JPH055431Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Technical field> This invention applies to the door opening/closing device of refrigerators, etc.
In particular, it relates to a structure that can be opened and closed from any left or right side.

<Prior Art> Generally, the door of a refrigerator can be opened and closed only from one side, the left or the right, and it is determined at the time of manufacture that the door opens either to the right or to the left. Therefore, at the time of purchase, the user must consider the location and select either the right-opening or left-opening option. However, if the location of the refrigerator is changed after purchase, such as by changing the layout, there are inconveniences such as the door becoming difficult to open due to obstacles such as walls, or the space for placing the refrigerator being limited.

Therefore, the applicant proposed a patent application for "Door Opening/Closing Device" dated November 21, 1985, as a structure that can be opened and closed from any left or right side. (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2
(Refer to Publication No. 140583) An example of this door opening/closing device is shown in Figures 8 to 11.
This will be explained with reference to the diagram. There are hinge pins 6 on both the left and right sides of the top and bottom of the main body 61 to which the door 60 is attached.
2 and 63 are protrudingly provided, and engagement grooves 6 are provided on the top and bottom of the door 60 in which the hinge pins 62 and 63 can be engaged in a detachable manner.
A rectangular fixing plate 66 having numbers 4 and 65 is provided. Latch grooves 67 and 68 opened on the outer diameter side of the fixed plate 66 on both sides releasably engage the hinge pins 62 and 63, thereby restraining the hinge pins in the engagement grooves 64 and 65. Latch plates 69 and 70 are rotatably attached to the latch plates 69 and 70, and when one latch plate 69 and 70 rotates in the direction of releasing the restraint, the other latch plate 70 and 69 A connecting member 71 is provided to prevent rotation of the rotor. This connecting member 7
1 is a pair of I-shaped links 7 pivotally connected to the fixed plate 66 near the left and right latch plates 69 and 70, respectively.
2 and 73, and a straight connecting link 74 that connects one ends of these I-shaped links 72 and 73. Each of the I-shaped links 72, 73 is provided with lock grooves 75, 76 in which slide guide portions 75A, 76A and stopper portions 75B, 76B are bent into a substantially L-shape, while each of the latch plates 69, 70 includes lock pins 77, 7 that engage with the lock groove 75 to restrict rotation of the latch plate.
8 is provided protrudingly.

In the door 60, a hinge pin 6 is provided at a position corresponding to the engagement grooves 64 and 65 of the fixed plate 66.
Notches 60A and 60B into which the parts 2 and 63 fit are formed. These notches 60A and 60B are
It is formed from the upper surface to the inner surface in the upper part of 0, and from the lower surface to the inner surface in the lower part. Note that FIGS. 9 and 10 show the upper right and left notches, and FIG. 8 shows the upper and lower left notches of the door 1.

Next, the opening/closing operation will be explained. Here, the explanation will be made using FIGS. 9 and 10, which show plan views of the opening/closing device installed on the upper part of the door 60.

First, when opening the door 60 from the left side, the door 60
Of the operation recesses provided on both the left and right sides of the front surface (outer surface), the operator places his hand on the left recess 59 and pulls it toward him. As a result, since the left hinge pin 62 is immovable, the latch plate 69 rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 79, and when the latch groove 67 and the engagement groove 64 are aligned, they are removed from the left hinge pin 62. Right hinge pin 63
The door 60 is opened using the fulcrum as a fulcrum (see FIG. 10). Furthermore, as the left I-shaped link 72 rotates clockwise around the support shaft 80 due to the rotation of the latch plate 69, the connecting link 74 is pulled to the left, so that the right I-shaped link 73 is also pulled to the left. Similarly, it rotates clockwise to prevent the right latch plate 70 from rotating.

When closing the opened door 60, the left front side of the door 60 may be pushed toward the main body 61 side. Then,
The door 60 rotates using the right hinge pin 63 as a fulcrum, the engagement groove 64 and the latch groove 67 engage with the left hinge pin 62, and the latch plate 69 rotates counterclockwise to engage the latch groove 69. By intersecting the groove 64, the hinge pin 62 is restrained within this intersection, and the door 60 is closed (see FIG. 9).

Note that when opening and closing the door 60 from the right side, the operation is the reverse of the above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

By the way, in this type of door opening/closing device, the door 60
When the door 60 is opened from the left side (right side), the left side (right side) notches 60A and 6 provided at the top of the door 60 open.
Foreign matter such as dust can easily enter from 0B. Therefore, there is a concern that if the foreign matter gets stuck in the movable parts of the device repeatedly, it will become difficult to open and close the door.

<Purpose of the invention> This invention was devised in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to prevent foreign matter such as dust from getting inside the door and allow the door to open and close smoothly over a long period of time. It is an object.

<Structure of the invention> In order to achieve the above purpose, the invention has the following features:
It has the following structure.

The door opening/closing device of the present invention has a hinge pin protruding from both left and right ends of either the door or the main body to which the door is attached, and the hinge pin is removably engaged with the other side from the open side of the door. A fixing plate is provided with a locking groove in which the fixing plate can be freely engaged with and disengaged from the hinge pin through latch grooves opened on the outer diameter side on both the left and right sides of the fixing plate. A latch plate is rotatably attached to restrain the latch plate, and a connecting member is provided between the two latch plates to prevent rotation of the other latch plate in conjunction with the rotation of one latch plate in the direction of releasing the restraint, and A closing plate that is rotatably biased in the direction of closing the door or the notch of the main body formed on both the left and right sides of the plate or the part to which this fixed plate is attached, corresponding to the engagement groove of the fixed plate. It is characterized by the provision of .

The effects of this configuration are as follows.

When the main body is provided with a hinge pin, a notch for passing the hinge pin is formed in the door, while when the door is provided with a hinge pin, the main body is formed with the above-mentioned notch. In other words, depending on this form, it is determined on which side of the door or the main body the shielding plate is provided. In any case, when the hinge pin is disengaged from the engagement groove and notch of the fixing plate by opening the door, etc., the notch is closed by the shielding plate, and foreign matter is prevented from entering through the notch.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 7. The door opening/closing device shown in the figure has hinges 2 installed at four locations on both the left and right sides of the main body 2 (corresponding to the cabinet in refrigerators, etc.) to which the door 1 is attached.
Hinge pins 3A and 3B protruding from A and 2B (see Fig. 4), rectangular fixing plates 10 (see Fig. 4) provided to face the upper and lower parts of the door 1,
A pair of left and right latch plates 20A and 20B provided at left and right positions of the fixed plate 10, and a pair of latch plates 20
A connecting member 30 provided between A and 20B. Furthermore, the fixing plate 10 and the latch plate 20A,
20B are provided with springs 4A, 4B which urge the latch plates 20A, 20B to hold the hinge pins 3A, 3B in both the restraint position and the restraint release position.

A total of four cutouts 1A and 1B (only the upper side is shown in Figures 2 and 3) are provided at the top and bottom of the door 1 at each left and right position, through which the hinge pins 3A and 3B go in and out when the door is opened and closed. It is being The cutouts 1A and 1B are formed in the upper part of the door 1 so as to extend from the upper surface to the inner surface, and in the lower part thereof, they are formed in the lower part so as to extend from the lower surface to the inner surface.

The fixed plate 10 has stepped portions 12A on both the left and right sides thereof.
12B is provided, and these stepped portions 12A, 1
Engagement grooves 11A and 11B are formed on 2B, respectively. These engagement grooves 11A, 11B are open toward the main body 2 side, and are adapted to fit into and engage with the corresponding hinge pins 3A, 3B from the open side.

Among these fixed plates 10, those installed on the upper part of the door 1 have substantially triangular shielding plates 40A and 40A on the upper surface of the stepped portions 12A and 12B, respectively.
40B is swingably attached. Specifically, locking pins 41A and 41B are provided at one corner of the shielding plates 40A and 40B to protrude downward, respectively.
However, on the upper surface of the step portions 12A, 12B, the opening side of the engagement grooves 11A, 11B and the step walls 13A, 13B
A circular through hole 14 is bored between the
A, 14B is involved. Spring 50A, 50B is wound around locking pin 41A, 41B.
One end is inserted into the storage recesses 42A, 42B protruding from the shielding plates 40A, 40B, respectively, and the other end is pressed against the stepped walls 13A, 13B of the fixed plate 10, so that both ends are constantly expanding. It is compressed to In other words, this spring 50A, 5
0B has shielding plates 40A and 40 due to its stretching force.
B is biased in one swing direction, so that the engagement groove 11
A, 11B and the notches 1A, 1B of the door 1 are closed.

The latch plates 20A, 20B are hinge pins 3A,
3B has latch grooves 21A and 21B that are open on the outer diameter side of the arcuate portion, and the engagement grooves 11A and
Fixed plate 1 is fixed by shafts 5A and 5B at the inner position of 11B.
It is rotatably pivoted at 0. As shown in FIG.
A, 21B intersect with the engagement grooves 11A, 11B and restrain the hinge pins 3A, 3B within the intersection, while the restraint release direction is a certain angle from the angular position (clockwise in the case of the latch plate 20A on the left side of the figure). When the latch plate 20B on the right side is rotated counterclockwise), the openings of the latch grooves 21A and 21B align with the engagement groove 11.
Matching with the openings of A and 11B, the hinge pins 3A,
3B is allowed to come out of the engagement grooves 11A, 11B.

One end of the springs 4A, 4B is attached to a latch plate 20.
A, 20B are rotatably pivoted to mounting pins 23A, 23B protruding from the ends opposite to the latch grooves 21A, 21B, and the other ends are mounted to mounting pins 7A, 23B protruding from the fixed plate 10. It is rotatably pivoted to 7B. The mounting pins 7A and 7B are attached to the latch plate 20.
When A, 20B rotates between the position where the hinge pins 3A, 3B are restrained and the position where they are released, the mounting pins 23A, 23B and the latch plate 20A,
It is provided at a position approximately in the middle of the angular range formed by the support shafts 5A and 5B of 20B. The springs 4A, 4B are constantly biased in a direction in which both ends tend to expand, and also have the function of bringing the door 1 into close contact with the main body 2 when the door 1 is closed.

The connecting member 30 is connected to one latch plate 20A, 20
When B rotates in the restraint release direction, the other latch plate 20
It prevents rotation of the swing links 31A and 20A, and is composed of a pair of I-shaped swing links 31A and 31B, and a telescopic connecting link 32 that connects one end of these swing links 31A and 31B. ing. The other ends of the swing links 31A, 31B are pivotally connected to shafts 6A, 6B protruding from the fixed plate 10 so as to be swingable. Moreover, this swing link 31A,
31B has approximately L-shaped lock grooves 33A, 3.
3B is formed, and these lock grooves 33A, 3
3B is the support shaft 6A of the swing links 31A, 31B,
Slide guide portions 33A ₁ and 33B ₁ extending in a direction away from 6B, and stopper portions 33A ₂ provided along arcs centered on the support shafts 6A and 6B.
It consists of 33B ₂ . These lock grooves 33A, 33
Lock pins 22A, 22B protruding from latch plates 20A, 20B are engaged with B.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 4, the shielding plates 40A and 40B are not attached to the door opening/closing device provided at the bottom of the door 1, and the fixing plate 10 is located below the door opening/closing device provided at the top of the door. It is installed by turning it around. In this case, the hinges 2A, 2B and the door 1
This increases the degree of freedom in design, as it can be made flush with the bottom surface of the base for a better appearance. Here, it is assumed that the shielding plates 40A and 40B are not provided in the cutouts 1A and 1B on the lower side of the door 1, but needless to say, the shielding plates 40A and 40B are not provided on the lower side of the door 1.
A and 40B may be provided.

The opening/closing operation of the door 1 with the above configuration will be explained. Here, the explanation will be made using FIGS. 2 and 3, which show plan views of the opening/closing device installed on the upper part of the door 60.

As shown in FIG. 2, each latch plate 20A, 20
When the openings of the latch grooves 21A and 21B of B are facing left and right outward, the latch grooves 21A and 21B intersect with the engagement grooves 11A and 11B, and the hinge pins 3A and 3B are restrained within the intersection. and the state is maintained by the expanding force of the springs 4A and 4B.
is held closed. In this state,
Since the hinge pins 3A, 3B are located deep inside the engagement grooves 11A, 11B, the shielding plates 40A, 40B are moved to the fifth position by the hinge pins 3A, 3B.
As shown in the figure, the springs 50A and 50B are compressed and pushed clockwise to a tight position, opening the notches 1A and 1B of the door 1.
In this state, the notches 1A, 1B of the door 1 are covered by the hinges 2A, 2B, so that foreign matter such as dust can be prevented from entering through the notches 1A, 1B.

Here, when opening the door 1 from the left, there is a recess on the left side of the door 1 for opening/closing operation (not shown here).
(see reference numeral 59 in FIG. 8). As a result, the engagement groove 11A is pulled in the direction in which it is removed from the stationary left hinge pin 3A, and accordingly, a rotational force is applied to the left latch plate 20A in a clockwise direction, that is, in the direction of releasing the restraint. At this time, the lock pin 22A provided on the latch plate 20A is located at the corner of the lock groove 33A. Subsequently, the lock pin 22A slides along the slide guide portion _33A1 , and the latch plate 20A further rotates clockwise. When the latch plate 20A passes half of its rotation angle, the spring 4A tries to expand, and the latch plate 20A is vigorously rotated clockwise by its urging force, and the latch groove 21
The opening of A matches the opening of the engagement groove 11A, and the left hinge pin 3A can be removed from there.

On the other hand, as the lock pin 22A of the latch plate 20A slides along the slide guide portion _33A1 , the right swing link 31B swings clockwise via the connecting link 32, and the lock groove 33A of the lock pin 22A of the latch plate 20A slides. The lock pin 22B comes into contact with the end of the stopper portion _33A2 . The right latch plate 20B is now unable to rotate in any direction, and the right hinge pin 3B remains locked.

Therefore, the door 1 is opened from the left side with the right hinge pin 3B as the center of rotation (see FIG. 3). In this state, the spring 4
Since the expanding force of A is applied to the left latch plate 20A, the latch plate 20A is held as it is. Moreover, hinge pin 3
At the same time as the engagement groove 11A is disengaged from A, the expanding force of the spring 50A causes the shielding plate 40A to move counterclockwise around its pivot, the locking pin 41A, until it is fully rotated. completely closes the notch 1A of the door 1 (sixth
(see figure). Therefore, even when the door 1 is in the open state, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering through the notch 1A.

The above operations are performed continuously.

To close the door 1 that has been opened as described above, the left side portion of the door 1 may be pushed toward the main body 2 side. Then, the engagement groove 11A and the latch groove 21A fit into the hinge pin 3A, and the latch plate 20A is pressed against the hinge pin 3A by the pressing force of the latch plate 20A.
0A begins to rotate counterclockwise while compressing spring 4A. Then, the left swing link 3
1A lock groove 33A slide guide part 33A ₁
The lock pin 22A of the latch plate 20 located at the end of the latch plate 20A is moved toward the corner of the slide guide portion _33A1 by the rotational force of the latch plate 20A. When the latch plate 20A passes half of its rotation angle, the slide 4A tries to expand, and the latch plate 20A is rotated vigorously counterclockwise by the biasing force, and finally the latch groove 21A
intersects the engagement groove 11A and restrains the hinge pin 3A at the inner part of the engagement groove 11A. Therefore, the door 1 is closed and the state shown in FIG. 3 is restored. Moreover, when the engagement groove 11A engages with the hinge pin 3A,
The shielding plate 40A comes into contact with this hinge pin 3A,
As the hinge pin 3A moves to the back side of the engagement groove 11A, the shielding plate 40A is pushed toward the stepped wall 13A of the fixed plate 10 against the spring 50A, so that the engagement groove 11A and the notch of the door 1 1A is opened (see Figure 5). Even in this state, as described above, the hinges 2A and 2B can prevent foreign matter from entering through the notch 1A.

By the way, when opening and closing the door 1 from the right side, the operation is performed in the opposite direction to the above, so a description of the operation will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the main body 2 includes a hinge pin 3A,
3B is given as an example in which the fixing plate 10 is provided on the door 1, but the present invention also includes a case in which the fixing plate 10 is provided on the door 1.
This example can be easily realized from the above embodiment, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the shielding plates 40A and 40B are attached to the fixed plate 10, but the present invention also includes a case in which the shielding plates 40A and 40B are attached to the inner surface of the door 1, for example. In addition, in the above embodiment, the step portions 12A, 12B are provided at both left and right ends of the fixed plate 10, and the shielding plates 40A, 40B are provided so that the overall thickness does not become thick. The present invention also includes a structure in which the fixing plate 10 is used and shielding plates 40A and 40B are attached thereto. Furthermore, the present invention is not only applicable to the door opening/closing device having the structure illustrated in the above embodiments, but can also be applied to a door opening/closing device having a structure that does not use the springs 4A and 4B. In addition, by swinging the shielding plates 40A and 40B in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the door 1, the notches 1A and 1B of the door 1 can be opened.
However, when the door 1 opens and closes, the hinge pins 3A, 3B and the engagement grooves 11A, 11B
The shielding plates 40A, 40B are parallel to the direction of relative movement with the
The notch 1 of the door 1 is moved forward and backward.
There are various possibilities, such as opening or closing A and 1B.

<Effects of the invention> As explained above, according to the invention, when the door is opened, the notch formed in the door or main body is closed by the shielding plate on the opened side, so that no air can be seen from this notch. It can prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign objects from getting caught in the movable parts of the opening/closing device inside the door or the main body, and smooth opening/closing operations can be performed over a long period of time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the door opening/closing device, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the opening/closing device at the top of the door in the closed state, and FIG. Figure 4 is a plan view showing the opening/closing device at the top of the door when the door is open, Figure 4 is a front view showing the upper and lower parts of the door when it is closed, and Figure 5 is a partial plane view showing the shielding plate when the door is closed. 6 is a partial plan view showing the state of the shielding plate in the open state of the door, and FIG. 7 is an exploded front view of the vicinity of the shielding plate on the left side of the door. 8 to 11 show a conventional door opening/closing device, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the area around the refrigerator door, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the opening/closing device at the top of the door when the door is closed. , FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the opening/closing device at the top of the door when the door is open;
FIG. 11 is a front view showing the upper and lower parts of the door in the closed state. In the figures of the embodiment, 1...door, 1A, 1B...
... Notch, 2 ... Main body, 3A, 3B ... Hinge pin, 10 ... Fixing plate, 20A, 20B ... Latch plate, 21A, 21B ... Latch groove, 30 ... Connection member, 40A, 40B ... Shielding Board, 50A, 50
……spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A hinge pin is provided protruding from both left and right ends of either the door or the main body to which the door is attached, and the hinge pin is removably engaged with the other side from the open side of the door. A fixing plate having a locking engagement groove is provided, and each of the left and right sides of the fixing plate is detachably engaged with a hinge pin through a latch groove opened on the outer diameter side, so that the hinge pin is inserted into the engagement groove. A latch plate to be restrained is rotatably mounted, and a connecting member is provided between the two latch plates to prevent rotation of the other latch plate in conjunction with the rotation of one latch plate in the direction of releasing the restraint, and the fixing plate Or, on both the left and right sides of either one of the parts to which this fixing plate is attached, there is a closing plate that is rotatably biased in the direction of closing the door or the notch of the main body formed in correspondence with the engagement groove of the fixing plate. A door opening/closing device characterized by the following: