CN106568285B - Door seals and refrigerators for refrigerators - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a door seal for a refrigerator and a refrigerator. The door seal includes: a rubber strip body, a mounting seat and a support column. The inside of the rubber strip body defines a sealing airbag extending along its length direction, the rubber strip body is also provided with an expansion head protruding from one side of the rubber strip body, and the inner space of the expansion head is communicated with the sealing airbag. The sealing bladder is configured to be inflated or released with gas to adjust the size of the inflation head. The door seal of the present invention can be installed on the door of the refrigerator. When the door is closed by the user, the expansion head can enter the groove preset on the refrigerator box due to the support of the support column. By controlling the inflation and deflation of the airbag, the inflation size of the inflation head can be adjusted. When the expansion head expands, the pressure of the airbag wall of the expansion head and the inner side wall of the groove increases, and the friction force increases at the same time, so that the door seal tightens the door body and the box body, eliminates the gap between the door body and the box body, and improves the the insulation effect of the refrigerator.

Description

Door seals and refrigerators for refrigerators

technical field

The invention relates to the field of refrigerators, in particular to a door seal for refrigerators and a refrigerator.

Background technique

The door seals used in the refrigerators currently on the market generally attract the box body through a magnetic strip. However, after the refrigerator is used for a long time, a gap will appear between the door seal and the box due to the weakening of the magnetic stripe or the deformation of the door seal. Once the door body is not tightly sealed, it will lead to the leakage of cold air inside the refrigerator, which affects the refrigeration of the refrigerator and the preservation of food. At the same time, the leakage of cold air increases the burden on the refrigeration system of the refrigerator and wastes electricity.

In addition, during the closing process of the existing refrigerator, the door seal will be compressed, and the air in the air bag may gradually leak, which may eventually cause the door seal body made of PVC or TPE and the magnetic strip to be squeezed together to form a structure close to solid. The door seal has changed from the air thermal conductivity in the ideal state to the solid thermal conductivity composed of PVC or TPE door seals and magnetic strips, and the thermal conductivity has increased several times or even ten times. Seriously reduce the thermal insulation effect of the door seal, affecting the refrigeration and food preservation of the refrigerator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above problems, the present invention is proposed to provide a door seal for a refrigerator and a refrigerator that overcome the above problems or at least partially solve the above problems.

A further object of the present invention is to improve the thermal insulation effect of the refrigerator.

Another further object of the present invention is to facilitate rapid expansion or reduction of the volume of the expansion head.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a door seal for a refrigerator, comprising: a rubber strip body, the interior of which defines a sealing airbag extending along its length direction; an expansion head, which protrudes from one side surface of the rubber strip body , its inner space is communicated with the sealing airbag, and the side is one side extending along the length direction of the rubber strip body; the mounting seat is arranged on the other side of the rubber strip body relative to the expansion head; and the support column is arranged on the sealing airbag Inside, one end is connected to the mounting seat, and the other end extends into the space of the expansion head to support the expansion head; wherein, the airtight airbag is configured to be inflated or released gas to adjust the size of the expansion head.

Optionally, the end of the expansion head away from the mounting seat also has a circular surface structure, and the diameter of the circular surface structure is larger than the width of other parts of the expansion head.

Optionally, one end of the support column extending into the space of the expansion head has two bifurcations, and the ends of the two bifurcations abut against the airbag wall of the circular structure.

Optionally, the two bifurcations are made of a material with a certain deformability, and the free ends thereof are both disposed toward the rubber strip body.

Optionally, the thickness of the airbag wall of the expansion head is smaller than the thickness of the airbag wall of the rubber strip body.

Optionally, the expansion head, the support column and the mounting seat all extend along the length direction of the rubber strip body.

Optionally, the rubber strip body has four sides along its length direction, wherein two opposite and flat sides are respectively provided with an expansion head and a mounting seat, and the other two sides have a plurality of folds.

Optionally, the above-mentioned door seal also includes: one or more sealing sheets, which are arranged on both edges of the side of the rubber strip body on which the expansion head is arranged in the width direction, and extend along the plane where the side is located; and one or A plurality of engaging pieces are arranged at the connection between the mounting seat and the rubber strip body, and extend within the range of the included angle formed by the mounting seat and the rubber strip body.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a refrigerator, comprising: a box body, a groove is provided on the peripheral edge of the box body facing the door body; the door body is openably and closably arranged on the outside of the box body, The part corresponding to the groove of the box body is provided with an installation groove; the above door seal, the door seal is arranged along the surrounding edge of the door body toward the box body side, and the installation seat is inserted into the installation groove to fix the installation of the door seal; when the door body is closed When the door seal is opened, the expansion head of the door seal extends into the groove; the door body detection device is configured to generate an opening signal or a door closing signal; The air bag is inflated or deflated; the air pump is also electrically connected to the door body detection device, and is configured to deflate the air bag after receiving the door opening signal, so that the volume of the expansion head is smaller than the volume of the groove, and the door seal is separated from the box After receiving the door closing signal, inflate the sealing air bag to increase the volume of the expansion head and make the air bag wall of the expansion head abut against the inner surface of the groove, so that the door seal tightens the door body and the box body.

Optionally, the top surface of the door body is provided with a concave cavity extending along the width direction of the door body, and the air pump is disposed in the concave cavity.

Optionally, the door body detection device includes: a first detection device, arranged at the handle of the door body, configured to generate a door opening signal when sensing that the door body is being held; a second detection device, arranged on the door body The edge on the open side or the edge on the open side of the box facing the door is configured to generate a door closing signal when it is sensed that the door is in contact with the box.

The invention provides a door seal, comprising: a rubber strip body, a mounting seat and a support column. The inside of the rubber strip body defines a sealing airbag extending along its length direction, and the rubber strip body is also provided with an expansion head extending out of one side thereof, the inner space of the expansion head is communicated with the sealing airbag, and the side is along the length direction of the rubber strip body. one side of the extension. The support column is arranged inside the airtight airbag, one end of which is connected to the mounting seat, and the other end extends into the space of the expansion head for supporting the expansion head. The sealing bladder is configured to be inflated or released with gas to adjust the size of the inflation head. The door seal of the present invention can be installed on the door of the refrigerator. When the door is closed by the user, the expansion head can enter the groove preset on the refrigerator box due to the support of the support column. By controlling the inflation and deflation of the airbag, the inflation size of the inflation head can be adjusted. When the expansion head expands, the pressure of the airbag wall of the expansion head and the inner side wall of the groove increases, and at the same time the friction force increases, so that the door seal tightens the door body and the box body, eliminating the gap between the door body and the box body; when When the expansion head shrinks, the airbag wall of the expansion head is separated from the inner side wall of the groove, and the expansion head can be pulled out from the groove, so that the door body leaves the box body. The invention makes the refrigerator door body seal more firmly by inflating the expansion head, and meanwhile, the gap between the refrigerator door body and the box body is completely sealed and filled by the door seal, thereby improving the heat preservation effect of the refrigerator.

In addition, the thermal insulation properties of air are much stronger than the plastic materials used to make door seals. When the door of the refrigerator of the present invention is closed, air is filled into the airbag, so that the air in the air seal is sufficient, the heat insulation performance of the door seal is increased, and the heat preservation effect of the refrigerator is further improved.

Further, the thickness of the airbag wall of the expansion head of the present invention is smaller than the thickness of the airbag wall of the rubber strip body. The airbag wall of the main body part of the rubber strip body can withstand the air pressure greater than that of the airbag wall of the inflation head. When the air-tight air bag is inflated, the volume of the air-tight air bag does not change greatly, but the volume of the expansion head rapidly expands. Therefore, the door seal of the present invention does not need to be inflated for a long time, and the volume of the expansion head will increase rapidly. At the same time, since the inflation head can be inflated at a relatively low air pressure, the power of the device for inflating the airbag does not need to be too large, thereby saving time and energy.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by way of example and not limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in the figures designate the same or similar parts or parts. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In the attached picture:

1 is a schematic diagram of a cross-section of a door seal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic diagram of a door seal installed on a refrigerator door body according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a door seal installed on a refrigerator door body according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a structural block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a side view of a door body of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

6 is a top view of a door body of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

This embodiment first provides a door seal 100 for a refrigerator. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cross-section of the door seal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes: a rubber strip body 110 , an expansion head 120 , and a mounting seat 130 and support column 140.

The rubber strip body 110 defines a sealing airbag 111 extending along its length direction. The cross section of the rubber strip body 110 is approximately rectangular, that is, the rubber strip body 110 has four sides extending along its length direction. The above-mentioned four sides include two sides with relatively large areas and flat and two sides with relatively small areas and having a plurality of folds 150 . The surface of the rubber strip body 110 also has an expansion head 120 protruding from one of the side surfaces, and the inner space of the expansion head 120 is communicated with the sealing air bag 111 . In this embodiment, the side surface provided with the expansion head 120 may be a relatively large and flat side surface. The expansion head 120 may be disposed in the middle of the side surface and may extend in a direction perpendicular to the side surface.

In this embodiment, the end of the expansion head 120 away from the mounting seat 130 also has a circular surface structure 121 , and the diameter of the circular surface structure 121 is larger than the width of other parts of the expansion head 120 . That is to say, when the expansion head 120 is filled with gas, its free end has a circular protrusion.

The mounting seat 130 is disposed on the other side of the rubber strip body 110 relative to the expansion head 120 . That is to say, the mounting seat 130 is disposed on another relatively large and flat side surface of the rubber strip body 110 . In this embodiment, the mounting seat 130 may also be preferably disposed opposite to the position of the expansion head 120 . The above-mentioned mounting seat 130 may also be in the shape of an arrow, and its function is to be inserted into the mounting groove of the refrigerator door body to fix the door seal 100 .

The support column 140 is disposed inside the airtight airbag 111 , one end of which is connected to the mounting seat 130 , and the other end extends into the space of the expansion head 120 for supporting the expansion head 120 . In the present embodiment, the mounting seat 130 and the expansion head 120 are in the opposite position, the support column 140 is perpendicular to the two sides of the rubber strip body 110 with relatively large areas, one end of which is connected to the bottom of the mounting seat 130, and the other end extends into the space of the expansion head 120 . The support column 140 is preferably made of a material with a certain hardness, which can support the expansion head 120 . One end of the support column 140 extending into the space of the expansion head 120 may also have two bifurcations 141 . The above-mentioned two forks 141 are made of a material with a certain deformability, and their free ends are both disposed toward the rubber strip body 110, so that the ends of the support columns 140 are formed in an arrow shape, so that the expansion head 120 can be inserted into the groove of the refrigerator. within the structure.

The door seal 100 described above also includes one or more sealing sheets 160 and one or more engaging members 170 . The sealing sheet 160 is disposed on the two edges of the side surface of the rubber strip body 110 with the expansion head 120 in the width direction thereof, and extends along the plane where the side surface is located. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned sealing sheets 160 are preferably two, which are respectively disposed on the left and right edges of the side of the rubber strip body 110 . The above-mentioned sealing sheets 160 can be used to abut against the refrigerator box to improve the thermal insulation effect of the door seal 100 . The engaging piece 170 is disposed at the connection between the mounting seat 130 and the rubber strip body 110 , and extends within the included angle formed by the mounting seat 130 and the rubber strip body 110 . In this embodiment, there are preferably two engaging pieces 170 , one on each of the left and right sides of the mounting seat 130 . When the door seal 100 is installed on the door body, the engaging piece 170 can be tightly pressed on the door body, so that the position of the installation seat 130 on the door body of the refrigerator can be more stable.

It should be noted that FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the door seal 100 , and the door seal 100 has a certain length, so the expansion head 120 , the support column 140 and the mounting seat 130 can all be along the length of the rubber strip body 110 . direction extension.

The sealing bladder 111 is configured to be inflated or released with gas to adjust the size of the inflation head 120 . According to the foregoing, the sealing airbag 111 is connected to the inner space of the expansion head 120 , and therefore, the volume of the expansion head 120 can be increased during the process of inflating the sealing airbag 111 . In this embodiment, the thickness of the airbag wall of the expansion head 120 is smaller than the thickness of the airbag wall of the rubber strip body 110 . Therefore, the airbag wall of the main body portion of the rubber strip body 110 can withstand the air pressure greater than that of the airbag wall of the inflation head 120 . When the sealing airbag 111 is inflated, the volume of the sealing airbag 111 will not change greatly, but the volume of the expansion head 120 will rapidly expand. Preferably, the airbag wall of the circular surface structure 121 of the expansion head 120 may be further thinner than the airbag walls of other parts of the expansion head 120, so that the circular surface structure 121 of the expansion head 120 can be expanded more rapidly.

This embodiment also provides a refrigerator, which includes: a box body 200 , a door body 300 , the above-mentioned door seal 100 , a door body detection device 400 and an air pump 500 , FIG. 2 is a door seal according to an embodiment of the present invention Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the door seal 100 installed on the refrigerator door 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a structural block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention 5 is a side view of a door body 300 of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 6 is a top view of a door body 300 of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3 , grooves 210 are provided on the peripheral edge of the box body 200 facing the door body 300 , and the grooves 210 can be used to accommodate the expansion head 120 of the door seal 100 . In this embodiment, the shape of the groove 210 matches the shape of the expansion head 120 . The bottom of the groove 210 is also provided with a circular groove with a larger accommodating space to match the circular surface structure 121 for accommodating the expansion head 120 .

The door body 300 is openably and closably disposed outside the box body 200 , and a portion of the door body 300 corresponding to the groove 210 of the box body 200 is provided with an installation groove 310 . The above-mentioned installation groove 310 is used for installing the door seal 100 . Those skilled in the art can understand that the grooves 210 and the installation grooves 310 can both extend along the peripheral edge of the box body 200 or the door body 300 in order to be used with the door seal 100 .

The door seal 100 is disposed along the peripheral edge of the door body 300 facing the box body 200 , that is, the door seal 100 is installed at the contact portion of the door body 300 and the box body 200 . The mounting seat 130 is inserted into the mounting groove 310 to fix and install the door seal 100 , and the engaging piece 170 is tightly pressed on the door body, so that the position of the mounting seat 130 on the door body of the refrigerator is more stable. When the door body 300 is closed, the expansion head 120 of the door seal 100 extends into the groove 210 , and at the same time, the sealing sheet 160 abuts against the refrigerator box 200 to improve the thermal insulation effect of the door seal 100 . The other two sides of the door seal 100 with relatively small areas are provided with a plurality of folds 150 for buffering the impact force when the door body 300 is closed.

The door detection device 400 is used to generate a door opening signal or a door closing signal. The above door detection device 400 includes: a first detection device 410 and a second detection device 420 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the first detection device 410 is disposed at the handle of the door body 300 and is configured to generate a door opening signal when sensing that the door body 300 is being held. In this embodiment, the handle of the refrigerator is a recess provided on the edge of the opening side of the refrigerator door 300, and the first detection device 410 may be a sensor provided on the inner side of the recess. The door opening signal indicates that the door body 300 is about to be opened. The second detection device 420 is disposed on the edge of the open side of the door body 300 or on the edge of the open side of the box body 200 facing the door body 300 , and is configured to detect when the door and the box body 200 are in contact with each other. Generates a door close signal. The second detection device 420 can also be a sensor. When the door body 300 is completely closed, the second detection device 420 sends a door closing signal.

The air pump 500 is arranged on the door body 300 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the top surface of the door body 300 is provided with a cavity 310 extending along the width direction of the door body 300 , and the air pump 500 is arranged in the cavity 310 . The air pump 500 is connected to the inside of the sealing air bag 111 through a pipeline, and is used to inflate or deflate the air sealing air bag 111 . The rubber strip body 110 is provided with an air delivery port, and the air pump 500 is connected to the air delivery port through a pipeline for inflating or deflating the airbag 111 .

The air pump 500 is a micro air pump, and the power can be between 2W and 6W. The air pump 500 is also electrically connected to the door body detection device 400 for receiving the door opening signal or the door closing signal of the door body detection device 400 . After receiving the door opening signal, the air pump 500 deflates the air-tight air bag 111 to shrink the inflation head 120 . When the volume of the expansion head 120 is smaller than the volume of the groove 210 , the expansion head 120 can be pulled out of the groove 210 , so that the door seal 100 is separated from the box body 200 .

After receiving the door closing signal, the air pump 500 inflates the sealing airbag 111 to increase the volume of the inflation head 120 and make the airbag wall of the inflation head 120 abut against the inner surface of the groove 210 . The pressure on the airbag wall surface of the expansion head 120 and the inner wall surface of the groove 210 increases and the friction force increases, so that the door seal 100 tightens the door body 300 and the box body 200 . Preferably, in this embodiment, the end of the expansion head 120 has a circular surface structure 121 , and the bottom of the groove 210 is provided with a circular groove for accommodating the circular surface structure 121 . When the expansion head 120 is filled with air, the circular surface structure 121 expands in the circular groove, which further strengthens the connection strength between the door seal 100 and the box body 200 , making it more difficult to separate the door body 300 and the box body 200 .

This embodiment provides a door seal 100 , which includes a rubber strip body 110 , a mounting seat 130 and a support column 140 . The rubber strip body 110 is internally defined with a sealing airbag 111 extending along its length direction. The rubber strip body 110 also has an expansion head 120 protruding from one side of the rubber strip body 110 . One side surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the body 110 . The support column 140 is disposed inside the air-tight airbag 111 , one end of which is connected to the mounting seat 130 , and the other end extends into the space of the expansion head 120 for supporting the expansion head 120 . The sealing bladder 111 is configured to be inflated or released with gas to adjust the size of the inflation head 120 . The door seal 100 of this embodiment can be installed on the refrigerator door body 300 . When the door body 300 is closed by the user, the expansion head 120 can enter the groove 210 preset on the refrigerator box body 200 due to the support of the support column 140 . The inflation size of the inflation head 120 is adjusted by controlling the inflation and deflation of the airbag 111 . When the expansion head 120 expands, the pressure of the airbag wall of the expansion head 120 and the inner wall of the groove 210 increases, and at the same time the friction force increases, so that the door seal 100 tightens the door body 300 and the box body 200; when the expansion head 120 shrinks , the airbag wall of the expansion head 120 is separated from the inner side wall of the groove 210 , and the expansion head 120 can be pulled out from the groove 210 , so that the door body 300 leaves the box body 200 . In this embodiment, by inflating the expansion head 120, the refrigerator door 300 is sealed more firmly, and the gap between the refrigerator door 300 and the box 200 is completely sealed and filled by the door seal 100, which improves the heat preservation effect of the refrigerator.

In addition, the thermal insulation performance of the air is much stronger than that of the plastic material used for making the door seal 100 . In the refrigerator of the present invention, when the door body 300 is closed, air is filled into the sealing airbag 111, so that the air in the air seal 100 is sufficient, the heat insulation performance of the door seal 100 is increased, and the heat preservation effect of the refrigerator is further improved.

Further, the thickness of the airbag wall of the expansion head 120 in this embodiment is smaller than the thickness of the airbag wall of the rubber strip body 110 . The airbag wall of the main body portion of the rubber strip body 110 can withstand the air pressure greater than that of the airbag wall of the inflation head 120 . When the sealing airbag 111 is inflated, the volume of the sealing airbag 111 will not change greatly, but the volume of the expansion head 120 will rapidly expand. Therefore, the door seal 100 of this embodiment does not need to be inflated for a long time, and the volume of the expansion head 120 will increase rapidly. At the same time, since the inflation head 120 can be inflated at a relatively low air pressure, the power of the device for inflating the airbag 111 does not need to be too large, thereby saving time and energy.

By now, those skilled in the art will recognize that although various exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, the present invention may still be implemented in accordance with the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The content directly determines or derives many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims (11)

1. A door seal for a refrigerator, the box body of the refrigerator is provided with a groove on the peripheral edge of the side of the door body of the refrigerator, and the door seal is facing the side of the box body along the door body. All around edge settings for , including: The rubber strip body defines a sealing airbag extending along its length direction in its interior; The expansion head protrudes from one side surface of the rubber strip body and is used to extend into the groove, the inner space of which is communicated with the sealing airbag, and the side surface extends along the length direction of the rubber strip body a side; a mounting seat, arranged on the other side of the rubber strip body relative to the expansion head; and A support column is arranged inside the airtight airbag, one end of which is connected to the mounting seat, and the other end extends into the space of the expansion head for supporting the expansion head; wherein The sealing bladder is configured to be inflated or deflated to adjust the size of the inflation head. 2. The door seal of claim 1, wherein The end of the expansion head away from the mounting seat also has a circular surface structure, and the diameter of the circular surface structure is larger than the width of other parts of the expansion head. 3. The door seal of claim 2, wherein One end of the support column extending into the space of the expansion head has two bifurcations, and the ends of the two bifurcations abut against the airbag wall of the circular structure. 4. The door seal of claim 3, wherein The two bifurcations are made of a material with a certain deformability, and the free ends thereof are both disposed toward the rubber strip body. 5. The door seal of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The thickness of the airbag wall of the expansion head is smaller than the thickness of the airbag wall of the rubber strip body. 6. The door seal of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The expansion head, the support column and the mounting seat all extend along the length direction of the rubber strip body. 7. The door seal of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The rubber strip body has four sides along its length direction, two opposite and flat sides are respectively provided with the expansion head and the mounting seat, and the other two sides have a plurality of folds. 8. The door seal of any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: One or more sealing sheets are arranged on the two edges of the side of the rubber strip body on which the expansion head is arranged in the width direction thereof, and extend along the plane where the side is located; and One or more engaging pieces are arranged at the connection between the mounting seat and the rubber strip body, and extend within the range of the included angle formed by the mounting seat and the rubber strip body. 9. A refrigerator comprising: box; a door body, which can be opened and closed on the outside of the box body, and the part corresponding to the groove of the box body is provided with a mounting groove; The door seal according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the installation seat is inserted into the installation groove to fixedly install the door seal; a door body detection device is configured to generate an opening signal or a door closing signal; and an air pump, arranged on the door body, connected to the inside of the airtight airbag through a pipeline, and used for inflating or deflating the airtight airbag; wherein The air pump is also electrically connected to the door body detection device, and is configured to deflate the airtight air bag after receiving the door opening signal, so that the volume of the expansion head is smaller than the volume of the groove , the door seal is separated from the box body; after receiving the door closing signal, the airbag is inflated to increase the volume of the expansion head and make the airbag wall of the expansion head abut against the concave The inner surface of the groove makes the door seal tighten the door body and the box body. 10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein The top surface of the door body is provided with a concave cavity extending along the width direction of the door body, and the air pump is disposed in the concave cavity. 11. The refrigerator according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the door detection device comprises: a first detection device, disposed at the handle of the door body, configured to generate the door opening signal when sensing that the door body is being held; The second detection device is arranged on the edge of the open side of the door body or on the edge of the open side of the box body facing the door body, and is configured to detect when the door body and the door body are detected. When the box body touches, the door closing signal is generated.