CN114608247B

CN114608247B - Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Info

Publication number: CN114608247B
Application number: CN202210310738.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄璐璐; 周战宏; 王亮
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd; BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd; BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2018-09-10
Filing date: 2018-09-10
Publication date: 2023-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-10
Also published as: CN114608247A; CN110887329A; CN110887329B; EP3620734A1; CN114608248A

Abstract

A refrigerator, comprising: a storage compartment comprising a pair of side walls, each of said side walls having a support structure; a drawer having an upwardly facing opening; a lid adapted to move between a closed position in which the lid closes the opening of the drawer within the storage compartment and an open position higher than the closed position in which the lid is supported on the support structure. The scheme provided by the invention can provide an improved refrigerator, and the sealing performance of the drawer in the refrigerator is effectively improved.

Description

Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

With the popularization of refrigeration equipment in daily life of people, more and more people begin to use refrigeration equipment such as refrigerators to store perishable foods such as vegetables and fish.

Taking a refrigerator as an example, in order to facilitate taking, one or more drawers are generally disposed in a storage chamber (such as a refrigerating chamber) of the refrigerator, when a user needs to take a stored article, the user can pull out the drawer and take the required stored article, and after the taking action is completed, the user can push the drawer back into the storage chamber, so as to complete the whole taking process.

As drawers in the existing refrigerator are all designed in an open mode, the sealing performance is poor, the mutual smell of the stored matters in the storage chamber is easily caused, and bacteria breeding is seriously caused, so that the food sanitation is influenced.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerator.

Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator including: a storage compartment comprising a pair of side walls, each of said side walls having a support structure; a drawer having an upwardly facing opening; a lid adapted to move between a closed position in which the lid closes the opening of the drawer within the storage compartment and an open position higher than the closed position in which the lid is supported on the support structure.

Compared with the capless design adopted by the prior refrigerator drawer, the scheme of the embodiment of the invention provides the refrigerator with the drawer, when the drawer is positioned in the storage chamber of the refrigerator, the opening of the drawer is covered by the cover positioned at the closing position, so that the sealing performance of the drawer can be effectively improved, and the phenomenon that the stored matters in the drawer are directly exposed in the storage chamber to mutually smell with other stored matters in the storage chamber is avoided, thereby being beneficial to improving the food sanitation. Further, when the drawer is pulled out from the storage chamber, the cover moves from the closed position to the open position and remains supported on the support structure in the storage chamber, so that the opening of the drawer can be automatically opened when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber, facilitating the use of the user, and the front and rear movement of the drawer in the storage chamber is smoother because the cover is supported on the support structure. Further, the opening position is higher than the closing position, so that the combination of the cover and the drawer is tighter when the drawer is positioned in the storage chamber, the sealing effect is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact place of the cover and/or the drawer is effectively solved.

Optionally, in the open position, the lid and drawer are detachably supported on the support structure. Thus, in the open position, the lid is supported on the support structure and completely separated from the drawer, so that the travel design of the drawer to the outside of the storage compartment can be smoother and free.

Optionally, the drawer actuates movement of the lid on the support structure toward the open position during the drawer being pulled out of the storage compartment to open the opening during the drawer being pulled out of the storage compartment. Therefore, during the process that a user pulls out the drawer from the storage chamber, the effect that the cover is separated from the drawer to open the opening can be achieved when the user pulls out the drawer without applying additional force to the cover, and the use experience of the user is optimized.

Optionally, the drawer actuates movement of the lid from the open position toward the closed position during the drawer being pushed back into the storage compartment to close the opening during the drawer being pushed back into the storage compartment. Therefore, during the process that the drawer is pushed back into the storage room by a user, the effect of covering the drawer with the cover can be achieved while the drawer is pushed back without applying additional force to the cover, and the drawer is switched to a sealing state while the drawer is pushed back into the storage room, so that the use experience of the user is optimized.

Optionally, at least one of the drawer and the lid has a sealing strip, in the closed position the sealing strip of one of the lid and the drawer is crimped to the other of the lid and the drawer along the opening, in the open position the sealing strip of one of the lid and the drawer is disengaged from the other of the lid and the drawer. Therefore, in the closed position, the cover, the drawer and the sealing strip are in close contact, a closed space can be formed in the drawer, so that the sealing performance of the drawer is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact place of the cover, the sealing strip and/or the drawer is effectively solved. Further, since the open position is higher than the closed position, it is possible to avoid the situation that the sealing strip and the cover/drawer rub when the lifted cover moves.

Optionally, the support structure includes a first stop portion that abuts the cover in the closed position and applies a downward force to the cover to compress the sealing strip. Therefore, in the closed position, besides the gravity of the cover, the cover is extruded towards the drawer through the first limiting part, so that the sealing strip is ensured to fully fill the gap between the cover and the drawer, and the sealing effect of the drawer is further optimized.

Optionally, the support structure comprises a track along which the cover moves between the closed and open positions, the track comprising a top rail wall, the first limit being formed by the top rail wall. Thereby, in the closed position, a downward force can be applied to the lid through the upper rail wall to maintain the lid in a tightly abutted condition against the drawer.

Optionally, the lid remains supported on the support structure after a predetermined stroke of forward upward movement during movement from the closed position to the open position, and/or the lid closes the opening after the predetermined stroke of rearward downward movement during movement from the open position to the closed position. Thus, the forward and backward movement effect of the drawer in the storage chamber can be optimized, and the cover can be positioned at the corresponding opening position or closing position when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber and positioned in the storage chamber.

Optionally, during movement between the closed and open positions, the cover moves in both the front-to-back direction and the up-and-down direction during at least part of the predetermined stroke. Thus, during the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber, the cover moves away from the drawer relative to the drawer while keeping the drawer moving out of the storage chamber synchronously, and the movement stroke of the drawer out of the storage chamber can be effectively prevented from being limited by the cover. Further, during the time that the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment, the lid moves in a direction toward the drawer relative to the drawer while remaining synchronized with the drawer, providing a cushioning stage for the lid covering the opening of the drawer, preventing the lid from suddenly striking the drawer and damaging the lid/drawer.

Optionally, the support structure comprises a track along which the cover moves between the closed and open positions. Therefore, the movement track of the cover in the storage chamber is limited by the track, the cover is prevented from unexpected displacement in the storage chamber, the lower cover can accurately cover the opening of the drawer in the closing position, and the lower cover can smoothly open the opening without affecting the movement stroke of the drawer in the opening position.

Optionally, the rail includes a tilting rail tilting upward in a back-to-front direction. Thereby, it is ensured that the cover moves in a forward upward direction when the cover moves from the closed position to the open position; the lid can be ensured to move in a backward downward direction when moving from the open position to the closed position.

Optionally, the angle between the extending direction of the inclined rail and the forward direction is 10 ° to 30 °, so as to avoid unexpected sliding down of the cover in the open position caused by excessive angle while providing sufficient space for upward movement travel of the cover.

Optionally, the track comprises a horizontal rail behind the inclined rail, the lid being supported on the horizontal rail in the closed position. Thus, when the drawer is located in the storage compartment, the lid can be maintained in the closed position, preventing unintended back and forth movement of the lid in the closed position.

Optionally, the cover has a sliding shaft located in the track, the sliding shaft sliding back and forth in the track as the cover moves between the closed position and the open position, and a fourth locking portion is provided on the horizontal rail to limit the sliding shaft located on the horizontal rail from sliding forward. Thereby optimizing the sliding effect of the cover in the track and improving the lubrication coefficient.

Optionally, a fourth locking portion is provided on the horizontal rail, and in the closed position, the fourth locking portion is adapted to limit the sliding shaft from sliding forward. Thus, when the drawer is located within the storage compartment, the lid may be better maintained in the closed position, preventing the lid in the closed position from being undesirably moved toward the open position.

Optionally, the refrigerator includes a locking mechanism that applies a rearward force to the lid to lock the lid in the closed position. In this way, an unintended forward movement of the lid in the closed position can be avoided, ensuring that the lower lid always covers the opening of the drawer in the closed position.

Optionally, the locking mechanism includes a first locking portion provided to the support structure, the first locking portion abutting against a side portion of the cover when the cover is in the closed position, and/or the locking mechanism includes a second locking portion provided to the drawer, the second locking portion being located at a rear end and/or a side portion of the drawer and abutting against the cover when the cover is in the closed position. Thereby, the lid is kept in the closed position by the first and/or second locking portions to improve the sealing effect of the drawer during storage.

Optionally, the second locking portion urges the lid to move from the open position toward the closed position when the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment. Thus, the cover can be controlled to move backwards synchronously with the drawer while the drawer moves into the storage chamber, so that the effect that the drawer moves back into the storage chamber while the cover moves to the closed position and keeps closing the opening of the drawer is realized.

Optionally, the refrigerator includes a stopper mechanism to prevent the lid from continuing to move backward after reaching the closed position, so as to prevent the rear end of the lid from damaging the lid and/or the rear wall of the storage compartment by an unintended collision with the rear wall.

Optionally, the stop mechanism includes a first stop located on the drawer, and/or a second stop located on the side wall, and/or a third stop located on the rear wall of the storage compartment and cooperating with the rear end of the lid to effectively stop the lid from continuing to move rearward after reaching the closed position.

Optionally, the first stop drives the lid from a closed position to an open position when the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment. Thus, the cover can be controlled to synchronously move forward along with the drawer while the drawer moves outside the storage chamber, so that the effect that the drawer moves to the opening position to open the opening of the drawer while the drawer moves outwards is realized.

Optionally, the refrigerator comprises a traction mechanism and/or a pushing mechanism that pulls and/or pushes the lid forward when the lid is moved from the closed position towards the open position. Thus, the cover can be controlled to synchronously move forward along with the drawer while the drawer moves outside the storage chamber, so that the effect that the drawer moves to the opening position to open the opening of the drawer while the drawer moves outwards is realized.

Optionally, the traction mechanism and/or pushing mechanism drives the lid to continue to move forward and upward on the support structure after the lid and drawer are disengaged. Thus, during the movement from the closed position to the open position, the cover is ensured to continuously move to the open position under the condition of being completely separated from the drawer, so that the movement stroke of the drawer to the outside of the storage chamber is smoother and is not limited by the cover.

Optionally, in the open position, the traction mechanism and/or pushing mechanism applies a forward force to the lid to hold the lid in the open position. Thereby, the lid can be kept in the open position, avoiding an unintended drop of the lid after the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover is held in the open position by the traction mechanism and/or the pushing structure instead of the drawer, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer is not limited by the cover, so that the drawer can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage chamber.

Optionally, the traction mechanism comprises a first spring fixed at one end to the side wall or support structure and at the other end to the cover. Thereby, the lid is pulled from the closed position to the open position by the tension of the first spring, and the lid is held in the open position by the tension.

Optionally, the first spring is in tension to pull the lid from the closed position to the open position during movement of the lid between the open and closed positions.

Optionally, the pushing mechanism includes a second spring having one end fixed to a rear end of the cover and the other end abutting against a rear wall of the storage chamber. Thereby, the lid is urged from the closed position to the open position by the urging force of the second spring, and the lid is held in the open position by the urging force.

Optionally, the refrigerator includes a third locking part provided to the support structure, the third locking part abutting against a side of the cover to apply a forward force to the cover to lock the cover in the open position when the cover moves to the open position. Thereby, the lid can be kept in the open position, avoiding an unintended drop of the lid after the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover is held in the open position by the third locking portion on the support structure instead of the drawer, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer is not limited by the cover, so that the drawer can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage chamber.

Optionally, the lid is provided with a downwardly extending pin portion, wherein when the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment, the pin portion contacts a first drive portion of the drawer to move the drawer from the open position towards the closed position; and/or, when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber, the pin portion contacts with the second driving portion of the drawer to enable the drawer to drive the cover to move from the closed position to the open position. Thus, the cover can be kept in synchronous movement with the drawer in the front-rear direction during the drawer is pulled out and pushed back into the storage compartment, avoiding damage to the cover and/or the drawer due to friction with the drawer during the movement to the open position, and ensuring that the cover can be moved to a position covering the opening of the drawer in time when the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment.

Optionally, in the closed position, the pin portion is in contact with at least one of the first and second drive portions to act as a second locking portion and/or a first stop portion.

Optionally, the first driving portion is located in front of the second driving portion, and in the closed position, the pin portion is located between the first driving portion and the second driving portion to respectively act as the second locking portion and the first stopping portion.

Optionally, the first driving part is higher than the second driving part. Thereby, the pin portion of the cover is ensured to be smoothly separated from the drawer without being blocked by the second driving portion during the movement of the cover from the closed position to the open position.

Optionally, the first and second drive portions enclose a receptacle therebetween, and when the cover is in the closed position, the pin portion is inserted into the receptacle to limit unintended displacement of the cover in the front-rear/left-right direction in the closed position.

Optionally, the first driving part and the second driving part are located at the rear end of the drawer to provide maximum travel for movement of the drawer in the front-rear direction while achieving the above functions.

Optionally, the first driving part and the second driving part are connected through a pair of guide surfaces, and a distance between one ends of the pair of guide surfaces near the rear end of the drawer is smaller than a distance between the other opposite ends of the pair of guide surfaces. Thus, the pin portion of the cover moving to the closing position can be ensured to smoothly fall into the insertion hole of the drawer by providing the structure having the bell mouth shape in the top view during the drawer is pushed back to the storage chamber, and the pin portion is prevented from being damaged by collision with the guide surface.

Optionally, the refrigerator further includes: the torsion spring is arranged on the pin part, one end of the torsion spring is propped against the rear end of the cover, and the other end of the torsion spring is propped against the rear wall of the storage chamber, so that the pushing mechanism is achieved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a partial structural schematic view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the support structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the structure of the cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an effect view of the cover of FIG. 1 in an open position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction B-B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial view of region C of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the drawer of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are enlarged partial views of region D of FIG. 9 at different angles;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the cap of FIG. 4 at another angle;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial view of region E of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the pin portion of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic views of the cap and pin combination of FIG. 1 at different angles;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction F-F of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction G-G of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged partial view of region H of FIG. 18;

FIGS. 20-22 are schematic views of the movement of the lid and drawer from the relative position shown in FIG. 19 to the relative position shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the bushing of FIG. 2;

FIG. 24 is a schematic view of another support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 25 is a partial structural schematic view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction I-I of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is an enlarged partial view of region J of FIG. 25;

fig. 28 is a partial structural schematic view of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is an enlarged partial view of region K of FIG. 1;

FIG. 30 is a schematic view of the second spring of FIG. 1;

fig. 31 is a partial enlarged view of a region L in fig. 25.

In the accompanying drawings:

100-refrigerator; 110-a storage compartment; 110 a-sidewalls of the storage compartment; 110 b-a rear wall of the storage compartment; 111-a support structure; 112-screw holes; 113-a guide rail; 114. A first limit part; 115-a third locking portion; 116-fourth locking portions; 120-drawer; 120 a-the rear end of the drawer; 120 b-side of drawer; 121-opening; 122-upper edge of drawer; 123-a second locking portion; 124-first stop; 125-handle; 130-a cover; 130 a-the rear end of the cover; 130 b-sides of the cover; 131-an installation part; 132-mounting ribs; 133-lower ribs; 134-vertical wall; 135-mounting holes; 136-sealing strips; 137-notch; 138-sliding shaft; 140-a driving part; 140 a-a rear wall of the drive section; 141-a jack; 142-a first drive section; 143-a second driving part; 144-guiding surfaces; 144 a-one end of the guide surface; 144 b-the opposite end of the guide surface; 150-pin part; 150 a-the upper end of the pin portion; 150 b-the lower end of the pin portion; 151-pushing mechanism; 152-vertical ribs; 153-stop; 154-flat; 155-a catch; 160-track; 161-sleeve; 161 a-fitting holes; 162-upper rail wall; 163-tilting rail; 164-claw; 164 a-spring arms; 165-horizontal rails; 166-a first spring; 167-opening; 170-a locking mechanism; 171-a first locking portion; 180-a stop mechanism; 181-a second stop; 182-third stop; 183-traction mechanism; 185-a second spring; 186-torsion spring; 186 a-one end of the torsion spring; 186 b-the other end of the torsion spring; 187-scratch-resistant portion; gap 1-gap; gap between the gap 2-vertical wall and the rear end of the cover; l 1-a spacing between one ends of a pair of guide surfaces; l 2-the spacing between the opposite ends of a pair of guide surfaces; an included angle between the extending direction of the alpha-inclined rail and the +y direction; x-width direction of refrigerator; y-depth direction of refrigerator; z-direction of height of refrigerator.

Detailed Description

As understood by those skilled in the art, as described in the background art, drawers in the existing refrigerator are all open, and the stored articles in the drawers cannot be stored in a sealing manner.

In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, including: a storage compartment comprising a pair of side walls, each side wall having a support structure; a drawer having an upwardly facing opening; a lid adapted to move between a closed position in which the lid closes an opening of a drawer located within the storage compartment and an open position higher than the closed position in which the lid is supported on the support structure.

It is understood by those skilled in the art that the solution of the embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator having a drawer, when the drawer is located in a storage chamber of the refrigerator, the opening of the drawer is covered by the cover located at the closed position, so that the sealing performance of the drawer can be effectively improved, and the phenomenon that the stored matters in the drawer are directly exposed in the storage chamber and smell of the stored matters in the storage chamber are mutually mixed with each other is avoided, which is beneficial to improving food sanitation.

Further, when the drawer is pulled out from the storage chamber, the cover moves from the closed position to the open position and remains supported on the support structure in the storage chamber, so that the opening of the drawer can be automatically opened when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber, facilitating the use of the user, and the forward and backward movement of the drawer in the storage chamber is smoother because the cover is supported on the support structure.

Further, the opening position is higher than the closing position, so that the combination of the cover and the drawer is tighter when the drawer is positioned in the storage chamber, the sealing effect is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact place of the cover and/or the drawer is effectively solved.

In order that the above-recited objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.

Fig. 1 is a detailed structural schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. At this time, the cover is in the closed position. For more clear illustration of the technical features of this embodiment, fig. 1 mainly intercepts a storage compartment of a refrigerator and a drawer portion disposed inside the storage compartment, and further illustrates a specific structure of the drawer.

It should be noted that the design of this embodiment is also applicable to refrigeration appliances such as refrigerated cabinets, ice chests, and the like that require the separation and sealing of stored items.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 100 may include: the storage compartment 110 includes a pair of sidewalls 110a, and a drawer 120.

For example, the storage compartment 110 may include a rear wall 110b and a pair of side walls 110a, the rear wall 110b and the pair of side walls 110a enclosing a receiving space for receiving the drawer 120. The rear wall 110b may be a rear wall of the inner container of the refrigerator 100, that is, a back plate of the refrigerator 100.

The size of the accommodating space of the storage chamber 110 may be adapted to the size of the drawer 120, and the accommodating space may be adapted to accommodate one or more drawers 120.

More specifically, referring to fig. 1 and 2 (the storage compartment 110 is not shown in fig. 2), the drawer 120 may have an upward opening 121, and a user may take the stored items placed in the drawer 120 from the opening 121, or the user may place the stored items in the drawer 120 from the opening 121.

For convenience of description, the present embodiment sets the width direction of the refrigerator 100 as the x direction, the depth direction of the refrigerator 100 as the y direction, and the height direction of the refrigerator 100 as the z direction. Wherein, a direction in which the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 is directed to the outside of the storage compartment 110 is a positive direction of the y-direction (i.e., the +y-direction in the drawing), that is, a direction in which the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110 is a positive direction of the y-direction. The present embodiment may refer to the +y direction forward, the-y direction backward, the z direction upward, and the-z direction downward.

For example, a plurality of drawers 120 may be arranged side-by-side in the x-direction, y-direction, and/or z-direction within the storage compartment 110.

Next, a drawer 120 is specifically described as an example of the storage compartment 110.

Further, in connection with fig. 1-3, each sidewall 110a may have a support structure 111 thereon.

In one or more embodiments, for each sidewall 110a, the number of support structures 111 provided on the sidewall 110a may correspond to the number of covers 130 for opening or closing the opening 121, or to the number of drawers 120.

In one or more embodiments, the support structure 111 may be secured to the sidewall 110a by bolting. For example, referring to fig. 3, at least one (two in fig. 3 for example) screw hole 112 is formed in the support structure 111, and the support structure 111 is screwed to the side wall 110a through the screw hole 112 when the support structure is mounted.

In one or more alternatives, the support structure 111 can also be secured to the sidewall 110a by other means, such as adhesive, interference fit, and the like. Alternatively, the support structure 111 may also be integrally formed on the sidewall 110 a.

Further, in conjunction with fig. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the refrigerator 100 may further include: the lid 130, the lid 130 being adapted to move between a closed position, shown in fig. 1, in which the lid 130 closes the opening 121 of the drawer 120 located within the storage compartment 110, and an open position, higher than the closed position, in which the lid 130 is supported on the support structure 111, shown in fig. 5.

Therefore, by adopting the scheme of the embodiment, when the drawer 120 is positioned in the storage chamber 110 of the refrigerator 100, the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is covered by the cover 130 positioned at the closed position, so that the sealing performance of the drawer 120 can be effectively improved, and the phenomenon that the stored matters in the drawer 120 are directly exposed in the storage chamber 110 to be mutually tainted with other stored matters in the storage chamber 110 is avoided, thereby being beneficial to improving the food sanitation. Further, when the drawer 120 is pulled out from the storage chamber 110, the cover 130 moves from the closed position to the open position and remains supported on the support structure 111 in the storage chamber 110, so that the opening 121 of the drawer 120 can be automatically opened when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage chamber 110, facilitating use by a user, and the front and rear movement of the drawer 120 in the storage chamber 110 is smoother because the cover 130 is supported on the support structure 111. Further, the open position is higher than the closed position, so that the combination of the cover 130 and the drawer 120 is tighter when the drawer 120 is positioned in the storage chamber 110, the sealing effect is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact place of the cover 130 and/or the drawer 120 is effectively solved.

In one or more embodiments, the open position being higher than the closed position may mean that a distance between an upper surface of the cover 130 located at the open position and a lower surface of the drawer 120 is greater than a distance between an upper surface of the cover 130 located at the closed position and a lower surface of the drawer 120 in the z-direction.

For example, the cover 130 is supported on the sidewall 110a of the storage compartment 110 through the support structure 111, the drawer 120 is supported on the sidewall 110a of the storage compartment 110 through the guide rail 113, and the effect that the opened position is higher than the closed position can be achieved by adjusting the distance between the guide rail 113 and the support structure 111.

Preferably, the guide rail 113 and the support structure 111 may be disposed parallel to each other in a plane formed by the y-direction and the z-direction so that the cover 130 and the drawer 120 can always be moved parallel to each other during the back-and-forth movement, respectively.

In one or more embodiments, in the open position, the lid 130 and drawer 120 are supported on the support structure 111 in a disengaged manner. Thus, in the open position, the cover 130 is supported on the support structure 111 and is completely separated from the drawer 120, so that the stroke design of the drawer 120 to move outside the storage chamber 110 can be more smooth and free. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the movable stroke of the drawer 120 in the + -y direction may be greater than the movable stroke of the cover 130 in the + -y direction, so that the forward and backward movement of the drawer 120 is not limited by the forward and backward movement of the cover, ensuring that the drawer 120 can be completely pulled out of the storage compartment 110 and opened to the user.

For example, referring to fig. 6 and 7, in the open position, a gap1 may be provided between the lower surface of the cover 130 supported on the support structure 111 and the upper surface of the drawer 120 to avoid a stroke that impedes the outward movement of the drawer 120 due to the cover 130 touching the drawer 120. Thus, after the cover 130 is moved to the open position during the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110, a gap1 may be provided between the lower surface of the cover 130 and the upper surface of the drawer 120, so that the drawer 120 does not come into contact with the cover 130 when the drawer 120 is subsequently moved further out of the storage compartment 110 (i.e., moved in the +y direction), ensuring that the drawer 120 can be moved further smoothly outward.

In one or more embodiments, during the drawer 120 being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the drawer 120 may actuate the lid 130 to move on the support structure 111 toward the open position to open the opening 121 during the drawer 120 being pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Thus, during the user pulls the drawer 120 out of the storage chamber 110, the effect of separating the cover 130 from the drawer 120 to open the opening 121 can be achieved while pulling the drawer 120 without applying additional force to the cover 130, and the user experience is optimized.

For example, referring to fig. 8 to 11, the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 may be provided with a driving part 140, and the driving part 140 may be provided with an insertion hole 141 in a height direction (i.e., z direction) of the refrigerator 100 to limit unintended displacement of the cover 130 in front-rear/left-right directions (i.e., x direction and y direction) in the closed position.

Specifically, the insertion hole 141 may be surrounded by a first driving part 142 extending to the upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, a second driving part 143 lower than the first driving part 142 in the height direction (i.e., the z direction), and a pair of guide surfaces 144, wherein the first driving part 142 is closer to the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 than the second driving part 143.

Further, referring to fig. 4, 12 and 13, the rear end 130a of the cover 130 may have a mounting portion 131, and the mounting portion 131 may include an upper rib 132 parallel to the upper surface of the cover 130, a lower rib 133 parallel to the lower surface of the cover 130, and a standing wall 134 connecting the upper rib 132 and the lower rib 133, and mounting holes 135 are respectively formed in the upper rib 132 and the lower rib 133.

Further, referring to fig. 14 to 16, the mounting portion 131 of the cover 130 may be mounted with a pin portion 150 (may also be referred to as a driving pin), the pin portion 150 may extend into the mounting hole 135, an upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 extends upwardly (i.e., toward the z-direction) from the mounting hole 135 of the upper rib 132, and a lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 extends downwardly (i.e., toward the opposite direction of the z-direction as illustrated) from the mounting hole 135 of the lower rib 133.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 17-19, when the lid 130 closes the opening 121, i.e., when the lid 130 is in the closed position, the lower end 150b of the pin 150 may extend into the receptacle 141 of the drawer 120.

At this time, the pin portion 150 may abut against at least one surface of the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143.

Further, in conjunction with fig. 20 to 22 (to more clearly show the mutual positional relationship among the three of the mounting portion 131, the pin portion 150 and the driving portion 140 during the movement of the cover 130 between the open position and the closed position, the cover 130 is partially sectioned in fig. 20 to 22 to simultaneously show the concrete structure of the support structure 111, the rear end 130a of the cover 130 and the rear end 120a of the drawer 120), when the cover 130 opens the opening 121, that is, in the state shown in fig. 19, when the drawer 120 is pulled out in the +y direction, the pin portion 150 may abut against the second driving portion 143 to be driven by the second driving portion 143 to move in the +y direction together with the drawer 120, and gradually change from the state abutting against the second driving portion 143 to the state of being pulled out from within the insertion hole 141 during the movement in the +y direction until the cover 130 moves to form a gap1 (as shown in fig. 8) with the drawer 120.

In one or more embodiments, the drawer 120 can actuate the lid 130 from the open position toward the closed position during the drawer 120 being pushed back into the storage compartment 110 to close the opening 121 during the drawer 120 being pushed back into the storage compartment 110. Thus, during the time that the user pushes the drawer 120 back into the storage chamber 110, the effect of covering the drawer 120 with the cover 130 can be achieved while pushing the drawer 120 back, without applying additional force to the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 is switched to a sealed state while pushing the drawer 120 back into the storage chamber 110, and the user experience is optimized.

Specifically, by adjusting the size of the gap1, it is ensured that the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 mounted to the cover 130 is still lower than the upper edge of the first driving portion 142 in the z-direction in the open position. Thus, when the drawer 120 is pushed in the-y direction from the state pulled out of the storage chamber 110 shown in fig. 8, the first driving part 142 can move in the-y direction together with the pin 150 by abutting against the pin 150 and actuating the pin 150 (i.e., actuating the cover 130).

Further, during the movement in the-y direction, the pin portion 150 gradually falls into the insertion hole 141 via the states of fig. 22, 21 and 20, as shown in fig. 19.

In a preferred embodiment, the first driving part 142 may be higher than the second driving part 143 in the z-direction. Thereby, it is ensured that the pin portion 150 of the cover 130 can be smoothly separated from the drawer 120 without being caught by the second driving portion 143 during the movement of the cover 130 from the closed position to the open position. Also, during movement of the cover 130 from the open position to the closed position, it is ensured that the pin portion 150 of the cover 130 can abut against the first driving portion 142, rather than against the rear wall 140a of the driving portion 140, to ensure that the pin portion 150 falls into the receptacle 141 in the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, the first and second driving parts 142 and 143 may be located at the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 to provide a maximum stroke for movement of the drawer 120 in the front-rear direction (i.e., the + -y direction) while achieving a stopping and actuating function.

In one or more alternatives, the drive 140 can also be provided on a side wall of the drawer 120, which can likewise achieve an actuation and stop effect for the lid 130.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 10 and 11, the first and second driving parts 142 and 143 may be connected by a pair of guide surfaces 144, and a spacing l1 between one end 144a of the pair of guide surfaces 144 near the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 may be smaller than a spacing l2 between the opposite end 144b of the pair of guide surfaces 144. Thus, during the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage chamber 110, the pin portion 150 of the cover 130 moving toward the closed position can be smoothly dropped into the insertion hole 141 of the drawer 120 by the horn-shaped structure provided in the top view (i.e., the angle shown in fig. 10), preventing the pin portion 150 from being damaged by collision with the guide surface 144, facilitating accurate positioning.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 2, at least one of the drawer 120 and the lid 130 can have a sealing strip 136, with the sealing strip 136 of one of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 being crimped to the other of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 along the opening 121 in a closed position, and with the sealing strip 136 of one of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 being disengaged from the other of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 in an open position. Therefore, in the closed position, the cover 130, the drawer 120 and the sealing strip 136 are closely contacted, so that a closed space can be formed in the drawer 120, the sealing performance of the drawer 120 is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact place of the cover 130, the sealing strip 136 and/or the drawer 120 is effectively solved. Further, since the open position is higher than the closed position, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the sealing strip 136 and the cover 130/drawer 120 form friction when the cover 130 is lifted up to move.

For example, referring to fig. 2 and 4, a side of the cover 130 facing the drawer 120 may be provided with a notch 137, the notch 137 being adapted to receive the sealing strip 136. Thus, in the closed position, the sealing strip 136 mounted on the cover 130 is crimped with the drawer 120 along the opening 121, as shown in fig. 18 and 19; in the open position, the sealing strip 136 on the lid 130 is disengaged from the drawer 120, as shown in fig. 7 and 8.

Preferably, the sealing strip 136 may be a sealing strip.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 3, the support structure 111 may include a track 160 along which the cover 130 may be moved between a closed position and an open position. Thus, the movement trace of the cover 130 in the storage chamber 110 may be restricted by the rail 160, unintended displacement of the cover 130 in the storage chamber 110 (e.g., left and right movement in the x-direction) may be prevented, it may be ensured that the opening 121 of the drawer 120 may be accurately covered by the lower cover 130 in the closed position, and the opening 121 may be smoothly opened by the lower cover 130 in the open position without affecting the movement stroke of the drawer 120.

For example, referring to fig. 2, the lid 130 (e.g., on a sidewall) may be provided with a sliding shaft 138, the sliding shaft 138 being positioned within the track 160, and the sliding shaft 138 may slide back and forth (i.e., in the y direction) within the track 160 as the lid 130 moves between the closed and open positions. Thereby, the sliding effect of the cover 130 in the rail 160 can be optimized, and the lubrication coefficient can be improved.

In one or more embodiments, the number of tracks 160 may correspond to the number of sliding axles 138 present on the side 130b of the cover 130 for each support structure 111. For example, the drawings of the present embodiment are each specifically described as having two rails 160 and corresponding sliding shafts 138.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 2 and 23, sliding shaft 138 may be sleeved with a sleeve 161, and sleeve 161 extends into track 160 and may slide along track 160 to move cover 130 between the open and closed positions.

For example, the cover 130 and its sliding shaft 138 (both of which may be integrally formed) may be made of materials that generally provide a lubricating effect to save costs. Thus, to improve the sliding effect of the cover 130 sliding along the track 160, a sleeve 161 with better lubrication effect may be sleeved outside the sliding shaft 138 to replace the sliding shaft 138 to slide on the track 160, so as to provide better sliding experience while saving cost.

Specifically, one end of the sleeve 161 may be provided with an adaptation hole 161a, and the sliding shaft 138 is inserted into the adaptation hole 161a to be coupled with the sleeve 161, and the opposite end of the sleeve 161 is inserted into the rail 160.

In one or more embodiments, the support structure 111 can include a first stop 114, the first stop 114 abutting the lid 130 in the closed position and applying a downward (i.e., in a direction opposite the z-direction) force to the lid 130 to compress the sealing strip 136. In this way, in the closed position, in addition to the gravity of the lid 130 itself, the lid 130 can be pressed towards the drawer 120 by the first limiting part 114, so that the sealing strip 136 can be ensured to fully fill the gap between the lid 130 and the drawer 120, and the sealing effect of the drawer is further optimized.

For example, with continued reference to fig. 3, the track 160 may include a top rail wall 162 and the first stop 114 may be formed from the top rail wall 162. Thus, in the closed position, a downward force can be applied to the lid 130 through the upper rail wall 162 to maintain the lid 130 in a tightly seated condition against the drawer 120.

In one non-limiting embodiment, in the closed position, the spacing between the rail 113 and the support structure 111 (or the upper rail wall 162 of the rail 160) in the z-direction may be less than the sum of the heights of the lid 130, the seal 136, and the drawer 120. Thus, when the cover 130 is in the closed position, the shaft sleeve 161 on the cover 130 abuts against the upper rail wall 162, so that a force in a direction opposite to the z direction acts on the cover 130, so that the cover 130 is tightly pressed against the drawer 120, and the sealing strip 111 between the cover 130 and the drawer 120 can be pressed and deformed to fully fill the gap between the cover 130 and the drawer 120, thereby achieving a good sealing effect.

In one or more embodiments, the lid 130 may remain supported on the support structure 111 after a predetermined stroke of forward upward movement during movement from the closed position to the open position and/or the lid 130 may close the opening 121 after a predetermined stroke of rearward downward movement during movement from the open position to the closed position. Thereby, the effect of the forward and backward movement (i.e., movement in the y direction) of the drawer 120 inside and outside the storage compartment 110 can be optimized, ensuring that the cover 130 can be located at the corresponding open position or closed position when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110 and located inside the storage compartment 110.

In one non-limiting embodiment, referring to fig. 3, the rail 160 may include an inclined rail 163 inclined upward in a rear-to-front direction, that is, the inclined rail 163 is inclined in the +y direction toward the z direction. Thus, when the cover 130 moves from the closed position to the open position, it is ensured that the cover 130 moves in the forward upward direction (i.e., the +y direction and the z direction) to form a gap1 with the drawer 120 after a predetermined stroke with the drawer 120 moving outward. Thus, in the open position, as the drawer 120 is separated from the lid 130, it is ensured that the drawer 120 is not disturbed by the lid 130 during continued outward movement.

Further, when the cover 130 moves from the open position to the closed position, it is ensured that the cover 130 moves in a backward downward direction (i.e., in a direction opposite to the-y direction and the z direction), so that the cover 130 is closely coupled with the drawer 120 after a predetermined stroke along with the movement of the drawer 120 into the storage compartment 110 to seal the drawer 120.

In one or more embodiments, the angle α of the extending direction of the inclined rail 163 with respect to the forward direction (i.e., the +y direction) may be 10 ° to 30 ° to avoid unintended sliding down of the cover 130 in the open position due to excessive angle while providing sufficient space for the upward (i.e., z-direction) travel of the cover 130.

In one or more embodiments, a third locking portion 115 may be provided on the support structure 111, and when the cover 130 is moved to the open position, the third locking portion 115 may abut against the side 130b of the cover 130 to apply a forward force to the cover 130 to lock the cover 130 in the open position. Thus, the cover 130 can be maintained in the open position, preventing the cover 130 from being undesirably dropped after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover 130 is maintained in the open position by the third locking part 115 on the support structure 111 instead of the drawer 120, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer 120 is not limited by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment 110.

For example, referring to fig. 24, the third locking portion 115 may be a claw 164, and in the open position, the sliding shaft 138 (or the sleeve 161) of the cover 130 is located at and held at a spring arm 164a of the claw 164, and when the cover 130 is subjected to a force in the-y direction, the sliding shaft 138 (or the sleeve 161) moves away from the spring arm 164a and moves in the opposite direction to the z direction and in the-y direction across the claw 164 along the inclined rail 163 to move the cover 130 from the open position to the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 3, the track 160 may include a horizontal rail 165 positioned rearward of the inclined rail 163, rearward referring to an end closer to the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110.

Further, in the closed position, the cover 130 may be supported on the horizontal rail 165. Thus, when the drawer 120 is positioned in the storage compartment 110, the cover 130 may be maintained in the closed position, preventing unintended back and forth movement of the cover 130 in the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, the horizontal rail 165 may be provided with a fourth locking portion 116, and in the closed position, the fourth locking portion 116 is adapted to limit sliding movement of the sliding shaft 138 (or bushing 161) located on the horizontal rail 165 forward (i.e., in the +y direction). Thus, when the drawer 120 is located in the storage compartment 110, the cover 130 may be better maintained in the closed position by the fourth locking portion 116, preventing the cover 130 in the closed position from being undesirably moved toward the open position.

For example, the fourth locking portion 116 may be a claw 164, and in the closed position, the sliding shaft 138 (or the sleeve 161) of the cover 130 is located on the spring arm 164a of the claw 164 and is held in this position, and when the cover 130 receives a force in the +y direction, the sliding shaft 138 (or the sleeve 161) moves away from the spring arm 164a and enters the inclined rail 163 after crossing the claw 164, and moves in the opposite direction to the z direction and the-y direction of the inclined rail 163 to move the cover 130 from the closed position to the open position.

In one or more embodiments, for a scenario in which a plurality of rails 160 are provided on one support structure 111, the number of third locking portions 115 and/or fourth locking portions 116 may correspond to the number of rails 160; alternatively, the number of third locking portions 115 and/or fourth locking portions 116 may be one and located on any one rail 160 of the plurality of rails 160.

Taking the example of the case of having two rails 160 on one support structure 111 in the present embodiment, referring to fig. 3 and 24, the number of the third locking portion 115 and the fourth locking portion 116 may be one, and the rails 160 located closer to the rear end 130a of the cover 130 among the two rails 160.

Further, the predetermined stroke may be a total stroke in which the sliding shaft 138 can slide on the horizontal rail 165 and the inclined rail 163.

In one or more embodiments, the length of the predetermined stroke in the +y direction may be less than the length of the drawer 120 that is movable in the +y direction, i.e., when the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 moves to the top (i.e., the foremost uppermost end) of the inclined rail 163, the cover 130 remains supported on the support structure 111 from moving forward relative to the storage compartment 110, while the drawer 120 still continues to move in the +y direction to fully open the opening 121.

In one or more embodiments, the relative positions between the drawer 120, the lid 130, and the support structure 111 in the closed position may be as shown in fig. 17 and 18 based on the design of the inclined rail 163 and the horizontal rail 165. During the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the cover 130 may move in the +y direction along with the drawer 120 simultaneously outward of the storage compartment 110 as the sliding shaft 138 slides on the horizontal rail 165 and the inclined rail 163, and move in a direction away from the drawer 120 (i.e., z direction) with respect to the drawer 120 until being supported on the support structure 111 separately from the drawer 120 after moving to the open position. In the open position, the relative positions between the drawer 120, the lid 130, and the support structure 111 may be as shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Further, as the sliding shaft 138 slides on the inclined rail 163 and the horizontal rail 165 during the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage chamber 110, the cover 130 in the open position may move in the-y direction synchronously with the drawer 120 into the storage chamber 110 and move in a direction toward the drawer 120 (i.e., the opposite direction to the z direction) with respect to the drawer 120 until moving to the closed position, at which time the cover 130 abuts against the drawer 120 and keeps closing the opening 121.

In one or more embodiments, based on the design of the ramp 163, the cover 130 moves in the front-to-back direction and up-and-down direction simultaneously during at least a portion of the predetermined stroke during movement between the closed and open positions. Thus, the cover 130 moves away from the drawer 120 with respect to the drawer 120 while maintaining the movement of the drawer 120 out of the storage chamber 110 in synchronization with the drawer 120 during the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage chamber 110, and the movement stroke of the drawer 120 out of the storage chamber 110 can be effectively prevented from being limited by the cover 130. Further, during the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the cover 130 moves toward the drawer 120 with respect to the drawer 120 while maintaining the movement toward the storage compartment 110 in synchronization with the drawer 120, so that a buffer stage can be provided for the cover 130 to cover the opening 121 of the drawer 120, thereby preventing the cover 130 from suddenly covering the drawer 120 and damaging the cover 130/the drawer 120 due to a severe collision.

In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a locking mechanism 170, and the locking mechanism 170 may apply a rearward force to the lid 130 to lock the lid 130 in the closed position. Thus, unintended forward movement of the lid 130 in the closed position may be avoided, ensuring that the lid 130 always covers the opening 121 of the drawer 120 in the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, the locking mechanism 170 may include a first locking portion 171 provided to the support structure 111, and the first locking portion 171 may abut against the side 130b of the cover 130 when the cover 130 is in the closed position to limit the forward movement of the cover 130.

For example, referring to fig. 3, the first locking portion 171 may be the fourth locking portion 116 located on the horizontal rail 165 (e.g., the pawl 164 located on the horizontal rail 165). Thus, by restricting the sliding shaft 138 from sliding forward in the closed position, the effect of locking the cover 130 in the closed position can be achieved.

In one or more alternatives, the locking mechanism 170 can include a second locking portion 123 disposed on the drawer 120, and the second locking portion 123 can be located at the rear end 120a and/or the side 120b of the drawer 120 and can abut the lid 130 when the lid 130 is in the closed position. Thereby, the cover 130 is maintained in the closed position by the first locking part 171 and/or the second locking part 123 to improve the sealing effect of the drawer 120 during the inside of the storage compartment 110.

For example, the second locking portion 123 may be an upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, and the rear end 130a of the cover 130 may have a downwardly extending fitting portion (e.g., the pin portion 150) having a lower end lower than the upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 when the cover 130 is in the closed position, thereby achieving an effect that the fitting portion abuts against the second locking portion 123, thereby locking the cover 130 in the closed position.

For another example, referring to fig. 17 to 19, the second locking portion 123 may be the first driving portion 142, and the rear end 130a and/or the side portion 130b of the cover 130 may be provided with an adapting portion (a pin portion 150 provided at the rear end 130a of the cover 130 as shown in fig. 19) that abuts against the second locking portion 123 in the closed position to achieve the effect of locking the cover 130 in the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, the second locking portion 123 may push the cover 130 to move from the open position toward the closed position when the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage compartment 110. Thus, the cover 130 can be controlled to move backward in synchronization with the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves into the storage chamber 110, to achieve the effect that the cover 130 moves to the closed position while the drawer 120 moves back into the storage chamber 110 and keeps closing the opening 121 of the drawer 120.

For example, with respect to the cover 130 and the drawer 120 initially in the positions shown in fig. 7 and 8, when the drawer 120 is moved in the-y direction to the position shown in fig. 22, the first driving portion 142 abuts against the pin portion 150. As the drawer 120 continues to move in the-y direction, the cover 130 is driven by the first driving part 142 to move in the-y direction together with the drawer 120.

Meanwhile, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 is thus positioned in the inclined rail 163 at this time, and thus, the cover 130 moves in the opposite direction to the z-direction while moving in the-y direction with the drawer 120, and finally moves to the state shown in fig. 20 via the state shown in fig. 21.

In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a stopper mechanism 180 to prevent the lid 130 from continuing to move backward after reaching the closed position, so as to prevent the rear end 130a of the lid 130 from undesirably colliding with the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 to damage the lid 130 and/or the rear wall 110.

In one or more embodiments, the stop mechanism 180 can include a first stop 124 at the drawer 120 to effectively stop the lid 130 from continuing rearward movement after reaching the closed position.

For example, referring to fig. 18 and 19, the first stopper 124 may be the second driving part 143, and by cooperating with the pin 150 provided on the cover 130, the cover 130 can be locked in the closed position, so that the cover 130 is prevented from continuing to move backward after reaching the closed position.

Further, the first stopper 124 (e.g., the second driving part 143) may drive the cover 130 to move from the closed position to the open position when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Thus, the cover 130 can be controlled to move forward in synchronization with the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves to the outside of the storage compartment 110, to achieve the effect that the cover 130 moves to the open position to open the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves to the outside.

In one or more alternatives, the stop mechanism 180 can include a second stop 181 located on the sidewall 110a of the storage compartment 110 and/or the support structure 111.

For example, referring to fig. 25-27, one end of the second stopper 181 may be connected to the side 130b of the cover 130, and the other end of the second stopper 181 may be connected to the support structure 111, and in the closed position, the second stopper 181 applies a forward force to the cover 130 to limit the cover 130 from continuing to move rearward in the closed position.

For example, the second stop 181 may be the first spring 166, with the first spring 166 being in tension in the closed position. Preferably, the first spring 166 may be a tension spring.

In one or more alternatives, the detent mechanism 180 can include a third detent 182 located on the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 and cooperating with the rear end 130a of the lid 130 to effectively stop the lid 130 from continuing rearward movement after reaching the closed position.

For example, referring to fig. 28, the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 may have a third stopper 182 fitted to the rear end 130a of the cover 130, the third stopper 182 protruding from the surface of the rear wall 110b, and when the cover 130 moves to the closed position, the mounting portion 131 of the rear end 130a of the cover 130 abuts against the third stopper 182, so that the cover 130 cannot continue to move rearward.

For example, the third stopper 182 may be adapted with the mounting portion 131 protruding rearward from the rear end 130a of the cover 130. Alternatively, the rear end 130a of the cover 130 may be adapted to other portions than the mounting portion 131.

In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a traction mechanism 183, and the traction mechanism 183 may draw the cover 130 forward when the cover 130 moves from the closed position toward the open position. Thus, the cover 130 can be controlled to move forward in synchronization with the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves to the outside of the storage compartment 110, to achieve the effect that the cover 130 moves to the open position to open the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves to the outside.

In one or more embodiments, the traction mechanism 183 may drive the lid 130 to continue forward upward movement on the support structure 111 after the lid 130 and drawer 120 are disengaged. Thus, during the movement from the closed position to the open position, it is ensured that the cover 130 can continue to move to the open position with being completely separated from the drawer 120, so that the movement stroke of the drawer 120 to the outside of the storage chamber 110 is smoother and is not limited by the cover 130.

In one or more embodiments, in the open position, the traction mechanism 183 may apply a forward force to the lid 130 to hold the lid 130 in the open position. Thus, the cover 130 can be maintained in the open position, preventing the cover 130 from being undesirably dropped after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover 130 is maintained in the open position by the traction mechanism 183 instead of the drawer 120, so that the outward movable distance of the drawer 120 is not limited by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment 110.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 25-27, the traction mechanism 183 can include a first spring 166 secured at one end to the sidewall 110a or support structure 111 and at the other end to the cover 130. Thereby, the cover 130 is pulled from the closed position to the open position by the tension of the first spring 166, and the cover 130 is held in the open position by the tension.

In one or more embodiments, the first spring 166 may be in tension during movement of the lid 130 between the open and closed positions to pull the lid 130 from the closed position to the open position.

In one or more alternatives, the refrigerator 100 may include a pushing mechanism 151, and the pushing mechanism 151 may push the cover 130 to move forward when the cover 130 moves from the closed position toward the open position. Thus, the cover 130 can be controlled to move forward in synchronization with the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves to the outside of the storage compartment 110, to achieve the effect that the cover 130 moves to the open position to open the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves to the outside.

In one or more embodiments, the pushing mechanism 151 can drive the lid 130 to continue to move forward and upward on the support structure 111 after the lid 130 and drawer 120 are disengaged. Thus, during the movement from the closed position to the open position, it is ensured that the cover 130 can continue to move to the open position with being completely separated from the drawer 120, so that the movement stroke of the drawer 120 to the outside of the storage chamber 110 is smoother and is not limited by the cover 130.

In one or more embodiments, in the open position, the pushing mechanism 151 can apply a forward force to the lid 130 to hold the lid 130 in the open position. Thus, the cover 130 can be maintained in the open position, preventing the cover 130 from being undesirably dropped after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover 130 is maintained in the open position by the pushing structure 184 instead of the drawer 120, so that the outward movable distance of the drawer 120 is not limited by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment 110.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 29, the pushing mechanism 151 may include a second spring 185 having one end fixed to the rear end 130a of the cover 130 and the other end abutting against the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110. Thereby, the cover 130 is pushed from the closed position to the open position by the urging force of the second spring 185, and the cover 130 is held in the open position by the urging force.

For example, referring to fig. 29 and 30, the second spring 185 may be a torsion spring 186 disposed on the pin portion 150, one end 186a of the torsion spring 186 abutting against the rear end 130a of the cover 130, and the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 abutting against the rear wall 110b of the storage chamber 110 to function as the pushing mechanism 151.

Specifically, by the design of torsion spring 186, a forward force can be applied to cover 130 during movement of cover 130 from the closed position to the open position.

Further, after the cover 130 is moved to the open position, the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 may still abut the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 to continue to apply a forward force to the cover 130 to maintain the cover 130 in the open position.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 1, 29, and 30, one end 186a of the torsion spring 186 may protrude from the gap2 between the free-standing wall 134 and the rear end 130a of the lid 130, with the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 always abutting against the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 during opening and closing of the drawer 120 by the lid 130 (i.e., during movement of the lid 130 between the open and closed positions).

In one or more embodiments, an end 186b of the torsion spring 186 against the rear wall 110b may be provided with a scratch-proof portion 187 to prevent the torsion spring 186 from directly scratching the rear wall 110b to damage the inner container of the refrigerator 100.

Preferably, the scratch-resistant portion 187 may be a plastic roller, or other component that can perform a lubricating function.

In one or more embodiments, the pushing mechanism 151 and the pulling mechanism 183 may alternatively be applied to the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment. When the pushing mechanism 151 is employed, the coupled state of the pin portion 150 with the rear end 130a of the cover 130 and the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 may be as shown in fig. 31.

At this time, the mounting portion 131 may be formed with a through hole through which the pin portion 150 passes, and the pin portion 150 may extend into the insertion hole 141 of the driving portion 140 after passing through the through hole. Since the torsion spring 186 may be omitted, there may be no gap between the standing wall 134 and the cover 130.

Alternatively, the pushing mechanism 151 and the pulling mechanism 183 may be applied to the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment together, so as to obtain a better stopping, locking, pushing/pulling effect.

In one or more embodiments, the cover 130 may be provided with a downwardly extending pin portion 150, wherein when the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the pin portion 150 contacts the first driving portion 142 (i.e., the second locking portion 123) of the drawer 120 to move the drawer 120 with the cover 130 from the open position toward the closed position.

Further, when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the pin portion 150 may contact the second driving portion 143 (i.e., the first stopper portion 124) of the drawer 120 to move the drawer 120 with the cover 130 from the closed position toward the open position. Thus, the cover 130 can maintain synchronous movement with the drawer 120 in the front-rear direction during the drawer 120 is pulled out and pushed back into the storage compartment 110, avoiding damage to the cover 130 and/or the drawer 120 due to friction of the cover 130 with the drawer 120 during movement to the open position, and ensuring that the cover 130 can move to a position covering the opening 121 of the drawer 120 in time when the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage compartment 110.

In one or more embodiments, in the closed position, the pin portion 150 may contact at least one of the first and second driving portions 142, 143 to act as the second locking portion 123 and/or the first stop portion 124.

For example, referring to fig. 19, in the closed position, when the pushing mechanism 151 is provided on the pin portion 150, the pin portion 150 may come into contact with the first driving portion 142 and come into virtual contact with the second driving portion 143 due to the forward pushing force exerted by the pushing mechanism 151. Accordingly, when the cover moves from the position shown in fig. 20 to the position shown in fig. 22 through fig. 21, the pin portion 150 is not abutted by the second driving portion 143, and the cover 130 is ensured to be smoothly separated from the drawer 120.

Similarly, referring to fig. 26, in the closed position, when the traction mechanism 183 is connected between the cover 130 and the support structure 111, the pin portion 150 can also come into contact with the first driving portion 142 and come into virtual contact with the second driving portion 143 due to the forward thrust exerted by the traction mechanism 183.

In one or more non-limiting embodiments, the first driving portion 142 may be located in front of the second driving portion 143, and in the closed position, the pin portion 150 may be located between the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143 to function as the second locking portion 123 and the first stopper portion 124, respectively.

In a preferred embodiment, the pin portion 150 may be integrally formed (or integrally fixed) to the rear end 130a of the cover 130.

For example, the pin portion 150 and the cover 130 may be integrally formed when a forward force is applied to the cover 130 by the first spring 166.

As a variation, the pin portion 150 may be a separate component as shown in fig. 14 and mounted to the rear end 130a of the cover 130.

For example, when the torsion spring 186 is designed, the pin portion 150 and the cover 130 may be two separate components so that the torsion spring 186 is mounted to the pin portion 150 and then the pin portion 150 is mounted to the cover 130 at the time of mounting.

Similarly, when the driving part 140 is provided on the drawer 120, the pin part 150 needs to be frequently inserted into the insertion hole 141 or withdrawn from the insertion hole 141 when the cover 130 is switched between the open position and the closed position, so that the pin part 150 and the driving part 140 may continuously rub against each other, and thus the pin part 150 may be separately designed from the cover 130 and separately made of a relatively good lubrication component.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 12 and 13, the size of the mounting hole 135 formed in the upper rib 132 may be smaller than the size of the mounting hole 135 formed in the lower rib 133.

For example, the mounting hole 135 may be a kidney-shaped hole to prevent unintended rotation of the pin portion 150 inserted therein.

Preferably, the width of the straight wall of the mounting hole 135 opened in the upper rib 132 may be the same as the width of the straight wall of the mounting hole 135 opened in the lower rib 133, and the radius of the circular arc of the mounting hole 135 opened in the upper rib 132 may be smaller than the radius of the circular arc of the mounting hole 135 opened in the lower rib 133. Wherein, for a single mounting hole 135, the width of a straight wall of the mounting hole 135 refers to the spacing of two opposing straight walls of the mounting hole 135. This ensures that the upper end 150a of the pin 150 can smoothly pass through the mounting hole 135 formed in the lower rib 133 and is engaged with the mounting hole 135 formed in the upper rib 132.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 14, the upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 may have a vertical rib 152, and referring to fig. 15 and 16, both sides of the vertical rib 152 may respectively abut against both straight walls of the mounting hole 135 of the upper web 132 to prevent the pin portion 150 mounted in the insertion hole 141 from shaking in ±y directions within the insertion hole 141, i.e., to prevent the pin portion 150 from shaking back and forth.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 14, a location where the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 contacts the lower bead 133 may be provided with a stopper 153, and with reference to fig. 16, an upper surface of the stopper 153 abuts against a lower edge of the mounting hole 135 of the lower bead 133 to prevent unintended movement of the pin portion 150 mounted in the insertion hole 141 in the z-direction within the insertion hole 141, that is, to prevent upward movement of the pin portion 150.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 14 and 16, the outer wall of the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 may have a flat portion 154, the flat portion 154 abutting against the straight wall of the mounting hole 135 of the lower bead 133 to prevent the pin portion 150 mounted to the socket 141 from rotating axially within the socket 141 about the same.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 14 and 15, the upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 may have a catch portion 155, the catch portion 155 being snapped into engagement with the mounting hole 135 of the upper bead 32 to limit downward movement of the pin portion within the mounting hole 135, i.e., to prevent the pin portion 150 mounted within the receptacle 141 from falling out of the receptacle 141 under the force of gravity.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 3, the support structure 111 can be provided with an opening 167 to facilitate installation of the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 into the track 160.

For example, the opening 167 may be located rearward of the horizontal rail 165.

In one or more embodiments, the drawer 120 can have a handle 125 for grasping by a user to pull or push back the drawer 120.

In a typical application scenario, taking the opening 121 of the drawer 120 as an example, the drawer 120 may be initially located in the storage compartment 110, and the lid 130 is in the closed position, at which time the relative positional relationship among the drawer 120, the lid 130 and the support structure 111 is as shown in fig. 17-19.

Specifically, in the closed position, the pin portion 150 is positioned within the receptacle 141 of the drive portion 140 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 and the lid 130 is supported on the horizontal rail 165 of the support structure 111. The sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 is located behind the jaws 164 of the horizontal rail 165.

Specifically, the pawl 164 can act as a stop, and in the closed position, the forward force applied by the torsion spring 186 to the lid 130 can cause a forward movement of the lid 130, thereby affecting the drawer 120 to be driven by the lid 130. Thus, when the drawer 120 is pushed back to the storage compartment 110, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 is caught by the catch 164 to fix the cover 130 and thus the drawer 120.

Specifically, in the closed position, the movable pin portion 150 is located in the insertion hole 141, and the contact surface thereof with the first driving portion 142 is the entire height of the first driving portion 142 in the z direction, and the contact surface thereof with the second driving portion 143 is the entire height of the second driving portion 143 in the z direction. Since the first driving portion 142 is higher than the second driving portion 143, the contact surface of the pin portion 150 with the first driving portion 142 is large.

Further, when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage chamber 110, the second driving portion 143 actuates the pin portion 150 to move forward together, and thus drives the cover 130 to move forward together, until the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 spans the claw 164, at which time the relative positional relationship among the cover 130, the drawer 120 and the supporting structure 111 is shown in fig. 20.

Specifically, during the movement of the sliding shaft 138 from the position shown in fig. 17 to the position shown in fig. 20, since the sliding shaft 138 always moves on the horizontal rail 165, the stroke of the sliding shaft 138 is always one horizontal stroke, so that the cover 130 also maintains a state of being pressed against the drawer 120.

Specifically, after the sliding shaft 138 rides over the pawl 164, the pin 150 will abut the first drive portion 142 at the instant the sliding shaft 138 rides over the pawl 164, as the cover 130 is always acted upon by a forward force (such as by the torsion spring 186 shown in fig. 18 and 19, or by the first spring 166 shown in fig. 26).

Further, as the drawer 120 continues to move forward in the +y direction, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 moves to the inclined rail 163 via the horizontal rail 165. At this time, the relative positional relationship among the cover 130, the drawer 120, and the support structure 111 is as shown in fig. 21.

Specifically, during movement of slide shaft 138 within angled rail 163, drawer 120 remains moving forward in the +y direction at all times, and lid 130 moves in the +y and z directions (i.e., moves obliquely upward). While the cover 130 and the drawer 120 are synchronously moved forward in the +y direction, so that the cover 130 is moved upward (i.e., in a direction away from the drawer 120) only from the perspective of the drawer 120.

Specifically, the pin portion 150 is always held against the first driving portion 142 by the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151 during movement of the slide shaft 138 after crossing the claw 164 and within the inclined rail 163, to ensure that the process of moving the cover 130 obliquely upward and the process of moving the drawer 120 forward are synchronized. In addition, the cover 130 always maintains the state that the pin portion 150 is caught by the first driving portion 142 during the drawer 120 is opened, so that the user experience can be optimized, the cover 130 is ensured to move obliquely upward, and the cover 130 does not suddenly bounce obliquely upward.

Otherwise, after the sliding shaft 138 spans the claw 164 and during the movement in the inclined rail 163, the second driving portion 143 drives the cover 130 to move forward, and when the sliding shaft 138 enters the inclined rail 163, the cover 130 may be caught by the second driving portion 143 when moving upward relative to the drawer 120 to the position shown in fig. 21, so that the smoothness of the movement of the cover 130 obliquely upward is affected.

Thus, the cover 130 may be moved obliquely upward by the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151, instead of being moved obliquely upward by the drawer 120 (e.g., the second driving part 143), by the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151, so that the respective movement strokes of the cover 130 or the drawer 120 are prevented from being limited by each other.

Further, as the drawer 120 continues to move in the +y direction, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 moves along the inclined rail 163 to the top end of the inclined rail 163, as shown in fig. 22. At this time, the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 is higher than the second driving portion 143, a gap1 is formed between the lower surface of the cover 130 and the upper edge 122 of the drawer 120, the sealing strip 136 provided to the cover 130 is separated from the drawer 120, the cover 130 is held at the open position (i.e., the position where the sliding shaft 138 is located at the top end of the inclined rail 163), and the drawer 120 continues to move forward.

Specifically, the lid 130 may be maintained in the open position by the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151.

Further, since the drawer 120 continues to be pulled outward of the storage compartment 110 and the cover 130 is already maintained in the opened position in a completely separated state from the drawer 120, the drawer 120 continues to move outward without being restricted by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can continue to be pulled smoothly outward, as shown in fig. 6 to 8, until the opening 121 is completely opened.

The foregoing steps may be reversely performed when the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is closed, that is, in the order of fig. 8, 22, 21, 20 to 19, to enable the cover 130 to be synchronously moved to the closed position and maintain the state of closing the opening 121 while the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage compartment 110.

Further, referring to fig. 22, when the drawer 120 moves to the position shown in fig. 22, since the second driving part 143 is lower than the first driving part 142, the pin part can smoothly fall into the insertion hole 141 of the driving part 140, so that the pin part 150 is actuated to move all the way back by the first driving part 143 to overcome the forward force applied to the cover 130 by the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and the scope of the invention should be assessed accordingly to that of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator (100), comprising:

-a storage compartment (110) comprising a pair of side walls (110 a), each of said side walls (110 a) having a support structure (111);

a drawer (120), the drawer (120) having an upwardly facing opening (121);

-a cover (130), the cover (130) being adapted to move between a closed position, in which the cover (130) closes the opening (121) of the drawer (120) located within the storage compartment (110), and an open position, higher than the closed position, in which the cover (130) is supported on the support structure (111);

Characterized by comprising a traction mechanism (183) and/or a pushing mechanism (151), said traction mechanism (183) and/or pushing mechanism (151) dragging and/or pushing said cover (130) forward when said cover (130) moves from a closed position towards an open position; in the open position, the traction mechanism (183) and/or pushing mechanism (151) applies a forward force to the lid (130) to hold the lid (130) in the open position;

comprises a locking mechanism (170), the locking mechanism (170) applying a rearward force to the lid (130) to lock the lid (130) in the closed position.

2. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, wherein in the open position, the cover (130) and the drawer (120) are supported on the support structure (111) in a disengaged manner.

3. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1, wherein the drawer (120) actuates the lid (130) to move on the support structure (111) toward the open position during the drawer (120) being pulled out of the storage chamber (110) to open the opening (121) during the drawer (120) being pulled out of the storage chamber (110).

4. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1, wherein the drawer (120) actuates movement of the lid (130) from the open position toward the closed position during pushing back of the drawer (120) into the storage chamber (110) to close the opening (121) during pushing back of the drawer (120) into the storage chamber (110).

5. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drawer (120) and the lid (130) has a sealing strip (136), and in the closed position, the sealing strip (136) of one of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) is crimped to the other of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) along the opening (121), and in the open position, the sealing strip (136) of one of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) is disengaged from the other of the lid (130) and the drawer (120).

6. The refrigerator (100) of claim 5, wherein the support structure (111) includes a first stop (114), the first stop (114) abutting the lid (130) in the closed position and applying a downward force to the lid (130) to compress the sealing strip (136).

7. The refrigerator (100) of claim 6, wherein the support structure (111) includes a rail (160), the cover (130) moves along the rail (160) between the closed and open positions, the rail (160) includes a top rail wall (162), and the first limit (114) is formed by the top rail wall (162).

8. The refrigerator (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lid (130) remains supported on the support structure (111) after a predetermined stroke of forward upward movement during movement from the closed position to the open position, and/or wherein the lid (130) closes the opening (121) after the predetermined stroke of rearward downward movement during movement from the open position to the closed position.

9. The refrigerator (100) of claim 8, wherein the cover (130) moves in a front-rear direction and an up-down direction simultaneously during at least a portion of the predetermined stroke during movement between the closed position and the open position.

10. The refrigerator (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the support structure (111) comprises a track (160), the cover (130) being movable along the track (160) between the closed and open positions.

11. The refrigerator (100) of claim 10, wherein the rail (160) includes an inclined rail (163) inclined upward in a rear-to-front direction.

12. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 11, wherein the angle (α) of the extending direction of the inclined rail (163) to the forward direction is 10 ° to 30 °.

13. The refrigerator (100) of claim 11, wherein the rail (160) includes a horizontal rail (165) rearward of the angled rail (163), the lid (130) being supported on the horizontal rail (165) in the closed position.

14. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 13, wherein the cover (130) has a sliding shaft (138), the sliding shaft (138) is located in the rail (160), the sliding shaft (138) slides back and forth in the rail (160) as the cover (130) moves between a closed position and an open position, and a fourth locking portion (116) is provided on the horizontal rail (165) to restrict the sliding shaft (138) located in the horizontal rail (165) from sliding forward.

15. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism (170) comprises a first locking portion (171) provided to the support structure (111), the first locking portion (171) abutting against a side portion (130 b) of the lid (130) when the lid (130) is in the closed position, and/or the locking mechanism (170) comprises a second locking portion (123) provided to the drawer (120), the second locking portion (123) being located at a rear end (120 a) and/or a side portion (120 b) of the drawer (120) and abutting against the lid (130) when the lid (130) is in the closed position.

16. The refrigerator (100) of claim 15, wherein the second locking portion (123) pushes the cover (130) to move from the open position toward the closed position when the drawer (120) is pushed back into the storage chamber (110).

17. The refrigerator (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising a stop mechanism (180) to prevent continued rearward movement of the lid (130) after reaching a closed position.

18. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 17, wherein the stop mechanism (180) comprises a first stop (124) at the drawer (120), and/or a second stop (181) at the side wall (110 a), and/or a third stop (182) at the rear wall (110 b) of the compartment (110) and cooperating with the rear end (130 a) of the lid (130).

19. The refrigerator (100) of claim 18, wherein the first stop (124) drives the lid (130) from a closed position to an open position when the drawer (120) is pulled out of the storage compartment (110).

20. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, wherein the traction mechanism (183) and/or pushing mechanism (151) drive the lid (130) to continue to move forward and upward on the support structure (111) after the lid (130) and drawer (120) are disengaged.

21. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, wherein the traction mechanism (183) comprises a first spring (166) fixed at one end to the side wall (110 a) or to the support structure (111) and at the other end to the cover (130).

22. The refrigerator (100) of claim 21, wherein the first spring (166) is in tension during movement of the cover (130) between the open and closed positions.

23. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, wherein the pushing mechanism (151) includes a second spring (185) having one end fixed to a rear end (130 a) of the cover (130) and the other end abutting against a rear wall (110 b) of the storage chamber (110).

24. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, comprising a third locking portion (115) provided to the support structure (111), the third locking portion (115) abutting against a side portion (130 b) of the cover (130) to apply a forward force to the cover (130) to lock the cover (130) in the open position when the cover (130) is moved to the open position.