Patent Publication Number: US-9903639-B2

Title: Refrigerator

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0025057, filed on Feb. 23, 2015 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a refrigerator with a damper for mitigating an impact that occurs when a door is closed. 
     Generally, refrigerators are appliances that include storage compartments for storing food and cool air supply devices to keep food fresh. The storage compartment may be provided in a body while a front thereof is to be open. The open front may be closed by a door. 
     The door may be rotatably coupled to the body using a hinge. The door may include an insulator for insulating the storage compartment. A door guard for storing food may be provided on a rear side of the door. Accordingly, since the door has a considerable weight due to the insulator and the food stored in the door guard, the door may collide with the body when the door is closed, thereby allowing an impact to occur. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator capable of mitigating an impact that occurs when a door is closed. 
     It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator having a damper capable of mitigating an impact that occurs when a door is closed. 
     It is still another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a refrigerator having a structure to guide a pressurizing rod of a damper that mitigates an impact that occurs when a door is closed to smoothly move. 
     It is yet another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a hinge having a structure to guide a pressurizing rod of a damper that mitigates an impact that occurs when a door is closed to smoothly move. 
     Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a body, a storage compartment formed in the body, a door that opens or closes the storage compartment, a damper that mitigates an impact, that occurs when the door is closed, and includes a cylinder, a piston that moves back and forth in the cylinder, and a pressurizing rod that transfers a pressure applied from the door to the piston, and a hinge that rotatably supports the door and includes a hinge bracket that connects the body to the door and a guide rail that guides a movement of the pressurizing rod. 
     The hinge bracket and the guide rail may be separately provided and mutually coupled. 
     The guide rail may include a rail body coupled to the hinge bracket and a guide portion that guides the movement of the pressurizing rod. 
     The guide rail may include a pair of guide walls that are provided on both sides of the pressurizing rod and extend in a movement direction of the pressurizing rod to guide the movement of the pressurizing rod. 
     The guide rail may include a guide path formed between the pair of guide walls. 
     The guide rail may include separation prevention grooves formed on the pair of guide walls to prevent a separation of the pressurizing rod. 
     The pressurizing rod may include a head portion pressurized by the door and guided by the guide rail. 
     The head portion may include a separation prevention protrusion that protrudes to prevent a separation from the guide rail. 
     The door may include a pressurizing roller portion that protrudes to pressurize the pressurizing rod. 
     The pressurizing roller portion may include a base portion coupled to a top side of the door, a roller installation portion that extends from the base portion, and a roller rotatably installed in the roller installation portion. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a body, a storage compartment formed in the body, a door that opens or closes the storage compartment, a hinge that rotatably supports the door, a hinge cover coupled to a top of the body to cover the hinge, and a damper that mitigates an impact, which occurs when the door is closed, and is coupled with the hinge cover. 
     The damper may include a damping device that performs a damping operation and a damper housing that accommodates the damping device and coupled with the hinge cover. 
     The damper housing may include a first coupling portion that protrudes to be coupled with the hinge cover. 
     The hinge cover may include a second coupling portion coupled with the first coupling portion. 
     The hinge cover may include an upper wall, a sidewall portion that extends downward from an edge of the upper wall, and a hinge accommodating portion formed inside the upper wall and the sidewall portion. Here, the damper may be coupled to an inside surface of the upper wall. 
     The hinge cover may include an opening through that the damper passes. 
     In accordance with still another aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator includes a body, a storage compartment formed in the body, a door that opens or closes the storage compartment, a hinge that rotatably supports the door, a damper that mitigates an impact which occurs when the door is closed, and a hinge cover coupled with a top of the door to form a hinge accommodating portion that accommodates the hinge and the damper. 
     The damper may include a moving part that moves according to an opening and closing operation of the door and a part fixed to the hinge cover regardless of the opening and closing operation of the door. Here, the hinge may include a guide rail that guides the movement of the moving part. 
     The hinge cover may include an upper wall and a sidewall portion that extends downward from an edge of the upper wall. Here, the damper may be coupled to the upper wall. 
     In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a hinge includes a hinge bracket coupled with a body including a storage compartment, a pivot shaft inserted into a door that opens and closes the storage compartment and configured to rotatably support the door, and a guide rail coupled to the hinge bracket to guide a movement of a damper that mitigates an impact which occurs when the door is closed. 
     The hinge may include a rail body coupled with the hinge bracket and a pair of guide walls that protrude from the rail body and extend from both sides of the damper in a movement direction of the damper. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an external shape of a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a principal part of the refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view illustrating components of a damper in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view illustrating a state in which the damper is coupled to a hinge cover in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view illustrating a state in which the damper is separated from the hinge cover in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating the damper and a guide rail in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating components of a hinge, that is, a hinge bracket and the guide rail in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a door and a pressurizing roller portion in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  are views illustrating an operation of the damper in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIGS. 11 and 12  are views illustrating a structure of the damper in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an external shape of a refrigerator  1  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the refrigerator  1  in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. 
     The refrigerator  1  includes a body  10 , a storage compartment  20  formed in the body  10 , and a cool air supply device (not shown) that supplies cool air to the storage compartment  20 . 
     The body  10  is provided in an approximate box shape. That is, the body  10  includes an upper wall  11 , a left sidewall, a right sidewall  12 , a rear wall, and a bottom wall. In another aspect, the body  10  may include an inner casing, an outer casing, and an insulator provided between the inner casing and the outer casing to insulate the storage compartment  20 . 
     The storage compartment  20  may be divided by a horizontal partition  17   a  and a vertical partition  17   b  into a plurality of smaller compartments. In the embodiment, for example, the storage compartment  20  is divided into an upper storage compartment  21 , and a lower left storage compartment  22  and a lower right storage compartment  23 . The storage compartment  20  may include a shelf  25  to place food thereon and an airtight container  26  to store food airtight. 
     The storage compartment  20  may include an open front to allow food to be placed therein or withdrawn therefrom. The open front may be opened and closed by a plurality of doors. For example, the upper storage compartment  21  may be opened and closed by an upper right door  31  and an upper left door  32 . Similarly, the lower left storage compartment  22  may be opened and closed by a lower left door  34 , and the lower right storage compartment  23  may be opened and closed by a lower right door  33 . 
     However, the concept of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described above. It may be generally applied not only to a refrigerator with four doors described above but also to refrigerators with a rotatable door regardless of types thereof such as side by side (SBS) type refrigerators, top mounted freezer (TMF) type refrigerators, bottom mounted freezer (BMF) type refrigerators, French door refrigerators (FDR), refrigerators with one door, etc. 
     Hereinafter, among the upper right door  31 , the upper left door  32 , the lower right door  33 , and the lower left door  34 , the upper right door  31  located on a top in a right side will be described. However, a damping structure according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be appropriately modified and applied to the upper left door  32 , the lower right door  33 , and the lower left door  34 . 
     A hinge cover  100  is coupled to the upper wall  11  of the body  10  to cover a hinge. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a principal part of the refrigerator  1  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view illustrating components of a damper  40  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view illustrating a state in which the damper  40  is coupled to the hinge cover  100  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view illustrating a state in which the damper  40  is separated from the hinge cover  100  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating the damper  40  and a guide rail  90  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating components of a hinge  70 , that is, a hinge bracket  80  and the guide rail  90  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the upper right door  31  and a pressurizing roller portion  36  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIGS. 9 and 10  are views illustrating an operation of the damper  40  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIGS. 11 and 12  are views illustrating a structure of the damper  40  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 to 8 , the refrigerator  1  includes the damper  40  for mitigating an impact caused by a collision with the body  10  when the upper right door  31  is closed and the hinge  70  that supports the upper right door  31  to be rotatable. 
     The term a damper includes various meanings such as a buffer, a buffering device, a damper, a shock absorber, etc. 
     The damper  40  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a damping device  50  that substantially performs a damping function and a damper housing  65  to protect the damping device  50  and to allow the damping device  50  to be coupled to the hinge cover  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3, 11, and 12 , the damper  40  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. 
     The damping device  50  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cylinder  51 , a piston  60  that moves back and forth inside the cylinder  51 , a pressurizing rod  61  that is connected to the piston  60  and extends to the outside of the cylinder  51 , and damping fluids F 1  and F 2  that are gradually compressed according to the movement of the piston  60  and provides a damping force to the piston  60 . Here, the pressurizing rod  61  and the piston  60  may be referred to as moving parts and the cylinder  51  may be referred to as a cylinder part. 
     The cylinder  51  includes an inner container  52  having a first space  56  and an outer container  53  that forms a second space  58  between the inner container  52  and the outer container  53 . The first space  56  and the second space  58  may be interconnected by a through hole  54  formed in the inner container  52 . 
     The first space  56  may be filled with the damping fluid F 1 , and the second space  58  may be filled with the damping fluids F 1  and F 2 . Here, the damping fluid F 1  may be oil and the damping fluid F 2  may be gas. 
     When an external force is applied inwards to the pressurizing rod  61 , the pressurizing rod  61  pressurizes the piston  60  while moving inwards, and the piston  60  pressurizes the damping fluids F 1  and F 2 . The damping fluid F 1  of the first space  56  pressurizes the damping fluid F 2  while moving toward the second space  58  through the through hole  54 . The damping fluid F 2  may provide the damping force while being gradually compressed. 
     When the external force applied to the pressurizing rod  61  is removed, the damping fluid F 2  expands to an original state and pushes the damping fluid F 1  from the second space  58  to the first space  56 . The damping fluid F 1  moves from the second space  58  to the first space  56  through the through hole  54  and externally pressurizes the piston  60 . Accordingly, the piston  60  may be restored to an original state. 
     Here, the external force applied to the pressurizing rod  61  acts from the upper right door  31 . The force that acts on the upper right door  31  may be a force of a user to push the upper right door  31  or an inertial force according thereto while the upper right door  31  is closed and may be a magnetic force that acts between a magnet (not shown) provided in the upper right door  31  and the body  10  after the upper right door  31  is closed. That is, the magnet that generates a magnetic force to fasten the upper right door  31  after the upper right door  31  is closed may be provided in the upper right door  31 . The magnet may be provided in a gasket provided on a rear side of the upper right door  31 . 
     However, the damping device  50  is merely an example. That is, a structure including the cylinder  51  and the piston  60  that moves back and forth will suffice to be the damping device  50  to which the concept of the present disclosure is applied, regardless of whether a member that generates a damping force is a fluid or a spring, while there is no limitation in detailed structure for generating the damping force. 
     The pressurizing rod  61  includes a head portion  62  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) directly pressurized by the upper right door  31  when the upper right door  31  is closed. The pressurizing rod  61  includes a pressurized surface  63  to be pressurized by the pressurizing roller portion  36  (refer to  FIG. 8 ) provided on the upper right door  31 . 
     The pressurizing roller portion  36  may include a base portion  37  coupled to a top side  31   a  of the upper right door  31 , a roller installation portion  38  that extends from the base portion  37 , and a roller  39  installed in the roller installation portion  38 . 
     The roller  39  may be formed of rubber to have an elastic force. The roller  39  may be rotatably provided at an end of the roller installation portion  38 . Accordingly, when pressurizing the pressurizing rod  61 , the roller  39  may be in contact with the pressurized surface  63  and may softly pressurize the pressurized surface  63  while slightly sliding on the pressurized surface  63 . 
     The head portion  62  may pass through a guide path  98  of the guide rail  90  described above. Accordingly, the head portion  62  may have a size smaller than or at least identical to the guide path  98 . The head portion  62  may be guided by a pair of guide walls  94  and  96  of the guide rail  90  described above. 
     The head portion  62  may include separation prevention protrusions  64  to be inserted into separation prevention grooves  95  and  97  not to be separated from the guide rail  90 . 
     The damper housing  65  protects the damping device  50  and couples the damping device  50  to the hinge cover  100 . 
     The damper housing  65  includes a damper accommodating portion  66  that accommodates the damping device  50 . The damper accommodating portion  66  is provided with an open top side in such a way that the damping device  50  may be inserted into the damper accommodating portion  66  through the open top side. 
     The damper housing  65  includes a first coupling portion  67  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) that protrudes to be coupled to the hinge cover  100 . Corresponding thereto, the hinge cover  100  may include a second coupling portion  105  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) to be coupled to the first coupling portion  67 . 
     The first coupling portion  67  may be an insertion-protrusion, and the second coupling portion  105  may include an insertion groove  106  into which the first coupling portion  67  is inserted. The first coupling portion  67  may slide in one direction to be inserted into the insertion groove  106 . For example, the first coupling portion  67  may slide in a direction from the front toward the rear to be inserted into the insertion groove  106 . 
     The first coupling portion  67  may include a fixing protrusion  68  for fixing the damper  40 . Corresponding thereto, the second coupling portion  105  may include a fixing groove  107  to which the fixing protrusion  68  is fixed. The fixing protrusion  68  may be inserted into the fixing groove  107  while the first coupling portion  67  slides and is inserted into the insertion groove  106 , thereby fixing the damper  40  to the hinge cover  100 . 
     However, such a coupling structure is merely an example and the damper  40  suffices to be coupled to the hinge cover  100 . For example, the damper  40  and the hinge cover  100  may be coupled through an additional fastening member in addition to such a fitting structure. 
     The term hinge has a meaning identical to a hinge. 
     The hinge  70  connects the body  10  to the upper right door  31 . The hinge  70  is coupled to the upper wall  11  of the body  10 . The hinge  70  may include the hinge bracket  80  coupled to the body  10 , the guide rail  90  that guides the movement of the damper  40 , and a pivot shaft  86  that rotatably supports the upper right door  31 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the hinge  70  will be described. 
     The hinge bracket  80  may be an integral plate having rigidity. The hinge bracket  80  includes a main supporting portion  81  coupled to the upper wall  11  of the body  10  and an extension portion  83  that extends forward from the main supporting portion  81  toward a top of the upper right door  31 . 
     The main supporting portion  81  and the extension portion  83  may be integrally formed. The main supporting portion  81  and the extension portion  83  may have a certain step. The main supporting portion  81  and the extension portion  83  may be horizontally provided. A pivot shaft insertion groove  85  into which the pivot shaft  86  is inserted may be formed on the extension portion  83 . 
     The pivot shaft  86  may sequentially be inserted into the pivot shaft insertion groove  85  of the hinge  70  and a pivot shaft insertion groove  35  of the upper right door  31  and may rotatably support the upper right door  31 . The pivot shaft  86  has a hollow  87  through which a wire W (refer to  FIGS. 9 and 10 ) passes. Accordingly, the wire W that extends from an inside of the upper right door  31  to the outside may pass through the hollow  87  of the pivot shaft  86  and may be connected to an inside of the body  10  through a connection opening  11   b  of the upper wall  11  of the body  10 . 
     The main supporting portion  81  may be strongly coupled to the upper wall  11  of the body  10  using an additional fastening member. For this, the main supporting portion  81  may include a fastening hole  82  to which the fastening member is fastened. 
     The guide rail  90  may perform a guide function of guiding the damper  40  to smoothly operate and a protection function of protecting the wire W that connects the inside of the upper right door  31  to the inside of the body  10  from being affected by the operation of the damper  40 . 
     The guide rail  90  may be coupled to the extension portion  83  of the hinge bracket  80 . The guide rail  90  may be strongly coupled to the extension portion  83  of the hinge bracket  80  using an additional fastening member S. The fastening member S includes various mechanically fastening elements capable of coupling a plurality of members, such as a screw, bolt, pin, rivet, etc. 
     For this, the guide rail  90  may include a fastening hole  92  to which the fastening member S is fastened. 
     However, unlike the embodiment, the hinge bracket  80  and the guide rail  90  may be integrally formed. That is, the hinge bracket  80  and the guide rail  90  may be integrally formed through die casting. 
     The guide rail  90  may include a rail body  91  to be coupled to the hinge bracket  80  and a guide portion  93  that guides a movement of the pressurizing rod  61  of the damper  40 . 
     The rail body  91  may be provided in a plate shape and may be in close contact with the hinge bracket  80 . The rail body  91  may be formed with the fastening hole  92  described above. 
     The guide portion  93  may be formed above the rail body  91 . The rail body  91  and the guide portion  93  may be integrally formed. 
     The guide portion  93  may include the pair of guide walls  94  and  96  provided on both sides of the pressurizing rod  61  to extend along a movement direction of the pressurizing rod  61  to guide to the movement of the pressurizing rod  61 . Between the pair of guide walls  94  and  96 , the guide path  98  through which the pressurizing rod  61  passes may be formed. 
     The separation prevention grooves  95  and  97  may be formed on the pair of guide walls  94  and  96 , respectively, to prevent a separation of the pressurizing rod  61 . 
     The hinge cover  100  is coupled to the upper wall  11  of the body  10  to protect and cover the hinge  70  and the damper  40 . The hinge cover  100  may have an approximate box shape with an open bottom. 
     That is, the hinge cover  100  includes an upper wall  101  and a sidewall portion  102  that extends downward from an edge of the upper wall  101 . In the embodiment, the upper wall  101  has a shape with both left and right sides that further protrude forward but is not limited thereto. Also, the term the sidewall portion  102  includes all portions that extend downward from the edge of the upper wall  101  regardless of front, rear, left, and right. 
     A hinge accommodating portion  103  that accommodates the hinge  70  therein is formed inside the upper wall  101  and the sidewall portion  102 . The hinge accommodating portion  103  may accommodate the damper  40  together. However, since it is necessary for the pressurizing rod  61  of the damper  40  to protrude forward to be in contact with the upper right door  31 , an opening  104  through which the pressurizing rod  61  of the damper  40  passes may be formed in the sidewall portion  102  of the hinge accommodating portion  103 . 
     As described above, in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure, the damper  40  may be coupled to the hinge cover  100 , thereby easily installing the damper  40 . It is possible to install the damper  40  in a refrigerator cylinder does not have the damper  40  merely by forming a coupling portion for coupling the damper  40  in the hinge cover  100  of the refrigerator. 
     As is apparent from the above description, an impact that occurs when a door is closed may be mitigated. 
     Also, a movement of a pressurizing rod of a damper may be smoothly guided, thereby increasing reliability of damping. 
     Also, a wire cylinder passes through a hinge accommodating portion to connect the door to a body may be safely protected without an effect of the movement of the pressurizing rod of the damper. 
     Also, the damper cylinder mitigates the impact that occurs when the door is closed may be easily installed. 
     Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.