Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10859304-B2
Application number	US-202016789434-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2020
Priority date	Nov 28, 2018
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of household appliances technologies, and discloses a refrigerator with a separate ice-making system which comprises a refrigerating compartment and an ice-making chamber disposed inside the refrigerating compartment, wherein an ice maker is arranged in the ice-making chamber, the ice-making chamber is supplied with cold air by an ice-making refrigeration system including an ice-making evaporator, an ice-making air supply duct, an ice-making fan and an ice-making air return duct, the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct are located front to back, the ice-making evaporator is disposed in the refrigerating compartment and located outside the ice-making chamber, and the ice-making evaporator is communicated with the ice maker through the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct to form a refrigerating cycle loop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator with a separate ice-making system, comprising:
a refrigerating compartment and an ice-making chamber disposed inside the refrigerating compartment;
an ice maker provided inside of the ice-making chamber;
a refrigerating air duct disposed in the refrigerating compartment, the refrigerating air duct includes an air duct front cover plate, air duct foam, and an air duct rear cover plate disposed in order of front to rear; and
an ice-making refrigeration system configured to refrigerate the ice-making chamber, the ice-making refrigeration system including an ice-making evaporator, an ice-making air supply duct, an ice-making fan provided downstream of the ice-making air supply duct, and an ice-making air return duct; wherein
the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct are provided outside of the ice-making chamber and on back of the refrigerator; the ice-making air supply duct is provided in front of or in back of the ice-making air return duct; the ice-making evaporator is provided upstream of the ice-making air supply duct, and disposed inside the refrigerating compartment and outside the ice-making chamber;
the ice-making evaporator is air communicated with the ice maker through the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct to form a refrigerating cycle loop; and
the ice-making air return duct is provided between the air duct foam and the air duct rear cover plate, and the air duct front cover plate is disposed on an outer surface of the rear wall of a refrigerating compartment liner.

2. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 1 , further comprising a cover plate assembly disposed on rear of the ice-making chamber and configured to seal inside of the ice-making chamber, the cover plate assembly includes an ice-making front cover plate, an ice-making back cover foam, and an ice-making rear cover plate disposed in order of front to rear; and
the ice-making evaporator is mounted on an outer side of the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment liner.

3. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 2 , wherein the ice-making air supply duct is provided between the air duct rear cover plate and the ice maker rear cover plate, and the ice-making evaporator is installed in the ice-making air supply duct.

4. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 3 , further comprising a defrosting heating tube disposed below the ice-making evaporator and proximal to outside of the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct.

5. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 1 , wherein the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct are both located between the ice-making evaporator and the ice maker;
the ice-making fan is disposed between the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct, and provided on an ice-making fan base;
an ice-making inner air duct is provided in the ice maker; and
the ice-making air supply duct, the ice-making inner air duct and the ice-making air return duct are sequentially connected to form the refrigerating cycle loop.

6. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 1 , further comprising a main refrigeration system disposed in the refrigerating compartment, wherein the main refrigeration system includes a refrigerating evaporator, a refrigerating air supply duct, a refrigerating fan, and a refrigerating air return duct;
wherein, the refrigerating air supply duct is provided between the air duct foam and the air duct rear cover plate, the refrigerating fan directs cold air into the refrigerating air supply duct; and
the refrigerating air return duct is formed between the air duct rear cover plate and the rear side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner.

7. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 1 , wherein the air duct front cover plate and the air duct rear cover plate are mounted on an outer side of the rear side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner.

8. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 2 , wherein in the ice-making air supply duct:
the air duct rear cover plate and the ice maker rear cover plate are lapped and sealed by a first fitting surface;
the air duct foam and the refrigerating compartment liner are sealed by a second fitting surface;
the air duct rear cover plate and the refrigerating compartment liner are fixedly sealed by a third fitting surface; and
the air duct rear cover plate and the refrigerating compartment liner are sealed by a fourth fitting surface.

9. The refrigerator with a separate ice-making system of claim 2 , wherein in the ice-making air return duct:
the air duct foam and the ice maker front cover plate are sealed by a fifth fitting surface;
the air duct foam and the ice maker front cover plate are sealed by a sixth fitting surface;
the air duct foam and the ice maker rear cover plate are sealed by a seventh fitting surface; and
the air duct foam and the ice maker rear cover plate are sealed by a eighth fitting surface.

Assignees

• Hefei Hualing Co Ltd
• Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co
• Midea Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jia Ying
• Si Zengqiang
• Liu Dongxian
• Zheng Xuezai
• Lu Fei
• Li Yu
• Wei Deming

Classifications

• F25D2317/067

  characterised by air ducts · CPC title

• F25D2317/0665

  from the top · CPC title

• F25D23/12 Primary

  Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove · CPC title

• F25C5/22 Primary

  particularly adapted for household refrigerators · CPC title

• F25C1/00

  Producing ice (F25C3/00 takes precedence) · CPC title