Refrigerator, pipe assembly, and pipe fixture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator water drain systems experience undesirable sealing and loose connections between the water drain port and duct, leading to water and air leakage, which are difficult to address with adhesive tapes.
Innovation Solution
A duct fixture with a limiting groove and positioning protrusion is used to securely attach the duct to a target mounting surface, ensuring axial and rotational limitations for a firm connection and reliable sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive tape is used to seal the connecting position of the water drain port and the water drain duct, then sealing is attempted, but the sealing effect is undesirable and foaming liquid still penetrates into the water drain duct
Solution Approach 1:
A sealing ring is introduced as an intermediary component between the water drain port and the water drain duct. The sealing ring fits into a groove on the duct fixture and creates a barrier that prevents foaming liquid from penetrating into the duct, thereby resolving the sealing failure of adhesive tape.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing ring acts as a flexible sealing element that can deform to fit the groove geometry and maintain contact with the mating surfaces, ensuring reliable sealing against water and foam penetration while accommodating manufacturing tolerances.
2Reliability
If adhesive tape is used to seal the connecting position, then sealing is attempted, but the operation is complicated, time-consuming and laborious, which substantially reduces the assembling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing ring is pre-installed on the duct fixture during manufacturing, so that during assembly, the duct fixture with the pre-installed sealing ring is simply inserted into the water drain port. This eliminates the need for operators to manually apply adhesive tape during assembly, significantly improving assembling efficiency while maintaining reliable sealing.
3Ease of manufacture
If a conventional connection method is used between the duct and the water drain port, then assembly is simple, but the connection is loose and water and air leakage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The duct fixture is inserted into the water drain port in a nested configuration, with the duct fixture containing the sealing ring nested within the port structure. This nested arrangement provides both simple assembly and firm connection, preventing water and air leakage while maintaining ease of manufacture.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention provides a refrigerator, a duct assembly and a duct fixture. The duct fixture includes a fixing seat having a through hole, a fixing disk, a limiting block disposed on a side of the fixing disk adjacent to a target mounting surface, and a positioning protrusion disposed on the fixing disk, an outer shape of the limiting block matches a mounting hole on the target mounting surface, a limiting groove for receiving the target mounting surface is formed between the limiting block and the fixing disk, and the positioning protrusion is disposed angularly with the limiting block around the central axis of the through hole. When the limiting block rotates to a staggered position relative to the mounting hole, the positioning protrusion enters the mounting hole.