CN110887329B

CN110887329B - A kind of refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN110887329B
Application number: CN201811048109.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄璐璐; 周战宏; 王亮
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd; BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd; BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2018-09-10
Filing date: 2018-09-10
Publication date: 2022-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-10
Also published as: CN114608247B; CN110887329A; CN114608247A; EP3620734A1; CN114608248A

Abstract

A refrigerator, comprising: a storage compartment comprising a pair of side walls, each of the side walls having a support structure; a drawer having an upwardly facing opening; a lid adapted to move between a closed position in which the lid closes the opening of the drawer within the storage compartment and an open position above the closed position in which the lid is supported on the support structure. The scheme provided by the invention can provide the improved refrigerator, and the sealing performance of the drawer in the refrigerator is effectively improved.

Description

A kind of refrigerator

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

With the popularization of refrigeration equipment in people's daily life, more and more people begin to use refrigeration equipment such as refrigerators to store perishable foods such as vegetables, fish and the like.

Taking a refrigerator as an example, in order to facilitate taking, one or more drawers are generally arranged in a storage chamber (such as a refrigerating chamber) of the refrigerator, when a user needs to take stored objects, the user can pull out the drawer and take the needed stored objects, and after the taking action is completed, the user can push the drawer back into the storage chamber to complete the whole taking process.

Because the drawers in the existing refrigerator are designed in an open manner, the sealing performance is poor, stored objects in the storage chamber are easy to taint with each other, and the breeding of bacteria can be caused seriously to influence the food sanitation.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerator.

Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, including: a storage compartment comprising a pair of side walls, each of the side walls having a support structure; a drawer having an upwardly facing opening; a lid adapted to move between a closed position in which the lid closes the opening of the drawer within the storage compartment and an open position above the closed position in which the lid is supported on the support structure.

Compared with the cover-free design adopted by the existing refrigerator drawer, the scheme of the embodiment of the invention provides the refrigerator with the drawer, when the drawer is positioned in the storage chamber of the refrigerator, the opening of the drawer is covered by the cover positioned at the closing position, the sealing performance of the drawer can be effectively improved, the phenomenon that the stored objects in the drawer are directly exposed in the storage chamber and taint with other stored objects in the storage chamber is avoided, and the food sanitation is favorably improved. Further, when the drawer is drawn out of the storage compartment, the cover moves from the closed position to the open position and remains supported on the support structure within the storage compartment, so that the opening of the drawer can be automatically opened when the drawer is drawn out of the storage compartment, facilitating the user's use, and, since the cover is supported on the support structure, the back and forth movement of the drawer within the storage compartment is more smooth. Furthermore, the opening position is higher than the closing position, so that the combination of the cover and the drawer is tighter when the drawer is positioned in the storage chamber, the sealing effect is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact position of the cover and/or the drawer is effectively solved.

Optionally, in the open position, the lid and the drawer are detachably supported on the support structure. Therefore, in the opening position, the cover is supported on the supporting structure and is completely separated from the drawer, so that the stroke design of the movement of the drawer to the outside of the storage room can be smoother and more free.

Optionally, the drawer actuates movement of the lid on the support structure towards the open position during withdrawal of the drawer from the storage compartment to open the opening during withdrawal of the drawer from the storage compartment. Therefore, when the user pulls the drawer out of the storage chamber, the effect that the cover is separated from the drawer to open the opening can be achieved while the drawer is pulled out without applying extra force to the cover, and the use experience of the user is optimized.

Optionally, the drawer actuates movement of the lid from the open position towards the closed position during the drawer being pushed back into the storage compartment to close the opening during the drawer being pushed back into the storage compartment. Therefore, when the user pushes the drawer back into the storage chamber, the effect that the cover is covered on the drawer can be achieved while the drawer is pushed back without extra force applied to the cover, the drawer is switched to the sealing state while the drawer is pushed back into the storage chamber, and the use experience of the user is optimized.

Optionally, at least one of the drawer and the lid has a sealing strip, in the closed position the sealing strip of one of the lid and the drawer is in pressure contact with the other of the lid and the drawer along the opening, and in the open position the sealing strip of one of the lid and the drawer is disengaged from the other of the lid and the drawer. Therefore, in the closed position, the cover, the drawer and the sealing strip are in close contact, a closed space can be formed in the drawer, the sealing performance of the drawer is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact position of the cover, the sealing strip and/or the drawer is effectively solved. Further, since the open position is higher than the closed position, it is possible to avoid the situation where the seal and lid/drawer rub when the lid is moved, which is raised.

Optionally, the support structure includes a first limiting portion, and the first limiting portion abuts against the cover in the closed position and applies a downward force to the cover to squeeze the sealing strip. Therefore, in the closed position, the cover is extruded towards the drawer through the first limiting part besides the gravity of the cover, so that the sealing strip can be fully filled in a gap between the cover and the drawer, and the sealing effect of the drawer is further optimized.

Optionally, the support structure comprises a track along which the cover moves between the closed position and the open position, the track comprising an upper track wall, the first stop being formed by the upper track wall. Thus, in the closed position, a downward force can be applied to the lid via the upper rail wall to maintain the lid in tight contact against the drawer.

Optionally, the cover remains supported on the support structure after moving forward and upward for a predetermined stroke during movement from the closed position to the open position, and/or the cover closes the opening after moving backward and downward for the predetermined stroke during movement from the open position to the closed position. Therefore, the effect of the front and back movement of the drawer in the storage chamber can be optimized, and the cover can be positioned at the corresponding opening position or closing position when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber and positioned in the storage chamber.

Alternatively, during the movement between the closed position and the open position, the cover is moved in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction simultaneously in at least a part of the predetermined stroke. Therefore, when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber, the cover moves towards the outside of the storage chamber synchronously with the drawer and moves towards the direction far away from the drawer relative to the drawer, and the limitation of the movement stroke of the drawer towards the outside of the storage chamber by the cover can be effectively avoided. Further, the cover moves in a direction close to the drawer while keeping moving in synchronization with the drawer into the storage compartment during the drawer being pushed back into the storage compartment, and a buffer stage can be provided for the cover to cover the opening of the drawer, thereby preventing the cover/drawer from being damaged by a sudden violent collision of the cover onto the drawer.

Optionally, the support structure comprises a track along which the lid moves between the closed and open positions. Therefore, the track limits the movement track of the cover in the storage chamber, the unexpected displacement of the cover in the storage chamber is avoided, the lower cover can accurately cover the opening of the drawer when the cover is closed, and the lower cover can smoothly open the opening without influencing the movement stroke of the drawer when the cover is opened.

Optionally, the track comprises a ramp rail that slopes upward in a direction from rear to front. Thereby, when the cover is moved from the closed position to the open position, the cover can be surely moved in the forward and upward direction; when the cover is moved from the open position to the closed position, it is ensured that the cover is moved in a rearward and downward direction.

Optionally, the extending direction of the inclined rail forms an angle of 10 ° to 30 ° with the forward direction, so as to provide sufficient space for the upward movement stroke of the cover and avoid the cover from sliding down unexpectedly in the open position due to an excessively large angle.

Optionally, the track comprises a horizontal rail located behind the inclined rail, the cover being supported on the horizontal rail in the closed position. Thus, when the drawer is located in the storage compartment, the lid can be maintained in the closed position, avoiding unintended back and forth movement of the lid in the closed position.

Optionally, the cover has a sliding shaft, the sliding shaft is located in the track, the sliding shaft slides back and forth in the track as the cover moves between the closed position and the open position, and a fourth locking portion is provided on the horizontal rail to limit the sliding shaft located on the horizontal rail from sliding forward. Therefore, the sliding effect of the cover in the track is optimized, and the lubricating coefficient is improved.

Optionally, a fourth locking portion is provided on the horizontal rail, and in the closed position, the fourth locking portion is adapted to limit the sliding shaft from sliding forward. Thus, the lid may be better maintained in the closed position when the drawer is within the storage compartment, avoiding unintended movement of the lid in the closed position toward the open position.

Optionally, the refrigerator includes a locking mechanism that applies a rearward force to the lid to lock the lid in the closed position. Thus, an unintended forward movement of the lid in the closed position can be avoided, ensuring that the closed lower lid always covers the opening of the drawer.

Optionally, the locking mechanism includes a first locking portion disposed on the supporting structure, and when the cover is in the closed position, the first locking portion abuts against a side portion of the cover, and/or the locking mechanism includes a second locking portion disposed on the drawer, and the second locking portion is located at a rear end and/or a side portion of the drawer and abuts against the cover when the cover is in the closed position. Thereby, the lid is held in the closed position by the first and/or second locking portions to improve the sealing effect of the drawer during storage.

Alternatively, the second locking portion pushes the cover to move from the open position toward the closed position when the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment. Therefore, when the drawer moves into the storage chamber, the cover can be controlled to move backwards synchronously along with the drawer, so that the effect that the cover moves to the closing position and keeps closing the opening of the drawer when the drawer moves back into the storage chamber is achieved.

Optionally, the refrigerator includes a stop mechanism to prevent the lid from continuing to move backwards after reaching the closed position, to avoid damage to the lid and/or the rear wall due to an unintended collision of the rear end of the lid with the rear wall of the storage compartment.

Optionally, the stop mechanism comprises a first stop portion located on the drawer, and/or a second stop portion located on the side wall, and/or a third stop portion located on the rear wall of the storage compartment and cooperating with the rear end of the lid to effectively stop the lid from moving further rearward after reaching the closed position.

Alternatively, the first stopper portion drives the cover to move from the closed position to the open position when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber. Therefore, the cover can be controlled to move forwards synchronously with the drawer while the drawer moves to the outside of the storage room, so that the effect that the cover moves to the opening position to open the opening of the drawer while the drawer moves outwards is achieved.

Optionally, the refrigerator includes a pulling and/or pushing mechanism that pulls and/or pushes the lid forward when the lid moves from the closed position towards the open position. Therefore, the cover can be controlled to move forwards synchronously with the drawer while the drawer moves to the outside of the storage room, so that the effect that the cover moves to the opening position to open the opening of the drawer while the drawer moves outwards is achieved.

Optionally, the traction and/or push mechanism drives the lid to continue moving forward and upward on the support structure after disengagement of the lid and drawer. Therefore, during the movement from the closed position to the open position, the cover can be ensured to continue to move to the open position under the condition of being completely separated from the drawer, so that the movement stroke of the drawer to the outside of the storage chamber is smoother, and the movement is not limited by the cover.

Optionally, in the open position, the traction and/or pushing mechanism applies a forward force to the lid to hold the lid in the open position. Thus, the cover can be maintained in an open position, preventing the cover from falling unexpectedly after the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover is held in the open position by the pulling mechanism and/or the pushing structure, not the drawer, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer is not limited by the cover, so that the drawer can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment.

Optionally, the traction mechanism comprises a first spring having one end fixed to the side wall or the support structure and the other end fixed to the cover. Thereby, the cover is pulled from the closed position to the open position by the pulling force of the first spring, and the cover is held in the open position by the pulling force.

Optionally, the first spring is under tension during movement of the lid between the open and closed positions to pull the lid from the closed position to the open position.

Optionally, the pushing mechanism includes a second spring having one end fixed to the rear end of the cover and the other end abutting against the rear wall of the storage chamber. Thereby, the cover is pushed from the closed position to the open position by the urging force of the second spring, and the cover is held in the open position by the urging force.

Optionally, the refrigerator includes a third locking portion provided to the support structure, and when the cover moves to the open position, the third locking portion abuts against a side portion of the cover to apply a forward force to the cover to lock the cover at the open position. Thus, the cover can be maintained in an open position, preventing the cover from falling unexpectedly after the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover is held in the open position by the third locking portion on the support structure instead of the drawer, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer is not restricted by the cover, so that the drawer can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage chamber.

Optionally, the lid is provided with a downwardly extending pin, wherein when the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment, the pin contacts a first drive of the drawer to cause the drawer to move the lid from the open position towards the closed position; and/or, when the drawer is pulled out of the storage chamber, the pin part is contacted with the second driving part of the drawer so that the drawer drives the cover to move from the closed position to the open position. Thus, the cover can be kept in synchronous movement with the drawer in the front-rear direction during the drawer is pulled out of and pushed back into the storage compartment, avoiding the cover from rubbing against the drawer during movement to the open position and damaging the cover and/or the drawer, and ensuring that the cover can be moved in time to a position covering the opening of the drawer when the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment.

Optionally, in the closed position, the pin portion contacts at least one of the first and second driving portions to function as a second locking portion and/or a first stopper portion.

Optionally, the first driving part is located in front of the second driving part, and in the closing position, the pin portion is located between the first driving part and the second driving part to respectively perform the effects of the second locking portion and the first stopper portion.

Optionally, the first driving portion is higher than the second driving portion. Thus, during the movement of the cover from the closed position to the open position, the pin portion of the cover is ensured to be smoothly separated from the drawer without being blocked by the second driving portion.

Optionally, a plug hole is defined between the first driving part and the second driving part, and when the cover is in the closed position, the pin part is inserted into the plug hole to limit the unexpected displacement of the cover in the front-back/left-right directions in the closed position.

Optionally, the first drive part and the second drive part are located at the rear end of the drawer to provide the maximum stroke for the movement of the drawer in the front-rear direction while achieving the above-mentioned functions.

Alternatively, the first and second driving portions are connected by a pair of guide surfaces, and a distance between one ends of the pair of guide surfaces near the rear end of the drawer is smaller than a distance between the opposite ends of the pair of guide surfaces. Thus, the pin portion of the cover moving to the closed position can be smoothly dropped into the insertion hole of the drawer by providing the bell-mouth-shaped structure in a plan view while the drawer is pushed back to the storage chamber, and the pin portion is prevented from colliding with the guide surface and being damaged.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises: the torsional spring is arranged on the pin part, one end of the torsional spring is abutted against the rear end of the cover, and the other end of the torsional spring is abutted against the rear wall of the storage chamber, so that the effect of the pushing mechanism is achieved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a partial structural schematic view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of the support structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the construction of the cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an effect view of the cover of FIG. 1 in an open position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along A-A of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial view of area C of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the drawer of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are enlarged partial views at different angles of region D of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of another angle of the cover shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial view of area E of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the pin portion of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic views of the cover and pin portions of FIG. 1 taken at different angles;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction F-F of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line G-G of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary view of region H of FIG. 18;

FIGS. 20-22 are schematic views of the movement of the lid and drawer from the relative position shown in FIG. 19 to the relative position shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of the construction of the sleeve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 24 is a schematic structural view of another support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 25 is a partial structural schematic view of a refrigerator in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is an enlarged partial view of region J of FIG. 25;

fig. 28 is a partial structural schematic view of a refrigerator of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is an enlarged view of a portion of region K of FIG. 1;

FIG. 30 is a schematic view of the second spring of FIG. 1;

fig. 31 is a partially enlarged view of the region L in fig. 25.

In the drawings:

100-a refrigerator; 110-a storage compartment; 110 a-side walls of the storage compartment; 110 b-the rear wall of the storage compartment; 111-a support structure; 112-screw holes; 113-a guide rail; 114, and a carrier; a first limiting part; 115-a third locking portion; 116-a fourth locking portion; 120-a drawer; 120 a-rear end of drawer; 120 b-side of drawer; 121-opening; 122 — upper edge of drawer; 123-a second locking part; 124-first stop part; 125-a handle; 130-a cover; 130 a-the rear end of the cover; 130 b-side of the lid; 131-a mounting portion; 132-upper ribs; 133-lower ribs; 134-vertical wall; 135-mounting holes; 136-a sealing strip; 137-notch; 138-sliding shaft; 140-a drive section; 140 a-the rear wall of the drive; 141-a jack; 142-a first drive; 143-a second drive part; 144-a guide surface; 144 a-one end of the guide surface; 144 b-the opposite end of the guide surface; 150-pin portion; 150 a-the upper end of the pin portion; 150 b-the lower end of the pin portion; 151-a pushing mechanism; 152-vertical ribs; 153-a stop; 154-flat portion; 155-a latch portion; 160-track; 161-shaft sleeve; 161 a-fitting hole; 162-rail wall up; 163-ramp rail; 164-jaws; 164 a-a spring arm; 165-horizontal rail; 166-a first spring; 167-opening part; 170-a locking mechanism; 171-a first locking portion; 180-stop mechanism; 181-second stop portion; 182-a third stop portion; 183-a traction mechanism; 185-a second spring; 186-torsion spring; 186 a-one end of torsion spring; 186 b-the other end of the torsion spring; 187-a scratch guard; gap1 — gap; gap 2-the gap between the upright wall and the rear end of the lid; l1 — the spacing between one end of a pair of guide surfaces; l 2-spacing between the opposite ends of the pair of guide surfaces; the included angle between the extending direction of the alpha-inclined rail and the + y direction; x-width direction of the refrigerator; y-the depth direction of the refrigerator; z-the height direction of the refrigerator.

Detailed Description

As understood by those skilled in the art, as mentioned in the background of the invention, the drawers in the existing refrigerators are all of an open design, and the stored materials in the drawers cannot be stored in a sealed manner.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator, including: a storage compartment comprising a pair of side walls, each side wall having a support structure; a drawer having an upwardly facing opening; a lid adapted to move between a closed position in which the lid closes an opening of a drawer located within the storage compartment and an open position higher than the closed position in which the lid is supported on the support structure.

It is understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention provide a refrigerator having a drawer, in which when the drawer is located in a storage compartment of the refrigerator, the opening of the drawer is covered by a cover located in a closed position, so that the sealing performance of the drawer can be effectively improved, and the storage in the drawer is prevented from being directly exposed in the storage compartment and tainting with other storage in the storage compartment, which is beneficial to improving food sanitation.

Further, when the drawer is drawn out of the storage compartment, the cover moves from the closed position to the open position and remains supported on the support structure within the storage compartment, so that the opening of the drawer can be automatically opened when the drawer is drawn out of the storage compartment, facilitating the user's use, and, since the cover is supported on the support structure, the back and forth movement of the drawer within the storage compartment is more smooth.

Furthermore, the opening position is higher than the closing position, so that the combination of the cover and the drawer is tighter when the drawer is positioned in the storage chamber, the sealing effect is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact position of the cover and/or the drawer is effectively solved.

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. At this time, the cover is in the closed position. To more clearly illustrate the technical features of the present embodiment, fig. 1 mainly illustrates a storage compartment of a refrigerator and a drawer portion disposed inside the storage compartment, and further illustrates the specific structure of the drawer.

It should be noted that the design of the present embodiment is also applicable to refrigerated cabinets, freezers, and other refrigeration applications where it is desirable to separate and hermetically store items.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 100 may include: the storage chamber 110 includes a pair of sidewalls 110a, and a drawer 120.

For example, the storage room 110 may include a rear wall 110b and a pair of side walls 110a, and the rear wall 110b and the pair of side walls 110a enclose an accommodating space for accommodating the drawer 120. The rear wall 110b may be a rear wall of the inner container of the refrigerator 100, that is, a back panel of the refrigerator 100.

The size of the receiving space of the storage room 110 may be adapted to the size of the drawer 120, and the receiving space may be adapted to receive one or more drawers 120.

More specifically, in conjunction with fig. 1 and 2 (the storage room 110 is not shown in fig. 2), the drawer 120 may have an opening 121 facing upward, and a user may take the storage placed in the drawer 120 through the opening 121 or the user may place the storage in the drawer 120 through the opening 121.

For convenience of description, the present embodiment sets the width direction of the refrigerator 100 as the x direction, the depth direction of the refrigerator 100 as the y direction, and the height direction of the refrigerator 100 as the z direction. Here, the direction in which the rear wall 110b of the storage room 110 is directed to the outside of the storage room 110 is a positive y-direction (i.e., the + y-direction in the figure), that is, the direction in which the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage room 110 is a positive y-direction. This embodiment can be referred to forward as the + y direction, backward as the-y direction, upward as the z direction, and downward as the-z direction.

For example, a plurality of drawers 120 may be arranged side by side in the x-direction, y-direction, and/or z-direction within the storage compartment 110.

The storage room 110 is provided with a drawer 120 as an example.

Further, in conjunction with fig. 1-3, each sidewall 110a may have a support structure 111 thereon.

In one or more embodiments, for each sidewall 110a, the number of support structures 111 on the sidewall 110a may correspond to the number of lids 130 for opening or closing the opening 121, or the number of drawers 120.

In one or more embodiments, the support structure 111 can be bolted to the sidewall 110 a. For example, referring to fig. 3, at least one (two are taken as an example in fig. 3) screw hole 112 is formed on the support structure 111, and when the support structure 111 is mounted, the support structure 111 is screwed to the sidewall 110a through the screw hole 112.

In one or more alternatives, the support structure 111 may also be secured to the sidewall 110a by other means such as adhesive, interference fit, etc. Alternatively, the support structure 111 may also be integrally formed on the sidewall 110 a.

Further, in conjunction with fig. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the refrigerator 100 may further include: a cover 130, the cover 130 being adapted to move between a closed position, shown in fig. 1, in which the cover 130 closes the opening 121 of the drawer 120 located within the storage compartment 110, and an open position, which is higher than the closed position, and in which the cover 130 is supported on the support structure 111, shown in fig. 5.

Therefore, according to the embodiment, when the drawer 120 is located in the storage chamber 110 of the refrigerator 100, the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is covered by the cover 130 located at the closed position, so that the sealing performance of the drawer 120 can be effectively improved, the stored objects in the drawer 120 are prevented from being directly exposed in the storage chamber 110 and tainted with other stored objects in the storage chamber 110, and the improvement of food sanitation is facilitated. Further, when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage room 110, the cover 130 moves from the closed position to the open position and remains supported on the support structure 111 inside the storage room 110, so that the opening 121 of the drawer 120 can be automatically opened when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage room 110, facilitating the user's use, and, since the cover 130 is supported on the support structure 111, the forward and backward movement of the drawer 120 inside the storage room 110 is more smooth. Further, the open position is higher than the closed position, so that the cover 130 is combined with the drawer 120 more tightly when the drawer 120 is positioned in the storage room 110, the sealing effect is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact position of the cover 130 and/or the drawer 120 is effectively solved.

In one or more embodiments, the open position being higher than the closed position may refer to a distance in the z-direction between an upper surface of the cover 130 in the open position to a lower surface of the drawer 120 being greater than a distance between an upper surface of the cover 130 in the closed position to a lower surface of the drawer 120.

For example, the cover 130 is supported on the sidewall 110a of the storage room 110 by the support structure 111, the drawer 120 is supported on the sidewall 110a of the storage room 110 by the guide rail 113, and the effect of the opened position being higher than the closed position can be achieved by adjusting the distance between the guide rail 113 and the support structure 111.

Preferably, the guide rail 113 and the supporting structure 111 may be disposed parallel to each other in the y-direction and the z-direction in a plane, so that the cover 130 and the drawer 120 can always move parallel to each other during the back-and-forth movement of each.

In one or more embodiments, in the open position, the lid 130 and drawer 120 are detachably supported on the support structure 111. Thus, in the open position, the cover 130 is supported on the support structure 111 and completely separated from the drawer 120, so that the stroke of the drawer 120 moving out of the storage chamber 110 can be designed more smoothly and freely. Further, according to the solution of the present embodiment, the movable stroke of the drawer 120 in the ± y direction may be greater than the movable stroke of the cover 130 in the ± y direction, so that the back-and-forth movement of the drawer 120 is not limited by the back-and-forth movement of the cover, ensuring that the drawer 120 can be completely pulled out of the storage room 110 and opened to the user.

For example, referring to fig. 6 and 7, in the open position, there may be a gap1 between the lower surface of the cover 130 supported on the support structure 111 and the upper surface of the drawer 120 to avoid obstructing the outward travel of the drawer 120 due to the cover 130 coming into contact with the drawer 120. Thus, after the cover 130 is moved to the open position during the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110, there may be a gap1 between the lower surface of the cover 130 and the upper surface of the drawer 120, so that the drawer 120 may not contact the cover 130 when subsequently continuing to move out of the storage compartment 110 (i.e., moving in the + y direction), ensuring that the drawer 120 can continue to move smoothly outward.

In one or more embodiments, during the drawer 120 being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the drawer 120 may actuate the movement of the cover 130 on the support structure 111 toward the open position to open the opening 121 during the drawer 120 being pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Therefore, during the period that the user pulls the drawer 120 out of the storage room 110, the effect that the cover 130 is separated from the drawer 120 to open the opening 121 can be achieved while the user pulls out the drawer 120 without applying extra force to the cover 130, and the user experience is optimized.

For example, referring to fig. 8 to 11, the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 may be provided with a driving part 140, and the driving part 140 may be opened with an insertion hole 141 in a height direction (i.e., z direction) of the refrigerator 100 to restrict an unexpected displacement of the cover 130 in front and rear/left and right directions (i.e., x direction and y direction) in the closed position.

Specifically, the insertion hole 141 may be surrounded by a first driving portion 142 extending to the upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, a second driving portion 143 lower than the first driving portion 142 in the height direction (i.e., the z direction), and a pair of guide surfaces 144, wherein the first driving portion 142 is closer to the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 than the second driving portion 143.

Further, referring to fig. 4, 12 and 13, the rear end 130a of the cover 130 may have a mounting portion 131, the mounting portion 131 may include an upper rib 132 parallel to the upper surface of the cover 130, a lower rib 133 parallel to the lower surface of the cover 130, and a standing wall 134 connecting the upper rib 132 and the lower rib 133, and the upper rib 132 and the lower rib 133 are respectively provided with a mounting hole 135.

Further, referring to fig. 14 to 16, the mounting portion 131 of the cover 130 may be mounted with a pin portion 150 (also referred to as a driving pin), the pin portion 150 may be inserted into the mounting hole 135, an upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 may protrude upward (i.e., in the z direction) from the mounting hole 135 of the upper blade rib 132, and a lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 may protrude downward (i.e., in the opposite direction to the z direction) from the mounting hole 135 of the lower blade rib 133.

In one or more embodiments, with reference to fig. 17-19, the lower end 150b of the pin 150 can extend into the receptacle 141 of the drawer 120 when the lid 130 closes the opening 121, i.e., when the lid 130 is in the closed position.

At this time, the pin portion 150 may abut against at least one of the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143.

Further, in conjunction with fig. 20 to 22 (to more clearly show the mutual positional relationship among the three of the mounting part 131, the pin part 150 and the driving part 140 during the movement of the cover 130 between the open position and the closed position, the sliding shaft 138 moves on the rail 160, fig. 20 to 22 partially cut the cover 130 to show the specific structure of the supporting structure 111, the rear end 130a of the cover 130 and the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 at the same time), when the cover 130 opens the opening 121, that is, in the state shown in fig. 19, when the drawer 120 is pulled out in the + y direction, the pin portion 150 may abut against the second driving portion 143 to be driven by the second driving portion 143 to move in the + y direction along with the drawer 120, and gradually changes from a state of abutting against the second driving portion 143 to a state of being released from the insertion hole 141 during the movement in the + y direction until the cover 130 moves to form a gap1 (as shown in fig. 8) with the drawer 120.

In one or more embodiments, during the pushing back of the drawer 120 into the storage compartment 110, the drawer 120 may actuate the movement of the lid 130 from the open position toward the closed position to close the opening 121 during the pushing back of the drawer 120 into the storage compartment 110. Therefore, during the period that the user pushes the drawer 120 back into the storage room 110, the effect of covering the cover 130 on the drawer 120 can be achieved while pushing back the drawer 120 without applying extra force to the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 is switched to the sealing state while the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage room 110, and the use experience of the user is optimized.

Specifically, by adjusting the size of the gap1, the lower end 150b of the pin 150 attached to the cover 130 can be ensured to be lower than the upper edge of the first driving part 142 in the z-direction in the open position. Thus, when the drawer 120 is pushed in the-y direction from a state of being drawn out of the storage chamber 110 as shown in fig. 8, the first driving part 142 can be moved in the-y direction together with the pin part 150 and actuating the pin part 150 (i.e., the actuating cover 130) while abutting against the pin part 150.

Further, during the movement in the-y direction, the pin portion 150 gradually falls into the insertion hole 141 via the states of fig. 22, 21 and 20, as shown in fig. 19.

In a preferred example, the first driving part 142 may be higher than the second driving part 143 in the z direction. Thus, the pin portion 150 of the cover 130 can be smoothly separated from the drawer 120 without being caught by the second driving portion 143 during the movement of the cover 130 from the closed position to the open position. Also, during movement of the cover 130 from the open position to the closed position, the pin portion 150 of the cover 130 is ensured to be able to abut against the first drive portion 142, rather than the rear wall 140a of the drive portion 140, to ensure that the pin portion 150 is dropped into the receptacle 141 in the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, the first and second driving portions 142 and 143 can be located at the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 to provide maximum travel for movement of the drawer 120 in the fore-and-aft direction (i.e., the ± y-direction) while performing the stopping and actuating functions.

In one or more alternatives, the drive 140 may also be provided on a side wall of the drawer 120, which may also achieve an actuating and stopping effect on the cover 130.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 10 and 11, the first and second driving parts 142 and 143 can be connected by a pair of guide surfaces 144, and a spacing l1 between one ends 144a of the pair of guide surfaces 144 near the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 can be less than a spacing l2 between the opposite ends 144b of the pair of guide surfaces 144. Thus, the structure of the bell-mouthed shape in a plan view (i.e., at an angle shown in fig. 10) ensures that the pin portion 150 of the cover 130 moving to the closed position can smoothly fall into the insertion hole 141 of the drawer 120 during the drawer 120 is pushed back to the storage chamber 110, preventing the pin portion 150 from colliding with the guide surface 144 to be damaged, and facilitating accurate positioning.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 2, at least one of the drawer 120 and the lid 130 can have a seal 136, and in the closed position, the seal 136 of one of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 is crimped with the other of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 along the opening 121, and in the open position, the seal 136 of one of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 is disengaged from the other of the lid 130 and the drawer 120. Therefore, in the closed position, the cover 130, the drawer 120 and the sealing strip 136 are in close contact, a closed space can be formed in the drawer 120, the sealing performance of the drawer 120 is better, and the problem of air leakage possibly caused by deformation of the contact position of the cover 130, the sealing strip 136 and/or the drawer 120 is effectively solved. Further, since the open position is higher than the closed position, it is possible to avoid the situation where the seal 136 and the lid 130/drawer 120 rub when the lifted lid 130 is moved.

For example, with reference to fig. 2 and 4, a side of the cover 130 facing the drawer 120 may be provided with a notch 137, and the notch 137 is adapted to receive the sealing strip 136. Thus, in the closed position, the sealing strip 136 mounted on the lid 130 is crimped with the drawer 120 along the opening 121, as shown in fig. 18 and 19; in the open position, the seal 136 on the lid 130 is disengaged from the drawer 120, as shown in fig. 7 and 8.

Preferably, the sealing strip 136 may be a sealing strip.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 3, the support structure 111 can include a track 160 along which the lid 130 can move between the closed position and the open position. Therefore, the track 160 can limit the movement track of the cover 130 in the storage room 110, prevent the cover 130 from being unexpectedly displaced in the storage room 110 (e.g., moving left and right in the x direction), ensure that the opening 121 of the drawer 120 can be accurately covered by the closed lower cover 130, and smoothly open the opening 121 without affecting the movement stroke of the drawer 120 by the open lower cover 130.

For example, referring to fig. 2, the cover 130 (e.g., on the side wall) may be provided with a slide shaft 138, the slide shaft 138 being positioned within the track 160, the slide shaft 138 being slidable back and forth (i.e., slidable in the ± y-direction) within the track 160 as the cover 130 moves between the closed position and the open position. Thereby, the sliding effect of the cover 130 in the rail 160 can be optimized, and the lubrication coefficient can be improved.

In one or more embodiments, the number of tracks 160 may correspond to the number of sliding shafts 138 present on the side 130b of the cover 130 for each support structure 111. For example, the figures shown in the present embodiment each use two rails 160 and corresponding sliding shafts 138 as examples for specific explanation.

In one or more embodiments, with reference to fig. 2 and 23, the sliding shaft 138 may be sleeved with a bushing 161, and the bushing 161 extends into the track 160 and slides along the track 160 to move the cover 130 between the open position and the closed position.

For example, the cover 130 and its sliding shaft 138 (which may be integrally formed) may be made of a material having a general lubricating effect, thereby saving cost. Therefore, in order to improve the sliding effect of the cover 130 sliding along the rail 160, the bushing 161 with better lubricating effect can be sleeved outside the sliding shaft 138 to replace the sliding shaft 138 to slide on the rail 160, so as to provide better sliding experience while saving cost.

Specifically, one end of the bushing 161 may be opened with a fitting hole 161a, the sliding shaft 138 extends into the fitting hole 161a to be coupled with the bushing 161, and the opposite end of the bushing 161 extends into the rail 160.

In one or more embodiments, the support structure 111 can include a first retention portion 114, the first retention portion 114 abutting the cover 130 in the closed position and applying a downward (i.e., in a direction opposite the z-direction) force to the cover 130 to compress the sealing strip 136. Therefore, in the closed position, in addition to the gravity of the cover 130, the cover 130 can be pressed towards the drawer 120 through the first limiting part 114, so that the sealing strip 136 can be ensured to fully fill the gap between the cover 130 and the drawer 120, and the sealing effect of the drawer is further optimized.

For example, with continued reference to fig. 3, the track 160 may include an upper track wall 162 and the first restraint portion 114 may be formed by the upper track wall 162. Thus, in the closed position, a downward force can be applied to the cover 130 through the upper rail wall 162 to maintain the cover 130 in a state of being closely pressed against the drawer 120.

In one non-limiting embodiment, in the closed position, the spacing between the rail 113 and the support structure 111 (or the upper rail wall 162 of the rail 160) in the z-direction may be less than the sum of the heights of the lid 130, the sealing strip 136, and the drawer 120. Therefore, when the cover 130 is in the closed position, the boss 161 on the cover 130 abuts against the upper rail wall 162, so that a force in the direction opposite to the z direction acts on the cover 130, the cover 130 is tightly pressed against the drawer 120, and the sealing strip 111 between the cover 130 and the drawer 120 can be squeezed and deformed to sufficiently fill the gap between the cover 130 and the drawer 120, thereby achieving a good sealing effect.

In one or more embodiments, the cover 130 may remain supported on the support structure 111 after moving forward and upward a predetermined stroke during movement from the closed position to the open position, and/or the cover 130 may close the opening 121 after moving rearward and downward a predetermined stroke during movement from the open position to the closed position. Thus, the forward and backward movement (i.e., movement in the ± y direction) of the drawer 120 inside and outside the storage chamber 110 can be optimized, and the cover 130 can be positioned at the corresponding open position or closed position when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage chamber 110 and positioned inside the storage chamber 110.

In one non-limiting embodiment, referring to fig. 3, the track 160 may include an inclined rail 163 that is inclined upward in the backward-to-forward direction, i.e., the inclined rail 163 is inclined in the + y direction to the z direction. Thus, when the cover 130 moves from the closed position to the open position, it is possible to ensure that the cover 130 moves in the forward and upward direction (i.e., + y direction and z direction) to form the gap1 with the drawer 120 after moving outward by a predetermined stroke with the drawer 120. Thus, in the open position, it is ensured that the drawer 120 is not disturbed by the cover 130 during the continued outward movement of the drawer 120, due to the separation of the drawer 120 from the cover 130.

Further, when the cover 130 is moved from the open position to the closed position, it is possible to ensure that the cover 130 is moved in a backward and downward direction (i.e., in a direction opposite to the-y direction and the z direction) so that the cover 130 is tightly coupled to the drawer 120 after the drawer 120 is moved into the storage chamber 110 by a predetermined stroke to seal the drawer 120.

In one or more embodiments, the angle α between the extending direction of the inclined rail 163 and the forward direction (i.e., the + y direction) may be 10 ° to 30 ° to avoid an unexpected sliding down of the cover 130 in the open position due to an excessive angle while providing sufficient space for the upward (i.e., in the z direction) movement of the cover 130.

In one or more embodiments, a third locking portion 115 may be provided on the support structure 111, and when the cover 130 is moved to the open position, the third locking portion 115 may abut against the side portion 130b of the cover 130 to apply a forward force to the cover 130 to lock the cover 130 in the open position. Thus, the cover 130 may be maintained in the open position, preventing the cover 130 from falling unexpectedly after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover 130 is maintained in the open position by the third locking part 115 on the support structure 111 instead of the drawer 120, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer 120 is not limited by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage chamber 110.

For example, referring to fig. 24, the third locking part 115 may be a claw 164, and in the open position, the sliding shaft 138 (or the boss 161) of the cover 130 is located at and held by the elastic arm 164a of the claw 164, and when the cover 130 is subjected to a force in the-y direction, the sliding shaft 138 (or the boss 161) is separated from the elastic arm 164a and moves in the opposite direction of the z direction and the-y direction along the inclined rail 163 after crossing over the claw 164 to move the cover 130 from the open position to the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to FIG. 3, the track 160 can include a horizontal rail 165 located rearward of the angled rail 163, which is the end closer to the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110.

Further, in the closed position, the cover 130 may be supported on the horizontal rails 165. Thus, when the drawer 120 is positioned within the storage compartment 110, the cover 130 may be maintained in the closed position, preventing unintended back and forth movement of the cover 130 in the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, the horizontal rail 165 may be provided with a fourth locking portion 116, and in the closed position, the fourth locking portion 116 is adapted to limit the sliding shaft 138 (or the bushing 161) located on the horizontal rail 165 from sliding forward (i.e., in the + y direction). Thus, when the drawer 120 is located within the storage chamber 110, the cover 130 may be better maintained in the closed position by the fourth locking part 116, preventing the cover 130 in the closed position from undesirably moving to the open position.

For example, the fourth locking part 116 may be a latch 164, and in the closed position, the sliding shaft 138 (or the bushing 161) of the cover 130 is located at and held by a spring arm 164a of the latch 164, and when the cover 130 receives a force in the + y direction, the sliding shaft 138 (or the bushing 161) moves away from the spring arm 164a, enters the inclined rail 163 after crossing over the latch 164, and moves in the z direction and the-y direction along the inclined rail 163 to move the cover 130 from the closed position to the open position.

In one or more embodiments, for a scenario where multiple tracks 160 are provided on one support structure 111, the number of third locking portions 115 and/or fourth locking portions 116 may correspond to the number of tracks 160; alternatively, the number of the third locking parts 115 and/or the fourth locking parts 116 may be one, and be located on any one rail 160 of the plurality of rails 160.

Taking a scene of one support structure 111 having two rails 160 as an example shown in the present embodiment, referring to fig. 3 and 24, each of the third locking part 115 and the fourth locking part 116 may be one in number and is located at the rail 160 closer to the rear end 130a of the cover 130 among the two rails 160.

Further, the predetermined stroke may be a total stroke by which the sliding shaft 138 can slide on the horizontal rail 165 and the inclined rail 163.

In one or more embodiments, the length of the predetermined stroke in the + y direction may be less than the length of the drawer 120 that can move in the + y direction, i.e., when the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 moves to the top (i.e., the foremost, uppermost end) of the inclined rail 163, the cover 130 remains supported on the support structure 111 and no longer moves forward relative to the storage compartment 110, while the drawer 120 can still continue to move in the + y direction to substantially open the opening 121.

In one or more embodiments, the relative positions between the drawer 120, the lid 130, and the support structure 111 in the closed position may be as shown in fig. 17 and 18 based on the design of the inclined rails 163 and the horizontal rails 165. As the sliding shaft 138 slides on the horizontal rail 165 and the inclined rail 163 during the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the cover 130 may move in the + y direction out of the storage compartment 110 in synchronization with the drawer 120 and in a direction away from the drawer 120 (i.e., the z direction) with respect to the drawer 120 until being supported on the support structure 111 apart from the drawer 120 after moving to the open position. In the open position, the relative positions of the drawer 120, the lid 130, and the support structure 111 may be as shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Further, during the period that the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage chamber 110, as the sliding shaft 138 slides on the inclined rail 163 and the horizontal rail 165, the cover 130 located at the open position may move synchronously with the drawer 120 in the-y direction into the storage chamber 110 and move in a direction approaching the drawer 120 (i.e., in a direction opposite to the z direction) with respect to the drawer 120 until moving to the closed position, at which time the cover 130 abuts against the drawer 120 and keeps closing the opening 121.

In one or more embodiments, the cover 130 moves in both the forward and rearward direction and the up and down direction during at least a portion of the predetermined stroke during movement between the closed position and the open position based on the design of the ramp rails 163. Therefore, the cover 130 moves away from the drawer 120 while keeping moving out of the storage chamber 110 in synchronization with the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage chamber 110, and the movement stroke of the drawer 120 out of the storage chamber 110 can be effectively prevented from being limited by the cover 130. Further, during the period that the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage room 110, the cover 130 moves towards the drawer 120 relative to the drawer 120 while keeping moving towards the storage room 110 synchronously with the drawer 120, so that a buffer stage can be provided for the cover 130 to cover the opening 121 of the drawer 120, and the cover 130 is prevented from suddenly covering the drawer 120 and colliding violently to damage the cover 130/the drawer 120.

In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a latch mechanism 170, and the latch mechanism 170 may apply a rearward force to the lid 130 to latch the lid 130 in the closed position. Thus, an unintended forward movement of the cover 130 in the closed position can be avoided, ensuring that the closed position lower cover 130 always covers the opening 121 of the drawer 120.

In one or more embodiments, the locking mechanism 170 can include a first locking portion 171 disposed on the support structure 111, and the first locking portion 171 can abut against the side portion 130b of the cover 130 when the cover 130 is in the closed position to limit the forward movement of the cover 130.

For example, referring to fig. 3, the first locking portion 171 may be the fourth locking portion 116 located on the horizontal rail 165 (e.g., the pawl 164 located on the horizontal rail 165). This can restrict the slide shaft 138 from sliding forward in the closed position, thereby providing an effect of locking the cover 130 in the closed position.

In one or more alternatives, the locking mechanism 170 can include a second locking portion 123 disposed on the drawer 120, and the second locking portion 123 can be located at the rear end 120a and/or the side portion 120b of the drawer 120 and abut the lid 130 when the lid 130 is in the closed position. Thereby, the cover 130 is maintained in the closed position by the first locking part 171 and/or the second locking part 123 to improve the sealing effect of the drawer 120 during the inside of the storage chamber 110.

For example, the second locking part 123 may be an upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, and the rear end 130a of the cover 130 may have an adapting part (e.g., a pin part 150) extending downward, and when the cover 130 is located at the closed position, a lower end of the adapting part is lower than the upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, so that an effect of the adapting part abutting against the second locking part 123 may be achieved, thereby locking the cover 130 at the closed position.

For another example, referring to fig. 17 to 19, the second locking portion 123 may be the first driving portion 142, and the rear end 130a and/or the side portion 130b of the cover 130 may be provided with an adapting portion (e.g., a pin portion 150 provided at the rear end 130a of the cover 130 as shown in fig. 19), and in the closed position, the adapting portion abuts against the second locking portion 123 to achieve the effect of locking the cover 130 in the closed position.

In one or more embodiments, the second locking part 123 may push the cover 130 to move from the open position toward the closed position when the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage chamber 110. Thus, while the drawer 120 moves into the storage compartment 110, the cover 130 can be controlled to move backward in synchronization with the drawer 120, to achieve the effect that the cover 130 moves to the closed position and keeps closing the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves back into the storage compartment 110.

For example, with the lid 130 and drawer 120 initially in the position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the drawer 120 is moved in the-y direction to the position shown in FIG. 22, the first drive portion 142 abuts the pin portion 150. As the drawer 120 continues to move in the-y direction, the cover 130 is driven by the first driving part 142 to move in the-y direction along with the drawer 120.

At the same time, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 is thus located in the inclined rail 163 at this time, and therefore, the cover 130 moves in the opposite direction to the z direction while moving in the-y direction with the drawer 120, and finally moves to the state shown in fig. 20 via the state shown in fig. 21.

In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a stop mechanism 180 to prevent the cover 130 from continuing to move backward after reaching the closed position, so as to avoid damage to the cover 130 and/or the rear wall 110 due to an unintended collision between the rear end 130a of the cover 130 and the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110.

In one or more embodiments, the stop mechanism 180 can include a first stop 124 located on the drawer 120 to effectively stop the cover 130 from continuing to move rearward after it reaches the closed position.

For example, referring to fig. 18 and 19, the first stopper portion 124 may be a second driving portion 143, and may be engaged with a pin portion 150 provided in the cover 130 to lock the cover 130 in the closed position, thereby preventing the cover 130 from moving backward after reaching the closed position.

Further, the first stopper 124 (e.g., the second driving part 143) may drive the cover 130 to move from the closed position to the open position when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage chamber 110. Thus, while the drawer 120 moves out of the storage room 110, the cover 130 can be controlled to move forward in synchronization with the drawer 120, to achieve an effect that the cover 130 moves to the open position to open the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves out.

In one or more alternatives, the stop mechanism 180 can include a second stop 181 located on the side wall 110a of the storage compartment 110 and/or the support structure 111.

For example, referring to fig. 25-27, one end of the second stop portion 181 may be coupled to the side portion 130b of the cover 130 and the other end of the second stop portion 181 may be coupled to the support structure 111, and in the closed position, the second stop portion 181 applies a forward force to the cover 130 to limit the cover 130 from continuing to move rearward in the closed position.

For example, the second stop 181 may be the first spring 166, and in the closed position, the first spring 166 is in tension. Preferably, the first spring 166 may be a tension spring.

In one or more alternatives, the stop mechanism 180 can include a third stop 182 located on the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 and cooperating with the rear end 130a of the cover 130 to effectively stop the cover 130 from continuing to move rearward after reaching the closed position.

For example, referring to fig. 28, the rear wall 110b of the storage chamber 110 may have a third stopper 182 fitted to the rear end 130a of the cover 130, the third stopper 182 protruding from a surface of the rear wall 110b, and when the cover 130 is moved to the closed position, the mounting portion 131 of the rear end 130a of the cover 130 abuts against the third stopper 182 so that the cover 130 cannot be further moved rearward.

For example, the third stopper portion 182 may be fitted with a mounting portion 131 protruding rearward from the rear end 130a of the cover 130. Alternatively, the rear end 130a of the cover 130 may be fitted to a portion other than the mounting portion 131.

In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a pulling mechanism 183, and the pulling mechanism 183 may pull the cover 130 to move forward when the cover 130 moves from the closed position toward the open position. Thus, while the drawer 120 moves out of the storage room 110, the cover 130 can be controlled to move forward in synchronization with the drawer 120, to achieve an effect that the cover 130 moves to the open position to open the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves out.

In one or more embodiments, the traction mechanism 183 can drive the lid 130 to continue moving forward and upward on the support structure 111 after the lid 130 and drawer 120 are disengaged. Therefore, during the movement from the closed position to the open position, the cover 130 can be ensured to continue to move to the open position under the condition of being completely separated from the drawer 120, so that the movement stroke of the drawer 120 to the outside of the storage chamber 110 is smoother and is not limited by the cover 130.

In one or more embodiments, in the open position, the pulling mechanism 183 can apply a forward force to the lid 130 to hold the lid 130 in the open position. Thus, the cover 130 may be maintained in the open position, preventing the cover 130 from falling unexpectedly after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover 130 is maintained in the open position by the pulling mechanism 183 instead of the drawer 120, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer 120 is not limited by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage chamber 110.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 25-27, the traction mechanism 183 can include a first spring 166 secured at one end to the sidewall 110a or the support structure 111 and at another end to the cover 130. Thereby, the cover 130 is pulled from the closed position to the open position by the tensile force of the first spring 166, and the cover 130 is held in the open position by the tensile force.

In one or more embodiments, the first spring 166 may be in tension during movement of the lid 130 between the open position and the closed position to pull the lid 130 from the closed position to the open position.

In one or more alternatives, the refrigerator 100 may include a pushing mechanism 151, and the pushing mechanism 151 may push the cover 130 to move forward when the cover 130 moves from the closed position toward the open position. Thus, while the drawer 120 moves out of the storage room 110, the cover 130 can be controlled to move forward in synchronization with the drawer 120, to achieve an effect that the cover 130 moves to the open position to open the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves out.

In one or more embodiments, the pushing mechanism 151 can drive the lid 130 to continue moving forward and upward on the support structure 111 after the lid 130 and the drawer 120 are disengaged. Therefore, during the movement from the closed position to the open position, the cover 130 can be ensured to continue to move to the open position under the condition of being completely separated from the drawer 120, so that the movement stroke of the drawer 120 to the outside of the storage chamber 110 is smoother and is not limited by the cover 130.

In one or more embodiments, in the open position, the pushing mechanism 151 can apply a forward force to the lid 130 to hold the lid 130 in the open position. Thereby, the cover 130 may be maintained in the open position, and unintended falling of the cover 130 after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage room 110 may be prevented. Further, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, the cover 130 is maintained in the open position by the push structure 184 instead of the drawer 120, so that the outwardly movable distance of the drawer 120 is not limited by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage chamber 110.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 29, the pushing mechanism 151 can include a second spring 185 having one end fixed to the rear end 130a of the cover 130 and the other end abutting against the rear wall 110b of the storage chamber 110. Thereby, the cover 130 is pushed from the closed position to the open position by the urging force of the second spring 185, and the cover 130 is held in the open position by the urging force.

For example, referring to fig. 29 and 30, the second spring 185 may be a torsion spring 186 disposed on the pin portion 150, one end 186a of the torsion spring 186 abuts against the rear end 130a of the cover 130, and the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 abuts against the rear wall 110b of the storage chamber 110, so as to achieve the effect of pushing the mechanism 151.

Specifically, by the design of the torsion spring 186, a forward force can be applied to the cover 130 during movement of the cover 130 from the closed position to the open position.

Further, after the cover 130 is moved to the open position, the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 may still be against the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 to continue to apply a forward force to the cover 130 to maintain the cover 130 in the open position.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 1, 29 and 30, one end 186a of the torsion spring 186 can extend from a gap2 between the upright wall 134 and the rear end 130a of the lid 130, and the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 always abuts the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 during opening and closing of the drawer 120 by the lid 130 (i.e., during movement of the lid 130 between the open and closed positions).

In one or more embodiments, an end 186b of the torsion spring 186 abutting the rear wall 110b may be provided with a scraping prevention portion 187 to prevent the torsion spring 186 from directly scraping the rear wall 110b to damage the inner container of the refrigerator 100.

Preferably, the scratch pad 187 may be a plastic roller, or other component capable of providing lubrication.

In one or more embodiments, the pushing mechanism 151 and the pulling mechanism 183 may alternatively be applied to the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment. When the pushing mechanism 151 is employed, the pin portion 150 can be engaged with the rear end 130a of the cover 130 and the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 as shown in fig. 31.

At this time, the mounting portion 131 may be formed with a through hole through which the pin portion 150 passes, and the pin portion 150 extends into the insertion hole 141 of the driving portion 140 after passing through the through hole. Since the torsion spring 186 may be omitted, there may be no gap between the upright wall 134 and the cover 130.

Alternatively, the pushing mechanism 151 and the pulling mechanism 183 can be applied to the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment together to obtain better stopping, locking, pushing/pulling effects.

In one or more embodiments, the cover 130 may be provided with a downwardly extending pin 150, wherein when the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage chamber 110, the pin 150 contacts the first driving portion 142 (i.e., the second locking portion 123) of the drawer 120 to cause the drawer 120 to move the cover 130 from the open position toward the closed position.

Further, when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage chamber 110, the pin portion 150 may contact the second driving portion 143 (i.e., the first stopper portion 124) of the drawer 120 to move the drawer 120 with the cover 130 from the closed position toward the open position. Thereby, the cover 130 can keep moving in synchronization with the drawer 120 in the front-rear direction during the drawer 120 is pulled out and pushed back to the storage room 110, preventing the cover 130 from rubbing against the drawer 120 to damage the cover 130 and/or the drawer 120 during the movement to the open position, and ensuring that the cover 130 can move to a position covering the opening 121 of the drawer 120 in time when the drawer 120 is pushed back to the storage room 110.

In one or more embodiments, in the closed position, the pin portion 150 can contact at least one of the first and second driving portions 142 and 143 to effect the second locking portion 123 and/or the first stop portion 124.

For example, referring to fig. 19, in the closed position, when the pin portion 150 is provided with the pushing mechanism 151 thereon, the pin portion 150 may be in contact with the first driving portion 142 and in virtual contact with the second driving portion 143 due to a forward pushing force applied by the pushing mechanism 151. Thus, when the cover moves from the position shown in fig. 20 to the position shown in fig. 22 via fig. 21, the pin 150 is not interfered by the second driving portion 143, and the cover 130 can be smoothly separated from the drawer 120.

Similarly, with reference to fig. 26, in the closed position, when a traction mechanism 183 is connected between the cover 130 and the support structure 111, the pin portion 150 can also be in contact with the first drive portion 142, but in virtual contact with the second drive portion 143, due to the forward thrust exerted by the traction mechanism 183.

In one or more non-limiting embodiments, the first driving portion 142 may be located in front of the second driving portion 143, and the pin portion 150 may be located between the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143 in the closed position to respectively function as the second locking portion 123 and the first stopper portion 124.

In a preferred embodiment, the pin portion 150 may be integrally formed (or integrally fixed) to the rear end 130a of the cover 130.

For example, the pin portion 150 and the cover 130 may be integrally formed when a forward force is applied to the cover 130 by the first spring 166.

As a modification, the pin portion 150 may be a separate member as shown in fig. 14 and mounted to the rear end 130a of the cover 130.

For example, when designing the torsion spring 186, the pin portion 150 and the cover 130 can be two separate pieces to facilitate mounting the torsion spring 186 to the pin portion 150 and then mounting the pin portion 150 to the cover 130 when installed.

Similarly, when the driving part 140 is provided on the drawer 120, the pin 150 needs to be frequently inserted into or removed from the insertion hole 141 when the cover 130 is switched between the open position and the closed position, so that the pin 150 and the driving part 140 may continuously rub against each other, and thus, the pin 150 may be separated from the cover 130 and manufactured by using a part having good lubricity alone.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 12 and 13, the size of the mounting holes 135 opened in the upper ribs 132 may be smaller than the size of the mounting holes 135 opened in the lower ribs 133.

For example, the mounting hole 135 may be a kidney-shaped hole to prevent unintended rotation of the pin portion 150 inserted therein.

Preferably, the width of the straight wall of the mounting hole 135 opened in the upper rib 132 may be the same as the width of the straight wall of the mounting hole 135 opened in the lower rib 133, and the radius of the arc of the mounting hole 135 opened in the upper rib 132 may be smaller than the radius of the arc of the mounting hole 135 opened in the lower rib 133. Wherein, for a single mounting hole 135, the width of the straight wall of the mounting hole 135 refers to the distance between two opposing straight walls of the mounting hole 135. This ensures that the upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 smoothly passes through the mounting hole 135 formed in the lower rib 133 and is caught by the mounting hole 135 formed in the upper rib 132.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 14, the upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 may have a vertical rib 152, and referring to fig. 15 and 16, both sides of the vertical rib 152 may respectively abut against two straight walls of the mounting hole 135 of the upper blade rib 132 to prevent the pin portion 150 mounted in the insertion hole 141 from shaking in the ± y direction within the insertion hole 141, that is, to prevent the pin portion 150 from shaking back and forth.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 14, the position where the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 contacts the lower tab 133 may be provided with a stopper 153, and with reference to fig. 16, an upper surface of the stopper 153 abuts against a lower edge of the mounting hole 135 of the lower tab 133 to prevent the pin portion 150 mounted in the insertion hole 141 from undesirably moving in the z-direction in the insertion hole 141, that is, to prevent the pin portion 150 from moving upward.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 14 and 16, the outer wall of the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 may have a flat portion 154, and the flat portion 154 abuts against the straight wall of the mounting hole 135 of the lower blade rib 133 to prevent the pin portion 150 mounted to the insertion hole 141 from rotating about its axial direction within the insertion hole 141.

In one or more embodiments, referring to fig. 14 and 15, the upper end 150a of the pin 150 can have a catch 155, and the catch 155 can engage with the mounting hole 135 of the upper tab 32 to limit downward movement of the pin within the mounting hole 135, i.e., to prevent the pin 150 mounted within the socket 141 from falling out of the socket 141 under the force of gravity.

In one or more embodiments, with continued reference to FIG. 3, the support structure 111 may be provided with an opening 167 to facilitate mounting the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 into the track 160.

For example, the opening 167 may be located behind the horizontal rail 165.

In one or more embodiments, the drawer 120 can have a handle 125 for a user to grasp to pull out or push back the drawer 120.

In a typical application scenario, taking the opening 121 of the drawer 120 as an example, the drawer 120 may be initially located in the storage room 110, and the cover 130 is in the closed position, and the relative positional relationship among the drawer 120, the cover 130 and the support structure 111 is as shown in fig. 17 to 19.

Specifically, in the closed position, the pin portion 150 is located within the receptacle 141 of the drive portion 140 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, and the cover 130 is supported on the horizontal rail 165 of the support structure 111. The sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 is located behind the jaws 164 of the horizontal rail 165.

In particular, the latch 164 can act as a limit, and in the closed position, the forward force applied by the torsion spring 186 to the lid 130 can cause the lid 130 to have a forward movement tendency, thereby affecting the forward movement tendency of the drawer 120 carried by the lid 130. Thus, when the drawer 120 is pushed back to the storage chamber 110, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 is caught by the claw 164 to fix the cover 130, and thus the drawer 120.

Specifically, in the closed position, the movable pin portion 150 is located in the insertion hole 141, and the contact surface with the first driving portion 142 is the height of the entire first driving portion 142 in the z direction, and the contact surface with the second driving portion 143 is the height of the entire second driving portion 143 in the z direction. Since the first driving portion 142 is higher than the second driving portion 143, a contact surface of the pin portion 150 with the first driving portion 142 is large.

Further, when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage room 110, under the action of a forward pulling force, the second driving portion 143 actuates the pin portion 150 to move forward together, and further drives the cover 130 to move forward together until the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 crosses the claw 164, and at this time, the relative positional relationship among the cover 130, the drawer 120 and the support structure 111 is as shown in fig. 20.

Specifically, during the movement of the slide shaft 138 from the position shown in fig. 17 to the position shown in fig. 20, since the slide shaft 138 is always moved on the horizontal rail 165, the stroke of the slide shaft 138 is always a horizontal stroke during this time, and the cover 130 is also kept pressed against the drawer 120.

Specifically, after the sliding shaft 138 has spanned the pawl 164, the pin 150 will abut against the first drive portion 142 at the instant the sliding shaft 138 spans the pawl 164, since the cover 130 is always acted upon forwardly (as by the action of the torsion spring 186 shown in fig. 18 and 19, or by the action of the first spring 166 shown in fig. 26).

Further, as the drawer 120 continues to move forward in the + y direction, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 moves to the inclined rail 163 via the horizontal rail 165. At this time, the relative positional relationship among the cover 130, the drawer 120, and the support structure 111 is as shown in fig. 21.

Specifically, during movement of the sliding shaft 138 within the inclined rail 163, the drawer 120 always remains moved forward in the + y direction, and the cover 130 moves in the + y direction and the z direction (i.e., obliquely upward). While the lid 130 and drawer 120 move synchronously forward in the + y direction, the lid 130 only moves upward (i.e., away from the drawer 120) from the perspective of the drawer 120.

Specifically, after the sliding shaft 138 rides over the pawl 164 and during the movement in the inclined rail 163, the pin portion 150 is always kept against the first driving portion 142 by the pulling mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151, so as to ensure that the process of moving the cover 130 obliquely upward is synchronized with the process of moving the drawer 120 forward. In addition, the lid 130 is always kept in a state where the pin portion 150 is blocked by the first driving portion 142 when the drawer 120 is opened, so that user experience can be optimized, a process that the lid 130 moves obliquely upward is ensured to be a slow process, and an effect that the lid 130 suddenly pops up obliquely upward is not generated.

Otherwise, the cover 130 is moved forward by the second driving portion 143 after the sliding shaft 138 crosses the claws 164 and during the movement in the inclined rail 163, and when the sliding shaft 138 enters the inclined rail 163, the cover 130 may be caught by the second driving portion 143 when moving upward relative to the drawer 120 to the position shown in fig. 21, which affects the smoothness of the movement of the cover 130 obliquely upward.

Thus, by designing the pulling mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151 such that the cover 130 is moved obliquely upward by the pulling mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151, rather than by the drawer 120 (e.g., the second driving portion 143), the respective moving strokes of the cover 130 and the drawer 120 can be prevented from being limited by each other.

Further, as the drawer 120 continues to move in the + y direction, the sliding shaft 138 of the cover 130 moves along the inclined rail 163 to the top end of the inclined rail 163, as shown in fig. 22. At this time, the lower end 150b of the pin 150 is higher than the second driving part 143, a gap1 is formed between the lower surface of the cover 130 and the upper edge 122 of the drawer 120, the sealing tape 136 provided to the cover 130 is separated from the drawer 120, the cover 130 is kept at the open position (i.e., the position where the sliding shaft 138 is located at the top end of the inclined rail 163), and the drawer 120 continues to move forward.

Specifically, the lid 130 may be maintained in the open position by the pulling mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151.

Further, the drawer 120 continues to be pulled out of the storage room 110, and since the cover 130 is already maintained in the open position in a state of being completely separated from the drawer 120, the drawer 120 continues to move outward without being restricted by the cover 130, so that the drawer 120 can be continuously and smoothly pulled out, as shown in fig. 6 to 8, until the opening 121 is completely opened.

When the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is closed, the aforementioned steps may be performed in reverse, that is, in the order of fig. 8, 22, 21, 20 to 19, to enable the cover 130 to be synchronously moved to the closed position and maintain the state of closing the opening 121 while the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage chamber 110.

Further, referring to fig. 22, when the drawer 120 moves to the position shown in fig. 22, since the second driving portion 143 is lower than the first driving portion 142, the pin portion can smoothly fall into the insertion hole 141 of the driving portion 140, so that the pin portion 150 is actuated by the first driving portion 143 to move backward all the time to overcome the forward force applied to the cover 130 by the pulling mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator (100) characterized by comprising:

a storage compartment (110) comprising a pair of side walls (110a), each of said side walls (110a) having a support structure (111) comprising a track (160);

a drawer (120), the drawer (120) having an upwardly facing opening (121); a cover (130) having a sliding shaft (138) adapted to move on the track (160); movement of the sliding shaft (138) causes the cover (130) to be adapted to move between a closed position and an open position;

wherein in the closed position the cover (130) closes the opening (121) of the drawer (120) located within the storage compartment (110), the open position is higher than the closed position, and in the open position the cover (130) is supported on the support structure (111);

the cover (130) is provided with a downwardly extending pin portion (150), wherein, when the drawer (120) is pushed back into the storage chamber (110), the pin portion (150) contacts with the first driving portion (142) of the drawer (120) to cause the drawer (120) to move the cover (130) from the open position toward the closed position; and/or, when the drawer (120) is pulled out of the storage chamber (110), the pin portion (150) contacts with the second driving portion (143) of the drawer (120) to make the drawer (120) drive the cover (130) to move from the closed position to the open position.

2. A refrigerator (100) as in claim 1, characterized in that in the open position the lid (130) and the drawer (120) are supported on the support structure (111) in a disengaged manner.

3. A refrigerator (100) as in claim 1, characterized by the drawer (120) actuating the movement of the cover (130) on the support structure (111) towards the open position during the drawing of the drawer (120) out of the storage compartment (110) to open the opening (121) during the drawing of the drawer (120) out of the storage compartment (110).

4. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1, wherein the drawer (120) actuates the cover (130) to move from the open position toward the closed position during the drawer (120) being pushed back into the storage compartment (110) to close the opening (121) during the drawer (120) being pushed back into the storage compartment (110).

5. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1 wherein at least one of the drawer (120) and the lid (130) has a seal (136), the seal (136) of one of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) being in pressure contact with the other of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) along the opening (121) in the closed position, and the seal (136) of one of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) being disengaged from the other of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) in the open position.

6. A refrigerator (100) as in claim 5, wherein the support structure (111) comprises a first retaining portion (114), the first retaining portion (114) abutting the lid (130) in the closed position and applying a downward force to the lid (130) to squeeze the sealing strip (136).

7. The refrigerator (100) of claim 6 wherein the cover (130) moves along the track (160) between the closed position and the open position, the track (160) including an upper track wall (162), the first restraint portion (114) being formed by the upper track wall (162).

8. A refrigerator (100) as in any one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized by the lid (130) remaining supported on the support structure (111) after moving forward and upward for a predetermined stroke during the movement from the closed position to the open position and/or by the lid (130) closing the opening (121) after moving backward and downward for the predetermined stroke during the movement from the open position to the closed position.

9. The refrigerator (100) of claim 8 wherein during movement between the closed position and the open position, the cover (130) moves in both the front-to-back direction and the up-down direction during at least a portion of the predetermined stroke.

10. A refrigerator (100) as in any one of claims 1 to 7 or 9 wherein the support structure (111) comprises a track (160), the cover (130) moving along the track (160) between the closed position and an open position.

11. The refrigerator (100) of claim 10 wherein the track (160) comprises a ramp (163) that slopes upward in a direction from back to front.

12. A refrigerator (100) as in claim 11, wherein the inclined rail (163) extends at an angle (α) of 10 ° to 30 ° to the forward direction.

13. The refrigerator (100) of claim 11 wherein the track (160) comprises a horizontal rail (165) behind the inclined rail (163), the cover (130) being supported on the horizontal rail (165) in the closed position.

14. The refrigerator (100) of claim 13, wherein the sliding shaft (138) is located within the track (160), the sliding shaft (138) slides back and forth within the track (160) as the cover (130) moves between the closed position and the open position, and a fourth locking portion (116) is provided on the horizontal rail (165) to limit the sliding shaft (138) located on the horizontal rail (165) from sliding forward.

15. The refrigerator (100) of any of claims 1 to 7, or any of claims 11 to 14 or 9, comprising a locking mechanism (170), the locking mechanism (170) applying a rearward force to the lid (130) to lock the lid (130) in the closed position.

16. A refrigerator (100) as in claim 15, characterized by the locking mechanism (170) comprising a first locking portion (171) provided to the support structure (111), the first locking portion (171) abutting against a side portion (130b) of the cover (130) when the cover (130) is in the closed position, and/or by the locking mechanism (170) comprising a second locking portion (123) provided to the drawer (120), the second locking portion (123) being located at the rear end (120a) and/or at the side portion (120b) of the drawer (120) and abutting against the cover (130) when the cover (130) is in the closed position.

17. The refrigerator (100) of claim 16, wherein the second locking portion (123) pushes the cover (130) to move from the open position toward the closed position when the drawer (120) is pushed back into the storage chamber (110).

18. A refrigerator (100) as in any of claims 1 to 7, or 11-14, or 9, or 16, or 17, comprising a stop mechanism (180) to prevent further rearward movement of the cover (130) after it reaches a closed position.

19. The refrigerator (100) of claim 18, wherein the stop mechanism (180) comprises a first stop (124) located on the drawer (120), and/or a second stop (181) located on the side wall (110a), and/or a third stop (182) located on the rear wall (110b) of the storage compartment (110) and engaged with the rear end (130a) of the cover (130).

20. The refrigerator (100) of claim 19 wherein the first stop (124) drives the lid (130) from a closed position to an open position as the drawer (120) is pulled out of the storage compartment (110).

21. The refrigerator (100) of any one of claims 1 to 7, or any one of claims 11 to 14, or 9, or 16, or 17, or 19, or 20, comprising a pulling mechanism (183) and/or a pushing mechanism (151), the pulling mechanism (183) and/or the pushing mechanism (151) pulling and/or pushing the lid (130) to move forward when the lid (130) moves from the closed position towards the open position.

22. The refrigerator (100) of claim 21 wherein the pulling mechanism (183) and/or pushing mechanism (151) drives the lid (130) to continue moving forward and upward on the support structure (111) after the lid (130) and drawer (120) are disengaged.

23. A refrigerator (100) as in claim 21 wherein in the open position the pulling mechanism (183) and/or pushing mechanism (151) applies a forward force to the lid (130) to hold the lid (130) in the open position.

24. The refrigerator (100) of claim 21 wherein the draft mechanism (183) comprises a first spring (166) secured at one end to the side wall (110a) or support structure (111) and at the other end to the cover (130).

25. The refrigerator (100) of claim 24 wherein the first spring (166) is in tension during movement of the cover (130) between the open and closed positions.

26. A refrigerator (100) as claimed in claim 21, wherein the pushing mechanism (151) comprises a second spring (185) having one end fixed to the rear end (130a) of the cover (130) and the other end abutting against the rear wall (110b) of the storage chamber (110).

27. A refrigerator (100) as in claim 1, comprising a third locking portion (115) provided to the support structure (111), wherein when the lid (130) is moved to an open position, the third locking portion (115) abuts a side portion (130b) of the lid (130) to apply a forward force to the lid (130) to lock the lid (130) in the open position.

28. A refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, wherein in the closed position the pin portion (150) is in contact with at least one of the first and second drive portions (142, 143).

29. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1 wherein the first drive portion (142) is located forward of the second drive portion (143) and the pin portion (150) is located between the first drive portion (142) and the second drive portion (143) in the closed position.

30. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1 wherein the first drive portion (142) is higher than the second drive portion (143).

31. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1, wherein the first and second drive portions (142, 143) define an insertion hole (141) therebetween, and the pin portion (150) is inserted into the insertion hole (141) when the cover (130) is in the closed position.

32. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1, wherein the first and second driving portions (142, 143) are located at a rear end (120a) of the drawer (120).

33. The refrigerator (100) of claim 1, wherein the first and second driving portions (142, 143) are connected by a pair of guide surfaces (144), a spacing (l1) between one ends (144a) of the pair of guide surfaces (144) near the rear end (120a) of the drawer (120) being smaller than a spacing (l2) between the opposite ends (144b) of the pair of guide surfaces (144).

34. A refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, further comprising: the torsion spring (186) is arranged on the pin part (150), one end (186a) of the torsion spring (186) is abutted against the rear end (130a) of the cover (130), and the other end (186b) of the torsion spring (186) is abutted against the rear wall (110b) of the storage chamber (110).