BACKGROUND

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present utility model relate to the technical field of refrigeration appliances, and specifically, to a refrigerator.

Related Art

As refrigeration appliances that can maintain a constant low temperature, refrigerators have been widely promoted and popularized in daily life and are widely used in life and industrial fields for low-temperature preservation of foods or other objects.

A door of a refrigerator is usually rotatably or retractably connected to a case body. After a long time of use, different reasons may cause a change in the distance between the door and the case body in a depth direction of a storage compartment. When the refrigerator has a plurality of doors, outer surfaces of different doors cannot be located on the same plane. This deficiency is particularly obvious in a door refrigerator.

SUMMARY

An objective of embodiments of the present utility model is to further provide an improved refrigerator.

Therefore, the embodiments of the present utility model provide a refrigerator, including: a body having a storage compartment; a door, disposed on a front side of the body to open or close the storage compartment; and an adjusting unit, disposed on the body or the door, where the adjusting unit includes: a fixing member, fixed to one of the body and the door; and an adjusting member, disposed to be movable relative to the fixing member to adjust a distance between the adjusting member and the fixing member in a length direction of the adjusting member, where when the door is closed and an end of the adjusting member is at a minimum distance from the fixing member, a gap between the end of the adjusting member and the other one of the body and the door is not greater than 3 mm.

In this case, even if the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member, the gap may be eliminated due to negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure after the storage compartment of the refrigerator is cooled. That is, the end of the adjusting member may abut against the body or the door to prevent a distance between the door and a case body from being further lowered. A possibility is therefore provided: when the refrigerator leaves the factory, the adjusting unit may be at a minimum length. In a case of using the minimum length as an initial state of the adjusting unit, it is expectable to improve the manufacturing efficiency and reduce a possibility that a user needs to adjust the adjusting member before using the refrigerator.

The storage compartment may be a freezing compartment or a refrigerating compartment.

Optionally, when the door is closed and the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member, the gap between the end of the adjusting member and the other one of the body and the door is not greater than 2 mm. In this case, the gap is more likely to be automatically eliminated after the storage compartment is cooled.

Optionally, when the door is closed and the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member, the gap between the end of the adjusting member and the other one of the body and the door is not less than 0.5 mm, so that the door is closed tightly.

Optionally, when the door is closed and the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member, the gap between the end of the adjusting member and the other one of the body and the door is eliminable due to negative pressure after the storage compartment is cooled. In this way, if the end of the adjusting member and the fixing member are made at such a specified minimum distance from each other in a process of manufacturing the refrigerator, after the refrigerator is used for the first time, a probability that the negative pressure in the cooled storage compartment may automatically eliminate the gap between the end of the adjusting member and the door/case body to prevent the gap between the door and the case body from being further lowered is significantly improved.

Optionally, the adjusting unit includes a spacer movably connected to the adjusting member, and in the length direction of the adjusting member, the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member when the length of the spacer is adapted for causing the spacer to be sandwiched between the adjusting member and the fixing member and abutted against the fixing member and the adjusting member separately. In this way, the minimum distance between the end of the adjusting member and the fixing member is limited by using the length of the spacer, making it convenient for a worker to confirm a state of the adjusting unit during the manufacturing of the refrigerator and further improving the manufacturing efficiency, and moreover, it is possible for the adjusting unit of the refrigerator that leaves the factory to have a unified initial state that does not need to be adjusted by a user when the refrigerator is used for the first time.

Optionally, when the adjusting unit is in an initial state, the spacer is sandwiched between the adjusting member and the fixing member in the length direction of the adjusting member to enable the end of the adjusting member to be at the minimum distance from the fixing member. A state that the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member is used as the ex-factory initial state of the adjusting unit. When a user starts to use the refrigerator, the refrigerator may be directly used without adjustment of the adjusting unit. The initial state of the adjusting unit is confirmed by using a position of the spacer relative to the adjusting member and the fixing member, making it convenient for a worker to perform operations and obtain a unified ex-factory initial state.

Optionally, the length of the spacer in the length direction of the adjusting member is not less than 3 mm. In this way, a desired minimum length of the adjusting unit may be obtained based on the spacer. For example, it can be ensured that a part, protruding from the fixing member, of the adjusting member is long enough, so that a gap from the adjusting unit in the initial state to the door or the body on which the adjusting unit is not mounted may satisfy a design requirement.

Optionally, the length of the spacer in the length direction of the adjusting member is not greater than 7 mm, which is conducive to avoiding a case that the part, protruding from the fixing member, of the adjusting member is too long to close the door normally.

Optionally, the adjusting member has an external thread, the spacer has a matching internal thread, and the spacer is screwed to the adjusting member and is movable relative to the adjusting member. In this way, the spacer is screwed into the adjusting member and is movable relative to the adjusting member, to adjust the length of a part, protruding from the fixing member, of the adjusting member and therefore adjust a gap between the door and the body. Further, the spacer may lock the adjusting unit after the adjustment is completed, thereby avoiding a case that the adjusting member moves unexpectedly relative to the fixing member during the use of the refrigerator.

Optionally, the spacer includes a buckle portion, and the buckle portion is fixable to or separable from the adjusting member to lock or unlock the adjusting member. In this way, the adjusting member can adjust the gap between the door and the body and lock the adjusting unit after the adjustment is completed.

Optionally, the fixing member has an internal thread, the adjusting member has a matching external thread, and the adjusting member is screwed into the fixing member and is movable away from or toward the fixing member. In this way, the adjusting member is screwed into the fixing member and is movable relative to the fixing member. The extent to which the adjusting member is screwed into the fixing member is changed, so that the length of the part, protruding from the fixing member, of the adjusting member can be changed.

Optionally, a mounting hole is provided in a side, facing one of the body and the door, of the other one of the body and the door. Furthermore, the fixing member which may in particular be made of metal may be inserted into and/or fixed to the mounting hole through injection molding. In this way, the design as a metal member provides the fixing member with higher strength, which is conducive to prolonging the service life of components. The manufacturing manner of insertion or fixation through injection molding enables the fixing member to be mounted in place during manufacturing of the door or the body, which is conducive to functioning when the refrigerator leaves the factory.

Optionally, the end of the adjusting member is covered with a cushioning member to provide a cushioning effect when the door is closed, thereby avoiding a case that the end of the adjusting member frequently hits the body or the door to cause damage to components, and providing a muting effect. Optionally, the cushioning member is made of an elastic material (for example, rubber or silicone) to produce an adequate cushioning effect.

Optionally, when the door is closed and the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member, the spacer is abutted against the cushioning member.

Optionally, the door includes a door panel and a door end cover connected to the door panel, the door end cover has a first end and a second end opposite to each other in an extension direction, the first end of the door end cover is hinged to the body, and the fixing member is fixed to the second end of the door end cover to ensure an adjustment effect of a gap between the door and the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. l is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of a region A in a direction B-B when a door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is closed;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an adjusting unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a door end cover in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of FIG. 4 in a direction C-C; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a buckle portion according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

In the accompanying drawings:

1. refrigerator; 10. body; 101. storage compartment; 11. door; 111. mounting hole; 112. door panel; 113. door end cover; 113a. first end of the door end cover; 113b. second end of the door end cover; 12. adjusting unit; 121. fixing member; 122. adjusting member; 122a. end of the adjusting member; 123. spacer; 124. cushioning member; 13. buckle portion; 131. main body portion; 132. flared opening; u. length direction of the adjusting member; L. distance between the adjusting member and the fixing member; gap. gap between the end of adjusting member and the other one of the body and the door; D. length of the spacer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To make the foregoing objectives, features, and advantages of the present utility model clearer and easier to understand, specific embodiments of the present utility model are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. l is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present utility model. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of a region A in a direction B-B when a door of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 is closed.

The refrigerator in this embodiment may be a single-door refrigerator, a double door refrigerator, or the like.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a refrigerator 1 described in this embodiment may include: a body 10, having a storage compartment 101, and a door 11, disposed on a front side of the body 10 to open or close the storage compartment 101. For example, the storage compartment 101 may be a freezing compartment or a refrigerating compartment.

Further, the refrigerator 1 may further include: an adjusting unit 12, disposed on the door 11 , as shown in FIG. 1. At least a part of the adjusting unit 12 protrudes from the door 11 and extends toward the body 10. When the door 11 is closed, the adjusting unit 12 abuts against the body 10. In this way, a gap between the door 11 and the body 10 is adjusted by changing the length of a part, protruding from the door 11, of the adjusting unit 12.

In an application scenario of a double door refrigerator, the adjusting unit 12 may be disposed on at least one of double doors. Assuming that the double doors are used for opening or closing a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment respectively, the adjusting unit 12 may be disposed on a door used for opening or closing the refrigerating compartment, to adjust a gap between the door and the body and ensure that outer surfaces of the double doors are flush with each other.

In a variation, the adjusting unit 12 may be disposed on the body 10, and at least a part of the adjusting unit 12 protrudes from the body 10 and extends toward the door 11, which can also produce an effect of adjusting the gap between the door 11 and the body 10 when the door 11 is closed.

In a specific embodiment, referring to FIG. 2, the adjusting unit 12 may include: a fixing member 121, fixed to one of the body 10 and the door 11.

An example in which the adjusting unit 12 is disposed on the door 11 is used. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a mounting hole 111 may be provided in a side, facing the body 10, of the door 11. The fixing member 121 is made of metal and inserted into the mounting hole 111 through injection molding. In this way, the design as a metal member provides the fixing member 121 with higher strength, which is conducive to prolonging the service life of components. The manufacturing manner of insertion through injection molding enables the fixing member 121 to be mounted in place during manufacturing of the door 11, which is conducive to functioning when the refrigerator 1 leaves the factory.

Specifically, the door 11 may include a door panel 112 and a door end cover 113 connected to the door panel 112, the door end cover 113 has a first end 113a and a second end 113b opposite to each other in an extension direction, the first end 113a of the door end cover 113 is hinged to the body 10, and the fixing member 121 is fixed to the second end 113b of the door end cover 113 to ensure an adjustment effect of a gap between the door 11 and the body 10.

For example, the mounting hole 111 may be provided on the door end cover 113 located above the door 11 in the gravity direction.

In another example, the mounting hole 111 may be provided on the door end cover 113 located below the door 11 in the gravity direction.

In a variation, when the adjusting unit 12 is disposed on the body 10, the mounting hole 111 may be provided in a side, facing the door 11, of the body 10 to mount the fixing member 121

In a specific embodiment, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the adjusting unit 12 may further include: an adjusting member 122, the adjusting member 122 being disposed to be movable relative to the fixing member 121 to adjust a distance L between the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121 in a length direction of the adjusting member 122 (a direction u in the figure).

Specifically, the fixing member 121 may have an internal thread, the adjusting member 122 may have a matching external thread, and the adjusting member 122 is screwed into the fixing member 121 and is movable away from or toward the fixing member 121. In this way, the adjusting member 122 is screwed into the fixing member 121 and is movable relative to the fixing member 121. The extent to which the adjusting member 122 is screwed into the fixing member 121 is changed, so that the length of the part, protruding from the fixing member 121, of the adjusting member 122 can be changed. That is, the distance L between an end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121.

For example, when the gap between the door 11 and the body 10 needs to be increased, the adjusting member 122 may be screwed out away from the door 11 to increase the distance L between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121.

In another example, when the gap between the door 11 and the body 10 needs to be reduced, the adjusting member 122 may be appropriately screwed into the fixing member 121 toward the door 11 to shorten the distance L between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121.

For example, the fixing member 121 may be a blind nut inserted into the mounting hole 111 through injection molding, and the adjusting member 122 may be a stud with a matching external thread.

In a specific embodiment, still referring to FIG. 2, when the door 11 is closed and the end 122a of the adj usting member 122 is at a minimum distance from the fixing member 121, a gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the other one of the body 10 and the door 11 is not greater than 3 mm.

When the adjusting unit 12 is disposed on the door 11, the gap is a gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the body 10.

When the adjusting unit 12 is disposed on the body 10, the gap is a gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the door 11.

Specifically, the minimum distance between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121 is a distance L between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121 when the adjusting member 122 moves toward the fixing member 121 until the adjusting member cannot move any longer. A state of the adjusting unit 12 at this position at which the end of the adjusting member is at the minimum distance from the fixing member may be defined as an initial state of the adjusting unit 12, and the adjusting unit 12 may be set in the initial state when the refrigerator 1 leaves the factory.

In this case, even if the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 is at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121, the gap may be eliminated due to negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure after the storage compartment 101 of the refrigerator 1 is cooled. That is, the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 may abut against the body 10 or the door 11 to prevent a distance between the door 11 and a case body (that is, the body 10) from being further lowered. A possibility is therefore provided: when the refrigerator 1 leaves the factory, the adjusting unit 12 may be at a minimum length. In a case of using the minimum length as an initial state of the adjusting unit, it is expectable to improve the manufacturing efficiency and reduce a possibility that a user needs to adjust the adjusting member 122 before using the refrigerator 1.

In a specific embodiment, when the door 11 is closed and the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 is at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121, the gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the other one of the body 10 and the door 11 is not greater than 2 mm. In this case, the gap is more likely to be automatically eliminated after the storage compartment 101 is cooled.

In a specific embodiment, when the door 11 is closed and the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 is at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121, the gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the other one of the body 10 and the door 11 is eliminable due to negative pressure after the storage compartment 101 is cooled to a set temperature. In this way, if the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121 are made at such a specified minimum distance from each other in a process of manufacturing the refrigerator 1 , after the refrigerator 1 is used for the first time, a probability that the negative pressure in the cooled storage compartment 101 may automatically eliminate the gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the door 11/case body to prevent the gap between the door 11 and the case body from being further lowered is significantly improved. In a specific embodiment, when the door 11 is closed and the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 is at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121, the gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the other one of the body 10 and the door 11 is not less than 0.5 mm, so that the door 11 is closed tightly.

In a specific embodiment, still referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the adjusting unit 12 may include a spacer 123 movably connected to the adjusting member 122, and in the length direction (the direction u shown in the figure) of the adjusting member 122, the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 is at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121 when a length D of the spacer 123 is adapted for causing the spacer 123 to be sandwiched between the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121 and abutted against the fixing member

121 and the adjusting member 122 separately.

That is, the spacer 123 is used for limiting a movement travel by which the adjusting member 122 moves toward the fixing member 121. When the adjusting member 122 moves toward the fixing member 121 until two ends of the spacer 123 in the direction u respectively abut against the fixing member 121 and the adjusting member 122, the adjusting member

122 is blocked by the spacer 123 and cannot continue to move toward the fixing member 121.

In this way, the minimum distance between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121 is limited by using the length D of the spacer 123, making it convenient for a worker to confirm a state of the adjusting unit 12 during the manufacturing of the refrigerator 1 and further improving the manufacturing efficiency, and moreover, it is possible for the adjusting unit 12 of the refrigerator 1 that leaves the factory to have a unified initial state that does not need to be adjusted by a user when the refrigerator is used for the first time.

In a specific embodiment, when the adjusting unit 12 is in the initial state, the spacer 123 may be sandwiched between the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121 in the length direction (the direction u shown in the figure) of the adjusting member 122 to enable the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 to be at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121. A state that the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 is at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121 is used as the ex-factory initial state of the adjusting unit 12. When a user starts to use the refrigerator, the refrigerator may be directly used without adjustment of the adjusting unit 12. The initial state of the adjusting unit 12 is confirmed by using a position of the spacer 123 relative to the adjusting member 122 and the fixing member 121, making it convenient for a worker to perform operations and obtain a unified ex-factory initial state.

For example, when the refrigerator 1 leaves the factory, the adjusting member 122 may be screwed into the fixing member 121 after the spacer 123 is sleeved on the adjusting member 122, and the adjusting member 122 is screwed toward the fixing member 121 until the two ends of the spacer 123 in the direction u respectively abut against the fixing member 121 and the adjusting member 122. In this case, the adjusting unit 12 is mounted on the refrigerator 1 at an initial position, and due to the length D of the spacer 123, the gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the body 10 is not greater than 3 mm or even 2 mm when the door 11 is closed.

In a specific embodiment, the length D of the spacer 123 in the length direction (the direction u shown in the figure) of the adjusting member 122 may be not less than 3 mm. In this way, a desired minimum length of the adjusting unit 12 may be obtained based on the spacer 123. For example, it can be ensured that a part, protruding from the fixing member 121, of the adjusting member 122 is long enough, so that a gap from the adjusting unit 12 in the initial state to the door 11 or the body 10 on which the adjusting unit 12 is not mounted may satisfy a design requirement.

In a specific embodiment, the length D of the spacer 123 in the length direction (the direction u shown in the figure) of the adjusting member 122 may be not greater than 7 mm, which is conducive to avoiding a case that the part, protruding from the fixing member 121, of the adjusting member 122 is too long to close the door 11 normally.

For example, if the part, protruding from the fixing member 121, of the adjusting member 122 is excessively long in the initial state, the door 11 may fail to completely close to cover the storage compartment 101. In a specific embodiment, the adjusting member 122 may have an external thread, and the spacer 123 may have a matching internal thread. In this way, the spacer 123 is screwed into the adjusting member 122 and is movable relative to the adjusting member 122, to adjust a length (that is, a length L) by which the adjusting member 121 protrudes from the fixing member 122 and therefore adjust a gap between the door 11 and the body 10. Further, the spacer 123 may lock the adjusting unit 12 after the adjustment is completed, thereby avoiding a case that the adjusting member 122 moves unexpectedly relative to the fixing member 121 during the use of the refrigerator 1.

For example, the adjusting member 122 may be a stud having an external thread, and the spacer 123 may be a nut of a specific thickness. In the initial state, after the spacer 123 is screwed into the adjusting member 122, the adjusting member 122 is inserted into the fixing member 121 and tightened until the two ends of the spacer 123 in the direction u respectively abut against the fixing member 121 and the adjusting member 122. During the use of the refrigerator 1, if the gap between the door 11 and the body 10 needs to be adjusted, after the adjusting member 122 is screwed out from the fixing member 121 and the spacer 123 is removed, the adjusting member 122 may be inserted back into the fixing member 121, and the distance between the door 11 and the body 10 is adjusted by adjusting the extent to which the adjusting member 122 extends into the fixing member 121.

Alternatively, during the use of the refrigerator 1 , if the gap between the door 11 and the body 10 needs to be adjusted, for example, if the gap between the door 11 and the body 10 is further increased based on the initial state, the adjusting member 122 may be screwed out directly away from the fixing member 121 without removing the spacer 123. After the adjusting member 122 is moved away from the door 11 to a required position, the spacer 123 is screwed into make the spacer 123 lock the adjusting member 122 to prevent the adjusting member 122 from moving relative to the fixing member 121 again.

In a variation of this embodiment, referring to FIG. 6, the spacer 123 may include a buckle portion 13. The buckle portion 13 is fixable to or separable from the adjusting member 122 to lock or unlock the adjusting member 122. In this way, the adjusting member 122 can adjust the gap between the door 11 and the body 10 and lock the adjusting unit 12 after the adjustment is completed.

For example, the buckle portion 13 may include a U-shaped main body portion 131, and a curvature of the main body portion 131 may be adapted to an outer contour of the adjusting member 122. Further, an opening end portion of the main body portion 131 may be tightened appropriately to ensure that the buckle portion 13 does not fall off from the adjusting member 122 unexpectedly when being mounted on the adjusting member 122.

Further, the opening end portion of the main body portion 131 may have a flared opening 132 for guidance during the mounting of the buckle portion 13 on the adjusting member 122.

When the refrigerator 1 leaves the factory, the adjusting member 122 is screwed into the fixing member 121 and the buckle portion 13 is fastened on the adjusting member 122. The adjusting member 122 continuously moves toward the fixing member 121 until the two ends of the buckle portion 13 in the direction u abut against the fixing member 121 and the adjusting member 122 respectively. In this case, the adjusting unit 12 is in the initial state. During the use of the refrigerator 1 , a user may directly pull out the buckle portion 13 to adjust the adjusting member 122.

In a specific embodiment, still referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 may be covered with a cushioning member 124 to provide a cushioning effect when the door 11 is closed, thereby avoiding a case that the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 frequently hits the body 10 or the door 11 to cause damage to components, and providing a muting effect.

For example, the cushioning member 124 may be made of rubber to produce an adequate cushioning effect.

When the door 11 is closed and the end 122a of the adjusting member 12 is at the minimum distance from the fixing member 121, the spacer 123 is abutted against the cushioning member 124. The cushioning member 124 may bend to a particular degree.

Correspondingly, the gap between the end 122a of the adjusting member 122 and the other one of the body 10 and the door 11 may be a distance from a side, away from the fixing member 121 , of the cushioning member 124 to the other one of the body 10 and the door 11.

Although specific implementations have been described above, these implementations are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, even if only one implementation is described with respect to specific features. The feature example provided in the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, unless otherwise stated. In specific implementations, the technical features of one or more dependent claims may be combined with the technical features of the independent claims, and the technical features from the corresponding independent claims may be combined in any appropriate manner, rather than only in the specific combinations listed in the claims.

Although the present utility model is disclosed above, the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art may make variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the present utility model should be subject to the claims.