CN112384742A

CN112384742A - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN112384742A
Application number: CN201980028183.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 渡边拓也
Original assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Haier Asia Co Ltd
Current assignee: Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co Ltd; Haier Smart Home Co Ltd; Haier Asia Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-26
Filing date: 2019-12-06
Publication date: 2021-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-06
Also published as: JP7249624B2; JP2020106162A; WO2020134975A1; CN112384742B

Abstract

A water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator, comprising: a water supply pipe (24) for supplying water to the ice-making tray for making ice; a support member (20) for positioning and supporting the water supply pipe (24); and a water supply pump (14) assembled to the support member (20); the support member includes: a first positioning member that restricts the vertical movement of the water supply pipe (24) and the movement of the water supply pipe (24) in the width direction; and a second positioning member provided at a position upstream of the first positioning member and supporting the water supply pipe (24) at a predetermined position. The water supply unit for ice making of the refrigerator, the refrigerator and the assembling method can fix the length of the water supply pipe (24) at the ice making tray side under the installation state of the refrigerator.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator, and an assembling method of the refrigerator.

Background

A conventional refrigerator includes an inner case, an outer case, and a foaming and heat insulating material filled therebetween, the inner case forming an intra-case space such as a refrigerating chamber, a freezing chamber, etc., in the refrigerator, the outer case forming an outline and mostly including an ice making member including a water storage tank for making ice, a water supply pump, an ice making tray, etc., for making ice.

As an ice making member, for example, a member shown in JP 2008-151389 publication is known, in which an ice making water storage tank is provided in a refrigerating chamber or the like, and ice making water is supplied from the ice making water storage tank to an ice making tray via a water supply pump and a water supply pipe.

Specifically, a water supply pipe of the ice making device shown in fig. 7 and its peripheral structure are known. The water supply pump assembly 110 includes: a water supply pump 112; a pump housing 116 supporting and fixing the water supply pump 112; and a discharge pipe 114 for supplying the ice-making water discharged from the water supply pump 112 to the water supply pipe 124.

Further, the water supply pipe assembly 120 includes: a water supply pipe 124, a water supply pipe housing 122, and a water supply pipe receiving member (at least an upper member 130a), the water supply pipe 124 supplying the ice making water of the discharge duct 114 to the ice making tray not shown, the water supply pipe receiving member being provided between the water supply pipe 124 and the water supply pipe housing 122.

As shown in fig. 8, the water supply

pipe receiving members

130a and 130b are made of a material having heat insulation property such as expanded styrene and easy molding. The upper member 130a and the lower member 130b forming the water supply pipe passage 131 are assembled by sandwiching the water supply pipe 124 up and down.

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the conventional configuration shown in fig. 7 and 8, the length of the water supply port 124a in the direction of the ice making tray is not constant due to factors such as the molding accuracy of the water supply pipe passage 131. If the water supply port 124a is too protruded in the ice making tray direction, a user may be injured when inserting a hand into the rear of the ice making compartment.

In addition, in the conventional art, after the water supply pipe assembly 120 is assembled to the lower member 130b forming the water supply pipe passage 131, the water supply pump assembly 110 is assembled thereto, and then the discharge pipe 114 is coupled to the water supply pipe 124 by the coupling portion 115, and the upper position of the water supply pipe 124 is not fixed before the assembly, so that it is difficult to adjust the length of the water supply port 124a in the tray making direction.

As described above, in the conventional example shown in fig. 7 and 8, the water supply pump module 110 is assembled above the water supply pipe module 120 after it is assembled to the refrigerator inner case or the like, and the number of assembly steps is large.

Disclosure of Invention

Means for solving the problems

In view of the above problems, a water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator according to the present invention includes:

a water supply pipe supplying water to the ice-making tray for making ice;

a support member for positioning and supporting the water supply pipe; and

a water supply pump assembled to the support member; and is

The support member includes:

a first positioning member limiting up and down movement of the water supply pipe and movement of the water supply pipe in a width direction; and a second positioning member provided at a position upstream of the first positioning member and supporting the water supply pipe at a predetermined position.

In the water supply unit for ice making of the refrigerator according to the present invention,

the second positioning member includes a plurality of water feed pipe insertion parts formed in a protruding shape inside the water feed pipe insertion holes, and the water feed pipe insertion holes support the water feed pipes in an inserted state so as not to be easily moved.

the first positioning member includes:

a first rib formed in a substantially hook shape for locking the water supply pipe and restricting downward movement thereof;

a second rib formed near the first rib to limit the movement of the water supply pipe in the width direction together with the first rib;

a pair of substantially parallel third ribs formed at positions downstream of the first ribs to further restrict movement of the water supply pipe in the width direction; and

and a fourth rib provided at a position downstream of the third rib, specifically, in the vicinity of an upper portion of a portion of the water supply pipe bent toward the ice making tray.

The refrigerator assembling method includes the following steps: the water supply unit for ice making of the refrigerator according to the present invention is assembled at a predetermined position of the refrigerator.

Effects of the invention

According to the water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator of the present invention, the water supply pump and the water supply pipe are provided on the support member, and the water supply pipe is positioned by the first and second positioning members of the support member, so that the length of the water supply pipe on the ice making tray side can be prevented from being affected by the operation of installing the refrigerator, the shape of other related members, the forming accuracy deviation, and the like, and the length of the water supply pipe on the ice making tray side can be fixed in a state of being installed in the refrigerator.

According to the water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator of the present invention, the second positioning member is a plurality of water supply pipe insertion parts formed in a protruding shape inside the water supply pipe insertion hole, the water supply pipe insertion hole supports the water supply pipe in an inserted state so as not to be easily moved, the part is easily molded, and an assembler can insert the water supply pipe to a desired position of the water supply pipe insertion hole without increasing a work load and without an extra step.

According to the water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator of the present invention, the first positioning member is formed with the first to fourth ribs having the predetermined shape and the predetermined positional relationship, and when the water supply pipe is mounted, the water supply pipe is engaged with the hook-shaped first rib, and the arrival at the predetermined position can be confirmed by the second to fourth ribs.

According to the method for assembling a refrigerator of the present invention, the water supply unit for ice making may be assembled to a predetermined position of the refrigerator after the water supply unit for ice making is assembled, and the operation steps of mounting the water supply pipe assembly to the predetermined position of the refrigerator and then assembling the water supply pump assembly may be simplified.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a case where a water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator according to the present embodiment is assembled to the refrigerator.

Fig. 2 is an exploded assembly view of the water supply unit for ice making of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the water supply unit for ice making in the refrigerator according to the present embodiment, as viewed from below the support member.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the water supply unit for ice making in the refrigerator according to the present embodiment, as viewed from below, showing a state where the water supply pipe is assembled.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the refrigerator according to the present embodiment, showing the upper surface side of the support member of the ice-making water supply unit.

Fig. 6 is a view showing a state in which a water supply pipe is inserted into a water supply pipe insertion hole of a support member of the water supply unit for ice making in the refrigerator according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration around a conventional water supply pipe and a water supply pump.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing an example of the configuration around a conventional water supply pipe and a water supply pump.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in fig. 1, the water supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment is assembled to, for example, a unit mounting portion 32 provided at a predetermined position of an inner bottom 30 of a refrigerator.

In the following description, the directions of the arrows shown in fig. 1 are the directions of the arrows shown in fig. 1, and the directions of the arrows shown in the water supply unit 1 are the directions of the arrows shown in the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction, respectively, with reference to fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the water supply pump 12 sucks ice making water from an ice making water storage tank, not shown, through the inflow portion 13, and discharges the sucked ice making water to the water supply pipe 24 side through the discharge pipe 14. The water supply pump 12 is fixed to the pump housing 10 by the fixing member 11, the cover 15 and the pump housing 10 are provided so as to cover the water supply pump 12, and the pump housing 10 is assembled to the support member 20 by the locking claws provided inside and the locking grooves 25 of the support member 20.

The water supply pipe 24 is positioned and supported by the support member 20 as described below. The support member 20 includes a water supply pipe insertion hole 22 for inserting the water supply pipe 24, and is mounted to the unit mounting portion 32 via the gasket 21, and is provided at a predetermined position of the refrigerator inner case or the like.

The water supply pipe 24 is provided with a heater 24b for preventing the inside of the water supply pipe 24 from freezing. Further, cold

air blocking members

23a and 23b are attached to the water supply pipe 24 to prevent cold air of the freezing chamber from flowing into the water supply pump 12 side and the refrigerating chamber. The water supply pipe 24 is coupled to the discharge pipe 14 to form an ice-making water supply path for supplying the ice-making water supplied from the water supply pump 12 to the ice-making tray.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the support member 20 includes a first rib 20a, a second rib 20b, a third rib 20c, and a fourth rib 20d for guiding and supporting the water supply pipe 24 at a lower bottom surface side. Of the

ribs

20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d, the rib 20a is located on the upstream side relative to the rib 20b and relatively close to the water supply pump 12 with respect to the water supply pipe 24.

The rib 20a has a substantially hook-like shape, extends downward from the support member 20, and is bent substantially perpendicularly downward toward the water supply pipe 24. The rib 20b is provided at a position where the water supply pipe 24 is clamped together with the rib 20 a.

The water supply pipe 24 is locked by the substantially hook-like shape of the rib 20a to restrict downward movement of the water supply pipe 24, and the water supply pipe 24 is restricted in movement in the width direction by the rib 20a and the rib 20b to position the water supply pipe 24 in the lower direction and the width direction.

The

ribs

20c and 20d are disposed on the downstream side of the

ribs

20a and 20 b. The ribs 20c extend in the longitudinal direction of the water supply pipe 24, are provided in a pair substantially in parallel, and have a distance substantially equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the water supply pipe 24. The rib 20c restricts the movement of the water supply pipe 24 on the water supply port 24a side in the width direction.

The rib 20d is provided in the vicinity above a bent position 24c where the water supply pipe 24 is bent in the ice tray direction on the downstream side, and extends in the width direction of the water supply pipe 24. The rib 20d abuts on the vicinity of the bent position 24c on the water supply port 24a side of the water supply pipe 24, and thereby the water supply pipe 24 is restricted from moving upward on the water supply port 24a side.

The

ribs

20a, 20b, 20c, 20d position the downstream side of the water supply pipe 24, and function as first positioning members.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the support member 20 has a water supply pipe insertion hole 22 for communicating a water supply pipe 24 with the water supply pump 14. A water supply pipe fitting portion 22a is formed in the water supply pipe insertion hole 22 and extends in the longitudinal direction of the water supply pipe 24.

The water pipe fitting part 22a can fit the water pipe 24 into the water pipe insertion hole 22 in a protruding manner. The water supply pipe 24 is fitted into the water supply pipe fitting portion 22a, supported at a predetermined position, and is insertable and extractable.

The water supply pipe fitting 22a supports the water supply pipe 24 on the relatively upstream side of the first positioning member, positions it, and functions as a second positioning member.

As shown in fig. 2 to 6, the water supply unit 1 is assembled as described above, and as shown in fig. 1, it is assembled to a water supply unit mounting portion 32 of an in-cabinet bottom surface 30 of the refrigerator. As described above, the water supply unit 1 integrally includes the conventional pump module and the water supply pipe assembly before being assembled to the tank bottom surface 30, and the water supply unit 1 may be assembled to the tank bottom surface 30, thereby omitting or simplifying the process of assembling the water supply pipe assembly to the tank bottom surface and then assembling the pump module.

In a state where the water supply unit 1 is assembled, the length of the water supply pipe 24 on the water supply port 24a side is fixed. That is, the water supply pipe 24 is first fitted at a predetermined position from the water supply pump 14 side through the water supply pipe fitting portion 22a in the water supply pipe insertion hole 22 so as to be immovable, the water supply pipe 24 does not fall to the ice making tray side or rise to the water supply pump 14 side, and the movement of the water supply pipe 24 to the downstream side of the water supply pipe fitting portion 22a is restricted by the

ribs

20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d, so that the length of the water supply port 24a can be kept constant.

If the water supply pipe assembly 110 is assembled, the pump assembly 120 is assembled, and the water supply pipe 124 is joined to the discharge pipe 114 as in the prior art, the length of the water supply port in the tray direction is not affected by the length of the water supply port 124a, or by variations in the shape and molding accuracy of the water supply pipe passage 131 of the water supply

pipe receiving members

130a and 130b, and the like, these effects can be eliminated by the water supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment.

The

ribs

20a, 20b, 20c, 20d are not limited to the shapes shown in the above description and drawings, and the following positioning members may be employed: the support member 20 is provided to support the water supply pipe 24 near a joint portion between the water supply pipe 24 and the discharge pipe 14 of the water supply pump 12, and is configured to limit the vertical movement near the water supply port 24a of the water supply pipe 24, and the water supply pipe 24 is supported and limited in movement to fix the length of the water supply port 24a by adopting various shapes and configurations centered on this.

In the above description, the water supply pump 12 is fixed to the pump case 10 by the fixing member 11, but the water supply pump 12 may be directly fixed to the support member 20 as long as the pump case 10 is locked to the support member 20.

The above description is not intended to limit the gist of the present invention. The present invention includes various changes and improvements without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

Claims

A water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator, comprising:

a water supply pipe supplying water to the ice-making tray for making ice;

a support member for positioning and supporting the water supply pipe; and

a water supply pump assembled to the support member; and is

The support member includes:

a first positioning member limiting up and down movement of the water supply pipe and movement of the water supply pipe in a width direction; and a second positioning member provided at a position upstream of the first positioning member and supporting the water supply pipe at a predetermined position.
The water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator according to claim 1,

the second positioning member includes a plurality of water supply pipe insertion parts formed in a protruding shape inside the water supply pipe insertion holes, and supports the water supply pipe through the water supply pipe insertion holes so as to be immovable.
The water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2,

the first positioning member includes:

a first rib formed in a substantially hook shape, for locking the water supply pipe and limiting the downward movement thereof;

a second rib formed near the first rib to limit the movement of the water supply pipe in the width direction together with the first rib;

a pair of substantially parallel third ribs formed at positions downstream of the first ribs to further restrict movement of the water supply pipe in the width direction; and

and a fourth rib provided at a position downstream of the third rib, specifically, in the vicinity of an upper portion of a portion of the water supply pipe bent toward the ice making tray.
The water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the water supply pipe insertion hole is provided in the support member, and a water supply pipe insertion part is formed in the water supply pipe insertion hole to extend in a length direction of the water supply pipe.
The water supply unit for ice making in a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the water supply pump is fixed to a pump housing by a fixing member, the pump housing is provided with a cover, the cover and the pump housing cover the water supply pump, and the pump housing is assembled to the support member by a locking claw provided inside the pump housing and a locking groove of the support member.
The water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cold air blocking member is installed on the water supply pipe for preventing cold air of the freezing chamber from flowing into a water supply pump side or the refrigerating chamber.
A refrigerator comprising the water supply unit for ice making of the refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The refrigerator is characterized in that a water supply unit installation part is arranged on the bottom surface in the refrigerator, and the water supply unit is assembled to the bottom surface in the refrigerator.
The assembling method of the refrigerator is characterized by comprising the following steps: a water supply unit for ice making of a refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is assembled at a predetermined position of the refrigerator.