Storage device and refrigerator

Abstract

A storage device, which comprises a cabinet body (1) having an accommodating space (10), a door body (2), and a hinge assembly (3); the door body (2) pivots on the cabinet body (1) by means of the hinge assembly (3), so as to open or shut the accommodating space (10); the hinge assembly (3) comprises a main shaft (31), an auxiliary shaft (32), a main slot (301) matching the main shaft (31), and an auxiliary slot (302) matching the auxiliary shaft (32); when the door body (2) is opened, the door body (2) rotates relative to the main shaft (31), and the main shaft (31) has a movement process in which the main shaft (31) slides relative to the main slot (301); the auxiliary shaft (32) and the auxiliary slot (302) slide relative to each other; when the door body (2) is opened, the main shaft (31) sequentially moves in the main slot (301) along a first main shaft trajectory (311), a second main shaft trajectory (312), and a third main shaft trajectory (313). Further provided is a refrigerator comprising the storage device. The storage device and the refrigerator can reduce the use of door space.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Applications No. 202310280314.0 titled "Storage Device and Refrigerator" filed on March 21, 2023, No. 202310280340.3 titled "Storage Device and Refrigerator" filed on March 21, 2023, and No. 202310282005.7 titled "Storage Device and Refrigerator" filed on March 21, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of household equipment technology, and particularly relates to a storage device and a refrigerator.BACKGROUND

[0003] In household equipment such as refrigerators, when opening, as the development of an opening process of a door, an opening angle of the door increases accordingly. In the prior art, due to fixed-axis rotation, the opening angle of the door increases uniformly, thereby resulting in uniform overall rotation of the door as the opening angle increases. However, under this solution, the door can only rotate without adjusting its distance from other structures, leading to interference between the door and external environment members or the cabinet. But the opening or closing of the door cannot be achieved solely by the movement of the door itself, as a rotation stage is a prerequisite for normal door opening. The use of dual shafts can balance rotation and door movement, but since the dual shafts are typically mounted on the door, two corresponding slots are required, and the setting of two slots necessarily occupies considerable door space. Therefore, how to arrange the two slots to reduce the occupation of door space is a problem that needs to be solved.SUMMARY

[0004] One object of the present application is to provide a storage device and a refrigerator that can effectively reduce space occupation.

[0005] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage device, comprising a cabinet having an accommodating space, a door, and a hinge assembly; the door pivotally connected to the cabinet through the hinge assembly to open or close the accommodating space;

[0006] wherein the hinge assembly comprises a main shaft, an auxiliary shaft, a main slot matching with the main shaft, and an auxiliary slot matching with the auxiliary shaft; during an opening process of the door, the door rotates relative to the main shaft, and the main shaft has a sliding motion relative to the main slot; the auxiliary shaft slides relative to the auxiliary slot;

[0007] during the opening process of the door, the main shaft moves along a first main shaft trajectory, a second main shaft trajectory, and a third main shaft trajectory sequentially in the main slot.

[0008] Further, a sum of lengths of the first main shaft trajectory and the third main shaft trajectory equals to a length of the second main shaft trajectory.

[0009] Further, an end point of the third main shaft trajectory is located at a start point of the first main shaft trajectory.

[0010] Further, when the door is in a closed state, the start point of the first main shaft trajectory is located at a middle position of the main slot.

[0011] Further, when the main shaft is at the start point of the first main shaft trajectory, the door is in a closed state;

[0012] when the main shaft moves to the end point of the third main shaft trajectory, the door reaches a maximum opening angle.

[0013] Further, the door has a side wall, a front wall, and an outer edge intersecting with the side wall and the front wall; the cabinet has a side wall and a front wall arranged perpendicularly to each other, an opening of the accommodating space is arranged on the front wall of the cabinet; the storage device is arranged on one side of an external environment member, the side wall of the cabinet is positioned opposite to a first side surface of the external environment member; when the main shaft moves along the first main shaft trajectory, the door has a movement component relative to the main shaft in a direction away from the external environment member; when the main shaft moves along the second main shaft trajectory, the door has a movement component relative to the main shaft in a direction towards the external environment member; when the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory, the door has a movement component relative to the main shaft in a direction away from the external environment member.

[0014] Further, the hinge assembly has a support member fixed on the cabinet, the main shaft and the auxiliary shaft are fixed on the support member; the main slot and the auxiliary slot are arranged on the door.

[0015] Further, the main slot has an overall approximately elliptical arc shape, and protrudes in a direction away from the side wall of the door; an overall extension direction of the main slot intersects obliquely with the side wall of the door and the front wall of the door, the overall extension direction of the main slot extends towards the outer edge of the door.

[0016] Further, when the main shaft moves along the first main shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves in directions towards the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door, the main shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door relative to the door; when the main shaft moves along the second main shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves in directions away from the front wall of the door and away from the side wall of the door, the main shaft moves away from the outer edge of the door relative to the door; when the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves in directions towards the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door, the main shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door relative to the door.

[0017] Further, during the opening process of the door, the auxiliary shaft moves along a first auxiliary shaft trajectory, a second auxiliary shaft trajectory, a third auxiliary shaft trajectory, and a fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory successively; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the first auxiliary shaft trajectory, the door rotates around the main shaft as a center, and the main shaft is at a first main shaft position in the main slot; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft first moves along the first main shaft trajectory from the first main shaft position towards the outer edge of the door, and then moves along the second main shaft trajectory away from the outer edge of the door; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the third auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft continues to move along the second main shaft trajectory away from the outer edge of the door; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory towards the outer edge of the door.

[0018] Further, the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is arc-shaped with the first main shaft position as a center, the second auxiliary shaft trajectory is overall linear; a start point of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory is located at an end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory, and a slope of a tangent line at the end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is greater than a slope of an extension direction of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory; the third auxiliary shaft trajectory is overall curved; the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory is overall linear, a radius of curvature of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is smaller than a radius of curvature of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory, and / or a curvature of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is greater than a curvature of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory.

[0019] Further, the extension direction of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory intersects with the extension direction of the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the auxiliary shaft moves in a direction away from the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the auxiliary shaft moves in directions towards the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door, the auxiliary shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door.

[0020] Further, the main shaft, the auxiliary shaft and the door satisfy at least one of the following relationships: when the auxiliary shaft moves to the end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft remains at the first main shaft position relative to the main slot, and the door opens to a first opening angle; and / or, when the main shaft moves to an end point of the first main shaft trajectory, the auxiliary shaft is on the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, and the door opens to a second opening angle; and / or, when the main shaft moves back to the first main shaft position, the auxiliary shaft is on the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, and the door opens to a third opening angle; and / or, when the auxiliary shaft moves to an end point of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft is between its first main shaft position and an end point of the second main shaft trajectory, and the door opens to a fourth opening angle; and / or, when the auxiliary shaft moves to an end point of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft is at the end point of the second main shaft trajectory, the main shaft is at the end of the main slot, and the door opens to a fifth opening angle; and / or, when the auxiliary shaft moves to an end point of the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft moves to the end point of the third main shaft trajectory and back to the first main shaft position, and the door opens to a sixth opening angle; wherein the first opening angle, the second opening angle, the third opening angle, the fourth opening angle, the fifth opening angle, and the sixth opening angle increase sequentially.

[0021] Further, the door has a side wall, a front wall and an outer edge intersecting with the side wall and the front wall of the door; the cabinet has a side wall and a front wall arranged perpendicularly to each other, an opening of the accommodating space is arranged on the front wall of the cabinet; when the door is in a closed state, a vertical distance between the main shaft and a front auxiliary surface is smaller than a vertical distance between the auxiliary shaft and the front auxiliary surface, wherein the front auxiliary surface is parallel to the front wall of the door, and the outer edge of the door is located within the front auxiliary surface; when the door is in a closed state, a vertical distance between the main shaft and a side auxiliary surface is smaller than a vertical distance between the auxiliary shaft and the front auxiliary surface, wherein the side auxiliary surface is parallel to or coincident with the outer edge of the door, and the outer edge of the door is located within the side auxiliary surface.

[0022] Further, the first, second, and third main shaft trajectories include at least a curved section, and the curved section protrudes towards a side away from the side wall of the door; the first, second, and third main shaft trajectories are overall approximately elliptical arc-shaped.

[0023] Further, the door has a side wall, a front wall and an outer edge intersecting with the side wall and the front wall of the door; relative to the door, when moving along the first main shaft trajectory and the third main shaft trajectory, the main shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door; when moving along the second main shaft trajectory, the main shaft moves away from the outer edge of the door.

[0024] Further, when the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory, an opening angle of the door is not less than 90°.

[0025] In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerator comprising the storage device.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the storage device and refrigerator provided by the present application can effectively reduce space occupation because the main shaft moves along the first, second, and third main shaft trajectories sequentially during the door opening process.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 is an installation structural diagram of a storage device according to a specific embodiment of the present application; FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the storage device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of area A in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the storage device when the door is closed according to a specific embodiment of the present application; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the storage device when the door is at a first opening angle according to a specific embodiment of the present application; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the storage device when the door is at a second opening angle according to a specific embodiment of the present application; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the storage device when the door is at a fourth opening angle according to a specific embodiment of the present application; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the storage device when the door is at a fifth opening angle according to a specific embodiment of the present application; and FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the storage device when the door is at a sixth opening angle according to a specific embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The following detailed description of the present application will be made with reference to the specific embodiments shown in the drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present application, and any structural, methodological, or functional modifications made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are included within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0029] It should be noted that the term "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," "fifth," "sixth," "seventh," etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood to indicate or imply relative importance.

[0030] An embodiment of the present application provides a storage device, which comprises a cabinet that can be embedded in an external environment member. The external environment member can be, for example, a decorative member, and the storage device can be a refrigerator or any other household appliance embedded in the external environment member. The household appliance can be household electrical appliances other than refrigerators, or furniture such as storage cabinets, thereby achieving the technical effect of embedding household appliances equipped with the storage device in other decorative or external environment members.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in this embodiment, the storage device comprises a cabinet 1 for providing an internal accommodating space 10, a door 2, and a hinge assembly 3. The door 2 is pivotally connected to the cabinet 1 through the hinge assembly 3 to open or close the accommodating space 10.

[0032] In this embodiment, the cabinet 1 has a front wall 11 and a side wall 12 arranged perpendicular to the front wall 11. In this embodiment, the front wall 11 and the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1 are generally planar. An opening of the accommodating space 10 is arranged on the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1, and the door 2 is located overall on a front side of the cabinet 1, and when the door 2 is in a closed state, it achieves closure of the opening of the accommodating space 10. It should be noted that the front side here refers to the direction of the opening of the accommodating space 10.

[0033] The door 2 has a front wall 21 and a side wall 22, an outer edge is formed at an intersection of the front wall 21 and the side wall 22 of the door 2. When the door 2 is in a closed state, that is, when the door 2 covers the opening of the accommodating space 10, the front wall 21 of the door 2 is arranged on the side of the door 2 away from the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1. In this embodiment, the front wall 21 of the door 2 is generally planar and is approximately parallel to the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1 when the door 2 is in a closed state.

[0034] The cabinet 1 is arranged at the side of the external environment member 100. After the cabinet 1 is positioned, the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1 faces a first side surface of the external environment member 100, that is, the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1 is positioned opposite to the first side surface of the external environment member 100, and the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1 is approximately parallel to the first side surface of the external environment member 100.

[0035] When the door 2 is in a closed state, the side wall 22 of the door 2 also faces the first side surface of the external environment member 100, with the side wall 22 of the door 2 positioned opposite to the first side surface. In this embodiment, the side wall 22 of the door 2 is generally planar and approximately parallel to the first side surface of the external environment member 100.

[0036] In this embodiment, both the front wall 21 and the side wall 22 of the door 2 are generally planar. When the door 2 is in a closed state, the front wall 21 of the door 2 is parallel to the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1, and the plane containing the side wall 22 of the door 2 is parallel to the plane containing the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1.

[0037] In this embodiment, the hinge assembly 3 comprises a main shaft 31, an auxiliary shaft 32, a main slot 301 matching with the main shaft 31, and an auxiliary slot 302 matching with the auxiliary shaft 32. During an opening process of the door 2, the door 2 rotates relative to the main shaft 31, and the main shaft 31 has a sliding motion process relative to the main slot 301; the auxiliary shaft 32 slides relative to the auxiliary slot 302, and the door 2 further has a rotational movement process relative to the auxiliary shaft 32.

[0038] In this embodiment, the cooperation between the main shaft 31 and main slot 301 mainly serves to drive the rotation of the door 2, while the cooperation between the auxiliary shaft 32 and auxiliary slot 302 mainly serves to guide the rotation process of the door 2. While the door 2 rotates around the main shaft 31, the position of the main shaft 31 in the main slot 301 can vary, enabling the door 2 to move in forward, backward, left, and right directions relative to the main shaft 31 during the opening process. This allows for adjustment of the door 2's position as needed to avoid interference with the external environment member 100 during the opening process. Additionally, through the adjustment of the door 2's position, the opening angle of the door 2 can be controlled, making it more convenient to access items. The specific arrangement of the auxiliary slot 302 affects the movement direction and position of the main shaft 31 in the main slot 301 during the door opening process, thus indirectly controlling the movement direction of the door 2 during opening.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 6-7 and FIG. 9, in this embodiment, during the opening process of the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves sequentially along a first main shaft trajectory 311, a second main shaft trajectory 312, and a third main shaft trajectory 313 within the main slot 301; the sum of lengths of the first main shaft trajectory 311 and the third main shaft trajectory 313 equals to a length of the second main shaft trajectory 312.

[0040] In this embodiment, during the entire opening process of the door 2, the main shaft 31 performs reciprocating motion within the main slot 301, with the movement trajectory of the main shaft 31 in the main slot 31 being approximately twice the extended length of the main slot 301. This structural arrangement can shorten the main slot 301, avoiding excessive space occupation by the main slot 301. This not only facilitates the installation of the main slot 301 on the cabinet 1 or door 2 but also avoids the problem of excessive grooving caused by an overly long main slot 301. Excessive grooving would inevitably lead to thinning of the area where the main slot 301 is located. Therefore, the structural arrangement of the present application can enhance the stability of the area where the main slot 301 is located.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the hinge assembly 3 has a support member 34 fixed on the cabinet 1, the main shaft 31 and the auxiliary shaft 32 are fixed on the support member 34; the main slot 301 and the auxiliary slot 302 are correspondingly arranged on the door 2. The main slot 301 and the auxiliary slot 302 are arranged on a top side of the door 2 and opening upward.

[0042] Since the main slot 301 is arranged on the door 2, and the door 2 has a limited thickness, setting the movement trajectory of the main shaft 31 to move back and forth twice along the main slot 301 during the door opening process can avoid the limitation of the main slot 301 on the door 2 thickness, thus allowing the door 2 to be designed with a thinner thickness. As the movement trajectory of the main shaft 31 is set to reciprocate twice, during the door 2 opening process, the main shaft 31 achieves bilateral reciprocating sliding within the main slot 301, thereby shortening the size of the main slot 301, avoiding excessive space occupation caused by an overly long main slot 301, and further preventing the problem of excessive grooving that would occur with an overly long main slot 301, making the component where the main slot 301 is located more stable.

[0043] It can be understood that in other embodiments, the main shaft 301 and the auxiliary shaft 302 can be arranged on the door 2, with the main slot 301 and the auxiliary slot 302 correspondingly arranged on the cabinet 1. In other words, the cooperation between the shafts and slots on the door 2 and cabinet 1 can be interchangeable, which is easily conceivable for those skilled in the art and is not specifically limited here. For convenience of description, this embodiment mainly describes the case where the main slot 301 and the auxiliary slot 302 are arranged on the door 2, and the main shaft 31 and the auxiliary shaft 32 are arranged on the cabinet 1.

[0044] An end point of the third main shaft trajectory 313 is located at a start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311. This structural arrangement ensures that during the door 2 opening process, from the initial closed state to the final fully open state, the main shaft 31 can return to its initial position after completing its sliding movement along the main slot 301.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the door is in a closed state, the start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311 is located at the middle position of the main slot 301. When the main shaft 31 is at the start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311, the main shaft 31 is located at the first main shaft position D11 in the main slot 301. When the main shaft 31 moves to an end point of the first main shaft trajectory 311, the main shaft 31 is located at the second main shaft position D12 in the main slot 301; when the main shaft 31 is at an end point of the second main shaft trajectory 312, the main shaft 31 is located at the third main shaft position D13 in the main slot 301.

[0046] In this embodiment, the main slot 301 has oppositely arranged first main slot end and second main slot end. When the main shaft 31 moves to abut against the first main slot end, the main shaft 31 is relatively positioned at the second main shaft position D12 in the main slot 301. When the main shaft 31 moves to abut against the second main slot end, the main shaft 31 is relatively positioned at the third main shaft position D13 in the main slot 301. It can be understood that the distance between the second main shaft position D12 and the first main slot end equals the radius of the main shaft 31, and a distance between the third main shaft position D13 and the second main slot end equals to a radius of the main shaft 31.

[0047] In this embodiment, the meaning of "the start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311 is located at the middle position of the main slot 301" is as follows: the start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311, that is, the position of the first main shaft position D11, is set between the second main shaft position D12 and the third main shaft position D13. The middle position is not limited to the exact center of the main slot 301, but rather emphasizes that the start point of the first trajectory 311 is set away from both ends of the main slot 301. This structural arrangement allows the main shaft 31 to slide either towards the first main slot end or towards the second main slot end when initially starting to slide, enabling more convenient control and easier installation and fixing.

[0048] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the first main shaft trajectory 311 is the path trajectory of the main shaft 31 sliding along the main slot 301 from the first main shaft position D11 to the second main shaft position D12; as shown in FIG. 7, the second main shaft trajectory 312 is the path trajectory of the main shaft 31 sliding along the main slot 301 from the second main shaft position D12 to the third main shaft position D13; as shown in FIG. 9, the third main shaft trajectory 313 is the path trajectory of the main shaft 31 moving along the main slot 301 from the third main shaft position D13 back to the first main shaft position D11.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, when the main shaft 31 is at the start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311, the door 2 is in a closed state, with the main shaft 31 at the first main shaft position D11; as shown in FIG. 9, when the main shaft 31 returns to the first main shaft position D11 along the third main shaft trajectory 313, the door 2 reaches its maximum opening angle; as shown in FIG. 8, when the main shaft 31 moves to the third main shaft position D13 along the second main shaft trajectory 312, the opening angle of the door 2 is 90 degrees.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, when the main shaft 31 moves to the second main shaft position D12 along the first main shaft trajectory 312, the opening angle of the door 2 is approximately 45 degrees, at which point the outer edge of the door 23 is approximately at the position closest to the external environment member 100.

[0051] In this embodiment, when the door 2 is closed, the side wall 22 of the door 2 is positioned opposite to the first side surface of the external environment member 100. As shown in FIGS. 5-6, during the opening process of the door 2, the outer edge of the door 23 moves towards the external environment member 100. To avoid interference between the external environment member 100 and the outer edge of the door 23 during this movement, the door 2 needs to move away from the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 1. That is, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311 from the first main shaft position D11 to the second main shaft position D12 within the main slot 301.

[0052] As the door 2 continues to open, as shown in FIG. 8, when the door 2 opens to 90 degrees, a distance between the outer edge of the door 23 and the external environment member 100 equals to a distance in the initial state. If the door 2 opens further, as shown in FIG. 9, when the opening angle of the door 2 exceeds 90 degrees, the part of the door 2 symmetrical to the main shaft 1 position would potentially interfere with the external environment member 100 during further movement.

[0053] To avoid interference between the external environment member 100 and the door 2 during the opening process, in this embodiment, when the main shaft 31 moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311, the door 2 has a movement component away from the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31; that is, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313 from the third main shaft position D13 to the first main shaft position D11 within the main slot 301.

[0054] When the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312, the door 2 has a movement component towards the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 during rotation gradually approaches the external environment member 100 initially, and after reaching a critical position, as shown in FIGS. 6-8, as the door 2 continues to rotate, the outer edge of the door 23 gradually moves away from the external environment member 100. Therefore, when the outer edge of the door 23 moves away from the external environment member 100, the entire door 2 can be set to move towards the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312 from the second main shaft position D12 to the third main shaft position D13. During this process, under the premise of no interference between the outer edge of the door 23 and the external environment member 100, the door 2 can achieve a larger opening angle after opening, thus better accommodating convenient access to items.

[0056] When the main shaft 31 moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313, the door 2 has a movement component away from the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31.

[0057] When the main shaft 31 moves along the third trajectory 313, the opening angle of the door 2 is already greater than 90 degrees. As the door 2 rotates, the outer edge of the door 23 gradually moves away from the external environment member 100. However, the position on door 2 that is symmetrical to the outer edge of the door 23 with respect to the main shaft 31 gradually approaches the external environment member 100 during door rotation, which could easily cause interference with the external environment member 100. Therefore, after the door 2 opening angle exceeds 90 degrees, to avoid interference between the door 2 and the external environment member 100, the door 2 moves away from the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31 during the rotation process.

[0058] Since the door can move towards or away from the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31 as needed during the opening process, the cabinet 1 can be placed closer to the external environment member 100, making the gap between the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1 and the external environment member 100 smaller, thus making the cabinet 1 more aesthetically pleasing after assembly with the external environment member 100. When applied to built-in refrigerators, this approach can make the assembled refrigerator more aesthetically pleasing.

[0059] To facilitate the relative movement between the door 2 and the main shaft 31, the main slot 301 includes at least a curved section, and this curved section protrudes and curves towards the side away from the side wall 22 of the door 2.

[0060] Specifically, in this embodiment, the main slot 301 has an overall approximately elliptical arc shape and protrudes in the direction away from the side wall 22 of the door 2; the overall extension direction of the main slot 301 intersects obliquely with the side wall 22 of the door 2 and the front wall 21 of the door 2, and the extension direction of the main slot 301 extends overall towards the outer edge of the door 23.

[0061] The start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311 is located at the position of maximum curvature of the main slot 301, that is, the first main shaft position D11 is located at the position of maximum curvature of the main slot 301. The overall path from the first main shaft position D11 to the second main shaft position D12 also has an elliptical arc shape and protrudes in the direction away from the side wall 22 of the door 2. As shown in FIG. 6, when the main shaft 31 moves along the main slot 301 to the second main shaft position D12, the distance between the outer edge of the door 23 and the external environment member 100 is at its minimum.

[0062] This structural arrangement allows the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 to be approximately linear while the main shaft 31 moves relatively along the main slot 301 between the first main shaft position D11 and the second main shaft position D12, and the linear movement trajectory formed by the outer edge of the door 23 is overall parallel to the external environment member 100. It should be noted that whether the main shaft 31 moves relatively along the main slot 301 from the first main shaft position D11 to the second main shaft position D12, or from the second main shaft position D12 to the first main shaft position D11, the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 in this section is approximately linear. As shown in FIG. 4, the dotted line L11 indicates the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 during the entire opening process.

[0063] When the outer edge of the door 23 slides between the first main shaft position D11 and the second main shaft position D12, the maximum difference in distances between different positions of the outer edge of the door 23 and the first side surface of the external environment member 100 does not exceed 0.2mm, that is, the difference between the maximum and minimum distances from the outer edge of the door 23 to the external environment member 100 during this trajectory movement will not exceed 0.2mm. Therefore, the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 in this section can be considered as overall linear motion.

[0064] This structural arrangement can better avoid interference between the outer edge of the door 23 and the external environment member 100, making the gap between the cabinet 1 and the external environment member 100 smaller, thus making storage devices such as refrigerators embedded in the external environment member 100 more aesthetically pleasing.

[0065] Similarly, the overall path from the first main shaft position D11 to the third main shaft position D13 also has an elliptical arc shape and protrudes in the direction away from the side wall 22 of the door 2. A fourth main shaft position D14 (not shown) is also set between the first main shaft position D11 and the third main shaft position D13. When the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312 to the fourth main shaft position D14, the door 2 opens to approximately 75-85 degrees. In this embodiment, when the main shaft 31 moves to the fourth main shaft position D14, the door 2 opens to 80 degrees.

[0066] When the main shaft 31 moves relatively along the main slot 301 from the first main shaft position D11 towards the fourth main shaft position D14, the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 is approximately linear, and the linear movement trajectory formed by the outer edge of the door 23 is overall parallel to the external environment member 100. It should be noted that when the main shaft 31 moves relatively along the main slot 301 from the fourth main shaft position D14 towards the first main shaft position D11, at this time the opening angle of the door 2 has exceeded 90 degrees, and the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 will be overall curved.

[0067] When the outer edge of the door 23 slides from the first main shaft position D11 towards the fourth main shaft position D14, the maximum difference in distances between different positions of the outer edge of the door 23 and the first side surface of the external environment member 100 does not exceed 0.2mm, that is, the difference between the maximum and minimum distances from the outer edge of the door 23 to the external environment member 100 during this trajectory movement will not exceed 0.2mm. Therefore, the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 in this section can be considered as overall linear motion.

[0068] In summary, during the opening process of the door 1, when the main shaft 31 moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311 and the second main shaft trajectory 312 to the fourth main shaft position D14, the entire movement trajectory of the outer edge of the door 23 can be approximately considered as linear.

[0069] In the above embodiment, since both the movement trajectory between the first main shaft position D11 and the second main shaft position D12, and the movement trajectory between the first main shaft position D11 and the third main shaft position D13 are elliptical arc-shaped, therefore, the entire main slot 301 is overall set in an elliptical arc shape and the main slot 301 protrudes and curves in the direction away from the side wall 22 of the door 2.

[0070] In this embodiment, during the door opening process, the main shaft 31 moves sequentially along the first main shaft trajectory 311, the second main shaft trajectory 312, and the third main shaft trajectory 313.

[0071] As shown in FIGS. 5-6, when the main shaft 31 moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves towards the outer edge of the door 23; the main shaft 31 moves in directions towards the front wall 21 of the door 2 and towards the side wall 22 of the door 2.

[0072] When moving along the first main shaft trajectory 311, the opening angle of the door 2 is relatively small, therefore, to avoid interference from the external environment member 100 on the outer edge of the door 23, the outer edge of the door 23 needs to move towards the main shaft 31.

[0073] As shown in FIGS. 6-8, when the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves away from the outer edge of the door 23; the main shaft 31 moves in directions away from the front wall 21 of the door 2 and away from the side wall 22 of the door 2.

[0074] When the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312, as the door 2 rotates, the outer edge of the door 23 gradually rotates away from the external environment member 100, eliminating the need to consider interference from the external environment member 100. Therefore, during this process, to achieve better door opening for easier access to items, the outer edge of the door 23 is set to move relatively away from the main shaft 31.

[0075] As shown in FIGS. 8-9, when the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves towards the outer edge of the door 23; the main shaft 31 moves in directions towards the front wall 21 of the door 2 and towards the side wall 22 of the door 2.

[0076] When the main shaft 31 moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313, the door opening angle has already exceeded 90 degrees. As it continues to rotate, to avoid interference between other parts of the door 2 and the external environment member 100, the door 2 needs to move relatively away from the external environment member 100, that is, making the outer edge of the door 23 move towards the main shaft 31 again.

[0077] In this embodiment, by setting the outer edge of the door 23 to first move relatively towards the main shaft 31, then relatively away from the main shaft 31, and finally relatively towards the main shaft 31 again, the two instances of moving relatively towards the main shaft 31 can better avoid interference from the external environment member 100 on the outer edge of the door 23 and other corresponding parts of the door. Meanwhile, this structural arrangement also considers the convenience of accessing items after the door 2 is opened.

[0078] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5-6, when the main shaft 31 moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311, the door 2 has a movement component towards the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a movement component in the backward direction relative to the main shaft 31, where backward refers to the direction opposite to the opening of the accommodating space 10. Moving the door 2 backward can allow the door 2 to have a larger opening angle in the subsequent opening process.

[0079] When the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312, while moving to the start point of the first main shaft trajectory 312, that is, when moving from the second main shaft position D12 to the first main shaft position D11, the door 2 has a movement component away from the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a movement component in the forward direction relative to the main shaft.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 7, when the main shaft 31 continues moving along the second main shaft trajectory 312, while moving to the fourth main shaft position D14 (not shown), where the fourth main shaft position D14 is set between the first main shaft position D11 and the third main shaft position D13, the door 2 has a movement component away from the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a movement component in the forward direction relative to the main shaft.

[0081] At this time, the line connecting the first main shaft position D11 and the fourth main shaft position D14 is overall perpendicular to the first side surface of the external environment member 100, and the line connecting the first main shaft position D11 and the fourth main shaft position D14 is overall parallel to the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1.

[0082] As shown in FIGS. 7-8, when the main shaft 31 continues moving along the second main shaft trajectory 312, from the fourth main shaft position D14 towards the third main shaft position D13, the door 2 has a movement component towards the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a movement component in the backward direction relative to the main shaft. At this stage, the door 2 opening angle is nearly 90 degrees, and to ensure sufficient stability of the door 2 and avoid forward tilting, the door 2 is set to move relatively backward to be closer to the cabinet 1.

[0083] As shown in FIGS. 8-9, during the process when the main shaft 31 moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313 from the third main shaft position D13 to the first main shaft position D11, the door 2 has a movement component away from the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a movement component in the forward direction relative to the main shaft.

[0084] In this embodiment, to facilitate the main shaft 31 moving along corresponding trajectories at corresponding positions, the hinge assembly 3 includes the cooperation between the auxiliary shaft 32 and the auxiliary slot 302, where the movement of the auxiliary shaft 32 within the auxiliary slot 302 can serve as a guide for the movement of the main shaft 31.

[0085] As shown in FIGS. 4-6, in this embodiment, during the opening process of the door 2, the auxiliary shaft 32 moves successively along a first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321, a second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322, a third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323, and a fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory 324.

[0086] As shown in FIGS. 4-5, when the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321, the door 2 rotates with the main shaft 31 as the center. At this time, the main shaft 31 is at the first main shaft position D11 in the main slot 301; the auxiliary shaft 32 rotates along a circular arc in the auxiliary slot 302 relative to the door 2 with the main shaft 31 as the centerline, and the radius of the circular arc is the distance from the first main shaft position D11 to the center of the auxiliary shaft 32.

[0087] As shown in FIGS. 5-6, when the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 321, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 first moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311 from the first main shaft position D11 towards the outer edge of the door 23 to the second main shaft position D12, then moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312 away from the outer edge of the door 23, the main shaft 31 moves relative to the door 2 from the second main shaft position D12 to the fourth main shaft position D14 (not shown), where the fourth main shaft position D14 is set between the first main shaft position D11 and the third main shaft position D13.

[0088] As shown in FIGS. 7-8, when the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 continues to move along the second main shaft trajectory 312 away from the outer edge of the door 23, the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312 from the fourth main shaft position D14 to the third main shaft position D13.

[0089] As shown in FIGS. 8-9, when the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory 324, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313 towards the outer edge of the door 23, the main shaft 31 moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313 from the third main shaft position D13 to the first main shaft position D11.

[0090] As shown in FIGS. 4-6, during the opening process of the door 2, along the movement direction of the auxiliary shaft 32, the auxiliary slot 302 successively contains the first auxiliary shaft position D21, the second auxiliary shaft position D22, the third auxiliary shaft position D23, the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24, and the fifth auxiliary shaft position D25.

[0091] The first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 is set between the first auxiliary shaft position D21 and the second auxiliary shaft position D22, and the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 is arc-shaped with the first main shaft position D11 as the center.

[0092] The second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 is set between the second auxiliary shaft position D22 and the third auxiliary shaft position D23, and the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 is overall linear.

[0093] The third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323 is set between the third auxiliary shaft position D23 and the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24, and the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323 is overall curved.

[0094] The fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory 324 is set between the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24 and the fifth auxiliary shaft position D25, and the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory 324 is overall linear.

[0095] In this embodiment, a start point of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 is located at an end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321. The second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 is closer to the side wall 22 of the door 2 relative to the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321, and the slope of the tangent line at the end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 is greater than the slope of an extension direction of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322; that is, the inclination angle of the slope of the tangent line at the end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 is greater than the inclination angle of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322. This structural arrangement allows the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 to cut off the original center-rotating trajectory, thereby enabling the door 2 to move away from the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31.

[0096] The third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323 is positioned closer to the side wall 22 of the door 2 relative to the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322, and the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory 324 is positioned closer to the side wall 22 of the door 2 relative to the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323.

[0097] The radius of curvature of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 is smaller than that of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323, and / or the curvature of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 is greater than that of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323.

[0098] When the auxiliary shaft 32 moves from the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 to the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323, the angle between the movement direction of the auxiliary shaft 32 and the plane of the side wall 22 of the door 2 gradually increases from an acute angle. That is, along the movement direction of the auxiliary shaft 32, the slope of the tangent line at any point on the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323 gradually decreases, and all are smaller than the slope of the line where the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 lies.

[0099] This structural arrangement enables a smoother transition during the movement from the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 to the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323, making the door opening process smoother and avoiding stuttering when the auxiliary shaft 32 slides within the auxiliary slot 302 due to an abrupt transition between the second trajectory 322 and the third trajectory 323.

[0100] In this embodiment, the side wall 22 of the door 2 intersects with the front wall 21 of the door 2 at the outer edge 23 of the door 2. The outer edge 23of the door 2 is simultaneously located within two auxiliary surfaces, namely a front auxiliary surface and a side auxiliary surface (not shown). When the door 2 is in a closed state, the front auxiliary surface is parallel to the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1, and the side auxiliary surface is parallel to the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1.

[0101] In specific embodiments, if the front wall 21 of the door 2 is overall planar and parallel to the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1, then the front auxiliary surface is in the same plane as the front wall 11 of the cabinet 1. If the side wall 22 of the door 2 is overall planar and parallel to the side wall 12 of the cabinet 1, then the side auxiliary surface coincides with the plane of the side wall 22 of the door 2.

[0102] Of course, it can be understood that in other embodiments, the planes containing the front wall 21 of the door 2 and the side wall 22 of the door 2 can also be curved surfaces. When they are curved surfaces, the side auxiliary surface and the front auxiliary surface are two hypothetical planes that are perpendicular to each other at the outer edge 23 of the door 2.

[0103] As shown in FIGS. 3-4, in this embodiment, when the door 2 is in a closed state, the perpendicular distance between the main shaft 31 and the front auxiliary surface is smaller than the perpendicular distance between the auxiliary shaft and the front auxiliary surface.

[0104] Simultaneously, when the door 2 is in a closed state, the perpendicular distance between the main shaft 31 and the side auxiliary surface is smaller than the perpendicular distance between the auxiliary shaft 32 and the front auxiliary surface.

[0105] This structural arrangement requires that when the door 2 is in a closed state, the auxiliary shaft 32 is positioned further away from the front wall 21 of the door 2 relative to the main shaft 31. This arrangement ensures that during the initial stage of door 2 opening, when the door 2 rotates circularly relative to the main shaft 31, when reaching the end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321, the slope of the tangent direction at the end of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 is smaller.

[0106] Correspondingly, the slope of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 connecting with the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 will also be lower, allowing the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 to extend more along the width direction of the door, avoiding excessive extension of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 along the thickness direction of door 2. This further avoids the constraint on door 2 thickness caused by the arrangement of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322, enabling the door 2 to be designed with a thinner thickness.

[0107] It should be noted that the slope of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 refers to: when the door is closed, using the plane of the front wall 21 of the door 2 as the horizontal reference plane, a greater slope means a larger angle of intersection with the plane of the front wall 21 of the door 2. It should be noted that the above assumes the front wall 21 of the door 2 is planar.

[0108] Furthermore, this structural arrangement makes the transition from the first auxiliary shaft trajectory 321 to the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 more gradual, avoiding stuttering during the door 2 opening process due to overly abrupt turning angles between different movement trajectories, making the door 2 opening smoother. Since the auxiliary shaft 32 is positioned further away from the front wall 21 of the door 2 relative to the main shaft 31, this arrangement enables a more rational distribution of the auxiliary shaft 32's movement trajectory during the initial stage of door 2 opening, making better use of space while ensuring smooth door opening without stuttering.

[0109] In prior art, the auxiliary shaft 32 is generally positioned closer to the front wall 21 of the door 2 relative to the main shaft 31. This arrangement is unfavorable for the connection between the initial arc segment trajectory and the subsequent straight-line segment trajectory, and also results in a greater slope of the straight-line segment trajectory, occupying more of the door 2's thickness space.

[0110] In this embodiment, when the door is in a closed state, using the outer edge of the door 23 as the center, establishing a coordinate system with the plane of the front auxiliary surface as the X direction and the plane of the side auxiliary surface as the Y direction. Both the main shaft 31 and the auxiliary shaft 32 are relatively positioned in the second quadrant of the coordinate system. The distance Y1 between the main shaft 31 and the front auxiliary surface ranges from 10-15mm, and the distance X1 between the main shaft 31 and the side auxiliary surface ranges from 11-18mm.

[0111] In this embodiment, the spacing L between the main shaft 31 and the auxiliary shaft 32 ranges from 15-23mm. This structural arrangement ensures that there is no intersection between the movement trajectories of the main shaft 31 and auxiliary shaft 32, enhancing the stability and feasibility of door 2 movement. It should be noted that the spacing between the main shaft 31 and auxiliary shaft 32 refers to the distance between the axis center of the main shaft 31 and the axis line of the auxiliary shaft 32.

[0112] In this embodiment, before the main shaft 31 moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311, the main shaft 31 has a movement stage where it rotates in place within the main slot 301 relative to the main slot 301.

[0113] Therefore, the door 2 opening process has the following stages: In the first stage, as shown in FIGS. 4-5, the door 2 rotates with the main shaft 31 as the center, rotating from the closed state to a first opening angle. During this stage, the main shaft 31 rotates in place within the main slot 301 relative to the main slot 301. In specific embodiments, the main shaft 31 rotates in place relative to the main slot 301 with the start point of the first main shaft trajectory 311 as the center.

[0114] During the first stage, the main shaft 31 remains at the first main shaft position D11. At this time, the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the first auxiliary shaft movement trajectory 321, that is, the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the auxiliary slot 302 from the first auxiliary shaft position D21 to the second auxiliary shaft position D22.

[0115] The overall shape of the first auxiliary shaft movement trajectory 321 is arc-shaped, and the center of the arc where the auxiliary shaft movement trajectory 321 lies is at the first main shaft position D11. During this movement process, the opening angle is the first opening angle, which is generally small. In this embodiment, the first opening angle is about 14 degrees. In this embodiment, when the auxiliary shaft 32 moves to the second auxiliary shaft position D22, the door exactly opens to 14 degrees.

[0116] As the opening angle of door 2 increases, the distance between the outer edge of the door 23 and the external environment member 100 decreases. To avoid interference between the outer edge of the door 23 and the external environment member 100, and considering the door 2 opening angle for convenient access, the main shaft 31 begins to move relatively within the main slot 310 relative to the door 2.

[0117] As shown in FIGS. 5-6, in a second stage, the main shaft 31 moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311 from the first main shaft position D11 to the second main shaft position D12. The door 2 rotates from the first opening angle to a second opening angle, where the second opening angle is greater than the first opening angle. During this process, relative to the main shaft 31, the door 2 has a movement component in the direction away from the external environment member 100 to avoid interference between the external environment member 100 and the outer edge of the door 23; during this stage, the door 2 moves towards the inner side.

[0118] In the second stage, the auxiliary shaft moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 to the sixth auxiliary shaft position D26, where the sixth auxiliary shaft position D26 is set between the second auxiliary shaft position D22 and the third auxiliary shaft position D23.

[0119] When the auxiliary shaft 32 moves to the sixth auxiliary shaft position D26, the main shaft 31 exactly moves along the first main shaft trajectory 311 to the second main shaft position D12; at this time, the door 2 has a second opening angle, which is about 45 degrees in this embodiment.

[0120] When the main shaft 31 moves relative to the door 2 to the second main shaft position D12, the outer edge of the door 23 roughly moves to the position closest to the external environment member 100. At this time, the angle between the plane of the side wall 22 of the door 2 and the first side surface of the external environment member 100 matches the second opening angle at approximately 45 degrees. After passing this critical point, as the door 2 continues to rotate, the outer edge of the door 23 begins to gradually move away from the external environment member 100; therefore, to allow the opened door 2 to have a larger opening for easier access, the door 2 begins to move towards the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 32, entering a third stage.

[0121] In the third stage, relative to the door 2, the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft movement trajectory 312 from the second main shaft position D12 to the first main shaft position D11, and the door 2 rotates from the second opening angle to a third opening angle, where the third opening angle is greater than the second opening angle (not shown). At this time, the door 2 has a movement component towards the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 moves relatively outward, where outward refers to the side of the cabinet facing the external environment member 100.

[0122] During this process, the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 from the sixth auxiliary shaft position D26 to the seventh auxiliary shaft position D27, where the seventh auxiliary shaft position D27 is on the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 and located between the sixth auxiliary shaft position D26 and the third auxiliary shaft position D23.

[0123] On the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322, the seventh auxiliary shaft position D27 and the second auxiliary shaft position D22 are roughly symmetrically arranged with the sixth auxiliary shaft position D26 as the center. When the auxiliary shaft 32 moves to the seventh auxiliary shaft position D27, the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 311 to the first main shaft position D11, at which point the door 2 opening angle is exactly the third opening angle, where the third opening angle is around 70 degrees.

[0124] When the auxiliary shaft 32 moves to the seventh auxiliary shaft position D27, the line between the first main shaft position D11 and the third main shaft position D13 is parallel to the front wall 11 of the cabinet, that is, perpendicular to the first side surface of the external environment member 100.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 4, if a circle C1 is drawn with the first main shaft position D11 as the center and the distance from the first main shaft position D11 to the first auxiliary shaft position D21 as the radius, the seventh auxiliary shaft position D27 is located on this circle C1, and the line connecting the seventh auxiliary shaft position D27 and the second auxiliary shaft position D22 is a secant of this circle C1.

[0126] During the movement in the third stage, the door 2 has a movement component away from the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft. During this process, to achieve a larger door opening angle, the door 2 is allowed to move outward relative to the main shaft 31, that is, move away from cabinet 1, while ensuring no interference from the external environment member 100.

[0127] Further, as the door 2 opening angle increases, it enters a fourth stage. As shown in FIG. 7, in the fourth stage, the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312 to the fourth main shaft position D14 (not shown), where the fourth main shaft position D14 is located between the first main shaft position D11 and the third main shaft position D13. The door 2 rotates from the third opening angle to a fourth opening angle, where the fourth opening angle is greater than the third opening angle. When the door 2 moves to the fourth opening angle, the main shaft 31 exactly moves to the fourth main shaft position D14.

[0128] The auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory 322 to the third auxiliary shaft position D23, at which point the door 2 opening angle increases from 70 degrees to about 80 degrees. When the auxiliary shaft 32 moves to the third auxiliary shaft position D23, the door 2 exactly moves to the fourth opening angle, which is 80 degrees.

[0129] During the movement in the fourth stage, the door 2 has a movement component towards the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a relative outward movement component relative to the main shaft 31, to allow for a larger door opening and easier access. Meanwhile, since the door 2 opening angle is relatively large, to ensure the stability of the door 2 after opening, the door 2 simultaneously has a movement component towards the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a relative backward movement component. It should be noted that backward here refers to the direction opposite to the opening direction of the accommodating space 10.

[0130] Further, as the door 2 opening angle increases, it enters a fifth stage. As shown in FIGS. 7-8, in the fifth stage, the main shaft 31 moves along the second main shaft trajectory 312 from the fourth main shaft position D14 to the third main shaft position D13. The door 2 rotates from the fourth opening angle to a fifth opening angle, where the fifth opening angle is greater than the fourth opening angle, with the fifth opening angle being 90 degrees in this embodiment.

[0131] The door 2 still has a movement component towards the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 32, that is, the door 2 moves relatively outward to control the increase of the door 2 opening for easier access. Meanwhile, the door 2 has a movement component towards the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 32, that is, the door 2 moves relatively in the backward direction.

[0132] During this process, the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323, from the third auxiliary shaft position D23 to the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24. At the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24, the opening angle of the door 2 is exactly the fifth opening angle.

[0133] As shown in FIG. 4, with the first main shaft position D11 as the center, a circle C2 is drawn with the radius being the distance between the first main shaft position D11 and the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24, where circles C2 and C1 are concentric. The third auxiliary shaft position D23 is located between circles C2 and C1. During the movement from the third auxiliary shaft position D23 to the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24, the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323 of the auxiliary shaft 32 has varying curvature.

[0134] Further, as the door 2 opening angle increases, it enters a sixth stage. As shown in FIGS. 8-9, in the sixth stage, the main shaft 31 moves along the third main shaft trajectory 313 from the third main shaft position D13 to the first main shaft position D11. During this process, the door 2 opening angle increases from the fifth opening angle to a sixth opening angle, where the sixth opening angle is greater than the fifth opening angle and exceeds 90 degrees. In this embodiment, the sixth opening angle is 110 degrees.

[0135] The door 2 has a movement component away from the external environment member 100 relative to the main shaft 31 to avoid interference from the external environment member 100 on the door 2, that is, the door 2 has an inward movement component relative to the main shaft 31. Meanwhile, the door 2 has a movement component away from the cabinet 1 relative to the main shaft 31, that is, the door 2 has a forward movement component relative to the main shaft 31 to allow for a larger opening angle. Thus, during the door 2 opening process, the outer edge of the door 23 first moves towards the main shaft 31, then moves away from the main shaft 31, and finally moves towards the main shaft 31 again. This movement process of the outer edge of the door 23 effectively avoids interference from the external environment member 100 and also better accommodates the door 2 opening angle for easier access.

[0136] In the sixth stage, the auxiliary shaft 32 moves along the third auxiliary shaft trajectory 323 from the fourth auxiliary shaft position D24 to the fifth auxiliary shaft position D25, and when it moves to the fifth auxiliary shaft position D25, the door 2 opens to the sixth opening angle, that is, the maximum angle of 110 degrees. At this time, the main shaft 31 correspondingly moves back to the initial first main shaft position D11. As shown in FIG. 4, the fifth auxiliary shaft position D25 exactly falls on circle C1.

[0137] Another embodiment of the present application discloses a refrigerator, which is a built-in refrigerator including the storage device. It can be understood that the refrigerator further comprises a refrigeration system for providing cooling capacity to the accommodating space 10 or other locations in the storage device, enabling the accommodating space 10 to correspondingly constitute the refrigerator's refrigerating chamber and / or freezing chamber. Preferably, the accommodating space 10 can be equipped with structures such as shelves, drawers, and / or bottle racks, and the refrigeration system comprises components such as a compressor and condenser.

[0138] The refrigerator disclosed in this embodiment can better avoid interference from external environment members during the door 2 opening process after being built in to the corresponding position. This allows for smaller gaps between the refrigerator and external environment members without affecting the door opening, making the built-in refrigerator more aesthetically pleasing.

[0139] It should be understood that although this specification describes various embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This manner of description in the specification is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in various embodiments can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0140] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific explanations of feasible implementations of the present application. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any equivalent implementations or modifications that do not depart from the technical spirit of the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A storage device, comprising a cabinet having an accommodating space, a door, and a hinge assembly; the door pivotally connected to the cabinet through the hinge assembly to open or close the accommodating space; wherein the hinge assembly comprises a main shaft, an auxiliary shaft, a main slot matching with the main shaft, and an auxiliary slot matching with the auxiliary shaft; during an opening process of the door, the door rotates relative to the main shaft, and the main shaft has a sliding motion relative to the main slot; the auxiliary shaft slides relative to the auxiliary slot; during the opening process of the door, the main shaft moves along a first main shaft trajectory, a second main shaft trajectory, and a third main shaft trajectory sequentially in the main slot.

2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein a sum of lengths of the first main shaft trajectory and the third main shaft trajectory equals to a length of the second main shaft trajectory.

3. The storage device according to claim 2, wherein an end point of the third main shaft trajectory is located at a start point of the first main shaft trajectory.

4. The storage device according to claim 3, wherein when the door is in a closed state, the start point of the first main shaft trajectory is located at a middle position of the main slot.

5. The storage device according to claim 3, wherein when the main shaft is at the start point of the first main shaft trajectory, the door is in a closed state; when the main shaft moves to the end point of the third main shaft trajectory, the door reaches a maximum opening angle.

6. The storage device according to claim 2, wherein the door has a side wall, a front wall, and an outer edge intersecting with the side wall and the front wall; the cabinet has a side wall and a front wall arranged perpendicularly to each other, an opening of the accommodating space is arranged on the front wall of the cabinet; the storage device is arranged on one side of an external environment member, the side wall of the cabinet is positioned opposite to a first side surface of the external environment member; when the main shaft moves along the first main shaft trajectory, the door has a movement component relative to the main shaft in a direction away from the external environment member; when the main shaft moves along the second main shaft trajectory, the door has a movement component relative to the main shaft in a direction towards the external environment member; when the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory, the door has a movement component relative to the main shaft in a direction away from the external environment member.

7. The storage device according to claim 6, wherein the hinge assembly has a support member fixed on the cabinet, the main shaft and the auxiliary shaft are fixed on the support member; the main slot and the auxiliary slot are arranged on the door.

8. The storage device according to claim 7, wherein the main slot has an overall approximately elliptical arc shape, and protrudes in a direction away from the side wall of the door; an overall extension direction of the main slot intersects obliquely with the side wall of the door and the front wall of the door, the overall extension direction of the main slot extends towards the outer edge of the door.

9. The storage device according to claim 8, wherein when the main shaft moves along the first main shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves in directions towards the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door, the main shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door relative to the door; when the main shaft moves along the second main shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves in directions away from the front wall of the door and away from the side wall of the door, the main shaft moves away from the outer edge of the door relative to the door; when the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves in directions towards the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door, the main shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door relative to the door.

10. The storage device according to claim 6, wherein during the opening process of the door, the auxiliary shaft moves along a first auxiliary shaft trajectory, a second auxiliary shaft trajectory, a third auxiliary shaft trajectory, and a fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory successively; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the first auxiliary shaft trajectory, the door rotates around the main shaft as a center, and the main shaft is at a first main shaft position in the main slot; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft first moves along the first main shaft trajectory from the first main shaft position towards the outer edge of the door, and then moves along the second main shaft trajectory away from the outer edge of the door; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the third auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft continues to move along the second main shaft trajectory away from the outer edge of the door; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory towards the outer edge of the door.

11. The storage device according to claim 10, wherein the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is arc-shaped with the first main shaft position as a center, the second auxiliary shaft trajectory is overall linear; a start point of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory is located at an end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory, and a slope of a tangent line at the end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is greater than a slope of an extension direction of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory; the third auxiliary shaft trajectory is overall curved; the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory is overall linear, a radius of curvature of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is smaller than a radius of curvature of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory, and / or a curvature of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory is greater than a curvature of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory.

12. The storage device according to claim 11, wherein the extension direction of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory intersects with an extension direction of the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the auxiliary shaft moves in a direction away from the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door; when the auxiliary shaft moves along the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory, relative to the door, the auxiliary shaft moves in directions towards the front wall of the door and towards the side wall of the door, the auxiliary shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door.

13. The storage device according to claim 10, wherein the main shaft, the auxiliary shaft and the door satisfy at least one of the following relationships: when the auxiliary shaft moves to the end point of the first auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft remains at the first main shaft position relative to the main slot, and the door opens to a first opening angle; and / or, when the main shaft moves to an end point of the first main shaft trajectory, the auxiliary shaft is on the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, and the door opens to a second opening angle; and / or, when the main shaft moves back to the first main shaft position, the auxiliary shaft is on the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, and the door opens to a third opening angle; and / or, when the auxiliary shaft moves to an end point of the second auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft is between its first main shaft position and an end point of the second main shaft trajectory, and the door opens to a fourth opening angle; and / or, when the auxiliary shaft moves to an end point of the third auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft is at the end point of the second main shaft trajectory, the main shaft is at the end of the main slot, and the door opens to a fifth opening angle; and / or, when the auxiliary shaft moves to an end point of the fourth auxiliary shaft trajectory, the main shaft moves to the end point of the third main shaft trajectory and back to the first main shaft position, and the door opens to a sixth opening angle; wherein the first opening angle, the second opening angle, the third opening angle, the fourth opening angle, the fifth opening angle, and the sixth opening angle increase sequentially.

14. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the door has a side wall, a front wall and an outer edge intersecting with the side wall and the front wall of the door; the cabinet has a side wall and a front wall arranged perpendicularly to each other, an opening of the accommodating space is arranged on the front wall of the cabinet; when the door is in a closed state, a vertical distance between the main shaft and a front auxiliary surface is smaller than a vertical distance between the auxiliary shaft and the front auxiliary surface, wherein the front auxiliary surface is parallel to the front wall of the door, and the outer edge of the door is located within the front auxiliary surface; when the door is in a closed state, a vertical distance between the main shaft and a side auxiliary surface is smaller than a vertical distance between the auxiliary shaft and the front auxiliary surface, wherein the side auxiliary surface is parallel to or coincident with the outer edge of the door, and the outer edge of the door is located within the side auxiliary surface.

15. The storage device according to claim 14, wherein the first, second, and third main shaft trajectories include at least a curved section, and the curved section protrudes towards a side away from the side wall of the door; the first, second, and third main shaft trajectories are overall approximately elliptical arc-shaped.

16. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the door has a side wall, a front wall and an outer edge intersecting with the side wall and the front wall of the door; relative to the door, when moving along the first main shaft trajectory and the third main shaft trajectory, the main shaft moves towards the outer edge of the door; when moving along the second main shaft trajectory, the main shaft moves away from the outer edge of the door.

17. The storage device according to claim 16, wherein when the main shaft moves along the third main shaft trajectory, an opening angle of the door is not less than 90°.

18. A refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator comprises the storage device according to any one of claims 1-17.

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