Refrigerator appliance

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance (1000), characterized by comprising: a storage compartment (1100); a storage unit (900), wherein the storage unit (900) is arranged inside the storage compartment (1100) in a push-and-pull manner; a locking mechanism (400), comprising a first mating portion (401) located on the storage unit (900) and a second mating portion (402) located in the storage compartment (1100) and engaged and locked to the first mating portion (401), wherein the locking mechanism (400) is configured to lock the storage unit (900) relative to the refrigerator appliance (1000) when the storage unit (900) is pushed back; and a release mechanism (300), wherein the release mechanism (300) is arranged on the storage unit (900) to be operated to allow the release mechanism (300) to move relative to the storage unit (900), so as to drive the locking mechanism (400) to unlock the storage unit (900), wherein during pushing of the storage unit (900) back to a locked state, the release mechanism (300) remains at a constant position relative to the storage unit (900).

Description

[0001] REFRIGERATOR APPLIANCE

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] This application relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular, to a refrigerator appliance.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] A refrigerator appliance, in particular, a refrigerator, is an essential household appliance in a family. A storage container is an important component of the refrigerator. A storage container can store food, to maintain freshness and avoid food spoilage and wastes, which brings great convenience to people's life. However, since a locking mechanism arranged on the storage container to help achieve sealing or low-pressure performance and an unlocking mechanism have complex structures, a user needs to perform cumbersome operations to take out items, a risk exists, and even an excessively large storage space in the refrigerator appliance is occupied. Moreover, when the storage container is used in a low-pressure environment, manufacturing costs are high, a price is relatively high, dismounting / mounting is inconvenient, and competitiveness of the product is affected.

[0006] SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention are intended to provide an improved refrigerator appliance to resolve at least one of the above problems.

[0008] The present invention provides a refrigerator appliance. The refrigerator appliance includes: a storage compartment; and a storage unit, where the storage unit is arranged inside the storage compartment in a push-and-pull manner; a locking mechanism, including a first mating portion located in the storage unit and a second mating portion located in the storage compartment and engaged and locked to the first mating portion, where the locking mechanism is configured to lock the storage unit relative to the refrigerator appliance when the storage unit is pushed back; and a release mechanism, where the release mechanism is arranged on the storage unit to be operated to allow the release mechanism to move relative to the storage unit, so as to drive the locking mechanism to unlock the storage unit. During pushing of the storage unit back to a locked state, the release mechanism remains at a constant position relative to the storage unit.

[0009] The present invention further provides a refrigerator appliance. The refrigerator appliance includes: a storage compartment; and a storage unit, where the storage unit is arranged inside the storage compartment in a push-and-pull manner; a locking mechanism, including a first mating portion located in the storage unit and a second mating portion located in the storage compartment and engaged and locked to the first mating portion, where the locking mechanism is configured to lock the storage unit relative to the refrigerator appliance when the storage unit is pushed back; and a release mechanism, where the release mechanism is arranged on the storage unit for a user to operate to allow the release mechanism to move relative to the storage unit, so as to drive the locking mechanism to unlock the storage unit. During pushback of the storage unit or when the storage unit is in a locked state, the release mechanism is decoupled from the locking mechanism.

[0010] According to the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention, during pullout of the storage unit, the release mechanism is operated, and during the pushing of the storage unit back to the locked state, the release mechanism is decoupled from the first mating portion or the release mechanism remains at the constant position relative to the storage unit, which avoids problems in the prior art that usage experience is affected as a result of the release mechanism protruding from the storage unit after the storage unit is pulled out or cumbersome operations such as resetting the release mechanism are required during locking, and helps avoid a risk of accidental hand clamping.

[0011] Optionally, one of the first mating portion or the second mating portion is a movable member, the other is a fixing member, and a distance between an end of the movable member close to the release mechanism and the release mechanism varies during the pushing of the storage unit to be locked.

[0012] Optionally, one of the first mating portion or the second mating portion is a movable member, the other is a fixing member, and the movable member moves away from the release mechanism relative to the storage unit during the pushing of the storage unit back to be locked.

[0013] Optionally, one of the first mating portion or the second mating portion is a movable member, the other is a fixing member, and the movable member is not connected to and / or is not in contact with and / or exerts no force on the release mechanism in a non-operated state.

[0014] In a state in which the release mechanism is not operated, the variation of the distance between the movable member and the release mechanism or the movement of the movable member away from the release mechanism facilitates maintenance of decoupling between the locking mechanism and the release mechanism, that is, maintain the release mechanism and the storage unit relatively stationary relative to each other.

[0015] Optionally, during pullout of the storage unit, the release mechanism is operated to be coupled to the first mating portion, so as to drive the first mating portion to be unlocked from the second mating portion. Therefore, the release mechanism serves as both an unlocking mechanism and a holding member, which simplifies the unlocking of the storage unit.

[0016] Optionally, during the pushback of the storage unit, the release mechanism does not exceed a front surface of the storage unit, which helps reduce accidental injury caused by the release mechanism to a user. Optionally, the release mechanism is located at a front part of the storage unit.

[0017] Optionally, the locking mechanism includes a first retaining member, and the first retaining member is constructed to cause the first mating portion to retain a matable state in which the first mating portion is opposite to the second mating portion.

[0018] Optionally, the locking mechanism includes the first retaining member, and the first retaining member is constructed to at least prevent the first mating portion from moving away from the second mating portion relative to the storage unit as a result of a gravity.

[0019] Optionally, the first mating portion is pivotably connected to the storage unit through a second rotation shaft, and the release mechanism is rotatably mounted to the storage unit through a first rotation shaft.

[0020] Optionally, the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are parallel.

[0021] Optionally, the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are different shafts.

[0022] Optionally, the first mating portion and the release mechanism are distributed from up to down in a height direction of the storage compartment.

[0023] Optionally, one end of the first mating portion is a locking end, an other end is a driving end, and the driving end is closer to the release mechanism than the locking end.

[0024] Optionally, the second mating portion is constructed as an engagement portion, and the engagement portion includes a front side opening located on a front side of the engagement portion and a locking portion in communication with the front side opening.

[0025] Optionally, a lower groove surface of the front side opening gradually extends upward to form an inclined surface for the locking end to move and rotate along the inclined surface, where the locking end moves along the inclined surface, and then falls into the locking portion. Optionally, a roller is arranged on the locking end.

[0026] Optionally, the locking mechanism includes a second retaining member.

[0027] Optionally, the second retaining member is configured to apply a force to the first mating portion, to cause the first mating portion to begin to move towards the matable state.

[0028] Optionally, during locking or unlocking of a drawer, a force of the second retaining member is overcome, so that the first mating portion moves relative to the storage unit to be locked with or unlocked from the second mating portion.

[0029] Optionally, the second retaining member is a second torsion spring, the second torsion spring is sleeved on a second rotation shaft, one end of the second torsion spring is mounted to the storage unit, and an other end is mounted to the first mating portion.

[0030] Optionally, the release mechanism includes a handle and a pair of cantilevers supporting the handle, where each of the cantilevers includes a connection portion connected to the handle and a driving portion selectively coupled to the first mating portion to perform an unlocking operation. Since the release mechanism includes the cantilevers and the handle supported on the cantilevers, a weight of the release mechanism is fully utilized, which helps the release mechanism retain at the constant position relative to the storage unit in the non-operated state.

[0031] Optionally, the cantilever is rotatably mounted to the storage unit through a first rotation shaft. Optionally, a torque from the driving portion to the first rotation shaft is less than a torque from the connection portion to the first rotation shaft. In this way, a labor-saving lever is constructed on a handle side, to improve user experience of unlocking and pulling out the drawer. Optionally, when the handle rotates about the first rotation shaft under an operating pulling force, the driving portion is coupled to the first mating portion to drive the first mating portion to rotate.

[0032] Optionally, a drawer includes a drawer body and a front panel connected to the drawer body from a front side of the drawer body, where the front panel covers a front surface of the drawer body to form a front-side external surface of the drawer. Optionally, a storage space is configured to be maintained in a low-pressure state, the drawer has an air inflation channel configured to enable the storage space to be in fluid communication with outside, and the air inflation channel is formed on a front wall of the drawer body. In this way, a pressure relief operation and a drawer pulling operation are effectively linked, which improves usage experience of a storage container in a low-pressure storage environment.

[0033] Optionally, an accommodation space exists between the front panel and the drawer body, and at least part of the release mechanism is accommodated in the accommodation space.

[0034] Optionally, the release mechanism is rotatably mounted to the storage unit through a first rotation shaft, and the first rotation shaft is rotatably arranged on the front wall of the drawer body.

[0035] Optionally, the release mechanism is rotatably mounted to the storage unit through the first rotation shaft, and the release mechanism extends through a handle mounting hole on the front panel and is connected to the first rotation shaft arranged on the drawer body.

[0036] Optionally, the release mechanism includes a pressure relief valve.

[0037] Optionally, the pressure relief valve is sleeved and fixed on the first rotation shaft, to maintain sealing with the air inflation channel in a non-operated state.

[0038] Optionally, the pressure relief valve is configured to be linked with the release mechanism, to relieve pressure of the storage space. Optionally, a handle groove recessed towards the drawer body is provided at a lower part of the front panel, and the accommodation space and the handle groove are distributed from up to down in a height direction of the storage compartment, to facilitate a compact structure of the storage unit.

[0039] Optionally, the release mechanism includes a retaining mechanism, and the retaining mechanism is configured to retain the pressure relief valve in a state of being snugly and hermetically mated with the air inflation channel.

[0040] Optionally, the release mechanism includes an operable handle, where the handle is accommodated in the handle groove, and is substantially flush with a front surface of the front panel, to form a holding space between the handle and the handle groove.

[0041] Optionally, the retaining mechanism is a first torsion spring, one end of the first torsion spring is mounted to the pressure relief valve, and an other end is mounted to the front wall of the drawer body or a fixing member fixed to the front wall, to help form a low-pressure or special-gas storage environment in the storage unit.

[0042] Optionally, the storage unit includes: a drawer, where the drawer defines a storage space, and has an upward opening, and the drawer is arranged inside the storage compartment in a push-and-pull manner; and a cover, where the cover is supported in the storage compartment, and is configured to open or seal the drawer, and when the storage unit is in the locked state, the cover is limited by the drawer to a position at which the opening is sealed. In this way, modularization of the storage unit is achieved, which facilitates replacement and implementation of a multi-platform configuration. Optionally, the cover is supported above the drawer by a pair of supports arranged in the refrigerator appliance, and a movement path is provided for the cover.

[0043] Optionally, the second mating portion is integrally arranged on a front end of each of the supports.

[0044] Optionally, the support includes a first channel extending in a depth direction of the storage compartment, the first channel provides a movement path for opening to closing by the cover, and the second mating portion is located below the first channel, which helps improve structural compactness of the storage unit and fully utilize the storage space.

[0045] Optionally, the second mating portion shares a part of a surrounding wall with the first channel.

[0046] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a refrigerator appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 2 is a front view of a storage compartment sectioned along A-A in FIG. 1, showing components on a side wall.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a storage unit (including supports) in FIG. 1.

[0050] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a position of the storage unit in FIG. 1 in a closed state.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of another position of the storage unit in FIG. 1 in a closed state.

[0052] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the storage unit in an open state at the position corresponding to FIG. 5.

[0053] FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a drawer shown in FIG. 3.

[0054] FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of an area C in FIG. 7.

[0055] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a first mating portion shown in FIG. 8.

[0056] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the drawer in FIG. 7.

[0057] FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional rear view of a drawer body.

[0058] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the drawer body sectioned along B-B in FIG. 11.

[0059] FIG. 13 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a cover shown in FIG. 3.

[0060] FIG. 14 is a top view of a cover body shown in FIG. 13.

[0061] FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the cover body shown in FIG. 13.

[0062] FIG. 16 is a partial three-dimensional enlarged view of an area D shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a three-dimensional view of an upper cover shown in FIG. 13.

[0063] FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 are three-dimensional exploded views of a support on a right side shown in FIG. 3 at different viewing angles.

[0064] FIG. 20 shows a movement process during mounting of the cover in the structure shown in FIG. 3, where SI shows a state in which a second support shaft is mounted in a second channel, S2 shows a state in which a first support shaft is mounted in a first channel, S3 shows a state in which the cover is closed at a second position, and S4 shows a state in which the cover is opened at a first position.

[0065] FIG. 21 is a front view of the support on the right side in FIG. 3 when a cover is not mounted.

[0066] FIG. 22 is a sectional view of the support sectioned along E-E in FIG. 21.

[0067] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] Typical embodiments of the present invention are now described in detail. Same reference numerals in all accompanying drawings represent same elements. The embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, to explain the present invention. A refrigerator appliance 1000 may be, for example, a device that needs to provide isolated, hermetic, and low-temperature storage for items, such as a refrigerator, a refrigeration cabinet, or a freezer.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator appliance 1000 is, for example, a refrigerator, which usually includes a thermally insulative box. The box includes a shell, an inner tank, and an insulation layer (not shown in the figure) located between the two. The box defines a plurality of thermally insulative storage compartments 1100, 1200, and 1300 to store items such as food. In an exemplary embodiment of this application, the storage compartments are respectively a refrigeration compartment 1100 located at an upper part of the refrigerator and freezing compartments 1200 and 1300 located at a lower part. The storage compartments 1100, 1200, and 1300 are configured to accommodate one or more storage containers. In addition, the storage compartments 1100, 1200, and 1300 may be closed by appliance doors (not shown in the figure) respectively corresponding to the storage compartments.

[0070] It should be understood that a specific distribution of the storage compartments of the refrigerator should not be limited in the present invention, and the present invention may adopt refrigerators in other forms, for example, a refrigerator with a refrigeration compartment and a freezing compartment distributed respectively located on a left and on a right, a side-by-side refrigerator with a temperature-varying compartment being located between a refrigeration compartment and a freezing compartment and storage compartments being arranged in parallel, and a refrigerator with a drawer door and / or a French door.

[0071] The refrigerator appliance 1000 has an evaporative refrigeration system that forms a closed loop. The refrigeration system includes at least a compressor (not shown in the figure), a condenser (not shown in the figure), a throttling apparatus (not shown in the figure), and an evaporator (not shown in the figure). The refrigeration system is a well-known technology in the prior art, and therefore is not further described. Certainly, the refrigerator appliance 1000 may use a refrigeration system in another form (such as an absorption refrigeration system or a thermoelectric refrigeration system).

[0072] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator appliance 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a storage compartment 1100 may include a pair of compartment side walls 1100a and a compartment rear wall 1100b. The pair of compartment side walls 1100a and the compartment rear wall 1100b define a storage space configured to accommodate a storage unit 900.

[0073] Optionally, a shelf 1010 is arranged above the storage unit 900, and a tank bar 1120 supporting the shelf 1010 is arranged on each of the compartment side walls 1100a.

[0074] Optionally, a middle separation wall 1110 is further constructed in the storage compartment 1100. The middle separation wall 1110 may be integrally formed with an inner tank, or may be detachably mounted to the inner tank. The middle separation wall 1110 even may be constructed to be height-adjustable. The storage unit 900 may be supported on the compartment side wall 1100a and / or the middle separation wall 1110. The compartment rear wall 1100b may be the inner tank, or may be a back panel of the refrigerator appliance 1000.

[0075] FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and some subsequent figures show an XYZ coordinate system, where X represents a width direction of the storage compartment 1100 or the storage unit 900, Y represents a height direction of the storage compartment 1100 or the storage unit 900, and Z represents a front-to-rear depth direction of the storage compartment 1100 or a depth direction of the storage unit 900.

[0076] For example, a plurality of containers and / or storage units may be arranged in parallel in storage compartments 1100, 1200, and 1300 in the direction X, a direction +Y, or a direction -Y. Next, a detailed description is provided by using a storage unit 900 accommodated in the storage compartment 1100 as an example.

[0077] FIG. 2 is a front view of the storage compartment 1100 sectioned along A-A in FIG. 1, showing components on a side wall. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the storage unit 900 in the refrigerator appliance in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a position of the storage unit 900 in FIG. 1 in a closed state (a drawer is sectioned). FIG. 5 is a sectional view of another position of the storage unit 900 in FIG. 1 in the closed state (a support is sectioned). FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the storage unit 900 in an open state at the position corresponding to FIG. 5.

[0078] Specifically, referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the storage unit 900 is arranged inside the storage compartment 1100 in a push-and-pull manner. Optionally, guide rails 600 may be arranged in pairs in the storage compartment 1100. A guide rail bar 105 is arranged on the storage unit 900. The storage unit 900 is mounted to the guide rails 600 through the guide rail bar 105, and the guide rails 600 guide the storage unit 900 to be arranged in the storage compartment 1100 in a push-and-pull manner.

[0079] Specifically, referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the refrigerator appliance 1000 includes a locking mechanism 400. The storage unit 900 includes a first mating portion 401 located on the storage unit 900 and a second mating portion 402 located in the storage compartment 1100 and engaged and locked to the first mating portion 401. The locking mechanism 400 is configured to lock a drawer 100 relative to the refrigerator appliance 1000 when the storage unit 900 is pushed back. In this way, the locking mechanism 400 limits movement of the storage unit 900 relative to the refrigerator appliance 1000, which helps the storage unit provide a stable and reliable storage environment in the refrigerator appliance.

[0080] The refrigerator appliance further includes a release mechanism 300. The release mechanism 300 is arranged on a front side of the storage unit 900 to be operated to allow the release mechanism 300 to move relative to the storage unit 900, so as to drive the locking mechanism 400 to unlock the storage unit 900. In particular, the release mechanism 300 may serve as a hand-hold portion for pulling the storage unit 900 out of the storage compartment 1100, which helps the user conveniently and quickly pull out the storage unit. In one or more embodiments, during pushing of the storage unit back to the storage compartment to the locked state, the release mechanism 300 remains at a constant position relative to the storage unit 900.

[0081] In one or more embodiments, during the pushing of the storage unit 900 back to the storage compartment 1100 or when the storage unit is in the locked state, the release mechanism 300 is decoupled from the first mating portion 401.

[0082] According to the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention, during pullout of the storage unit, the release mechanism is operated, and during the pushing of the storage unit back to the locked state, the release mechanism is decoupled from the first mating portion or the release mechanism remains at the constant position relative to the storage unit, which resolves problems in the prior art that usage experience is affected as a result of the release mechanism protruding from the storage unit after the storage unit is pulled out or cumbersome operations such as resetting the release mechanism are required during locking, and helps avoid a risk of accidental hand clamping or scratching.

[0083] In one or more embodiments of this application, the storage unit 900 serves as a sealed storage unit, which can provide a low-pressure or special-gas storage environment for the refrigerator appliance.

[0084] When the storage unit 900 provides the low-pressure or special-gas storage environment, the mating between the locking mechanism and the release mechanism further helps provide a stable and reliable low-pressure or special-air storage environment that is easily operated.

[0085] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the storage unit 900 may include a drawer 100. The drawer 100 defines at least one storage space 101, and has an upward opening 102. A user may take out a storage item placed in the storage space 101 through the opening 102, or the user may place a storage item in the storage space 101 through the opening 102. The drawer 100 may be arranged in the storage compartment 1100 in the depth direction of the storage compartment to be pushed frontward and pulled rearward.

[0086] The storage unit 900 includes a cover 200. The cover 200 is supported in the storage compartment 1100, and is configured to move from a first position at which the cover is separated from the opening 102 to a second position to hermetically close the opening 102 when the drawer 100 is pushed back into the storage compartment 1100.

[0087] FIG. 4 exemplarily shows a sealing member 220 surrounding the opening 102 formed by the cover 200 when the cover 200 closes the opening 102. However, it should be understood that the sealing member 220 constructed as a sealing ring may be arranged (for example, snap- fitted or adhered) at a lower part of the cover 200, or may be arranged at an edge of the opening 102.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 2, a pair of supports 500 are arranged opposite to each other in the storage compartment 1100. The cover 200 is supported above the opening 102 of the drawer 100 through the supports 500, and may move relative to the supports 500. When the user pushes back the drawer 100, the cover 200 is driven by the drawer to move from the first position to the second position. In this way, the cover enters a hermetically closed state when the drawer is pushed back, which does not require a complex driving structure or operation, thereby helping simplify user operations and maintain sealing of the low-pressure storage unit. When an item needs to be taken out, only the release mechanism 300 needs to be operated to pull out the drawer 100, which helps reduce complexity of operating the low-pressure storage unit, and ensure effectiveness and reliability of the low-pressure sealed environment.

[0089] In one or more embodiments, a support 500 may be configured to support the shelf 1010. In this way, a storage space is saved.

[0090] A specific embodiment of the storage unit is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the drawer shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of an area C shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a first mating portion shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the drawer in FIG. 7. FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional rear view of a drawer body in FIG. 7. FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the drawer body sectioned along B-B in FIG. 11.

[0091] Specifically, referring to FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, the drawer 100 may include a drawer body 104 and a front panel 103 located in front of the drawer body 104.

[0092] Specifically, the drawer body 104 may include a front wall 104a, a rear wall 104b, a bottom wall 104c, a pair of side walls 104d, and the storage space 101 defined by the front wall 104a, the rear wall 104b, the bottom wall 104c, and the pair of side walls 104d. Upper edges of the front wall 104a, the rear wall 104b, the bottom wall 104c, and the pair of side walls 104d jointly define the opening 102. The opening 102 exposes the storage space 101. The drawer body 104 is preferably formed in one piece.

[0093] A protruding reinforcement portion 115 is integrally formed outward from outer surfaces of the front wall 104a, the rear wall 104b, and the bottom wall 104d, which helps maintain a low pressure without destroying a visual expression of an external surface of the drawer. In particular, the reinforcement portion 115 extends throughout the outer surfaces of the front wall 104a, the rear wall 104b, and the bottom wall 104d.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 7, an open side of a peripheral wall of the drawer body 104 extends towards an outer side of the storage space 101, to form edges (for example, 104g and 104f shown in FIG. 7). The edges form a sealing surface of the drawer. Preferably, the sealing surface of the drawer body 104 is inclined downward from front to rear in the depth direction Z of the storage compartment, which helps avoid an air duct structure behind the drawer.

[0095] Due to a large pressure difference between inside and outside of the low-pressure storage unit 900 during operation, the sealing surface of the drawer 100 is strengthened, to facilitate maintenance of the low-pressure environment. Preferably, side edges 104f of the two side walls 104d extend downward to form a hollow cavity 109. The hollow cavity improves a strength of the sealing surface, to facilitate maintenance of the low pressure in the low-pressure storage unit.

[0096] Further, the hollow cavity 109 is constructed to extend throughout the side edges 104f in the depth direction of the storage compartment. The hollow cavity, in combination with reinforcement structures of the front wall 104a and the rear wall 104b, helps the drawer resist deformation in the low-pressure environment, to maintain reliable sealing of the low-pressure environment.

[0097] Optionally, a reinforcement member 108 is arranged in the hollow cavity 109, to further improve the strength of the sealing surface. In a specific embodiment, a material of the reinforcement member 108 has a strength greater than that of a material of the drawer body. For example, the reinforcement member may be a metal member. The reinforcement member is inserted into the hollow cavity 109 from a rear side of the drawer 100. The arrangement of the reinforcement member further facilitates the maintenance of the low pressure in the low- pressure storage unit.

[0098] Further, referring to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, a limiting portion 121 is arranged on a surrounding wall 109a of the hollow cavity 109, and a positioning protrusion 108a mated with and connected to the limiting portion 121 is arranged on the reinforcement member 108.

[0099] Further, optionally, the limiting portion 121 is located on a rear end of the surrounding wall 109a, and a guide portion is arranged on an inner side wall surface on a rear end of the hollow cavity 109 adjacent to an entrance. The positioning protrusion of the reinforcement member is mated with the limiting portion along the guide portion, which facilitates fitting of the reinforcement member while reducing appearance visualization of the reinforcement member.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 7 to FIG. 8, an extension portion 104e extending away from the storage space 101 is constructed on a side of each of the left and right side walls 104d of the drawer body 104 facing the front panel 103. The extension portion 104e shields the reinforcement portion 115 on the front wall 104a from two sides in the width direction ±X of the storage compartment.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 4, the reinforcement portion 115 on the rear wall 104b of the drawer body 104 includes a transverse bar 116 at least partially inclined downward by an angle of 0.5° to 2°. The downward inclination of the transverse bar 116 facilitates discharge of condensed water on the rear wall 104b.

[0102] Referring to FIG. 3, a detection apparatus mating portion 150 is arranged below the hollow cavity 109, and the detection apparatus mating portion 150 is located on the rear end of the drawer body 104. Correspondingly, in the depth direction Z of the storage compartment, a detection apparatus mounting portion 1130 is arranged on a rear side of the support 500 to be opposite to the detection apparatus mating portion 150, which helps reduce a visualization effect of a detection apparatus and reduce external interference on the detection apparatus.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 11, the detection apparatus mating portion 150 may be a groove with an opening facing towards a rear side, and a magnet is mounted in the groove. The detection apparatus mounting portion 1130 is formed as a mounting box fixed on the inner tank, and a magnetic detection apparatus, for example, a reed switch, is mounted in the mounting box.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, the front panel 103 is connected to the drawer body 104 from a front side of the drawer body 104. The front panel 103 covers a front surface of the drawer body 104 to form a front-side external surface of the drawer 100, which helps maintain visual consistency with storage units in another storage compartment.

[0105] In the height direction Y of the storage compartment, a top of the front panel 103 is higher than the cover 200 at the first position in the open state, to form a front-side external surface of the low-pressure storage unit. In this way, during pushback of the drawer, the front panel directly drives the cover to move, which facilitates accurate alignment between the drawer and the cover. In addition, when the low-pressure storage unit is in the closed state, it is difficult for the user to consciously touch the cover directly from a front side of the storage compartment, which helps reduce negative impact on the low-pressure environment as a result of a misoperation performed by the user on the cover.

[0106] An accommodation space 117 exists between the front panel 103 and the drawer body 104. The accommodation space 117 provides a mounting space and an operating space for the release mechanism 300. For example, the accommodation space may be located between a rear wall surface of the front panel 103 and the front wall 104a of the drawer body 104. In one or more embodiments, in the width direction ±X of the low-pressure storage unit, a mounting space and an operating space for accommodating at least part of the locking mechanism and / or the release mechanism exist between a side wall of the front panel 103 and the side wall 104d of the drawer body 104, which helps optimize visualization of the low- pressure storage unit while fully utilizing the storage space.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 10, a front edge 104g extending away from the storage space 101 is constructed on a top of the front wall 104a, a first fastener 118 is constructed on the front edge 104g, a first snap-fit groove 119 is provided at a position of an upper surrounding wall 120 of the accommodation space 117 corresponding to the front edge 104g, and the first fastener 118 is mated with and connected to the first snap-fit groove 119. The connection structure designed in this way facilitates formation of the sealing surface on the front side of the drawer body.

[0108] The low-pressure storage unit 900 has an air inflation channel 130 configured to enable fluid communication between the storage space 101 and outside, to release the low-pressure state of the storage space 101, and a pressure relief valve 700 configured to open or close the air inflation channel 130.

[0109] The air inflation channel 130 is provided on the front wall 104a of the drawer body 104. An outer end of the air inflation channel 130 is in communication with the accommodation space 117. The storage space 101 may be in fluid communication with the outside through the air inflation channel 130, so that external air may enter the storage space 101 to release the low-pressure state of the storage space 101, which facilitates pullout of the drawer 100. An elastic sealing base may be arranged in the air inflation channel 130 to improve air tightness. Referring to FIG. 10 to FIG. 12, the air inflation channel 130 protrudes towards inside of the storage space 101 along the front wall 104a, with a protruding surface being provided with one air inlet hole or a plurality of air inlet holes extending in different planes, which helps prevent a pressure relief failure as a result of the air inlet holes being blocked by a planar item.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 4, a length of a surface of the front edge 104g exposed from an outer side of the front panel 103 in the depth direction Z of the storage compartment is at least greater than a thickness of a front wall of the cover 200, which facilitates sealing between the cover 200 and the drawer 100.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 9, a plug portion 122a is constructed at a bottom of the front wall 104a, and an insertion groove 123 protruding towards the drawer body 104 is constructed at a position of the front panel 103 corresponding to the bottom of the front wall 104a, and the plug portion 122 is inserted into the insertion groove 123.

[0112] In a specific embodiment, in the depth direction Z of the storage compartment, the plug portion 122 is away from the front panel relative to the first fastener 118, which helps provide an operating space for holding a handle located on a lower side of the front panel.

[0113] Further, a gap 110 may be provided on the extension portion 104e of the side wall of the drawer, which further helps provide a mounting space for the release mechanism.

[0114] Referring to FIG. 10, a first limiting bar 124 is arranged on a side of the front panel 103 facing the drawer body 104. The first limiting bar 124 at least abuts against the extension portion 104e of the side wall of the drawer, to further limit a position to which the drawer body 104 extends in the front panel 103.

[0115] During mounting of the front panel 103, the plug portion 122 at the bottom of the front wall 104a of the drawer body 104 is first inserted into the insertion groove 123, and then the first fastener 118 on the top of the front wall 104a is engaged into the first snap-fit groove 119 on a back of the front panel 103, to complete the mounting of the front panel 103.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the locking mechanism 400 includes first mating portions 401 located on two sides of the drawer 100 and second mating portions 402 located in the storage compartment 1100 and engaged and locked to the first mating portions 401. When the drawer 100 is pushed back into the storage compartment 1100, the first mating portions 401 on the drawer 100 are engaged and locked to the second mating portions 402 in the storage compartment under a pushing force.

[0117] It may be understood that, in the present invention, one of the first mating portions 401 or the second mating portions 402 is a movable member, and the other is a fixing member, to perform a locking function. Base on the above, during pushing of the storage unit back to a locked state, an end of the movable member close to the release mechanism moves away from the release mechanism, to be decoupled from the release mechanism, which may be understood as that the release mechanism is relatively stationary relative to the storage unit in a nonoperated state, to reduce adverse impact of the release mechanism on a visual expression or an operation of the storage unit or safety of the user.

[0118] In a specific embodiment, referring to FIG. 8, the first mating portions 401 are pivotably connected to the drawer body 104 through a second rotation shaft b. One end of each of the first mating portions is a locking end 403, and an other end thereof is a driving end 404.

[0119] In a specific embodiment, the locking end 403 and the driving end 404 are located on different sides of the second rotation shaft b. For example, the first mating portion 401 is in an L shape, the locking end 403 thereof is located on a free end of a long side of the L shape, the driving end 404 is located on a free end of a short side of the L shape, and the second rotation shaft b located at an intersection of the long side and the short side, which helps drive the locking mechanism 400 to perform a locking operation.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 9, the first mating portion 401 includes a main body 412. The driving end 404 is arranged on a lower side of the main body 412, and the locking end 403 is constructed as a locking protrusion 406 protruding from a side of the main body 412 away from the drawer 100 towards the second mating portion 402.

[0121] Further, a roller 407 is sleeved on the locking protrusion 406. The roller 407 rolls on an inclined surface 409 and then falls into a locking portion 410, which helps improve a feeling of locking the drawer through pushing of the drawer.

[0122] The roller may be rotatably mounted to the locking protrusion 406 through a fastening member 411.

[0123] The second mating portion 402 is an engagement portion 405 constructed on the compartment side wall 1100a and the middle separation wall 1110. When the drawer 100 is in the locked state, the locking end 403 is engaged and mated with the engagement portion 405. When the drawer assembly 100 is in an unlocked state, the locking end 403 is separated from the engagement portion 405.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 6, in a specific embodiment, the engagement portion 405 is constructed on a front end of the support 500, and the front end of the support 500 has a front side opening 408 for the locking end 403 to enter.

[0125] The engagement portion 405 may include the front side opening 408 located on the front side of the engagement portion 405 and the locking portion 410 in communication with the front side opening 408. The locking end 403 enters the engagement portion 405 through the front side opening 408, and is accommodated in the locking portion 410 to lock the drawer 100. The locking portion 410 may be constructed as a groove structure.

[0126] A lower surface of the front side opening 408 gradually extends backward to form the inclined surface 409 for the locking end 403 to move and rotate along the inclined surface. The locking end 403 moves along the inclined surface 409, and then falls into the locking portion 410 of the engagement portion 405.

[0127] The locking mechanism 400 includes a first retaining member 430. The first retaining member 430 is constructed to cause the first mating portion 401 to retain a matable state in which the first mating portion is opposite to the second mating portion 402.

[0128] In a specific embodiment, the first retaining member 430 is constructed to protrude from the side wall of the drawer to prevent the locking end 403 from moving away from the engagement portion 405.

[0129] In a depth direction Z of the drawer, the first retaining member 430 causes the locking end 403 of the first mating portion 401 and the second rotation shaft b to be on the same horizontal line, which helps maintain the locked state.

[0130] The first retaining member 430 causes the locking end 403 of the first mating portion 401 and the front side opening 408 of the second mating portion 402 to overlap in a movement direction of the drawer 100, to facilitate the mating between the first mating portion 401 and the second mating portion 402.

[0131] In a specific embodiment, the first retaining member 430 is supported below the first mating portion 401. In this way, the first mating portion 401 can retain itself on a support portion 430a.

[0132] The first mating portion 401 is supported to directly face the opening 408 of the engagement portion 405. Preferably, a centerline of the locking end 403 is not higher than a highest point of the inclined surface 409, so that the locking end 403 rotates away from the first retaining member 430 to remain locked to the engagement portion 405 during the pushback of the drawer.

[0133] Further, the first retaining member 430 includes the support portion 430a horizontally extending from the side wall of the drawer and an upright bar 430b extending from the side wall of the drawer and supporting the support portion 430a, to provide a stable support force.

[0134] Further, the support portion 430a protrudes from an outer side surface of the first mating portion 401 away from the drawer in the width direction X of the storage compartment. In this way, a possibility that the first mating portion is detached from the first retaining member is reduced.

[0135] As shown in FIG. 8, a first mounting base 422 is arranged on the side wall of the drawer, and the second rotation shaft b is fixedly connected to the first mounting base 422, to help the first mating portion 401 rotate about the second rotation shaft b. For example, the second rotation shaft is a bolt threadably mated with the first mounting base.

[0136] The first mounting base 422 is located below the hollow cavity 109. When the first mating portion 401 is mounted to the first mounting base 422, a spacing exists between the first mating portion 401 and the surrounding wall 109a of the hollow cavity 109 in a width direction of the drawer. In this way, the first mating portion 401 is closer to an outer surface of the second mating portion 402 than the surrounding wall 109a, which facilitates reliability of the locking and mating.

[0137] Further, a first convex bar 413 is arranged on a side of the main body 412 close to the drawer body 104. The first convex bar 413 is constructed to extend from the first mating portion 401 towards the drawer body 104, to help reduce a possibility that the first mating portion 401 is detached from the engagement portion 405.

[0138] The locking mechanism 400 includes a second retaining member 420. The second retaining member 420 is configured to cause the first mating portion 401 to continuously abut against the first retaining member 430. When the drawer 100 is locked or unlocked, a force of the second retaining member 420 is overcome to cause the first mating portion 401 to rotate, to be locked to or unlocked from the second mating portion 402.

[0139] Specifically, the second retaining member 420 is a second torsion spring 421 sleeved on the second rotation shaft b, one end of thereof abuts against the first mounting base 422, and an other end thereof abuts against the first mating portion 401. It is worth noting that the second retaining member 420 may be a tension spring, one end thereof is connected to the first mating portion 401 and an other end thereof is connected to the drawer 100.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 8, the first mounting base 422 is constructed as a mounting post 422a, and at least two ribs 422b are arranged on a periphery of the mounting post 422a. A bent portion 423 is formed on least one of the ribs 422b, to abut against the second torsion spring 421.

[0141] A mounting hole 424 is provided on a side of the first mating portion 401 close to the first mounting base 422, which is used for an end of the second torsion spring 421 to be inserted.

[0142] Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the hollow cavity 109 does not exceed a side surface of the guide rail bar 105 in the width direction X of the storage compartment, to provide a space for mounting the locking mechanism and the support, thereby helping maximize a volume of the drawer.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the release mechanism 300 includes a handle 301 and a pair of cantilevers 302 supporting the handle 301. The cantilevers 302 each include a connection portion 305 and a driving portion 306. The connection portion 305 is located on one end of the cantilever 302, and is fixedly connected to an end of the handle 301, and the driving portion 306 is located on an other end of the cantilever 302. The pair of cantilevers 302 are mounted to the drawer body 104 through a first rotation shaft a. The first rotation shaft a is rotatably mounted to the front wall 104a of the drawer body 104.

[0144] In a specific embodiment of this application, the first rotation shaft a is further accommodated in the gap 110 of the drawer body 104, to facilitate mounting of the rotation shaft. To mount the first rotation shaft a more effectively, one or more fixtures 126 matching the first rotation shaft a in shape may be arranged on the front wall 104a, and / or one or more fixing bases 307 matching the first rotation shaft a in shape may be arranged on the front wall, to fix the first rotation shaft a to the front wall 104a.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 6, the driving portion 306 and the driving end may be selectively coupled to perform an unlocking operation in linkage. The driving portion 306 and the driving end 404 at least partially overlap in the height direction Y of the storage compartment. The driving portion 306 and the driving end 404 at least partially overlap in the width direction X of the storage compartment. In other words, the driving portion 306 and the driving end 404 at least partially overlap and are opposite to each other in the depth direction of the storage compartment, to help the driving portion 306 drive the driving end 404 to perform the unlocking operation.

[0146] After the pair of cantilevers 302 are sleeved on corresponding ends of the first rotation shaft a, the cantilevers are fixed to the first rotation shaft a by fixing apparatuses, for example, screws in such a way that the cantilevers cannot move relative to the first rotation shaft a. In this way, when the user operates the handle 301, the pair of cantilevers 302 and the first rotation shaft a are driven to rotate about a centerline of the first rotation shaft a, and the driving portions 306 of the cantilevers 302 drive the driving end 404 of the locking mechanism 400 to rotate about the second rotation shaft b, to unlock the locking end 403 and the engagement portion 405.

[0147] The pressure relief valve 700 configured to close or open the air inflation channel 130 that is arranged on the drawer body 104 and is configured to release the low pressure state of the storage space 101 is sleeved on the first rotation shaft a. In this way, the pressure relief valve 700 and the handle 301 are arranged in linkage, to relieve pressure of the storage space.

[0148] When the release mechanism 300 is in the non-operated state, the pressure relief valve 700 keeps abutting against and sealing the air inflation channel 130.

[0149] The pressure relief valve 700 and the handle 301 may be accommodated in the accommodation space 117. It may be learned from the above that the release mechanism does not significantly affect a volume and an appearance of the low-pressure storage unit. Therefore, according to the present invention, a more compact storage unit with a simple appearance is obtained.

[0150] Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 10, the pressure relief valve 700 includes a valve base 701 and a closing member 702. The closing member 702 is detachably mounted to the valve base 701, and may be hermetically mated with the air inflation channel 130. In particular, the closing member 702 is a rubber member, and is snap-fitted to the valve base 701, to facilitate replacement of the closing member 702.

[0151] To enable the pressure relief valve 700 to maintain sealing of the air inflation channel 130 more effectively, a third retaining member is arranged, to provide a retaining force for the pressure relief valve 700 to block the air inflation channel 130.

[0152] Specifically, a retaining mechanism 309 is constructed as a first torsion spring 310. The first torsion spring 310 is sleeved on the first rotation shaft a, one end thereof is connected to the pressure relief valve 700, and an other end thereof is connected to the drawer body 104 or a fixing portion fixed to the drawer body 104.

[0153] Further, an upper limiting structure is arranged on a side of an upper end of the valve base 701 close to the drawer body 104. The upper limiting structure extends from the upper end of the valve base 701, and forms an inclined surface gradually away from the drawer body. When the handle 301 is operated outward, the inclined surface of the upper limiting structure abuts against the drawer body, to prevent the handle from further rotating outward, so as to help prevent the cantilevers 302 and the front panel 103 from forming a hand clamping angle.

[0154] Further, a lower part of the valve base 701 extends towards the drawer body 104 to form a lower limiting structure. The lower limiting structure limits a position of the handle 301 relative to the front panel 103, which helps maintain the handle 301 and the front panel 103 on a same plane, to improve a visual appearance expression of the storage unit.

[0155] Specifically, the driving portion 306 is closer to the first rotation shaft a relative to the connection portion 305, which facilitates effortless pressure relief operations and unlocking operations.

[0156] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, a handle groove 113 recessed towards the drawer body 104 is arranged at a lower part of the front panel 103. The handle groove 113 extends in a width direction of the front panel 103 to accommodate the handle 301 of the release mechanism 300, and the handle 301 is accommodated in the handle groove 113.

[0157] The handle groove 113 and the accommodation space 117 are distributed from up to down in the height direction Y of the storage compartment, to facilitate a compact structure of the storage unit.

[0158] In a non-operated state, the handle 301 is accommodated in the handle groove and remains stationary. In other words, in the non-operated state, the handle remains in a state in which the handle does not exceed a front surface of the front panel 103, which helps prevent possible impact such as visual integrity destruction or a safety risk on the user as a result of unnecessary movement of the handle when the handle is not operated by the user.

[0159] In a specific embodiment, the handle 301 is supported in the handle groove 113 by only the cantilevers 302, and is substantially flush with the front surface of the front panel 103. An operation port for a hand to enter is formed between the handle 301 and the handle groove 113. In other words, a holding space 303 for holding the handle 301 is formed between a rear surface of the handle 301 and a bottom surface 114 of the handle groove 113.

[0160] Further, a limiting protrusion is arranged on a side of the valve base 701 facing the drawer body 104, to limit a position of the release mechanism 300, so as to help the handle 301 be substantially flush with the front surface of the front panel 103.

[0161] Handle mounting holes 112 are provided in areas on the front panel 103 adjacent to two sides of the handle groove 113, so that the cantilevers 302 of the release mechanism 300 to extend through the handle mounting holes 112 to support the handle 301 on the front surface of the drawer 100.

[0162] A size of the front panel 103 in the width direction of the drawer is greater than a size of the front surface of the drawer body 104. The cantilevers 302 and the first mating portions 401 are located between a side surface of the front panel 103 and a side surface of the drawer body 104.

[0163] In this way, the handle can serve as a decorative part of the front panel, and other components of the release mechanism and the first mating portions are almost invisible when being viewed from a front of the low-pressure storage unit when the handle is not pulled out, which minimizes impact of the release mechanism on an appearance of the drawer. Therefore, according to the present invention, it may be expected to obtain a more compact storage unit with a simple appearance.

[0164] In one or more embodiments, a decorative panel 111 is arranged on the front surface of the front panel 103. The decorative panel 111 may be glass, leather, or metal. Preferably, when serving as an external surface of the front panel, the decorative panel 111 is flush with a periphery of the front panel 103.

[0165] FIG. 13 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the cover shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 14 is a top view of a cover body shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the cover body shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 16 is a three-dimensional enlarged view of an area D shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a three-dimensional view of an upper cover shown in FIG. 13.

[0166] As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 4 and FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, an accommodation cavity 204 is provided on the cover 200, which is configured to accommodate the suction assembly 800. The suction assembly 800 is accommodated in the accommodation cavity 204, and partially protrudes from a main plane of the cover 200, which helps minimize occupation of the storage space while satisfying a cover strength.

[0167] An air channel 210 in communication with the storage space 101 is provided in the accommodation cavity 204, and the suction assembly 800 is in communication with the air channel 210 to suck air in the storage space 101. The air channel 210 is provided in the accommodation cavity 204, to help eliminate obstruction or a failure of the channel as a result of compression or an exception.

[0168] In one or more specific embodiments, the air channel 210 is integrally formed on the cover, which facilitates sealing of the air channel and pipeline arrangement.

[0169] Optionally, the air channel 210 is constructed as a tube 210a formed by extending from a wall surface of the accommodation cavity 204. The tube 210a protrudes from the wall surface of the accommodation cavity 204, and an end thereof is opposite to a suction port 803 of a suction pump 801, to help connect the end and the suction port of the suction pump 801 with minimized air resistance.

[0170] In an embodiment of this application, the tube 210a is preferably formed as a curved tube formed by extending from a bottom surface 205a of the accommodation cavity 204.

[0171] The air channel 210 is formed as a hole on a side of the cover 200 facing the opening 102, and a partial area around the hole forms a dent 210b is formed. The dent 210b is in communication with the hole. For example, a cross-shaped dent is formed around the hole, the partial dent helps prevent a suction failure as a result of the air hole being blocked by a planar item.

[0172] The cover 200 includes a limit portion configured to limit displacement of the drawer 100 relative to the cover in the width direction ±X of the low-pressure storage unit when the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment 1100. In one or more embodiments, the limit portion is constructed as sides 203 on two sides of the cover 200 extending towards the drawer 100. At the first position at which the cover 200 is separated from the opening 102, each of the sides 203 is located on an outer side of a side wall 104d, and at least partially overlaps the side wall 104d in the height direction Y of the storage compartment. For example, the side partially overlaps the surrounding wall 109a. In this way, the side 203 effectively limits displacement of the drawer 100 relative to the cover 200 in left and right directions of the drawer when the drawer is pushed back.

[0173] Further, in one or more embodiments, the side 203 exceeds at least a bottom surface 220a of the sealing member 220, which helps improve accuracy of mating between the cover and a covered position of the drawer 100.

[0174] Further, referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 16, a second convex bar 140 is arranged on an outer surface of the surrounding wall 109a of the drawer corresponding to the side 203 and / or a third convex bar 240 limiting the drawer 100 is arranged on an inner surface corresponding to the side 203, which helps the cover be aligned to and hermetically cover the drawer with a minimized offset when the drawer is pushed back. In particular, the second convex bar 140 is located on a front end of the surrounding wall 109a, and the third convex bar 240 is located on a rear end of the side 203.

[0175] As shown in FIG. 15, a sealing member mounting groove 225 configured for mounting the sealing member 220 is mounted to a lower surface of the cover 200. A spacing is formed between the sealing member mounting groove 225 and the side 203, to provide a space for compression and deformation of the sealing member 220.

[0176] At least two support shafts, for example, a first support shaft 201 and a second support shaft 202 in FIG. 13, mated with the supports 500 are formed on the cover 200. The two support shafts are arranged on the side 203, and shaft centers of the two support shafts are at positions on the side 203 not higher than a bottom surface of the sealing member mounting groove 225, which helps mount the support 500 to a position lower than an upper surface of the cover 200. At the second position at which the opening 102 is hermetically closed, the upper surface of the cover 200 is higher than an upper surface of the support 500, which helps reduce an overall mounting space that needs to be occupied by the entire low-pressure storage unit, especially when the low-pressure storage unit is arranged adjacent to a top wall or a crossbeam of the storage compartment.

[0177] A notch 218 is provided in an area of the side 203 close to a front end 200c of the cover 200. The notch is configured to avoid a movement path of the first mating portion 401 when the drawer 100 is pushed back to be hermetically closed by the cover 200.

[0178] Moreover, in this embodiment, the notch 218 is preferably an arcuate surface.

[0179] In a specific embodiment of this application, a sealing surface of the cover 200 closing the opening 102 is inclined downward from front to rear in the depth direction Z of the storage compartment, and the accommodation cavity 204 may be arranged adjacent to a rear end of the cover 200, which helps fully utilize a space on an upper side of the opening of the drawer having the inclined sealing surface.

[0180] As shown in FIG. 4, the accommodation cavity 204 is constructed as a groove 205 on the cover 200 having an upward opening, and a bottom surface 205a of the groove 205 is lower than bottom surfaces of other areas in the sealing member mounting groove of the cover, which helps form a groove with a maximum depth on the cover to accommodate the suction pump 801 in the suction assembly 800.

[0181] When the cover 200 is in the state of closing the opening 102, the bottom surface 205a of the groove 205 is not lower than a plane on which a corresponding position of the opening 102 of the drawer 100 is located, to help minimize impact of the cover on the storage volume of the drawer.

[0182] The suction assembly 800 includes the suction pump 801 and an air pipeline 802 connecting the suction pump 801 to the air channel 210, and the suction pump 801 is arranged on a side of the accommodation cavity 204 closer to the side 203, to facilitate laying of a power supply line for the suction pump 801. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a wire bundling portion 229 or a wire clip 228 is arranged on the upper surface of the cover adjacent to the side 203.

[0183] The suction pump 801 includes the suction port 803 and an exhausting port 804. A oneway valve 803 is arranged in the air pipeline 802 connecting the suction port 803 and the air channel 210, to facilitate pressure maintenance of the storage space 101.

[0184] The air pipeline 802 is preferably a flexible pipe, to facilitate hermetical connection between the air pipeline and the air channel.

[0185] In a preferred embodiment, the groove 205 may be separated into a suction pump mounting area and an air channel connection area. In the depth direction of the storage compartment, a length of the air channel connection area is greater than a length of the suction pump mounting area. The above design facilitates formation of the air channel. A size of the suction pump mounting area may match a size of the suction pump, to facilitate fixing of the suction pump.

[0186] A heating apparatus 217 is arranged in the accommodation cavity 204 of the cover 200, to prevent the air pipeline in the accommodation cavity 204 from being blocked as a result of freezing caused by condensed water. Further, to help prevent the heating apparatus 217 from generating adverse impact on the suction pump 801 during operation, the heating apparatus 217 is located below the air pipeline 802, and is laid to avoid the suction pump 801. For example, an avoidance hole 234 is provided on the heating apparatus 217.

[0187] Preferably, a second limiting bar 237 is arranged in the suction pump mounting area, to limit the heating apparatus 217 and the suction pump 801.

[0188] The mating between the second limiting bar 237 and the avoidance hole 234 facilitates limiting of the heating apparatus 217 during mounting. Further, a bump may be further arranged on the second limiting bar 237, to be mated with a wall surface of the suction pump mounting area, so as to limit displacement of the suction pump along a centerline thereof.

[0189] A connector mounting portion 230 is further arranged on the cover body 20, which is configured to provide a pipeline connection for a function unit, for example, a circuit connection for the suction assembly 800 or the heating apparatus 217 included in one or more embodiments of this application. For example, the connector mounting portion 230 is constructed as a mounting groove at least sharing a wall surface with the groove 205, and at least one connector 236 is arranged in the mounting groove to be electrically connected to the suction assembly 800 or the heating apparatus 217. Further, a pipeline channel is provided on the shared wall surface.

[0190] Reinforcement structures are arranged on an upper surface 200a and a lower surface 200b of the cover 200. At least three reinforcement structures with different reinforcement strengths are arranged on the cover 200. As shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 15, reinforcement structures with different reinforcement strengths such as a cell-shaped first reinforcement structure 206, a corrugated second reinforcement structure 207, and a hexagonal fourth reinforcement structure 209a are constructed on the cover 200, to help improve an overall strength of the cover.

[0191] At least two different reinforcement structures, for example, the first reinforcement structure 206, a circular groove 226, and the hexagon-shaped reinforcement structure in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, are arranged on a middle part of the cover 200. In one or more embodiments, the middle part of the cover 200 includes at least the corrugated second reinforcement structure 207. Arranging the reinforcement structures or designing the corrugated reinforcement structure helps reduce an overall wall thickness of the cover while satisfying a cover strength requirement.

[0192] Referring to FIG. 13, the cover 200 may include the cover body 20 and the upper cover 21. The upper cover 21 is arranged to cover the cover body 20, and the suction pump 801 is fixed between the cover body 20 and the upper cover 21.

[0193] In an embodiment, a bearing strength of the cover body 20 is greater than a bearing strength of the upper cover 21. The cover body 20 provides a main support force for the cover in the low-pressure environment. Therefore, preferably, the reinforcement structures are all arranged on the cover body 20.

[0194] The upper surface 200a of the cover body 20 includes a smooth surface 216 extending in the width direction the cover 200, and the smooth surface 216 serves as a part of an external surface of the cover 200, which helps provide a visible surface with an integrated visual effect when the cover is mounted in the storage compartment.

[0195] The reinforcement structures extend throughout a projection area formed by the cover 200 in the height direction Y of the storage compartment. As shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 15, preferably, at least one type of reinforcement structure, for example, a third reinforcement structure 208, is integrally formed below the smooth surface 216, to enhance a local strength of the cover.

[0196] As shown in FIG. 4, the smooth surface 216 is formed by extending inclinedly upward from the second reinforcement structure 207, which helps minimize an overall thickness of the cover while ensuring the strength.

[0197] A plurality of reinforcement structures 209a, 209b, and 209c are arranged on a surrounding wall of the groove 205. As shown in FIG. 15, at least two types of reinforcement structures are arranged in at least a partial area around the groove 205, which helps ensure the overall strength of the cover.

[0198] As shown in FIG. 4, the upper cover 21 may shield the first reinforcement structure 206 on the upper surface 200a of the cover body 20, and a main plane of the upper cover 21 is substantially flush with the smooth surface 216, to help provide a better visual feeling of the cover for the user. In this embodiment, a fastener 211 is arranged on an edge of the upper cover 21, and the upper cover 21 is engaged with a hole 233 of the cover body 20 through the fastener 211. Certainly, the upper cover may be fixed to the cover body in another manner that does not affect the strength and airtightness of the cover body.

[0199] A positioning portion 215 may be arranged on the upper cover 21. The positioning portion 215 is configured to fix at least part of the suction assembly 800 relative to the upper cover 21. For example, a concave surface 232 matching the suction pump 801 in shape is arranged on the upper cover 21, and the suction pump 801 is clamped between the concave surface 232 and the cover body 20. The concave surface 232 is formed as a protrusion 221 protruding from a main surface of the upper cover 21.

[0200] The upper cover 21 may form, at positions corresponding to the suction pump 801, a pair of opposing insertion plates 214 between which a distance matches a diameter of the suction pump 801. The insertion plates 214 limit displacement of the suction pump 801 in a radial direction.

[0201] As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 16, a fastener is arranged each of the insertion plates 214, which is connected to a hole on a wall surface 205b of the groove 205. Limiting and fixing close to the suction pump help reduce vibration and noise generated by the suction pump 801 during operation.

[0202] Optionally, a wire connection hole 235 corresponding to the connector mounting portion 230 is provided on the upper cover 21, and a mounting cover 231 detachably connected to the wire connection hole 235 is arranged on the wire connection hole 235. In a preferred embodiment, the connector mounting portion 230 is arranged closer to a side 203 than the groove 205, which facilitates laying and connection of lines.

[0203] A flexible sleeve is arranged on an outer side of the suction pump 801 of the suction assembly 800. When the upper cover 21 is arranged to cover the cover body 20, the flexible sleeve is deformable to cause the suction pump 801 to be snugly snap-fitted to the positioning portion 215, which helps reduce the vibration and the noise generated by the suction pump 801 during the operation.

[0204] A guide structure guiding circulating air in the storage compartment 1100 is arranged on the cover 200. In particular, when an air outlet of the storage compartment is located on a rear side of the low-pressure storage unit 900, the guide structure includes a first inclined surface 213. The first inclined surface 213 is located on a rear end 200d of the cover 200, and is inclined downward from front to rear in the depth direction of the storage compartment, to guide air flowing out through the air outlet to enter an air duct between the cover and an upper tray along the first inclined surface.

[0205] The guide structure further includes a guide bar 222 on the protrusion 221, to prevent air from forming vortices in front of the protrusion 221, thereby facilitating formation of the condensed water. In this embodiment, the guide bar 222 is preferably in a shape of a shark fin.

[0206] To maximize the storage space without affecting flowing of the circulating air, an elongated groove 219 avoiding the air outlet in the storage compartment may be provided on the rear end 200d of the cover 200. For example, the elongated groove 219 may be jointly formed by a first groove 219a on the cover body 20 and a second groove 219b on the upper cover 21. Further, to improve a strength of an area of the elongated groove 219, a vertical bar 233 is arranged in a corresponding area on a rear end surface of the cover.

[0207] To prevent the condensed water from accumulating inside the cover 200, a drainage hole 224 is provided on the cover body 20. The drainage hole 224 is located on a side surface of the cover body 20, and is in communication with inside of the cover body 20. The drainage hole is preferably in communication with the connector mounting portion 230, to reduce impact of the condensed water on electrical elements.

[0208] The support is described in detail below with reference to FIG. 18 to FIG. 22. FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 are three-dimensional exploded views of a support on a right side shown in FIG. 3 at different viewing angles. FIG. 20 shows a movement process during mounting of the cover in the structure shown in FIG. 3, where SI shows a state in which a second support shaft is mounted in a second channel, S2 shows a state in which a first support shaft is mounted in a first channel, S3 shows a state in which the cover is closed at a second position, and S4 shows a state in which the cover is opened at a first position. FIG. 21 is a front view of the support on the right side in FIG. 3 when the cover is not mounted. FIG. 22 is a sectional view of the support sectioned along E-E in FIG. 21.

[0209] The support 500 may be fixed to the compartment side wall 1100a by a bolt. For example, at least one (for example, three in FIG. 19) counterbore 515 is provided on the support 500. During mounting, the support 500 is threadably connected to the compartment side wall 1100a through the counterbore 515. Certainly, the support 500 may alternatively be fixed to the compartment side wall 1100a in another manner such as bonding or engagement.

[0210] In the depth direction Z of the storage compartment, at least two positioning members 527 are arranged on the support 500 to be mated with positioning recesses on the compartment side wall 1100a or the middle separation wall 1110, which helps accurately mount the support 500 to the compartment side wall 1100a or the middle separation wall 1110.

[0211] The support 500 includes a first opening portion 503 and a second opening portion 504 provided from front to rear in the depth direction of the storage compartment 1100. The first opening portion 503 faces downward, and the second opening portion 504 faces upward.

[0212] For the cover 200, the first support shaft 201 and the second support shaft 202 are correspondingly mounted to the support 500 through the first opening portion 503 and the second opening portion 504.

[0213] In this way, during mounting of the storage unit in the storage compartment, the front end and the rear end of the cover are respectively mounted in the support from positions above and below the support, which helps reduce a demand for a mounting space at the position above or below the support compared to completely mounting the front end and the rear end of the cover from the position above or below the support.

[0214] In the depth direction Z of the drawer, lengths of the first opening portion 503 and the second opening portion 504 are slightly greater than diameters of the first support shaft and the second support shaft, which helps retain the cover in the support.

[0215] SI and S2 in FIG. 20 show two states during the mounting of the cover 200. In the initial mounting state SI, in the depth direction Z of the drawer 100, the rear end of the cover 200 is located above the support 500, the front end is located below the support 500, and the cover is inclinedly mounted in the support 500. An operating space for dismounting / mounting a function unit or various pipelines is provided above the front end of the cover, and the rear end of the cover provides stable support for the mounting operations, which helps reduce complexity of dismounting / mounting operations and a length of a connection line.

[0216] It is worth noting that, although the function unit in one or more specific embodiments of this application is the suction assembly 800, the function unit in an actual storage unit is not limited to the suction assembly, and may be another detachable element mounted to provide lighting or a specific-gas or specific-temperature environment.

[0217] The mounted cover 200 is horizontally supported on the support 500 relative to the drawer 100, to cover the drawer. Placing the cover relatively horizontally helps save a storage space.

[0218] In particular, an upper part of the cover 200 is constructed as the top wall or the crossbeam of the storage compartment. The above mating structure of the cover and the support significantly helps reduce a storage space that needs to be occupied for the mounting, so that the storage unit can be constructed to be closer to the top wall or the crossbeam of the storage compartment.

[0219] When the upper part of the cover 200 is constructed as the top wall or the crossbeam of the storage compartment, at the second position at which the opening is closed, the upper surface of the cover is higher than the upper surface of the support. When the cover is mounted adjacent to the top wall or the crossbeam, arranging the cover to be higher than the support helps avoid a loss of storage space as a result of the support not being allowed to be mounted to a circular connection corner between the top wall or the crossbeam and the side wall.

[0220] As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a pre-mounting portion 514 is arranged on the upper surface of the support 500. During the mounting of the cover 200, the second support shaft 202 is at least partially accommodated in the pre-mounting portion 514 to support the rear end of the cover, to facilitate the mounting of the function unit or connection of various pipelines on the cover. In a specific embodiment, the pre-mounting portion 514 is closer to the front end of the support 500 than the second opening portion 504. Therefore, after the operation is completed, the second support shaft 202 of the cover leaves the pre-mounting portion 514, and is pushed into the second opening portion 504 along the upper surface of the support 500, to achieve the mounting of the cover, which helps improve mounting efficiency.

[0221] S3 and S4 in FIG. 20 respectively show a first channel 501 and a second channel 502 spaced apart from front to rear in the depth direction of the storage compartment included in the support 500. The first channel 501 and the second channel 502 are at least partially inclined, to provide a movement path for the cover (200) to move from the first position to the second position. The first position is higher than the second position. It may be understood herein that the first channel 501 and the second channel 502 may be two parts formed by separating a channel through a separator, or may be two channels that are integrally formed with the support and are not connected.

[0222] The first support shaft 201 and the second support shaft 202 are respectively limited in the first channel 501 and the second channel 502 to perform an opening operation and a closing operation on the cover. In this way, the cover is prevented from detaching from the support during opening / closing as a result of accidental contact.

[0223] The first channel 501 has a first end 501a and a second end 501b opposite to each other in the depth direction Z of the drawer, and the second channel 502 has a third end 502a and a fourth end 502b opposite to each other in the depth direction Z of the drawer. The first opening portion 503 is provided on the second end 501b, and the second opening portion 504 is provided on the third end 502a. In this way, the first support shaft and the second support shaft are prevented from being both located at the opening portion of the channel, which helps the channel retain the support shafts.

[0224] During the mounting of the cover 200, the rear second support shaft 202 first enters the first channel through the second opening portion 504, and thereby pushes the cover to move backward for a specific stroke along the second channel 502 until the front first support shaft 201 arrives at the first opening portion 503 and enters the first channel 501, to retain the cover 200 on the support 500.

[0225] During the dismounting of the cover 200, the cover 200 is pushed to move backward for a specific stroke until the front first support shaft 201 arrives at the first opening portion 503 and is detached from the first channel 501 under a gravity, and the cover 200 is moved forward for a specific stroke until the rear second support shaft 202 arrives at the second opening portion 504, and then the cover 200 is removed. In this way, the user can dismount / mount the cover with less effort, and dismounting / mounting operations on the function unit or various pipelines on the cover are facilitated, thereby saving a storage space.

[0226] In the depth direction Z of the storage compartment, a first distance between the first support shaft 201 and the second support shaft 202 is greater than a second distance between the first opening portion 503 and the second opening portion 504, which helps prevent the support shafts from being simultaneously detached from the opening portions.

[0227] A first movement stroke LI of the cover 200 from the first position to the first opening portion 503 along the first channel 501 is greater than a second movement stroke L2 of the cover 200 from the first position to the second position along the first channel 501, which helps prevent the support shafts from being detached from the opening portions during the movement.

[0228] The first end 501a has a stop surface. A distance D2 between the stop surface and the third end 502a is less than a distance DI between the first support shaft 201 and the second support shaft 202, and in particular, a difference between DI and D2 is not less than a radius of the first support shaft, which helps reduce a possibility that the second support shaft 202 is detached from the second opening portion 504 when the cover is at the first position.

[0229] The stop surface may be constructed as an inner surface of the first end 501a, or may be constructed as a stop 523 fixed to the first end 501. In a specific embodiment, the stop 523 is at least partially accommodated in the first channel 501, to stop the first support shaft 201.

[0230] Further, the stop 523 may be made of an elastic material, for example, rubber. When the first support shaft 201 moves to the first end 501a, the first support shaft collides with the elastic stop 523, which helps reduce noise generated by the collision when the cover 200 moves to the first position.

[0231] Further, a stop mounting hole 524 for mounting the stop 523 is provided on the first end 501a of the first channel 501, and the stop 523 is mounted in the first channel 501 through the stop mounting hole 524.

[0232] As shown in FIG. 18, the first channel 501 and the second channel 502 include upper wall surfaces. The upper wall surfaces define the movement path of the cover 200 from the first position to the second position. In other words, during the movement of the cover 200 from the first position to the second position, a force contact exists between the upper wall surfaces of the first channel 501 and the second channel 502 and the two support shafts.

[0233] When the cover 200 is at the second position to close the opening of the drawer 100, the support 500 applies a force to the cover to maintain a hermetical contact between the sealing member 220 and the edge of the opening of the drawer 100. For example, as shown in S3 in FIG. 20, at the second position at which the cover closes the drawer, upper walls of the first channel 501 and the second channel 502 apply a downward force to the cover.

[0234] The first channel 501 may include a first inclined segment 506 extending inclinedly downward in the depth direction Z of the drawer, and the second channel 502 may include a second inclined segment 509 extending inclinedly downward in the depth direction Z of the drawer. Heights Hl of front ends of the first inclined segment 506 and the second inclined segment 509 are less than heights H2 of rear ends thereof, where Hl is slightly greater than the diameters of the support shafts. When the cover is in the state of closing the drawer, after the suction assembly 800 operates, the cover 200 begins to move downward under negative pressure. The downward movement may affect the sealing of the low-pressure storage unit or cause relatively large pressure on the support, resulting in deformation of the inner wall or the middle separation wall. When H2 is greater than Hl, a space is provided for moving downward after the cover closes the drawer, which reserves a space for the downward movement of the cover and the compression and deformation of the sealing member. The cover can snugly cover the drawer under the negative pressure, which improves maintenance of the sealing. In addition, the cover is supported on the drawer without generating excessively large pressure on the support, which reduces a possibility that the inner wall or the middle separation wall deforms.

[0235] Further, the first channel 501 may include a first horizontal segment 505 and a second horizontal segment 507 respectively extending horizontally from two ends of the first inclined segment 506, and a third horizontal segment 508 and a fourth horizontal segment 510 respectively extending horizontally from two ends of the second inclined segment 509. At the first position, the cover 200 is supported on the first horizontal segment 505 and the third horizontal segment 508. At the second position, the cover 200 is supported on the second horizontal segment 507 and the fourth horizontal segment 510. The horizontal segments help form more stable support and retaining for the cover at the first position and the second position.

[0236] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18 to FIG. 19, a stop member 517 is arranged in an area which brings the second end 501b of the first channel 501 into communication with the first opening portion 503. The stop member helps prevent the cover from falling off from the first opening portion when the cover accidentally slides to the first opening portion. Preferably, the stop member 517 is constructed as an elastic arm extending from bottom to top from a side wall of the first channel 501.

[0237] Further, a through hole 518 is provided on an upper surface of the first channel 501 corresponding to a position of the stop member 517, which helps an operator use a tool to dismount the cover.

[0238] Further, an anti-impact portion 516 is arranged on the fourth end 502b of the second channel 502. The anti -impact portion 516 prevents the elastic arm-type stop member 517 from being broken by an excessive external force. Preferably, the anti-impact portion 516 is constructed as a bulge formed from a lower wall of the second channel 502. The bulge is located on a rear side of a position of the second support shaft 202 in the second channel 502 when the cover 200 is at the second position, and is located on a front side of the position of the second support shaft 202 in the second channel 502 when the first support shaft 201 moves from the second position to a position of the first opening portion 503.

[0239] A first sliding member 201a and a second sliding member 201b may be respectively sleeved on outer peripheries of the first support shaft 201 and the second support shaft 202. When the cover 200 is supported on the support 500, the sliding members 201 and 201b are respectively in direct contact with the first channel 501 and the second channel 502, and slide frontward and backward in the first channel and the second channel (that is, slide in a direction ±Z), which optimizes a movement effect of the cover in the support, and improves a lubrication coefficient.

[0240] Specifically, the first sliding member 201a and the second sliding member 202a may be plastic shaft sleeves with a better lubrication effect relative to a material of the cover, which provides relatively good sliding experience.

[0241] The low-pressure storage unit may include a force application mechanism 511. The force application mechanism 511 is configured to provide a retaining force for retaining the cover 200 at the first position.

[0242] The force application mechanism 511 may be arranged on the rear end of the cover 200, or may be arranged in the support 500, or may be arranged between the support 500 and the cover 200., which can provide a pulling force or a pushing force to the cover.

[0243] In a preferred embodiment, the force application mechanism 511 is hidden in a cavity 533 of the support 500 and applies the retaining force to the cover 200. When the drawer is placed in the storage compartment, the cover abuts against the drawer under the retaining force. After the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment, the cover moves from the second position to the first position under the retaining force.

[0244] After the drawer 100 is pulled out of the storage compartment, the cover 200 is stopped at a stop surface of the first channel 501, and is retained at the first position by the retaining force of the force application mechanism 511.

[0245] During the pushback of the drawer 100 into the storage compartment, the pushing force overcomes the retaining force of the force application mechanism 511, so that the drawer is retained at the second position under locking of the locking mechanism 400.

[0246] Further, the force application mechanism 511 includes a sliding member 512 and a spring 513. The sliding member 512 is configured to connect to the cover 200, and can slide frontward and backward in the support 500. The spring 513 has a fifth end 513a and a sixth end 513b opposite to each other. The fifth end 513a is fixed to the support 500, and the sixth end 513b is connected to the sliding member 512. For example, a first spring fixing portion 530 is arranged on the support 500. The first spring fixing portion 530 is located in the cavity 533 of the support.

[0247] In one or more embodiments, the spring 513 is preferably a tension spring. The spring 513 is fixed in front of the second channel 502, and continuously provides a pulling force to the sliding member 512. Through the design, the cover is closer to the rear end under a downward force provided by the support, to facilitate sealing reliability of the cover.

[0248] Further, the sliding member 512 has a receiving groove 519 configured to receive the second support shaft 202. When the cover is not mounted, in the height direction Y of the storage compartment, a projection of the receiving groove 519 covers the second opening portion 504, and the receiving groove 519 is communication with the second opening portion 504, and / or when the cover 200 is at the first position, the receiving groove 519 partially overlaps with the first opening portion 503, so that the second support shaft 202 is prevented from being detached from the second opening portion 504.

[0249] A stop portion 529 is arranged on the support 500 to limit the sliding member 512. The stop portion 529 enables the receiving groove 519 to match a position of the second opening portion 504 when the cover is not mounted, to facilitate mounting of the second support shaft 202.

[0250] In one or more embodiments, the stop mounting hole 524 is in communication with the cavity 533 of the support 500, and the stop 523 may be partially accommodated in the cavity 533, to facilitate an external visual expression of the support 500.

[0251] Preferably, a convex strip 528 configured to form an internal sliding way of the support 500 corresponding to a position of the second channel 502 is constructed on the support 500, and slots 531 are provided on an upper end and a lower end of the sliding member 512, to facilitate mating and mounting to the convex strip 528, and prevent excessive shaking of the sliding member 512 in the support 500.

[0252] A second spring fixing portion 520 is arranged on the sliding member 512. The second spring fixing portion 520 is located at a middle part of a side wall of the sliding member 512, to help the tension spring provide a sufficient pulling force to the sliding member to retain the cover at the position.

[0253] A rear end of the support 500 extends from the upper surface towards a side of the side wall 1100a of the storage compartment 1100 in the depth direction of the storage compartment to form a vertical rib 522, to reinforce the rear end of the support 500.

[0254] Referring to FIG. 21 to FIG. 22, a stop protrusion 521 extending towards an outer side surface of the second channel is arranged on a side wall of the sliding member 512 opposite to the second spring fixing portion 520, which helps prevent the second support shaft 202 from being detached from the sliding member 512.

[0255] In one or more embodiments, the second mating portion 402 is integrally arranged on the front end of the support 500, to facilitate a compact design and a modular design of the storage unit.

[0256] The first channel 501 and the second mating portion 402 are located on the front end of the support 500, and are distributed from up to down. In particular, at least part of a lower wall surface of the first channel 501 serves as a separation wall between the first channel 501 and the second mating portion 402. The above design facilitates the compact structure of the storage unit.

[0257] A pipeline cover 525 extending downward is constructed at a middle part of the support 500. The pipeline cover 525 is mated with a pipeline connection portion 1140, to shield the pipeline connection portion 1140.

[0258] To lay pipelines more effectively, a first wiring channel 526 limiting a pipeline path is arranged on the upper surface of the support 500. Correspondingly, a second wiring channel 532 for a pipeline to pass through is formed in an area on support 500 in which the pipeline cover is formed by extension.

[0259] During the mounting of the cover 200, the second support shaft 202 of the cover is first caused to enter the receiving groove 519 and the second channel 502 through the second opening portion 504, and then the cover 200 is pushed to overcome the retaining force of the force application mechanism 511 to move forward for a specific stroke. In other words, the first support shaft 201 of the cover 200 arrives at the first opening portion 503, and the first support shaft 201 is inserted into the first channel through the first opening portion 503, so that the cover 200 moves to the first position under the action of the force application mechanism 511, thereby completing the mounting of the cover 200.

[0260] It may be learned from S2 in FIG. 20 that, during the forward movement of the cover 200 for the specific stroke, the cover needs to bypass a second stop member 516, so that the first support shaft 201 arrives at the position of the first opening portion 503.

[0261] Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the drawer 100 is pushed back into the storage compartment 1100, the drawer 100 drives the cover 200 to move along the first channel 501 and the second channel 502. During the forward movement of the cover 200 from the first position to the second position for the second movement stroke L2, a pushing force overcomes the retaining force of the force application mechanism 511, so that the cover 200 gradually closes the opening 102 of the drawer 100, and the first mating portion 401 gradually moves relative to the drawer 100, and is locked to and mated with the second mating portion 402, to maintain sealing of the low-pressure storage unit 900.

[0262] During pulling of the handle 301 to pull the drawer 100 out of the storage compartment 1100, the handle 301 is pulled out of the front panel 103 and drives the release mechanism 300 to drive the first mating element 401 to be unlocked from the second mating element 402. Then the drawer 100 is pulled out by a pulling force, and the cover 200 moves from the second position to the first position for the second movement stroke L2 under the action of the force application mechanism 511 and is gradually separated from the drawer 100.

[0263] Although the specific implementations are described above, the implementations are not intended to limit the scope disclosed in this application, even if only a single implementation is described with respect to specific features. The feature examples provided in the disclosure of this application are intended to provide illustration instead of limitation, unless otherwise explicitly stated. During specific implementation, a plurality of features may be combined with each other based on an actual need where technically feasible. Without departing from the spirit and scope of this application, various replacements, changes, and modifications may be conceived.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator appliance (1000), characterized by comprising: a storage compartment (1100); a storage unit (900), wherein the storage unit (900) is arranged inside the storage compartment (1100) in a push-and-pull manner; a locking mechanism (400), comprising a first mating portion (401) located on the storage unit (900) and a second mating portion (402) located in the storage compartment (1100) and engaged and locked to the first mating portion (401), wherein the locking mechanism (400) is configured to lock the storage unit (900) relative to the refrigerator appliance (1000) when the storage unit (900) is pushed back; and a release mechanism (300), wherein the release mechanism (300) is arranged on the storage unit (900) to be operated to allow the release mechanism (300) to move relative to the storage unit (900), so as to drive the locking mechanism (400) to unlock the storage unit (900), wherein during pushing of the storage unit (900) back to a locked state, the release mechanism (300) remains at a constant position relative to the storage unit (900).

2. A refrigerator appliance (1000), characterized by comprising: a storage compartment (1100); a storage unit (900), wherein the storage unit (900) is arranged inside the storage compartment (1100) in a push-and-pull manner; a locking mechanism (400), comprising a first mating portion (401) located in the storage unit (900) and a second mating portion (402) located in the storage compartment (1100) and engaged and locked to the first mating portion (401), wherein the locking mechanism (400) is configured to lock the storage unit (900) relative to the refrigerator appliance (1000) when the storage unit (900) is pushed back; and a release mechanism (300), wherein the release mechanism (300) is arranged on the storage unit (900) for a user to operate to allow the release mechanism (300) to move relative to the storage unit (900), so as to drive the locking mechanism (400) to unlock the storage unit (900), and during pushback of the storage unit (900) or when the storage unit is in a locked state, therelease mechanism (300) is decoupled from the locking mechanism (400).

3. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one of the first mating portion (401) or the second mating portion (402) is a movable member, the other is a fixing member, and a distance between an end of the movable member close to the release mechanism and the release mechanism (300) varies during the pushback of the storage unit (900); and / or one of the first mating portion (401) or the second mating portion (402) is a movable member, the other is a fixing member, and the movable member moves away from the release mechanism (300) relative to the storage unit (900) during the pushback of the storage unit (900); and / or one of the first mating portion (401) or the second mating portion (402) is a movable member, the other is a fixing member, and the movable member is not connected to and / or is not in contact with and / or exerts no force on the release mechanism (300) in a non-operated state; and / or during pullout of the storage unit (900), the release mechanism (300) is operated to be coupled to the first mating portion (401), so as to drive the first mating portion (401) to be unlocked from the second mating portion (402); and / or during the pushback of the storage unit (900), the release mechanism (300) does not exceed a front surface of the storage unit (900); and / or the release mechanism (300) is located at a front part of the storage unit (900); and / or the locking mechanism (400) comprises a first retaining member (430), and the first retaining member (430) is constructed to cause the first mating portion (401) to retain a matable state in which the first mating portion is opposite to the second mating portion (402); and / or the locking mechanism (400) comprises the first retaining member (430), and the first retaining member (430) is constructed to at least prevent the first mating portion (401) from moving away from the second mating portion (402) relative to the storage unit (900) as a result of a gravity.

4. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first mating portion (401) is pivotably connected to the storage unit (900) through a second rotation shaft (b), and the release mechanism (300) is rotatably mounted to the storage unit (900) through a first rotation shaft (a), whereinthe first rotation shaft (a) and the second rotation shaft (b) are parallel; and / or the first rotation shaft (a) and the second rotation shaft (b) are different shafts; and / or the first mating portion (401) and the release mechanism (300) are distributed from up to down in a height direction (Y) of the storage compartment.

5. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that one end of the first mating portion (401) is a locking end (403), an other end is a driving end (404), and the driving end (404) is closer to the release mechanism (300) than the locking end (403); and / or the second mating portion (402) is constructed as an engagement portion (405), and the engagement portion (405) comprises a front side opening (408) located on a front side of the engagement portion (405) and a locking portion (410) in communication with the front side opening (408).

6. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to claim 5, characterized in that a lower groove surface of the front side opening (408) gradually extends upward to form an inclined surface (409) for the locking end (403) to move and rotate along the inclined surface, wherein the locking end (403) moves along the inclined surface (409), and then falls into the locking portion (410); and / or a roller (407) is arranged on the locking end (403).

7. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the locking mechanism (400) comprises a second retaining member (420), wherein the second retaining member (420) is configured to apply a force to the first mating portion (401), to cause the first mating portion (401) to begin to move towards the matable state; and / or during locking or unlocking of a drawer (100), a force of the second retaining member (420) is overcome, so that the first mating portion (403) moves relative to the storage unit (900) to be locked with or unlocked from the second mating portion (402); and / or the second retaining member (420) is a second torsion spring (421), the second torsion spring (421) is sleeved on a second rotation shaft (b), one end of the second torsion spring (421) is mounted to the storage unit (900), and an other end is mounted to the first mating portion (401).

8. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized inthat the release mechanism (300) comprises a handle (301) and a pair of cantilevers (302) supporting the handle (301), wherein each of the cantilevers (302) comprises a connection portion (305) connected to the handle (301) and a driving portion (306) selectively coupled to the first mating portion (401) to perform an unlocking operation.

9. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to claim 8, characterized in that the cantilever (302) is rotatably mounted to the storage unit (900) through a first rotation shaft (a), wherein a torque from the driving portion (306) to the first rotation shaft (a) is less than a torque from the connection portion (305) to the first rotation shaft (a); and / or when the handle (301) rotates about the first rotation shaft (a) under an operating pulling force, the driving portion (306) is coupled to the first mating portion (401) to drive the first mating portion (401) to rotate.

10. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a drawer (100) comprises a drawer body (104) and a front panel (103) connected to the drawer body (104) from a front side of the drawer body (104), wherein the front panel (103) covers a front surface of the drawer body (104) to form a front-side external surface of the drawer (100); and a storage space (101) is configured to be maintained in a low-pressure state, the drawer (100) has an air inflation channel (130) configured to enable the storage space (101) to be in fluid communication with outside, and the air inflation channel (130) is formed on a front wall (104a) of the drawer body (104); and / or an accommodation space (117) exists between the front panel (103) and the drawer body (104), and at least part of the release mechanism (300) is accommodated in the accommodation space (117); and / or the release mechanism (300) is rotatably mounted to the storage unit (900) through a first rotation shaft (a), and the first rotation shaft (a) is rotatably arranged on the front wall (104a) of the drawer body (104); and / or the release mechanism (300) is rotatably mounted to the storage unit (900) through the first rotation shaft (a), and the release mechanism (300) extends through a handle mounting hole (112) on the front panel (103) and is connected to the first rotation shaft (a) arranged onthe drawer body (100).

11. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to claim 10, characterized in that the release mechanism (300) comprises a pressure relief valve (700), wherein the pressure relief valve (700) is sleeved and fixed on the first rotation shaft (a), to maintain sealing with a pressure relief hole (125) in a non-operated state; and / or the pressure relief valve (700) is configured to be linked with the release mechanism (300), to relieve pressure of the storage space (101); and / or a handle groove (113) recessed towards the drawer body (104) is provided at a lower part of the front panel (103), and the accommodation space (117) and the handle groove (113) are distributed from up to down in a height direction (Y) of the storage compartment; and / or the release mechanism (300) comprises a retaining mechanism (309), and the retaining mechanism (309) is configured to retain the pressure relief valve (700) in a state of being hermetically mated with the air inflation channel (130).

12. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to claim 11, characterized in that the release mechanism (300) comprises an operable handle (301), wherein the handle (301) is accommodated in the handle groove (113), and is substantially flush with a front surface of the front panel (103), to form a holding space (303) between the handle and the handle groove; and / or the retaining mechanism (309) is a first torsion spring (310), one end of the first torsion spring (310) is mounted to the pressure relief valve (700), and an other end is mounted to the front wall (104a) of the drawer body (104) or a fixing member fixed to the front wall (104a).

13. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to any of claims 1 12, characterized in that the storage unit (900) comprises: a drawer (100), wherein the drawer (100) defines a storage space (101), and has an upward opening (102), and the drawer (100) is arranged inside the storage compartment (1100) in a push-and-pull manner; and a cover (200), wherein the cover (200) is supported in the storage compartment (1100), and is configured to open or seal the drawer (100), and when the storage unit (900) is in the locked state, the cover (200) is limited by the drawer (100) to a position at which the opening (102) is sealed.

14. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to claim 13, characterized in that the cover (200) is supported above the drawer (100) by a pair of supports (500) arranged in the refrigerator appliance (1000), and a movement path is provided for the cover (200).

15. The refrigerator appliance (1000) according to claim 14, characterized in that the second mating portion (402) is integrally arranged on a front end of each of the supports (500); and / or the support (500) comprises a first channel (501) extending in a depth direction of the storage compartment, the first channel (501) provides a movement path for opening to closing by the cover (200), and the second mating portion (402) is located below the first channel (501).

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