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 rotary shaft is provided on the hinge body, and a rotary shaft groove is provided in the guide block, and the structure of the hinge body distributes the gravity and frictional force of the door to the first and second plate bodies of the hinge body, reducing wear and extending the service life of the refrigerator door.

[0003] Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, a wiring cord is inserted through a notch provided on the circumferential surface of the rotation shaft of a hinge member, and the wiring cord is arranged 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 that can also prevent damage to the wiring cord. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The refrigerator of the present disclosure is a refrigerator having a hinge structure that supports a door relative to a main body so that it 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, and the refrigerator is provided with 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 at the upper part of the door through which the wiring cord passes, the door being opened and closed by the guide groove being regulated by the guide pin, or the guide pin being regulated by the guide groove, and the wiring cord hole being provided in a part other than the guide pin and the guide groove and near the hinge structure. [Effects 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 explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an upper hinge structure of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3] 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 opened. [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 a main part of the first embodiment with the door fully opened; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Findings 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 when 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] Therefore, 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, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0012] 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 of a hinge member showing an outline of the refrigerator.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the refrigerator 1 has a box-shaped main body 10. A door 11 is provided on the front of the main body 10 with 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] 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 top 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 to protrude downward on the underside 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 part 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 attachment 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) that is 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 close an opening 15 formed in the upper hinge mounting recess 13.

[0026] Upper guide member 30 includes a flat plate portion 31 that closes opening 15, an upper guide recess 32 that protrudes from the underside of flat plate portion 31, fixing portions 33 formed at the corners of flat plate portion 31, and a wiring cord hole 53 through which wiring cord 50 passes. Upper guide member 30 is fixed to door 11 by threading screws (not shown) into door 11 via fixing portions 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, although the upper guide member 30 is formed separately from the cap 11b as described above, 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 into 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, as shown in FIG. 5A , the upper guide groove 34 is formed across both the left and right sides of the wire cord hole 53 and is configured of a first upper guide portion 35 formed on one side of the wire cord hole 53 from the front panel 11a toward the inner panel 11c of the door 11, a third upper guide portion 37 formed on the other side of the wire cord hole 53 from the front panel 11a toward the inner panel 11c 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 wire cord hole 53 and the inner panel 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] Furthermore, a rib-like protrusion 38 protruding upward from the flat plate portion 31 is provided at the opening of the upper guide groove 34 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 in 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] Also, at the opening of the wiring cord hole 53, a rib-like protrusion 54 is formed projecting 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 so that the door 11 can be opened up to 90 degrees.

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

[0038] Moreover, 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 positioned in the first upper guide portion 35 of the upper guide groove 34, and the second upper guide pin 25 is also positioned in the first upper guide portion 35 of the upper guide groove 34.

[0042] At this time, the virtual 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] Furthermore, the wiring cord 50a wired from the door side control unit 52 passes through the bushing portion 55 and the wiring cord hole 53, is disposed on the upper surface of the upper hinge member 20, and is disposed 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 portion 21 of the hinge member 20, and the wiring cords 50a and 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 in which the door 11 is closed, the wiring cord hole 53 is formed outside the vertically downward projection plane of the pin support portion 22 of the 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, contact with the pin support portion 22 is suppressed, and damage to the wire cord 50 can be suppressed.

[0046] Here, the virtual center of rotation O is the intersection 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 Figure 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 begins to open around the virtual rotation center O as an axis.

[0048] Generally, when door 11 is opened or closed on a single axis, door 11 rotates without moving around the axis, so that front corner 11d of door 11, which is located in front of the axis, protrudes outward from the side 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 panel 11a of the door 11, so when the door 11 is opened, the front corner 11d of the door 11 does not protrude from the side of the main body 10. This makes it possible to open the door 11 even when 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. As described above, as the door 11 opens, the positional relationship between the first upper guide pin 24, 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] In this state, the wiring cord hole 53 is also positioned 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, contact with the pin support portion 22 is suppressed, and damage to the wire cord 50 can be suppressed.

[0054] When the door 11 is opened approximately 90°, as shown in Figure 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] In this state, the wiring cord hole 53 is also positioned 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, contact with the pin support portion 22 is suppressed, and damage to the wire cord 50 can be suppressed.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 5D, in this embodiment, the door 11 can be opened to approximately 120° when fully open, 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 protrusions 54 on the outer periphery of the wiring cord hole 53, the gap between the pin support portion 22 of the hinge member 20 and the wiring cord hole 53 can be reduced, thereby reducing the possibility of the wiring cord 50a becoming caught.

[0061] In this way, in this embodiment, the upper guide groove 34 is formed in 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 near the wiring cord hole 53, thereby reducing the movement of the wiring cord 50a and allowing the door 11 to be opened and closed while suppressing damage to the wiring.

[0062] Furthermore, since the wiring cord hole 53 is always positioned so as to be outside the vertically downward projected plane of the hinge member 20 during the opening and closing operation of the door 11, the wiring cord 50 passing through the wiring cord hole 53 can be prevented from coming into contact with the hinge member 20. Even if a contact protection member (not shown) is provided at the end of the hinge member 20, the contact protection member is configured so that it does not come into contact with the wiring cord hole 53 when the door is opened and closed, so that the contact pressure can be reduced and damage to the wiring cord due to the 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 due to the opening and closing of 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 at the upper part of the door 11 has been described, but a similar hinge structure is also formed at 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 perform the opening and closing operation of the door 11.

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

[0067] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, in refrigerator 1 having hinge structure 12 that supports door 11 relative to main body 10 so that it can be opened and closed freely, hinge structure 12 is composed of hinge member 20 attached to the top of main body 10, a guide pin fixed to hinge member 20, guide member 30 attached to the top of door 11, and guide groove 34 that is provided in guide member 30 and into which the guide pin engages, and is also provided with wiring cord 50 that connects main body side control unit 51 provided on main body 10 and door side control unit 52 provided on door 11, and wiring cord hole 53 through which wiring cord 50 passes, and 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 opens, the wiring cord hole 53 moves inward of 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 preventing damage to the wiring cord 50 due to the movement of the wiring cord hole 53.

[0069] 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 wiring cord hole 53 to be positioned near the guide groove 34 with which the guide pin of the hinge member 20 engages, thereby reducing the movement of the wiring cord 50 wired inside the wiring cord hole 53.

[0071] Furthermore, the wiring cord hole 53 is provided integrally with the guide member 30. This reduces variations in the positions of the wiring cord hole 53 and the guide groove 34 of the guide member 30, suppresses variations in the wiring cord 50, and ensures reliability.

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

[0073] Furthermore, 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 above the hinge member 20 to be connected to the main body-side control section 51 .

[0074] This prevents damage to the wiring cord 50 and allows the door-side control unit 52 to be controlled.

[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. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in the first embodiment above to create new embodiments. [Industrial Applicability]

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

[0078] 1 refrigerator 10 Main Unit 11 Doors 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 rotation center

Claims

1. In a refrigerator having a hinge structure that supports a door to a main body so that the door can be opened and closed freely, The hinge structure comprises: a hinge member attached to an upper portion of the main body, a first guide pin, a second guide pin, and a guide groove 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 in an upper part of the door through which the wiring cord passes; the door is opened and closed around a virtual rotation center different from the first guide pin and the second guide pin, with the guide groove being regulated by the first guide pin and the second guide pin, or the first guide pin and the second guide pin being regulated by the guide groove, the wiring cord hole is arranged at a position surrounded by the substantially U-shaped guide groove and the front panel of the door in a portion other than the first guide pin, the second guide pin, and the guide groove, and is provided near the virtual center of rotation that moves when the door is opened or closed.

2. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a guide member is provided on an upper portion of the door, the guide groove is provided in the guide member, and the guide pin is fixed to the hinge member.

3. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a guide member is provided on an upper portion of the door, the guide pin is fixed to the guide member, and the guide groove is provided in the hinge member.

4. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the wiring cord hole is provided near the guide groove.

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

6. 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the guide member is provided with a cylindrical bushing portion, and the wiring cord hole is in communication with the bushing portion.

7. 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 hinge member, and is connected to the main body-side control unit.

8. 8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the wiring cord hole is positioned outside a vertically downward projection plane of the hinge member.

Images