Ice maker-integrated refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020393187-A1
Application number	US-201816766650-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 15, 2018
Priority date	Nov 23, 2017
Publication date	Dec 17, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is a refrigerator (100) integrated with an ice maker, the refrigerator (100) includes a refrigerator cabinet (10), a refrigerator door (20), an ice maker (30), an ice-making evaporator (40) and a blower (50); an air return duct (14), a blower chamber (12), an ice-making evaporation chamber (11) and an air supply duct (13) are sequentially connected; a free end of the air supply duct (13) is formed as an air supply port (13a) and a free end of the air return duct (14) is formed as an air return port (14a); the refrigerator door (20) is provided with an ice-making chamber (21), the ice-making chamber (21) is provided with an air inlet (211) and an air outlet (212), the air inlet (211) is in communication with the air supply port (13a) and the air outlet (212) is in communication with the air return port (14a) when the refrigerator door (20) is closed; the refrigerator door (20) is pivotally connected to the side wall of the refrigerator cabinet (10) where the blower chamber (12) is located.

First claim

1 . A refrigerator integrated with an ice maker, comprising:
a refrigerator cabinet including:
a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber,
an ice-making evaporation chamber provided on a rear wall of the refrigerator cabinet and located at a back side of the refrigerating chamber,
a side wall including a blower chamber;
an air supply duct and an air return duct, the air return duct, the blower chamber, the ice-making evaporation chamber, and the air supply duct being sequentially connected, a free end of the air supply duct being an air supply port, and a free end of the air return duct being an air return port;
a refrigerator door including an ice-making chamber, the ice-making chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the air inlet is in communication with the air supply port and the air outlet is in communication with the air return port when the refrigerator door is closed, and the refrigerator door is pivotally connected to the side wall of the refrigerator cabinet where the blower chamber is located; an ice maker located in the ice-making chamber; an ice-making evaporator located in the ice-making evaporation chamber; and a blower located in the blower chamber.

2 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply duct is located above the air return duct, the ice-making evaporation chamber, and the blower chamber, the blower chamber is located behind the air return duct, an inlet of the air supply duct is connected to an upper end of the ice-making evaporation chamber, and an outlet of the air return duct is connected to a front end of the blower chamber.

3 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the ice-making evaporation chamber is in communication with the blower chamber through a connection chamber, a front end of the connection chamber is in communication with a rear end of the blower chamber, and a rear end of the connection chamber is in communication with a lower part of the ice-making evaporation chamber.

4 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator cabinet comprises:
a cabinet body comprising a casing, an inner container, and an insulating layer sandwiched between the casing and the inner container, the air supply duct, the air return duct and a connecting duct being embedded in the insulating layer, a rear wall of the cabinet body including a first accommodating groove penetrating through the inner container and a part of the insulating layer, a part of the insulating layer in a side wall of the cabinet body protruding inwards and passing through the inner container, which defines a second accommodating groove therein; a first cover plate covering and closing the first accommodating groove, the first cover plate and the first accommodating groove together defining the ice-making evaporation chamber; and a second cover plate covering and closing the second accommodating groove, the second accommodating groove and the second cover plate together defining the blower chamber.

5 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator door comprises:
a door body containing the ice-making chamber therein; an ice storage box included in the ice-making chamber; a door cover plate pivotally connected to the door body; and an air duct assembly located in the ice-making chamber and dividing the ice-making chamber into an upper ice-making chamber accommodating the ice maker and a lower ice storage chamber accommodating the ice storage box; wherein the air inlet has an upper branch port and a lower branch port in communication with each other, the upper branch port is in communication with the ice-making chamber, the lower branch port is in communication with the air duct assembly, the air outlet is in communication with the ice storage chamber, and the air duct assembly has an air guide passage having an opening on an upper part, and a lower air guide port in communication with the air guide passage and facing the ice storage chamber.

6 . The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the air guide passage of the air duct assembly is connected between two side walls of the ice-making chamber, and an end of the air guide passage is in communication with the lower branch port.

7 . The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the door cover plate has a hollow structure, and a side of the door cover plate facing the ice-making chamber is provided with a plurality of bosses.

8 . The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of bosses have cavities therein.

9 . The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of bosses are strip-shaped and comprise a left boss, a top boss, and a right boss which are sequentially connected, the left boss is adjacent to a left edge of the door cover plate, the top boss is adjacent to an upper edge of the door cover plate, and the right boss is adjacent to a right edge of the door cover plate.

10 . The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein a cavity of the left boss diminishes gradually from a left to a right, and a cavity of the right boss diminishes gradually from the right to the left.

11 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply duct comprises:
a first sub air supply section, the first sub air supply section and the blower chamber being located at a same side wall, the first sub air supply section gradually inclining downwards from a front to a back, and the air supply port being formed at a front end of the first sub air supply section; and a second sub air supply section, the second sub air supply section being located in the rear wall and gradually extending downwards away from the side wall where the blower chamber is located.

12 . The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the air return duct gradually extends downwards from the front to the back, and the first sub air supply section and the air return duct are gradually away from each other from the front to the back.

13 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein each of the air supply duct and the air return duct includes an air guide groove.

14 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply duct and the air return duct are formed by a plurality of air ducts, and the plurality of air ducts are sequentially jointed.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Shao Yang
• Si Zengqiang
• Wang Jincai

Classifications

• F25D23/04

  with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners · CPC title

• F25C2400/10

  Refrigerator units · CPC title

• F25D2317/063

  with air guides · CPC title

• F25D2317/061

  through special compartments · CPC title

• F25D17/065 Primary

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title