JP2001159268A - Door opening and closing mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] When one of the doors is opened, the door moves to a door open side by a predetermined distance. Open resistance due to friction is likely to occur, and there is a problem that the load when opening the door is larger than that of a normal hinged door. SOLUTION: Cam mechanisms 22 and 40 provided on both sides of a door 2 for engaging and disengaging a door 2 and a main body respectively have symmetric first locking positions and second locking positions on both sides of the door 2. When the door 2 is closed, the cam mechanisms 22 and 40 on both sides take the first locking position, and when one of the two sides of the door 2 is opened, the door 2 moves a predetermined distance toward the door 2 open side. The door 2 is moved to the second locking position, and is locked rotatably at the second locking position. When the door 2 is opened, the door is moved by a lever type means provided on the door 2 to be separated by a predetermined distance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a door opening / closing mechanism for a refrigerator or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of door opening / closing mechanism is provided with a cam mechanism for engaging and disengaging a door and a main body with respect to a left side and a right side of a door, as shown in, for example, JP-A-9-303942. These cam mechanisms can take a first locking position that is symmetrical on the left and right sides of the door and a second locking position that is symmetrical on the left and right sides of the door. 1. One locking position, the door slides when opening one of the right and left doors, the other cam mechanism takes a second locking position, and is rotatably locked at the second locking position. There is.

[0003]

In the above-described door opening / closing mechanism, when one of the doors is opened, the door moves to a door opening side by a predetermined distance, so that when the door is moved, the door and the door are supported. Open resistance is likely to occur due to friction with the main body side where parts contact, etc.There is a problem that the load when opening the door is larger than that of a normal hinged door, and the door opening direction and the door moving direction are large. On the contrary, there is also a problem that the door is not easily moved and the opening operation is uneven, and the opening operation is difficult. Furthermore, if a packing is provided between the door and the front surface of the opening on the main body side to close with a magnetizing force, the opening resistance due to friction for movement at the moment of opening the door is further increased by the close contact of the packing. There was a problem that the load when opening the door was even greater.

[0004]

The door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention is provided with a cam for engaging and disengaging a door and a main body on both sides of the door. A mechanism is provided respectively, and the cam mechanism can take symmetric first locking position and second locking position on both sides of the door, and the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locking position when the door is closed. When one of the both sides of the door is open, the door moves to a door open side by a predetermined distance, takes a second locking position, is rotatably locked at the second locking position, and The door is moved by a lever type means provided on the door and is separated by a predetermined distance.

The door opening and closing mechanism of the present invention is provided with cam mechanisms for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body on both sides of the door, respectively.
The cam mechanism can have a symmetrical first locking position and a second locking position on both sides of the door, and when the door is closed, the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locking position, and the both sides of the door When one of the doors is opened, the door moves to a door open side by a predetermined distance and takes a second locking position, and is rotatably locked at the second locking position, and the cam mechanism includes a lock cam portion and a slide cam portion. Having a slide outer cam in the slide cam portion,
The lock cam portion has an outer lock cam arranged to be engaged with the outer slide cam, and the door is opened and moved by a lever type means provided on the door to be separated by a predetermined distance when the door is opened. It is assumed that.

In the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, the slide cam portion is provided on the door side, and the lock cam portion is provided on the main body side. It is characterized in that the front of the cam is pushed.

In the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, the position of the lever is provided at a position closer to the center of the door than the position of the leverage point, and the position of the lever is applied to the position of the lever. Provided at the center side of the door, and at least a portion serving as a fulcrum and an action point of the lever is an integrated arm, and when the arm is pushing forward of the lock-out cam when the door is opened by leverage type means. It is characterized in that it is pushed in a direction close to the direction opposite to the opening of the door for at least one time.

Further, in the door opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention, the position of the lever is provided at a position closer to the center of the door than the position of the leverage point, and the position of the lever is applied from the position of the lever. Also provided at the center side of the door, at least a portion serving as a fulcrum and an action point of the lever is an integral arm, at least when the arm is pushing forward of the lock outside cam when the door is opened by leverage means At one time, the portion serving as the point of action of the arm and its vicinity are located at the front of the center of the door.

Further, in the door opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention, the position of the lever is provided at a position closer to the center of the door than the position of the lever, and the position of the lever is set at the position of the lever. Provided at the center side of the door, and at least a portion serving as a fulcrum and an action point of the lever is an integrated arm, and when the arm is pushing forward of the lock-out cam when the door is opened by leverage type means. At least one time, the portion serving as a fulcrum of the arm is located behind the front end of the cam outside the lock.

In the door opening and closing mechanism according to the present invention, when the door is opened and closed, the position where the door is rotatably locked is on the left and right sides of the door.
At least a part serving as a fulcrum and an action point of the lever is formed as an integral arm, and the arm is provided below the door.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a door opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with a door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a handle by the lever-type means of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view of the handle support and handle base of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 shows a hinge angle on the lower side of the door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. FIG. 7
FIG. 8 is a view showing a lock cam above the door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a view showing a slide cam above the door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a slide of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of the lower side of the door near the cam.
FIG. 11 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a view showing another embodiment. FIG.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a refrigerator body, 2 is a refrigerator door, 3 is a vegetable door, 4 is a freezer door, 5 is a freezer door,
The refrigerator main body 1 has an isolation room having an opening at the front corresponding to each of the doors. The refrigerator compartment door 2
Is a double door, which has lever-type handles 6 and 7 on the right and left respectively.

The upper and lower door caps 9 and 10 are respectively inserted into the upper and lower ends of a door plate 8 whose right and left ends are bent rearward to form a box 11, and the handles 6, 7 are attached to the refrigerator compartment door 2. The opening 8a, 8b is provided in a portion where the door plate 8 is cut out. The openings 8a, 8b are respectively provided with handle supports 12, 13 from behind, and the handle supports 12, 13 are provided with the openings 8a, 8 respectively.
The handle bases 14 and 15 are respectively attached so that b can be inserted from the left and right side surfaces obliquely forward and inserted.

The handle bases 14 and 15 are located outside the handle supports 12 and 13 and are mounted with screws from inside the door with the door plate 8 interposed therebetween. Then, in a place where a gap is formed in the mounting portion of each part, a sealing process (not shown) is applied to a portion on the inner side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 with a sealing material (not shown), and a refrigerator compartment door small assembly 16 is obtained. Also, in the drawing, the handle supports 12, 13 are shown.
Is not visible from the outside, so its outline is not drawn,
Leader lines are drawn by dotted lines to show their approximate positions.

The refrigerating compartment door subassembly 16 is placed in a foaming jig, and a urethane foam material is injected from a rear opening (not shown) of the refrigerating compartment door subassembly 16 so as to cover the rear opening. A rear plate (not shown) is attached to the refrigerator compartment door subassembly 16 and the lid of the foaming jig is closed, urethane foaming is performed, and after foaming is completed, the foaming jig is taken out of the foaming jig and foamed inside. The assembly 17 in the refrigerator compartment door with heat insulating material is completed. The vegetable compartment door 3 and the freezer compartment doors 4 and 5 are drawer-type doors, respectively, and can be pulled out in the front-rear direction.

In FIG. 2, this drawing is a view near the handle 7 on the right side of the door, and is partially a sectional view so that the internal structure can be seen. In addition, the vicinity of the handle 6 on the left side of the door is obtained by reversing the drawing in the left-right direction. Below the handle base 15 in front of the handle support 13, a keyhole-shaped hole 15b in which a substantially rectangular cut having a width smaller than the diameter of the substantially circular portion 15a continues from the substantially circular portion 15a.
Is provided.

The handle support 13 is provided with a substantially oval-shaped hollow portion 13a connected to the hole 15b. The hollow portion 13a extends to the lower portion 10 of the door cap. There is a hole 10a, the hole 15b, the cavity 13a, and the substantially oval hole 10a.
Are spaces 18 communicating with each other.

When the hollow urethane foam is injected into the box 11 and foamed, the fitting portion between the hollow portion 13a and the substantially oval hole 10a in the lower portion 10 of the door cap moves from the fitting portion to the space 18 inside. In this case, a sealing process is performed on the portion in some cases so that urethane does not leak.

The lower shaft 19 is inserted into an opening of the lower handle 20, and an L-shaped bent portion 19 a above the lower shaft 19 is held by a holding portion 20 a of the lower handle 20. Then, the assembly in which the lower shaft 19 and the lower handle 20 are integrated is the handle base 15
A substantially circular boss 20b inserted into the substantially circular portion 15a of the hole 15b and protruding below the lower handle 20 fits into the substantially circular portion 15a of the hole 15b of the handle base 15, and the lower handle 20 is a lower shaft. Along with 19, it is rotatably attached to the handle base 15.

A lower shaft 19 is inserted into the space 18, and an L-shaped bent portion 19 below the lower shaft 19 is provided.
b protrudes from the surface inside the lower part 10 of the door cap. Therefore, the space 18 has a shape through which the L-shaped bent portion 19b passes. On the L-shaped bent portion 19b below the lower shaft 19, a cam lever 21 serving as an arm from below is provided with a slide cam 2 serving as a slide cam portion.
2 and attached.

Further, since the lower shaft 19 is provided with the L-shaped bent portions 19a and 19b, a key and a key groove for preventing rotation are provided for coupling the lower shaft 19 with the lower handle 20 and the cam lever 21. , The structure of the door handle is simplified, the number of parts is small, and assembly is easy.

By providing the space 18, even if the door has a foamed heat insulating material inside, the L
The bent part 19b can protrude integrally with the lower shaft 19 to the surface inside the lower door cap 10, which also simplifies the structure of the door handle, reduces the number of parts, and facilitates assembly. . It is clear that the same effect can be obtained even with the above-mentioned single-door structure.

Further, the cam lever 21 is provided with the L-shaped bent portion 1.
9b, a circular boss 2 is provided on the lower surface of the cam lever 21 around a line extending downward from the center 19c of the rotation shaft serving as a fulcrum of the lever of the lower shaft 19.
1a is provided. The circular boss 21a is rotatably fitted in the hole 22a of the slide cam 22. The slide cam 22 is screwed to the reinforcing plate 23 with the lower portion of the door cap 10 interposed therebetween.

Then, the handle 7 is inserted from the outside of the door (right side in the figure) of the lower handle 20 rotatably attached to the handle base 15, and the handle 7 is attached to the lower handle 20 by nail engagement. Can be The handle 7 and the lower handle 20 may be fixed with screws.

The rotation shaft center 1 of the lower shaft 19
A through-hole 7a above the handle 7 and a through-hole 15c of the handle base 15 facing the through-hole 7a, provided centered on an extension line above 9c, and
A substantially circular hole 1 provided in a projection of the handle base 15
The upper shaft 24 is inserted into 5d from below, and the handle 7 is rotatably attached to the handle base 15.

By rotating the upper shaft 24,
An L-shaped bent portion 24a provided below the upper shaft 24 is hooked on the projection 15e of the handle base 15 to prevent the upper shaft 24 from coming off.

The rotation shaft center 1 of the lower shaft 19
A spring 25 is attached to a circular boss 7b on the lower upper surface of the handle 7 provided near the top of the extension 9c.
Is fitted so as to push the handle base 15 rearward, and the other end 25b of the spring at the other end is applied to the engaging portion 7c on the lower upper surface of the handle 7 so as to push forward. Therefore, after the refrigerator compartment door 2 is opened by pulling the grip 7d of the handle 7 toward the front and opening the refrigerator compartment door 2, when the hand is released from the grip 7d, the handle 7 returns to the original position by the reaction force of the spring 25. Has become.

Then, a base cover 26 is attached to the handle base 15 by claws so as to cover the L-shaped bent portion 24a, the projection 15e, the circular boss 7b, the engaging portion 7c, and the spring 25 of the upper shaft 24, In addition, a handle cover 27 is attached to the front surface of the handle 7 by fitting a claw.

When the base cover 26 is attached to the handle base 15, the L-shaped bent portion 24a is surrounded by the back surface of the base cover 26, the projection 15e, and the surface of the handle base 15. Even if the L-shaped bent portion 24a applied to the protrusion 15e of the handle base 15 rotates, the L-shaped bent portion 24a is disengaged from the protrusion 15e, and the upper shaft 24 is connected to the through hole 7a.
a, 15c and the substantially circular hole 15d do not fall off.

If a wall surface extending upward is provided at the front end of the projection 15e with a space above the L-shaped bent portion 24a to allow the L-shaped bent portion 24a to pass therethrough, a temporary stopper is prevented before the base cover 26 is attached. It plays a role and further improves the assembly workability. Further, after all the parts related to the handle are assembled in the refrigerator compartment door 2, a heat insulating material for the door may be provided by urethane foam.

It is apparent that the same effects can be obtained even with the above-mentioned single-door structure.

FIG. 3A is a view of the handle support 13 on the right side of the door as viewed from below, and the hollow portion 13a is a substantially oval hole. (B) is a view of the handle base 15 on the right side of the door as viewed from below, and shows a keyhole-shaped hole 1.
5b has a substantially circular portion 15a. When the shapes of the handle support 13 and the handle base 15 are reversed in the left-right direction, the handle support 12 on the left side of the door is provided.
And the shape of the handle base 14.

The hollow portion 13a and the hole 15b are formed so that the L-shaped bent portion 19b of the lower shaft 19 passes therethrough. The substantially circular portion 15a of the keyhole-shaped hole 15b is provided with the handle lower portion 20a. The substantially circular boss 20b is rotatably fitted. The circular center of the substantially circular portion 15a coincides with the rotation shaft center 19c of the lower shaft 19.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the vicinity of the handle 7 when the door on the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 in FIG. 1 is closed. FIG.
This drawing is the one that is inverted in the left-right direction.

A rear plate 28 is attached to the rear bent portion 8c of the door plate 8. A groove 28a is provided in a peripheral portion of the back plate 28, and a mounting portion 29a of the packing 29 is inserted into the groove 28a to
8 attached. An elastic magnetic body 29b is provided inside the packing 29, and when the door is closed, the packing 29 adheres to the front surface 31 of the main body opening portion such as the color steel cabinet 30 of the refrigerator main body 1 so that the outside air is closed. And is insulated. Reference numeral 2a denotes a heat insulating material of urethane foam which is integrally foamed by the refrigerator compartment door 2.

When the right side of the door is opened from the door closed state, the grip 7d of the handle 7 is gripped and pulled forward, and the handle 7 rotates clockwise about the rotation axis center 19c. The lower L-shaped bent portion 19a of the lower shaft 19 held by the lower handle 20 and the lower holding portion 20a of the lower handle 20 shown in FIG. Rotate.

Further, the cam lever 21 shown in FIG. 2 also rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft center 19c by the clockwise rotation of the lower shaft 19, and the front face 3 of the main body opening 3 is rotated.
The right side of the refrigerating compartment door 2 is separated from the front surface 31 of the opening of the main body by a predetermined distance until the contact portion 7e of the handle 7 hits the contact receiving portion 15c of the handle base 15 by pushing a lock-out cam 32 which will be described later. Is done.

At this time, the packing 29, mainly in the right direction, of the door that is in close contact with the magnetic force of the magnetic body 29b is slightly separated from the front surface 31 of the main body opening, so that it is easy to move in the left-right direction, and the door rotates. It also becomes easy to move to a second locking position, which will be freely locked, which will be described later. The packing 29
Is slightly away from the front face 31 of the main body opening, the outside air easily enters the storage, and the subsequent door opening requires less force than opening the door at the predetermined interval.

After that, when the handle 7 is further pulled forward, the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is further opened while the contact portion 7e of the handle 7 remains in contact with the contact receiving portion 15c.

When the grip 7d is released from the hand, the spring 2 fitted to the circular boss 7b on the lower upper surface of the handle 7 is released.
With the reaction force of 5, the handle 7 returns to the original positional relationship (the positional relationship shown in this figure) with respect to the handle base 15. For this purpose, one end 25a of the spring 25 is connected to the handle base 1
The other end 25b is pushed so as to push the engaging portion 7c on the lower upper surface of the handle 7 forward so as to push the back 5.

The handle 7 is a handle base 1
When returning to the original positional relationship with respect to the handle 5, the handle 7
Hits the steering wheel base 15 and a hitting sound is generated,
In order to soften the impact sound, it is preferable to provide a cushion 7f on at least one of the handle 7 and the handle base 15.

The vicinity of one end 25a of the spring 25 on the handle base 15 side is bent forward like a warp, and the spring 25 is fitted on the circular boss 7b. The handle 7 can be inserted from below the handle 20 from the right side of the door without being caught. In addition, the base cover 26 is attached to the handle base 15 by nail fitting.

The heat insulating material 2a of the refrigerator compartment door 2 has a low heat insulating property, and the handle support 13 and the handle base 15
When dew condensation occurs on the surface of the handle support 13, a heat conductive material (for example, aluminum foil) is applied from the heat insulating material 2a side (inside) to the heat insulating material 2a side of the handle support 13 at the door plate 8 near the handle support 13 in front of the door. It may be used as a measure to prevent sticking and condensation.

In addition, the front part of the handle support 13 and the handle base 15 is positioned so that the vicinity of the rising portion from the vicinity of the door plate 8 becomes substantially vertical or leftward with respect to the vicinity of the door plate 8. If the surface is left, it becomes easier to attach the heat conductive material.

In FIG. 5, this drawing shows B near the lower part 10 of the door cap in the closed state of the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 in FIG.
A cross-sectional view taken along line -B mainly shows the vicinity of the cam lever 21. The equivalent cross-sectional view near the lower left side door cap 10 is obtained by inverting this drawing in the left-right direction.

A cam lever 21 incorporated in a slide cam 22 from below is attached to the lower L-shaped bent portion 19b of the lower shaft 19 so as to surround it. Further, a circular boss 21a (see FIG. 2) provided below the cam lever 21 provided on the extension of the rotation shaft center 19c.
) Is rotatably fitted in a hole 22a (see FIG. 2) of the slide cam 22.

When the grip 7d of the handle 7 on the right side of the door shown in FIG. 4 is gripped and pulled forward, the lower shaft 19 rotates clockwise as viewed from above, about the rotation axis center 19c. Therefore, the cam lever 21 also rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft center 19c similarly to the lower shaft 19, and the cam lever 21 is in contact with the outer lock cam 32, which is the point of leverage of the cam lever 21, in front of the outer lock cam 32. And the contact portion 7e of the handle 7 shown in FIG.
The right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is separated from the main body opening front surface 31 by a predetermined distance and opened until it hits the hit receiving portion 15c.

The pushing surface 21b of the cam lever 21, which pushes the front of the unlocked cam 32, is
2 is pushed forward toward the center of the refrigerator compartment door 2, so that the front of the lock-out outer cam 32 is obliquely rightward (side of the door). As a reaction force, a force acts to move the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 rightward (to the side of the door) forward.

The opening of the door at a predetermined interval from the front face 31 of the main body opening with the outer cam 32, the cam lever 21, the lower shaft 19, and the handle 7 in FIG. 4 is based on the principle of leverage. Even if the handle 7 is pulled toward the user, the direction in which the force applied to the outer lock cam 32 is applied can be changed to a free direction to some extent, and it is possible to apply a force in the same direction as the door moving direction. The open resistance can be reduced.

This is because the outside lock cam 32
Similar effects can be obtained not only when applying a force but also when applying a force to other portions of the refrigerator main body 1.

Further, the pressing surface 21 of the cam lever 21
b from the portion in contact with the outer cam 32
Since the distance to 9c is shorter than the distance from the rotation axis center 19c in FIG. 4 to the center of the grip 7d of the handle 7, the force applied to the grip 7d is reduced to the respective length by the principle of leverage. The value becomes inversely proportional, and the outer lock cam 32 is pushed with a force stronger than the force applied to the grip 7d, so that the door opening force can be reduced.

Further, since the position of the cam lever 21 serving as the arm of the leverage point is below the refrigerator compartment door 2, the position of the cam lever 21 of the arm portion and the mating side can be determined by the weight of the refrigerator compartment door 2. Pressed in the vertical direction, the position of the arm portion and the mating side (for example, the lock-out cam 32) is stably held in the vertical direction, and the moving operation force by the lever is reliably transmitted to the portion where the opening resistance is applied, and further stable. Thus, a door opening / closing mechanism that performs the opening operation can be obtained.

In FIG. 6, (a) to (d) are views of the right side from the center of the hinge angle 33 which is attached to the main body opening front surface 31 of the refrigerator main body 1 with screws or the like below the refrigerator compartment door 2 from above. It is. FIG. 6A is a plan view showing one side of the hinge angle 33. FIG. Note that the left side from the center of the hinge angle 33 has a shape obtained by inverting FIG. 6A in the left-right direction. 6B to 6D are cross-sectional views taken along line AA, line BB, and line CC of FIG. 6A, respectively.
It is a line sectional view.

Since the weight of the door and the like are added below the refrigerator compartment door 2, the outer lock cam 32 is made of a metal (for example, a stainless steel plate) for reinforcement.
In addition, metal (for example, galvanized steel sheet: 3.2 m thick)
A hinge pin 34 made of metal (for example, a stainless steel bar) and an outer lock cam 32 are attached to the angle 33a of FIG.

The hinge pin 34 serves as a rotation axis for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment door 2. A hinge cover 33b is formed by insert molding, and a lock cam portion 36 including a second cam protrusion 35 described later is formed integrally with the hinge angle 33. Reference numeral 33c denotes a contact receiving portion, which restricts opening of the door when the door is opened.

The upper surface of the hinge pin 34 at the hinge angle 33 supports the corresponding surface of the slide cam 22 and floats other portions around the hinge pin 34, so that other movements of the door when the door is moved or the door is opened and closed can be performed. It serves to prevent friction and snagging of the parts, and much of the door opening resistance is also applied to the upper surface of the hinge pin 34.

Since the cam lever 21 shown in FIG. 5 pushes the front of the strong outer lock cam 32 when the door is opened, the cam lever 21 shown in FIG. 5 is easy to push in position, and additional members are provided or further reinforced. There is no need, the structure is simplified and the cost is low. In addition, since it is close to one hinge pin 34 that mainly applies the opening resistance during the door movement, the moving operation force due to the lever is transmitted to the vicinity of the part where the opening resistance is applied, and it is stable. Thus, a door opening / closing mechanism that performs the opening operation can be obtained.

In FIG. 7, (a) to (d) are attached to a hinge angle (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the refrigerator body 1 with screws or the like, and a slide cam (described later) on the upper right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is provided. FIG. 10 is a view showing a lock cam 37 of the lock cam portion corresponding to 40. FIG. 7A is a view showing the lock cam 37 as viewed from above, and the lock cam on the left has a shape obtained by inverting the drawing in the left-right direction.

FIGS. 7B to 7D respectively show FIGS.
It is the sectional view on the AA line, the sectional view on the BB line, and the sectional view on the CC line of (a). At one end of the lock cam 37, a through hole 38 into which the hinge pin 34 is inserted is provided. An arc-shaped second cam projection 35 is formed concentrically with the through hole 38.

In this structure, the cam lever 21 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 is located only below the door, and when the door is opened, the cam lever 21 pushes the lock-out outer cam 39 of the lock cam 37 above the door. Since the resin material (for example, polyacetal resin) is sufficient in strength, the through hole 38 of the lock cam 37 is made of resin at a position facing the outer lock cam 32 and in a similar shape.
A cam 39 outside the lock is integrally formed in the vicinity of the end different from the end. The outside lock cam 39 has a large engagement area with the other slide outside cam 43.
The engagement relationship is the same, and is longer than the cam 32 outside the lock.

8 (a) and 8 (b) show slide cams 40 serving as slide cams located on the right side above the refrigerator compartment door 2 corresponding to the lock cams 37 in FIG. 3 is a plan view and a front sectional view of FIG. The slide cam 40 has a first grooved cam 4 for guiding the engagement with the hinge pin 34 to be released from the first locking position.
1 and a second grooved cam 42 for guiding the hinge pin 34 from the first locking position to a second locking position in which the hinge pin 34 functions as a rotation axis.

The slide cam 40 is engaged with the slide outer cam 43 arranged to be engaged with the lock outer cam 39 of FIG. 7 at the second locking position with the second cam projection 35 of FIG. The first cam projection 44 is arranged so that

9A and 9B are views of the vicinity of the slide cam 22 on the lower right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 shown in FIG. It is. The slide cam 22 also has a first groove cam 41, a second groove cam 42, a slide outer cam 43, and a first cam protrusion 44, similarly to the slide cam 40 shown in FIG. The slide cam 22 is provided with an opening 45 through which the cam lever 21 pushes the outer lock cam 32 shown in FIG.

A circular boss 21a serving as a rotation axis of the cam lever 21 is rotatably fitted in a hole 22a of the slide cam 22. Reference numeral 46 denotes a stopper which serves as an opening stop when the refrigerator compartment door 2 is fully opened.
a in the contact receiving portion 33c provided in the hinge angle 33 in FIG.
When a hits, the door will not open any more.

Further, 47 is a roller assembly and is a refrigerator compartment door 2.
When the door is closed, it rides on the upper surface of the hinge angle 33 shown in FIG. 6, supports the load of the refrigerator compartment door 2, serves to keep the airtight state of the front opening 31 of the main body well, and assists the door opening / closing operation. ing. In addition, the slide cam 2
2. The stopper 46 and the roller assembly 47 are screwed to the reinforcing plate 23 via the lower door cap 10.

In FIG. 9B, the stopper 46,
The illustration of the roller assembly 47 and the door plate 8 is omitted because it becomes complicated.

In FIG. 10, (a) to (c) show the lock cam portion 3 of FIG. 6 when the lower right side of the refrigerator door 2 is opened.
FIG. 10 is a view showing a relative positional relationship between the slide cam 22 and the slide cam 22 of FIG. 9, wherein (a) is a view showing a closed state of the refrigerator compartment door 2, and a cam mechanism including a lock cam portion 36 and the slide cam 22 is a first mechanism.
It is in the locked position.

At this time, the first groove cams 41 provided on the left and right slide cams 22 are formed so as to face diagonally inward of the door, respectively. Even when the door and the grip 7d of the handle 7 are simultaneously pulled forward from both left and right sides, the door does not fall off the main body.

FIG. 7B shows a state in which the door 7 starts to open from the right side by grasping the grip 7d of the handle 7 on the right side of the door shown in FIG. 4 and pulling it slightly forward.

At this time, when the grip portion 7d is slightly pulled toward the user,
The cam lever 21 rotates clockwise about the rotation center 19c,
The pushing surface 21b of the cam lever 21 pushes the right front end of the outer cam 32 backward. Therefore, due to the reaction, the right wall surface of the first groove cam 41 on the right slide cam 22 becomes
It moves diagonally forward while hitting the hinge pin 34 of the right lock cam portion 36, and the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 moves diagonally right forward.

At the same time, the inner wall surface 42a of the second grooved cam 42 on the left slide cam 22 moves obliquely and rearward while hitting the hinge pin 34 of the left lock cam portion 36, and the left side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is inclined. Move right back.

(C) shows a state in which the grip 7d shown in FIG. 4 is further pulled forward, and the door is further opened from the right side. At this time, the right cam lever 21 further pushes the right front end of the outer lock cam 32 rearward, and the sliding surface 43a of the outer slide cam 43 on the right side of the door slides with the slide surface 32a of the outer lock cam 32. become.

Then, the first grooved cam 41 guided by the right hinge pin 34 further moves the door diagonally right forward,
The left side of the door is the wall surface 42a at the back of the left second groove cam 42.
Moves further obliquely and rearward while hitting the hinge pin 34 of the left lock cam portion 36, and the left side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 further moves obliquely rightward and rearward.

At this time, the contact portion 7 in FIG.
e pulls the grip portion 7d further forward, hits the contact receiving portion 15c of the handle base 15, and even if the grip portion 7d is further pulled further forward, the cam lever 21
Does not push the lock-out cam 32 any more, after which the handle 7 functions as a normal handle.

The pushing surface 21b of the cam lever 21, which pushes the front of the unlocked cam 32 on the right side of the door, is almost completely moved while the front of the unlocked cam 32 is being pushed.
As it goes to the center side of the, it becomes the position of the front. For this reason, the front of the lock-out cam 32 is pushed obliquely from the front right side, and as the reaction force, a force acts to move the right refrigerator compartment door 2 to the front right side.

This is because, in front of the cam 32 outside the lock,
It means that you are pushing in the direction opposite to the opening direction of the door. Then, the above-described force for moving the refrigerator compartment door 2 to the right front facilitates the movement of the first groove cam 41 on the right slide cam 22 along the outer periphery of the right hinge pin 34.

Also, the slide cam 22 on the left side of the door is simultaneously pulled to the right of the door by the movement of the pressing surface 21b, so that the left second grooved cam 42 can easily move along the outer periphery of the left hinge pin 34, The left slide cam 22 can easily take the second locking position.

Therefore, the pressing surface 2 of the cam lever 21
1b moves the refrigerator compartment door 2 to the second position.
It will work to move to the locking position, the door can be easily moved when the door is opened, and the door will move reliably,
A door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation can be obtained.

When the doors (a) to (c) are operated,
The pushing surface 21b of the left cam lever 21 is in such a degree that it contacts the left outside lock cam 32, and the left slide cam 22
The shape does not hinder the movement of. The relationship between the left pushing surface 21b and the unlocked cam 32 is maintained while the left pushing surface 21b approaches the left unlocked cam 32 when the door is opened and closed. At this time, the left pressing surface 21
If a slight gap is provided between the slide cam 22 and the lock-out cam 32, the push surface 2
There is no danger of an abnormal sound being generated due to the rubbing of the cam 1b and the outer lock cam 32.

FIGS. 11A to 11C show the relationship between the relative positions of the lock cam 36 and the slide cam 22 when the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 is further opened than in FIG. 10A shows a state in which the door is further pulled forward with the grip 7d shown in FIG. 10 in FIG. 10C and the right side of the door is further opened. At this time, the circular portion 42b of the second grooved cam 42 on the left side of the door is
4 and the slide cam 22 on the left is in the second position.
The lock position is reached.

Then, the first cam projection 44 on the left side starts engaging with the second cam projection 35, and the first cam projection 44 is slid and guided. Further, on the right side of the door, the sliding surface 43b of the outer cam 43 slides on an arc having the rotating surface 32b of the outer cam 32 and the hinge pin 34 on the left as a rotation axis.

Therefore, the left slide cam 22 is locked so as not to be disengaged from the left hinge pin 34, so that the door is prevented from dropping from the main body, and the door can be opened and closed reliably.

Further, when the door rotates, the inner side 41 of the right first grooved cam 41 is rotated about the left hinge pin 34 as a rotation axis.
The right side of a moves while being in contact with the hinge pin 34, and then the engagement between the right side hinge pin 34 and the first grooved cam 41 is released.

The inner portion 41 of the right first grooved cam 41
The engagement with the hinge pin 34 in FIG. 7A assists when the outer cam 43 or the outer lock cam 32 is broken or when the first cam projection 44 on the left side engages with the second cam projection 35.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the door is further opened from the right side with the grip 7d, the engagement between the outer lock cam 32 and the outer slide cam 43 of each right side cam mechanism is released. The engagement between the right lock cam portion 36 and the slide cam 22 is released.

On the left side of the door, the sliding surface 43c of the outer cam 43 is
And the sliding surface 32c of the outer cam 32 slides, and the outer cam 43 is slidably guided by the outer cam 32.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11C,
Only by the engagement of the left first cam projection 44 and the second cam projection 35, the left slide cam 22 is
, And the door is opened around the axis center of the left hinge pin 34 as the center of rotation.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show the slide cam 22 and the lock cam portion of the refrigerator compartment door 2 when the right side of the door is opened by holding the grip 7d of the handle 7 on the right side of the door shown in FIG. 36 shows the relationship of the refrigerator compartment door 2
The same applies to the relationship between the lock cam 37 and the slide cam 40 above.

In order to close the right side of the opened door from the state shown in FIG. 11C, it is preferable to push the vicinity of the right end of the front of the door by hand. 10 and 11 are the same as those in FIGS. 10 and 11, and since the grip 7d of the handle 7 is not pulled toward the user, only the cam lever 21 is moved by the reaction force of the spring 25 in FIG.
0 (a).

When the left side of the door is opened, as shown in FIG.
0 and FIG. 11 are inverted in the left-right direction.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB near the lower part 10 of the door cap in a closed state of the right side of the refrigerator compartment door 2 in FIG. FIG. The equivalent cross-sectional view near the lower left side door cap 10 is obtained by inverting this drawing in the left-right direction.

A cam lever 50, which is an arm incorporated in a slide cam 49 as a slide cam, is attached to an L-shaped bent portion 48b below the lower shaft 48 corresponding to the lower shaft 19 so as to surround the same. Have been. The slide cam 49 and the cam lever 50 have the same structure except that the rotation shaft center 48c of the lower shaft 48 is located behind the front end of the outer lock cam 32.

The pushing surface 50b of the cam lever 50 pushing the front of the unlocked cam 32 is
Most of the time when the front of the lock outer cam 32 is pressed, the rotation shaft center 48c serving as a lever of the lower shaft 48 is located rearward of the front end of the lock outer cam 32. The front of the door 32 is pushed obliquely from the right side (side of the door) from the front, and as a reaction force, a force acts to move the refrigerator compartment door 2 to the right (side of the door).

[0095] Therefore, since a part of the moving operation force of the cam lever 50, which is the lever arm, acts to move the door to the second locking position, the door can be easily moved when the door is opened. The door can be reliably moved, and a door opening / closing mechanism with a favorable door opening operation can be obtained.

Although the urethane foam is used as the heat insulating material 2a in the above, another foam heat insulating material may be used, or a heat insulating material such as glass wool may be used. Further, although the above is a case where the cam lever which is the lever arm is provided only below the door, it is apparent that the operation of the door is further improved if a cam lever is provided at the corresponding position above the door. .

[0097] Although the above description has been made with respect to the left and right doors of the refrigerator, the same effects can be obtained with other doors. A similar effect can be obtained even if it is on the lower surface.

[0098] The left-right direction means the left-right direction when the refrigerator is viewed from the front, and the front-rear direction means the front-back direction when the refrigerator is viewed from the front. Also, in this drawing, hatching is omitted for portions showing a thin cross section such as a plate thickness.

[0099]

Since the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention is constructed as described above, the door is moved by the lever-type means. The opening means can be softened, the door opening force can be reduced, the door can be moved reliably, and a door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation can be obtained.

Further, since the door is moved by the lever-type means, the opening resistance in the door movement at the time of opening and closing the door by the cam mechanism having the outer cam and the outer lock is reduced by the lever-type means. The opening force can be reduced, the door can be moved with certainty, and a door opening / closing mechanism with good door opening operation can be obtained.

Since the lever in front of the outer lock cam, which requires strength, is used as a leverage point, it is easy to push, and there is no need to reinforce other parts, so that the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced. Since the door is close to one side where the opening resistance is exerted by the movement of the door, the moving operation force by the lever is reliably transmitted to the vicinity of the portion where the opening resistance is applied, and a door opening / closing mechanism that performs a stable opening operation is obtained.

Further, since the cam lever, which is the lever, pushes the outer lock cam in a direction close to the direction opposite to the opening of the door and acts to move the door to the second locking position, the door is opened when the door is opened. The door can be moved more easily and the door can be moved more reliably, so that a door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation can be obtained.

Further, when the door is opened by the lever-type means, and at least one time when the cam lever as the arm pushes the cam outside the lock, the portion serving as the action point of the arm and the vicinity thereof become closer to the center of the door. Since the door is in the forward position, a part of the moving operation force of the arm acts to move the door to the second locking position, so that the door can be moved more easily when the door is opened, and the door can be securely moved. As a result, a door opening / closing mechanism with a good door opening operation can be obtained.

Furthermore, when the door is opened by the lever-type means, at least one time when the cam lever which is the lever pushes the cam outside the lock, the portion serving as the fulcrum of the arm is located behind the front end of the cam outside the lock. Therefore, since the partial force of the moving operation force by the arm works to move the door to the second locking position, the door can be moved more easily when the door is opened, and the door can be surely moved. Thus, a door opening / closing mechanism having a favorable door opening operation can be obtained.

Further, since the position of the cam lever, which is the arm serving as the lever, is located below the door, the weight of the door causes the position of the arm and the mating side to be pressed down in the vertical direction. The position of the other party is stably held in the up-down direction, the moving force of the lever is reliably transmitted to the portion to which the opening resistance is applied, and the door opening / closing mechanism that achieves a more stable opening operation is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator provided with a door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a handle by the lever type means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the handle support and the handle base of FIG. 2 as viewed from below.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a hinge angle below a door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a lock cam above a door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a slide cam above a door in the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of the lower side of the door near the slide cam of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing the operation of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing another embodiment of the door opening / closing mechanism of the present invention, and is a view corresponding to a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Refrigerator compartment door (door) 7d Handle (lever force) 19c Center of rotation axis (lever fulcrum) 21 Cam lever (arm) 22 Slide cam (slide cam) 36 Lock cam 37 Lock cam (lock cam) 40 Slide cam (Slide cam part) 48c Center of rotation shaft (lever fulcrum) 49 Slide cam (slide cam part) 50 Cam lever (arm)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Yoshimura 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term (reference) 3L102 JA01 KA04 KB25

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cam mechanism for engaging and disengaging a door and a main body is provided on both sides of a door, and the cam mechanism can have symmetrical first and second locking positions on both sides of the door. In the closed state of the door, the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locking position, and when one of the two sides of the door is opened, the door moves to the door opening side by a predetermined distance to change the second locking position. The door opening and closing mechanism is rotatably locked at the second locking position, and the door is moved by a lever-type means provided on the door to be separated by a predetermined distance when the door is opened. 2. A cam mechanism for engaging and disengaging the door and the main body is provided on both sides of the door, and the cam mechanism may have symmetrical first and second locking positions on both sides of the door. In the closed state of the door, the cam mechanisms on both sides take the first locking position, and when one of the two sides of the door is opened, the door moves to the door opening side by a predetermined distance to change the second locking position. The cam mechanism has a lock cam portion and a slide cam portion, the slide cam portion has an outer slide cam, and the lock cam portion has the slide outer portion. A door opening / closing mechanism having an outer lock cam arranged so as to engage with the cam, wherein the door is moved by a lever type means provided on the door to open the door and is separated by a predetermined distance. 3. The slide cam portion is provided on a door side, the lock cam portion is provided on a main body side, and a portion serving as an action point of the lever pushes the front of the cam outside the lock at least one time when the door is opened. The door opening / closing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein 4. The position of the leverage fulcrum is provided closer to the center of the door than the position of the leverage force, and the position of the leverage is provided closer to the center of the door than the position of the leverage fulcrum. At least one time when the lever is pushing the front of the unlocked cam when the door is opened by leverage means, at least one time, the direction opposite to the opening of the door. 4. The door opening / closing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the door is pushed in a direction close to the door. 5. The position of the lever is provided at the center of the door relative to the position of the lever, and the position of the lever is provided at the center of the door relative to the position of the lever. At least one time when the arm is pushing the front of the lock-out cam when the door is opened by leverage means, at least one time, the action point of the arm 4. The door opening / closing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the portion and the vicinity thereof are located at a front position as approaching the center of the door. 6. The position of the lever is provided at a position closer to the center of the door than the position of the lever, and the position of the lever is provided at a position closer to the center of the door than the position of the lever. At least a portion serving as a fulcrum and an action point of the lever is formed as an integral arm, and becomes a fulcrum of the arm at least one time when the arm is pushing forward of the lock-out cam when the door is opened by leverage means. 4. The door opening and closing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the portion is located rearward of a front end of the outer cam. 7. The position where the door is rotatably locked when the door is opened and closed is on the left and right sides of the door, and at least a portion serving as a fulcrum and an operation point is an integral arm, and the arm is located below the door. The door opening and closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein