KR102752918B1 - Multi link hinge - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-link hinge, and more specifically, to a multi-link hinge capable of maintaining a door in a maximum opening state and preventing the door from automatically closing.
To this end, the present invention comprises: a housing installed in a body of a device provided with a door and including first and second pivots; an arm installed in the door and including third and fourth pivots; a first link connected to the first pivot and including fifth and sixth pivots; a second link connected to the third and fifth pivots, respectively; a third link connected to the fourth and sixth pivots, respectively, and including a seventh pivot; And a fourth link respectively connected to the second and seventh pivots; A multi-link hinge including a spring case, a first spring lever provided inside the spring case, a first spring fitted to the first spring lever, and a first roller provided below the first spring lever, the hinge further including an operating unit fixedly installed inside the first link, and an open state maintaining unit including a cam fixedly installed inside the housing and installed to come into contact with the first roller of the operating unit according to the operation of the door, and having a curved portion formed in a portion in contact with the first roller, characterized in that when the door is opened, the roller of the operating unit comes into contact with the curved portion of the cam, so that the open state of the door is maintained.

Description

MULTI LINK HINGE

The present invention relates to a multi-link hinge, and more specifically, to a multi-link hinge capable of maintaining a door in a maximum open state and preventing the door from automatically closing.

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance that can store food at a low temperature in an internal storage space covered by a refrigerator door. It is configured to store stored food in an optimal condition by cooling the interior of the storage space using cold air generated through heat exchange with a refrigerant circulating in a refrigeration cycle.

The refrigerator has a structure in which storage spaces can be divided into compartments according to temperature, and each storage space can be opened and closed by each door. At this time, each door can be supported by a hinge and mounted so as to be rotatable, and the storage space is opened and closed by the rotation of the door.

Meanwhile, since the thickness of the door of these refrigerators causes interference with adjacent components when the door rotates, a hinge that rotates so as not to interfere with the components is being developed.

However, in the case of conventional refrigerator door hinges, there is a problem in that the thickness must be formed thickly to achieve the aforementioned function.

This causes problems such as a loss of storage space capacity in the refrigerator, a widening of the gap between each door, and an increase in the weight of the doors.

To solve these problems, a multi-link hinge is disclosed in which the hinge is configured to be connected by multiple links.

However, in the case of these multi-link hinges, there is a problem that when a thick and heavy door is opened, the door automatically tries to close due to the weight of the door, which causes a safety accident and inconvenience.

In addition, if you try to open the door forcefully, the door may close due to recoil after it has been fully opened, which may cause a safety accident and inconvenience.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0143056 (November 26, 2021) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2070695 (January 21, 2020)

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a multi-link hinge capable of maintaining the open state of the door when the door is opened to its maximum.

And the purpose is to provide a multi-link hinge that automatically opens the door to its maximum opening when the door is opened beyond a certain angle.

In addition, other objects and advantages of the present invention will be described below, and it is added that these are encompassed in a wider scope by means and combinations within the scope that can be easily deduced from the matters described in the claims of the present invention and the disclosure of the embodiments thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises: a housing installed in a main body of a mechanism provided with a door and including first and second pivots; an arm installed in the door and including third and fourth pivots; a first link connected to the first pivot and including fifth and sixth pivots; a second link connected to the third and fifth pivots, respectively; a third link connected to the fourth and sixth pivots, respectively, and including a seventh pivot; And a fourth link respectively connected to the second and seventh pivots; A multi-link hinge including a spring case, a first spring lever provided inside the spring case, a first spring fitted to the first spring lever, and a first roller provided below the first spring lever, the hinge further including an operating unit fixedly installed inside the first link, and an open state maintaining unit including a cam fixedly installed inside the housing and installed to come into contact with the first roller of the operating unit according to the operation of the door, and having a curved portion formed in a portion in contact with the first roller, characterized in that when the door is opened, the roller of the operating unit comes into contact with the curved portion of the cam, so that the open state of the door is maintained.

And according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is characterized by further including: a cam link connected to the fifth pivot and fixedly installed within the first link; a first spring link including a second roller provided at a portion in contact with the cam link and provided within the second link; a second spring link including a second spring lever and a second spring fitted to the second spring lever, and pivotally connected to the first spring link; and a third spring link including a rod fitted within the second spring lever, and pivotally connected to the second link.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the invention further comprises: a U-shaped cover portion covering the front and rear sides of one end of the third link; a body; a rivet provided on the body and movably fitted along guide holes on both sides of the first link; and a screw provided on the front side of the body and fitted into the guide hole on the front side of the first link to move or fix the body from the first link; and an angle adjusting portion installed within the first link.

And according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is characterized by further including a plate cover comprising a first plate cover pivotally connected to the housing and including a return spring provided between the housing and the arm, and a second plate cover pivotally connected to the arm and the first plate cover, respectively, to protect a link opened by opening the door.

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

When the door is fully opened, it can be maintained in the open state, which has the effect of preventing safety accidents and inconveniences that may occur due to the door automatically closing.

That is, when the door is opened to its maximum, the door automatically opens to its maximum opening when the door is at a predetermined angle or higher due to the open state maintenance part, thereby maintaining the door open.

And even when the door is opened forcefully, the phenomenon of the door closing due to recoil after being fully opened is prevented, so safety accidents and inconveniences can be prevented in advance.

In addition, when the door is at a certain angle, that is, when the automatic opening section begins, the door can be fully opened or closed with little force, so there is no problem of the door being forcefully closed or opened due to the weight of the door.

And due to the multi-link structure, when the door is opened, the door is pushed out from the main body and opens, expanding the usable space, which has the effect of securing sufficient space without interference with adjacent components.

At this time, there is also an effect that allows the user to easily adjust the maximum opening angle of the door according to the user's needs or the spatial environment for opening the door. That is, by adjusting the position of the angle adjustment part and then fixing it with a screw, the maximum opening angle of the door can be limited according to the position of the angle adjustment part.

In addition, a plate cover that protects the link that opens when the door is opened is provided, so that the problem of fingers or toes getting caught in the multi-link section consisting of multiple links between the main body and the door or the appearance being impaired can be solved.

In addition, it is added that other effects of the present invention are broadly encompassed by the effects that can be easily derived from the embodiments described above and the matters described in the claims of the present invention, as well as the possibilities of temporary advantages contributing to industrial development.

FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b are side views and cross-sectional views showing a case where the door of a multi-link hinge according to the present invention is closed.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are side views and cross-sectional views showing a case where the door of a multi-link hinge according to the present invention is in the maximum open state.
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a multi-link hinge according to the present invention.
FIGS. 4A to 4D are drawings for explaining the operation of a multi-link hinge according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to the description, the advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will be clarified by referring to the embodiments described in detail below together with the attached drawings. In addition, the terms used in this specification are for the purpose of describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Among these terms, the singular form also includes the plural form unless specifically stated in the phrase, and words indicating directions in the description are intended to help the understanding of the description and may be changed depending on the time point.

Hereinafter, a multi-link hinge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a side view and a cross-sectional view showing a case where the door of a multi-link hinge according to the present invention is in a closed state, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are a side view and a cross-sectional view showing a case where the door of a multi-link hinge according to the present invention is in a fully open state. And FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a multi-link hinge according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, a multi-link hinge (100) according to the present invention includes a housing (10) installed in a main body of a mechanism provided with a door, an arm (20) installed in the door, a multi-link portion composed of a plurality of links rotatably interconnected between the housing (10) and the arm (20), and an open state maintenance portion (55).

When the door is opened through the multi-link hinge (100) according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the arm (20) installed on the door is pushed downward from the housing (10) installed on the main body and rotates due to the multi-link portion consisting of a multi-axis connection and multiple links, and at this time, the rotation proceeds stably, thereby providing the effect of widening the internal space.

The housing (10) is installed in a main body, for example, a main body of a refrigerator, and the arm (20) is installed in a door, for example, a refrigerator door, and rotates together with the door.

The housing (10) includes first and second pivots (11, 12) and is connected to a plurality of multi-link sections through the first and second pivots (11, 12). For example, it is connected to the first link (31) through the first pivot (11) and to the fourth link (34) through the second pivot (12).

Next, the arm (20) is installed on the door, includes third and fourth pivots (13, 14), and is connected to a plurality of multi-link parts through the third and fourth pivots (13, 14). For example, it is connected to the second link (32) through the third pivot (13), and is connected to the third link (33) through the fourth pivot (14).

Next, the multi-link portion is composed of a plurality of links that are rotatably interconnected between the housing (10) and the arm (20).

The first link (31) is connected to the first pivot (11) of the housing (10) and includes fifth and sixth pivots (15, 16). Here, the second link (32) and the cam link (65) are connected to the fifth pivot (15), and the third link (33) is connected to the sixth pivot (16).

The second link (32) is connected to the arm (20) through the third pivot (13) and to the first link (31) and cam link (65) through the fifth pivot (15).

That is, the second link (32) is rotatably connected at one end to the other end of the first link (51) as the fifth pivot (15), and the other end is rotatably connected to the center of the arm (20), i.e., the third pivot (13).

The third link (33) is connected to the fourth pivot (14) of the arm (20) and the sixth pivot (16) of the first link (31), and includes a seventh pivot (17). Here, the fourth link (34) is connected to the seventh pivot (17).

That is, the third link (33) is rotatably connected at one end to the center of the first link (51), that is, the sixth pivot (16), and the other end to one end of the arm (20), that is, the fourth pivot (14).

The fourth link (34) is connected to the second pivot (12) of the housing (10) and the seventh pivot (17) of the third link (33).

That is, the fourth link (34) is rotatably connected at one end to the other end of the housing (10), that is, the second pivot (12), and the other end is rotatably connected to the center of the third link (53) by a rivet.

The third and fourth links (33, 34) described above serve to support the rotation of the first and second links (31, 32) as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, and the door can be opened by being pushed out from the main body due to this multi-link part.

Next, the first spring link (61) is provided inside the second link (32) so that its center touches the cam link (65). Looking at it in more detail with reference to the drawing, it is provided so that one end is connected to one side of the second link (32) inside the second link (32) so that its center touches the other end of the cam link (65).

That is, the first spring link (61) is provided with a roller in the center and the roller is provided so that it touches the curved other end of the cam link (65), so that when the door is opened, the first spring link (61) rotates around the axis connected to the second link (32) due to the movement of the arm (20) and moves along the other end of the cam link (65) through the roller.

The second spring link (62) is pivotally connected to the first spring link (61), and when examined in more detail with reference to the drawing, one end is pivotally connected to the other end of the first spring link (61) and includes a second spring lever (62a) provided at the other end and a spring (62b) fitted to the second spring lever (62a).

That is, the second spring link (62) has a hole formed at the other end and is fitted into a rivet provided at the other end of the first spring link (61).

Here, the second spring lever (62a) has a perforated interior, into which the rod (63a) of the third spring link (63) is inserted.

The third spring link (63) is connected to the second link (32), and when looking at it in more detail with reference to the drawing, the other end of the third spring link (63) is connected to the second link (32).

And the third spring link (63) includes a rod (63a) that is fitted inside the second spring lever (62a) of the second spring link (62).

At this time, the connection between the third spring link (63) and the second link (32) is made at a part slightly offset to one side from the other end, because, as described above, the other end of the second link (32) is pivotally connected to the arm (20).

Here, since the third spring link (63) is fixedly connected at the other end to the second link (32), when the door is operated, the second spring link (62) into which the load (63a) of the third spring link (63) is fitted supports the first spring link (61).

The cam link (65) is located inside the first link (31), with its center connected to the first link (31). Looking at it in more detail with reference to the drawing, the cam link (65) is provided inside the other end of the first link (31).

The cam rank (65) is riveted to the other end of the first link (31) at the center, and as described above, is connected together with the second link (32) pivotally connected to the other end of the first link (31).

And the cam link (65) is riveted to the edge portion of the other end of the first link (31) at one end. That is, as shown in the drawing, the cam link (65) is provided as if fitted inside the other end of the first link (31), one end of the cam link (65) is connected to the edge portion of the other end of the first link (31), and the center of the cam link (65) is connected to the other end of the first link (31).

In addition, when the door is operated, the center of the first spring link (61) comes into contact with the other end of the cam link (65), so that the other end of the cam link (65) becomes curved.

Next, the open state maintenance part (55) provided to maintain the open state of the door in the multi-link hinge (100) according to the present invention will be examined.

The open state maintenance unit (55) includes a moving unit (40) fixedly installed within the first link (31) and a cam (50) fixedly installed within the housing (10).

The operating part (40) is provided at one end of the first link (31), that is, on the upper part of the first pivot (11) within the first link (31), and is provided to come into contact with the cam (50) according to the operation of the door.

The operating part (40) includes a spring case (41), a first spring lever (43) provided inside the spring case (41), a first spring (45) fitted into the first spring lever (43), and a first roller (47) provided under the first spring lever (43).

And the cam (50) is installed on one side of the housing (10), that is, on the bottom surface between the first pivot (11) and the second pivot (12), so as not to interfere with the operation of the first pivot (11), and is installed so as to come into contact with the first roller (47) of the operating part (40) according to the operation of the door.

The cam (50) has a curved surface (51) formed at the portion that comes into contact with the first roller (47).

Here, the curved portion (51) is formed by three bending points (51a, 51b, 51c) for forming a curved surface, and includes a first flat portion (53a) leading to the first and second bending points (51a, 51b), a second flat portion (53b) leading to the second and third bending points (51b, 51c), and a third flat portion (53c) passing the third bending point (51c).

In this way, the first roller (47) of the operating portion (40) comes into contact with the curved portion (51) of the cam (50), and the operation of this open state maintenance portion (55) will be described with reference to FIGS. 4a to 4d. FIGS. 4a to 4d are drawings for explaining the operation of the multi-link hinge according to the present invention.

First, referring to the drawings and Fig. 4a, in the closed state of the door, as indicated by A, the operating part (40) and the cam (50) are not in contact with each other. In this way, in the closed state of the door, the open state maintenance part (55) does not operate.

Next, Fig. 4b shows a state where the door is slowly opened, with an opening angle of, for example, 70 degrees. As indicated by B in the drawing, the operating part (40) and the cam (50) begin to come into contact with each other.

That is, the first roller (47) of the operating portion (40) comes into contact with the second flat portion (53b) of the cam (50), and when the opening angle of the door is between 0 and 70°, the open state maintenance portion (55) does not operate, and as shown in Fig. 4b, when the opening angle of the door becomes 70°, the contact between the operating portion (40) and the cam (50) begins.

Next, Fig. 4c shows a state where the door is further opened, with an opening angle of, for example, 90˚.

As indicated by C in the drawing, the first roller (47) of the operating part (40) comes into contact with the third bending point (51c), and the automatic opening section of the door begins.

That is, as shown in Fig. 4c, when the operating part (40) passes the dead point of the cam (50), the door automatically opens. At this time, if the door is to be closed, the door is easily closed even with a relatively small amount of force.

Next, Fig. 4d shows a state where the door is fully open, i.e., in a maximum opening state, with an opening angle of, for example, 115˚.

As indicated by D in the drawing, the first roller (47) of the operating portion (40) passes over the third bending point (51c) of the cam (50) and comes into contact with the third flat portion (53c) of the cam (50), thereby preventing automatic closing of the door.

That is, the door is maintained in an open state and automatic closing of the door is prevented.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent safety accidents and inconveniences that may occur due to the door automatically closing in advance, and it has the effect of preventing the phenomenon of the door closing again due to rebound after being fully opened when the door is opened forcefully.

Here, when the door is closed at a maximum opening state such as in Fig. 4d, with an opening angle such as in Fig. 4c, that is, an opening angle of less than 90 degrees, the door is in the automatic opening range and therefore opens automatically.

Next, the multi-link hinge (100) according to the present invention further includes an angle adjustment part (80).

The angle adjustment part (80) is fitted inside the first link (31), for example, inside the other end, and is provided adjacent to the cam link (65), but as shown in the drawing, is provided at a part slightly to one side from the cam link (65) at the other end of the first link (31).

The angle adjustment part (80) includes a body (81), a rivet (83) provided on the other end of the body (81), and a screw (85) provided on the front side of the body (81).

The rivet (83) is inserted into the body (81) so as to be movable along the guide holes (31b, 31c) on both sides of the first link (31), for example, on both sides of the other end, and the screw (85) is inserted into the guide hole (31a) on the front side of the other end of the first link (31) so as to move or fix the body (81) from the first link (31).

That is, the position of the angle adjustment part (80) can be moved by loosening the screw (85), and the angle adjustment part (80) is fixed at the desired position by tightening the screw (85).

This angle adjustment part (80) comes into contact with the cover part (89) according to the movement of the door, and the cover part (89) plays a role in responding to the movement of the angle adjustment part (80) according to the movement of the door, thereby helping the door to operate smoothly.

The cover part (89) is provided to cover the front and rear sides of one end of the third link (33), and is formed in a U shape for this purpose.

This cover part (89) comes into contact with the angle adjustment part (80) depending on the operation of the door.

In the closed state of the door, the position of the angle adjustment part (80) can be moved using the screw (85), and the movement of the angle adjustment part (80) is achieved by movement of the screw (85) within the front guide hole (31a) of the first link (31) and movement of the rivet (83) within the guide holes (31b, 31c) on both sides.

In the closed state of this door, the angle adjustment part (80) and the cover part (89) are provided without interference with each other, as shown in Fig. 1b.

Looking at the function of the angle adjustment part (80), when the position of the angle adjustment part (80) is moved using the screw (85), if it is in a state of being tightly pressed to the other end within the first link (31), when the door is opened, the door can be opened to a maximum angle, for example, 115˚, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b.

And when the angle adjustment part (80) is positioned in the middle part within the guide hole (31a, 31b, 31c) through the screw (85), the maximum opening angle of the door can be set to a smaller angle, for example, 85˚.

In addition, when the angle adjustment part (80) is in a state of being completely pressed into the guide hole (31a, 31b, 31c), the maximum opening angle of the door can be set to a smaller angle, for example, 65˚.

In this way, the maximum opening angle of the door is adjusted according to the position of the angle adjustment part (80), so that the user can easily adjust the maximum opening angle of the door according to the user's needs or the spatial environment for opening the door.

Next, the multi-link hinge (100) according to the present invention further includes a plate cover (90).

The plate cover (90) is intended to protect the multi-link part that opens by the operation of the door, and includes a first plate cover (91) and a second plate cover (92). In the present invention, the plate cover (90) is illustrated and described as being connected in two parts, but is not limited to this form.

The first plate cover (91) is pivotally connected to the housing (10), with one end being rotatably connected to the housing (10) and the other end being pivotally connected to one end of the second plate cover (92).

The first plate cover (91) is provided with a protrusion (95) on the inside, and a groove (97) is formed on the outer wall of the first link (51) corresponding to the path along which the protrusion (95) moves due to the operation of the door.

At this time, the protrusion (95) is spaced apart from the groove (97), because the first plate cover (91) is coupled to the outer wall of the housing (10), and the coupling with the second plate cover (92) is also connected to cover one end of the second plate cover (92), and this is due to the return spring (93), that is, the return spring (93) provided between the first plate cover (91) and the housing (10).

At this time, the door operation can be stopped by the user's continuous pressing of the first plate cover (91), and when the pressing is released, the door operation can be resumed, so that the door operation can be easily stopped and resumed.

Here, a return spring (93) is provided to facilitate the return of the door operation.

By means of this return spring (93), the user's action of pressing the first plate cover (91) can be performed smoothly, and when the pressing is released, the first plate cover (91) can be easily returned.

And the second plate cover (92) is pivotally connected to the arm (20) and the first plate cover (91), respectively, with one end being rotatably connected to the other end of the first plate cover (91), and the other end being rotatably connected to the center portion of the arm (20).

These first and second plate covers (91, 92) serve to cover and protect the multi-link section that opens between the housing (10) and the arm (20) due to the operation of the door, thereby solving the problem of fingers or toes being caught in the multi-link section composed of multiple links or the appearance being impaired.

The above description is merely an illustrative description of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, changes, and substitutions may be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. In addition, as described above, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the attached drawings are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention, but to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments and the attached drawings. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

100; Multi-link hinge
10; Housing
20; cancer
31, 32, 33, 34; link
40; Movement part
50; cam
55; Open state maintenance part
65; Cam Link
61, 62, 63; Spring Link
80; angle adjustment part
90; plate cover

Claims (4)

A multi-link hinge comprising: a housing installed in a body of a device having a door and including first and second pivots; an arm installed in the door and including third and fourth pivots; a first link connected to the first pivot and including fifth and sixth pivots; a second link connected to each of the third and fifth pivots; a third link connected to each of the fourth and sixth pivots and including a seventh pivot; and a fourth link connected to each of the second and seventh pivots;
A spring case, a first spring lever provided inside the spring case, a first spring fitted into the first spring lever, a first roller provided at the bottom of the first spring lever, and an operating unit fixedly installed inside the first link;
It further includes an open state maintenance unit that is fixedly installed within the housing and is installed to contact the first roller of the operating unit according to the operation of the door, and includes a cam with a curved portion formed in a portion that contacts the first roller;
The above cam,
Provided on one side of the housing so as not to interfere with the operation of the first pivot,
The above curved portion is formed by three bending points, including a first flat portion leading to the first and second bending points, a second flat portion leading to the second and third bending points, and a third flat portion passing the third bending point.
In the closed state of the above door, the operating part and the cam do not contact each other,
When the door is opened, the first roller of the operating part contacts the curved surface of the cam, so that the door is maintained in an open state.
A multi-link hinge characterized in that when the first roller of the operating part comes into contact with the third bending point, the automatic opening section of the door begins, and when the first roller of the operating part passes the third bending point of the cam and comes into contact with the third flat portion of the cam, the open state of the door is maintained and automatic closing of the door is prevented. In the first paragraph,
A cam link connected to the fifth pivot and fixedly installed within the first link;
A first spring link provided within the second link, the second roller being provided at a portion in contact with the cam link;
a second spring link including a second spring lever and a second spring fitted to the second spring lever, the second spring link being pivotally connected to the first spring link; and
A multi-link hinge characterized by further comprising a third spring link, the third spring link including a load fitted inside the second spring lever and pivotally connected to the second link. In the second paragraph,
A U-shaped cover covering the front and rear of one end of the third link; and
A multi-link hinge characterized by further comprising: a body; a rivet provided in the body and movably fitted along guide holes on both sides of the first link; and a screw provided on the front side of the body and fitted into the guide holes on the front side of the first link to move or fix the body from the first link; and an angle adjusting member installed within the first link. In the second paragraph,
A multi-link hinge characterized in that it further includes a plate cover comprising a first plate cover pivotally connected to the housing and including a return spring provided between the housing and the arm, and a second plate cover pivotally connected to the arm and the first plate cover, respectively, to protect a link that opens when the door is opened.