refrigerator

Abstract

To provide a refrigerator that has a hinge structure of the refrigerator capable of opening a door even when the refrigerator is installed close to a wall, and can prevent the breakage of a wiring cord.SOLUTION: A refrigerator is equipped with a hinge structure that supports a door with respect to a body so as to open / close. The hinge structure is composed of a hinge member attached to an upper part of the body, a guide pin provided on the hinge member, a guide member attached to an upper part of the door, and a guide groove that is provided on the guide member and engages with the guide pin. The hinge structure is equipped with a wiring cord that connects a body side control portion provided on the body and a door side control portion provided on the door, and a wiring cord hole through which the wiring cord passes. The door is opened / closed by regulating the guide groove with the guide pin, and the wiring cord hole is provided near the guide groove.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wiring cord attached to a hinge structure of a refrigerator. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a hinge structure for a refrigerator, in which a guide block is provided on the door, a rotating shaft is provided on the hinge body, and a rotating shaft groove is provided on the guide block, and the gravity and frictional force of the door are distributed to the first and second plate bodies of the hinge body by the structure of the hinge body, thereby reducing wear and extending the service life of the refrigerator door.

[0003] Moreover, in Patent Document 2, a wiring cord is inserted from a notch provided on the circumferential surface of the rotation shaft of a hinge member, and the wiring cord is disposed coaxially with the rotation shaft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2020-521102 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-296952 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a refrigerator with a hinge structure that allows the door to be opened even when the refrigerator is installed close to a wall, and further prevents damage to the wiring cord. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The refrigerator of the present disclosure is a refrigerator equipped with a hinge structure supporting a door relative to a main body so that the door can be opened and closed freely, the hinge structure being composed of a hinge member attached to an upper part of the main body, a guide pin, and a guide groove with which the guide pin engages, the refrigerator is equipped with a wiring cord connecting a main body side control unit provided on the main body and a door side control unit provided on the door, and a wiring cord hole at the upper part of the door through which the wiring cord passes, the door is opened and closed with the guide groove regulated by the guide pin or the guide pin regulated by the guide groove, and the wiring cord hole is provided in a portion other than the guide pin and the guide groove, near the hinge structure. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The hinge member and wiring cord hole of the refrigerator according to the present disclosure allow the door to be opened even when the refrigerator is installed close to a wall, and also prevents damage to the wiring cord. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an upper hinge structure of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of an upper hinge structure according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an upper hinge member and an upper guide member according to the first embodiment; [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of the first embodiment with the door closed; [Figure 5B] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the main part of the first embodiment with the door slightly open. [Figure 5C] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the main part of the first embodiment with the door opened 90 degrees. [Figure 5D] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the main part of the first embodiment with the door fully open; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (The knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) The subject matter of the present disclosure has been configured to solve the problem of preventing corners of the door from protruding laterally beyond the body of the refrigerator and hitting the side wall when the door is opened in a case where the refrigerator is installed close to the wall of the installation location, and of preventing damage to the wiring cord connecting the door-side control unit and the body-side control unit.

[0010] In view of the above, the present disclosure provides a refrigerator that can open the door and prevent damage to the wiring cord even when the refrigerator is installed close to a wall.

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming more redundant than necessary and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0012] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0014] [1-1. Configuration] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a refrigerator to which the hinge structure and wiring cord according to the present invention are applied, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an outline of a hinge member of the refrigerator.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, a refrigerator 1 has a box-shaped main body 10. A door 11 is provided on the front of the main body 10 by a hinge structure 12 so as to be able to be opened and closed freely.

[0016] 2, hinge structure 12 is made up of hinge cover 17, upper hinge member 20 covered by hinge cover 17, and upper guide member 30 with which upper hinge member 20 engages, and furthermore wiring cord 50 is arranged inside hinge cover 17. Wiring cord 50 connects main body side control unit 51 that is provided in main body 10 and controls the entire refrigerator 1, and door side control unit 52 that is provided inside door 11 and performs user operations, displays, etc.

[0017] In this embodiment, the door 11 is made up of two doors 11, each of which is attached so as to be able to open like a double door.

[0018] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the hinge structure 12 at the top of the door 11. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the hinge structure 12.

[0019] In addition, since the hinge structure 12 of the door 11 is symmetrical, the following description will only cover the hinge structure 12 of the door 11 located on the right side when viewed from the front.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, flat upper hinge members 20 are attached to the upper portions of both sides of the main body 10.

[0021] The upper hinge member 20 comprises a base 21 fixed to the main body 10, a pin support portion 22 extending from the front end of the base 21 to a position overlapping the upper portion of the door 11, and an upper notch portion 23 formed by cutting out the side edge on the end side of the main body 10.

[0022] A first upper guide pin 24 and a second upper guide pin 25 are provided so as to protrude downward on the lower surface of the pin support part 22. The first upper guide pin 24 and the second upper guide pin 25 are arranged at a predetermined interval, and the line connecting the center of the first upper guide pin 24 and the center of the second upper guide pin 25 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the front surface of the door 11.

[0023] An upper hinge mounting recess 13 is formed on one side of the upper portion of the door 11 by cutting out a part of one side and the rear side of the door 11. As a result, an upper cover wall 14 is formed on the front side of the door 11. An opening 15 is formed in the upper hinge mounting recess 13 of the door 11.

[0024] An upper guide member 30 is attached to the upper hinge mounting recess 13 so as to close the opening 15 .

[0025] More specifically, the door 11 is formed of a front panel 11a that forms the front surface, a door cap 11b that forms the outer frame of the front panel 11a, an inner panel 11c, a heat insulating material (not shown) contained within the interior surrounded by these, and a gasket 11e that is attached to the outer periphery of the inner panel 11c and seals the door 11 and the main body 10. An upper hinge mounting recess 13 is formed by cutting out the side and rear sides of the door cap 11b on one upper side of the door 11, and an upper guide member 30 is attached so as to cover an opening 15 formed in the upper hinge mounting recess 13.

[0026] The upper guide member 30 includes a flat plate portion 31 that closes the opening 15, an upper guide recess 32 that protrudes from the lower surface side of the flat plate portion 31, a fixing portion 33 formed at a corner portion of the flat plate portion 31, and a wiring cord hole 53 through which a wiring cord 50 passes. The upper guide member 30 is fixed to the door 11 by screwing a screw (not shown) into the door 11 via the fixing portion 33.

[0027] In addition, the upper guide recess 32 has a bottom portion 32a, and is formed so that when insulation material (not shown) is filled inside the door 11, the bottom portion 32a prevents the insulation material from entering into the upper guide recess 32.

[0028] Further, the wiring cord hole 53 is integrally formed with a cylindrical bushing 55, and the bushing 55 is embedded in the heat insulating material inside the door 11. As shown in FIG. 4, the bushing 55 is formed to be longer than the upper guide recess 32.

[0029] Furthermore, as described above, the upper guide member 30 is formed separately from the cap 11b, but it may be formed integrally with the cap 11b.

[0030] Although the wiring cord hole 53 has been described as being formed integrally with the upper guide member 30, it may be formed separately, for example, integrally with the cap 11b.

[0031] An upper guide groove 34 that opens to the flat plate portion 31 is formed inside the upper guide recess 32. The upper guide groove 34 is configured by connecting a plurality of upper guide portions formed of arc portions and / or straight portions. In this embodiment, the upper guide groove 34 is formed across both the left and right sides of the wiring cord hole 53 in FIG. 5A, and is configured of a first upper guide portion 35 formed on one side of the wiring cord hole 53 from the front panel 11a side toward the inner plate 11c side of the door 11, a third upper guide portion 37 formed on the other side of the wiring cord hole 53 from the front panel 11a side toward the inner plate 11c side of the door 11, and a second upper guide portion 36 that connects the first upper guide portion 35 and the third upper guide portion 37 between the wiring cord hole 53 and the inner plate 11c.

[0032] As a result, the upper guide groove 34 is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D.

[0033] Further, at the opening of the upper guide groove 34 , a rib-like projection 38 is provided which projects upward from the flat plate portion 31 and is formed around the entire periphery of the upper guide groove 34 .

[0034] The first upper guide pin 24 and the second upper guide pin 25 are engaged with the upper guide groove 34, and the rib-like protrusion 38 slides against the upper hinge member 20 when the door 11 is opened or closed.

[0035] Further, a rib-like projection 54 is formed at the opening of the wiring cord hole 53 so as to project upward from the flat plate portion 31 and is formed around the entire periphery of the wiring cord hole 53 .

[0036] A first upper guide portion 35 is formed to prevent the door 11 from jumping out toward the side wall of the installation location when the door 11 is opened from a closed state, and a second upper guide portion 36 and a third upper guide portion 37 are further formed to enable the door 11 to be opened up to 90 degrees.

[0037] Furthermore, in order to allow the door 11 to open to an angle of 90 degrees or more, specifically, approximately 120 degrees, a third upper guide portion 37 in which the second upper guide pin 25 is positioned is formed.

[0038] Further, the wiring cord hole 53 is disposed at a position surrounded by the first to third upper guide portions 35, 36, and 37 which are formed in a substantially U-shape.

[0039] [1-2. Operation] The operation of the hinge structure 12 and wiring cord 50 of the refrigerator 1 configured as above will be described below.

[0040] 5A to 5D are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the upper guide groove 34 and the upper guide pins 24 and 25, and the wiring cord 50. FIG.

[0041] 5A shows the state in which the door 11 is closed. In this state, the first upper guide pin 24 is located in the first upper guide portion 35 of the upper guide groove 34, and the second upper guide pin 25 is also located in the first upper guide portion 35 of the upper guide groove 34.

[0042] At this time, the imaginary center of rotation O is located in front of the front plate 11a of the door 11 and at one side of the door 11.

[0043] In addition, the wiring cord 50a wired from the door side control unit 52 passes through the bush portion 55 and the wiring cord hole 53, is arranged on the upper surface of the upper hinge member 20 and is arranged on the upper surface of the pin support portion 22, and the wiring cord 50b wired from the main body side control unit 51 passes through the upper surface of the base 21 of the hinge member 20, and the wiring cord 50a and the wiring cord 50b are connected on the upper surface of the hinge member 20 by a connector not shown.

[0044] In the plan view of FIG. 5A with door 11 closed, wiring cord hole 53 is formed outside a vertically downward projection plane of pin support portion 22 of hinge member 20.

[0045] Therefore, when the wire cord 50a projects from the wire cord hole 53 and is disposed on the upper surface of the hinge member 20, the wire cord 50a is prevented from coming into contact with the pin support portion 22, and damage to the wire cord 50 can be prevented.

[0046] Here, the virtual center of rotation O is the intersection point of perpendicular lines to the upper guide groove 34 at the positions of the first upper guide pin 24 and the second upper guide pin 25.

[0047] In the case of FIG. 5A, the virtual rotation center O is located in front of the front panel 11a of the door 11, on one side of the door 11, and when the door 11 is opened, the door 11 starts to open around the virtual rotation center O as an axis.

[0048] Generally, when door 11 is opened and closed on one axis, door 11 rotates without moving about the axis, so that front corner 11d of door 11 located in front of the axis protrudes outward from the side surface of main body 10. Therefore, if refrigerator 1 is installed closely against a wall, door 11 cannot be opened.

[0049] However, in this embodiment, the virtual center of rotation O is located on one side of the door 11, in front of the front plate 11a of the door 11, so that when the door 11 is opened, the front corner 11d of the door 11 does not protrude from the side surface of the main body 10. This makes it possible to open the door 11 even if the refrigerator 1 is installed close to a wall.

[0050] As shown in Figure 5B, when the door 11 is further opened, the first upper guide pin 24 is positioned in the middle of the first upper guide portion 35 of the upper guide groove 34, and the second upper guide pin 25 is positioned in the second upper guide portion 36 of the upper guide groove 34.

[0051] At this time, the virtual center of rotation O is located almost at the front of the door 11 and inward from one side of the door 11. In this way, as the door 11 opens, the positional relationship between the first upper guide pin 24 and the second upper guide pin 25 and the upper guide groove 34 changes, and accordingly, the position of the virtual center of rotation O also moves inward of the door 11.

[0052] Even in this state, the wiring cord hole 53 is disposed outside the vertically downward projection plane of the pin support portion 22 of the hinge member 20 .

[0053] Therefore, when the wire cord 50a projects from the wire cord hole 53 and is disposed on the upper surface of the hinge member 20, the wire cord 50a is prevented from coming into contact with the pin support portion 22, and damage to the wire cord 50 can be prevented.

[0054] When the door 11 is opened approximately 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 5C, the first upper guide pin 24 is positioned in the second upper guide portion 36 of the upper guide groove 34, and the second upper guide pin 25 is positioned in the third upper guide portion 37 of the upper guide groove 34.

[0055] At this time, the virtual rotation center O is located further inward from one side of the door 11, but since the door 11 is in the open state, one side corner (front side corner) 11d of the door 11 does not protrude to the side of the main body 10.

[0056] Even in this state, the wiring cord hole 53 is disposed outside the vertically downward projection plane of the pin support portion 22 of the hinge member 20 .

[0057] Therefore, when the wire cord 50a projects from the wire cord hole 53 and is disposed on the upper surface of the hinge member 20, the wire cord 50a is prevented from coming into contact with the pin support portion 22, and damage to the wire cord 50 can be prevented.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 5D, in this embodiment, the door 11 can be opened to approximately 120° in the fully open state, and in this state, the first upper guide pin 24 and the second upper guide pin 25 are positioned on the third upper guide portion 37 of the upper guide groove 34.

[0059] At this time, the virtual rotation center O is located near the wiring cord hole 53.

[0060] Furthermore, by forming the rib-like projections 54 on the outer periphery of the wiring cord hole 53, the gap between the pin support portion 22 of the hinge member 20 can be made small, thereby reducing the likelihood of the wiring cord 50a becoming caught.

[0061] In this manner, in the present embodiment, the upper guide groove 34 is formed into an approximately U-shape by the first upper guide portion 35, the second upper guide portion 36, and the third upper guide portion 37, so that the virtual rotation center O can be moved in the vicinity of the wiring cord hole 53. This reduces the movement of the wiring cord 50a, and allows the door 11 to be opened and closed while preventing damage to the wiring.

[0062] Furthermore, since wiring cord hole 53 is always positioned so as to be outside the vertically downward projection plane of hinge member 20 during opening and closing of door 11, wiring cord 50 passing through wiring cord hole 53 can be prevented from contacting hinge member 20. Even if a contact protection member (not shown) is provided at the end of hinge member 20, the contact protection member is configured not to come into contact with wiring cord hole 53 when the door is opened and closed, so that contact pressure can be reduced and damage to the wiring cord due to opening and closing of the door can be prevented.

[0063] Furthermore, by positioning the wiring cord hole 53 at a position surrounded by the approximately U-shaped upper guide groove 34 and the front panel 11a, as shown in Figures 5A to 5D, the movement of the wiring cord 50 caused by opening and closing the door 11 can be reduced, and damage to the wiring cord 50 due to contact with the end of the pin support portion 22 of the hinge member 20 can be suppressed.

[0064] As described above, the hinge structure 12 provided on the upper part of the door 11 has been described, but a similar hinge structure is also formed on the lower part of the door 11.

[0065] Furthermore, without being limited to the above, a guide groove 34 may be formed in the hinge member 20 fixed to the main body 10, a first guide pin 24 and a second guide pin 25 may be fixed to a guide member 30 provided on the upper part of the door 11 so as to extend upward, a wiring cord hole 53 may be formed in the guide member 30, and the first guide pin 24 and the second guide pin 25 may be regulated by the guide groove 34 to open and close the door 11.

[0066] This can prevent the wiring cord 50 from being damaged.

[0067] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in the present embodiment, in refrigerator 1 having hinge structure 12 supporting door 11 relative to main body 10 so as to be able to open and close freely, hinge structure 12 is composed of hinge member 20 attached to the upper part of main body 10, a guide pin fixed to hinge member 20, guide member 30 attached to the upper part of door 11, and guide groove 34 provided in guide member 30 and into which the guide pin engages. Hinge structure 12 also has wiring cord 50 connecting main body side control unit 51 provided in main body 10 and door side control unit 52 provided in door 11, and wiring cord hole 53 through which wiring cord 50 passes. Door 11 is opened and closed with guide groove 34 regulated by the guide pin, and wiring cord hole 53 is provided in the vicinity of guide groove 34.

[0068] As a result, when the door 11 is opened, the wiring cord hole 53 moves inward toward the main body 10 together with the door 11 relative to the hinge member 20, preventing the front corner 11d of the door 11 from protruding to the side of the main body 10 and also preventing damage to the wiring cord 50 due to the movement of the wiring cord hole 53.

[0069] Further, the wiring cord hole 53 is formed between the guide groove 34 and the front plate 11 a of the door 11 .

[0070] This allows the wire cord hole 53 to be located near the guide groove 34 with which the guide pin of the hinge member 20 engages, and the movement of the wire cord 50 wired in the wire cord hole 53 can be reduced.

[0071] Moreover, the wiring cord hole 53 is provided integrally with the guide member 30. This makes it possible to reduce variation in the position of the wiring cord hole 53 and the guide groove 34 of the guide member 30, suppress variation in the wiring cord 50, and ensure reliability.

[0072] In addition, the guide member 30 is provided with a cylindrical bush portion 55, and the wiring cord hole 53 is connected to the bush portion 55, so that it is possible to suppress the wiring cord 50 from becoming distorted or damage to the wiring cord 50 caused by the insulating material filling and foaming of the door 11.

[0073] Further, the wiring cord 50 connected to the door side control section 52 is inserted into the bushing section 55 and passes through the wiring cord hole 53 and above the hinge member 20 to be connected to the main body side control section 51 .

[0074] This makes it possible to prevent damage to the wiring cord 50 and control the door-side control unit 52.

[0075] In addition, the door 11 opens and closes with the guide groove 34 regulated by the guide pin, and the wiring cord hole 53 is located outside the vertically downward projection plane of the hinge member 20, so damage to the wiring cord 50 can be suppressed.

[0076] As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. In addition, it is also possible to combine the components described in the first embodiment to create new embodiments. [Industrial Applicability]

[0077] The present disclosure is applicable to refrigerators, microwave ovens, and other home appliances whose doors can be opened and closed, even when the appliances are installed close to a wall inside a room. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1. Refrigerator 10. Main Unit 11 Door 11a Front plate 11b Door cap 12 Hinge structure 20 Upper hinge member 30 Upper guide member 34 Upper guide groove 50, 50a, 50b wiring cord 53 Wiring cord hole 55 Bush section O Virtual center of rotation

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a hinge structure that supports a door to be freely opened and closed relative to a main body, The hinge structure includes: an upper hinge member attached to the main body, a first guide pin and a second guide pin provided on the upper hinge member, an upper guide member attached to the door, and a guide groove provided on the upper guide member, in which the first guide pin and the second guide pin engage, a wiring cord that connects a main body side control unit provided on the main body and a door side control unit provided on the door, and a wiring cord hole through which the wiring cord passes in the door, The guide groove is configured as one guide groove that regulates while moving a virtual rotation center of the first guide pin and the second guide pin when the door is opened and closed, the door is opened and closed by the guide groove being regulated by the first guide pin and the second guide pin, The refrigerator is characterized in that the wiring cord hole is located rearward of the virtual center of rotation when the door is closed.

2. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the wiring cord hole is positioned outside a vertically downward projection plane of the upper hinge member when the door is opened or closed.

3. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an upwardly protruding rib-like protrusion is formed around an opening of the wiring cord hole, the opening being located around the entire periphery of the wiring cord hole.

4. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the wiring cord hole is formed between the guide groove and the front plate of the door.

5. 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the wiring cord hole is formed integrally with the upper guide member.

6. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the upper guide member is provided with a cylindrical bush portion, and the wiring cord hole is connected to the bush portion.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the wiring cord connected to the door-side control unit is inserted into the bushing portion, passes through the wiring cord hole above the upper hinge member, and is connected to the main body-side control unit.

Images