Refrigerator Water Outlet Sealing Support to Prevent Overflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators experience water leakage due to incomplete sealing caused by the small bearing surface of the sealing ring, which is prone to misalignment during assembly, leading to overflow issues.
Innovation Solution
A water outlet mechanism with a support structure in the spout inner chamber that increases the sealing ring's supporting surface area, preventing misalignment and ensuring proper sealing, comprising various support shapes such as cylindrical, T-shaped, circular ring, and hollow sleeve designs to stabilize the sealing ring and prevent water overflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sealing ring is placed between the fitting port and check valve in the spout inner chamber, then the water supply function is achieved, but the bearing surface of the sealing ring becomes too small causing misalignment and water leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a support structure that extends from the inner wall of the spout inner chamber toward the central axis, creating a new spatial dimension for support. This support structure provides an additional bearing surface for the sealing ring, effectively increasing the sealing area from a limited circular contact to a distributed contact across the support surface, thereby solving the small bearing surface problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure acts as an intermediary element between the spout inner chamber wall and the sealing ring. It mediates the force distribution and provides a stable mounting surface for the sealing ring, preventing misalignment during assembly and ensuring reliable sealing during operation.
2Ease of operation
If the sealing ring bearing surface is small, then the spout structure remains compact, but the sealing ring is prone to misalignment during assembly causing water leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is pre-installed in the spout inner chamber before the sealing ring is placed. This preliminary action creates a prepared, stable surface that guides the sealing ring into proper alignment during assembly, preventing misalignment issues and making the assembly process more reliable and easier to perform correctly.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure serves as an intermediary that facilitates proper alignment between the sealing ring and the spout inner chamber during assembly. It provides a stable reference surface that guides the sealing ring into the correct position, thereby improving assembly ease and reducing misalignment errors.
3Volume of stationary object
If the check valve and sealing ring are disposed in limited space, then the spout structure remains compact, but the sealing ring cannot be properly supported leading to offset and leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure utilizes the radial dimension of the spout inner chamber by extending from the inner wall toward the central axis. This three-dimensional arrangement allows the support to provide adequate bearing surface area for the sealing ring without increasing the overall volume of the spout, maintaining compactness while ensuring reliable sealing support.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention discloses a water outlet mechanism and a refrigerator having the same. In the water outlet mechanism, the support abutting against the sealing ring is disposed; in the case that it is ensured that the check valve can be mounted in the spout inner tube, at least partial space between the sealing ring and the check valve is filled by the support, the area of the supporting surface of the sealing ring is increased, and the sealing ring is not prone to deviate from its fitting position, thereby solving the phenomenon of water overflow caused by incomplete sealing of the sealing ring.