The present disclosure relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular, to a refrigerator.
A refrigerator is a household appliance capable of supplying cold air to a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment to keep various foods fresh for a long time Foods to be preserved below a freezing temperature, such as meat, fish and ice cream, are stored in the freezing compartment, and foods to be preserved above the freezing temperature, such as vegetables, fruits and beverages, are stored in the refrigerating compartment.
A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator body, a door body and an ice making compartment. The refrigerator body includes a storage compartment. The door body is configured to open or close the storage compartment. The ice making compartment is disposed in the storage compartment, and includes an ice making compartment shell, an ice maker, and an ice storage box. The ice maker is located in the ice making compartment shell, and is configured to make ice cubes. The ice storage box is located below the ice maker, and is configured to store the ice cubes made by the ice maker. The ice storage box includes a box body and a first ice baffle. At least a part of the first ice baffle is located in the box body, and the first ice baffle is configured to prevent the ice cubes from accumulating at a position of the box body close to the door body.
In order to describe technical solutions in the present disclosure more clearly, accompanying drawings to be used in some embodiments of the present disclosure will be introduced briefly below. However, the accompanying drawings to be described below are merely accompanying drawings of some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may obtain other drawings according to these drawings. In addition, the accompanying drawings to be described below may be regarded as schematic diagrams, and are not limitations on an actual size of a product, an actual process of a method and actual timings of signals to which the embodiments of the present disclosure relate.
Technical solutions in some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the described embodiments are merely some but not all embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the term “comprise” and other forms thereof such as the third-person singular form “comprises” and the present participle form “comprising” are construed in an open and inclusive sense, i.e., “including, but not ed to”. In the description, the term such as “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “exemplary embodiments”, “example”, “specific example” or “some examples” is intended to indicate that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics related to the embodiment(s) or example(s) are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s) or example(s). In addition, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any suitable manner.
Hereinafter, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only, and are not to be construed as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined as “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term “a plurality of” means two or more unless otherwise specified.
In the description of some embodiments, the terms “coupled” and “connected” and their derivatives may be used. For example, the term “connected” may be used in the description of some embodiments to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. For another example, the term “coupled” may be used in the description of some embodiments to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, the term “coupled” or “communicatively coupled” may also mean that two or more components are not in direct contact with each other, but still cooperate or interact with each other. The embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily ed to the contents herein.
The phrase “at least one of A, B and C” has a same meaning as the phrase “at least one of A, B or C” and they both include the following combinations of A, B and C: only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and 8, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, and a combination of A, B and C.
The phrase “A and/or B” includes the following three combinations: only A, only B, and a combination of A and B.
As used herein, the term “if”, depending on the context, is optionally construed as “when” or “in a case where” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting”. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected”, depending on the context, is optionally construed as “in a case where it is determined” or “in response to determining” or “in a case where [the stated condition or event] is detected” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event]”.
The use of the phrase “applicable to” or “configured to” herein means an open and inclusive language, which does not exclude devices that are applicable to or configured to perform additional tasks or steps.
In addition, the use of the phrase “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, since a process, step, calculation or other action that is “based on” one or more of the stated conditions or values may, in practice, be based on additional conditions or values exceeding those stated.
The term “about”, “substantially” or “approximately” as used herein includes a stated value and an average value within an acceptable range of deviation of a particular value The acceptable range of deviation is determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art, considering measurement in question and errors associated with measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., limitations of a measurement system).
The term such as “parallel”, “perpendicular” or “equal” as used herein includes a stated condition and a condition similar to the stated condition. A range of the similar condition is within an acceptable range of deviation. The acceptable range of deviation is determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art, considering measurement in question and errors associated with measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., limitations of a measurement system). For example, the term “parallel” includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, and an acceptable range of deviation of the approximate parallelism may be, for example, a deviation within 5°; the term “perpendicular” includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, and an acceptable range of deviation of the approximate perpendicularity may also be. for example, a deviation within 5°, the term “equal” includes absolute equality and approximate equality, and an acceptable range of deviation of the approximate equality may be, for example, a difference between two equals of less than or equal to 5% of either of the two equals.
A side of a refrigerator 1 facing a user during use is defined as a front side, and a side opposite to the front side is defined as a rear side.
In some embodiments, referring to
The cold air supply device 20 cools the storage compartment by performing heat exchange with an outside of the refrigerator body 10. As shown in
For example, the evaporator 24 may be arranged to be in contact with an outer wall of the storage compartment to directly cool the storage compartment, in some embodiments, the cold air supply device 20 may further include a circulation fan to circulate air in the storage compartment through the evaporator 24 and the circulation fan.
The door body 30 is pivotally connected with the refrigerator body 10 to rotatably open or close the storage compartment. For example, the door body 30 may be hinged to a front end of the refrigerator body 10.
In some embodiments, as shown in
For example, the first partition 19A is provided at a middle position of the refrigerator body 10 in a height direction. The first partition 19A may extend in a width direction of the refrigerator 1, and the second partition 19B may extend in the height direction of the refrigerator 1. For the width direction, reference may be made to the MN direction in
In some embodiments, the upper storage compartment 012 serves as the refrigerating compartment for storing foods in a refrigerating mode, and the lower storage compartment 013 serves as the freezing compartment for storing foods in a freezing mode, and the variable temperature compartment for adjusting temperature. In some embodiments, as shown in
The refrigerating compartment door 11 may include a first refrigerating compartment door 11A and a second refrigerating compartment door 11B. The first refrigerating compartment door 11A may be disposed on a left side of the refrigerating compartment 10A, and the second refrigerating compartment door 11B may be disposed on a right side of the refrigerating compartment 10A. When the refrigerating compartment 10A needs to be opened, the first refrigerating compartment door 11A and the second refrigerating compartment door 11B are pivoted in directions away from each other; when the refrigerating compartment 10A needs to be dosed, the first refrigerating compartment door 11A and the second refrigerating compartment door 11B are pivoted in directions close to each other.
The freezing compartment door 12 is configured to open or close the freezing compartment 10B. The variable temperature compartment door 13 is configured to open or dose the variable temperature compartment 10C.
As shown in
In addition, referring to
For example, as shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the ice making compartment shell 110 is provided at an upper left corner of the refrigerating compartment 10A, the left sidewall 114 of the ice making compartment shell 110 is arranged close to the left wall of the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment, and a second heat insulation pad 114A is provided between the left sidewall 114 and the left wall (as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
As shown in
For example, a lower left portion of the integral member formed by the upper sidewall 113 and the left sidewall 114 is fixed on the left wall of the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment through the first connecting rail 116; an upper right portion of the integral member formed by the upper sidewall 113 and left sidewall 114 is fixed on the upper wall of the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment.
In some embodiments, the ice making compartment 100 may also be provided at an upper right corner of the refrigerating compartment 10A. The right sidewall 111 of the ice making compartment shell 110 is arranged close to the right wall of the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment, and a third heat insulation pad is provided between the right sidewall 111 and the right wall, so as to improve the heat insulation performance between the ice making compartment 100 and the refrigerating compartment 10A.
In a case where the ice making compartment 100 is provided at the upper right corner of the refrigerating compartment 10A, the upper sidewall 113 and the right sidewall 111 of the ice making compartment shell 110 are of an integral member and the lower sidewall 112 and the left sidewall 114 of the ice making compartment shell 110 are of an integral member. An overall thickness of the left sidewall 114 and the lower sidewall 112 is greater than an overall thickness of the upper sidewall 113 and the right sidewall 111.
In the case where the ice making compartment 100 is provided at the upper right comer of the refrigerating compartment 10A, the ice making compartment 100 includes a third connecting rail and a fourth connecting rail. The third connecting rail is connected with the lower sidewall 112, so as to connect the lower sidewall 112 with the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment, and the fourth connecting rail is connected with the left sidewall 114, so as to connect the left sidewall 114 with the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment. The third connecting rail may also connect the right sidewall 111 with the lower sidewall 112, so as to connect the right sidewall 111 with the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment. The fourth connecting rail may also connect the upper sidewall 113 with the left sidewall 114, so as to connect the upper sidewall 113 with the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment.
It will be noted that, the third connecting rail and the fourth connecting rail may have structures similar to those of the first connecting rail 116 and the second connecting rail 117, and details will not be repeated herein.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, at least one of the first heat insulation pad 113A, the second heat insulation pad 114A, the third heat insulation pad or the rear heat insulation pad 115A includes a heat insulation foam.
For ease of description, some embodiments of the present disclosure are mainly described by taking an example in which the ice making compartment 100 is located at the upper left comer of the refrigerating compartment 10A. However, this should not be construed as a limitation on the present disclosure.
In some embodiments, an installation process of the ice making compartment shell 110 includes the following steps. The rear sidewall 115 is first installed on the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment, and then the integral member of the left sidewall 114 and the upper sidewall 113 is installed on the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment. After the installation is accomplished, the refrigerator body 1 is foamed.
The right sidewall 111 and the lower sidewall 112 are formed in a separately foamed manner After the foaming of the refrigerator body 1 and the foaming of the right sidewall 111 and the lower sidewall 112 are accomplished, the integral member of the right sidewall 111 and the lower sidewall 112 is installed on the refrigerator body.
For example, as shown in
After the foaming of the integral member of the right sidewall 111 and the lower sidewall 112 is accomplished, the integral member is snapped into the first connecting rail 116 and the second connecting rail 117. The right sidewall 111 is snapped into the second connecting rail 117, and the lower sidewall 112 is snapped into the first connecting rail 116.
After the installation is accomplished, the right sidewall 111, the lower sidewall 112, the upper sidewall 113. the left sidewall 114 and the rear sidewall 115 of the ice making compartment shell 110 enclose an ice making compartment 100 with a front opening in the refrigerating compartment 10A.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In order to well seal the ice making compartment 100. at least one of the front sidewall 118 or the front opening of the ice making compartment 100 is provided with a sealing member and the sealing member may be a sealing loop 1183 (referring to
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the ice making compartment 100 performs cooling in a direct cooling manner. That is, the ice maker 120 includes a refrigerant pipe 131 (referring to
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the ice maker 120 is disposed on the upper sidewall 113 of the ice making compartment shell 110. The ice storage box 119 may be located below the ice maker 120. That is, in the ice making compartment 100, the ice maker 120 is located above the ice storage box 119. After the ice maker 120 accomplishes making ice, the ice cubes may be discharged into the ice storage box 119.
As shown in
In some embodiments, at least one of the front sidewall 118 or the lower sidewall 112 of the ice making compartment shell 110 includes the ice outlet 400 For example, the front sidewall 118 of the ice making compartment shell 110 includes the ice outlet 400. Alternatively, the lower sidewall 112 of the ice making compartment shell 110 includes the ice outlet 400.
As shown in
In order to well discharge water drops dripping during an ice making process of the ice maker 120, in some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the water tray 160 is fixed to the ice maker 120, and a rear end of the water tray 160 is inclined downward. For example, the water tray 160 Is connected to the ice maker 120.
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the water tray 160 further includes a flow guide opening 1602 located at a rear portion of the water tray body 1601. The water funnel 190 is located below the flow guide opening 1601 and behind the ice storage box 119.
The water funnel 190 includes a funnel drain pipe 191 located on a side of the water funnel 190 away from the flow guide opening 1602.
The inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment further includes a water guide pipe. At least a part of the water guide pipe is located in the heat insulation material between the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment and the shell 14. and the funnel drain pipe 191 is connected with the water guide pipe. For example, the funnel drain pipe 191 passes through the rear sidewall 115 and the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment to be connected with the water guide pipe. The refrigerator 1 further includes a water storage tray, and the water flowing into the water funnel 190 may pass through the funnel drain pipe 191 and the water guide pipe, and finally flows into the water storage tray. The water in the water storage tray may be heated and evaporated by means of the condenser 22 or an electric heater. A flow direction of the water in the water tray 160 is shown by the dashed line in
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the refrigerant pipe 131 may be in direct contact with a bottom of the ice tray 121. In some embodiments, a heat conductive material member is further provided between the refrigerant pipe 131 and the ice tray 121, and the refrigerant pipe 131 may be in contact with the ice tray 121 through the heat conductive material member.
In order to achieve good contact between the refrigerant pipe 131 and the ice tray 121. In some embodiments, as shown in
In order to promote a thermal circulation of an entire ice making compartment 100. as shown in
The air blown from the fan compartment 150 is blown to the front sidewall 118 of the ice making compartment shell 110, and then is diffused in all directions, and is mainly diffused downward. As a result, the air exchanges heat with different components in the entire ice making compartment 100 such as the ice storage box 119 and the ice crushing compartment 1180. When the tee maker 120 operates normally, a temperature of the refrigerant pipe 131 is low, and the air sucked from the air guide pipeline has a low temperature after exchanging heat with the refrigerant pipe 131, and the temperature is relatively low. After being blown out by the fan 151, the air is diffused to different regions, which facilitates cooling of the entire ice making compartment 100.
In order to well promote circulation of the air, as shown in
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in
In some embodiments, the first ice baffle 170 may be formed as a plate structure. For example, a side of the first ice baffle 170 dose to the door body 30 is fixed to the rear shell 1182 of the front sidewall 118, and a side of the first ice baffle 170 away from the door body 30 is inclined rearward and upward. The first ice baffle 170 includes a first ventilation opening 171. That is, the first ice baffle 170 includes one first ventilation opening 171, or the first ice baffle 170 includes a plurality of first ventilation openings 171. A size of each first ventilation opening 171 is smaller than a size of the ice tray 121, so as to prevent the ice cubes from passing through the first ventilation opening 171. For example, each first ventilation openings 171 is formed in an elongated shape, and extends in a front-rear direction. A dimension of the first ventilation opening 171 in a left-right direction is smaller than a dimension of the ice tray 121, so as to prevent the ice cubes from passing through the first ventilation opening 171.
As shown in
The ice storage box 119 further includes an see transport device configured to transport the ice cubes to the ice crushing compartment 1180 on a front side. The first ice baffle 170 may prevent the diffusion of the air blown from the fan compartment 150 from being affected due to excessive accumulation of the ice cubes at a front of the see storage box 119. In addition, the air blown from the fan compartment 150 may enter the see storage box 119 through the first ventilation opening 171.
In some embodiments, the first ice baffle 170 and the rear shell 1182 of the front sidewall 118 may be integrally formed.
In some embodiments, as shown in
As shown in
The ice cubes enter the ice crushing compartment 1180 through the ice inlet of the ice crushing compartment 1180. The second ice baffle 180 may prevent the ice cubes from returning to the ice storage box 119 from the ice crushing compartment 1180 during operation of an ice crushing device in the ice crushing compartment 1180. In addition, by providing the second ventilation opening 181 in the second ice baffle 180, the air blown from the fan compartment 150 may enter the ice crushing compartment 1180 through the second ventilation opening 181. and an air circulation volume is increased.
In some embodiments, the second ice baffle 180 and the rear shell 1182 of the front sidewall 118 may be integrally formed.
In some embodiments, the ice storage box 119 includes both the first ice baffle 170 and the second ice baffle 180.
In some embodiments, the second ice baffle 180 and the first ice baffle 170 may be integrally formed.
The refrigerant pipe 131 is guided into the ice making compartment 100 from the outside of the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment. The refrigerant pipe 131 is connected with the cold air supply device 20 of the refrigerator 1, and extends to a vicinity of the ice making compartment 100 in the heat insulation material (e.g., a foamed layer) between the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment and the shell 14, and then passes through the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment and the ice making compartment shell 110 to enter the ice making compartment 100. For example, the refrigerant pipe 131 enters the ice making compartment 100 from the rear sidewall 115 of the ice making compartment shell 110.
During manufacturing of the refrigerator 1, the refrigerant pipe 131 usually needs to be installed first, and then the foaming is performed between the inner container 15 and the shell 14. Thus, there is a need to pre-fix the refrigerant pipe 131. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fixed structure of the refrigerant pipe 131.
The fixed structure of the refrigerant pipe 131 includes a protector and a protector conduit. The protector is arranged around the refrigerant pipe 131 and inserted into the protector conduit; the protector conduit is disposed on the rear sidewall 115 of the ice making compartment shell 110, and extends toward an inside of the ice making compartment 100, and is configured to movement of the protector to the inside of the ice making compartment 100.
In some embodiments, a dimension of a cross section of the protector conduit perpendicular to the refrigerant pipe 131 gradually decreases from back to front.
As shown m
As shown in
The protector includes a lower protector 133 and an upper protector 134. In some embodiments, the upper protector 134 and the lower protector 133 may be integrally formed, and the refrigerant pipe 131 is nested in the protector.
In some embodiments, as shown in
After the protector is arranged around the refrigerant pipe 131, the protector and the refrigerant pipe 131 are inserted into the first conduit 1151 and the second conduit 1152. At least parts of the second upper protector 1342 and the second lower protector 1332 are located in the second conduit 1152, and at least parts of the first upper protector 1341 and the first lower protector 1331 are located in the first conduit 1151. In addition, the bending limit surface 11511 is able to the first upper protector 1341 and the first lower protector 1331, and prevent the first upper protector 1341 and the first lower protector 1331 from entering the second conduit 1152, so as to control an insertion depth of the protector. By using the protector the first conduit 1151 and the second conduit 1152 to jointly movement of the refrigerant pipe in up-down and left-right directions, the movement of the refrigerant pipe 131 may be limited. the refrigerant pipe 131 may be preliminary fixed the refrigerant pipe 131 may be protected, and the refrigerant pipe 131 may be in good contact with the refrigerant.
In some embodiments, parts of the second upper protector 1342 and the second lower protector 1332 extend from a front side of the second conduit 1152.
In some embodiments, a dimension of a cross section of the first conduit 1151 perpendicular to the refrigerant pipe 131 gradually decreases from back to front. A dimension of a cross section of the first upper protector 1341 and the first lower protector 1331 perpendicular to the refrigerant pipe 131 gradually decreases from back to front, so as to be matched with the first conduit 1151.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the fixing piece 135 includes an accommodating groove 1351 with an opening on a side, and the refrigerant pipe 131 is nested in the accommodating groove 1351 to facilitate installation of the fixing piece 135.
As shown m
As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the external water valve 210 has “one inlet and one outlet”, that is, the external water valve 210 is connected with one water inlet pipe and one water outlet pipe, the water storage tank water valve 260 has “one inlet and two outlets”, that is, the water storage tank water valve 260 is connected with one water inlet pipe and two water outlet pipes, in which a water outlet pipe 262 is connected with the water dispenser assembly 300, and another water outlet pipe 263 is connected with the ice maker 120.
In some embodiments, the external water valve 210 is located outside the shell 14 of the refrigerator 1, which facilitates direct connection with the external water source.
In some embodiments, the external water valve 210 is located at a compartment accommodating the compressor 21.
In some embodiments, the water storage tank water valve 260 is located inside the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment, which facilitates connection with the water dispenser assembly 300 and the ice maker 120.
In some embodiments, the water storage tank water valve 260 is located in the refrigerating compartment 10A.
In some embodiments, the filter 240 is disposed inside the refrigerating compartment 10A. A water supply pipeline from the external water valve 210 to the filter 240 needs to pass through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1. The foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 is located between the shell 14 and the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment.
In some embodiments, the filter 240 and the water storage tank 250 are provided at different positions of the refrigerating compartment 10A. A water supply pipeline from the filter 240 to the water storage tank 250 needs to first pass through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 to reach an outside of the refrigerating compartment 10A, then extends from the outside of the refrigerating compartment 10A to a position of the water storage tank 250, and finally passes through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 again to enter the refrigerating compartment 10A and be connected with the water storage tank 250. The foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 is located between the shell 14 and the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment.
In some embodiments, the filter 240 is disposed outside the refrigerating compartment 10A, and the water storage tank 250 is disposed inside the refrigerating compartment 10A. The water supply pipeline from the filter 240 to the water storage tank 250 needs to pass through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1. The foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 is located between the shell 14 and the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment.
In some embodiments, at least a part of a water supply pipeline from the water storage tank 250 to the ice maker 120 is located outside the refrigerating compartment 10A. The water supply pipeline from the water storage tank 250 to the ice maker 120 first passes through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 to reach the outside of the refrigerating compartment 10A, then extends from the outside of the refrigerating compartment 10A to a position of toe ice maker 120, and finally passes through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 again to enter the refrigerating compartment 10A and be connected with the ice maker 120. The foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 is located between the shell 14 and the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment. In some cases, when connected with the ice maker 120. the water supply pipeline from the water storage tank 250 to the ice maker 120 also needs to pass through the ice making compartment shell 110, such as the upper sidewall 113 or the rear sidewall 115.
In some embodiments, at least a part of a water supply pipeline from the water storage tank 250 to the water dispenser assembly 300 is located outside the refrigerating compartment 10A. The water supply pipeline from the water storage tank 250 to the water dispenser assembly 300 first passes through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 to reach the outside of the refrigerating compartment 10A, then extends from the outside of the refrigerating compartment 10A to a position of the water dispenser assembly 300, and finally passes through the foamed layer of the refrigerator 1 again to enter the refrigerating compartment 10A and supply water to the water dispenser assembly 300.
In some embodiments, as shown in
When the water supply system 200 receives a drinking command, the external water valve 210 and a valve in the water storage tank water valve 260 that corresponds to the water outlet pipe 262 are opened. The external water source sequentially flows to the external water valve 210, the filter 240, the water storage tank 250, and the water outlet pipe 262 of the water storage tank water valve 260 due to action of water pressure, and finally flows from a wafer outlet of the water dispenser assembly 300.
When the water supply system 200 receives an ice making command, the external water valve 210 and a valve in the water storage tank water valve 260 that corresponds to the water outlet pipe 263 are opened. The external water sequentially flows to the external water valve 210, the filter 240, the water storage tank 250, and the water outlet pipe 263 of the water storage tank water valve 260 due to the action of the water pressure, and finally enters the ice maker 120 to start ice making.
When the water supply system 200 simultaneously receives the drinking command and the ice making command, the external water valve 210 and the valves in the water storage tank water valve 260 that correspond to the water outlet pipe 262 and the water outlet pipe 263 are all opened. The external water sequentially flows to the external water valve 210, the filter 240, the water storage tank 250, and the water outlet pipe 262 and the water outlet pipe 263 of the water storage tank water valve 260 due to the action of the water pressure, and finally flows from the water outlet of the water dispenser assembly 300 and enters the ice maker 120 to start making ice.
The above is a basic control iogic of the water supply system 200 during operation of the water dispenser assembly 300 and the ice maker 120.
In some embodiments, when the pre-cooled low-temperature water in the tank body 251 of the water storage tank 250 flows from the water dispenser assembly 300 or enters the ice maker 120, external high-temperature water (e.g., at a temperature in a range of 25° C. to 80° C. inclusive) enters the water storage tank 250. At this time, the tank body 251 will expand and increase in volume when heated; subsequently, as a temperature in the refrigerating compartment 10A decreases, the tank body 251 will contract and decrease in volume. When the high-temperature water enters the tank body 251, an extra part of water which is stored in the tank body 251 when the tank body expands and increases in volume when heated, flows to the water outlet pipe 253 of the water storage tank 250, and is discharged through the water outlet pipe 262 and the water outlet pipe 263 of the water storage tank water valve 260 during the contraction when the tank body is cooled. When the water is discharged through the water outlet of the water dispenser assembly 300, a problem of water leakage from a drinking port of the water dispenser assembly 300 may occur, and when the water enters the ice maker 120, a problem of freezing of a water injection port of the ice maker 120 may occur.
In some embodiments, the water storage tank 250 further includes the water storage tank water valve 260. After the drinking command or the ice making command is accomplished, the water storage tank water valve 260 is closed, so that the water outlet pipe 253 of the water storage tank 250, the water outlet pipe 262 of the water storage tank water valve 260 connected with the water dispenser assembly 300, and the water outlet pipe 263 of the water storage tank water valve 260 connected with the ice maker 120 are all closed As a result it is possible to prevent water extruded due to the thermal expansion and contraction of the water storage tank 250 from seeping from the drinking port of the water dispenser assembly 300 or the water injection port of the ice maker 120.
In some embodiments, the water supply system 200 includes two or more water valves. After water intake is accomplished, there are requirements on a sequence of closing times of these water valves. For example, the external water valve 210 located on an upstream side of the water storage tank 250 is closed first, and after a first time interval, the water storage tank water valve 260 located on a downstream side of the water storage tank 250 is closed, and a part of the water in the tank body 251 is discharged by virtue of inertia.
Since the water storage tank water valve 260 is disposed on the downstream side of the water storage tank 250, after the pre-coded drinking water (e.g., at a temperature in a range of 1° C. to 5° C. inclusive) in the tank body 251 is discharged, the external high-temperature water (e.g., at the temperature in the range of 25° C. to 80° C. inclusive) enters the tank body 251, and the tank body 251 expands after being heated, and then contracts as the temperature in the refrigerating compartment 10A decreases. When a water supply pipeline of the water storage tank 251 is closed by the water storage tank water valve 260, a certain internal pressure is generated in the tank body 251. With extension of the first time interval the internal pressure generated in the tank body 251 gradually increases, which causes stress impact on the water storage tank 250 and other waterway components; as the number of execution times of the dnnking command or the see making command is accumulated, the stress impact is continuously generated and accumulated, thereby reducing durability of the water storage tank 250 and other waterway components connected with the water storage tank 250. For this reason, a value of the first time interval should not be excessively large. For example, the value of the first time interval is in a range of 0.1 s to 5 s inclusive. The value of the first time interval is related to a relative positional relationship between the external water valve 210 and the water storage tank water valve 260, and a layout of the water supply pipeline. For example, the first time interval may be 0.1 s, 0.5 s, 0.8 s, 1 s, 1.5 s, 2 s, 2.5 s, 3 s, 3.5 s, 4 s, 4.5 s, or 5 s.
For a refrigerator 1 with an automatic drinking function, there exist problems of incomplete water flow and dripping after water intake of the water dispenser assembly 300. An important reason is that there is gas in the components or the water supply pipelines of the water supply system 200. For example, bubbles in the water cannot be completely discharged. After the external water source is injected into the water supply system 200, the bubbles are mixed in the water flow, which causes discontinuous and incomplete water flow at the water outlet of the water dispenser assembly 300. and in turn causes the problems of incomplete water flow and dripping after the water intake It has been found through research that, a waterway component that is most prone to an air trapping problem is the water storage tank 250.
In some embodiments, the water storage tank 250 includes a water inlet 254 and a water outlet 255. The water inlet 254 is located below the water outlet 255 (e.g., the water inlet 254 being disposed lower than the water outlet 255). When the water is injected for a first time, the water sequentially fills the tank body 251 from bottom to top, so as to ensure that air in the tank body 251 is discharged before the water fills the tank body 251.
In some embodiments, the water outlet 255 is provided at a highest position of the tank body 251. For example, after the water storage tank 250 is assembled and fixed, there is no position as high as or higher than the water outlet 255 in the water storage tank 250. In order to achieve this effect, a position where the water storage tank 250 is assembled and fixed is critical. There is a need to fully consider a relative position of the water outlet 255 in the tank body 251, and to reasonably design relative positions of the water storage tank 250 and a bottom surface of the inner container 15 of the refrigerating compartment 10A.
In some embodiments, the tank body 251 of the water storage tank 250 is formed as a columnar body (e.g., a cylinder) with two hemispherical ends. The tank body 251 is obliquely placed in the refrigerating compartment 10A. The water outlet 255 is located in a hemispherical portion at a higher end of the tank body 251.
In some embodiments, a lower end of the tank body 251 is located at a bottom of the refrigerating compartment 10A. The water outlet 255 is located in the hemispherical portion at the higher end of the tank body 251. An included angle between a central axis of the tank body 251 in a longitudinal direction of the lank body 251 and the bottom surface of the refrigerating compartment 10A is a (as shown in
A value of a needs to be determined by comprehensively considering factors such as a structure of the water storage tank 250, space of an inner bottom surface of the refrigerating compartment 10A, and the relative position of the water storage tank 250 assembled and fixed on the inner bottom surface of the refrigerating compartment 10A. On a premise of not affecting assembly performance and manufacturability, a large value should be preferred. For example, α is greater than or equal to 5° and less than or equal to 75° (i.e., 5°≤α≤75°), and α may be 8°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 35° or 45°. When the water is injected, the external water source flows into the tank body 251 through the water inlet 254, and the water outlet 255 is finally filled with water to ensure that the air in the tank body 251 is completely discharged; when the water is taken, the water is first discharged through the water outlet 255, thereby solving the problems of incomplete water flow and dripping after the water intake of the water dispenser assembly 300.
For a refrigerator 1 with an ice making function or the automatic drinking function, an external water source of the refrigerator 1 is directly connected with a household water delivery system. When water pressure of the water delivery system is unstable, as the water pressure fluctuates, components of the water supply system 200 will be subjected to continuous impact of the water pressure, so that durability of the components are reduced. In some embodiments, the wafer supply system 200 includes the external water valve 210, and the external water valve 210 is provided between the external water source and the filter 240 in a non-working state (e.g., when the drinking command or the ice making command is not executed), the external water source and the water supply system 200 may be closed through the external water valve 210, thereby protecting key components of the water supply system 200 (e.g., the water storage tank 250 and the filter 240) from the impact caused by the fluctuation of the water pressure.
In some embodiments, the pre-cooled cold drinking water in the water storage tank 250 is supplied to the water dispenser assembly 300 and the ice maker 120 separately. However the present disclosure is not ed thereto.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, there are requirements on a sequence of closing times of the filter water valve 270 and the water storage tank-water dispenser water valve 280. For example, the filter water valve 270 is closed first, and after a second time interval, the water storage tank-water dispenser water valve 280 is dosed.
In some embodiments, there are no special requirements on a sequence of closing times of the filter water valve 270 and the external water valve 210 that are located on the upstream side of the water storage tank 250. For example, the filter water valve 270 and the external water valve 210 may be closed simultaneously. In some embodiments, it may also be possible that the external water valve 210 is closed first, and the filter water valve 270 is closed after a third time interval.
The water supply systems 200 in
In some embodiments, in a case where a water filtration and purification device has been installed in the household water delivery system of the user, the filter 240 in the water supply system 200 may be removed. The water supply systems 200 in
As shown in
In some embodiments, there are requirements on a sequence of closing times of the external water valve 210 and the water storage tank water valve 260. For example, the external water valve 210 located on the upstream side of the water storage tank 250 is dosed first, and after a fourth time interval, the water storage tank water valve 260 of the water storage tank 250 is closed.
As shown in
In some embodiments, there are requirements on a sequence of closing times of the water storage tank-water dispenser water valve 280 and the external water valve 210. For example, the external water valve 210 located on the upstream side of the water storage tank 250 is closed first and after a fifth time interval, the water storage tank-water dispenser water valve 280 located on the downstream side of the water storage tank 250 is closed.
In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 includes at least one of the ice maker 120 or the water dispenser assembly 300. For example, a refrigerator 1 includes only the ice maker 120, or the refrigerator 1 includes only the water dispenser assembly 300, or the refrigerator 1 includes both the ice maker 120 and the water dispenser assembly 300. In a case where the refrigerator 1 includes only the ice maker 120, or in a case where the refrigerator 1 includes only the water dispenser assembly 300, the water supply system 200 may be adaptively added or removed, but a layout and a working principle thereof are same as those previously described. The first time interval, the second time interval, the third time interval, the fourth time interval, and the fifth time interval may be same or different.
The foregoing descriptions are merely specific implementations of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or replacements that a person skilled in the art could conceive of within the technical scope of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.
A person skilled in the art will understand that, the scope of disclosure involved in the present disclosure is not ed to technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above technical features, and shall cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the concept of disclosure, such as technical solutions formed by replacing the above features with technical features with similar functions disclosed in some embodiments (but not limited thereto).
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
201910829072.X | Sep 2019 | CN | national |
201910829074.9 | Sep 2019 | CN | national |
201910829087.6 | Sep 2019 | CN | national |
201921454615.6 | Sep 2019 | CN | national |
201921454625.X | Sep 2019 | CN | national |
201921455414.8 | Sep 2019 | CN | national |
PCT/CN2019/104808 | Sep 2019 | CN | national |
PCT/CN2020/091852 | May 2020 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation-in-part application of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2020/093363, filed on May 29, 2020, which claims priorities to Chinese Patent Application No. 201910829072.X, filed on Sep. 3, 2019, Chinese Patent Application No. 2019108290376. filed on Sep. 3, 2019, Chinese Patent Application No. 201910829074.9, filed on Sep. 3, 2019, Chinese Patent Application No. 201921454615.6, filed on Sep. 3, 2019, Chinese Patent Application No. 201921455414.8, filed on Sep. 3, 2019, Chinese Patent Application No. 201921454625.X, filed on Sep. 3, 2019, PCI international Patent Application No PCT/CN2019/104808, filed on Sep. 6, 2019, and PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2020/091852, filed on May 22, 2020, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | PCT/CN2020/093363 | May 2020 | US |
Child | 17565926 | US |