Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a main body, a door including a door cam, a hinge bracket including a hinge cam, and a door pusher. The hinge cam includes a first hinge cam surface and a second hinge cam surface to guide movements of the door cam. The door cam includes a first door cam surface configured to move along the first hinge cam surface to rotate the door in a direction to close the door and a second door cam surface configured to move along the second hinge cam surface to rotate the door in a direction to open the door. The door pusher is configured to press the door to rotate the door from a position where the first door cam surface is on the first hinge cam surface to a position where the second door cam surface is on the second hinge cam surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a main body forming a storage compartment;   a door configured to open and close the storage compartment and comprising a door cam disposed at a lower portion of the door;   a hinge bracket connected to the main body and the door, supporting a lower portion of the door, to rotate the door, the hinge bracket including a hinge cam engaged with the door cam; and   a door pusher configured to press the door so as to open the door,   wherein the hinge cam includes:
 a first hinge cam surface configured to guide a first movement of the door cam to rotate the door in a direction to close the door, and 
 a second hinge cam surface configured to guide a second movement of the door cam to rotate the door in a direction to open the door; 
   wherein the door cam includes:
 a first door cam surface configured to, with the first door cam surface positioned on the first hinge cam surface, move along the first hinge cam surface to rotate the door in the direction to close the door; and 
 a second door cam surface configured to, with the second door cam surface positioned on the second hinge cam surface, move along the second hinge cam surface to rotate the door in the direction to open the door; and 
   wherein the door pusher is configured to press the door to rotate the door from a position, in which the first door cam surface is on the first hinge cam surface, of the door to a position, in which the second door cam surface is on the second hinge cam surface, of the door.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein:
 an angle at which the door is rotated from a position, in which the door closes the storage compartment, to the position, in which the second door cam surface is on the second hinge cam surface, of the door is greater than an angle at which the door is rotated from the position, in which the door closes the storage compartment, to the position, in which the first door cam surface is on the first hinge cam surface.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first door cam surface is configured to slide down along the first hinge cam surface during the first movement of the door cam; and   the second door cam surface is configured to slide down along the second hinge cam surface during the second movement of the door cam.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first hinge cam surface and the second hinge cam surface extend in different directions; and   the first door cam surface and the second door cam surface extend in different directions.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the door cam further comprises:
 a door cam body; and   a door cam curved portion disposed between the first door cam surface and the second door cam surface,
 wherein the first door cam surface is inclined with the door cam body to descend downward from an end of the first door cam surface connected to the door cam body toward the door cam curved portion, and 
 the second door cam surface is inclined with the door cam body to ascend upward from the door cam curved portion toward an end of the second door cam surface connected to the door cam body. 
   
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first hinge cam surface is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction to allow the door cam to ascend along the first hinge cam surface in response to the first door cam surface being positioned on the first hinge cam surface and in response to the door being opened; and   the second hinge cam surface is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction to allow the door cam to descend along the second hinge cam surface in response to the second door cam surface being in contact with the second hinge cam surface and in response to the door being opened.   
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein:
 an angle of the first hinge cam surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction is greater than an angle of the second hinge cam surface inclined respect to the horizontal direction.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein:
 an angle of the first hinge cam surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction is less than an angle of the second hinge cam surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the hinge cam further comprises:
 a hinge cam body; and   a hinge cam curved portion disposed between the first hinge cam surface and the second hinge cam surface,   wherein the first hinge cam surface is inclined with respect to the hinge cam body to ascend upward from an end of the first hinge cam surface connected to the hinge cam body toward the hinge cam curved portion, and   the second hinge cam surface is inclined with respect to the hinge cam body to descend downward from the hinge cam curved portion toward an end of the second hinge cam surface connected to the hinge cam body.   
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 9 , wherein:
 an angle, at which the door rotates from the position where the door closes the storage room to a position where the door pusher presses the door to the maximum, is greater than an angle, at which the door rotates from the position where the door closes the storage compartment to a position where the door cam contacts the hinge cam curved portion.   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 9 , wherein:
 a contact surface, on which the first door cam surface is in contact with the first hinge cam surface in response to the door being closed, is disposed between the one end, which is connected to the hinge cam body, of the first hinge cam surface, and the hinge cam curved portion.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein
 the door pusher is configured to move between a first pusher position where the door is closed and a second pusher position in a direction of pressing the door from the first pusher position, and   the second door cam surface is positioned on the second hinge cam surface with the door pusher being at the second pusher position.   
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the second pusher position is where the door pusher moves to a maximum position in the direction of pressing the door, and   the second door cam surface is configured to move along the second hinge cam surface to rotate the door in the direction in which the door is opened from a position where the door pusher reaches the second pusher position due to a weight of the door.   
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the hinge cam further comprises:
 a hinge cam body; and   a plurality of hinge cam protrusions protruding from the hinge cam body toward the door cam arranged spaced apart from each other along a rotational direction of the door,   wherein each of the plurality of hinge cam protrusions includes the first hinge cam surface and the second hinge cam surface which are connected to each other.   
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an input device configured to obtain a door opening signal; and   a driving device configured to provide a driving force to the door pusher to move the door pusher relative to the main body,   wherein based on the input device receiving a first door opening signal, t he driving device is configured to move the door pusher to press the door until the second door cam surface is in contact with the second hinge cam surface and configured to stop the door pusher; and   based on the input device receiving a second door opening signal, the driving device is configured to move the door pusher to press the door while the first door cam surface is in contact with the first hinge cam surface and configured to stop the door pusher before the second door cam surface is in contact with the second hinge cam surface.