CN114837506B

CN114837506B - Hinge assembly and utensil with same

Info

Publication number: CN114837506B
Application number: CN202210355514.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朱小兵; 夏恩品; 张�浩; 李康
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-28
Filing date: 2019-08-28
Publication date: 2023-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-28
Also published as: CN112443221A; CN114837506A; WO2021037095A1; CN112443221B

Abstract

The invention discloses a hinge assembly and a jig with the same, wherein the hinge assembly is used for connecting a box body and a door body, the hinge assembly comprises a switching assembly connected with the box body and the door body, when the door body is in an opening process, the door body and the switching assembly are relatively static, the switching assembly moves relative to the box body, and then the box body and the switching assembly are relatively static, and the door body moves relative to the switching assembly. The hinge component and the appliance can improve the degree of freedom of opening and closing the door body, and can generate various motion tracks to adapt to different application scenes.

Description

Hinge assembly and utensil with same

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a hinge assembly and an appliance with the hinge assembly.

Background

In general, the refrigerator and the door body are relatively moved by a fixed hinge, so that the opening and closing degrees of freedom of the door body are greatly limited, namely, the movement track of the door body cannot be freely controlled to adapt to different application scenes.

For example, in recent years, with the improvement of the living standard of people, the placement position and the placement mode of the refrigerator in the home are increasingly seen by the common users, and for the current home decoration style, part of the home pursuing style integration, the refrigerator needs to be placed in a cabinet to form a so-called embedded refrigerator device, the refrigerator is called an embedded refrigerator, and the current refrigerator is difficult to adapt to the embedded application scene.

In view of this, there is a need for an improvement over existing refrigerators to solve the above-described problems.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a hinge assembly and an appliance with the same, which can effectively improve the opening and closing degrees of freedom of a door body.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a hinge assembly for connecting a case and a door, the hinge assembly including a switching assembly for connecting the case and the door, wherein when the door is in an opening process, the door and the switching assembly are relatively stationary and the switching assembly moves relative to the case, and then the case and the switching assembly are relatively stationary and the door moves relative to the switching assembly.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the case includes an opening and a front end surface disposed around the opening, and when the door body rotates with the switching assembly around a first rotation axis with respect to the case, a first distance is provided between the first rotation axis and the front end surface, and when the door body rotates around a second rotation axis with respect to the switching assembly, a second distance is provided between the second rotation axis and the front end surface, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the case includes a housing chamber and an outer side surface adjacent to the hinge assembly and on an extension of the path of rotation of the door body, the first rotation axis having a third distance from the outer side surface when the door body rotates with the switching assembly about the first rotation axis relative to the case, and a fourth distance from the second rotation axis when the door body rotates about the second rotation axis relative to the switching assembly, the fourth distance being smaller than the third distance.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge assembly further includes a first hinge member fixed to the case and a second hinge member fixed to the door, and the switching assembly connects the first hinge member and the second hinge member.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the switching assembly includes a first mating member and a second mating member, when the door body is in a process of opening from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first hinge member and the first mating member move relatively, and the second mating member limits the second hinge member, when the door body is in a process of continuing to open from the first opening angle to a second opening angle, the second hinge member is separated from the limit of the second mating member, and the first mating member limits the first hinge member, and when the door body is in a process of continuing to open from the second opening angle to a maximum opening angle, the second hinge member and the second mating member move relatively.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the switching assembly includes a first switching member and a second switching member, when the door body is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle, the first switching member and the second switching member are relatively stationary and lock the second hinge member, the switching assembly moves relative to the first hinge member, when the door body is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the first switching member moves relative to the second switching member to unlock the second hinge member, and the switching assembly locks the first hinge member, and then the second hinge member moves relative to the switching assembly.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member and the switching assembly implement a relative motion through a first shaft body group and a first groove body group that are mutually matched, and the second hinge member and the switching assembly implement a relative motion through a second shaft body group and a second groove body group that are mutually matched.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the first shaft body group includes a first shaft body and a second shaft body, the first groove body group includes a first groove body matched with the first shaft body and a second groove body matched with the second shaft body, the second shaft body group includes a third shaft body and a fourth shaft body, and the second groove body group includes a third groove body matched with the third shaft body and a fourth groove body matched with the fourth shaft body.

As a further improvement of the first embodiment of the present invention, the first hinge member includes the first shaft body and the second shaft body, the switching assembly includes the first groove body, the second groove body, the third shaft body and the fourth shaft body, the second hinge member includes the third groove body and the fourth groove body, the first groove body includes a first upper groove body located at the first switching member and a first lower groove body located at the second switching member, the first upper groove body includes a first upper free section, the first lower groove body includes a first lower free section, the second groove body includes a second upper free section, the second upper groove body includes a second upper free section, the second lower groove body includes a second lower free section, the third groove body includes a third free section, the fourth groove body includes a fourth free section, the second free section is coincident with the first free section, the second free section is formed by the first free section, the second free section and the second shaft body, the second free section is coincident with the first free section, the first free section is formed by the second free section, the second free section is coincident with the first free section, the second free section is opened, and the first free section is opened by the second free section, the first switching piece and the second switching piece move relatively to enable the second hinge piece to be separated from the limit of the switching assembly, the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body are/is limited to the locking section to enable the switching assembly to limit the first hinge piece, when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the third shaft body moves in the third free section, and the fourth shaft body moves in the fourth free section.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides an appliance, including a case, a door, and a hinge assembly connecting the case and the door, where the hinge assembly is a hinge assembly according to any one of the above embodiments.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: the hinge component and the appliance of the embodiment of the invention can improve the degree of freedom of opening and closing the door body and can generate various motion tracks to adapt to different application scenes.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator in a closed state according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a first perspective view showing a hinge assembly according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention in a closed state;

fig. 3 to 5 are exploded views of hinge assemblies according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention at different first viewing angles;

fig. 6 is a second perspective view of the hinge assembly of the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention in a closed state;

fig. 7 to 9 are exploded views of hinge assemblies according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention in different states from a second perspective;

fig. 10 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention at a first opening angle;

FIG. 11 is a top view of FIG. 10;

fig. 12 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly of the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention at a first opening angle;

fig. 13 is a top cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first through fourth embodiments of the present invention at a first opening angle;

fig. 14 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first through fourth embodiments of the present invention at a first opening angle;

fig. 15 is a perspective view of the refrigerator according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention at a second opening angle;

FIG. 16 is a top view of FIG. 15;

fig. 17 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly of the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention at a second opening angle;

fig. 18 is a top cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first through fourth embodiments of the present invention at a second opening angle;

fig. 19 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first through fourth embodiments of the present invention at a first opening angle;

fig. 20 is a perspective view of the refrigerator according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention at a third opening angle;

FIG. 21 is a top view of FIG. 20;

fig. 22 is a perspective view of the hinge assembly of the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention at a third opening angle;

fig. 23 is a top cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first through fourth embodiments of the present invention at a third opening angle;

Fig. 24 is a bottom cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of the first through fourth embodiments of the present invention at a third opening angle;

fig. 25 is a schematic view of a refrigerator full-built-in state according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a top cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention in a closed state;

FIG. 27 is a bottom cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention in a closed state;

FIG. 28 is a top cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 29 is a bottom cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a first intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 30 is a top cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a second intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 31 is a bottom cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a second intermediate opening angle;

FIG. 32 is a top cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a first opening angle;

FIG. 33 is a bottom cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a first opening angle;

FIG. 34 is a top cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a second opening angle;

FIG. 35 is a bottom cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a second opening angle;

FIG. 36 is a top cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a maximum opening angle;

FIG. 37 is a bottom cross-sectional view of an exemplary hinge assembly of the present invention at a maximum opening angle;

fig. 38 is a perspective view of a hinge assembly under a door body according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 39 is an exploded view of a hinge assembly under a door body according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 40 is a perspective view of a refrigerator with a cabling module according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 41 is a top view of FIG. 40;

fig. 42 is a partially enlarged view of a refrigerator with a cabling module according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention in a three-dimensional state;

fig. 43 is a partially enlarged view (corresponding to a door closed state) of a refrigerator with a cabling module according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention in a top view;

fig. 44 is a partially enlarged view (corresponding to the door opened state) of the refrigerator with the trace module according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention in a top view.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments shown in the drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the invention and structural, methodological, or functional modifications of these embodiments that may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art are included within the scope of the invention.

In the various illustrations of the invention, certain dimensions of structures or portions may be exaggerated relative to other structures or portions for convenience of illustration, and thus serve only to illustrate the basic structure of the inventive subject matter.

In addition, terms such as "upper", "above", "lower", "below", "left", "right", and the like, as used herein, indicate spatial relative positions, and are used for convenience of description to describe one element or feature relative to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. The term spatially relative position may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

First embodiment

Referring to fig. 1, a refrigerator 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is schematically illustrated.

The refrigerator 100 includes a cabinet 10, a door 20 for opening and closing the cabinet 10, and a hinge assembly 30, the hinge assembly 30 being for connecting the cabinet 10 and the door 20.

Referring to fig. 2-9, a first embodiment of a hinge assembly 30 according to the present invention is schematically illustrated.

It should be emphasized that the hinge assembly 30 of the present embodiment is not only applicable to the refrigerator 100, but also applicable to other scenes, such as cabinets, sideboards, and wardrobes, etc., the present invention is exemplified by the application of the hinge assembly 30 to the refrigerator 100, but not limited thereto.

In the present embodiment, the hinge assembly 30 includes a plurality of hinge members 31, 32 and a switching assembly 40, and the switching assembly 40 controls switching operation between the plurality of hinge members 31, 32.

Here, the "switching operation" means that the plurality of hinge members 31, 32 can be alternately operated to control the opening and closing process of the door body 20, so that the degree of freedom of the opening and closing process of the door body 20 of the refrigerator 100 can be improved.

It should be noted that the switching assembly 40 may mechanically or electrically control the switching operation between the hinge members 31 and 32.

In the present embodiment, taking the hinge assembly 30 including the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 as an example, it is understood that in other embodiments, the hinge assembly 30 may include other numbers of hinge members, for example, the hinge assembly 30 includes three hinge members, and the switching assembly 40 controls the switching operation between the three hinge members, which may be specific to the actual situation.

In addition, here, the first hinge member 31 is connected to the case 10, the second hinge member 32 is connected to the door 20, for example, one end of the first hinge member 31 is fixed to the case 10, the other end extends above the door 20, and the second hinge member 32 is embedded in the door 20.

The switching element 40 connects the first hinge element 31 and the second hinge element 32, i.e. the first hinge element 31 is interactable with the switching element 40, and the second hinge element 32 is interactable with the switching element 40.

The first hinge member 31 moves relative to the switching member 40 when the hinge assembly 30 is in the first operating state, and the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching member 40 when the hinge assembly 30 is in the second operating state.

That is, the switching assembly 40 can control the working order of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 by interacting with the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32.

In the present embodiment, the switching assembly 40 includes a first mating member 41 and a second mating member 42, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the first working state (refer to fig. 10 to 14), the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41 move relatively, and the second mating member 42 limits the second hinge member 32, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of switching from the first working state to the second working state (refer to fig. 15 to 19), the second hinge member 32 is separated from the limit of the second mating member 42, and the first mating member 41 limits the first hinge member 31, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the second working state (refer to fig. 20 to 24), the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42 move relatively.

In addition, the switching assembly 40 includes a first switching member 401 and a second switching member 402 that are mutually matched, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the first working state or the second working state, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively static, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of switching from the first working state to the second working state, the first switching member 401 moves relative to the second switching member 402 so that the second hinge member 32 is separated from the limit of the second matching member 42, and the first matching member 41 limits the first hinge member 31.

That is, the switching assembly 40 is composed of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 which are relatively movable, and the locking and unlocking of the first hinge member 31 and the locking and unlocking of the second hinge member 32 can be achieved by controlling the relative positional relationship among the first hinge member 31, the second hinge member 32, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402, so that the sequential operation of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can be achieved by the switching assembly 40.

It will be appreciated that the "first operating state" herein refers to the first hinge member 31 being in an unlocked state such that the first hinge member 31 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, and the second hinge member 32 being in a locked state; "second operating state" means that the second hinge member 32 is in an unlocked state such that the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, and the first hinge member 31 is in a locked state; the "switching of the first operation state to the second operation state" means that the first hinge member 31 is changed from the unlocked state to the locked state and the second hinge member 32 is changed from the locked state to the unlocked state by the relative movement of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402, so that the sequential operation of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 is realized.

Here, the first switching member 401 is similar to the second switching member 402 in outer profile, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the first operating state, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are overlapped with each other, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of switching from the first operating state to the second operating state, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered to a certain angle, and when the hinge assembly 30 is in the second operating state, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary and maintain the previous staggered state.

In the present embodiment, the hinge assembly 30 is applied to the refrigerator 100, when the door body 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the hinge assembly 30 is in the first operating state, the first hinge member 31 moves relative to the switching assembly 40, and the switching assembly 40 locks the second hinge member 32, when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of switching from the first operating state to the second operating state, the switching assembly 40 unlocks the second hinge member 32, and the switching assembly 40 locks the first hinge member 31, and when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the hinge assembly 30 is in the second operating state, and the second hinge member 32 moves relative to the switching assembly 40.

Specifically, the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41 implement a relative motion through the first shaft body groups 311 and 312 and the first slot body groups 411 and 412 that are mutually matched, and the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42 implement a relative motion through the second shaft body groups 321 and 322 and the second slot body groups 421 and 422 that are mutually matched, however, other mating forms are also possible between the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41 and between the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42.

In the present embodiment, the first shaft body groups 311 and 312 include a first shaft body 311 and a second shaft body 312, the first groove body groups 411 and 412 include a first groove body 411 engaged with the first shaft body 311 and a second groove body 412 engaged with the second shaft body 312, the second shaft body groups 321 and 322 include a third shaft body 321 and a fourth shaft body 322, and the second groove body groups 421 and 422 include a third groove body 421 engaged with the third shaft body 321 and a fourth groove body 422 engaged with the fourth shaft body 322.

Here, the first shaft body 311 is located at one of the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41, and the first slot 411 is located at the other of the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41.

The second shaft 312 is located at one of the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41, and the second groove 412 is located at the other of the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41.

The third shaft 321 is located at one of the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42, and the third groove 421 is located at the other of the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42.

The fourth shaft 322 is located at one of the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42, and the fourth slot 422 is located at the other of the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42.

That is, the distribution of the hinge assembly 30 may include various situations, for example, the first hinge member 31 includes the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312, the first matching member 41 includes the first groove body 411 and the second groove body 412, the second matching member 42 includes the third groove body 421 and the fourth groove body 422, the second hinge member 32 includes the third shaft body 321 and the fourth shaft body 322, or the first hinge member 31 includes the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 412, the first matching member 41 includes the first groove body 411 and the second shaft body 312, the second hinge member 32 includes the third shaft body 321 and the fourth groove body 422, the second matching member 42 includes the third groove body 421 and the fourth shaft body 421, and so on, which may be specific according to the actual situations.

Here, taking the first hinge member 31 including the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312, the first mating member 41 including the first slot 411 and the second slot 412, the second mating member 42 including the third slot 421 and the fourth slot 422, and the second hinge member 32 including the third shaft body 321 and the fourth shaft body 322 as an example.

It can be seen that the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41 of the present embodiment are in a dual-axis dual-groove mating form, and the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42 are in a dual-axis dual-groove mating form, but not limited thereto.

In other embodiments, a single-axis single-slot mating form may be included, for example, a first shaft set including a first shaft, a first slot set including a first slot that mates with the first shaft, and/or a second shaft set including a third shaft, a second slot set including a third slot that mates with the third shaft.

Of course, the single-axis single-groove fit between the first hinge member 31 and the first fitting member 41, the double-axis double-groove fit between the second hinge member 32 and the second fitting member 42, or the double-axis double-groove fit between the first hinge member 31 and the first fitting member 41, and the single-axis single-groove fit between the second hinge member 32 and the second fitting member 42 may be adopted, or other numbers of shaft bodies and groove body fit may be adopted.

In the present embodiment, with continued reference to fig. 2 to 9, the first slot 411 includes a first upper slot 413 located on the first switching member 401 and a first lower slot 414 located on the second switching member 402, the first upper slot 413 includes a first upper free section 4131, and the first lower slot 414 includes a first lower free section 4141.

The second slot 412 includes a second upper slot 415 located in the first switching member 401 and a second lower slot 416 located in the second switching member 402, the second upper slot 415 including a second upper free section 4151, the second lower slot 416 including a second lower free section 4161.

The third slot 421 includes a third free section 4211.

The fourth slot 422 includes a fourth free section 4221.

The first slot sets 411, 412 include locking segments 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 and the second slot sets 421, 422 include a spacing segment 4222.

The locking segments 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 comprise a first upper locking segment 4132 located in the first upper slot 413, a first lower locking segment 4142 located in the first lower slot 414, a second upper locking segment 4152 located in the second upper slot 415, and a second lower locking segment 4162 located in the second lower slot 416, and the limiting segment 4222 comprises a fourth limiting segment 4222 located in the fourth slot 422.

The first upper locking section 4132 communicates with the first upper free section 4131, the first lower locking section 4142 communicates with the second lower free section 4141, the second upper locking section 4152 communicates with the second upper free section 4151, and the second lower locking section 4162 communicates with the second lower free section 4161.

The first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142 are always offset from each other, and the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162 are always offset from each other.

Here, "always offset from each other" means that the first upper locking segment 4132 and the first lower locking segment 4142 do not completely overlap each other and the second upper locking segment 4152 and the second lower locking segment 4162 do not completely overlap each other during the opening of the door body 20.

Of course, the installation positions, the number, etc. of the locking sections 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 and the limiting sections 4222 are not limited to the above description, for example, the third groove 421 may also include the limiting sections 4222, or the first upper groove 413 and the first lower groove 414 do not include the locking sections, etc.

In the present embodiment, the first switching member 401 is closer to the first hinge member 31 than the second switching member 402, that is, the first hinge member 31, the first switching member 401, the second switching member 402 and the second hinge member 32 are sequentially stacked.

Referring to fig. 5 and 9, the hinge assembly 30 further includes a first riveting piece 4111 and a second riveting piece 4121, when the first shaft body 311 extends into the first slot body 411, the first riveting piece 4111 is located below the second switching piece 402 and is sleeved with the first shaft body 311, so that the first shaft body 311 is prevented from being separated from the first slot body 411, and similarly, when the second shaft body 312 extends into the second slot body 412, the second riveting piece 4121 is located below the second switching piece 402 and is sleeved with the second shaft body 312, so that the second shaft body 312 is prevented from being separated from the second slot body 412.

The first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are coupled to each other by the fifth shaft 50.

Here, the first switching element 401 and the second switching element 402 are provided with a first through hole 4014 and a second through hole 4024, and separate caulking members pass through the first through hole 4014 and the second through hole 4024 as the fifth shaft body 50.

Specifically, the fifth shaft body 50 includes a rivet 51 and a rivet spacer 52, wherein one end of the rivet 51 having a larger size is located below the second through hole 4024, one end of the rivet 51 having a smaller size extends into the second through hole 4024 and the first through hole 4014 in sequence, and the rivet spacer 52 is located above the first through hole 4014 and cooperates with the rivet 51 to lock the rivet 51.

Thus, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 can be mutually matched, so that the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 can relatively move, and the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 can not be mutually separated.

The first through hole 4014 and the second through hole 4024 are matched with the fifth shaft 50, and the first switching member 401 is rotated in place relative to the second switching member 402.

In other embodiments, a through hole may be provided on one of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402, and a fifth shaft 50 may be provided on the other, so that the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are mutually coupled by matching the fifth shaft 50 with the through hole, but not limited thereto.

In addition, the first switching member 401 includes a third shaft body 321, the second switching member 402 has a through hole 4026, the third shaft body 321 extends to the third groove body 421 through the through hole 4026, and the second switching member 402 includes a fourth shaft body 322, and the fourth shaft body 322 extends to the fourth groove body 422.

Here, the size of the through hole 4026 may be larger than the size of the third shaft 321, so that the third shaft 321 can move in the through hole 4026, and interference between the through hole 4026 and the third shaft 321 can be avoided when the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 move relatively.

That is, the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 of the present embodiment are located on different switching members, but not limited to this.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 5 and 9, the first switching element 401 includes a first liner 4011, a first slide 4012, and a first bushing 4013 stacked in order, and the second switching element 402 includes a second liner 4021, a second slide 4022, and a second bushing 4023 stacked in order.

Here, the first hinge member 31, the first liner 4011, the first slider 4012, the first bushing 4013, the second liner 4021, the second slider 4022, the second bushing 4023, and the second hinge member 32 are stacked in order from top to bottom.

The first liner 4011, the first liner 4013, the second liner 4021, and the second liner 4023 are made of plastic, for example, polyoxymethylene (POM).

The first sliding piece 4012 and the second sliding piece 4022 are made of metal, for example, stainless steel or Q235 steel.

The outer contours of the first liner 4011, the first sliding vane 4012 and the first liner 4013 are matched with each other, the first liner 4011 and the first liner 4013 are matched with each other to clamp the first sliding vane 4012 therebetween, and slots are required to be formed in the first liner 4011, the first sliding vane 4012 and the first liner 4013 to form a first upper groove 413, a second upper groove 415 and a first through hole 4014.

Here, the first through hole 4014 may be formed by forming slots only in the first slider 4012 and the first bushing 4013, that is, the first through hole 4014 does not penetrate the first lining 4011, and at this time, the fifth shaft 50 extends from below the first switching element 401 into the first through hole 4011, and the first lining 4011 may shield the first through hole 4014 and the fifth shaft 50, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance.

The outer contours of the second liner 4021, the second sliding piece 4022 and the second bushing 4023 are matched with each other, the second liner 4021 is matched with the second bushing 4023 to clamp the second sliding piece 4022 between the two, and slots are required to be formed in the second liner 4021, the second sliding piece 4022 and the second bushing 4023 to form a first lower groove 414, a second lower groove 416 and a second through hole 4024 in a matched mode.

Here, the second through-hole 4024 may be formed by forming slots only in the second lining 4021 and the second slide 4022, that is, the second through-hole 4024 does not pass through the second bushing 4023, and at this time, the fifth shaft 50 extends from below the second bushing 4023 into the second through-hole 4024 and the first through-hole 4011, and the second bushing 4023 may cover the second through-hole 4024 and the fifth shaft 50, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance.

At this time, one end of the rivet stem 51 of the fifth shaft body 50 may be limited to the second bush 4023, and the mating effect of the second bush 4021, the second slide 4022, and the second bush 4023 may be further improved.

In this embodiment, the first switching element 401 further includes a first decorative sheet 4015 covering the peripheral edges of the first liner 4011, the first sliding sheet 4012, and the first liner 4013, the second switching element 402 further includes a second decorative sheet 4025 covering the peripheral edges of the second liner 4021, the second sliding sheet 4022, and the second liner 4023, and the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are separated from each other.

Here, "the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are separated from each other" means that the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are configured to be independent from each other, and when the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are moved relatively, the first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 are also moved relatively.

In addition, the first decorative sheet 4015 of the present embodiment is shaped like a "door", that is, the first decorative sheet 4015 only covers three sides of the first switching element 401, so that the first decorative sheet 4015 is convenient to be assembled, and the fastening structure can be provided at the three sides to realize the matching with the first decorative sheet 4015, and the width of the first decorative sheet 4015 is substantially equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the first liner 4011, the first sliding sheet 4012 and the first liner 4013 in the stacking direction of the first switching element 401 and the second switching element 402.

Similarly, the second decorative sheet 4025 is shaped like a gate, that is, the second decorative sheet 4025 only covers three sides of the second switching member 402, so that the second decorative sheet 4025 is convenient to assemble, and a fastening structure can be arranged at the three sides to realize the matching with the second decorative sheet 4025, and in the overlapping direction of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402, the width of the second decorative sheet 4025 is approximately equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the second lining 4021, the second sliding sheet 4022 and the second bushing 4023.

The first decorative sheet 4015 and the second decorative sheet 4025 may be made of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic.

Next, a specific working procedure of the hinge assembly 30 will be described.

Referring to fig. 10 to 14, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the first working state, that is, the door 20 is in the process of being opened from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively stationary, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 overlap to form a first free section S1, the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 overlap to form a second free section S2, the first shaft body 311 moves in the first free section S1, the second shaft body 312 moves in the second free section S2, and the third shaft body 321 and/or the fourth shaft body 322 are limited in the limiting section 4222, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the second hinge member 32.

Here, the phrase "the third shaft body 321 and/or the fourth shaft body 322 are limited to the limiting section 4222" means that the third shaft body 321 is limited to the limiting section 4222 (i.e., the limiting section 4222 is located in the third groove 421) and the fourth shaft body 322 is not limited, or the third shaft body 321 is not limited to the limiting section 4222 (i.e., the limiting section 4222 is located in the fourth groove 422), or both the third shaft body 321 and the fourth shaft body 322 are limited to the limiting section 4222 (i.e., the limiting section 4222 is located in both the third groove 421 and the fourth groove 422).

Specifically, the fourth shaft body 322 is limited to the fourth limiting segment 4222, and the second hinge member 32 is in a locked state.

Here, since the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 always overlap to form the first free section S1, and the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 always overlap to form the second free section S2, that is, the movement track of the first switching member 401 and the movement track of the second switching member 402 are identical, and the first shaft body 311 moves in the first free section S1, and simultaneously, the second shaft body 312 moves in the second free section S2, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are always not staggered with each other in this process, that is, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 remain relatively stationary, so that the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 are prevented from being dislocated with each other, and the second upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 are prevented from being dislocated with each other, so that smooth movement of the first shaft body 311 in the first free section S1 and smooth movement of the second shaft body 312 in the second free section S2 can be ensured.

Referring to fig. 15 to 19, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the process of switching from the first operating state to the second operating state, that is, when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 move relatively to disengage the second hinge member 32 from the limit of the switching assembly 40, and the first shaft body 311 and/or the second shaft body 312 are limited to the locking sections 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 to enable the switching assembly 40 to limit the first hinge member 31.

Here, "the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 move relatively to disengage the second hinge member 32 from the limit of the switching member 40, and the first shaft body 311 and/or the second shaft body 312 are limited by the locking sections 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162 to limit the switching member 40 to the first hinge member 31" means that the switching member 40 and the second hinge member 32 move relatively to each other so that no limit exists between the switching member 40 and the second hinge member 32, and the switching member 40 and the first hinge member 31 move relatively to each other so that the switching member 40 and the first hinge member 31 limit each other.

In an example, the first shaft body 311 is simultaneously located at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft body 312 is simultaneously located at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, and the fourth shaft body 322 is separated from the fourth limiting section 4222, which is described as follows:

When the door 20 is opened to the first opening angle α1, the second shaft body 312 moves from the second free section S2 to the second lower locking section 4162 and is limited, at this time, the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312 cannot move relative to the first free section S1 and the second free section S2, and the first shaft body 311 is adjacent to the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft body 312 is adjacent to the second upper locking section 4152, and the track of the first upper locking section 4132 and the second upper locking section 4152 is adapted to the movement path of the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312.

When the door 20 is continuously opened based on the first opening angle α1, the door 20 drives the second hinge member 32 connected to the door 20 to move, and the second hinge member 32 applies a force to the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 through the third free section 4211 and the fourth limiting section 4222, so that the third shaft 321 and the fourth shaft 322 drive the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 to move.

Specifically, at this time, the first shaft body 311 is adjacent to the first upper locking section 4132, the second shaft body 312 is adjacent to the second upper locking section 4152, the first switching member 401 may move by a first angle relative to the first shaft body 311 and the second shaft body 312 until the first shaft body 311 is limited to the first upper locking section 4132, and the second shaft body 312 is limited to the second upper locking section 4152, and at the same time, the second switching member 402 moves by a second angle relative to the first shaft body 311 with the fifth shaft body 50 as a center of a circle until the first shaft body 311 is limited to the second locking section 4152, and during this process, the second shaft body 312 is always contacted with the second lower locking section 4162, and the second angle is greater than the first angle.

That is, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 rotate by a certain angle, and the rotation angle of the second switching member 402 is larger than that of the first switching member 401, and the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are also relatively moved to be staggered.

It is understood that the rotation processes of the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are not in a certain sequence, and the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 may rotate simultaneously, for example, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 rotate synchronously within a certain rotation angle range, and then the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered.

In actual operation, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 drive the first slot 411 and the second slot 412 to rotate relative to the first shaft 311 and the second shaft 312, respectively, the first shaft 311 is separated from the first free section S1 and is abutted to the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, i.e. the first shaft 311 is simultaneously located at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, the second shaft 312 is separated from the second free section S2 and is abutted to the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, i.e. the second shaft 312 is simultaneously located at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, and meanwhile, the movement of the second switching member 402 makes the fourth shaft 322 separate from the fourth limiting section 4222.

It can be appreciated that when the first shaft body 311 is located at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, since the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered, the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 that are originally overlapped with each other are also staggered, and the first upper free section 4131 and the first lower free section 4141 that are staggered limit the first shaft body 311 to separate from the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, so that the first shaft body 311 can be ensured to be always kept at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142 in the process of continuously opening the door body 20.

Similarly, when the second shaft body 312 is located at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, since the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are staggered, the first upper free section 4151 and the second lower free section 4161 that are originally overlapped with each other are also staggered, and the staggered second upper free section 4151 and second lower free section 4161 limit the second shaft body 312 from separating from the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162, so as to ensure that the second shaft body 312 is always kept at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162 during the continuous opening of the door body 20.

In addition, the rotation angle of the second switching member 402 is greater than that of the first switching member 401, that is, the second switching member 402 and the first switching member 401 are staggered with each other, so that the locking effect between the first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40 can be further improved, the first shaft body 311 is ensured to be always kept at the first upper locking section 4132 and the first lower locking section 4142, and the second shaft body 312 is always kept at the second upper locking section 4152 and the second lower locking section 4162.

Referring to fig. 20 to 24, when the hinge assembly 30 is in the second operating state, that is, when the door 20 is in the process of being continuously opened from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the third shaft 321 moves in the third free section 4211, and the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free section 4221.

It can be seen that, in this embodiment, through the unlocking and locking actions of the switching component 40 on the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, the sequential switching of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can be effectively controlled, so that the door body 20 can be stably opened.

It can be appreciated that when the door 20 is in the closing process, i.e. the door 20 starts to be closed from the maximum opening angle α3, the switching assembly 40 can also effectively control the sequential switching of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, i.e. when the door 20 is in the closing process from the maximum opening angle α3 to the second opening angle α2, the third shaft 321 moves in the third free section 4211, the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free section 4221, the switching assembly 40 locks the first hinge member 31, when the door 20 is in the closing process from the second opening angle α2 to the first opening angle α1, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 relatively move to disengage the first hinge member 31 from the limit of the switching assembly 40, and the fourth shaft 322 is limited in the fourth limit section 4222, the switching assembly 40 locks the second hinge member 32, and when the door 20 is in the closing process from the first opening angle α1 to the full closing process, the first shaft 311 moves in the first free section S1, and the second shaft 312 moves in the second free section S2.

In other words, the closing process of the door body 20 and the opening process of the door body 20 are the processes in reverse order, and the switching sequence of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 in the opening and closing process of the door body 20 can be effectively controlled by the unlocking and locking actions of the switching assembly 40 on the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32.

In the present embodiment, the first shaft body 311 and the third shaft body 321 are offset from each other, and thus, the present embodiment can be applied to a built-in cabinet or a scene where the space for accommodating the refrigerator 100 is small.

Referring to fig. 25, a simple schematic of the refrigerator 100 embedded in the cabinet 200 is taken as an example.

In the present embodiment, the case 10 includes an opening 102 and a front end 103 disposed around the opening 102, the case 10 further includes a receiving chamber S and an outer side 13 adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on an extension of a rotation path of the door 20, the door 20 includes a front wall 21 far from the receiving chamber S and a side wall 22 always sandwiched between the front wall 21 and the receiving chamber S, and a side edge 23 is provided between the front wall 21 and the side wall 22.

Here, when the door body 20 is in the process of being opened to the first opening angle α1 in the closed state, the door body 20 rotates with the first shaft body 311 as an axis, a first distance is provided between the first shaft body 311 and the front end surface 103, and when the door body 20 is in the process of being continuously opened to the maximum opening angle α3 from the second opening angle α2, the door body 20 rotates with the third shaft body 321 as an axis, a second distance is provided between the third shaft body 321 and the front end surface 103, and the second distance is greater than the first distance, so that the maximum opening angle of the fully embedded refrigerator 100 can be greatly improved.

In addition, a third distance is provided between the first shaft body 311 and the outer side 13, and when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, a fourth distance is provided between the third shaft body 321 and the outer side 13, and the fourth distance is smaller than the third distance, so that the opening degree of the box 10 can be further increased.

The concrete explanation is as follows:

in some motion tracks of the refrigerator 100, the first shaft 311 and the third shaft 321 may move relative to the door 20, or the hinge assembly 30 further includes a second shaft 312 matching with the first shaft 311 and a fourth shaft 322 matching with the third shaft 321, so that the door 20 is simply considered to rotate around the first shaft 311 for simplicity of description, and then is switched to rotate around the third shaft 321 by the switching assembly 40.

In practice, in order to enhance the embedding effect, it is preferable that the refrigerator 100 is completely embedded in the cabinet 200, and the refrigerator 100 is a free embedded refrigerator, i.e., the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 is located on the same plane with the front wall 21 of the door 20 on the side far from the cabinet 10, or the front wall 21 of the door 20 does not protrude beyond the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 at all.

In the prior art, the refrigerator is a single-shaft refrigerator, and the rotation shaft of the refrigerator needs to keep a certain distance from the side wall and the front wall of the refrigerator, so that there is enough space to satisfy foaming or other processes, that is, the rotation shaft of the existing refrigerator is located at the position of the first shaft body 311 in fig. 25, in this case, after the single-shaft refrigerator is embedded into the cabinet 200, since the corner 203 of the cabinet 200 clamped between the front end 201 and the inner wall 202 is arranged corresponding to the side edge 23 of the door body 20, when the door body 20 is opened, the side edge 23 interferes with the door body 20 to limit the maximum opening angle of the door body 20, and in order to ensure the normal opening of the door body 20, the conventional practice is to increase the gap between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100, which is about 10cm, which seriously affects the embedding effect and is unfavorable for the reasonable utilization of the limited space.

Referring to fig. 25, the hatched area indicates the door 20 in the closed state, when the door 20 is in the open process, if the door 20 is always rotated around the first shaft 311 (i.e. in the prior art), referring to the dashed line door 20 'in fig. 25, since the first shaft 311 is close to the front end surface 103, i.e. the first shaft 311 is far away from the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, after the door 20' is opened to a certain angle, the edge 203 of the cabinet 200 interferes with the door 20 'to limit the maximum opening angle of the door 20'.

In the present embodiment, the third shaft 321 is located on the first switching member 401, and during the opening process of the door 20, the switching assembly 40 moves relative to the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, so that the third shaft 321 gradually moves away from the front end surface 103, i.e. the third shaft 321 gradually moves towards the direction close to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, i.e. the whole door 20 moves towards the direction away from the case 10, referring to the solid line door 20 in fig. 25, the interference effect of the edges 203 of the cabinet 200 on the door 20 is greatly reduced, and the edges 203 of the cabinet 200 interfere with each other when the door 20 is opened to a larger angle, thereby greatly improving the maximum opening angle of the door 20.

That is, the effect of the switching assembly 40 in this embodiment can make the later door 20 rotate around the third shaft 321, so that the maximum opening angle of the door 20 can be effectively increased on the premise of ensuring that the refrigerator 100 is freely embedded into the cabinet 200, thereby facilitating the user to operate the refrigerator 100 and greatly improving the user experience.

In addition, the gap between the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 and the refrigerator 100 is not required to be increased, so that the refrigerator 100 and the cabinet 200 can be connected in a seamless manner, and the embedding effect is greatly improved.

In addition, the switching assembly 40 of the present embodiment drives the third shaft 321 to gradually move towards the direction close to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, and simultaneously drives the third shaft 321 to gradually approach the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200, that is, when the door 20 rotates around the third shaft 321, the third shaft 321 is closer to the front end 201 and the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 than the first shaft 311, so that the maximum opening angle of the door 20 can be increased, and the door 20 can be further away from the box 10 to increase the opening of the box 10, thereby facilitating the opening and closing of the racks, drawers, and the like in the box 10, or facilitating the picking and placing of the articles.

Of course, the third shaft 321 serving as the rotation axis may be located at other positions, for example, when the door 20 rotates around the third shaft 321, the third shaft 321 is closer to the front end 201 of the cabinet 200 than the first shaft 311, and the third shaft 321 is farther from the inner wall 202 of the cabinet 200 than the first shaft 311.

It can be appreciated that the switching assembly 40 controls the switching sequence of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 during the opening and closing process of the door 20, so as to effectively avoid the interference between the door 20 and the cabinet 200 during the opening and closing process.

In addition, it should be noted that, the motion track of the door body 20 can be effectively controlled by a specific shaft body groove design, in this embodiment, the case body 10 includes a pivot side P connected to the hinge assembly 30, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the hinge assembly 30 drives at least the door body 20 to move from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S, so as to avoid interference between the door body 20 and a peripheral cabinet or wall body during the opening process, and the specific design of the shaft body groove can be referred to as the following example.

In an example, referring to fig. 26 to 37, the first free section S1 includes an initial position A1 and a stop position A2 that are disposed opposite to each other, and the second free section S2 includes a first section L1, a second section L2, and a third section L3 that are sequentially connected to each other.

Referring to fig. 26 and 27, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the first shaft 311 is located at the initial position A1, the second shaft 312 is located at an end of the first section L1 away from the second section L2, and the fourth shaft 322 is located at the limiting section 4222, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the second hinge member 32.

Referring to fig. 28 and 33, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the first shaft 311 rotates in place at the initial position A1, the second shaft 312 moves in the first section L1 around the first shaft 311, the door 20 rotates in place relative to the housing 10, then the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position A1 to the stop position A2, the door 20 moves from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S, and then the second shaft 312 moves in the third section L3 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the stop position A2 toward the initial position A1, and the door 20 moves from the accommodating chamber S toward the pivot side P.

Specifically, referring to fig. 28 and 29, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle, the first shaft 311 rotates in place at the initial position A1, and the second shaft 312 moves in the first section L1 around the first shaft 311, so that the door 20 rotates in place relative to the box 10.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first intermediate opening angle α11, the door 20 rotates in place relative to the case 10, that is, the door 20 only rotates without generating displacement in other directions, so that the door 20 cannot be opened normally due to displacement in a certain direction of the door 20 can be effectively avoided.

Referring to fig. 30 and 31, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the first intermediate opening angle to the second intermediate opening angle, the second shaft 312 moves in the second section L2 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the initial position A1 to the stop position A2, and the door 20 moves from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first intermediate opening angle to the second intermediate opening angle, the door 20 moves toward the side of the accommodating chamber S, that is, the door 20 rotates relative to the case 10 and displaces relative to the case 10 along the first direction X, so that the distance that the door 20 protrudes from the case 10 toward the side far from the accommodating chamber S during rotation is greatly reduced, that is, the displacement of the door 20 along the first direction X counteracts the portion that protrudes from the case 10 along the second direction Y during rotation of the door 20, thereby avoiding interference between the door 20 and the surrounding cabinet or wall during opening, and being suitable for a scene with a small space of the embedded cabinet or accommodating the refrigerator 100.

Here, the first direction X is a direction in which the pivot side P faces the accommodation chamber S, and the second direction Y is a direction in which the accommodation chamber S faces the pivot side P.

Referring to fig. 32 and 33, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the second intermediate opening angle to the first opening angle α1, the second shaft 312 moves in the third section L3 to drive the first shaft 311 to move from the stop position A2 toward the initial position A1, and the door 20 moves from the accommodating chamber S toward the pivot side P.

Here, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the second intermediate opening angle to the first opening angle α1, the door 20 moves toward one side of the pivoting side P, that is, the door 20 rotates relative to the case 10 and displaces relative to the case 10 along the second direction Y, so that the door 20 is far away from the case 10 as far as possible, the opening of the case 10 is ensured, and the problem that drawers, racks, and the like in the case 10 cannot be opened due to interference of the door 20 is avoided.

Referring to fig. 34 and 35, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the fourth shaft 322 is separated from the limiting segment 4222, and the first shaft 311 and/or the second shaft 312 are limited by the locking segments 4132, 4142, 4152, 4162, so that the switching assembly 40 limits the first hinge member 31.

Referring to fig. 36 and 37, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the third shaft 321 rotates in situ in the third free section 421, the fourth shaft 322 moves in the fourth free section 4221 around the third shaft 321, and the door 20 continues to rotate in situ relative to the case 10.

It should be understood that the motion track of the refrigerator 100 is not limited to the above description, and in other examples, other forms of motion may be generated between the first hinge member 31 and the switching assembly 40, or other forms of motion may be generated between the second hinge member 32 and the switching assembly 40, so that the refrigerator can adapt to various application scenarios, and may be specific to practical situations.

In this embodiment, the hinge assemblies 30 located at different regions of the door 20 are different from each other, and the hinge assemblies 30 are hinge assemblies 30 located between the upper side of the door 20 and the case 10, and the hinge assemblies 30' located between the lower side of the door 20 and the case 10 will be briefly described with reference to fig. 38 and 39.

The lower hinge assembly 30' differs from the upper hinge assembly 30 in that: the first hinge member 31' of the lower hinge assembly 30' has a protrusion 313', the second hinge member 32' has a corresponding hook 323', the hook 323' is an elastic member, when the door 20 is in a closed state, the protrusion 313' acts on the hook 323' to deform so as to tightly fit the door 20 with the case 10, and when the door 20 is in an opening process, the door 20 drives the hook 323' to move, and the hook 323' deforms so as to separate from the protrusion 313'.

That is, when the door 20 is in the closed state, the protrusion 313 'is in interference fit with the hook 323', so as to enhance the closing effect of the door 20.

It should be noted that, since the switching element 40 'is connected between the first hinge element 31' and the second hinge element 32', the second hinge element 32' further includes an extension section 324 'of the switching element 40' along the thickness direction, and the extension section 324 'is connected with the hook 323', so that the hook 323 'is horizontally disposed and can be mutually matched with the protrusion 313'.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 40 to 44, the refrigerator 100 is the refrigerator 100 with the wiring module 60.

The routing module 60 includes a fixed end 61 and a free end 62 which are oppositely disposed, the fixed end 61 is connected with the door 20, the free end 62 is movably disposed on the box 10, and the routing E of the box 10 extends to the door 20 through the free end 62 and the fixed end 61 in sequence.

Here, the "free end 62 is movably disposed in the case 10" means that the free end 62 is not fixed to the case 10, and the free end 62 can move relative to the case 10 along with the opening of the door 20, so that the trace E in the trace module 60 can also move freely along with the opening of the door 20.

It should be noted that, along with the intellectualization and multifunctionalization of the refrigerator 100, some functional modules, such as an ice making module, a display module, and the like, are generally disposed on the door body 20 of the refrigerator 100, and these modules are generally required to be connected with the control module in the box 10 through the wiring E, and the wiring E in this embodiment extends to the door body 20 through the wiring module 60, so that a phenomenon that the wiring E is pulled during the opening and closing of the door body 20 can be effectively avoided, and the door body 20 with various movement tracks can be adapted, for example, when the hinge assembly 30 drives the door body 20 to move from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S, the extending track of the wiring E can also be changed, and this movement of the door body 20 can be completely adapted through the design of the wiring module 60, that is, and the extending track of the wiring E can be flexibly adjusted through the wiring module 60, so as to avoid a wire blocking.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 further includes a limiting space 101, the limiting space 101 includes a slot 1011 disposed towards the door body 20, the fixed end 61 of the wiring module 60 passes through the slot 1011 to be connected with the door body 20, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the door body 20 drives the wiring module 60 to move in the limiting space 101, and the free end 62 is always located in the limiting space 101.

Here, the limiting space 101 is located at the top 11 of the box 10, the routing module 60 is disposed parallel to the top 11 of the box 10, and the fixed end 61 is movably connected to the door 20, however, the limiting space 101 may be disposed in other areas.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the trace module 60 includes a first housing 601 and a second housing 602, the second housing 602 is disposed adjacent to the top 11 of the box 10, the first housing 601 is far away from the top 11 of the box 10 relative to the second housing 602, the first housing 601 and the second housing 602 cooperate with each other to form a housing cavity 603 for housing the trace E, and two ends of the housing cavity 603 are opened to form a fixed end 61 and a free end 62.

The door body 20 protrudes upwards from the top 11 of the box body 10, a stop 111 protruding from the top 11 is arranged at the edge of the top 11, which is close to the door body 20, a notch 1011 is arranged at the stop 111, the refrigerator 100 comprises a plurality of protruding parts 112 protruding from the top 11, and the plurality of protruding parts 112 are surrounded to form a limiting space 101.

Here, the first hinge member 31 is fixed at an edge position of the top 11, and in order to adapt to the design that the door body 20 protrudes out of the top 11, the first hinge member 31 of the hinge assembly 30 is generally Z-shaped, so that the first hinge member 31 may extend from the top 11 of the box body 10 to the top of the door body 20 to be mutually matched with the switching assembly 40 located at the top of the door body 20, and the plurality of protruding portions 112 include a first protruding portion 1121 located between the first hinge member 31 and the routing module 60 and a second protruding portion 1122 spaced from the first protruding portion 1121, the first protruding portion 1121 may avoid the routing module 60 interfering with the first hinge member 31, and the profile of the first protruding portion 1121 may be matched with the movement track of the routing module 60, and the second protruding portion 1122 may be a plurality of protruding columns to reduce the impact between the routing module 60 and the second protruding portion 1122.

The refrigerator 100 may further include a cover 103, the cover 103 being located at the top 11 and covering the limit space 101, the first hinge member 31, etc., the cover 103 being adapted to the stopper 111, and the shape of the cover 103 being determined according to specific needs.

In addition, the fixed end 61 and the notch 1011 of the wiring module 60 are both disposed close to the hinge assembly 30, and it can be understood that, in the opening process of the door body 20, the wiring module 60 is exposed in the opening gap of the door body 20, and the fixed end 61 and the notch 1011 are disposed close to the hinge assembly 30, so that on one hand, the movement track of the wiring module 60 can be reasonably controlled, and on the other hand, the influence of the wiring module 60 on the appearance and the normal use of the refrigerator 100 can be avoided.

The wiring module 60 is horizontally arranged and extends to the door body 20 through the notch 1011, a wiring hole H is formed in the door body 20, the wiring E extends from the fixed end 61 and extends to the inside of the door body 20 from the wiring hole H, an area C adjacent to the wiring hole H is in pivot connection with the fixed end 61, and the door body 20 comprises a cover body 24 covering the fixed end 61, the wiring hole H and the area C, so that the movable connection of the wiring module 60 and the door body 20 can be realized, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the door body 20 drives the wiring module 60 to move, that is, the wiring module 60 can freely move in the limiting space 101 according to different tracks, that is, the movement track of the wiring module 60 can completely adapt to the movement track of the door body 20, and wire clamping is avoided.

In addition, the trace module 60 includes a circular arc segment D, so as to further avoid the trace E from being disturbed inside the accommodating cavity 603.

In order to avoid abrasion and sliding noise of the wiring module 60, a buffer member, a sliding member, or the like may be provided between the second housing 602 of the wiring module 60 and the top 11 of the case 10, and may be specifically determined according to practical situations.

In the present embodiment, the slot 1011 of the limiting space 101 has a first slot width, and the routing module 60 includes a movable portion 63 located between the fixed end 61 and the free end 62, and the first slot width is greater than the maximum width of the movable portion 63.

That is, as the door 20 is opened, the movable portion 63 gradually protrudes out of the limiting space 101, and the width of the first slot opening is greater than the maximum width of the movable portion 63, so that the slot 1011 can be prevented from limiting the protrusion of the movable portion 63 out of the limiting space 101, and the slot 1011 can control the movement track of the routing module 60 to a certain extent, so as to prevent the movement amplitude of the routing module 60 from being too large and separating from the limiting space 101.

Here, to further prevent the routing module 60 from being separated from the limiting space 101, the free end 62 may be configured to be bent, i.e. an included angle is formed between the free end 62 and the movable portion 63.

Second embodiment

With continued reference to fig. 1-44, a schematic view of a refrigerator with a switchable hinge assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the first embodiment in structure with the same or similar numerals for convenience of explanation, is provided.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerator 100 with the switchable hinge assembly includes a cabinet 10, a door 20 for opening and closing the cabinet 10, and a hinge assembly 30 for connecting the cabinet 10 and the door 20, the hinge assembly 30 includes a plurality of hinge members 31, 32 and a switching assembly 40, when the door 20 is in an opening process, the switching assembly 40 controls the plurality of hinge members 31, 32 to sequentially operate in a first order, and when the door 20 is in a closing process, the switching assembly 40 controls the plurality of hinge members 31, 32 to sequentially operate in a second order, the first order being opposite to the second order.

Here, "first order" and "second order" refer to the sequence of operation between the several hinge element edges 31, 32.

The working sequence among the hinge members 31 and 32 can be effectively controlled through the action of the switching assembly 40, so that the mutual interference between the door body 20 and the cabinet in the opening and closing process caused by the disordered sequence among the hinge members 31 and 32 is avoided, and the door body is suitable for the field of embedded refrigerators.

In addition, the sequential operation between the hinge members 31 and 32 can be controlled by the switching assembly 40, so that the stability of the door body 20 in the opening and closing process can be effectively improved, and the motion track of the door body 20 can be effectively controlled by the switching between the hinge members 31 and 32, so as to adapt to the application situations of various refrigerators 100.

It should be emphasized that the structure of the present embodiment is not only applicable to the refrigerator 100 with the switchable hinge assembly 30, but also applicable to other scenes, such as cabinets, sideboards, wardrobes, etc., the refrigerator 100 with the switchable hinge assembly is taken as an example, but not limited thereto.

The switching component 40 is connected with the first hinge component 31 and the second hinge component 32, the first hinge component 31 is fixed on the box body 10, the second hinge component 32 is fixed on the door body 20, when the door body 20 is in the opening process, the first hinge component 31 moves relative to the switching component 40, then the second hinge component 32 moves relative to the switching component 40, namely, the first hinge component 31 and the second hinge component 32 work sequentially along a first sequence, when the door body 20 is in the closing process, the second hinge component 32 moves relative to the switching component 40, then the first hinge component 31 moves relative to the switching component 40, namely, the first hinge component 31 and the second hinge component 32 work sequentially along a second sequence.

In the present embodiment, the switching assembly 40 includes a first mating member 41 and a second mating member 42, when the door body 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41 move relatively, and the second mating member 42 limits the second hinge member 32, when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the second hinge member 32 is separated from the limit of the second mating member 42, and the first mating member 41 limits the first hinge member 31, and when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42 move relatively.

It can be seen that the switching assembly 40 of the present embodiment can implement locking and unlocking of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, and can effectively control the sequential operations of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 through the locking and unlocking operations, so that the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 can operate in a first sequence during the opening process of the door body 20 and in a second sequence during the closing process of the door body 20.

In the present embodiment, the switching assembly 40 includes a first switching member 401 and a second switching member 402 that are mutually matched, the first hinge member 31 and the first matching member 41 implement a relative motion through the first shaft body groups 311 and 312 and the first slot body groups 411 and 412 that are mutually matched, and the second hinge member 32 and the second matching member 42 implement a relative motion through the second shaft body groups 321 and 322 and the second slot body groups 421 and 422 that are mutually matched.

That is, sequential switching can be achieved by matching the double-shaft double-groove with the switching assembly 40, and of course, the method is also applicable to a single-shaft single-groove matching scene.

Other descriptions of the hinge assembly 30 of the present embodiment may refer to the description of the first embodiment, and will not be repeated herein, for example, the refrigerator 100 may effectively increase the maximum opening angle of the door 20 and the refrigerator 100 has the wiring module 60 on the premise that the refrigerator 100 is completely embedded in the cabinet 200.

It should be noted that, the motion track of the door 20 can be effectively controlled by the specific shaft body groove design, and in this embodiment, when the door 20 is in the opening process, the hinge assembly 30 at least drives the door 20 to move from the pivot side P toward the accommodating chamber S, so as to avoid interference between the door 20 and the surrounding cabinet or wall during the opening process.

Third embodiment

With continued reference to fig. 1 to 44, which are schematic views of an embedded refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention, for convenience of explanation, structures of the third embodiment that are similar to those of the first embodiment are given the same or similar numerals.

In the present embodiment, the embedded refrigerator 100 includes a case 10, a door 20 for opening and closing the case 10, and a hinge assembly 30 for connecting the case 10 and the door 20, wherein the hinge assembly 30 includes at least a first shaft group and a second shaft group which are staggered with each other, and when the door 20 is in the opening process, the door 20 rotates relative to the first shaft group, and then the door rotates relative to the second shaft group.

In the opening process of the door body 20 of the present embodiment, the door body 20 rotates with different shaft body groups as shafts, so that the degree of freedom in the opening and closing process of the door body 20 can be effectively improved, and the movement track of the door body 20 can be effectively controlled to adapt to the application scenarios of various refrigerators 100.

It should be emphasized that the structure of the present embodiment is not only applicable to the embedded refrigerator 100, but also applicable to other scenes, such as cabinets, wine cabinets, and wardrobes, etc., the present invention is exemplified by the embedded refrigerator 100, but not limited thereto.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, referring to fig. 25, the first shaft group includes a first rotation shaft 311', the second shaft group includes a second rotation shaft 321', when the door 20 is in the opening process, the door 20 rotates around the first rotation shaft 311 'first, and then the door 20 rotates around the second rotation shaft 321'.

The case 10 includes an opening 102 and a front end 103 surrounding the opening 102, the case 10 further includes a housing chamber S and an outer side 13 adjacent to the hinge assembly 30 and on an extension of a rotation path of the door 20, the door 20 includes a front wall 21 far away from the housing chamber S and a side wall 22 always sandwiched between the front wall 21 and the housing chamber S, a side edge 23 is provided between the front wall 21 and the side wall 22, a distance between the first rotation axis 311 'and the front end 103 is smaller than a distance between the second rotation axis 321' and the front end 103, and a distance between the first rotation axis 311 'and the outer side 13 is larger than a distance between the second rotation axis 321' and the outer side 13.

Referring to the first embodiment and fig. 25, if the door 20 is always rotated around the first rotation axis 311' when the door 20 is in the opening process, referring to the dotted line door 20' in fig. 25, since the first rotation axis 311' is close to the front end surface 103, that is, the first rotation axis 311' is far away from the front end 201 of the cabinet 200, after the door 20' is opened to a certain angle, the edge 203 of the cabinet 200 interferes with the door 20' to limit the maximum opening angle of the door 20 '.

In the present embodiment, the door 20 rotates with the second rotation axis 321' as the axis at the later stage, referring to the solid line door 20 in fig. 25, the interference of the edges 203 of the cabinet 200 to the door 20 is greatly reduced, and the edges 203 of the cabinet 200 interfere with each other when the door 20 is opened to a larger angle, so that the maximum opening angle of the door 20 is greatly improved.

That is, in this embodiment, the door body 20 can be rotated around the second rotation axis 321' in the later stage, so that the maximum opening angle of the door body 20 can be effectively increased on the premise of ensuring that the refrigerator 100 is completely embedded into the cabinet 200, thereby facilitating the user to operate the refrigerator 100 and greatly improving the user experience.

In addition, the distance between the first rotation axis 311 'and the outer side 13 is greater than the distance between the second rotation axis 321' and the outer side 13, so that the door 20 is separated from the case 10 to increase the opening degree of the case 10.

Of course, the second rotation axis 321' may be located at other positions, for example, a distance between the first rotation axis 311' and the outer side 13 is less than or equal to a distance between the second rotation axis 321' and the outer side 13, and so on.

It should be noted that, the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment may only include the first rotation shaft 311', the second rotation shaft 321' and the groove body matched with the first rotation shaft 311', that is, the matching form of single-shaft single-groove, and the door body 20 can be automatically switched from the first rotation shaft 311' to the second rotation shaft 321' in the opening process, or the switching between the first rotation shaft 311' and the second rotation shaft 321' is realized by matching with the switching structure.

Of course, the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment may also be configured to switch between the first rotation axis 311 'and the second rotation axis 321' by cooperating with the switching assembly 40 of the first embodiment, and at this time, when the door 20 is in the opening process, the switching assembly 40 acts on the door 20 to rotate relative to the first rotation axis 311', and then the switching assembly 40 acts on the door 20 to rotate relative to the second rotation axis 321'.

In other embodiments, the hinge assembly 30 includes a first slot group 411, 412 cooperating with the first shaft group 311, 312 and a second slot group 421, 422 cooperating with the second shaft group 321, 322, when the door 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1, the first shaft group 311, 312 moves relative to the first slot group 411, 412, and the switching assembly 40 locks the second shaft group 321, 322, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the switching assembly 40 unlocks the second shaft group 321, 322, and the switching assembly 40 locks the first shaft group 311, 312, when the door 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the second shaft group 321, 322 moves relative to the second slot group 421, 422.

Specifically, the first shaft body groups 311, 312 include a first shaft body 311 and a second shaft body 312, the first groove body groups 411, 412 include a first groove body 411 that mates with the first shaft body 311 and a second groove body 412 that mates with the second shaft body 312, the second shaft body groups 321, 322 include a third shaft body 321 and a fourth shaft body 322, and the second groove body groups 421, 422 include a third groove body 421 that mates with the third shaft body 321 and a fourth groove body 422 that mates with the fourth shaft body 322.

Fourth embodiment

With continued reference to fig. 1-44, which are schematic views of a refrigerator with a movable hinge assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, for convenience of explanation, similar structures of the fourth embodiment to those of the first embodiment are given the same or similar numerals.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerator 100 with a movable hinge assembly includes a cabinet 10 and a door 20 for opening and closing the cabinet 10, and the hinge assembly 30 connects the cabinet 10 and the door 20, and at least a portion of the hinge assembly 30 moves relative to the cabinet 10 and the door 20 when the door 20 is in the opening process.

Here, "at least part of the hinge assembly 30 moves relative to the case 10 and the door 20" means that at least part of the hinge assembly 30 moves simultaneously relative to the case 10 and the door 20, i.e., at least part of the hinge assembly 30 is sandwiched between the case 10 and the door 20, not completely embedded in the case 10 or the door 20.

Generally, in the conventional refrigerator structure, the hinge assembly is generally embedded in the case and the door, i.e., the hinge assembly is relatively stationary with respect to the case or the door, so that the movement track of the door 20 is greatly limited.

At least a part of the hinge assembly 30 in this embodiment moves relative to the case 10 and the door 20, so that the degree of freedom in the opening and closing process of the door 20 can be effectively improved, and the movement track of the door 20 can be effectively controlled, so as to adapt to various application scenarios of the refrigerator 100.

It should be emphasized that the structure of the present embodiment is not only applicable to the refrigerator 100 with the movable hinge assembly, but also applicable to other scenes, such as a cabinet, a sideboard, a wardrobe, etc., and the present invention is exemplified by the refrigerator 100 with the movable hinge assembly, but not limited thereto.

In the present embodiment, taking the hinge assembly 30 including the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 as an example, it is understood that in other embodiments, the hinge assembly 30 may include other numbers of hinge members, for example, the hinge assembly 30 includes three hinge members, which may be specific according to practical situations.

The hinge assembly 30 further includes a switching assembly 40 connected to the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, wherein the first hinge member 31 is fixed to the case 10, the second hinge member 32 is fixed to the door body 20, and the switching assembly 40 moves relative to the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 when the door body 20 is opened.

That is, the first hinge member 31 is relatively stationary to the case 10, the second hinge member 32 is relatively stationary to the door 20, and the switching member 40 in the hinge assembly 30 is movable relative to the case 10 and the door 20. Referring to the first embodiment, the switching member 40 may be used for switching between the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, but not limited thereto, the switching member 40 of the present embodiment may be used for other purposes, and only the switching member 40 may be ensured to be movable relative to the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32.

In addition, the switching assembly 40 includes a first switching member 401 and a second switching member 402 that are mutually matched, when the door body 20 is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first opening angle α1 or in the process of continuing to open from the second opening angle α2 to the maximum opening angle α3, the first switching member 401 and the second switching member 402 are relatively static, when the door body 20 is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle α1 to the second opening angle α2, the first switching member 401 moves relative to the second switching member 402 so that the second hinge member 32 is separated from the limit of the second matching member 42, and the first matching member 41 limits the first hinge member 31.

It can be seen that the switching assembly 40 of the present embodiment can implement locking and unlocking of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, and can effectively control sequential operations of the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32 through locking and unlocking operations, and the switching assembly 40 implements locking and unlocking functions by moving relative to the first hinge member 31 and the second hinge member 32, and the movement process of the switching assembly 40 greatly expands the functions of the hinge assembly 30, so that the application range of the hinge assembly 30 is wider.

In addition, the first hinge member 31 and the first mating member 41 perform a relative movement through the first shaft body groups 311 and 312 and the first groove body groups 411 and 412 that are mated with each other, and the second hinge member 32 and the second mating member 42 perform a relative movement through the second shaft body groups 321 and 322 and the second groove body groups 421 and 422 that are mated with each other.

That is, the hinge assembly 30 can move relative to the case 10 and the door 20 by matching the double-shaft double-groove with the switching assembly 40, and of course, the present invention is also applicable to single-shaft single-groove matching.

The foregoing embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, but not for limiting the same, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, for example, if the techniques in different embodiments can be overlapped to achieve the corresponding effects at the same time, the solution is also within the protection scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent substitutions may be made to the technical solution of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. The hinge assembly is used for connecting a box body and a door body and is characterized in that the hinge assembly comprises a switching assembly connected with the box body and the door body, when the door body is in an opening process, the door body and the switching assembly are relatively static and relatively moving with respect to the box body, the box body and the switching assembly are relatively static and relatively moving with respect to the switching assembly, the hinge assembly further comprises a first hinge part fixed on the box body and a second hinge part fixed on the door body, the switching assembly is connected with the first hinge part and the second hinge part, the first hinge part and the switching assembly realize relative movement through a first shaft body group and a first groove body group which are matched with each other, the second hinge part and the switching assembly realize relative movement through a second shaft body group and a second groove body group which are matched with each other, the first shaft body group comprises a first shaft body and a second shaft body, the first groove body group comprises a second shaft body, a third shaft body, a fourth shaft body, a first shaft body, a second shaft body, a third shaft body and a fourth shaft body and a groove body, and a groove body.

2. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an opening and a front face disposed around the opening, a first distance being provided between the first axis of rotation and the front face when the door rotates with the switching assembly about the first axis of rotation, and a second distance being provided between the second axis of rotation and the front face when the door rotates about the second axis of rotation relative to the switching assembly, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

3. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a receiving chamber and an outer side adjacent the hinge assembly and on the door rotation path extension, a third distance being provided between the first rotation axis and the outer side when the door rotates with the switch assembly about the first rotation axis relative to the housing, and a fourth distance being provided between the second rotation axis and the outer side when the door rotates about the second rotation axis relative to the switch assembly, the fourth distance being less than the third distance.

4. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the switching assembly includes a first engagement member and a second engagement member, the first hinge member and the first engagement member move relative to each other when the door is in a process of being opened from a closed state to a first open angle, and the second engagement member is positioned to limit the second hinge member, the second hinge member is positioned to disengage from a position of the second engagement member when the door is in a process of being continuously opened from the first open angle to a second open angle, and the first engagement member is positioned to limit the first hinge member, and the second hinge member and the second engagement member move relative to each other when the door is in a process of being continuously opened from the second open angle to a maximum open angle.

5. The hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein the switch assembly comprises a first switch member and a second switch member, the first switch member, the second switch member being relatively stationary and locking the second hinge member when the door is in the process of opening from the closed state to the first open angle, the switch assembly moving relative to the first hinge member, the first switch member moving relative to the second switch member to unlock the second hinge member when the door is in the process of continuing to open from the first open angle to the second open angle, and the switch assembly locking the first hinge member and then the second hinge member moving relative to the switch assembly.

6. The hinge assembly of claim 5, wherein the first hinge member comprises the first shaft and the second shaft, the switch assembly comprises the first shaft, the second shaft, the third shaft and the fourth shaft, the second hinge member comprises the third shaft and the fourth shaft, the first shaft comprises a first upper shaft at the first switch member and a first lower shaft at the second switch member, the first upper shaft comprises a first upper free section, the first lower shaft comprises a first lower free section, the second shaft comprises a second upper shaft at the first switch member and a second lower shaft at the second switch member, the second upper shaft comprises a second upper free section, the second lower shaft comprises a second lower free section, the third groove body comprises a third free section, the fourth groove body comprises a fourth free section, the first groove body group comprises a locking section, the second groove body group comprises a limiting section, when the door body is in the process of opening from a closed state to a first opening angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece are relatively static, the first upper free section is overlapped with the first lower free section to form a first free section, the second upper free section is overlapped with the second lower free section to form a second free section, the first shaft body moves in the first free section, the second shaft body moves in the second free section, the third shaft body and/or the fourth shaft body is limited in the limiting section so that the switching piece limits the second hinge piece, when the door body is in the process of continuing to open from the first opening angle to the second opening angle, the first switching piece and the second switching piece move relatively to enable the second hinge piece to be separated from the limit of the switching assembly, the first shaft body and/or the second shaft body are/is limited to the locking section to enable the switching assembly to limit the first hinge piece, when the door body is in the process of continuously opening from the second opening angle to the maximum opening angle, the third shaft body moves in the third free section, and the fourth shaft body moves in the fourth free section.

7. An appliance comprising a housing, a door and a hinge assembly connecting said housing and said door, said hinge assembly being as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6.