Patent Description:
In an existing refrigerator, a storage space is generally formed by a refrigerator body, and is opened and closed through a door body. Such conventional spatial structure causes inflexibility of space division. Especially for a large-capacity refrigerator, the storage space cannot be fully used. In addition, it is likely to cause cold energy leakage when a user opens or closes the door body to take and put objects.

To fully use the space of the refrigerator, door-in-door structures have emerged in the prior art, that is, a door body includes an inner-layer door (or referred to as a main door body, a first door) and an outer-layer door (or referred to as an outer door body, a second door). The inner-layer door is configured to seal the space of a refrigerator body, and the inner-layer door itself includes a storage space as well. The outer-layer door is configured to seal the storage space on the inner-layer door. When needing to take or put objects on the inner-layer door, a user just needs to open the outer-layer door. This improves the layout flexibility of the storage spaces.

However, in an existing door-in-door type refrigerator, a storage space on the inner-layer door is generally in direct communication with a storage space of the refrigerator body, and after the outer-layer door is opened, it is still likely to cause cold energy leakage of the storage space of the refrigerator body. In addition, smell in the storage space of the inner-layer door and smell in the storage space of the refrigerator body are likely to be mixed. The door body is opened more frequently than the storage space of the refrigerator body, which may easily cause decline in quality of objects stored.

<CIT> discloses improvements in refrigerators, and discloses domestic refrigerators equipped with a mechanical refrigerating system; the invention makes reference to a novel improved form of door for such refrigerators adapted to provide auxiliary supporting means for articles and materials desired to be stored within the refrigerator.

<CIT> discloses a refrigerator door and more particularly a refrigerator door which is provided with a removable container.

<CIT> discloses the use of a cover for installing into a drawer body, wherein the cover can be arranged so as to be operatively connectable to a linearly movable drawer. The cover is suitable for evacuating at least one drawer interior by means of evacuating means such that the at least one drawer interior is evacuated when the drawer is in the closed position and can be ventilated prior to opening the drawer, and the cover is designed to be air-tight and is profiled such that the evacuating means, in the form of a controller, a pump, and a valve, are secured in at least one recess in the cover in an integrated manner. The cover has at least one air channel which leads into the cover interior or into the at least one recess, and the air channel is operatively connected to the evacuating means such that when the cover is supported on the drawer, air can be pumped out of the at least one drawer interior, the cover interior, or the at least one recess through the air channel.

One purpose of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator provided with a sealed and separate sealed drawer on a door body so as to preserve special food materials.

A further purpose of the present invention is to prolong the shelf life of food materials and improve a preservation effect.

In particular, the present invention provides a refrigerator provided with a sealed drawer on a door body, and the refrigerator includes:.

According to the invention, the refrigerator further includes: a first humidity detection device, disposed inside the first storage space and configured to detect an air humidity in the first storage space; and a second humidity detection device disposed inside the sealed barrel and configured to detect air humidity in the sealed barrel. In addition, the ventilating device is further configured to be turned on when the air humidity in the sealed barrel is higher than the air humidity in the first storage space.

Optionally, the refrigerator further includes: an air exhausting device, disposed inside the sealed barrel and configured to be turned on to vacuumize the sealed barrel when the air humidity in the sealed barrel is lower than the air humidity in the first storage space. Optionally, the sealed barrel is provided with an accommodating cavity in one side close to the first storage space; the accommodating cavity is separated from an area where the drawable box is located by a partition wall; and the air exhausting device and the ventilating device are disposed inside the accommodating cavity.

Optionally, the air exhausting device includes: a one-way valve, disposed on the partition wall and configured to allow only the air in the area where the drawable box is located to flow toward the accommodating cavity; and a vacuum pump, transversely disposed inside the accommodating cavity and connected to one side of the one-way valve located in the accommodating cavity by an air exhausting pipe.

Optionally, the ventilating device includes: a ventilation valve, disposed on a wall, toward the first storage space, of the accommodating cavity; and a ventilation pipe, extending from the ventilation valve to the partition wall and in communication with the area where the drawable box is located.

Optionally, the refrigerator further includes: a second door, pivotally disposed on one side of the first door away from the refrigerator body; and a door opening and closing detector, configured to sense an open/close state of the first door and the second door. In addition, the air exhausting device is further configured to be turned on only when the first door and the second door are both closed.

Optionally, the refrigerator further includes: a sealing element, disposed at a position where a panel of the drawable box faces the sealed barrel, where the sealing element is extruded by the panel of the drawable box and the sealed barrel when the drawable box is closed, so as to seal a gap between the panel of the drawable box and the sealed barrel.

Optionally, the refrigerator further includes: a locking element, where the locking element is configured to limit positions of the panel of the drawable box and the sealed barrel when the drawable box is closed, and includes: limiting posts, extending from front ends disposed at two sides of the sealed barrel to the panel of the drawable box; and limiting grooves, formed on two sides of the panel of the drawable box and configured to cooperate with the limiting posts to lock the position of the drawable box.

Optionally, the drawable box further includes a pivoting handle, where the pivoting handle includes:.

According to the refrigerator provided with a sealed drawer on a door body in the present invention, the sealed barrel is disposed inside the first door, and the drawable box is disposed inside the sealed barrel in a drawable way via the opening, such that a sealed drawer for storing certain precious goods (various dried products, for example, tea and Chinese wolfberry fruits) is formed on the door body. In addition, a ventilating device may be disposed inside the sealed barrel that enables the sealed drawer to be in communication with the refrigerator body when turned on so as to reduce a humidity in the sealed drawer when the humidity in the sealed drawer is relatively high, thereby prolonging shelf life of food materials, improving a preservation effect, and meeting requirements of users on classified storage refinement of intelligent refrigerators.

Further, according to the refrigerator provided with a sealed drawer on a door body in the present invention, the humidity detection devices are used to detect the humidity in the first storage space of the refrigerator body and the humidity in the sealed barrel respectively, and the ventilating device and the air exhausting device are used to reduce the humidity of the sealed drawer. That is, the humidity in the drawer is reduced by using a vacuum dehumidification technology when the drawable box is closed, so that the interior of the drawer is kept dry, which is conducive to preservation of precious goods.

More further, the sealed drawer is sealed by extrusion of a sealing element (such as a silicone rubber sealing gasket), and can be conveniently sealed and unlocked by using the pivoting handle based on structural improvement. This facilitates operation of users.

Specific embodiments of the present invention are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and persons skilled in the art can more clearly understand the above and other purposes, advantages and features of the present invention.

Some specific embodiments of the present invention are described below in detail in an exemplary and unlimited way with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same or similar components or parts are indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings. Persons skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:.

The orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "up", "down", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom" and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. Such terms are intended merely for the ease and brevity of description of the present invention without indicating or implying that the apparatuses or components mentioned must have specified orientations or must be constructed and manipulated in the specified orientations, and therefore shall not be construed as any limitation on the present invention. That is, if the embodiments of the present invention involve orientation indication (such as up, down, front, rear, top, bottom. ), the orientation indication is merely for explaining a relative positional relationship between members in a certain posture (for example, as shown in the accompanying drawings, or as a normal use state of the refrigerator). In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are merely for the purpose of description, and shall not be understood as any indication or implication of relative importance or any implicit indication of the number of technical features indicated.

<FIG> is a schematic perspective view of a refrigerator <NUM> provided with a storage space on a door body <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerator <NUM> provided with a storage space on a door body <NUM> may generally include a refrigerator body <NUM> and the door body <NUM>.

At least a first storage space (shielded by the door body <NUM> and unshown in the figure) is defined inside the refrigerator body <NUM>, where the first storage space includes a forward opening. Generally, at least one storage space with an open front side is defined inside the refrigerator body <NUM>. Usually, a plurality of storage spaces are defined in the refrigerator body <NUM>, where the storage spaces may be classified into a refrigeration chamber, a freezing chamber, a variable-temperature chamber and the like according to refrigeration temperatures and functions. Specific quantity and function of the storage space may be configured according to predetermined requirements. The first storage space may be one or more of a plurality of storage spaces defined by the refrigerator body <NUM>.

The door body <NUM> is disposed on a front side of the refrigerator body <NUM> to open and close a storage chamber. For example, the door body <NUM> may be disposed on one side of a front portion of the refrigerator body <NUM> by means of hinging, to pivotally open and close the refrigerator body <NUM>. The door body <NUM> may be configured according to layout of the refrigerator body <NUM>. A layout structure of the refrigerator body <NUM> may be configured according to functions and requirements of the refrigerator, for example, the refrigerator body <NUM> may be configured as a side-by-side door type, a T type (cross door), a French type (four-door, or multi-door), or other types.

The door body <NUM> includes a first door <NUM> (or referred to as a main door body or an inner-layer door) and may include a second door <NUM> (or referred to as a front door body or an outer-layer door). The first door <NUM> is pivotally disposed at a front portion of the forward opening, and a second storage space <NUM> may be defined in the first door <NUM>. The second door <NUM> may be pivotally disposed on one side of the first door <NUM> away from the refrigerator body <NUM>, and is configured to open and close the opening of the second storage space <NUM>. When the second door <NUM> is separately opened, the second storage space <NUM> may be exposed. In addition, the second door <NUM> and the first door <NUM> may be opened simultaneously to expose the first storage space defined by the refrigerator body <NUM>. Since hinges and rotating structures of double-layer doors are well known to persons skilled in the art, they are not described in detail again in this embodiment.

In the refrigerator <NUM> provided with a storage space on the door body <NUM> in this embodiment, the first storage space defined by the refrigerator body <NUM> includes a forward opening, and is sealed by a double-layer door (or referred to as a door-in-door). <FIG> is a schematic diagram from one perspective of a door body <NUM> in a refrigerator <NUM> provided with a storage space on the door body <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> is a schematic diagram from another perspective of a door body <NUM> in a refrigerator <NUM> provided with a storage space on the door body <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> and <FIG> respectively show a front side structure and a rear side structure of a door body <NUM> when a second door <NUM> is open.

In the refrigerator <NUM> in this embodiment, the second storage space <NUM> and the first storage space are independent of each other. When the second door <NUM> is separately opened, cold energy leakage of the first storage space can be avoided. Smell in the first storage space and smell in the second storage space <NUM> can also be prevented from being mixed during normal storage.

The first door <NUM> is provided with an air supply port <NUM> on one side toward the forward opening, and low-temperature air in the first storage space is introduced into the second storage space <NUM> via the air supply port <NUM>, so as to implement refrigeration inside the second storage space <NUM>. A fan and a sterilization device may be additionally disposed at the air supply port <NUM>, so as to meet a refrigeration requirement of the second storage space <NUM>. The second storage space <NUM> may be divided into a plurality of storage areas. The quantity and structure of the storage areas may be configured according to a storage requirement. In some embodiments, at least one of the storage areas may be configured as a sealed drawer <NUM>, where the sealed drawer <NUM> may be configured to implement dry-area storage, preservation and the like. One or more sealed drawers <NUM> may be provided, and a specific quantity thereof may be configured according to the storage requirement.

In the refrigerator <NUM> in this embodiment, the second storage space <NUM> and the first storage space behind can both be configured as a refrigeration storage space. By space division, storage requirements for different objects are met.

The sealed drawer <NUM> includes a sealed barrel <NUM>, and a drawable box <NUM> that is disposed inside the sealed barrel <NUM> in a drawable way. The sealed barrel <NUM> is disposed inside the first door <NUM> and provided with an opening on one side away from the first storage space, that is, the opening is located on one side, facing the second door <NUM>, of the first door <NUM>. The drawable box <NUM> is disposed inside the sealed barrel <NUM> in a drawable way via the opening. <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a sealed drawer <NUM> in a refrigerator <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> is a schematic diagram from another perspective of a sealed drawer <NUM> in a refrigerator <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> is a schematic block diagram of exhausting and ventilating members in a refrigerator <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator <NUM> is provided with a ventilating device <NUM>, where the ventilating device <NUM> is disposed inside the sealed barrel <NUM> and configured to allow communication between an internal space of the sealed barrel <NUM> and the first storage space when turned on, thus realizing air exchange between the internal space of the sealed barrel <NUM> and the first storage space. The refrigerator <NUM> according to the present invention preferably adopts air cooling for refrigeration, and the humidity in the first storage space may be reduced during refrigeration of the first storage space. Therefore, the ventilating device <NUM> may be turned on when the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM> is higher than the air humidity in the first storage space, so as to reduce the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM>.

Humidity detection devices are used to detect the humidity in the refrigerator body <NUM> and the first door <NUM>. A first humidity detection device <NUM> is disposed inside the first storage space and configured to detect the air humidity in the first storage space. A second humidity detection device <NUM> is disposed inside the sealed barrel <NUM> and configured to detect the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM>. The ventilating device <NUM> is further configured to be turned on when the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM> is higher than the air humidity in the first storage space. Thus, when the humidity in the sealed drawer <NUM> is relatively high, the sealed drawer <NUM> exchanges air with the first storage space so as to reduce the humidity in the sealed drawer <NUM>, thereby prolonging shelve lives of food materials and improving a preservation effect.

To further meet the requirement of the sealed drawer <NUM> for storing tea or other dry products and precious goods, the refrigerator <NUM> according to this embodiment may further be provided with an air exhausting device <NUM>. The air exhausting device <NUM> is disposed inside the sealed barrel <NUM> and configured to be turned on when the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM> is lower than the air humidity in the first storage space, so as to vacuumize the sealed barrel <NUM>.

To increase an available volume of the sealed barrel <NUM>, a structure of the sealed barrel <NUM> of the refrigerator according to this embodiment is further optimized. The sealed barrel <NUM> is provided with an accommodating cavity in one side close to the first storage space; the accommodating cavity is separated from an area where the drawable box <NUM> is located by a partition wall; and the air exhausting device <NUM> and the ventilating device <NUM> are disposed inside the accommodating cavity. To show the internal structure of the accommodating cavity, a rear wall of the accommodating cavity is specially hidden in <FIG>. The accommodating cavity may be in a long strip shape, is disposed at the top or bottom of the sealed barrel <NUM>, and provides an internal space for mounting the air exhausting device <NUM> and the ventilating device <NUM>. The partition wall <NUM> may be provided with a through hole for connecting the air exhausting device <NUM> and the ventilating device <NUM> to the interior of the sealed barrel <NUM>. The air exhausting device <NUM> may include a one-way valve <NUM> and a vacuum pump <NUM>. The one-way valve <NUM> is disposed on the partition wall <NUM> and configured to allow only the air in the area where the drawable box <NUM> is located to flow toward the accommodating cavity, such that external air is prevented from entering the sealed barrel <NUM> via the partition wall <NUM>. The vacuum pump <NUM> is transversely disposed inside the accommodating cavity and connected to one side, located in the accommodating cavity, of the one-way valve <NUM> by an air exhausting pipe (unshown in the figure).

The ventilating device <NUM> may include: a ventilation valve <NUM>, disposed on a wall, toward the first storage space, of the accommodating cavity; and a ventilation pipe (unshown in the figure), extending from the ventilation valve <NUM> to the partition wall <NUM> and in communication with the area where the drawable box <NUM> is located.

The ventilating device <NUM> and the air exhausting device <NUM> are both configured to be turned on only when the first door <NUM> and the second door <NUM> are both closed, so as to prevent external air introduced after the door is opened from affecting humidity detection results of the first humidity detection device <NUM> and the second humidity detection device <NUM>. The refrigerator according to this embodiment may further be provided with a door opening and closing detector <NUM>. The door opening and closing detector <NUM> is configured to sense an open/close state of the first door <NUM> and the second door <NUM>, so as to provide the open/close state of the first door <NUM> and the second door <NUM> for the ventilating device <NUM> and the air exhausting device <NUM>. The door opening and closing detector <NUM> may detect opening and closing actions of the first door <NUM> and the second door <NUM> by means such as a contact switch, a Hall element, and a magnetosensitive element.

An operating principle of the refrigerator according to this embodiment for maintaining the humidity of the sealed barrel <NUM> includes: determining that the first door <NUM> and the second door <NUM> are both closed; acquiring an air humidity in the first storage space detected by the first humidity detection device <NUM> and an air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM> detected by the second humidity detection device <NUM>; comparing the air humidity in the first storage space with the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM>; and if the air humidity in the first storage space is higher than the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM>, closing the ventilation valve <NUM> and starting the vacuum pump <NUM> to exhaust air from the sealed drawer <NUM>. When the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM> is higher than that in a refrigeration chamber, the ventilation valve <NUM> is opened, and the vacuum pump <NUM> is started to exchange air for the drawer <NUM>. Air exhausting and/or ventilation can both be performed according to a preset time duration or started and stopped according to a temperature.

The comparison between the air humidity in the first storage space and the air humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM>, and the control on the ventilating device <NUM> and the air exhausting device <NUM> can both be implemented by one controller.

In this embodiment, the humidity detection devices are used to detect the humidity in the first storage space of the refrigerator body <NUM> and the humidity in the sealed barrel <NUM> respectively, and the ventilating device <NUM> and the air exhausting device <NUM> are used to reduce the humidity of the sealed drawer <NUM>. That is, the humidity in the drawer <NUM> is reduced by using a vacuum dehumidification technology when the drawable box <NUM> is closed, so that the interior of the drawer <NUM> is kept dry, which is conducive to preservation of precious goods.

In this embodiment, in order to guarantee a sealing effect, a sealing structure for the sealed drawer <NUM> is also improved. <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a closed drawable box <NUM> in a refrigerator <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention; and <FIG> shows a form of a sealing element <NUM> in a state shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a pulled-out drawable box <NUM> in a refrigerator <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention; and <FIG> shows a form of a sealing element <NUM> in a state shown in <FIG>.

It can be seen from <FIG> that the sealing element <NUM> is disposed at a position where a panel of the drawable box <NUM> faces the sealed barrel <NUM>, and the sealing element <NUM> is extruded by the panel of the drawable box <NUM> and the sealed barrel <NUM> when the drawable box <NUM> is closed, so as to seal a gap between the panel of the drawable box <NUM> and the sealed barrel <NUM>. The sealing element <NUM> may use a silicone rubber sealing gasket embedded into a slot formed in a front panel of the drawable box <NUM>. After the drawable box <NUM> is closed, the gap between the drawable box <NUM> and the sealed barrel <NUM> is sealed under the extrusion of the front panel of the drawable box <NUM> and the sealed barrel <NUM>.

To facilitate operation of a user and prevent a situation that the drawable box <NUM> is difficult to open in a sealed state, the drawable box <NUM> may further include a pivoting handle <NUM>. The pivoting handle <NUM> includes two pivoting arms <NUM> and pull rods <NUM>. One ends of the two pivoting arms <NUM> are pivotally connected to two sides of the front panel of the drawable box <NUM> within a set rotating angle; and the pull rods <NUM> are connected to the other ends of the two pivoting arms <NUM> and configured to be held by a user to apply a force for pulling the drawable box <NUM> after the pivoting arms <NUM> rotate to a set angle. The pivoting handle <NUM> may be attached to the front side of the panel of the drawable box <NUM> in a normal state, and may be basically perpendicular to the panel of the drawable box <NUM> after pulled and reversed by a user, so as to facilitate force application of the user. The set rotating angle of the pivoting handle <NUM> may be limited by an angle limiting member, for example, an included angle between the pivoting handle <NUM> and the panel of the drawable box <NUM> is limited to be <NUM>-<NUM> degrees.

<FIG> is a state diagram of a locking element <NUM> when a drawable box <NUM> is pulled out in a refrigerator <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention; and <FIG> is a state diagram of the locking element <NUM> when the drawable box <NUM> is closed in a refrigerator <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present invention.

To further improve tightness, the refrigerator further includes a locking element <NUM> configured to limit the positions of the panel of the drawable box <NUM> and the sealed barrel <NUM> when the drawer <NUM> is closed. The locking element <NUM> may be linked with the pivoting handle <NUM>, and performs unlocking when the pivoting handle <NUM> is pulled out; and the positions of the sealed barrel <NUM> and the drawable box <NUM> are locked when the pivoting handle <NUM> is put back.

The locking element <NUM> may be a structure provided with limiting posts <NUM> and limiting grooves <NUM> cooperating with each other. The limiting posts <NUM> extend from front ends disposed at two sides of the sealed barrel <NUM> toward the panel of the drawable box <NUM>; and the limiting grooves <NUM> are formed on two sides of the panel of the drawable box <NUM> and configured to cooperate with the limiting posts <NUM> to lock the position of the drawable box <NUM>. Each of the limiting grooves <NUM> includes a horizontal section toward the sealed barrel <NUM>, where the horizontal sections are for the limiting posts <NUM> to enter in a pulling direction of the drawable box <NUM>; each of the limiting grooves <NUM> is provided with an accommodating groove in the tail end along a height direction; and each of the limiting posts <NUM> enters the corresponding accommodating groove along the height direction after reaching the tail end of the corresponding horizontal section, thus realizing locking. When the drawable box <NUM> is pulled out, a user lifts the pivoting handle <NUM>, the limiting posts <NUM> are released from the accommodating grooves and can be released from the accommodating grooves along the pulling direction of the drawable box <NUM>. There may be a plurality of groups of locking elements <NUM>, and two sides of the sealed barrel <NUM> may be each provided with a plurality of groups of locking elements <NUM>.

With the above structure, the sealed drawer <NUM> is sealed by extrusion of a sealing element (such as a silicone rubber sealing gasket), and can be conveniently sealed and unlocked by using the pivoting handle <NUM> based on structural improvement. This facilitates operation of users.

Claim 1:
A refrigerator (<NUM>) provided with a sealed drawer (<NUM>) on a door body (<NUM>), comprising:
a refrigerator body (<NUM>) that defines a first storage space;
a first door (<NUM>), pivotally disposed at a front portion of the refrigerator body and configured to open and close the first storage space;
a sealed barrel (<NUM>), disposed inside the first door and provided with an opening on one side away from the first storage space;
a drawable box (<NUM>), disposed inside the sealed barrel in a drawable way via the opening; characterized in that the refrigerator (<NUM>) further comprises:
a ventilating device (<NUM>), disposed inside the sealed barrel and configured to allow communication between an internal space of the sealed barrel and the first storage space when turned on, thus realizing air exchange between the internal space of the sealed barrel and the first storage space;
a first humidity detection device (<NUM>), disposed inside the first storage space and configured to detect an air humidity in the first storage space; and
a second humidity detection device (<NUM>), disposed inside the sealed barrel and configured to detect an air humidity in the sealed barrel; and
the ventilating device is further configured to be turned on when the air humidity in the sealed barrel is higher than the air humidity in the first storage space.