Refrigerator

Abstract

This application relates to a refrigerator. An ice maker is located in a storage compartment of the refrigerator. An ice-making module includes an ice-making unit and an ice-making compartment. The ice-making unit is configured to make ice in the ice-making compartment. The ice-making module includes an ice storage container. The ice storage container is located in the ice-making compartment and configured to store ice made by the ice-making unit. The refrigerator further includes a flow guide structure. The flow guide structure is configured to guide water in the ice-making compartment out of the ice-making module. This application facilitates a reduction in accumulation of water in the ice-making compartment and reduces a possibility of a case that the water flows to an internal component of the refrigerator or another component outside the refrigerator.

Description

[0001] REFRIGERATOR

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] This application relates to the field of refrigerators.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Currently, refrigerators on the market not only have functions of refrigeration and freezing, but also have a function of making ice. Generally, an ice-making module includes an ice maker and an ice bucket for storing ice. The ice-making module is mounted to a storage compartment or a door. When the ice maker is making ice or the ice-making module fails, liquid may appear in an ice-making compartment. If the liquid cannot be removed in time, the liquid flows to an internal component of the refrigerator, for example, a storage box on the door, or flows to a bottom plate, resulting in poor user experience.

[0006] SUMMARY

[0007] An object of this application is to provide an improved refrigerator for at least one of the foregoing technical problems. A technical solution of an embodiment of this application is as follows.

[0008] A refrigerator is provided, including: a main body, where the main body includes a storage compartment; and an ice-making module, disposed in the storage compartment, where the icemaking module includes an ice-making unit and an ice-making compartment, the ice-making unit is configured to make ice in the ice-making compartment, the ice-making module includes an ice storage container, and the ice storage container is located in the ice-making compartment and configured to store ice made by the ice-making unit. The refrigerator further includes a flow guide structure. The flow guide structure is configured to guide water in the ice-making compartment out of the ice-making module.

[0009] Therefore, when a situation such as a control failure or abnormal refrigeration occurs in the ice-making module, a temperature of the ice-making compartment rises, causing water seepage or water leakage in the ice storage container and the ice-making unit. Water accumulated in the ice-making compartment can be discharged in time through the flow guide structure, which effectively reduces flow of the water to an internal component of the refrigerator, such as a storage box on a door, or to a bottom plate, reduces a possibility of affecting use of another component, and helps improve user experience.

[0010] In an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure is configured to guide water on a wall of the ice-making compartment out of the ice-making module.

[0011] In an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure is disposed below the ice storage container. This is helpful for the water that seeps from the ice storage container to flow into the flow guide structure and be guided out of the ice-making module.

[0012] In an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure is disposed behind the ice storage container.

[0013] In an embodiment of this application, the ice-making compartment includes a bottom wall and a rear side wall. The flow guide structure is connected to the bottom wall and / or the rear side wall.

[0014] In an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure includes a first end portion. The first end portion is integrally formed with a wall of the ice-making compartment.

[0015] In an embodiment of this application, a protrusion portion extending downward is formed on the wall of the ice-making compartment. The protrusion portion is constructed as the first end portion.

[0016] In an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure includes a connection portion connected to the first end portion.

[0017] In an embodiment of this application, the ice-making compartment includes a bottom wall. The bottom wall includes an inclined section from front to back. Through a guiding function of the inclined section of the bottom wall, it is beneficial to guide the water in the ice-making compartment into the flow guide structure.

[0018] In an embodiment of this application, the bottom wall includes a horizontal section at the front and the inclined section at the rear. In this way, the ice storage container can be stably placed in the ice-making compartment, and the water in the ice-making compartment can be guided to flow to the flow guide structure.

[0019] In an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure is located behind and below the inclined section. In an embodiment of this application, the ice storage container is provided with a water outlet portion.

[0020] In an embodiment of this application, the water outlet portion includes a water outlet and a water outlet pipe. The water outlet portion is located behind and below the ice storage container.

[0021] In an embodiment of this application, the ice-making unit includes a water receiving member. The water receiving member is configured to accommodate water from the icemaking unit and guide the water into the ice-making compartment.

[0022] In an embodiment of this application, a mechanical compartment is disposed behind or within the main body, the flow guide structure includes a flow guide pipe, and the flow guide structure is configured to guide the water in the ice-making compartment into the mechanical compartment through the flow guide pipe.

[0023] According to an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure comprises a flow guide pipe and the flow guide pipe is connectable to a wastewater pipe, and the flow guide structure is configured to guide the water in the ice-making compartment into a wastewater pipe through the flow guide pipe.

[0024] According to an embodiment of this application, at least a portion of the flow guide pipe is configured as a flexible outlet hose.

[0025] According to an embodiment of this application, a proximal end of the flexible outlet hose is arranged at a height of the refrigerator being higher than a distal end of the flexible outlet hose, when connected to the wastewater pipe.

[0026] According to an embodiment of this application, the proximal end of the flexible outlet hose is arranged at a height of the refrigerator being higher than one third of the height of the appliance, particularly one halve of the height of the appliance.

[0027] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. l is a schematic diagram of an overall structure according to an embodiment of this application.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of a flow guide structure according to an embodiment of this application.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a top view of an ice-making module.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a rear view of an ice-making module.

[0032] Fig. 5 is second embodiment based on the configuration according to Fig. 1.

[0033] Reference numerals:

[0034] 1 -Refrigerator; 2-Ice-making module; 3 -Flow guide structure; 4-Mechanical compartment; 5-Water outlet portion; 6-Shell; 10-Main body; 11-Storage compartment; 21- Ice-making unit; 22-Ice-making compartment; 23-Ice storage container; 32-First end portion; 33-Connection portion; 34-Flow guide pipe; 41 -Evaporating dish; 51-Water outlet; 52-Water outlet pipe; 101-Inner wall; 102-Housing; I l l-Refrigerating compartment; 112-Freezing compartment; 211-Water receiving member; 220-Wall; 221-Bottom wall; 222-Left side wall; 223-Right side wall; 224-Top wall; 225-Rear side wall; 321 -Protrusion portion; 331-Snap; 1011-Claw; 2210-Horizontal section; 2211 -Inclined section; .

[0035] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] To have a beter understanding of an objective, a structure, a feature, and a function of this application, a detailed description is given below in combination with embodiments.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a refrigerator 1 includes a main body 10. The main body 10 includes a storage compartment 11. The storage compartment 11 is divided into a refrigerating compartment 111 and a freezing compartment 112, which are respectively configured to refrigerate and freeze an item.

[0038] The main body 10 further includes an inner wall 101 for defining the storage compartment 11, and a housing 102 connected to the inner wall 101. A foamed thermal insulation material is provided between the inner wall 101 and the housing 102.

[0039] An ice-making module 2 is disposed in the storage compartment 11. To be specific, the ice-making module is disposed in the refrigerating compartment 111 and located at a corner of a top of the refrigerating compartment 111.

[0040] The ice-making module 2 includes an ice-making compartment 22, an ice-making unit 21, and an ice storage container 23. A wall 220 defines an accommodation space of the ice-making compartment 22. The wall 220 includes a bottom wall 221, a left side wall 222, a right side wall 223, a top wall 224, and a rear side wall 225. The ice-making unit 21 and the ice storage container 23 are both disposed in the ice-making compartment 22. The ice-making unit 21 is connected to the top wall 224 and is higher than the ice storage container 23. Ice removed from the ice-making unit 21 falls into the ice storage container 23.

[0041] A phenomenon of water leakage may occur during ice making or deicing of the ice-making unit 21. In addition, when a situation such as abnormal refrigeration or power failure occurs in the ice-making module 2, a temperature of the ice-making compartment 22 rises. As a result, an ice cube in the ice storage container 23 or the ice-making unit 21 melts or frost in the icemaking compartment melts, and water flows out of the ice storage container 23 or the icemaking unit 21. If the situation is not processed in time, the water flows from the ice-making module 2 to another component such as a storage box and a botom surface, which affects user experience. To reduce a possibility of occurrence of the phenomenon, a flow guide structure 3 configured to guide water in the ice-making compartment 22 out of the ice-making module 2 is disposed in the refrigerator 1. The water leaking from the ice-making unit 21 and the ice storage container 23 falls on the wall 220 of the ice-making compartment 22, and the water on the wall 220 of the ice-making compartment 22 is guided out of the ice-making module 2 through the flow guide structure 3.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the ice-making unit 21 is provided with a water receiving member 211. The water receiving member 211 is disposed at a lower part of the ice-making unit 21. The water receiving member 211 is inclined downward from front to back. The water receiving member 211 is disposed to accommodate the water leaking from the ice-making unit 21 and guide the water into the ice-making compartment 22, thereby causing the water to flow from the ice-making compartment 22 into the flow guide structure 3.

[0043] The flow guide structure 3 is disposed below the ice storage container 23. According to another embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure 3 is disposed behind the ice storage container 23. To facilitate the discharge of water from the ice storage container 23, the ice storage container 23 is provided with a water outlet portion 5. The water outlet portion 5 is located behind and below the ice storage container 23. The water outlet portion 5 includes a water outlet 51 and a water outlet pipe 52. The water outlet pipe 52 is connected to the water outlet 51.

[0044] The flow guide structure 3 is connected to the bottom wall 221 or the rear side wall 225, or connected to both the bottom wall 221 and the rear side wall 225. The bottom wall 221 of the ice-making compartment 22 is provided with an inclined section 2211 from front to back. Specifically, the bottom wall 221 includes a horizontal section 2210 at the front and the inclined section 2211 at the rear. The flow guide structure 3 is located behind and below the inclined section 2211, so that the water on the wall 220 of the ice-making compartment 22 is guided to the flow guide structure 3 through a guiding action of the inclined section 2211.

[0045] According to an embodiment of this application, the flow guide structure 3 is provided with a first end portion 32. The first end portion 32 is integrally formed with the ice-making compartment 22. Specifically, the first end portion 32 is disposed on the wall 220 of the icemaking compartment 22, and the first end portion 32 is a protrusion portion 321 extending downward. According to an embodiment of this application, the wall 220 of the ice-making compartment 22 is composed of a shell 6 and a part of the inner wall 101, and the protrusion portion 321 extends in a downward direction from the inner wall 101. According to another embodiment of this application, the wall 220 of the ice-making compartment 22 is formed by the shell independent of the inner wall 101, and is connected to the inner wall 101, and the protrusion portion 321 extends downward from the shell. The flow guide structure 3 includes a connection portion 33 connected to the first end portion 32. According to an embodiment of this application, the connection portion 33 is a snap 331, and the snap 331 is engaged with the protrusion portion 321. A flow guide pipe 34 is connected below the connection portion 33, and at least part of the flow guide pipe 34 is disposed in a thermal insulation material between the inner wall 101 and the housing 102, so as to fix the flow guide pipe 34. In addition, a claw 1011 is disposed on the inner wall 101, and the flow guide pipe 34 is engaged with the claw 1011 to strengthen fixation of the flow guide pipe 34. The flow guide pipe 34 extends downward into a mechanical compartment 4 in a height direction of the storage compartment 11. An evaporating dish 41 is disposed in the mechanical compartment 4. Water in the flow guide pipe 34 may be discharged into the evaporating dish 41, and the water discharged into the evaporating dish 41 is evaporated by using heat in the mechanical compartment 4.

[0046] Fig. 5 shows an embodiment similar to figure 1. The main difference is that the flow guide structure 3 comprises a flow guide pipe 34 and the flow guide pipe 34 is connectable to a wastewater pipe, and the flow guide structure 3 is configured to guide the water in the icemaking compartment 22 into a wastewater pipe through the flow guide pipe 34.

[0047] Preferably, at least a portion of the flow guide pipe 34 is configured as a flexible outlet hose 341.

[0048] Furthermore, a proximal end 342 of the flexible outlet hose 341 can be arranged at a height of the refrigerator being higher than a distal end 343 of the flexible outlet hose 341, when connected to the wastewater pipe.

[0049] The above is only a description of one embodiment, and another embodiment may also be provided in this application. For example, in another embodiment, the bottom wall 221 of the ice-making compartment 22 is disposed to be inclined downward from front to back, which is convenient for guiding the water in the ice-making compartment 22 to flow to the flow guide structure 3.

[0050] Various embodiments of a single component described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 may be combined with each other in any given manner, to achieve the advantages of this application.

[0051] This application has been described by using the foregoing related embodiments, but the foregoing embodiments are merely examples for implementing this application. It is to be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of this application. On the contrary, changes and modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of this application all fall within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator (1), comprising: a main body (10), wherein the main body comprises a storage compartment (11); and an ice-making module (2), disposed in the storage compartment (11), wherein the ice-making module (2) comprises an ice-making unit (21) and an ice-making compartment (22), the ice-making unit (21) is configured to make ice in the ice-making compartment (22), the ice-making module (2) comprises an ice storage container (23), and the ice storage container (23) is located in the ice-making compartment (22) and configured to store ice made by the ice-making unit (21); and characterized by further comprising a flow guide structure (3), wherein the flow guide structure (3) is configured to guide water in the ice-making compartment (22) out of the icemaking module (2).

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow guide structure (3) is configured to guide water on a wall (220) of the ice-making compartment (22) out of the icemaking module (2); and / or the flow guide structure (3) is disposed below the ice storage container (23); and / or the flow guide structure (3) is disposed behind the ice storage container (23).

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ice-making compartment (22) comprises a bottom wall (221) and a rear side wall (225), and the flow guide structure (3) is connected to the bottom wall (221) and / or the rear side wall (225).

4. The refrigerator according to one or more of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that the flow guide structure (3) comprises a first end portion (32), wherein the first end portion (32) is integrally formed with the wall (220) of the ice-making compartment (22).

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that a protrusion portion (321) extending downward is formed on the wall (220) of the ice-making compartment (22), and the protrusion portion (321) is constructed as the first end portion (32); and / or the flow guide structure (3) comprises a connection portion (33) connected to the first end portion (32).

6. The refrigerator according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the icemaking compartment (22) comprises a bottom wall (221), wherein the bottom wall (221) comprises an inclined section (2211) from front to back.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that the bottom wall (221) comprises a horizontal section (2210) at the front and the inclined section (2211) at the rear; and / or the flow guide structure (3) is located behind and below the inclined section (2211).

8. The refrigerator according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ice storage container (23) is provided with a water outlet portion (5).

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that the water outlet portion (5) comprises a water outlet (51) and a water outlet pipe (52), wherein the water outlet portion (5) is located behind and below the ice storage container (23).

10. The refrigerator according to one or more of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the ice-making unit (21) comprises a water receiving member (211), wherein the water receiving member (211) is configured to accommodate water from the ice-making unit (21) and guide the water into the ice-making compartment (22).

11. The refrigerator according to one or more of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a mechanical compartment (4) is disposed behind or within the main body (10), the flow guide structure (3) comprises a flow guide pipe (34), and the flow guide structure (3) is configured to guide the water in the ice-making compartment (22) into the mechanical compartment (4) through the flow guide pipe (34).

12. The refrigerator according to one or more of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the flow guide structure (3) comprises a flow guide pipe (34) and the flow guide pipe (34) is connectable to a wastewater pipe, and the flow guide structure (3) is configured to guide the water in the ice-making compartment (22) into a wastewater pipe through the flow guide pipe (34).

13. The refrigerator according to claim 12, characterized in that at least a portion of the flow guide pipe (34) is configured as a flexible outlet hose (341).

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, characterized in that a proximal end (342) of the flexible outlet hose (341) is arranged at a height of the refrigerator being higher than a distal end (343) of the flexible outlet hose (341), when connected to the wastewater pipe.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the proximal end (342) of the flexible outlet hose (341) is arranged at a height of the refrigerator being higher than one third of the height of the appliance, particularly one halve of the height of the appliance.

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