elastic support member 40 is used to apply a force to the limiting member 30 in a direction away from the connecting seat 10.

[0028] It is understandable that by setting up the elastic support 40, and the elastic support 40 is used to apply a force to the limiting member 30 in a direction away from the connecting seat 10, the elastic support 40 can apply an upward supporting force to the door body 300 along the height direction of the box 200 through the limiting member 30 and the pivot 20, that is, an upward supporting force in the vertical direction. This can effectively share the weight load of the door body 300 borne by the lower hinge, and the stress intensity of the lower hinge is significantly reduced, which can avoid deformation and fatigue damage caused by long-term overload and extend the service life of the lower hinge.

[0029] In this configuration, the elastic support 40 applies a force to the limiting member 30 away from the connecting seat 10 when the limiting member 30 and the connecting seat 10 are in a compressed state. Furthermore, the force applied by the elastic support 40 to the limiting member 30 away from the connecting seat 10 can be adjusted by changing the distance between the limiting member 30 and the connecting seat 10 or by adjusting the elastic coefficient of the elastic support 40.

[0030] The elastic support 40 can be configured as a coil spring, a disc spring, etc. When the elastic support 40 is configured as a coil spring, the coil spring is sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 20.

[0031] The limiting member 30 is detachably connected to the pivot 20. This makes the assembly and disassembly of the upper hinge structure 100 more convenient. Specifically, when assembling the upper hinge structure 100, the pivot 20 can first be passed through the through hole 11 from the bottom of the connecting seat 10, so that the connecting seat 10 is pressed against the top wall of the door body 300. Then, the elastic support member 40 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the pivot 20, and finally the limiting member 30 is installed on the pivot 20.

[0032] Optionally, in one embodiment, the limiting member 30 and the rotating shaft 20 are threadedly connected by a fastening screw 50. Specifically, the upper hinge structure 100 further includes a fastening screw 50, the rotating shaft 20 has a threaded hole 23, the limiting member 30 abuts against the end of the rotating shaft 20 away from the connecting seat 10, and the limiting member 30 has an assembly hole 31. The fastening screw 50 passes through the assembly hole 31 and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole 23, and the head of the fastening screw 50 is pressed against the limiting member 30 to fix the limiting member 30 to the rotating shaft 20.

[0033] Of course, in other embodiments, the limiting member 30 and the rotating shaft 20 can also be connected by a snap-fit ​​or by magnetic attraction.

[0034] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the limiting member 30 has a positioning groove 32, which is connected to the assembly hole 31. The end of the rotating shaft 20 facing away from the door body 300 is inserted into the positioning groove 32, and the groove wall of the positioning groove 32 and the side wall of the rotating shaft 20 are matched and limited around the axis of the rotating shaft 20.

[0035] It should be noted that "the groove wall of the positioning groove 32 and the side wall of the rotating shaft 20 are in a limiting fit around the axis of the rotating shaft 20" means that the limiting member 30 and the rotating shaft 20 cannot rotate relative to each other around the axis of the rotating shaft 20 through the fit between the groove wall of the positioning groove 32 and the side wall of the rotating shaft 20. In this way, the positioning groove 32 can not only be used for quick positioning with the rotating shaft 20 to improve assembly efficiency, but also ensure that the limiting member 30 and the rotating shaft 20 rotate synchronously during the opening and closing of the door 300, so as to avoid wear caused by relative sliding between the limiting member 30 and the rotating shaft 20.

[0036] Specifically, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the sidewall of the rotating shaft 20 includes an adjacent first arc surface 21 and a first limiting plane 22, and the groove wall of the positioning groove 32 includes an adjacent third arc surface 321 and a third limiting plane 322. The third arc surface 321 is attached to the first arc surface 21, and the third limiting plane 322 is attached to the first limiting plane 22. In this way, the groove wall of the positioning groove 32 can precisely fit with the sidewall of the rotating shaft 20 to form a limiting position.

[0037] The upper hinge structure 100 also includes a washer 60, which is disposed between the elastic support 40 and the connecting seat 10. The washer 60 abuts against the elastic support 40 and the connecting seat 10 at both ends along its thickness direction. The washer 60 reduces frictional loss between the elastic support 40 and the connecting seat 10, extending the service life of the elastic support 40. The washer 60 can be selected with different thicknesses according to actual assembly requirements, flexibly adjusting the pre-compression of the elastic support 40.

[0038] In one embodiment, the gasket 60 has a mating hole 61, through which the gasket 60 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 20. Furthermore, the wall of the mating hole 61 is fitted with the side wall of the rotating shaft 20 around the axis of the rotating shaft 20, so that when the rotating shaft 20 rotates relative to the connecting seat 10, the gasket 60, the elastic support member 40, and the limiting member 30 can rotate synchronously.

[0039] It should be noted that "the wall of the mating hole 61 and the side wall of the rotating shaft 20 are in a limiting fit around the axis of the rotating shaft 20" means that the mating hole 61 and the side wall of the rotating shaft 20 are in a limiting fit, preventing the washer 60 and the rotating shaft 20 from rotating relative to each other around the axis of the rotating shaft 20. It can be understood that because the wall of the mating hole 61 and the side wall of the rotating shaft 20 are in a limiting fit around the axis of the rotating shaft 20, the limiting member 30 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 20, and the two ends of the elastic support member 40 are respectively connected to the limiting member 30 and the washer 60. Therefore, when the rotating shaft 20 rotates relative to the connecting seat 10, the washer 60, the elastic support member 40, and the limiting member 30 can rotate synchronously. This prevents the torque from being transmitted to the fastening screw 50 during the rotation of the door body 300, thus preventing the fastening screw 50 from loosening.

[0040] Specifically, the sidewall of the rotating shaft 20 includes an adjacent first arc surface 21 and a first limiting plane 22, and the wall of the mating hole 61 includes an adjacent second arc surface 611 and a second limiting plane 612. The second arc surface 611 is attached to the first arc surface 21, and the second limiting plane 612 is attached to the first limiting plane 22. In this way, the wall of the mating hole 61 can precisely mate with the sidewall of the rotating shaft 20 to form a limiting position.

[0041] The number of first arc surfaces 21 and first limiting planes 22 is both multiple, and the multiple first arc surfaces 21 and multiple first limiting planes 22 are evenly distributed around the axis of the rotating shaft 20. In this way, the load between the rotating shaft 20 and the gasket 60 is more evenly distributed along the circumference of the rotating shaft 20, and the load between the rotating shaft 20 and the limiting member 30 is also more evenly distributed along the circumference of the rotating shaft 20.

[0042] For example, in one embodiment, the number of the first arc surface 21 and the first limiting plane 22 are both configured to be two, and the two first arc surfaces 21 and the two first limiting planes 22 are evenly spaced around the axis of the rotating shaft 20.

[0043] This application also provides a refrigerator 1, which includes a cabinet 200, a door 300, and an upper hinge structure 100 of any of the above embodiments. The upper hinge structure 100 connects the cabinet 200 and the door 300 at the top of the refrigerator 1.

[0044] 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.

[0045] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. 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 scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An upper hinge structure for connecting the door (300) and the cabinet (200) of a refrigerator, characterized in that, The upper hinge structure (100) includes a connecting seat (10), a rotating shaft (20), and an elastic support member (40). The connecting seat (10) is used to fix the top of the box (200), and the connecting seat (10) has a through hole (11). One end of the rotating shaft (20) is used to fix it to the top of the door (300), and the other end is fixedly connected to a limiting member (30). The rotating shaft (20) passes through the through hole (11). The two ends of the elastic support member (40) are respectively connected to the limiting member (30) and the connecting seat (10), and the elastic support member (40) is used to apply a force to the limiting member (30) in a direction away from the connecting seat (10).

2. The upper hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper hinge structure (100) further includes a gasket (60), which is disposed between the elastic support (40) and the connecting seat (10), and the two ends of the gasket (60) along its own thickness direction respectively abut against the elastic support (40) and the connecting seat (10).

3. The upper hinge structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The gasket (60) has a mating hole (61). The gasket (60) is sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft (20) through the mating hole (61). The hole wall of the mating hole (61) and the side wall of the rotating shaft (20) are matched around the axis of the rotating shaft (20) so that when the rotating shaft (20) rotates relative to the connecting seat (10), the gasket (60), the elastic support (40) and the limiting member (30) can rotate synchronously.

4. The upper hinge structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sidewall of the rotating shaft (20) includes an adjacent first arc surface (21) and a first limiting plane (22), and the hole wall of the mating hole (61) includes an adjacent second arc surface (611) and a second limiting plane (612). The second arc surface (611) is attached to the first arc surface (21), and the second limiting plane (612) is attached to the first limiting plane (22).

5. The upper hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The limiting member (30) is detachably connected to the rotating shaft (20).

6. The upper hinge structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The upper hinge structure (100) also includes a fastening screw (50), the rotating shaft (20) has a threaded hole (23), the limiting member (30) has an assembly hole (31), the fastening screw (50) passes through the assembly hole (31) and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole (23) to fix the limiting member (30) to the rotating shaft (20).

7. The upper hinge structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The limiting member (30) has a positioning groove (32). The end of the rotating shaft (20) away from the door body (300) is inserted into the positioning groove (32). Furthermore, the groove wall of the positioning groove (32) and the side wall of the rotating shaft (20) are in a limiting fit around the axis of the rotating shaft (20).

8. The upper hinge structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The sidewall of the rotating shaft (20) includes an adjacent first arc surface (21) and a first limiting plane (22), and the groove wall of the positioning groove (32) includes an adjacent third arc surface (321) and a third limiting plane (322). The third arc surface (321) is attached to the first arc surface (21), and the third limiting plane (322) is attached to the first limiting plane (22).

9. The upper hinge structure according to claim 4 or 8, characterized in that, The number of the first arc surface (21) and the first limiting plane (22) is configured to be multiple, and the multiple first arc surfaces (21) and the multiple first limiting planes (22) are evenly distributed around the axis of the rotating shaft (20).

10. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes a cabinet (200), a door (300), and an upper hinge structure (100) as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the upper hinge structure (100) connects the cabinet (200) and the door (300) at the top of the refrigerator.

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