KR100597679B1 - Refrigerator Door Support - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a door support device for a refrigerator, and more particularly to a door support device for a refrigerator to support the lower end of the door for opening and closing the storage compartment to prevent the door from sagging.

In the door support device according to the present invention, a support bracket for rotatably supporting the rotating member is fixed to the lower front side of the main body, and the upper end of the rotating member protrudes upward so that the rotating member can be rotated to be caught by the lower end of the door. When the rotating member is rotated and its height is increased to provide a support surface for supporting the lower end of the door, and when the locking surface of the rotating member is caught by the door and rotated, the supporting surface rotates closely to the lower end of the door to support the door. Since the vertical displacement width of the support surface is always kept constant, the lower end of the door is stably supported to prevent the door from sagging, and the same door support effect can be obtained even after long-term use.

Description

Door support device for refrigerators {DOOR SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATOR}

1A and 1B are side views illustrating the operation of a door support apparatus for a conventional refrigerator.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of the refrigerator to which the present invention is applied.

3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a door support apparatus for a refrigerator according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of each part of the refrigerator door support apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 3, illustrating a state in which the door is opened.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 3, showing a state in which the door is closed.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 3, illustrating another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: main body, 11: storage room,

12: door, 20: door support,

21: support bracket, 22: receiving space,

23: fixing part, 24: fixing bolt,

26: shaft coupling hole, 27: spring support,

28: rotating shaft, 30: rotating member,

31: through hole, 33: locking surface,

34: support surface, 36,37: return spring.

The present invention relates to a door support device for a refrigerator, and more particularly to a door support device for a refrigerator to support the lower end of the door for opening and closing the storage compartment to prevent the door from sagging.

In general, the refrigerator is a home appliance that is installed inside the refrigeration cycle to supply the cold air generated therein to the storage compartment to maintain the freshness of various foods for a long time. In the refrigerator, a storage compartment having an open front surface is formed inside the main body, and a door for opening and closing the storage compartment is installed at the front surface of the main body. At this time, the general refrigerator door is hinged to the upper and lower ends of the main body, the other side is rotated and opened around the combined one side.

However, the refrigerator door has a problem that the door sag due to the weight of the door when one side is hinged to the main body and used for a long time. Therefore, some conventional refrigerators are provided with a door supporting device for supporting the lower end of the door to prevent the door from sagging.

Korean Patent Application Publication No. 91-4708 discloses such a door support device, which is provided with a pedestal (2) fixed to the lower front of the main body (1), as shown in Figure 1a and 1b, The hinge portion 2a of the pedestal 2 is provided with a curved elastic portion 4 which is pivotally coupled via the hinge pin 3. In addition, a spring 6 is coupled to the hinge coupling portion of the elastic portion 4 so that the elastic portion 4 can support the lower end of the door 5 with the usual upward restoring force, and the upper surface of the elastic portion 4 The roller 7 is provided with the roller 7 which rotates in contact with the lower end of the door 5.

In the conventional door support apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the door 5 is opened, the elastic part 4 is rotated upward by the elasticity of the spring 6 to maintain a raised state. When the door 5 is closed, as shown in FIG. 1B, the elastic part 4 maintains the pressed state at the lower end of the door 5. At this time, since the elastic part 4 has a force to be restored upward by the elasticity of the spring 6, sagging of the door 5 is prevented. That is, in the conventional door support device, the door 5 is supported by the elasticity of the spring 6.

However, in the conventional door support apparatus for a refrigerator configured as described above, when the number of opening and closing of the door 5 increases due to the use of the refrigerator for a long time, the elasticity of the spring 6 that imparts a restoring force to the elastic portion 4 is weakened, thereby exerting a function. There was a problem not to do. That is, in the conventional door support device, sagging of the elastic part 4 occurs due to the weakening of the spring 6, and thus, there is a problem in that the sagging of the door cannot be prevented.

In addition, in the conventional door support apparatus, when an impact or vibration occurs in the process of moving the refrigerator main body 1, the door 5 is shaken by this shock, and the elastic part 4 also has the door 5 There was a problem that can not move stably together to support the door (5).

 The present invention is to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to ensure that the vertical displacement width of the support for supporting the lower end of the door can always be maintained in a constant state, even when the external shock or vibration generated during the movement of the main body Not only can stably support, but also to provide a door support device for a refrigerator that can achieve the same support effect as the first time even after long-term use.

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The present invention for achieving the above object, the main body with a storage compartment formed therein, a door hinged to the main body to open and close the storage compartment, and the lower end of the free end side of the door to prevent the door from sagging A refrigerator having a door supporting apparatus for supporting the rotating member, a locking surface protruding from one side of an upper end of the rotating member so that the rotating member rotates according to opening and closing of the door, and a latching surface caught on the lower end of the door, and the rotating member The height is increased when the rear is rotated to support the lower end of the door and when the rotating member is rotated forward the height is lowered to release the support of the door spaced apart from the center of rotation of the rotating member to a certain distance One of the rotating member so that the support surface provided on the upper end of the rotating member and the rotating member rotatably coupled forward and backward While receiving a wrap is provided with a box-shaped upper surface is open so that the surface of the engaging surface and the support may be exposed to the upper characterized in that it includes a support bracket fixed to the front lower end of the body.

In addition, the rotating member is formed in a flat plate shape, one side of which is coupled to the inner surface of the support bracket through the rotation shaft, the support surface and the engaging surface is formed by bending in one direction, the support surface is the door In the closed state to form a plane corresponding to the lower end of the door, the engaging surface is characterized in that to form a plane inclined upward from the rear end of the support surface.

In addition, one side of the rotating member is characterized in that the restoration spring for rotating the rotating member forward when the door is provided.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail.

In the refrigerator to which the present invention is applied, as shown in FIG. 2, a storage compartment 11 having an open front surface is formed in the main body 10, and a front surface of the storage compartment 11 is formed on the front surface 10a of the main body 10. The door 12 which opens and closes the opening part is provided. In this case, the conventional refrigerator storage compartment 11 is divided into a freezer compartment at the top and a refrigerator compartment at the bottom by a partition wall (not shown) that divides the upper space and the lower space, and is separately opened and closed at the front surface 10a of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment. The door 12 is installed. In addition, each door 12 is hinged to one side of the main body 10 so as to rotate and open and close, the other side of the hinge coupling portion 13 is provided with a door handle 14 to facilitate the user to open the door (4).

On the other hand, since the door 12 of the refrigerator is hinged and the other side is freely rotated structure, sagging occurs due to the weight of the door 12 when used for a long time, to prevent this, the front of the refrigerator body 10 ( 10a) the lower end of the door supporting device 20 for supporting the lower end of the free end of the door 12 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the door support device 20 includes a rotating member 30 rotatably mounted to a support bracket 21 fixed to a lower end of the front surface 10a of the main body 10. The lower end of the free end side of the door 12 is supported while rotating in accordance with the opening and closing of (12). Hereinafter, the configuration of each part of the door support device 20 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 4, the support bracket 21 is bent into a rectangular box shape after the steel plate is sheared by glass processing to form an accommodation space 22 for accommodating the rotating member 30 therein. The upper and lower surfaces thereof are opened. In this case, a fixing part 23 extending downward in a predetermined length is provided on the rear surface 21a of the support bracket 21 in close contact with the front surface 10a of the main body 10 to fix the support bracket 21 to the main body 10. The fixing portion 23 is provided with a bolt coupling hole 25 for fastening the fixing bolt 24. In addition, one side 21b of the support bracket 21 is formed with a shaft coupling hole 26 for rotatably fixing the rotating member 30 accommodated therein, the shaft coupling hole 26 is a side ( 21b) at a position biased toward the lower side. In addition, at the lower end of the side surface 21b on which the axial coupling hole 26 is formed, a spring support part 27 is bent inward so as to support one end of the return spring 36 to be described later and extends by a predetermined length.

The rotating member 30 is made of a flat plate made of steel having a predetermined thickness and width, similar to the supporting bracket 21. The lower end of the rotating member 30 includes the rotating member 30 on the side surface of the supporting bracket 21. A through hole 31 is formed to couple to 21b). And the rotating shaft 28 for coupling the rotating member 30 is the shaft coupling hole 26 of the support bracket 21 in the state in which the rotating member 30 enters into the receiving space 22 of the support bracket 21. ) And the through hole 31 of the rotating member 30 are installed to support the rotating member 30 to be rotatable. Therefore, the rotating member 30 is supported in a state in which one surface thereof is adjacent to one side 21b of the support bracket 21, and can be rotated forward and backward. At this time, the lower end of the rotating member 30 is preferably composed of a curved surface 32 forming a concentric circle with the through hole 31 to facilitate the forward and rearward rotation.

And the upper end of the rotating member 30 is provided with a locking surface 33 which one side protrudes upward to the lower end of the door 12 so that the rotating member 30 can be rotated in accordance with the opening and closing of the door 12, Also, when the rotating member 30 is rotated backward, the support surface 34 supporting the lower end of the door 12 is provided with its height increased. Here, the support surface 34 and the locking surface 33 are bent from one side (the opposite side of the support bracket) from the upper end of the rotating member 30 and extended by a predetermined length to contact the lower end of the door 12. Planes. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, when the door 12 is closed, the support surface 34 forms a plane corresponding to the lower end of the door 12 to support the door 12, and the locking surface ( 33 is formed in a plane inclined upward from the rear end of the support surface 34 to be caught by the lower end of the door 12. This is because when the locking surface 33 of the rotating member 30 is caught by the door 12 and rotated rearward when the door 12 is closed, the height of the supporting surface 34 which is subsequently rotated increases and the bottom of the door 12 is raised. To support it.

In addition, one side of the rotating member 30 is provided with a restoring spring 36 to keep the rotating member 30 is always rotated forward when the door 12 is opened. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the restoration spring 36 has one end fixed to one side of the rotating member 30 and the other end fixed to the spring support 27 at the bottom of the support bracket 21. It may be composed of a spring, or may be composed of a torsion coil spring, as shown in FIG. Here, the torsion coil spring 37 shown in FIG. 7 has a protrusion 35 protruded on one surface of the rotation member 30 in a state where the center thereof is fitted to the rotation shaft 28 supporting the rotation member 30. It is supported, the other end is supported by the spring support 27 to impart a restoring force to the rotating member (30).

The following describes the operation of the door support apparatus for a refrigerator according to the present invention configured as described above.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the refrigerator door 12 is opened, the rotating member 30 maintains the state rotated forward by the elasticity of the restoring spring 36. At this time, the support surface 34 of the upper end of the rotating member 30 is inclined forward and enters into the receiving space 22 of the support bracket 21. In addition, the locking surface 33 positioned at the rear of the support surface 34 maintains an upright state and protrudes upward from the support bracket 21.

When the user closes the door 12 in this state, as shown in FIG. 6, the engaging surface 33 of the rotating member 30 is caught by the lower end of the door 12 to rotate backwards, followed by a supporting surface ( As the height of 34 increases, the lower end of the door 12 is supported. In the state in which the door 12 is closed as described above, since the lower end of the door 12 continues to be supported by the support surface 34, sagging of the door 12 is prevented. In addition, since the door support device 20 according to the present invention maintains a state in which the center of rotation of the rotating member 30 and the support surface 34 are always spaced at a constant distance, the vertical displacement of the support surface 34 is always It becomes constant, and even if it is used for a long time, it can always obtain the same support effect as the first time, and prevents the flow of the door 12 even if the shock or vibration which generate | occur | produces in the process of moving the main body 10 arises.

On the other hand, in the state in which the door 12 is closed as described above, the rotating member 30 attempts to rotate toward the opening of the door 12 by the elasticity of the return spring 36. However, since the gasket 15 including the magnet is installed at the inner edge of the door 12, the gasket 15 is brought into close contact with the front surface 10a of the main body 10 and the door 12 remains closed. do. For this purpose, it is preferable that the elasticity of the return spring 36 is not greater than the adhesion of the gasket 15.

As described above in detail, the door support apparatus for a refrigerator according to the present invention supports the door by supporting the door while the support surface rotates closely adheres to the bottom of the door when the locking surface of the rotating member is caught by the door and rotated. Since the vertical displacement width of the support surface is always kept constant, there is an advantage that the door can be stably supported to prevent sag, and the same support effect as that of the original can be obtained even after long-term use.

In addition, since the up and down displacement of the support surface does not occur when the door is closed, there is an effect of stably supporting the door against external shock and vibration generated when the main body is moved.

Claims (6)

delete A refrigerator having a main body having a storage compartment formed therein, a door hinged to one side of the main body to open and close the storage chamber, and a door support device supporting a lower end of the free end side of the door to prevent the door from sagging. , The door support device includes a rotating member, a locking surface protruding from one side of the upper end of the rotating member so that the rotating member rotates according to opening and closing of the door, and a catching surface caught on the lower end of the door, and when the rotating member is rotated backwards. As the height is increased, the lower end of the door is supported, and the height is lowered when the rotating member is rotated forward, and is provided at the top of the rotating member spaced apart from the center of rotation of the rotating member to release the support of the door. The main body is provided in a box shape with an upper surface open so that the engaging surface and the supporting surface are exposed to the upper portion while wrapping and receiving a portion of the rotating member so that the supporting surface and the rotating member are rotatably coupled forward and backward. Refrigerator door support device comprising a support bracket which is fixed to the front bottom. The method of claim 2, The rotating member is formed in a flat plate shape, one side of which is coupled to the inner surface of the support bracket through a pivot, and the support surface and the locking surface are bent in one direction, and the support surface is closed by the door. In a state to form a plane corresponding to the lower end of the door, the locking surface is a refrigerator door support device, characterized in that to form a plane inclined upward from the rear end of the support surface. The method of claim 3, wherein Refrigerator door support apparatus, characterized in that the restoration spring for rotating the rotating member forward when the door is opened on one side of the rotating member. The method of claim 4, wherein The restoration spring is a refrigerator door support device, characterized in that the one end is connected to one side of the rotating member and the other end is made of a tension coil spring is connected to the support bracket. The method of claim 4, wherein The restoring spring is a door support device for a refrigerator, characterized in that the center portion is fitted to the rotation shaft of the rotating member and both ends are torsion coil spring supported by the rotating member and the support bracket, respectively.

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