US 2016/0252291 A1 · REFRIGERATOR

Abstract

A hinge device for a door of a refrigerator, etc. moves the center of rotation of the door by interlocking with the opening/closing operations of the door, while stabilizing the opening/closing operations without any hindrance such as rattling. The hinge device comprises: a shaft member (105) which is mounted on a refrigerator main body (102) and comprises a hinge pin (153); a bearing member (107) which is mounted on a door (103) and comprises a long hole (107b) which is in contact with the hinge pin (153) to be relatively movable or relatively rotatable with respect to the hinge pin (153); and a cam (109) which is installed on the hinge pin (153) and constitutes a cam unit (C) by contacting a cam follower (107d) of the bearing member (107). The contact between the hinge pin (153) and the long hole (107b) and the contact between the cam (109) and the cam follower (107d) are constantly maintained without being interrupted by the opening/closing angle conditions of the door (103) respectively, and the contact between the hinge pin (153) and the long hole (107b) cooperates with the cam unit (C) by interlocking with the opening/closing operations of the door (103), thereby guiding the opening/closing operations of the door (103).

Claims18

Dependent claims

A refrigerator comprising:

a refrigerator main body provided with a storage compartment including an opening;
a door which opens or closes the storage compartment;
and
a hinge device provided between the opening and the door,
wherein the hinge device includes:
a main body side member mounted on the refrigerator main body and provided with a sliding portion;
a door side member mounted on the door and provided with a slid portion come into contact with the sliding portion to be respectively movable with respect to the sliding portion;
and
an intermediate member installed at one direction of the main body side member or the door side member and come into contact with the other direction of the main body side member or the door side member, and
wherein, when an opening or closing operation of the door, contact between the sliding portion and the slid portion and contact between the main body side member and the door side member through the intermediate member are in conjunction with each other, and a rotational center of the door with respect to the refrigerator main body moves along a predetermined track with respect to the refrigerator main body.

7 more elements

A refrigerator which comprises a hinge device provided between a refrigerator main body provided with a storage compartment including an opening, and a door which opens or closes the storage compartment,

wherein the hinge device comprising:
a main body side member mounted on the refrigerator main body;
a door side member mounted on the door;
and
an intermediate member which is installed at one direction of the main body side member or the door side member and comes into contact with the other direction of the main body side member or the door side member,
wherein:
a slide pin is mounted at one direction of the main body side member and the door side member, and a long hole is installed at the other direction wherein the slide pin is inserted into the long hole to be relatively pivotable and simultaneously relatively movable, and
in an opening or closing operation of the door, a state in which at least a part of the main body side member, a part of the door side member, and a part of the intermediate member are overlapped is maintained at a rotational central shaft of the door, contact between the slide pin and the long hole and contact between the main body side member and the door side member through the intermediate member are in conjunction with each other, and a rotational center of the door with respect to the refrigerator main body moves according to an extent of an open or close of the door.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Refrigerator

Life of this patent

Refrigerator

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18