EP3842715A1

EP3842715A1 - Water tank assembly and refrigerator

Info

Publication number: EP3842715A1
Application number: EP19864793.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mingxing SUN; Yang Shao; Zengqiang SI; Zanxi LIU; Xing Chen; Jincai WANG; Hui Shao
Original assignee: Hefei Hualing Co Ltd; Midea Group Co Ltd; Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hefei Hualing Co Ltd; Midea Group Co Ltd; Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-29
Filing date: 2019-04-11
Publication date: 2021-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2039-04-11
Also published as: EP3842715A4; EP3842715B1; CN109269207B; WO2020062833A1; PH12021550461A1; CN109269207A

Abstract

Disclosed are a water tank assembly and a refrigerator. A water storage box (3) is used for storing water; and when cool water or cold water is needed, a user can fasten an opening of the water storage box (3) with a box cover (2), so that a closed water storage space is formed in the water storage box (3), and the cool water and cold water can flow out of a water outlet (7) for drinking. In this case, a fence (5) is rotated above the water storage box (3), and the fence (5) and the box cover (2) under same form a space for an article to be placed in, wherein the box cover (2) is the bottom, and the fence (5) encloses the article from the periphery to limit the article. In addition, when the user does not require cool water or cold water, the water storage box (3) is empty, and the fence (5) is rotated to a side face (for example, a front side) or below the water storage box (3); the fence (5) and a side wall or a bottom wall of the water storage box (3) enclose a box cover placement space, and the box cover (2) is taken down from the water storage box (3) to be placed in the box cover placement space; and the water storage box (3) itself can be used for storing articles. Therefore, a multi-functional water tank assembly is formed, wherein same has multiple functions for storing articles and storing water, improving the functional diversity of a refrigerator, and effectively using the space in the refrigerator.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Chinese application No. 2018111500150 filed on September 29, 2018 , entitled "Water Tank Assembly and Refrigerator", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present disclosure relates to the field of refrigerator space design, in particular to a water tank assembly and a refrigerator.

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, refrigerators have complicated functions, including the provision of a water tank directly installed inside the refrigerator, which may facilitate users to drink cold water directly. However, in many cases, the demand for cold water is not a rigid demand. The empty tank takes up too much internal space of the refrigerator, resulting in a decrease in storage capacity and a waste of space.

SUMMARY

(I) Technical problems to be solved

An objective of embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a water tank assembly and a refrigerator capable of solving at least one of the above-mentioned problems.

(II) Technical solutions

In order to solve the technical problems above, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a water tank assembly, including: a water storage box, a box cover and a fence; wherein a water outlet is arranged at a bottom of the water storage box, and the box cover is fastened to an opening of the water storage box; the fence is rotatable around the water storage box, when the fence is rotated to a position above the water storage box, the fence and the box cover enclose a space for placing articles. When the fence is rotated to a side of or a position under the water storage box, the fence and a bottom wall or a side wall of the water storage box enclose a second storage space. In some embodiments, the water outlet is provided with a detachable sealing cover, when the fence is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box, the detachable sealing cover is configured to close the water outlet.
In some embodiments, the box cover is provided with a water inlet having the same size and shape as those of the water outlet; when the box cover is fastened to the opening of the water storage box, the detachable sealing cover is configured to close the water inlet.
In some embodiments, the detachable sealing cover is provided with micro-vents.
In some embodiments, a water outlet tube is arranged at the water outlet, and a control valve is arranged on the water outlet tube.
In some embodiments, when the fence is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box, a bottom of the fence is coplanar with the control valve.
In some embodiments, both ends of the fence are rotatably installed on left and right side walls of the water storage box.
In some embodiments, installation parts for installing both ends of the fence onto the water storage box include locking nuts.
In some embodiments, the fence includes a first fence frame and a second fence frame, and the first fence frame and the second fence frame are perpendicular to each other;
when the fence is rotated to a position above the water storage box, the first fence frame is configured to encircle articles placed on the box cover;
when the fence is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box, the first fence frame is configured to place the box cover, and the second fence frame is configured to block the upright-placed box cover.
In some embodiments, the water storage box is provided with a stopper structure to fix the fence rotated to a position above the water storage box.
An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a refrigerator, including a refrigerator body and any type of water tank assembly as described above.

(III) Beneficial effects

According to the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the water storage box is configured to store water. When a user needs cool water or iced water, the box cover may be fastened to the opening of the water storage box, the water storage box forms a closed water storage space, and cool water or iced water is taken out from the water outlet for drinking. In this case, the fence is rotated to a position above the water storage box, the fence and the box cover below form a space for placing articles, so that the box cover is adopted as a bottom, and the fence encloses the articles from the periphery to limit the articles. In addition, when the user doesn't need cool water or iced water, the water storage box is empty, the fence is rotated to the side (such as the front side) of or a position under the water storage box or is not rotated, the fence and the side wall or the bottom wall of the water storage box form a box cover placement space, the box cover is removed from the water storage box to be placed in the box cover placement space; the water storage box itself may be configured to store articles. In this way, a multifunctional water tank assembly is formed, which has multiple functions of storing articles and storing water, thereby improving the functional diversity of the refrigerator, and effectively utilizing the space inside the refrigerator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a exploded schematic diagram of a water tank assembly according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a water tank assembly when the fence is above the water storage box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a water tank assembly when the water storage box is configured to store articles according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a water tank assembly when the fence is under the water storage box according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 5 is a structural diagram showing a water tank assembly to which water is added by a user according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The specific embodiments of the present disclosure are further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. The following examples are used to illustrate the present disclosure, but not to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified and defined, the terms "installation", "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediary, or can be an internal connection of two components. "The first", "the second", "the third" and "the fourth" do not represent any sequential relationship, but are only distinguished for the convenience of description. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances. "Currently" means the moment of performing an action, and when multiple "currently" appear in the article, they are all the real-time recording over time.
In view of the problem that the water tank in the traditional refrigerator occupies a large volume, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a water tank assembly and a refrigerator adopting the water tank assembly.
The product and method will be described in detail below through the basic embodiment, extended embodiments and alternative embodiments.
A water tank assembly, as shown in FIGS. 1-5, includes: a water storage box 3, a box cover 2 and a fence 5; wherein a water outlet 7 is arranged at a bottom of the water storage box 3, and the box cover 2 is fastened to the opening of the water storage box 3; the fence 5 is rotatable around the water storage box 3, when the fence 5 is rotated to a position above the water storage box 3, the fence 5 and the box cover 2 fastened on the water storage box 3 enclose a space for placing articles (there is water in the water storage box); or the fence 5 and an inner bottom of the water storage box 3 enclose a space for placing articles (there is no water in the water storage box). When the fence 5 is rotated to a side of or a position under the water storage box 3, the fence 5 and a bottom wall or a side wall of the water storage box 3 enclose a second storage space.
The water storage box 3 has a box structure and may have an opening at the upper part and fastened and closed by interference fit with the box cover 2. Therefore, when no cold water is needed, the water storage box 3 is configured to store articles, and the articles are placed in the box from the opening of the box. The box cover 2 and the water storage box 3 can be connected in a way that the two are separate and fastened by interference connection. Alternatively, the box cover 2 and the water storage box 3 may be hinged, that is, one edge of the box cover 2 is hinged on the opening edge of the water storage box 3 through a hinge or other articulation pieces. In other words, the box cover 2 may be fastened to the opening of the water storage box 3 in a detachable or hinged way. After the box cover 2 is detached from the water storage box 3, it can be placed in the second storage space; when the box cover 2 is hinged on the water storage box 3, the box cover 2 can be directly rotated and hung on the water storage box 3, while the second storage space can store other articles. Of course, the fence 5 may not be rotated according to the needs. When it is not rotated, the fence 5 and the inner bottom of the water storage box 3 form a storage space.
The fence 5 is a frame and shown as a snakelike linear frame in the figures. The fence 5 is rotated around the water storage box 3 in order that the fence 5 is rotated to different locations of the water storage box 3. The fence 5 is rotatably installed inside the refrigerator door, or the installation position of the fence 5 can be determined according to the installation position of the water tank. For example, if the water tank assembly is installed on the refrigerator door body, the fence 5 can be rotatably installed on the inside of the door body; if the water tank assembly is installed on the refrigerator body, the fence 5 can be rotatably installed on the inside of the refrigerator body.
The figures show that the fence 5 is rotatably installed at both ends of the water storage box 3, just as the way in which a handle of barrel is connected with the barrel body. In this embodiment, both ends of the fence 5 are installed on both ends of the water storage box 3 through the locking nuts 6. When the fence 5 is rotated to the side or the bottom of the water storage box 3, the fence 5 and the water storage box 3 limit a storage space to facilitate the storage of the box cover 2.
It must be considered that when the water storage box 3 is used as the space for storing articles, the stored articles may pollute the water outlet tube 9. In order to avoid the pollution of the water outlet tube 9, the water outlet 7 is provided with a detachable sealing cover 1, so that when the fence 5 is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box 3, the detachable sealing cover 1 closes the water outlet 7. The detachable sealing cover 1 blocks the water outlet 7 and the water outlet tube 9. The purpose of the detachability is that when the water storage box 3 stores water, the water outlet 7 and the water outlet tube 9 should be kept unblocked, and the detachable sealing cover 1 needs to be detached. The detachable sealing cover 1 can be screwed into the water outlet 7 or squeezed into the water outlet 7 by interference fit.
In order to avoid frequently opening the box cover 2 to add water, the box cover 2 is provided with a water inlet 8, from which water can be added directly.
When the water storage box 3 is configured to store water, the detachable sealing cover does not need to seal the water outlet. Therefore, at this time, the detachable sealing cover 1 can be mounted at the water inlet 8 by tightening or squeezing. The water inlet 8 is sealed when no water is needed, and the sealing cover can be detached when water is needed to be added.
Based on the two different application locations of the detachable sealing cover 1, the detachable sealing cover 1 can be configured to close both the water inlet and the water outlet; the water inlet 8 and the water outlet 7 have the same size and shape. The detachable sealing cover 1 is mounted on the water inlet 8 to close the water inlet when the water storage box 3 stores water, and it is mounted on the water outlet 7 when the water storage box 3 stores articles.
There are few restrictions on the setting positions of the water inlet 8, but it needs to be considered that when the box cover 2 and the fence 5 enclose the storage space, the upper surface of the box cover 2 is preferably flat, and thus the water inlet 8 is preferably concave inwards. After the detachable sealing cover 1 is put into the water inlet 8, the upper surface of the sealing cover 1 is flush with the upper surface of the box cover 2.
In order to facilitate the discharge of the gas from the water storage box 3, the detachable sealing cover 1 is provided with micro-vents. The micro-vents are only conductive to gas discharge, and those skilled in the art can design the sizes of the micro-vents according to the practical experience.
A control valve 4 is arranged on the water outlet tube 9 of the water storage box. The control valve 4 is convenient to control the water outlet. In addition, the detachable sealing cover 1 is mounted at the water outlet 7, which can also prevent the control valve 4 from being polluted by articles and food as far as possible.
The control valve 4 is usually under the water storage box 3. When the fence 5 is rotated to a position under the water storage box 3, attention needs to be paid to make the control valve give way. On the other hand, in order to increase the stability of the installation and placement of the water tank assembly, when the fence 5 is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box 3, the bottom of the fence 5 is coplanar with the control valve 4. The figures show the structural form of the water tank assembly when the control valve 4 and the fence 5 are in the same plane, and the plane can be adapted to the plane of placement. In other embodiments, if there is no control valve, the bottom of the water outlet tube 9 and the bottom of the fence can also be at the same level.
As mentioned above, the fence 5 needs to enclose a storage space with the box cover 2. Therefore, when the fence 5 is rotated to a position above the water storage box 3, its position needs to be fixed. Therefore, a stopper is disposed inside the water storage box 3 or the refrigerator body, and the stopper may be a stopping platform or a rotatable stopping handle.
The figures show a structure of the fence 5, the fence 5 includes a first fence frame 51 and a second fence frame 52, and the first fence frame 51 and the second fence frame 52 are perpendicular to each other. When the fence 5 is rotated to a position above the water storage box 3, the first fence frame 51 is configured to encircle the articles placed on the box cover 2; when the fence 5 is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box 3, the first fence frame 51 is configured to place the box cover 2, and the second fence frame 52 is configured to block the upright-placed box cover 2. There is no limitation for the number of the first fence frame 51 and the second fence frame 52. The figures show two first fence frames 51 and one second fence frame 52. In some cases, the first fence frame 51 and the second fence frame 52 can be formed by bending a metal bar.
An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a refrigerator, which includes a refrigerator body and any type of the above-mentioned water tank assembly, and the refrigerator body is provided with a water tank assembly. The refrigerator body can refer to door body or the inside of refrigerator.
The above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modification, equivalent substitution, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

A water tank assembly, comprising:
a water storage box, provided with a water outlet at a bottom thereof;

a box cover, fastened to an opening of the water storage box; and

a fence, rotatably arranged around the water storage box;

wherein the fence and the box cover enclose a space for placing articles when the fence is rotated to a position above the water storage box; and the fence and a bottom wall or a side wall of the water storage box enclose a second storage space when the fence is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box.
The water tank assembly of claim 1, wherein the water outlet is provided with a detachable sealing cover configured to close the water outlet when the fence is rotated to the position under or beside the water storage box.
The water tank assembly of claim 2, wherein the box cover is provided with a water inlet having the same size and shape as those of the water outlet; and the detachable sealing cover is configured to close the water inlet when the box cover is fastened to the opening of the water storage box.
The water tank assembly of claim 3, wherein the detachable sealing cover is provided with micro-vents.
The water tank assembly of claim 1, wherein a water outlet tube is arranged at the water outlet, and a control valve is arranged on the water outlet tube.
The water tank assembly of claim 5, wherein a bottom of the fence is coplanar with the control valve when the fence is rotated to a position under or beside the water storage box.
The water tank assembly of claim 1, wherein both ends of the fence are rotatably installed on left and right side walls of the water storage box.
The water tank assembly of claim 7, wherein installation parts for installing both ends of the fence onto the water storage box include locking nuts.
The water tank assembly of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the fence comprises a first fence frame and a second fence frame that are perpendicular to each other;
the first fence frame is configured to encircle articles placed on the box cover when the fence is rotated to the position above the water storage box; and
the first fence frame is configured to place the box cover and the second fence frame is configured to block the upright-placed box cover when the fence is rotated to the position under or beside the water storage box.
The water tank assembly of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the water storage box is provided with a stopper structure to fix the fence rotated to the position above the water storage box.
A refrigerator, comprising a refrigerator body and the water tank assembly of any one of claims 1-10.