Refrigerator

Abstract

This disclosure provides a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, an insulation layer, and an ice-making device. The freezer compartment is spaced apart from the refrigerator compartment in the vertical direction. The freezer compartment includes multiple freezing layers stacked in the vertical direction. The multiple freezing layers include a top freezing layer located at the very top. The insulation layer is disposed between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment and is provided with an insulation structure for insulation. The ice-making device includes a refrigeration system and an ice-making chamber. The refrigeration system is disposed within the insulation structure and includes an ice-making evaporator and an air duct structure. The ice-making chamber is disposed within the top freezing layer and includes an ice-making assembly. The ice-making assembly includes an ice-making shell and an ice tray disposed within the ice-making shell. The air outlet of the air duct structure communicates with the inner cavity of the ice-making shell to blow cold air onto the liquid in the ice tray to make ice. The refrigerator of this disclosure shortens the airflow path to reduce cold loss and improve ice-making efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] Some refrigerators using related technologies have ice-making devices to meet people's demand for ice. The principle of these devices is to use cold air to blow water into the ice tray to form ice. Improving ice-making efficiency is a problem that urgently needs to be solved.

[0003] It should be noted that the statements in this background section only provide background information relevant to this disclosure and do not necessarily constitute prior art. Utility Model Content

[0004] This disclosure provides a refrigerator that achieves at least one of the following objectives: improving ice-making efficiency, preventing odor transfer between the ice-making compartment and other compartments, and improving the space utilization of the refrigerator.

[0005] This disclosure provides a refrigerator, including:

[0006] Refrigeration compartment;

[0007] The freezer compartment is spaced apart from the refrigerator compartment in the vertical direction, and the freezer compartment includes multiple freezer layers stacked in the vertical direction, including a top freezer layer at the very top;

[0008] An insulation layer, installed between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, is equipped with an insulation structure to maintain temperature; and

[0009] Ice-making apparatus, including:

[0010] The refrigeration system is housed within an insulation structure and includes an ice-making evaporator and an air duct structure.

[0011] An ice-making chamber is located within the top freezing layer and includes an ice-making assembly, which includes an ice-making shell and an ice grid disposed within the ice-making shell.

[0012] The air outlet of the air duct structure is connected to the inner cavity of the ice-making shell to blow cold air into the liquid in the ice tray to make ice.

[0013] In some embodiments, the top freezing layer includes a freezing chamber and a freezing compartment disposed in the freezing chamber and enclosed therein. The air duct structure includes a first air inlet for air intake, which communicates with a portion of the freezing chamber located outside the freezing compartment.

[0014] In some embodiments, the air duct structure further includes a second air inlet, which is connected to the inner cavity of the ice-making shell to form a circulating air duct, so that the air flowing out of the ice-making shell can re-enter the air duct structure through the second air inlet.

[0015] In some embodiments, the air duct structure includes a first air duct and a second air duct, an ice-making evaporator is disposed between the first air duct and the second air duct, and the second air duct has an air outlet communicating with the ice-making shell. Air flowing out from the first air duct is cooled by the ice-making evaporator and enters the second air duct, and flows into the ice-making shell through the air outlet of the second air duct.

[0016] In some embodiments, the ice-making housing has a plurality of ice-making air inlets spaced apart, and the air outlet of the second air duct extends in the direction in which the plurality of ice-making air inlets are arranged.

[0017] In some embodiments, the air duct structure further includes a first intermediate air duct disposed between the first air duct and the ice-making evaporator. The first end of the first intermediate air duct is connected to the first air duct, and the second end of the first intermediate air duct is connected to the ice-making evaporator. The cross-sectional area of ​​the first intermediate air duct gradually increases from the first end to the second end.

[0018] In some embodiments, the refrigerator further includes a fan disposed between the ice-making evaporator and the second air duct. The air duct structure further includes a second intermediate air duct disposed between the fan and the second air duct. The first end of the second intermediate air duct is connected to the fan, and the second end of the second intermediate air duct is connected to the second air duct. The cross-sectional area of ​​the second intermediate air duct remains unchanged.

[0019] In some embodiments, the ice-making device further includes a water supply pipe for supplying water to the ice tray, and the water supply pipe is disposed within an insulation layer.

[0020] In some embodiments, the refrigerator also includes a drip tray disposed below the ice evaporator, which integrates a heating element. When defrosting is required, the heating element operates to defrost, and the drip tray is used to receive defrosting water.

[0021] In some embodiments, the refrigerator further includes a plurality of partitions disposed within the drip tray, the partitions being used to divide the inner cavity of the drip tray into a plurality of flow paths, and the partitions being provided with openings to allow adjacent flow paths to communicate.

[0022] Based on the technical solution provided in this disclosure, the refrigerator provided in this embodiment includes a refrigerator compartment, a freezer compartment, an insulation layer, and an ice-making device. The freezer compartment is spaced apart from the refrigerator compartment in the vertical direction. The freezer compartment includes multiple freezing layers stacked in the vertical direction. The multiple freezing layers include a top freezing layer located at the very top. The insulation layer is disposed between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment and is provided with an insulation structure for insulation. The ice-making device includes a refrigeration system and an ice-making chamber. The refrigeration system is disposed within the insulation structure and includes an ice-making evaporator and an air duct structure. The ice-making chamber is disposed within the top freezing layer and includes an ice-making assembly. The ice-making assembly includes an ice-making shell and an ice tray disposed within the ice-making shell. The air outlet of the air duct structure communicates with the inner cavity of the ice-making shell to blow cold air onto the liquid in the ice tray to make ice. The refrigerator of this disclosure places the refrigeration system of the ice-making device inside the insulation layer and the ice-making chamber of the ice-making device inside the top freezing layer. This makes the refrigeration system of the ice-making device adjacent to the ice-making chamber, thereby shortening the air supply path, reducing cold loss, and improving ice-making efficiency.

[0023] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this disclosure and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and are used to explain this disclosure, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this disclosure. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a front view structural diagram of a refrigerator according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ice-making device for a refrigerator according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of an ice-making apparatus according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of an ice-making apparatus according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an ice-making apparatus according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the air duct structure of an ice-making apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram of the air duct structure of an ice-making apparatus according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ice-making component of an ice-making apparatus according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the water tray of an ice-making apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 10 for Figure 9 A magnified schematic diagram of the structure of part M in the middle.

[0035] Figure label:

[0036] 10. Refrigeration compartment;

[0037] 20. Freezer compartment; 21. Freezer layer; 211. Freezer chamber;

[0038] 30. Thermal insulation layer;

[0039] 40. Ice-making equipment;

[0040] 41. Refrigeration system; 410. Evaporator shell; 411. Ice-making evaporator; 412. Air duct structure; 4121. First air duct; 4121a. First air inlet; 4121b. Second air inlet; 4122. Second air duct; 4123. First intermediate air duct; 4124. Second intermediate air duct;

[0041] 42. Ice-making compartment; 421. Ice-making compartment shell; 422. Ice-making assembly; 4221. Ice tray; 4222. Ice-making shell; 4223. Hanging drawer; 4224. Ventilation hole; 4225. Ventilation cavity; 4226. Ice-making air inlet; 4227. Ice-making air vent; 4228. Ice-making air inlet duct;

[0042] 43. Water supply system; 431. Water box; 432. Water box cover; 433. Water pump; 434. Water supply pipe;

[0043] 44. Upper shell;

[0044] 45. Lower casing;

[0045] 46. ​​Embedded box;

[0046] 47. Fan;

[0047] 481. First lap joint; 482. Second lap joint;

[0048] 49. Cover plate;

[0049] 50. Water tray; 51. Divider; 52. Opening; 53. Drainage section;

[0050] 60. Drain pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0051] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0052] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this disclosure. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0053] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "over," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "above" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways, and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0054] In refrigerators using this technology, the ice maker typically shares an evaporator with both the refrigerator and freezer compartments, lacking an independent refrigeration system. This results in a long airflow path for the ice maker, leading to heat loss and reduced ice-making efficiency. Furthermore, because of this long airflow path and heat loss, energy consumption increases to reach the required ice-making temperature. Additionally, sharing an evaporator with both the refrigerator and freezer compartments makes it difficult to prevent odors from mixing between the ice maker and other compartments.

[0055] To address the aforementioned issues, this disclosure proposes a refrigerator that, by incorporating a dedicated ice-making evaporator and placing it adjacent to the ice-making chamber, shortens the airflow path, reduces cold loss, and improves ice-making efficiency.

[0056] The following is for reference. Figures 1 to 10 The structure and operation of the refrigerator according to some embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail.

[0057] refer to Figures 1 to 8 The refrigerator provided in this embodiment includes a refrigerator compartment 10, a freezer compartment 20, an insulation layer 30, and an ice-making device 40. The freezer compartment 20 is spaced apart from the refrigerator compartment 10 in the height direction Z. The freezer compartment 20 includes a plurality of freezer layers 21 stacked in the height direction Z. The plurality of freezer layers 21 includes a top freezer layer located at the topmost point. The insulation layer 30 is disposed between the refrigerator compartment 10 and the freezer compartment 20 and is provided with an insulation structure for insulation. The ice-making device 40 includes a refrigeration system 41 and an ice-making chamber 42. The refrigeration system 41 is disposed within the insulation structure and includes an ice-making evaporator 411 and an air duct structure 412. The ice-making chamber 42 is disposed within the top freezer layer and includes an ice-making assembly 422. The ice-making assembly 422 includes an ice-making shell 4222 and an ice tray 4221 disposed within the ice-making shell 4222. The air outlet of the air duct structure 412 is connected to the inner cavity of the ice-making shell 4222 to blow cold air into the liquid in the ice tray 4221 to make ice.

[0058] refer to Figure 1 Some embodiments of the refrigerator include a refrigerator compartment 10 and a freezer compartment 20 disposed in the vertical direction Z, with the freezer compartment 20 located below the refrigerator compartment 10. In other embodiments, the freezer compartment 20 may also be located above the refrigerator compartment 10; the positional relationship between the two is not limited in this disclosure. The refrigerator also includes a door for opening and closing the refrigerator compartment 10, for example, the door is rotatably connected to the refrigerator body, allowing the user to open and close it by rotation; if it is a double-door refrigerator, it includes two doors. The refrigerator also includes drawers disposed in the freezer compartment 20, allowing the user to access food by pulling out the drawers.

[0059] refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, the freezer compartment 20 includes a plurality of freezer layers 21 stacked in the height direction Z. The plurality of freezer layers 21 includes two or more freezer layers. Figure 1 Three freezer compartments are shown as an example. The plurality of freezer compartments 21 include a top freezer compartment that is closer to the refrigerator compartment 10 and located at the very top.

[0060] Because of the large temperature difference between the refrigerator compartment 10 and the freezer compartment 20, a heat insulation layer 30 is provided between them to reduce heat exchange. The heat insulation layer 30 contains a heat insulation structure. In some embodiments, the heat insulation layer 30 is a foamed layer, and the heat insulation structure can be a foamed structure, such as polyurethane foam, to block heat transfer. In some embodiments, a ring of heat insulation structure is provided around the circumference of the heat insulation layer 30, and the refrigeration system is located inside the heat insulation structure.

[0061] refer to Figure 2 The ice-making apparatus 40 of this embodiment includes a refrigeration system 41 and an ice-making chamber 42. The refrigeration system 41 is disposed within an insulation structure and includes an ice-making evaporator 411 and an air duct structure 412. The function of the refrigeration system 41 is to supply cooling air to the ice-making chamber 42, wherein the ice-making evaporator 411 is used to cool the air, and the air duct structure 412 is used to draw in the air and deliver the cooled air to the ice-making chamber 42. After being cooled by the ice-making evaporator 411, the air is blown into the ice-making chamber 42 to cause the liquid stored in the ice-making chamber 42 to solidify into a solid state, for example, when the liquid is water, it solidifies into ice.

[0062] The ice-making chamber 42 is located inside the top freezing layer, that is, the ice-making chamber 42 is located below the refrigeration system 41 and inside the top freezing layer closest to the insulation structure.

[0063] refer to Figure 8 The ice-making chamber 42 includes an ice-making assembly 422. The ice-making assembly 422 includes an ice-making housing 4222 and an ice tray 4221 disposed within the ice-making housing 4222. The air outlet of the air duct structure 412 communicates with the inner cavity of the ice-making housing 4222 to blow cold air onto the liquid inside the ice tray 4221 to make ice. Specifically, the ice tray 4221 is rotatably disposed relative to the ice-making housing 4222 to flip over, thereby causing the ice inside the ice tray 4221 to fall into an ice storage box.

[0064] The refrigerator of this embodiment places the refrigeration system 41 of the ice maker 40 within the insulation layer 30 and the ice-making compartment 42 of the ice maker 40 within the top freezer compartment. This arrangement ensures that the refrigeration system 41 and the ice-making compartment 42 are adjacent, thereby shortening the airflow path, reducing cold loss, and improving ice-making efficiency. Furthermore, the refrigerator of this embodiment has a dedicated ice-making evaporator 411 for the ice-making compartment 42, which is not shared with the refrigerator or freezer compartments, thus preventing odor transfer between the ice-making compartment and other compartments. Moreover, by placing the ice-making evaporator 411 within the insulation layer, the refrigerator of this embodiment utilizes the space already allocated to the insulation layer between the refrigerator and freezer compartments, eliminating the need to occupy other space within the refrigerator, thus improving space utilization and optimizing the refrigerator's spatial layout.

[0065] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the top freezing layer includes a freezing cavity and a freezing chamber 211 disposed in the freezing cavity and enclosed therein. The air duct structure 412 includes a first air inlet 4121a for air intake, which communicates with the space in the freezing cavity located outside the freezing chamber 211.

[0066] refer to Figure 1 The topmost freezing layer includes a freezing chamber, which here refers to the entire interior of the top freezing layer. For example... Figure 1 As shown, along the width direction X of the refrigerator, a freezer compartment 211 and an ice-making compartment 42 are sequentially arranged inside the freezer cavity. Specifically, in Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, two freezer compartments 211 are sequentially arranged within the freezer chamber. Each freezer compartment 211 is enclosed; for example, it includes a freezer body and a retractable freezer drawer within the freezer body. When the freezer drawer is closed, the entire freezer compartment 211 is isolated from the outside and sealed. Therefore, the space outside the freezer compartments 211 is isolated from the space inside the freezer compartments 211. Correspondingly, the ice-making compartment 42 is also isolated from the space inside the freezer compartments 211.

[0067] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the ice-making compartment 42 is disposed at one end of the refrigeration system 41, specifically at one end in the width direction X of the refrigerator. This allows a freezer compartment 211 to be further disposed on one side of the ice-making compartment 42 within the freezer cavity. In other words, the top freezer layer is a mixed layer, including both the freezer compartment 211 and the ice-making compartment 42, and is not simply a freezer layer.

[0068] refer to Figure 6The air duct structure 412 includes a first air inlet 4121a for air intake. Air located in the freezing chamber enters the air duct of the air duct structure 412 through the first air inlet 4121a, is cooled by the ice-making evaporator 411, and is then blown toward the ice-making assembly.

[0069] The air duct structure 412 of the ice-making device in this embodiment has a first air inlet 4121 communicating with the freezing chamber, and the freezing compartment 211 inside the freezing chamber is enclosed. This prevents the odors of frozen food or other substances inside the freezing compartment 211 from causing odors in the air inside the freezing chamber, thereby preventing odors from entering the air duct structure 412 and effectively preventing odor transfer during ice making. Furthermore, the ice-making compartment 42 of the ice-making device in this embodiment is located inside the freezing chamber, and the enclosed freezing compartment 211 is also provided inside the freezing chamber. This reduces the risk of odor transfer and also improves the space utilization of the refrigerator.

[0070] In some embodiments, the air duct structure 412 further includes a second air inlet 4121b, which communicates with the inner cavity of the ice-making housing 4222 to form a circulating air duct, so that the air flowing out of the ice-making housing 4222 can re-enter the air duct structure through the second air inlet 4121b.

[0071] refer to Figure 6 The air duct structure 412 of this embodiment further includes a second air inlet 412b, which is connected to the internal gas of the ice-making shell 4222. This allows the air after cooling the ice grid 4221 in the ice-making shell 4222 to re-enter the air duct structure through the second air inlet 412b and flow to the ice-making evaporator 411 for further cooling.

[0072] In other words, the air intake of the air duct structure 412 in this embodiment can return air from the outside of the ice-making device through the first air inlet 4121a, or it can return air from the inside of the ice-making device through the second air inlet 4121b.

[0073] The air duct structure 412 of this embodiment introduces air through the second air inlet 4121b, which is connected to the inner cavity of the ice-making shell 4222, to form a circulating air duct. In this way, the air flowing out of the ice-making shell 4222 can be directly introduced through the second air inlet 4121b. Since the air flowing out of the ice-making shell 4222 is still relatively low in temperature, it can directly enter the air duct structure 412, thereby reducing the loss of cold energy, significantly improving the ice-making efficiency and reducing energy consumption.

[0074] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3The air duct structure 412 includes a first air duct 4121 and a second air duct 4122. An ice-making evaporator 411 is disposed between the first air duct 4121 and the second air duct 4122, and the second air duct 4122 has an air outlet communicating with the ice-making housing 4222. Air flowing from the first air duct 4121 is cooled by the ice-making evaporator 411 and enters the second air duct 4122, flowing through the air outlet of the second air duct 4122 into the ice-making housing 4222.

[0075] refer to Figure 3 The air duct structure 412 includes a first air duct 4121 and a second air duct 4122 located at both ends of the ice evaporator 411. Specifically, a fan 47 is also provided between the second air duct 4122 and the ice evaporator 411. In this way, the air cooled by the ice evaporator 411 can enter the second air duct 4122 under the suction of the fan 47, and then be blown into the ice grid inside the ice housing 4222 through the air outlet of the second air duct 4122.

[0076] The air duct structure 412 of this embodiment includes a first air duct 4121 and a second air duct 4122 located at both ends of the ice-making evaporator 411. Air enters the ice-making evaporator 411 through the first air duct 4121 for cooling. The first air duct 4121 guides and concentrates the airflow, making the airflow more concentrated towards the ice-making evaporator 411, resulting in better cooling. Furthermore, the air cooled by the ice-making evaporator is concentrated and guided to the ice-making shell through the second air duct 4122, preventing cold air from diffusing to non-ice-making areas, improving heat exchange efficiency, and improving ice-making efficiency.

[0077] refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 In some embodiments, the ice-making housing 4222 has a plurality of ice-making air inlets 4226 spaced apart. The air outlet of the second air duct 4122 extends in the direction in which the plurality of ice-making air inlets 4226 are arranged.

[0078] In some embodiments, reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 The ice-making assembly 422 also includes an ice-making air inlet duct 4228 disposed on one side of the ice-making housing 4222, and an ice-making air outlet 4227 communicating with the ice-making air inlet 4226 is disposed on the side wall of the ice-making air inlet duct 4228. Figure 7As shown, the ice-making assembly 422 includes multiple ice-making air inlets 4228 arranged in a row. Cooling air entering the second air duct 4122 flows into the multiple ice-making air inlets 4228 through the air outlet of the second air duct 4122. Specifically, the ice-making air inlets 4228 extend vertically, making it easier for cooling air to enter the ice-making air inlets 4228 and flow downwards along them. Each ice-making air inlet 4228 has a vertical ice-making air outlet 4227 on its side wall, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the cooling air entering the ice-making air inlet duct 4228 can flow through the ice-making air outlet 4227 to the ice-making air inlet 4226 and then enter the ice-making housing 4222 through the ice-making air inlet 4226.

[0079] The refrigerator of this embodiment provides multiple ice-making air inlets 4226 on the ice-making shell 4222, and extends the air outlet of the second air duct 4122 in the direction of the arrangement of the multiple ice-making air inlets 4226, so that the air outlet of the second air duct 4122 can directly enter the interior of the ice-making shell through the multiple ice-making air inlets 4226, thereby increasing the intake volume of cold air and improving ice-making efficiency.

[0080] refer to Figure 4 In some embodiments, the air duct structure 412 further includes a first intermediate air duct 4123 disposed between the first air duct 4121 and the ice-making evaporator 411. A first end of the first intermediate air duct 4123 is connected to the first air duct 4121. A second end of the first intermediate air duct 4123 is connected to the ice-making evaporator 411. The cross-sectional area of ​​the first intermediate air duct 4123 gradually increases from its first end to its second end.

[0081] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 Some embodiments of the refrigerator also include an evaporator housing 410 covering the outside of the ice-making evaporator 411. The evaporator housing 410 has an air inlet, and the second end of the first intermediate air duct 4123 is connected to the air inlet of the evaporator housing 410 to achieve connection with the ice-making evaporator 411. The cross-sectional area of ​​the first end of the first intermediate air duct 4123 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second end of the first intermediate air duct 4123. For example, the first intermediate air duct 4123 has a flared structure, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the first intermediate air duct 4123 gradually increases from its first end to its second end.

[0082] The technical solution of this disclosure gradually increases the cross-sectional area of ​​the first intermediate air duct 4123 located between the first air duct 4121 and the ice-making evaporator 411. This results in a larger flow area for the cooling air before it enters the ice-making evaporator 411, thus reducing the velocity before entering the evaporator 411, making the static pressure distribution more uniform, reducing pressure loss, and ensuring that the airflow evenly covers the entire evaporator surface, improving the uniformity of airflow distribution. Furthermore, the gradual expansion design can alleviate eddies and turbulence caused by sudden airflow expansion, reducing local resistance loss.

[0083] In some embodiments, the refrigerator further includes a fan 47 disposed between the ice-making evaporator 411 and the second air duct 4122. The air duct structure 412 further includes a second intermediate air duct 4124 disposed between the fan 47 and the second air duct 4122. A first end of the second intermediate air duct 4124 is connected to the fan 47, and a second end of the second intermediate air duct 4124 is connected to the second air duct 4122. The cross-sectional area of ​​the second intermediate air duct 4124 remains constant in the direction of airflow for cooling.

[0084] In other words, after the air is cooled by the ice-making evaporator 411, the cross-sectional area of ​​the second intermediate air duct 4124 remains unchanged when the air is discharged to the second air duct 4122. This can avoid sudden changes in flow velocity caused by changes in cross-section, prevent airflow separation or eddy generation, thereby reducing turbulence loss and local resistance.

[0085] refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments, the ice-making device 40 further includes a water supply pipe 434. The water supply pipe 434 is used to supply water to the ice tray 4221. The water supply pipe 434 is disposed within the insulation layer 30.

[0086] The water supply pipe 434 of the ice-making device 40 in this embodiment is also arranged inside the insulation layer 30, further improving the space utilization of the refrigerator.

[0087] refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 In some embodiments, the refrigerator also includes a drip tray 50 disposed below the ice evaporator 411 and a drain pipe 60 connected to the drip tray 50. The ice evaporator 411 integrates a heating element, which operates to defrost when defrosting is required. The drip tray 50 is used to receive defrost water and drain it out through the drain pipe 60.

[0088] Specifically, the heating element can be a heating wire.

[0089] refer to Figure 9 The water tray 50 also includes a drain section 53, which is connected to and coaxially arranged with the drain pipe 60. The defrosting water in the water tray 50 will collect in the drain section 53 and then be discharged through the drain pipe 60.

[0090] The ice-making evaporator 411 of this embodiment integrates a heating element. When defrosting is required, the heating element is activated, and defrosting water drips into the water collection tray 50 and is discharged through the drain pipe 60. The heating element is directly integrated into the ice-making evaporator 411 and directly heats the surface of the evaporator, thus quickly melting the frost layer and accelerating the defrosting speed. Moreover, the defrosting water can be discharged through the drain pipe 60 after dripping into the water collection tray 50, resulting in fast drainage.

[0091] refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 In some embodiments, the refrigerator further includes a plurality of partitions 51 disposed within the drip tray 50. The partitions 51 are used to divide the interior of the drip tray 50 into a plurality of flow paths. The partitions 51 are provided with openings to allow adjacent flow paths to communicate.

[0092] The water receiving tray 50 includes a water receiving area with multiple partitions 51. From the water receiving area to the drainage section 53, the surface of the water receiving tray 50 is inclined downward to form a downhill slope so that the defrosting water received in the water receiving area can be automatically collected into the drainage section 53 under the action of gravity and discharged through the drain pipe 60.

[0093] The water receiving area is provided with multiple spaced-apart partitions 51, and a flow path is formed between two adjacent partitions 51. The flow direction of defrosting water in each flow path is perpendicular to the flow direction in the drainage section 53, so that the defrosting water in each flow path can be directly collected in the drainage section 53. Specifically, in Figure 9 In the illustrated embodiment, the water receiving area further includes a confluence section disposed on one side of the plurality of partitions 51. The confluence section is perpendicular to the plurality of partitions 51 to receive defrosting water in each flow path. The confluence section is connected to the drainage section 53.

[0094] like Figure 10 As shown, the separator 51 can be a partition plate. The separator 51 is provided with openings to allow communication between adjacent flow paths. In some embodiments, the separator 51 is provided with at least two openings.

[0095] The water receiving tray of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of partitions 51 to form a plurality of flow paths, and the partitions 51 are provided with openings to allow adjacent flow paths to connect. In this way, even if the defrosting water is unevenly distributed when it falls, the flow rate of each flow path can be dynamically distributed through the openings, thereby making the defrosting water in each flow path more uniform. If the flow rate of a certain flow path is reduced due to partial blockage, it can enter an adjacent flow path through the opening, forming a bypass.

[0096] The following is based on Figures 1 to 10 The structure of a refrigerator according to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0097] like Figure 1As shown, the refrigerator of this embodiment includes a refrigerator compartment 10, an insulation layer 30, and a freezer compartment 20 spaced apart in the height direction Z. The refrigerator compartment 10 is located above the freezer compartment 20. Since the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 10 is different from the temperature inside the freezer compartment 20, the insulation layer 30 is disposed between the refrigerator compartment 10 and the freezer compartment 20 to insulate the temperature, and the insulation layer 30 has an insulation structure.

[0098] The freezer compartment 20 includes at least two freezer layers 21 stacked in the height direction Z.

[0099] The ice-making device 40 of this embodiment includes a refrigeration system 41 and an ice-making chamber 42. That is, the ice-making device 40 of this embodiment is equipped with an independent refrigeration system 41, which is horizontally mounted and fixed to the insulation layer 30 of the refrigerator. The ice-making chamber 42 is connected and installed on the lower side of the insulation layer 30. The refrigeration system 41 and the ice-making chamber 42 are securely connected to the refrigerator by clips or screws.

[0100] like Figure 2 As shown, the refrigeration system 41 is located on the upper side, and the ice-making chamber 42 is located on the lower side of the refrigeration system 41. The refrigeration system 41 includes an ice-making evaporator 411 and an air duct structure 412.

[0101] like Figure 3 As shown, the ice-making device 40 also includes a water supply system 43, an upper housing 44, a lower housing 45, a pre-embedded box 46, a fan 47, and a first connecting piece 481 and a second connecting piece 482. The upper housing 41 and the lower housing 45 are connected. An evaporator housing 410 is provided on the outside of the ice-making evaporator 411, and the evaporator housing 410 and the fan 47 are protected by a pre-embedded box 46, which is embedded in the groove of the lower housing 45. (Refer to...) Figure 9 The bottom is sealed by cover plate 49.

[0102] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown. The embedded box 46 is installed on the outside of the evaporator housing 410 and the fan 47. One end of the embedded box 46 is connected to the first intermediate air duct 4123, and the other end of the embedded box 46 is connected to the second intermediate air duct 4124. The first air duct 4121 is connected to the first intermediate air duct 4123, and the second air duct 4122 is connected to the second intermediate air duct 4124. The first air duct 4121 forms an air inlet duct, through which air enters. The second air duct 4122 forms an air outlet duct, through which air exits. The air enters from the first air duct 4121 and is cooled by the ice-making evaporator to form cooling air. The cooling air flows out through the second air duct 4122 and enters the ice-making assembly for ice making.

[0103] like Figure 6As shown, the first air duct 4121 has a first air inlet 4121a and a second air inlet 4121b. The first air inlet 4121a is connected to the outside of the ice-making chamber, that is, to the freezing chamber of the top freezing layer, so that the air in the freezing chamber can flow into the first air duct 4121 through the first air inlet 4121a. The second air inlet 4121b is directly connected to the ice-making shell of the ice-making assembly so that some of the cold air after cooling the water in the ice tray can be directly circulated back into the first air duct 4121 through the second air inlet 4121b, forming a circulating air duct.

[0104] Again Figure 6 As shown, the first air duct 4121 extends from one side of the ice evaporator 411 to the ice chamber to achieve gas communication with the ice-making shell inside the ice chamber. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first air duct 4121 is configured to extend along the width direction X of the refrigerator.

[0105] The first air inlet 4121a of the first air duct 4121 is located on the lower side of the first air duct 4121.

[0106] The water supply system 43 includes a water tank 431, a water tank cover 432, a water pump 433, and a water supply pipe 434. The water tank 431 and the water pump 433 are installed in the groove of the upper housing 44, and the water tank 431 is equipped with a water tank cover 432 to ensure airtightness. The water pump 433 is connected to the water tank 431 and the water supply pipe 434 through a pipe. When working, it can deliver the purified water in the water tank 431 to the water supply pipe 434, and finally flow into the ice tray 4221 for ice making.

[0107] like Figure 4 As shown, the ice-making chamber 42 includes an ice-making chamber outer shell 421 and an ice-making assembly 422 disposed within the ice-making chamber outer shell 421. The ice-making chamber outer shell 421 is connected to the lower shell 45 via a bracket.

[0108] like Figure 8 As shown, the ice-making assembly 422 includes an ice tray 4221, a hanging drawer 4223, and an ice-making housing 4222.

[0109] Ice tray 4221 is installed inside ice-making housing 4222 and can be flipped. When making ice, the opening of ice tray 4221 faces upward to receive water from water supply pipe 434 and makes ice under the blowing of cold air. After ice making is completed, ice tray 4221 is flipped so that the opening faces downward, so that the ice block formed by ice tray 4221 falls into the hanging drawer 4223.

[0110] The ice-making housing 4222 includes an ice-making cavity and a ventilation cavity 4225 disposed at the end of the ice-making cavity. An ice tray 4221 is disposed within the ice-making cavity, and an ice-making air inlet 4226 is disposed on the side wall of the ice-making cavity adjacent to the ice-making air inlet duct 4228, allowing cold air to enter the interior of the ice-making cavity through the ice-making air inlet 4226 and act on the water in the ice tray. A ventilation hole 4224 is provided on the side wall of the ice-making cavity adjacent to the ventilation cavity 4225, allowing some of the cold air, after cooling the water in the ice tray, to enter the ventilation cavity 4225 through the ventilation hole 4224. The ventilation cavity 4225 is connected to the first air duct 4121, allowing this portion of cold air to circulate back into the air duct.

[0111] In this embodiment, the cross-section of the ice-making housing 4222 is a T-shaped structure, meaning that the width of the ventilation cavity of the ice-making housing 4222 is greater than the width of the ice-making cavity. This causes the side wall of the ice-making air inlet 4226 of the ice-making cavity to be recessed towards the center relative to the side wall of the ventilation cavity, thereby providing space for the ice-making air inlet duct 4228 and further improving space utilization.

[0112] To improve the ice-making efficiency of the ice-making chamber, the ventilation hole 4224 cannot be too large, so as to prevent the cooling air from flowing out through the ventilation hole 4224 before it has had time to cool the water. Therefore, in this embodiment, as... Figure 7 As shown, an ice-making air outlet is also provided on the opposite side of the ice-making air inlet 4226, so that the cooling air must flow through the ice grid to reach the ice-making air outlet to achieve sufficient cooling function.

[0113] The process of implementing the ice-making function of the refrigerator in this embodiment is as follows:

[0114] When the user activates the ice-making function, the ice-making evaporator 411 operates to cool the air. The fan 47 drives the cold air to flow rapidly within the air duct, following this path: The air first enters the first air duct 4121 through the first air inlet 4121a, then flows into the first intermediate air duct 212. The air exchanges heat with the ice-making evaporator 411, lowering its temperature and forming cold air. The cold air is then drawn in by the fan 47, enters the second air duct 4122, and then sequentially passes through the ice-making air inlet duct 4228, the ice-making air outlet 4227, and the ice-making air inlet 4226 before being blown onto the ice tray 4221, achieving rapid cooling of the water inside the ice tray. Some of the cold air, after circulating around the ice tray and completing its cooling process, enters the ventilation chamber 4225 through the vent 4224 and re-enters the air duct through the second air inlet 4121b. Another portion of the cold air flows out through the ice-making air outlet to the outside of the ice-making housing 4222, and then re-enters the air duct through the first air inlet 4121a. The direction of the cold air flow is as follows: Figure 6 and Figure 7 As indicated by the arrow.

[0115] like Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, a drip tray 50 is located directly below the ice evaporator 411, between the ice evaporator 411 and the cover plate 49. The ice evaporator 411 is equipped with a heating wire. When defrosting is required, the heating wire is activated, and defrost water drips into the drip tray 50. The drip tray 50 has a certain slope and is designed with multiple dividers 51 to form multiple branch water channels. Multiple openings 52 are provided on these dividers 51 for diversion and collection, ultimately collecting the defrost water and draining it into the drain pipe 53. The defrost water flows in the following direction: Figure 10 As indicated by the middle arrow.

[0116] The refrigerator in this embodiment, with its water tray designed as described above, can accelerate the collection of defrost water, thereby speeding up the drainage of defrost water and avoiding water accumulation and leakage problems.

[0117] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure and not to limit them; although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the specific implementation of this disclosure or equivalent substitutions can be made to some technical features without departing from the spirit of the technical solutions of this disclosure, and all such modifications and substitutions should be covered within the scope of the technical solutions claimed in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A refrigerator characterized by comprising: include: Refrigeration compartment (10); The freezer compartment (20) is spaced apart from the refrigerator compartment (10) in the height direction (Z), and the freezer compartment (20) includes a plurality of freezer layers (21) stacked in the height direction (Z), the plurality of freezer layers (21) including a top freezer layer at the top; A heat insulation layer (30) is provided between the refrigerator compartment (10) and the freezer compartment (20) and is provided with a heat insulation structure for heat insulation; and Ice-making device (40), comprising: A refrigeration system (41) is disposed within the insulation structure and includes an ice-making evaporator (411) and an air duct structure (412); An ice-making chamber (42) is disposed within the top freezing layer and includes an ice-making assembly (422), which includes an ice-making shell (4222) and an ice grid (4221) disposed within the ice-making shell (4222). The air outlet of the air duct structure (412) is connected to the inner cavity of the ice-making shell (4222) to blow cold air into the liquid in the ice tray (4221) to make ice.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top freezing layer includes a freezing cavity and a freezing chamber (211) disposed in the freezing cavity and enclosed. The air duct structure (412) includes a first air inlet (4121a) for air intake, and the first air inlet (4121a) communicates with the part of the freezing cavity located outside the freezing chamber (211).

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air duct structure (412) further includes a second air inlet (4121b), which is connected to the inner cavity of the ice-making shell (4222) to form a circulating air duct, so that the air flowing out from the ice-making shell (4222) can re-enter the air duct structure through the second air inlet (4121b).

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air duct structure (412) includes a first air duct (4121) and a second air duct (4122). The ice-making evaporator (411) is disposed between the first air duct (4121) and the second air duct (4122). The second air duct (4122) has an air outlet that communicates with the ice-making shell (4222). The air flowing out from the first air duct (4121) is cooled by the ice-making evaporator (411) and enters the second air duct (4122), and flows into the ice-making shell (4222) through the air outlet of the second air duct (4122).

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The ice-making housing (4222) has a plurality of ice-making air inlets spaced apart, and the air outlet of the second air duct (4122) extends in the direction of the arrangement of the plurality of ice-making air inlets.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The air duct structure (412) further includes a first intermediate air duct (4123) disposed between the first air duct (4121) and the ice evaporator (411). The first end of the first intermediate air duct (4123) is connected to the first air duct (4121), and the second end of the first intermediate air duct (4123) is connected to the ice evaporator (411). The cross-sectional area of ​​the first intermediate air duct (4123) gradually increases from the first end to the second end.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a fan (47) disposed between the ice evaporator (411) and the second air duct (4122). The air duct structure (412) also includes a second intermediate air duct (4124) disposed between the fan (47) and the second air duct (4122). The first end of the second intermediate air duct (4124) is connected to the fan (47), and the second end of the second intermediate air duct (4124) is connected to the second air duct (4122). The cross-sectional area of ​​the second intermediate air duct (4124) remains unchanged.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ice-making device (40) also includes a water supply pipe (434) for supplying water to the ice tray (4221), and the water supply pipe (434) is disposed inside the insulation layer (30).

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a water tray (50) disposed below the ice evaporator (411). The ice evaporator (411) integrates a heating element. When defrosting is required, the heating element operates to defrost. The water tray (50) is used to receive defrosting water.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a plurality of partitions (51) disposed in the water receiving tray (50), the plurality of partitions (51) being used to divide the inner cavity of the water receiving tray (50) into a plurality of flow paths, and the partitions (51) being provided with openings to allow adjacent flow paths to communicate.

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