CN117663615A - Waterway system of refrigerator and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigerators, in particular to a waterway system of a refrigerator and the refrigerator, wherein the waterway system comprises: the ice-making device comprises a water tank, an ice-making assembly, a water pump, a shell and a water delivery assembly. The water tank is arranged in the refrigerating chamber; the ice making assembly is arranged in the refrigerating chamber; the water pump is arranged between the water tank and the ice making assembly, and is provided with a water inlet end and a water outlet end, and the water inlet end is communicated with the water tank; the shell comprises an inner container and an outer shell, and the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are positioned in the inner container; the water delivery assembly is positioned outside the shell. The invention can ensure easy installation of the water delivery assembly and can obviously improve the maintainability of the water delivery assembly by locating the water delivery assembly outside the shell. When the water delivery assembly has a problem and needs to be maintained, the water delivery assembly can be directly replaced or maintained outside the refrigerator, and the heat insulation structure of the refrigerator is not required to be damaged.

Description

Waterway system of refrigerator and refrigerator

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigerators, in particular to a waterway system of a refrigerator and the refrigerator.

Background

At present, in order to facilitate the use of users, ice machines are built in many refrigerators. In an ice making system in which water is supplied by a water pump, an ice maker is generally provided on a door body of a refrigerator, water is supplied to the ice maker by a water tank provided between a liner and a housing of the refrigerator, water in the water tank is pumped into an ice grid of the ice maker by the water pump, and then ice is formed in a freezing chamber.

In conventional water supply systems, the ice maker, the water tank and the valve are typically arranged separately. In particular, the ice maker is located on the door body, and the water tank and the valve are located in the bottom mechanical chamber of the refrigerator, because the water supply pipe extends to the water tank and the ice maker via the valve, which results in an increase in the length of the water supply pipe and a complicated construction, a water path is easily obstructed, and the like. In addition, a heat insulation material is required to be arranged between the liner and the shell of the refrigerator, the water path structure is more complicated by separately installing the ice maker, the water tank and the valve, the water path structure is too complicated to be embedded in the heat insulation material, and inconvenience is brought to the assembly process.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to a water circuit system of a refrigerator and a refrigerator, which at least solve one of the problems set forth in the background art.

The technical scheme of the invention is as follows:

a waterway system of a refrigerator, including a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, comprising:

the water tank is arranged in the refrigerating chamber;

an ice-making assembly disposed within the freezer compartment;

the water pump is arranged between the water tank and the ice making assembly, and is provided with a water inlet end and a water outlet end, and the water inlet end is communicated with the water tank;

the shell comprises an inner container and a shell, and the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are positioned in the inner container;

the water delivery assembly is connected between the water outlet end of the water pump and the ice making assembly, and is positioned outside the shell.

Further, the shell comprises a side plate and a rear plate, a fixing groove is formed in the rear plate, the water delivery assembly is fixed in the fixing groove, a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole are formed in the fixing groove, one end of the water delivery assembly penetrates through the first connecting hole to be connected with the ice making assembly, and the other end of the water delivery assembly penetrates through the second connecting hole to be connected with the water outlet end of the water pump.

Further, the water outlet is formed in the position, close to the water pump, of the inner container, a first fixing ring is arranged outside the water outlet, a fixing sleeve is sleeved on the first fixing ring, the fixing sleeve is in sealing connection with the second connecting hole through a first sealing ring, and the water delivery assembly sequentially penetrates through the second connecting hole and the fixing sleeve to be connected with the water outlet end of the water pump.

Further, a water inlet is formed in the liner above the ice making assembly, a fixed pipe is arranged between the first connecting hole and the water inlet, and the fixed pipe is in sealing connection with the first connecting hole and the water inlet.

Further, the fixing pipe is wound with a heating element near the water inlet.

Further, a support column is arranged below the fixed pipe, and the first connecting hole is higher than the water inlet.

Further, the water delivery assembly comprises a first hose, a flowmeter and a second hose which are sequentially connected, wherein the first hose is connected with the water pump, and the second hose is inserted into the fixed pipe.

Further, a water inlet end of the water pump is provided with a first quick-release interface, the water tank is connected with the water pump through the first quick-release interface, a water outlet end of the water pump is provided with a second quick-release interface, and the first hose is connected with the water pump through the second quick-release interface.

Further, be provided with the fixed box outward the water pump, first quick detach interface and second quick detach interface all pass the fixed box is connected with the water pump, the fixed slot has all been seted up to first quick detach mouth and second quick detach mouth outer wall, be provided with fixed knot on the fixed box, fixed knot card is gone into in the fixed slot.

The invention also provides a refrigerator comprising the waterway system, wherein the refrigerating chamber is positioned below the freezing chamber.

The invention provides a waterway system of a refrigerator and the refrigerator by improving the waterway system, which at least has one of the following improvements and advantages compared with the prior art:

1. the water tank is arranged in the refrigerating chamber, and the ice making assembly is arranged in the freezing chamber.

The water tank is arranged in the refrigerating chamber, so that the water tank can be precooled, and the ice making assembly can make ice cubes faster; cold water can be taken at any time. The ice making assembly is arranged in the freezing chamber, the ice storage box can be arranged below the ice making assembly, ice cubes made by the ice making assembly can be stored in the ice storage box, and the ice cubes can be taken out of the ice storage box without waiting when ice is needed.

2. The invention is used for reducing the mechanical structure between the inner container and the outer shell by locating the water delivery component outside the outer shell. When the refrigerator is installed, the water delivery assembly is arranged outside the shell, so that on one hand, no redundant structure exists in the heat preservation filling cavity between the refrigerator liner and the shell, and no pre-burying of a hole groove of the water delivery assembly is needed; on the other hand, when the water delivery assembly has a problem and needs to be maintained, the water delivery assembly can be directly replaced or maintained outside the refrigerator, and the heat insulation structure of the refrigerator is not required to be damaged. The construction in which the water delivery assembly is provided outside the housing ensures easy installation of the water delivery assembly and significantly improves maintainability of the water delivery assembly.

Drawings

The invention is further explained below with reference to the drawings and examples:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a waterway system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a part of the waterway system according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the structure of the water delivery assembly and the fixed tank according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another part of the waterway system according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a further portion of the waterway system of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of still another part of the waterway system according to the present invention.

Reference numerals illustrate:

1. a water tank; 2. an ice making assembly; 3. a water pump; 5. a water delivery assembly; 41. an inner container; 42. a rear plate;

421. a fixing groove; 4211. a first connection hole; 4212. a second connection hole; 411. a first fixing ring;

61. a fixed sleeve; 611. a first seal ring; 62. a fixed tube; 621. a support column; 51. a first hose; 52. a flow meter; 53. a second hose; 63. a first quick release interface; 64. the second quick-release interface; 7. a fixed box; 631. a fixing groove; 632. and (5) fixing the buckle.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of the invention clearly and completely describes the technical solution in the embodiments of the invention.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate or are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the present invention and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, the meaning of a plurality is one or more, the meaning of a plurality is two or more, and greater than, less than, exceeding, etc. are understood to exclude the present number, and above, below, within, etc. are understood to include the present number. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless expressly specified otherwise.

In addition, in the description of the present application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used merely to distinguish between descriptions and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present invention, unless explicitly defined otherwise, terms such as arrangement, installation, connection, etc. should be construed broadly and the specific meaning of the terms in the present invention can be reasonably determined by a person skilled in the art in combination with the specific contents of the technical scheme.

The invention provides a waterway system of a refrigerator and the refrigerator by improving the waterway system, and the technical scheme of the invention is as follows:

as shown in fig. 1, a waterway system of a refrigerator, including a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, includes: the ice-making device comprises a water tank, an ice-making assembly, a water pump, a shell and a water delivery assembly.

In some embodiments, the water tank is disposed within a refrigeration compartment and the ice-making assembly is disposed within a freezer compartment. The water tank is arranged in the refrigerating chamber, so that the water tank can be precooled, and the ice making assembly can make ice cubes faster; cold water can be taken at any time. The ice making assembly is arranged in the freezing chamber, the ice storage box can be arranged below the ice making assembly, ice cubes made by the ice making assembly can be stored in the ice storage box, and the ice cubes can be taken out of the ice storage box without waiting when ice is needed.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the water pump is disposed between the water tank and the ice making assembly, the water pump having a water inlet end and a water outlet end, the water inlet end being in communication with the water tank. The water pump is used for pumping water in the water tank into the ice making assembly. The water inlet end of the water pump can be communicated with the bottom of the water tank, and a filter element can be arranged at the communicating position for improving the ice making effect and is used for filtering water in the water tank.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1, the housing includes a liner and an outer shell, the refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment being located within the liner. A heat preservation piece is arranged between the inner container and the outer shell, and a high-density polyurethane heat preservation material is generally used. When in installation, the heat insulation material is installed in a mode that the heat insulation material which accords with the refrigerator model is cut to a proper size, and is adhered to the refrigerator liner by glue or sealant, and the firmness of the heat insulation material is ensured. And then the outer shell of the refrigerator is installed. Another way of installation is to use a refrigerator foaming agent. And injecting the foaming agent between the refrigerator liner and the shell, and expanding the foaming agent between the refrigerator liner and the shell to form an insulating layer. The heat insulation material can effectively prevent and cut off heat exchange inside and outside the refrigerator, so that the low-temperature environment inside the refrigerator is maintained, and the refrigerating effect is improved.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the water delivery assembly is connected between the water pump outlet and the ice making assembly, and the water delivery assembly is located outside the housing. The water delivery assembly is arranged outside the shell and used for reducing the mechanical structure between the liner and the shell. When the refrigerator is installed, if the refrigerator foaming agent is used as a heat preservation piece, the shell and the liner are assembled to form a pre-assembled box body, a filling cavity is formed, foaming materials are injected into the filling cavity, the foaming materials are guided to flow, the foaming materials can flow uniformly, and the whole filling cavity is fully filled. The water delivery assembly is arranged outside the shell, so that no redundant structure exists in the filling cavity, on one hand, the foaming material has good flowing property, part of the part is not filled with the foaming material due to the arrangement of the water delivery assembly, the foaming effect is not good, and the heat preservation performance of the refrigerator can be improved; on the other hand, when the water delivery assembly has a problem and needs to be maintained, the water delivery assembly can be directly replaced or maintained outside the refrigerator, and the heat insulation structure of the refrigerator is not required to be damaged. When the refrigerator is installed, if the heat preservation material is adopted to be directly installed as a heat preservation piece, when the water delivery assembly is arranged outside the shell, the heat preservation material is not required to be cut and hollowed according to the complex shape of the water delivery assembly, the heat preservation process is simpler, when the water delivery assembly has a problem and needs to be maintained, the water delivery assembly can be directly replaced or maintained outside the refrigerator, and the heat preservation structure of the refrigerator is not required to be damaged. The construction in which the water delivery assembly is provided outside the housing ensures easy installation of the water delivery assembly and significantly improves maintainability of the water delivery assembly.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 and 3, the housing includes a side plate and a rear plate, and a fixing groove is provided on the rear plate, and is used for fixing the water delivery assembly, and the water delivery assembly is moved from the rear plate, so that the structure is simple, and the water delivery assembly is not pre-buried and is easy to replace. The water delivery assembly is fixed in the fixed slot, the fixed slot is provided with a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole, one end of the water delivery assembly penetrates through the first connecting hole to be connected with the ice making assembly, and the other end of the water delivery assembly penetrates through the second connecting hole to be connected with the water outlet end of the water pump. The fixed slot open sea can be provided with the apron, the apron can adopt buckle or screw fixation, and is preferential, adopts the buckle to fix, can be fast with the apron is dismantled, is convenient for send the maintenance of water subassembly to change.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 and 5, a water outlet is formed in the inner container near the water pump, and the water outlet is used for discharging water from the water outlet end of the water pump. The water outlet is provided with a first fixing ring, and a fixing sleeve is sleeved on the first fixing ring. The fixed sleeve is used for positioning and protecting the water delivery assembly, and is convenient for the water delivery assembly to be connected with the water pump. The first fixing ring is used for positioning the fixing sleeve, so that the installation position of the fixing sleeve is determined, and when the liner is manufactured, the first fixing ring can be integrally formed with the liner, so that the structural strength is higher. The fixing of the fixing sleeve to the second connecting hole by the first fixing ring ensures a very convenient installation of the fixing sleeve and significantly reduces the possibility of incorrect assembly of the fixing sleeve. The fixed sleeve is in sealing connection with the second connecting hole through the first sealing ring, and the water delivery assembly sequentially penetrates through the second connecting hole and the fixed sleeve to be connected with the water outlet end of the water pump. The first sealing ring is used for providing sealing guarantee for connection between the fixed sleeve and the second connecting hole, and by being provided with the first sealing ring, the contact area between the fixed sleeve and the second connecting hole is increased, so that more sealing agents can be filled, and the sealing effect is better.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 6, a water inlet is formed at the inner container above the ice making assembly, and the water inlet is used for feeding water sent by the water feeding assembly into the ice making assembly. The fixed pipe is arranged between the first connecting hole and the water inlet, and the fixed pipe is in sealing connection with the first connecting hole and the water inlet. The fixing pipe is used for positioning and protecting the water delivery assembly, and is convenient for connecting the water delivery assembly with the ice making assembly.

It will be readily appreciated that since the ice-making assembly is disposed within the freezer compartment, the water delivery assembly is readily frozen proximate the ice-making assembly. Thus, in some embodiments, a heat generating element (not shown) is wrapped around the stationary tube proximate the water inlet. After the heating wire is electrified, heat can be generated, so that the water delivery assembly is close to the ice making assembly to freeze and melt, the phenomenon that the water delivery assembly is blocked is avoided, and the ice making assembly cannot normally make ice. In addition, the heating wire may be intermittently heated to melt ice, and the interval time and the heating time may be determined according to room temperature.

It is easy to understand that the fixing pipe needs to extend from the first connecting hole to the water inlet, the interval is long, and the fixing pipe is easy to sink or bend under the action of gravity. Thus, in some embodiments, support posts are provided below the mounting tube, with the support posts below the mounting tube acting primarily to hold and secure the mounting tube to ensure that the mounting tube does not sag or move. They can be mounted on the top surface of the inner container, ensure that the fixed pipe or other components are not damaged or deformed when being mounted, and simultaneously can facilitate the maintenance work in the future. In order to enable the water flow to flow into the ice making assembly more quickly, the first connection hole is disposed higher than the water inlet. The water in the water tank is prevented from being incapable of being sucked into the ice grid of the ice maker, so that ice cubes in the ice storage box are not full enough, and the use effect is poor.

In some embodiments, the water delivery assembly includes a first hose, a flow meter, and a second hose connected in sequence, the first hose being connected to the water pump, the second hose being inserted into the stationary tube. The first hose and the second hose can be connected with the flowmeter by adopting a quick-release head, so that the maintenance is convenient. The flowmeter is used for monitoring the water flow flowing through the flowmeter, and on one hand, the water pressure is detected through the water flow so as to detect whether water exists in the water tank or not; on the other hand, the water flow in the ice making assembly can be monitored through the water flow, so that the phenomenon that too little water exists, the produced ice is not full enough, and the phenomenon that ice cubes overflow to cause adhesion or ice lump formation of the produced ice cubes and cannot be used is avoided. The flowmeter is better than the prior art by timing control of water quantity, because the water quantity in the water tank is different, the water pressure is different, if the water is regularly pumped, the water quantity is not accurate enough, and the flowmeter is adopted for water quantity control more accurately.

It is easy to understand that, in order to facilitate taking out the water tank for cleaning or changing water, a first quick-dismantling interface is arranged at the water inlet end of the water pump, and the water tank is connected with the water pump through the first quick-dismantling interface; in order to facilitate replacement of the first hose, a second quick-release connector is arranged at the water outlet end of the water pump, and the first hose is connected with the water pump through the second quick-release connector. The first quick-release interface and the second quick-release interface are used for respectively and quickly connecting and disconnecting the water pump with the water tank and the first hose, so that the installation time is saved, and the working efficiency of security is improved. At the same time, it also facilitates maintenance and replacement of damaged or failed first hoses and tanks.

It is easy to understand that certain vibrations can be produced when the water pump works, in order to fix the water pump, avoid the water pump vibrations to lead to the interface not hard up or drop. Thus, in some embodiments, referring to fig. 2, a fixing box is provided outside the water pump, the fixing box being used to fix the water pump and the first and second quick release interfaces. The first quick detach interface and second quick detach interface all pass fixed box is connected with the water pump, the fixed slot has all been seted up to first quick detach mouth and second quick detach mouth outer wall, be provided with fixed knot on the fixed box, fixed knot card is gone into in the fixed slot. The fixed buckling fixed slot is matched with the fixed box and is used for fixing the first quick-release connector and the second quick-release connector on the fixed box, reducing vibration and maintaining the stability and sealing of the structure.

It is easy to understand that, because the ice maker is located in the freezing chamber and the vertical height of the ice maker is lower than that of the water tank, in order to prevent siphon formation in the water pipe, water in the water pipe needs to be pumped back to the water tank by controlling the water pump after water injection is finished, and the water pump has two problems, namely, the water pump is complex in control, high in energy consumption and high in cost, when the water pump fails to pump back, the siphon phenomenon occurs, water in the water tank is continuously sucked into the ice grid of the ice maker, overflows the ice grid and falls into the ice storage box, and ice cubes in the ice storage box are adhered or form ice lumps, so that the ice storage box cannot be used. The invention also provides a refrigerator comprising the waterway system, wherein the refrigerating chamber is positioned below the freezing chamber. Will make ice subassembly setting in the top of water tank can avoid siphon phenomenon to take place, and water in the water tank is by continuous inhaling in the ice maker ice tray, overflows the ice tray and falls into the ice storage box, causes ice-cube adhesion or formation ice lump in the ice storage box, can't use.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and any changes or substitutions that can be easily understood by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present invention are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A waterway system of a refrigerator including a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber, comprising:

the water tank is arranged in the refrigerating chamber;

an ice-making assembly disposed within the freezer compartment;

the water pump is arranged between the water tank and the ice making assembly, and is provided with a water inlet end and a water outlet end, and the water inlet end is communicated with the water tank;

the shell comprises an inner container and a shell, and the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are positioned in the inner container;

the water delivery assembly is connected between the water outlet end of the water pump and the ice making assembly, and is positioned outside the shell.

2. The waterway system of refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a side plate and a rear plate, a fixing groove is formed in the rear plate, the water delivery assembly is fixed in the fixing groove, a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole are formed in the fixing groove, one end of the water delivery assembly penetrates through the first connecting hole to be connected with the ice making assembly, and the other end of the water delivery assembly penetrates through the second connecting hole to be connected with a water outlet end of the water pump.

3. The waterway system of refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the water outlet is formed in the position, close to the water pump, of the inner container, a first fixing ring is arranged outside the water outlet, a fixing sleeve is sleeved on the first fixing ring, the fixing sleeve is in sealing connection with the second connecting hole through a first sealing ring, and the water delivery assembly sequentially penetrates through the second connecting hole and the fixing sleeve to be connected with the water outlet end of the water pump.

4. The waterway system of refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a water inlet is formed at the inner container above the ice making assembly, a fixing tube is arranged between the first connecting hole and the water inlet, and the fixing tube is in sealing connection with the first connecting hole and the water inlet.

5. The waterway system of refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the fixing tube is wound with a heating member near the water inlet.

6. The waterway system of refrigerator of claim 4, wherein a support column is disposed under the fixing tube, and the first connection hole is higher than the water inlet.

7. The waterway system of refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the water supply assembly includes a first hose, a flow meter, and a second hose sequentially connected, the first hose being connected to the water pump, the second hose being inserted into the fixing tube.

8. The waterway system of claim 7, wherein a water inlet end of the water pump is provided with a first quick-release interface, the water tank is connected with the water pump through the first quick-release interface, a water outlet end of the water pump is provided with a second quick-release interface, and the first hose is connected with the water pump through the second quick-release interface.

9. The waterway system of claim 8, wherein a fixing box is arranged outside the water pump, the first quick-release interface and the second quick-release interface are connected with the water pump by penetrating through the fixing box, fixing grooves are formed in the outer walls of the first quick-release opening and the second quick-release opening, fixing buckles are arranged on the fixing box, and the fixing buckles are clamped into the fixing grooves.

10. A refrigerator comprising the waterway system of any of claims 1-9, wherein the refrigerating chamber is located below the freezing chamber.