[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance comprising a hinge assembly
used with a flap door.
[0002] Refrigeration appliances come in several different types. To better meet the individual
requirements of the users, an interior of a refrigeration appliance is subdivided
into a plurality of separately accessible refrigeration compartments. These refrigeration
compartments are usually provided with a separate flap door or a separate drawer in
order to prevent entering of warm and humid air when a main door of the refrigeration
appliance is opened. When taking articles out of the refrigeration appliance, the
user must first access the interior of the refrigeration appliance by opening the
main door, and subsequently open one of the flap doors in order to access the desired
refrigeration compartment.
[0003] In a commonly known technique, the flap door is mounted to the side walls of the
refrigeration appliance by utilizing hinges which support the flap door rotatably
about a horizontal axis.
[0004] A problem with this type of a refrigeration appliance is that the large number of
individual refrigeration compartments and the corresponding flap doors complicate
the assembly process. In general, the component parts of the refrigeration appliance
such as the inner side walls, the flap doors and the hinges may have production-dependent
non-uniformities. Thus, even when these non-uniformities fall within allowable tolerances
which have been specified for the refrigeration appliance, these may cause the closing/opening
performance of the flap door to degrade. Thus, a consumer satisfaction can easily
decrease because of such inferior quality and give rise to customer complaints.
[0005] WO 2011/080109 A2 discloses a refrigerator comprising a plurality of compartments which are arranged
one above the other. Each compartment is provided with a separate flap door which
is mounted to the opposing side walls by utilizing a corresponding pair of hinges.
[0007] A drawback of this refrigerator is that in the event of the aforementioned non-uniformities,
the flap door and hinges engage either too loosely or too tightly. In case of a loose
engagement, the flap door usually starts rattling and produces disturbing noises.
In case of a tight engagement, the flap door stat squeaking. In either case, the locking
and unlocking performance of the flap doors degrades.
[0008] An objective of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration appliance comprising
a hinge assembly used with a flap door, which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks
of the prior art and which enables a smooth operation of the flap door.
[0009] This objective has been achieved by the refrigeration appliance as defined in claim
1. Further achievements have been attained by the subject-matters respectively defined
in the dependent claims.
[0010] The refrigeration appliance of the present invention comprises a flap hinge for fastening
a flap door, a bearing which movably supports the flap hinge, and a retainer which
joins the flap hinge and the bearing together. The bearing supports the flap hinge
rotatably about a horizontal axis which is perpendicular to the side walls, and slidably
through a limited distance along said horizontal axis. The flap hinge and the bearing
are biased away from each other along said horizontal axis by a spring. In the present
invention, the bearing and the flap hinge are provided separately from each other.
[0011] The refrigeration appliance of the present invention comprises at least two mutually
opposing mounting portions each configured to fix the bearing of a corresponding hinge-assembly
and at least one flap door configured to fasten to the flap hinges of the hinge-assemblies.
[0012] In an embodiment, the retainer has a cylindrical threaded bolt which is rotatably
and slidable arranged into a cylindrical through-hole of a body of the bearing and
screwed into the flap hinge so that the body is confined to move between the flap
hinge and the bolt.
[0013] In a version of this embodiment, the spring is slightly compressed between the flap
hinge and the body of the bearing.
[0014] In another version of this embodiment, a body of the bearing is fit into a recess
of the mounting portion by way of compression.
[0015] By virtue of the spring-loaded hinge-assemblies of the present invention, the flap
door is regardless of the aforementioned non-uniformities always symmetrically biased
towards a stable center position located between the side walls. Thereby, the flap
door is prevented from producing disturbing noises and/or rattling as it is manipulated
by the customer. Also, the locking/unlocking performance is maintained. The flap door
can be smoothly opened and closed about the horizontal axis. By the present invention,
the adverse effects of the aforementioned non-uniformities have been effectively eliminated
and the customer satisfaction has been increased.
[0016] Additional advantages of the refrigeration appliance of the present invention will
become apparent with the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 - is a schematic partial perspective view of a refrigeration appliance having
a hinge-assembly on a side wall according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 - is a schematic enlarged perspective view of the hinge-assembly according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 - is a schematic partial perspective view of the refrigeration appliance
according to an embodiment of the present invention, prior to fixing a bearing of
the hinge-assembly to a mounting portion on the side wall;
Figure 4 - is a schematic exploded partial perspective view of the refrigeration appliance
as shown in Fig. 1;
Figure 5 - is a schematic exploded perspective view of the hinge assembly as shown
in Fig. 2;
[0017] The reference signs appearing on the drawings relate to the following technical features.
1. Hinge-assembly
2. Refrigeration appliance
3. Side wall
4. Mounting portion
5. Bearing
6. Flap hinge
7. Fixing portion
8. Retainer
9. Spring
10. Threaded portion
11. Body
11a. Through-hole
12. Bolt
13. Shank
14. Head
15. Recess
16. Grip portion
17. Refrigeration compartment
18. Inner lining
The hinge-assembly (1) is suitable for use with a flap door (not shown) in a refrigeration
appliance (2) (Figs. 1 to 5).
[0018] The refrigeration appliance (2) comprises opposing side walls (3) which define a
refrigeration compartment (17), at least two mounting portions (4) each for mounting
a hinge-assembly (1), wherein the mounting portions (4) are respectively formed on
the opposing side walls (3) and at least one flap door for opening/closing the refrigeration
compartment (17), wherein the flap door is mountable to the hinge-assemblies (1) (Figs.
1 to 5).
[0019] The hinge-assembly (1) of the present invention comprises a flap hinge (6) which
has a fixing portion (7) for fastening a flap door, a bearing (5) for movably supporting
the flap hinge (6), wherein the bearing (5) is separately provided from the flap hinge
(6), a retainer (8) for releasably joining the flap hinge (6) and the bearing (5)
together. In the hinge-assembly (1) of the present invention, the flap hinge (6) and
the bearing (5) are configured such that the flap hinge (6) is rotatable relative
to the bearing (5) about a horizontal axis (Ax) which is perpendicular to the side
walls (3), and slidable relative to the bearing (5) through a limited distance along
said horizontal axis (Ax), and wherein the flap hinge (6) and the bearing (5) are
biased away from each other along said horizontal axis (Ax) by a spring (9) (Figs.
1 to 5).
[0020] The refrigeration appliance (2) of the present invention comprises at least two hinge
assemblies (only one is shown) according to the present invention which are provided
as left-handed and right handed configurations respectively. In the refrigeration
appliance (2) of the present invention, each of the mounting portions (4) is configured
to fix the bearing (5) of a corresponding hinge-assembly (1), and the flap door is
configured to fasten to the fixing portion (7) of the flap hinges (6) of the hinge-assemblies
(1) (Figs. 1 to 5).
[0021] In an embodiment, the flap hinge (6) comprises a threaded portion (10). In this embodiment,
the bearing (5) comprises a body (11) which has a cylindrical through-hole (11a) along
said horizontal axis (Ax). In addition, the retainer (8) comprises a cylindrical threaded
bolt (12) which is slidably and rotatably arranged into the through-hole (11a) of
the body (11) and firmly screwed to the threaded portion (10) of the flap hinge (6).
In this embodiment, the body (11) is confined to relatively slide and rotate between
the retainer (8) and the flap hinge (6) with respect to said horizontal axis (Ax)
(Figs. 1 to 5).
[0022] In a version of this embodiment, the spring (9) is a coil compression spring (9)
which is sleeved onto a shank (13) of the bolt (12) and compressed on both ends by
the flap hinge (6) and the body (11) respectively (Figs. 1 to 5).
[0023] In another version of this embodiment, the body (11) comprises a first seat (not
shown) and a second seat (not shown) which are provided inside the body (11). The
first seat is configured to abut against one end of the spring (9). The second seat
is configured to block inward movement of the bolt (12) by abutting against its head
(14).
[0024] In another version of this embodiment, each bearing (5) is fixed to a side wall (13)
by compression-fitting the body (11) into a corresponding recess (15) of the mounting
portion (4) (Figs. 1 to 3).
[0025] In another version of this embodiment, the body (11) and the corresponding recess
(15) are both cylindrical-shaped (Figs. 1 to 5).
[0026] In another version of this embodiment, the bolt (12) has a grip portion (16) for
facilitating the screwing process (Figs. 1 to 5).
[0027] In another embodiment, the recess (15) of each mounting portions (4) is formed into
an inner lining (18) of the refrigeration compartment (17) (Figs. 3 and 4).
[0028] In a version of this embodiment, the recesses (15) in the inner lining (18) are cylindrical-shaped
(Figs. 3 and 4).
[0029] By virtue of the spring-loaded hinge-assembly (1) of the present invention, the adverse
effects of the aforementioned non-uniformities have been effectively eliminated. Thereby,
the opening/closing performance and the locking/unlocking performance have been both
improved. Thereby, the overall quality has also been perceivably improved and the
consumer satisfaction has been increased.
1. A refrigeration appliance (2) comprising
- at least two hinge assemblies (1) for use with a flap door,
- at least one flap door for opening/closing the refrigeration compartment (17), wherein
the flap door is mountable to the hinge-assemblies (1),
- opposing side walls (3) which define a refrigeration compartment (17),
- at least two mounting portions (4) each for mounting a hinge-assembly (1), wherein
the mounting portions (4) are respectively formed on the opposing side walls (3),
- said hinge-assembly (1) comprising a flap hinge (6) and a bearing (5) for movably
supporting the flap hinge (6), wherein the bearing (5) is separately provided from
the flap hinge (6)
- wherein the flap hinge (6) and the bearing (5) are configured such that the flap
hinge (6) is rotatable relative to the bearing (5) about a horizontal axis (Ax) which
is perpendicular to the side walls (3), and slidable relative to the bearing (5) through
a limited distance along said horizontal axis (Ax), and wherein the flap hinge (6)
and the bearing (5) are biased away from each other along said horizontal axis (Ax)
by a spring (9)
characterized in that
- the flap hinge (6) has a fixing portion (7) for fastening the flap door, wherein
the flap hinge (6) is separately provided from the flap door
- wherein the hinge assembly (1) comprises a retainer (8) for releasably joining the
flap hinge (6) and the bearing (5) together
- each of the mounting portions (4) is configured to fix the bearing (5) of the corresponding
hinge-assembly (1) and wherein the flap door is configured to fasten to the fixing
portion (7) of the flap hinges (6) of the hinge-assemblies (1).
2. The refrigeration appliance (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that each mounting portion (4) comprises a recess (15) which is formed into an inner lining
(18) of the refrigeration compartment (17).
3. The refrigeration appliance (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the recess (15) is cylindrical-shaped.
4. The refrigeration appliance (2), according to any of claims 1 to 3
characterized in that
- the flap hinge (6) comprises a threaded portion (10),
- the bearing (5) comprises a body (11) having a cylindrical through-hole (11a) along
said horizontal axis (Ax) and
- the retainer (8) comprises a cylindrical threaded bolt (12) which is slidably and
rotatably arranged into the through-hole (11a) of the body (11) and firmly screwed
to the threaded portion (10) of the flap hinge (6), wherein the body (11) is confined
to relatively slide and rotate between the retainer (8) and the flap hinge (6) with
respect to said horizontal axis (Ax).
5. The refrigeration appliance (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the spring (9) is a coil compression spring (9) which is sleeved onto a shank (13)
of the bolt (12) and compressed on both ends by the flap hinge (6) and the body (11)
respectively.
6. The refrigeration appliance (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the body (11) comprises a first seat which is configured to abut against one end
of the spring (9) and a second seat which is configured to block inward movement of
the bolt (12) by abutting against its head (14).
7. The refrigeration appliance (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that each bearing (5) is fixed to a side wall (13) by compression-fitting the body (11)
into a corresponding recess (15) of the mounting portion (4).
8. The refrigeration appliance (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the body (11) and the corresponding recess (15) are both cylindrical-shaped.
9. The refrigeration appliance (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the bolt (12) has a grip portion (16).
1. Ein Kühlgerät (2) umfasst
- mindestens zwei Scharnierbaugruppen (1) zur Verwendung mit einer Klapptür,
- mindestens eine Klapptür zum Öffnen / Schließen des Kühlraums (17), wobei die Klapptür
an den Scharnierbaugruppen (1) montierbar ist;
- gegenüberliegende Seitenwände (3), die ein Kühlraum (17) definieren,
- mindestens jeweils zwei Montageabschnitte (4) zum Montieren einer Scharnierbaugruppe
(1), wobei die Montageabschnitte (4) jeweils an den gegenüberliegenden Seitenwänden
(3) ausgebildet sind,
- die Scharnieranordnung (1) umfasst ein Klappenscharnier (6) und ein Lager (5) zum
beweglichen Tragen des Klappenscharniers (6), wobei das Lager (5) getrennt vom Klappenscharnier
(6) vorgesehen ist,
- wobei das Klappenscharnier (6) und das Lager (5) so konfiguriert sind, dass das
Klappenscharnier (6) relativ zum Lager (5) um die horizontale Achse (Ax) drehbar ist,
die senkrecht zu den Seitenwänden (3) ist und relativ zum Lager (5) um einen begrenzten
Abstand entlang der horizontalen Achse (Ax) verschiebbar ist und das Klappenscharnier
(6) und das Lager (5) entlang der horizontalen Achse (Ax) durch eine Feder (9) voneinander
weg vorgespannt sind,
gekennzeichnet ist es dadurch
- dass das Klappenscharnier (6) einen Befestigungsabschnitt (7) zum Befestigen der
Klappentür aufweist, wobei das Klappenscharnier (6) getrennt von der Klappentür vorgesehen
ist,
- wobei die Scharnierbaugruppe (1) einen Halter (8) zum lösbaren Verbinden des Klappenscharniers
(6) und des Lagers (5) miteinander umfasst,
- jeder der Montageabschnitte (4) ist so konfiguriert, dass das Lager (5) der entsprechenden
Scharnierbaugruppe (1) befestigt wird, wobei die Klappentür so konfiguriert ist, dass
an dem Befestigungsabschnitt (7) der Klappenscharniere (6) der Scharnierbaugruppen
(1) befestigt wird.
2. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in Anspruch 1 aufgeführt, ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass jeder Montageabschnitt (4) eine Aussparung (15) aufweist, die zu einer Innenauskleidung
(18) des Kühlraums (17) geformt ist.
3. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in Anspruch 2 aufgeführt, ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Aussparung (15) zylindrisch geformt ist.
4. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3 aufgeführt,
ist dadurch gekennzeichnet,
- dass das Klappenscharnier (6) einen Gewindeabschnitt (10) umfasst,
- dass das Lager (5) einen Körper (11) mit einem zylindrischen Durchgangsloch (11a) entlang
der horizontalen Achse (Ax) umfasst und
- dass der Halter (8) einen zylindrischen Gewindebolzen (12) umfasst, der verschieb- und
drehbar in das Durchgangsloch (11a) des Körpers (11) angeordnet und fest mit dem Gewindeabschnitt
(10) des Klappenscharniers (6) verschraubt ist, wobei der Körper (11) darauf beschränkt
ist, sich relativ zwischen dem Halter (8) und dem Klappenscharnier (6) in Bezug auf
die horizontale Achse (Ax) zu gleiten und sich zu drehen.
5. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in Anspruch 4 aufgeführt, ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Feder (9) eine Schraubenkompressionsfeder (9) ist, die auf einen Schaft (13)
des Gewindebolzens (12) geschlungen und an beiden Enden durch das Klappenscharnier
(6) bzw. den Körper (11) zusammengedrückt ist.
6. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in Anspruch 4 aufgeführt, ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Körper (11) einen ersten Sitz umfasst, dass an einem Ende der Feder (9) anliegt,
und einen zweiten Sitz, der so konfiguriert ist, dass er die Bewegung des Gewindebolzens
(12) nach innen blockiert, indem er an seinem Kopf (14) anliegt.
7. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in Anspruch 4 aufgeführt, ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass jedes Lager (5) an einer Seitenwand (13) befestigt ist, indem der Körper (11) in
eine entsprechende Aussparung (15) des Montageabschnitts (4) zusammengedrückt wird.
8. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in Anspruch 4 aufgeführt, ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Körper (11) und die entsprechende Aussparung (15) zylindrisch geformt sind.
9. Das Kühlgerät (2), wie in Anspruch 4 aufgeführt, ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Gewindebolzen (12) einen Griffabschnitt (16) aufweist.
1. Un appareil de réfrigération (2) comprenant
- au moins deux charnières (1) pour une utilisation avec une porte à clapet,
- au moins une porte à clapet pour ouvrir/fermer le compartiment de réfrigération
(17), la porte à clapet étant montable sur les charnières (1),
- des parois latérales opposées (3) qui définissent un compartiment de réfrigération
(17),
- au moins deux parties de montage (4) chacune pour le montage d'un ensemble de charnière
(1), les parties de montage (4) étant respectivement formées sur les parois latérales
opposées (3),
- ledit ensemble de charnière (1) comprenant une charnière de volet (6) et un palier
(5) pour supporter de manière mobile la charnière de volet (6), dans lequel le palier
(5) est prévu séparément de la charnière de volet (6)
- dans lequel la charnière de volet (6) et le palier (5) sont configurés de telle
sorte que la charnière de volet (6) peut tourner par rapport au palier (5) autour
d'un axe horizontal (Ax) qui est perpendiculaire aux parois latérales (3), et peut
coulisser par rapport au palier (5) sur une distance limitée le long dudit axe horizontal
(Ax), et dans lequel la charnière de volet (6) et le palier (5) sont sollicités à
l'écart l'un de l'autre le long dudit axe horizontal (Ax) par un ressort (9)
est caractérisé en ce que
- la charnière de volet (6) présente une partie de fixation (7) pour la fixation de
la porte de volet, la charnière de volet (6) étant prévue séparément de la porte de
volet
- dans lequel l'ensemble de charnière (1) comprend un dispositif de retenue (8) pour
relier de manière amovible la charnière de volet (6) et le palier (5)
- chacune des parties de montage (4) est configurée pour fixer le palier (5) de l'ensemble
de charnières (1) correspondant et dans lequel la porte battante est configurée pour
se fixer à la partie de fixation (7) des charnières de volet (6) des ensembles de
charnières (1).
2. L'appareil de réfrigération (2) selon la déclaration 1, est caractérisé en ce que chaque partie de montage (4) comprend un évidement (15) qui est formé dans un revêtement
intérieur (18) du compartiment de réfrigération (17).
3. L'appareil de réfrigération (2) selon la déclaration 2, est caractérisé en ce que l'évidement (15) est de forme cylindrique.
4. L'appareil de réfrigération (2), selon l'une des déclarations 1 à 3
est caractérisé en ce que
- la charnière de volet (6) comporte une partie filetée (10),
- le palier (5) comprend un corps (11) ayant un trou traversant cylindrique (11a)
le long dudit axe horizontal (Ax) et
- le dispositif de retenue (8) comprend un boulon fileté cylindrique (12) qui est
disposé de manière coulissante et rotative dans le trou traversant (11a) du corps
(11) et fermement vissé à la partie filetée (10) de la charnière de volet (6), dans
lequel le corps (11) est confiné pour coulisser et tourner relativement entre le dispositif
de retenue (8) et la charnière de volet (6) par rapport audit axe horizontal (Ax).
5. L'appareil de réfrigération (2) selon la déclaration 4, est caractérisé en ce que le ressort (9) est un ressort de compression hélicoïdal (9) qui est emmanché sur
une tige (13) du boulon (12) et comprimé aux deux extrémités par la charnière du volet
(6) et le corps (11) respectivement.
6. L'appareil de réfrigération (2) selon la déclaration 4, est caractérisé en ce que le corps (11) comprend un premier siège qui est configuré pour buter contre une extrémité
du ressort (9) et un second siège qui est configuré pour bloquer le mouvement vers
l'intérieur du boulon (12) en butant contre sa tête (14).
7. L'appareil de réfrigération (2) selon la déclaration 4, est caractérisé en ce que chaque palier (5) est fixé à une paroi latérale (13) par emboîtement par compression
du corps (11) dans un évidement correspondant (15) de la partie de montage (4).
8. L'appareil de réfrigération (2) selon la déclaration 4, est caractérisé en ce que le corps (11) et l'évidement correspondant (15) sont tous deux de forme cylindrique.
9. L'appareil de réfrigération (2) selon la déclaration 4, est caractérisé en ce que le boulon (12) possède une partie de préhension (16).