REFRIGERATOR

Abstract

 A refrigerator (100) includes: a storage compartment (110), including a pair of side walls (110a), each of the side walls having a support structure (111); a drawer (120) having an opening facing upward; a lid (130) suitable for moving between a covering position and an uncovering position. At the covering position, the lid covers the opening of the drawer located within the storage compartment. The uncovering position is higher than the covering position, and at the uncovering position, the lid is supported on the support structure. An improved refrigerator can be provided according to the solutions of the present invention, to effectively improve sealing performance of a drawer within the refrigerator.

Description

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of refrigeration apparatuses, and in particular, to a refrigerator.

Related Art

[0002] With popularization of refrigeration apparatuses in people's daily life, an increasing number of people start to store perishable food such as vegetables and fish and meat in refrigeration apparatuses such as a refrigerator.

[0003] A refrigerator is used as an example. Generally, one or more drawers are disposed in a storage compartment (such as a refrigerating compartment) of the refrigerator to facilitate taking. When a stored product needs to be taken out, a user may pull out the drawer and take the required stored product. Afterwards the user may push the drawer back into the storage compartment, so that the entire taking process is completed.

[0004] Because the drawers within the existing refrigerators are uncovered and have poor sealing performance, stored products within the storage compartments are very likely to be tainted by each other, and severely, bacteria even breeds, affecting food hygiene.

SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention are intended to provide an improved refrigerator.

[0006] Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention provide a refrigerator, including: a storage compartment including a pair of side walls, each of the side walls having a support structure; a drawer having an opening facing upward; a lid being suitable for moving between a covering position and an uncovering position. At the covering position, the lid covers the opening of the drawer within the storage compartment. The uncovering position is higher than the covering position. At the uncovering position, the lid is supported on the support structure.

[0007] Compared to a lidless drawer in an existing refrigerator, in the solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, a refrigerator with a drawer is provided. When the drawer is located within the storage compartment of the refrigerator, the lid located at the covering position covers an opening of the drawer, so that sealing performance of the drawer can be effectively improved, and stored products within the drawer are prevented from being tainted by other stored products in the storage compartment because of being directly exposed in the storage compartment, thereby helping improve food hygiene. Further, when the drawer is being pulled out of the storage compartment, the lid moves from the covering position to the uncovering position and keeps being supported on a support structure within the storage compartment, so that the opening of the drawer can be automatically uncovered when the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment, facilitating use for a user. In addition, because the lid is supported on the support structure, the drawer can move frontward /rearward more smoothly within the storage compartment. Further, the uncovering position is higher than the covering position, so that the lid is more closely attached to the drawer when the drawer is located within the storage compartment, thereby achieving a better sealing effect and effectively alleviating air leakage possibly caused by deformation of a place at which the lid contacts the drawer.

[0008] Optionally, at the uncovering position, the lid and the drawer are separately supported on the support structure. Accordingly, at the uncovering position, the lid is supported on the support structure and is completely separated from the drawer, so that a designed distance for which the drawer moves toward outside of the storage compartment can be smoother and freer.

[0009] Optionally, while the drawer is being pulled out of the storage compartment, the drawer actuates the lid to move toward the uncovering position on the support structure, so as to uncover the opening while the drawer is being pulled out of the storage compartment. Accordingly, while pulling out the drawer from the storage compartment, a user can separate, without applying an additional force to the lid, the lid from the drawer while pulling the drawer out to uncover the opening, optimizing user experience.

[0010] Optionally, while the drawer is being pushed back into the storage compartment, the drawer actuates the lid to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position, to cover the opening while the drawer is being pushed back into the storage compartment. Accordingly, while pushing the drawer back into the storage compartment, a user can also cover, without applying an additional force to the lid, the drawer with the lid while pushing the drawer back, so that the drawer is switched to a sealed state while the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment, thereby optimizing user experience.

[0011] Optionally, at least one of the drawer and the lid has a sealing strip. At the covering position, the sealing strip of one of the lid and the drawer presses against the other of the lid and the drawer along the opening, and at the uncovering position, the sealing strip of one of the lid and the drawer is separated from the other of the lid and the drawer. Accordingly, at the covering position, the lid, the drawer, and the sealing strip contact closely to form sealed space within the drawer, so that the drawer has better sealing performance, thereby effectively alleviating air leakage possibly caused by deformation of a place at which the lid, the sealing strip, and the drawer contact. Further, because the uncovering position is higher than the covering position, friction between the sealing strip and the lid/drawer during movement of the raised lid may be avoided.

[0012] Optionally, the support structure includes a first limiting portion, the first limiting portion abutting against the lid at the covering position and applying a downward force to the lid to press the sealing strip. Accordingly, at the covering position, in addition to a gravity of the lid itself, the lid is pressed toward the drawer through the first limiting portion, to ensure that the sealing strip can sufficiently fill a gap between the lid and the drawer, thereby further optimizing a sealing effect of the drawer.

[0013] Optionally, the support structure includes a rail, the lid moving between the covering position and the uncovering position along the rail, and the rail including an upper rail wall, the first limiting portion being formed by the upper rail wall. Accordingly, at the covering position, a downward force can be applied to the lid through the upper rail wall, to keep the lid closely abutting against the drawer.

[0014] Optionally, during movement from the covering position to the uncovering position, the lid keeps being supported on the support structure after moving frontward and upward for a predetermined distance, and/or during movement from the uncovering position to the covering position, the lid covers the opening after moving rearward and downward for a predetermined distance. Accordingly, a frontward/rearward movement effect of the drawer in the storage compartment can be optimized, thereby ensuring that when the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment or located within the storage compartment, the lid can be located at a corresponding uncovering position or covering position.

[0015] Optionally, during movement between the covering position and the uncovering position, the lid moves both frontward/rearward and upward/downward for at least a part of the predetermined distance. Accordingly, while the drawer is being pulled out of the storage compartment, the lid moves relative to the drawer toward a direction away from the drawer while keeping moving toward outside of the storage compartment synchronously with the drawer, so that a distance for which the drawer moves toward outside of the storage compartment can be effectively prevented from being restricted by the lid. Further, while the drawer is being pushed back into the storage compartment, the lid moves relative to the drawer toward a direction for approaching the drawer while keeping moving toward inside of the storage compartment synchronously with the drawer, so that a buffer stage can be provided for the lid to cover the opening of the drawer, thereby preventing the lid/drawer from being damaged due to a violent collision caused when the lid is suddenly covered on the drawer.

[0016] Optionally, the support structure includes a rail, the lid moving between the covering position and the uncovering position along the rail. Accordingly, a movement track of the lid within the storage compartment is limited through the rail, so that unexpected displacement of the lid within the storage compartment is avoided, thereby ensuring that the lid can accurately cover the opening of the drawer at the covering position and the opening can be smoothly uncovered at the uncovering position without affecting a movement distance of the drawer.

[0017] Optionally, the rail includes an inclined rail that is inclined upward in a rear-to-front direction. Accordingly, when the lid moves from the covering position to the uncovering position, it can be ensured that the lid moves frontward and upward, and when the lid moves from the uncovering position to the covering position, it can be ensured that the lid moves rearward and downward.

[0018] Optionally, an angle between an extending direction of the inclined rail and the frontward direction is from 10° to 30°, so as to not only provide sufficient space for an upward movement distance of the lid, but also prevent the lid from unexpectedly gliding at the uncovering position due to an excessively large angle.

[0019] Optionally, the rail includes a horizontal rail located behind the inclined rail, and at the covering position, the lid is supported on the horizontal rail. Accordingly, when the drawer is located within the storage compartment, the lid may be kept at the covering position, to prevent the lid at the covering position from unexpectedly moving frontward/rearward.

[0020] Optionally, the lid has a sliding shaft, the sliding shaft being located within the rail and moving between the covering position and the uncovering position with the lid, and the sliding shaft sliding frontward/rearward within the rail. A fourth locking portion is disposed on the horizontal rail, to limit the sliding shaft located within the horizontal rail from sliding frontward. Accordingly, a sliding effect of the lid within the rail is optimized and a lubrication coefficient is improved.

[0021] Optionally, the fourth locking portion is disposed on the horizontal rail. At the covering position, the fourth locking portion is suitable for limiting frontward movement of the sliding shaft. Accordingly, when the drawer is located within the storage compartment, the lid can be more stably kept at the covering position to prevent the lid at the covering position from unexpectedly moving toward the uncovering position.

[0022] Optionally, the refrigerator includes a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism applying a rearward force to the lid to lock the lid at the covering position. Accordingly, the lid can be prevented from unexpectedly moving frontward at the covering position, thereby ensuring that the lid at the covering position always covers the opening of the drawer.

[0023] Optionally, the locking mechanism includes a first locking portion disposed on the support structure, when the lid is at the covering position, the first locking portion abutting against a side portion of the lid, and/or the locking mechanism includes a second locking portion disposed on the drawer, the second locking portion being located at a rear end and/or side portion of the drawer and abutting against the lid when the lid is at the covering position. Accordingly, the first locking portion and/or the second locking portion keep/keeps the lid being located at the covering position, to improve a sealing effect of the drawer while being located within the storage compartment.

[0024] Optionally, while the drawer is being pushed back into the storage compartment, the second locking portion pushes the lid to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position. Accordingly, while the drawer is moving toward inside of the drawer, the lid can be controlled to synchronously move rearward with the drawer, so that the lid moves to the covering position and keeps the opening of the drawer covered while the drawer moves back into the storage compartment.

[0025] Optionally, the refrigerator includes a stop mechanism configured to prevent the lid from keeping moving rearward after the lid reaches the covering position, thereby preventing the lid and/or a rear wall of the storage compartment from being damaged due to an unexpected collision between a rear end of the lid and the rear wall.

[0026] Optionally, the stop mechanism includes a first stop portion located at the drawer, and/or a second stop portion located at a side wall, and/or a third stop portion located at the rear wall of the storage compartment and fitting the rear end of lid, to effectively prevent the lid from continuing moving rearward after the lid reaches the covering position.

[0027] Optionally, while the drawer is being pulled out of the storage compartment, the first stop portion drives the lid to move toward the uncovering position from the covering position. Accordingly, while the drawer is moving toward outside of the storage compartment, the lid can be controlled to synchronously move frontward with the drawer, so that the lid moves to the uncovering position to uncover the opening of the drawer while the drawer moves outward.

[0028] Optionally, the refrigerator includes a traction mechanism and/or a pushing mechanism, when the lid moves toward the uncovering position from the covering position, the traction mechanism and/or the pushing mechanism drags and/or pushes the lid to move frontward. Accordingly, while the drawer is moving toward outside of the storage compartment, the lid can be controlled to synchronously move frontward with the drawer, so that the lid moves to the uncovering position to uncover the opening of the drawer while the drawer moves outward.

[0029] Optionally, the traction mechanism and/or the pushing mechanism drive/drives the lid to keep moving frontward and upward on the support structure after the lid is separated from the drawer. Accordingly, while the lid is moving toward the uncovering position from the covering position, it is ensured that the lid can keep moving toward the uncovering position when the lid is completely separated from the drawer, so that a distance for which the drawer moves toward outside of the storage compartment is smoother and not limited by the lid.

[0030] Optionally, at the uncovering position, the traction mechanism and/or the pushing mechanism apply/applies a frontward force to the lid to keep the lid being located at the uncovering position. Accordingly, the lid may be kept at the uncovering position to prevent the drawer from unexpectedly falling after the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment. Further, based on the solutions of this embodiment, the traction mechanism and/or pushing mechanism other than the drawer keep/keeps the lid at the uncovering position, so that a movement distance for which the drawer can move outward is not limited by the lid, and the drawer can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment.

[0031] Optionally, the traction mechanism includes a first spring with one end fixed to the side wall or the support structure and the other end fixed to the lid. Accordingly, the lid is pulled from the covering position to the uncovering position with a tensile force of the first spring, and the lid is kept at the uncovering position with the tensile force.

[0032] Optionally, while the lid is moving between the uncovering position and the covering position, the first spring is in a stretching state to pull the lid from the covering position to the uncovering position.

[0033] Optionally, the pushing mechanism includes a second spring with one end fixed to the rear end of the lid and the other end fixed to the rear wall of the storage compartment. Accordingly, the lid is pushed from the covering position to the uncovering position with a thrust force of the second spring, and the lid is kept at the uncovering position with the thrust force.

[0034] Optionally, the refrigerator includes a third locking portion disposed on the support structure, when the lid moves to the uncovering position, the third locking portion abutting against the side portion of the lid to apply a frontward force to the lid to lock the lid at the uncovering position. Accordingly, the lid may be kept at the uncovering position to prevent the drawer from unexpectedly falling after the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment. Further, based on the solutions of this embodiment, the third locking portion on the support structure other than the drawer keeps the lid at the uncovering position, so that a movement distance for which the drawer can move outward is not limited by the lid, and the drawer can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment.

[0035] Optionally, a pin portion extending downward is disposed on the lid. When the drawer is pushed back into the storage compartment, the pin portion contacts a first driving portion of the drawer, to enable the drawer to drive the lid to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position; and/or when the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment, the pin contacts a second driving portion of the drawer to enable the drawer to drive the lid to move toward the uncovering position from the covering position. Accordingly, while the drawer is being pulled out of and pushed back into the storage compartment, the lid can keep synchronously moving with the drawer frontward and - rearward, to prevent the lid and/or the drawer from being damaged due to friction with the drawer while the lid is moving toward the uncovering position, and ensure that the lid can timely move to a position at which the opening of the drawer is covered while the drawer is being pushed back into the storage compartment.

[0036] Optionally, at the covering position, the pin portion contacts at least one of the first driving portion and the second driving portion, to function as the second locking portion and/or the first stop portion.

[0037] Optionally, the first driving portion is located in front of the second driving portion, and at the covering position, the pin portion is located between the first driving portion and the second driving portion, to respectively function as the second locking portion and the first stop portion.

[0038] Optionally, the first driving portion is higher than the second driving portion. Accordingly, while the lid is moving toward the uncovering position from the covering position, it is ensured that the pin portion of the lid can be smoothly separated from the drawer without being blocked by the second driving portion.

[0039] Optionally, the first driving portion and the second portion enclose a jack, and when the lid is at the covering position, the pin portion is inserted into the jack, to avoid unexpected frontward/rearward and leftward/rightward displacement of the lid at the covering position.

[0040] Optionally, the first driving portion and the second portion are located at a rear end of the drawer, to provide a maximum distance for which the drawer moves frontward/rearward while achieving the foregoing functions.

[0041] Optionally, the first driving portion and the second portion are connected through a pair of guiding faces, a spacing between ends of the pair of guiding faces closed to the rear end of the drawer is less than a spacing between the other opposite ends of the pair of guiding faces. Accordingly, while the drawer is being pushed back into the storage compartment, a structure whose shape is a horn mouth when being overlooked is disposed to ensure that the pin portion of the lid moving toward the covering position can smoothly fall into the jack of the drawer, thereby preventing the pin from being damaged due to a collision with the guiding face.

[0042] Optionally, the refrigerator further includes a torsion spring disposed on the pin portion, one end of the torsion spring abutting against the rear end of the lid, and the other end of the torsion spring abutting against the rear wall of the storage compartment, to function as the pushing mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] 

FIG. 1 is a partial schematic structural diagram 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 diagram of a support structure in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a lid in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an effect diagram in which a lid in FIG. 1 is located at an uncovering position;

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

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

FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a region C in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a drawer in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are partial enlarged views of a region D in FIG. 9 from different perspectives;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a lid in FIG. 4 from another perspective;

FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of a region E in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a pin portion in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are schematic diagrams of a combination of a lid and a pin portion in

FIG. 1 from different perspectives;

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

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 along a direction G-G;

FIG. 19 is a partial enlarged view of a region H in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 to FIG. 22 are schematic diagrams of processes in which a lid and a drawer move from relative positions shown in FIG. 19 to relative positions shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a shaft sleeve in FIG. 2;

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

FIG. 25 is a partial schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

FIG. 28 is a partial schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a partial enlarged view of a region K in FIG. 1;

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram of a second spring in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 31 is a partial enlarged view of a region L in FIG. 25.

[0044] In the accompanying drawings:
100-Refrigerator; 110-Storage compartment; 110a-Side wall of a storage compartment; 110b-Rear wall of a storage compartment; 111-Support structure; 112-Screw hole; 113-Guide rail; 114-First limiting portion; 115-Third locking portion; 116-Fourth locking portion; 120-Drawer; 120a-Rear end of a drawer; 120b-Side portion of a drawer; 121-Opening; 122-Upper edge of a drawer; 123-Second locking portion; 124-First stop portion; 125-Handle; 130-Lid; 130a-Rear end of a lid; 130b-Side portion of a lid; 131-Installation portion; 132-Upper rib; 133-Lower rib; 134-Upright wall; 135-Installation hole; 136-Sealing strip; 137-Slot opening; 138-Sliding shaft; 140-Driving portion; 140a-Rear wall of a driving portion; 141-Jack; 142-First driving portion; 143-Second driving portion; 144-Guiding face; 144a-One end of a guiding face; 144b-The other opposite end of a guiding face; 150-Pin portion; 150a-Upper end of a pin portion; 150b-Lower end of a pin portion; 151-Pushing mechanism; 152-Vertical rib; 153-Stop portion; 154-Flat portion; 155-Snap portion; 160-Rail; 161-Shaft sleeve; 161a-Fitting hole; 162-Upper rail wall; 163-Inclined rail; 164-Jack catch; 164a-Elastic arm; 165-Horizontal rail; 166-First spring; 167-Opening portion; 170-Locking mechanism; 171-First locking portion; 180-Stop mechanism; 181-Second stop portion; 182-Third stop portion; 183-Traction mechanism; 185-Second spring; 186-Torsion spring; 186a-One end of a torsion spring; 186b-The other end of a torsion spring; 187-Scratch-resistant portion; gap1-Gap; gap2-Gap between an upright wall and a rear end of a lid; 11-Spacing between ends of a pair of guiding faces; 12-Spacing between the other ends of a pair of guiding faces;α- Angle between an extending direction of an inclined rail and a direction +y; x-Width direction of a refrigerator; y-Depth direction of a refrigerator; z-Height direction of a refrigerator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Those skilled in the art understand that, as described in background, drawers in an existing refrigerator are all without lids, and consequently, products cannot stored in the drawer in a sealed manner.

[0046] In order to resolve the foregoing technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a refrigerator, including: a storage compartment including a pair of side walls, each of the side walls having a support structure; a drawer having an opening facing upward; a lid being suitable for moving between a covering position and an uncovering position. At the covering position, the lid covers the opening of the drawer within the storage compartment. The uncovering position is higher than the covering position. At the uncovering position, the lid is supported on the support structure.

[0047] Those skilled in the art understand that the embodiments of the present invention provide a refrigerator with a drawer. When the drawer is located within the storage compartment of the refrigerator, the lid located at the covering position covers the opening of the drawer, so that sealing performance of the drawer can be effectively improved, and stored products within the drawer are prevented from being tainted by other stored products in the storage compartment because of being directly exposed in the storage compartment, thereby helping improve food hygiene.

[0048] Further, when the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment, the lid moves from the covering position to the uncovering position and keeps being supported on the support structure within the storage compartment, so that the opening of the drawer can be automatically uncovered when the drawer is pulled out of the storage compartment, facilitating use for a user. In addition, because the lid is supported on the support structure, the drawer can move frontward/rearward more smoothly within the storage compartment.

[0049] Further, the uncovering position is higher than the covering position, so that the lid is more closely attached to the drawer when the drawer is located within the storage compartment, thereby achieving a better sealing effect and effectively alleviating air leakage possibly caused by deformation of a place at which the lid contacts the drawer.

[0050] In order to make the foregoing objectives, characteristics, and advantages of the present invention clearer and easier to understand, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to accompanying drawings.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a specific schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a lid is at a covering position. In order to more clearly illustrate technical features of this embodiment, a storage compartment of the refrigerator and a drawer disposed therein are mainly used as an example in FIG. 1, and a specific structure of the drawer is further illustrated.

[0052] It should be noted that the design of this embodiment may also be applied to a refrigeration apparatus such as a refrigerated cabinet and a freezer in which products need to be separately stored in a sealed manner.

[0053] In particular, in this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 may further include a storage compartment 110 including a pair of side walls 110a and a drawer 120.

[0054] For example, the storage compartment 110 may include a rear wall 110b and a pair of side walls 110a, the rear wall 110b and the pair of side walls 110a enclosing accommodation space for accommodating the drawer 120. The rear wall 110b may be a rear wall of an inner container of the refrigerator 100, that is, a back plate of the refrigerator 100.

[0055] A size of the accommodation space of the storage compartment 110 may match a size of the drawer 120, and the accommodation space may be suitable for accommodating one or more drawers 120.

[0056] More specifically, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (the storage compartment 110 is not shown in FIG. 2), the drawer 120 may have an opening 121 facing upward. A user may take stored products placed within the drawer 120 from the opening 121, or the user may also place the stored products within the drawer 120 from the opening 121.

[0057] For convenience of description, in this embodiment, a width direction of the refrigerator 100 is set to a direction x, a depth direction of the refrigerator 100 is set to a direction y, and a height direction of the refrigerator 100 is set to a direction z. A direction from the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 to outside of the storage compartment 110 is a positive direction of the direction y (that is, a direction +y shown in the figure). In other words, a direction in which the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110 is the positive direction of the direction y. In this embodiment, a frontward direction may refer to the direction +y, a rearward direction may refer to a direction -y, an upward direction may refer to a direction z, and a downward direction may refer to a direction -z.

[0058] For example, the plurality of the drawers 120 may be arranged within the storage compartment 110 in parallel along the direction x, the direction y, and/or the direction z.

[0059] Next, that one drawer 120 is placed within the storage compartment 110 is used as an example for specific description.

[0060] Further, with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, each side wall 110a may have a support structure 111.

[0061] In one or more embodiments, for each side wall 110a, a number of support structures 111 on the side wall 110a may correspond to a number of lids 130 for uncovering or covering the opening 121, or corresponds to a number of drawers 120.
In one or more embodiments, the support structure 111 may be fixed to the side wall 110a through bolting. For example, referring to FIG. 3, at least one (two screw holes are used as an example in FIG. 3) screw hole 112 is provided on the support structure 111. During installation, the support structure 111 is screwed to the side wall 110a through the screw hole 112.

[0062] In one or more embodiments, the support structure 111 may be further fixed to the side wall 110a in other manners such as bonding, interference fit, etc. Alternatively, the support structure 111 may be further integrally formed on the side wall 110a.

[0063] Further, with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, the refrigerator 100 may further include a lid 130, the lid 130 being suitable for moving between a covering position and an uncovering position. At a covering position shown in FIG. 1, the lid 130 covers the opening 121 of the drawer 120 located within the storage compartment 110. The uncovering position is higher than the covering position. In addition, at an uncovering position shown in FIG. 5, the lid 130 is supported on the support structure 111.

[0064] Accordingly, in the solutions of this embodiment, when the drawer 120 is located within the storage compartment 110 of the refrigerator 100, the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is covered using the lid 130 located at the covering position, so that the sealing performance of the drawer 120 can be effectively improved, and the stored products within the drawer 120 are prevented from being tainted by other stored products within the storage compartment 110 because of being directly exposed in the storage compartment 110 thereby helping improve food hygiene. Further, when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 moves from the covering position to the uncovering position and keeps being supported on the support structure 111 within the storage compartment 110, so that the opening 121 of the drawer 120 can be automatically uncovered when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110, facilitating use for a user. In addition, because the lid 130 is supported on the support structure 111, the drawer 120 can move frontward/rearward more smoothly within the storage compartment 110. Further, the uncovering position is higher than the covering position, so that the lid 130 is more closely attached to the drawer 120 when the drawer 120 is located within the storage compartment 110, thereby achieving a better sealing effect and effectively alleviating air leakage possibly caused by deformation of a place at which the lid 130 contacts the drawer 120.

[0065] In one or more embodiments, the uncovering position being higher than the covering position may mean that, in the direction z, a distance from an upper surface of the lid 130 located at the uncovering position to a lower surface of the drawer 120 is greater than a distance from an upper surface of the lid 130 at the covering position to a lower surface of the drawer 120.

[0066] For example, the lid 130 is supported on the side wall 110a of the storage compartment 110 through the support structure 111, and the drawer 120 is supported on the side wall 110a of the storage compartment 110 through a guide rail 113. A distance between the guide rail 113 and the support structure 111 is adjusted, so that the uncovering position can be higher than the covering position.

[0067] Preferably, the guide rail 113 and the support structure 111 may be disposed in parallel with each other on a plane formed by the direction y and the direction z, so that the lid 130 and the drawer 120 can each keep moving in parallel with each other during frontward/rearward movement.

[0068] In one or more embodiments, at the uncovering position, the lid 130 and the drawer 120 are separately supported on the support structure 111. Accordingly, at the uncovering position, the lid 130 is supported on the support structure 111 and is completely separated from the drawer 120, so that a designed distance for the drawer 120 to move toward outside of the storage compartment 110 can be smoother and freer. Further, based on the solutions of this embodiment, distances for which the drawer 120 can move in the directions ±y may be greater than distances for which the lid 130 can move in the directions ±y, so that frontward/rearward movement of the drawer 120 may not be limited by frontward/rearward movement of the lid, thereby ensuring that the drawer 120 can be completely pulled out of the storage compartment 110 and opened to a user.

[0069] For example, referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, at an uncovering position, there may be a gap1 between a lower surface of the lid 130 supported on the support structure 111 and an upper surface of the drawer 120, to outward travelling of the drawer 120 from being impeded due to touch between the lid 130 and the drawer 120. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, after the lid 130 moves to the uncovering position, there may be a gap1 between the lower surface of the lid 130 and the upper surface of the drawer 120, so that the drawer 120 does not touch the lid 130 when continuing moving toward outside of the storage compartment 110 (that is, toward the direction +y), thereby ensuring that the drawer 120 can continue moving outward smoothly.

[0070] In one or more embodiments, while the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the drawer 120 may actuate the lid 130 to move toward the uncovering position on the support structure 111, so as to uncover the opening 121 while the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Accordingly, while pulling the drawer 120 from the storage compartment 110, a user may separate, without applying an additional force to the lid 130, the lid 130 from the drawer 120 to uncover the opening 121 while pulling the drawer 120 out, thereby optimizing user experience.

[0071] For example, referring to FIG. 8 to FIG. 11, a driving portion 140 may be disposed on a rear end 120a of the drawer 120, and the driving portion 140 is provided with a jack 141 in a height direction (that is, the direction z) of the refrigerator 100 to avoid unexpected frontward/rearward and leftward/rightward (that is, the direction x and the direction y) displacement of the lid 130 at the covering position.

[0072] In particular, the jack 141 may be enclosed by a first driving portion 142 extending to an upper edge 122 of a rear end 120a of the drawer 120, a second driving portion 143 lower than the first driving portion 142 in the height direction (that is, the direction z), and a pair of guiding faces 144, the first driving portion 142 being closer to the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 compared to the second driving portion 143.

[0073] Further, with reference to FIG. 4, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13, the rear end 130a of the lid 130 may have an installation portion 131, the installation portion 131 including an upper rib 132 parallel to an upper surface of the lid 130, a lower rib 133 parallel to a lower surface of the lid 130, and an upright wall 134 connecting the upper rib 132 and the lower rib 133, the upper rib 132 and the lower rib 133 being respectively provided with an installation hole 135.
Further, with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 16, a pin portion 150 (which may also be referred to as a driving pin) may be installed on the installation portion 131 of the lid 130. The pin portion 150 may extend into the installation hole 135, and an upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 stretches out upward (that is, toward the direction z) from the installation hole 135 of the upper rib 132, and a lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 stretches out downward (that is, in a direction opposite to the direction z shown in the figure) from the installation hole 135 of the lower rib 133.

[0074] In one or more embodiments, with reference to FIG. 17 to FIG. 19, when the lid 130 covers the opening 121, that is, when the lid 130 is at a covering position, the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 can extend into the jack 141 of the drawer 120.

[0075] In this case, the pin portion 150 can abut against at least one of the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143.

[0076] Further, with reference to FIG. 20 to FIG. 22 (in order to more clearly present mutual position relationships among the installation portion 131, the pin portion 150, and the driving portion 140 while a sliding shaft 138 is moving along a rail 160 during movement of the lid 130 between the uncovering position and the covering position, FIG. 20 to FIG. 22 show partial cross-sectional views of the lid 130 to present specific structures of the support structure 111, the rear end 130a of the lid 130, and the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 all), when the lid 130 uncovers the opening 121, that is, in a state shown in FIG. 19, when the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the direction +y, the pin portion 150 may abut against the second driving portion 143 to be driven by the second driving portion 143 to move with the drawer 120 along the direction +y, and during movement toward the direction +y, a state of the pin portion is gradually changed from abutting against the second driving portion 143 to being separated through the jack 141, until the lid 130 moves to an extent that a gap1 (shown in FIG. 8) is formed between the lid 130 and the drawer 120.

[0077] In one or more embodiments, while the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the drawer 120 may actuate the lid 130 to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position, so as to cover the opening 121 while the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110. Accordingly, while pushing the drawer 120 back into the storage compartment 110, a user can cover, without applying an additional force to the lid 130, the drawer 120 with the lid 130 while pushing the drawer 120 back, so that the drawer 120 is switched to a sealed state while the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage compartment 110, thereby optimizing user experience.

[0078] In particular, a size of the gap1 is adjusted to ensure that at the uncovering position, the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 installed on the lid 130 is still lower than an upper edge of the first driving portion 142 in the direction z. Accordingly, when the drawer 120 is pushed toward the direction -y from a state of being pulled out of the storage compartment 110 shown in FIG. 8, the first driving portion 142 can abut against the pin portion 150 and actuate the pin portion 150 (that is, actuate the lid 130) to move toward the -y direction together.

[0079] Further, during movement along the direction -y, the pin portion 150 gradually falls into the jack 141 shown in FIG. 19 after undergoing states in FIG. 22, FIG. 21, and FIG. 20.

[0080] In one preferred example, the first driving portion 142 may be higher than the second driving portion 143 in the direction z. Accordingly, while the lid 130 is moving toward the uncovering position from the covering position, it can be ensured that the pin portion 150 of the lid 130 can be smoothly separated from the drawer 120 without being blocked by the second driving portion 143. In addition, while the lid 130 is moving from the covering position to the uncovering position, it is ensured that the pin portion 150 of the lid 130 can abut against the first driving portion 142 instead of a rear wall 140a of the driving portion 140, thereby ensuring that the pin portion 150 falls into the jack 141 at the covering position.

[0081] In one or more embodiments, the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143 may be located at the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, to provide a maximum distance for which the drawer 120 moves frontward/rearward (that is, the directions ±y) while achieving blocking and actuation functions.

[0082] In one or more alternative examples, the driving portion 140 may also be disposed on a side wall of the drawer 120, so as to implement actuation and blocking on the lid 130.
In one or more embodiments, still referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143 may be connected through a pair of guiding faces 144. A spacing 11 between ends 144a of the pair of the guiding faces 144 closed to the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 may be less than a spacing 12 between the other opposite ends 144b of the pair of guiding faces 144. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110, a structure whose shape is a horn mouth when being overlooked (that is, a perspective shown in FIG. 10) is disposed to ensure that the pin portion 150 of the lid 130 moving toward the covering position can smoothly fall into the jack 141 of the drawer 120, so as to prevent the pin portion 150 from being damaged due to a collision with the guiding face 144, thereby achieving accurate positioning.

[0083] In one or more embodiments, still referring to FIG. 2, at least one of the drawer 120 and the lid 130 may have a sealing strip 136. At the covering position, the sealing strip 136 of one of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 presses against the other of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 along the opening 121, and at the uncovering position, the sealing strip 136 of one of the lid 130 and the drawer 120 is separated from the other of the lid 130 and the drawer 120. Accordingly, at the covering position, the lid 130, the drawer 120, and the sealing strip 136 contact closely to form sealed space within the drawer 120, so that the drawer 120 has better sealing performance, thereby effectively alleviating air leakage possibly caused by deformation of a place at which the lid 130, the sealing strip 136, and the drawer 120 contact. Further, because the uncovering position is higher than the covering position, friction between the sealing strip 136 and the lid 130/drawer 120 during movement of the raised lid 130 can be avoided.

[0084] For example, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, a slot opening 137 may be provided on one face of the lid 130 facing the drawer 120, the slot opening 137 being suitable for receiving the sealing strip 136. Accordingly, at the covering position, the sealing strip 136 installed on the lid 130 presses against the drawer 120 along the opening 121, which is shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19; and at the uncovering position, the sealing strip 136 on the lid 130 is separated from the drawer 120, which is shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0085] Preferably, the sealing strip 136 may be a sealing rubber strip.
In one or more embodiments, still referring to FIG. 3, the support structure 111 may include a rail 160, and the lid 130 can move between the covering position and the uncovering position along the rail 160. Accordingly, a movement track of the lid 130 within the storage compartment 110 may be limited through the rail 160, to avoid unexpected displacement (such as leftward/rightward movement in the direction x) of the lid 130 within the storage compartment 110, thereby ensuring that the lid 130 can be accurately covered the opening 121 of the drawer 120 at the covering position, and the lid 130 can smoothly uncover the opening 121 at the uncovering position without affecting a movement distance of the drawer 120.

[0086] For example, referring to FIG. 2, a sliding shaft 138 may be disposed on the lid 130 (for example, on the side wall), the sliding shaft 138 being located within the rail 160 and moving between the covering position and the uncovering position with the lid 130. The sliding shaft 138 may slide frontward/rearward (that is, slide along the directions ±y) within the rail 160. Accordingly, a sliding effect of the lid 130 within the rail 160 can be optimized and a lubrication coefficient can be improved.

[0087] In one or more embodiments, for each support structure 111, a number of rails 160 may correspond to a number of sliding shafts 138 on a side portion 130b of the lid 130. For example, specific description is given using an example that there are two rails 160 and corresponding sliding shafts 138 in all the drawings shown in this embodiment.

[0088] In one or more embodiments, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 23, a shaft sleeve 161 may be sleeved on the sliding shaft 138. The shaft sleeve 161 extends into the rail 160 and may slide along the rail 160 to drive the lid 130 to move between the uncovering position and the covering position.

[0089] For example, the lid 130 and a sliding shaft 138 thereof (both may be integrally formed) may be made of a material having a not so good lubricating effect to reduce costs. Accordingly, in order to improve a sliding effect of the lid 130 when sliding along the rail 160, a shaft sleeve 161 with a better lubrication effect may be sleeved around the sliding shaft 138 to slide on the rail 160 in replace of the sliding shaft 138, so as to provide better sliding experience while reducing costs.

[0090] In particular, one end of the shaft sleeve 161 may be provided with a fitting hole 161a, and the sliding shaft 138 extends into the fitting hole 161a to be coupled with the shaft sleeve 161. The other opposite end of the shaft sleeve 161 extends into the rail 160.

[0091] In one or more embodiments, the support structure 111 may include a first limiting portion 114, the first limiting portion 114 abutting against the lid 130 at the covering position and applying a downward (that is, a direction opposite to the direction z) force to the lid 130 to press the sealing strip 136. Accordingly, at the covering position, in addition to a gravity of the lid 130 itself, the lid 130 may be further pressed toward the drawer 120 through the first limiting portion 114, to ensure that the sealing strip 136 can sufficiently fill a gap between the lid 130 and the drawer 120, thereby further optimizing a sealing effect of the drawer.

[0092] For example, still referring to FIG. 3, the rail 160 may include an upper rail wall 162, and the first limiting portion 114 may be formed by the upper rail wall 162. Accordingly, at the covering position, a downward force can be applied to the lid 130 through the upper rail wall 162, to keep the lid 130 closely abutting against the drawer 120.

[0093] In one non-limiting embodiment, at the covering position, in the direction z, a spacing between a guiding rail 113 and the support structure 111 (or the upper rail wall 162 of the rail 160) may be less than a sum of heights of the lid 130, the sealing strip 136, and the drawer 120. Accordingly, when the lid 130 is at the covering position, the shaft sleeve 161 on the lid 130 abuts against the upper rail wall 162, to exert, to the lid 130, a force toward a direction opposite to the direction z, so that the lid 130 is tightly pressed against the drawer 120. The sealing strip 111 between the lid 130 and the drawer 120 may be pressed to deform to sufficiently fill a gap between the lid 130 and the drawer 120, thereby achieving a good sealing effect.

[0094] In one or more embodiments, during movement from the covering position to the uncovering position, the lid 130 can keep being supported on the support structure 111 after moving frontward and upward for a predetermined distance, and/or during movement from the uncovering position to the covering position, the lid 130 can cover the opening 121 after moving rearward and downward for a predetermined distance. Accordingly, an effect of a frontward/rearward movement (that is, movement along the directions ±y) inside/outside of the storage compartment 110 of the drawer 120 can be optimized, thereby ensuring that when the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110 or located within the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 can be located at a corresponding uncovering position or covering position.

[0095] In one non-limiting embodiment, referring to FIG. 3, the rail 160 may include an inclined rail 163 that is inclined upward in a rear-to-front direction, that is, the inclined rail 163 is inclined from the direction +y to the direction z. Accordingly, while the lid 130 is moving from the covering position to the uncovering position, it can be ensured that the lid 130 moves frontward and upward (that is, the direction +y and the direction z), to form a gap1 with the drawer 120 after the drawer 120 moves outward for a predetermined distance. Accordingly, at the uncovering position, because the drawer 120 is separated from the lid 130, it can be ensured that the drawer 120 is not interfered by the lid 130 while continuing moving outward.

[0096] Further, when the lid 130 is moving from the uncovering position to the covering position, it can be ensured that the lid 130 moves rearward and downward (that is, along directions opposite to the direction -y and the direction z), so that the lid 130 is closely attached to the drawer 120 after moving with the drawer 120 toward the storage compartment 110 for a predetermined distance, thereby sealing the drawer 120.

[0097] In one or more embodiments, an angle α between an extending direction of the inclined rail 163 and the frontward direction (that is, the direction +y) may be from 10° to 30°, so as to not only provide sufficient space for an upward (that is, along the direction z) movement distance of the lid 130, but also prevent the lid 130 from unexpectedly gliding at the uncovering position due to an excessively large angle.

[0098] In one or more embodiments, a third locking portion 115 may be disposed on the support structure 111. When the lid 130 moves to the uncovering position, the third locking portion 115 can abut against the side portion 130b of the lid 130 to apply a frontward force to the lid 130 to lock the lid 130 at the uncovering position. Accordingly, the lid 130 may be kept at the uncovering position to prevent the lid 130 from unexpectedly falling after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, based on the solutions of this embodiment, the third locking portion 115 on the support structure 111 other than the drawer 120 keeps the lid 130 at the uncovering position, so that a distance for which the drawer 120 can move outward is not limited by the lid 130, and the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment 110.

[0099] For example, referring to FIG. 24, the third locking portion 115 may be a jack catch 164. At the uncovering position, the sliding shaft 138 (or the shaft sleeve 161) of the lid 130 is located at an elastic arm 164a of the jack catch 164, and is kept at this position. When a force toward the direction -y is applied to the lid 130, the sliding shaft 138 (or the shaft sleeve 161) moves away from the elastic arm 164a, and moves toward a direction opposite to the direction z and toward the direction -y along the inclined rail 163 after spanning the jack catch 164, so as to drive the lid 130 to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position.

[0100] In one or more embodiments, still referring to FIG. 3, the rail 160 may include a horizontal rail 165 located at a rear of the inclined rail 163, the rear meaning an end closer to the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110.

[0101] Further, at the covering position, the lid 130 may be supported on the horizontal rail 165. Accordingly, when the drawer 120 is located within the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 may be kept at the covering position to prevent the lid 130 at the covering position from unexpectedly moving frontward/rearward.

[0102] In one or more embodiments, a fourth locking portion 116 may be disposed on the horizontal rail 165. At the covering position, the fourth locking portion 116 is suitable for preventing the sliding shaft 138 (or the shaft sleeve 161) located on the horizontal rail 165 from sliding frontward (that is, along the direction +y). Accordingly, when the drawer 120 is located within the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 can be more stably kept at the covering position through the fourth locking portion 116, to prevent the lid 130 at the covering position from unexpectedly moving toward the uncovering position.

[0103] For example, the fourth locking portion 116 may be a jack catch 164. At the covering position, the sliding shaft 138 (or shaft sleeve 161) of the lid 130 is located at the elastic arm 164a of the jack catch 164 and is kept at this position. When a force toward the direction y+ is applied to the lid 130, the sliding shaft 138 (or the shaft sleeve 161) moves away from the elastic arm 164a, enters the inclined rail 163 after spanning the jack catch 164, and moves toward a direction opposite to the direction z of the inclined rail 163 and toward the direction -y, to drive the lid 130 to move toward the uncovering position from the covering position.

[0104] In one or more embodiments, when a plurality of rails 160 are disposed on one support structure 111, a number of third locking portions 115 and/or fourth locking portions 116 may correspond to a number of rails 160. Alternatively, there may be one third locking portion 115 and/or one fourth locking portion 116 located on any of the plurality of the rails 160.

[0105] That one support structure 111 has two rails 160 is used as example in this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 24, there may be one third locking portion 115 and one fourth locking portion 116, both of which are located on a rail 160, of the two rails 160, closer to the rear end 130a of the lid 130.

[0106] Further, the predetermined distance may be a total distance for which the sliding shaft 138 may slide on the horizontal rail 165 and the inclined rail 163.

[0107] In one or more embodiments, a length of the predetermined distance along the direction +y may be less than a length for which the drawer 120 may move along the direction +y. In other words, when the sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 moves to a top (that is, the frontmost and uppermost end) of the inclined rail 163, the lid 130 keeps being supported on the support structure 111 and no longer moves frontward relative to the storage compartment 110. However, the drawer 120 can still continue moving along the direction +y to fully uncover the opening 121.

[0108] In one or more embodiments, based on the design of the inclined rail 163 and the horizontal rail 165, at the covering position, relative positions of the drawer 120, the lid 130, and the support structure 111 may be shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18. While the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, as the sliding shaft 138 slides on the horizontal rail 165 and the inclined rail 163, the lid 130 can move toward outside of the storage compartment 110 synchronously with the drawer 120 in the direction +y, and moves relative to the drawer 120 along a direction (that is, the direction z) away from the drawer 120, until the lid and the drawer 120 are separately supported on the support structure 111 after the lid moves to the uncovering position. At the uncovering position, relative positions of the drawer 120, the lid 130, and the support structure 111 may be shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7.

[0109] Further, while the drawer 120 is being pushed into the storage compartment 110, as the sliding shaft 138 slides on the inclined rail 163 and the horizontal rail 165, the lid 130 located at the uncovering position can move toward inside of the storage compartment 110 synchronously with the drawer 120 in the direction -y, and moves relative to the drawer 120 toward a direction (that is, a direction opposite to the direction z) for approaching the drawer 120, until the lid moves to the covering position. In this case, the lid 130 abuts against the drawer 120 and keeps the opening 121 covered.

[0110] In one or more embodiments, based on the design of the inclined rail 163, during movement between the covering position and the uncovering position, the lid 130 moves both frontward/rearward and upward/downward for at least a part of the predetermined distance. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 moves relative to the drawer 120 toward a direction away from the drawer 120 while keeping moving toward outside the storage compartment 110 synchronously with the drawer 120, so that a distance for which the drawer 120 moves toward outside of the storage compartment 110 can be effectively prevented from being restricted by the lid 130. Further, while the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 moves relative to the drawer 120 toward a direction for approaching the drawer 120 while keeping moving toward inside of the storage compartment 110 synchronously with the drawer 120, so that a buffer stage can be provided for the lid 130 to cover the opening 121 of the drawer 120, thereby preventing the lid 130/drawer 120 from being damaged due to a violent collision caused when the lid 130 is suddenly covered the drawer 120.

[0111] In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a locking mechanism 170. The locking mechanism 170 may apply a rearward force to the lid 130 to lock the lid 130 at the covering position. Accordingly, the lid 130 may be prevented from unexpectedly moving frontward at the covering position, thereby ensuring that the lid 130 at the covering position always covers the opening 121 of the drawer 120.
In one or more embodiments, the locking mechanism 170 may include a first locking portion 171 disposed on the support structure 111. When the lid 130 is at the covering position, the first locking portion 171 may abut against the side portion 130b of the lid 130 to prevent the lid 130 from moving frontward.

[0112] For example, referring to FIG. 3, the first locking portion 171 may be a fourth locking portion 116 located on the horizontal rail 165 (such as the jack catch 164 located on the horizontal rail 165). Accordingly, the sliding shaft 138 is prevented from sliding frontward at the covering position to lock the lid 130 at the covering position.

[0113] In one or more alternative examples, the locking mechanism 170 may include a second locking portion 123 disposed on the drawer 120. The second locking portion 123 may be located at a rear end 120a and/or a side portion 120b of the drawer 120 and abuts against the lid 130 when the lid 130 is at the covering position. Accordingly, the first locking portion 171 and/or the second locking portion 123 keep/keeps the lid 130 at the covering position to improve a sealing effect of the drawer 120 while being located within the storage compartment 110.

[0114] For example, the second locking portion 123 may be an upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, and the rear end 130a of the lid 130 may have a fitting portion (such as the pin portion 150) extending downward. When the lid 130 is located at the covering position, a lower end of the fitting portion is lower than the upper edge 122 of the rear end 120a of the drawer 120. Accordingly, the fitting portion can abut against the second locking portion 123, thereby locking the lid 130 at the covering position.

[0115] For another example, referring to FIG. 17 to FIG. 19, the second locking portion 123 may be the first driving portion 142, and a fitting portion (such as the pin portion 150 disposed on the rear end 130a of the lid 130 shown in FIG. 19) may be disposed on the rear end 130a and/or the side portion 130b of the lid 130. At the covering position, the fitting portion abuts against the second locking portion 123 to lock the lid 130 at the covering position.

[0116] In one or more embodiments, when the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the second locking portion 123 may push the lid 130 to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is moving toward inside of the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 can be controlled to move rearward synchronously with the drawer 120, so that the lid 130 moves to the covering position and keep the opening 121 of the drawer 120 covered while the drawer 120 moves back into the storage compartment 110.

[0117] For example, for the lid 130 and the drawer 120 that are initially at positions shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the drawer 120 moves toward the direction -y to a position shown in FIG. 22, the first driving portion 142 abuts against the pin portion 150. As the drawer 120 continues moving along the direction -y, the lid 130 is driven by the first driving portion 142 to move with the drawer 120 along the direction -y.

[0118] In addition, at this time, the sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 is located within the inclined rail 163, and therefore, the lid 130 moves toward a direction opposite to the direction z at the same time of moving with the drawer 120 along the direction -y, and finally reaches a state shown in FIG. 20 through movement after undergoing a state shown in FIG. 21.

[0119] In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a stop mechanism 180 configured to prevent the lid 130 from continuing moving rearward after the lid reaches the covering position, thereby preventing the lid 130 and/or the rear wall 110 of the storage compartment 110 from being damaged due to an unexpected collision between the rear end 130a of the lid 130 and the rear wall 110b.

[0120] In one or more embodiments, the stop mechanism 180 may include a first stop portion 124 located at the drawer 120 to effectively prevent the lid 130 from continuing moving rearward after the lid 130 reaches the covering position.

[0121] For example, referring to FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the first stop portion 124 may be the second driving portion 143, and can lock the lid 130 at the covering position through fitting with the pin portion 150 disposed on the lid 130, thereby preventing the lid 130 from continuing moving rearward after the lid 130 reaches the covering position.

[0122] Further, when the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the first stop portion 124 (such as the second driving portion 143) may drive the lid 130 to move toward the uncovering position from the covering position. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is moving toward outside of the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 can be controlled to move frontward synchronously with the drawer 120, so that the lid 130 moves to the uncovering position to uncover the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves outward.

[0123] In one or more alternative examples, the stop mechanism 180 may include a second stop portion 181 located on the side wall 110a and/or the support structure 111 of the storage compartment 110.

[0124] For example, referring to FIG. 25 to FIG. 27, one end of the second stop portion 181 may be connected to the side portion 130b of the lid 130, and the other end of the second stop portion 181 may be connected to the support structure 111. At the covering position, the second stop portion 181 applies a frontward force to the lid 130 to prevent the lid 130 from continuing moving rearward at the covering position.

[0125] For example, the second stop portion 181 may be a first spring 166, the first spring 166 being in a stretched state at the covering position. Preferably, the first spring 166 may be a tension spring.

[0126] In one or more alternative examples, the stop mechanism 180 may include a third stop portion 182 that is located on the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 and that fits the rear end 130a of the lid 130 to effectively prevent the lid 130 from continuing moving rearward after the lid 130 reaches the covering position.

[0127] For example, referring to FIG. 28, the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 may have a third stop portion 182 that fits the rear end 130a of the lid 130, and the third stop portion 182 protrudes from a surface of the rear wall 110b. When the lid 130 moves to the covering position, the installation portion 131 of the rear end 130a of the lid 130 abuts against the third stop portion 182, so that the lid 130 cannot continue moving rearward.

[0128] For example, the third stop portion 182 may fit the installation portion 131 that protrudes rearward from the rear end 130a of the lid 130. Alternatively, the third stop portion may fit other portions of the rear end 130a of the lid 130 in addition to the installation portion 131.

[0129] In one or more embodiments, the refrigerator 100 may include a traction mechanism 183. When the lid 130 moves toward the uncovering position from the covering position, the traction mechanism 183 may drag the lid 130 to move frontward. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is moving toward outside of the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 can be controlled to move frontward synchronously with the drawer 120, so that the lid 130 moves to the uncovering position to uncover the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves outward.

[0130] In one or more embodiments, the traction mechanism 183 may drive the lid 130 to continue moving frontward and upward on the support structure 111 after the lid 130 is separated from the drawer 120. Accordingly, while the lid is moving toward the uncovering position from the covering position, it can be ensured that the lid 130 can continue moving toward the uncovering position when being completely separated from the drawer 120, so that a distance for which the drawer 120 moves toward outside of the storage compartment 110 is smoother and not limited by the lid 130.

[0131] In one or more embodiments, at the uncovering position, the traction mechanism 183 can apply a frontward force to the lid 130 to keep the lid 130 at the uncovering position. Accordingly, the lid 130 may be kept at the uncovering position to prevent the lid 130 from unexpectedly falling after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, based on the solutions of this embodiment, the traction mechanism 183 other than the drawer 120 keeps the lid 130 at the uncovering position, so that a distance for which the drawer 120 may move outward is not limited by the lid 130, and the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment 110.

[0132] In one or more embodiments, still referring to FIG. 25 to FIG. 27, the traction mechanism 183 may include a first spring 166 with one end fixed to the side wall 110a or the support structure 111 and the other end fixed to the lid 130. Accordingly, the lid 130 is pulled from the covering position to the uncovering position with the tensile force of the first spring 166, and the lid 130 is kept at the uncovering position with the tensile force.

[0133] In one or more embodiments, while the lid 130 is moving between the uncovering position and the covering position, the first spring 166 may be in a stretched state to pull the lid 130 to the uncovering position from the covering position.
In one or more alternative examples, the refrigerator 100 may include a pushing mechanism 151. When the lid 130 is moving toward the uncovering position from the covering position, the pushing mechanism 151 can push the lid 130 to move frontward. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is moving toward outside of the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 can be controlled to move frontward synchronously with the drawer 120, so that the lid 130 moves to the uncovering position to uncover the opening 121 of the drawer 120 while the drawer 120 moves outward.

[0134] In one or more embodiments, the pushing mechanism 151 may drive the lid 130 to continue moving frontward and upward on the support structure 111 after the lid 130 is separated from the drawer 120. Accordingly, while the lid is moving toward the uncovering position from the covering position, it can be ensured that the lid 130 can continue moving toward the uncovering position when being completely separated from the drawer 120, so that a distance for which the drawer 120 moves toward outside of the storage compartment 110 is smoother and not limited by the lid 130.

[0135] In one or more embodiments, at the uncovering position, the pushing mechanism 151 can apply a frontward force to the lid 130 to keep the lid 130 at the uncovering position. Accordingly, the lid 130 may be kept at the uncovering position to prevent the lid 130 from unexpectedly falling after the drawer 120 is pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Further, based on the solutions of this embodiment, the pushing mechanism 184 other than the drawer 120 keeps the lid 130 at the uncovering position, so that a distance for which the drawer 120 may move outward is not limited by the lid 130 and the drawer 120 can be sufficiently pulled out of the storage compartment 110.

[0136] In one or more embodiments, referring to FIG. 29, the pushing mechanism 151 may include a second spring 185 with one end fixed to the rear end 130a of the lid 130 and the other end abutting against the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110. Accordingly, the lid 130 is pushed to the uncovering position from the covering position with the tensile force of the second spring 185, and the lid 130 is kept at the uncovering position with the tensile force.

[0137] For example, with reference to FIG. 29 and FIG. 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 lid 130, and the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 abuts against the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110, to function as the pushing mechanism 151.

[0138] In particular, through the designed torsion spring 186, a frontward force can be applied to the lid 130 while the lid 130 is moving from the covering position to the uncovering position.

[0139] Further, after the lid 130 moves to the uncovering position, the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 can still abut against the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110 to continue applying a frontward force to the lid 130, so as to keep the lid 130 at the uncovering position.

[0140] In one or more embodiments, referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 29, and FIG. 30, one end 186a of the torsion spring 186 may extend from a gap2 between the upright wall 134 and the rear end 130a of the lid 130. While the lid 130 is uncovering and covering the drawer 120 (that is, while the lid 130 is moving between the uncovering position and the covering position), the other end 186b of the torsion spring 186 always abuts against the rear wall 110b of the storage compartment 110.

[0141] In one or more embodiments, a scratch-resistant portion 187 may be disposed on one end 186b, of the torsion spring 186, that abuts against the rear wall 110b, to prevent an inner container of the refrigerator 100 from being damaged because of direct scratch between the torsion spring 186 and the rear wall 110b.

[0142] Preferably, the scratch-resistant portion 187 may be a plastic roller or other components capable of lubricating.

[0143] In one or more embodiments, one of the pushing mechanism 151 and the traction mechanism 183 may be applied to the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment. When the pushing mechanism 151 is used, a state of a combination of the pin portion 150 and the rear end 130a of the lid 130 and the rear end 120a of the drawer 120 may be shown in FIG. 31.

[0144] In this case, a via for the pin portion 150 to pass through may be formed on the installation portion 131, the pin portion 150 extending into the jack 141 of the driving portion 140 after passing through the via. Since the torsion spring 186 may be omitted, there may be no gap between the upright wall 134 and the lid 130.

[0145] Alternatively, the pushing mechanism 151 and the traction mechanism 183 may be applied together to the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment, to achieve better stopping, locking, and pushing/traction effects.

[0146] In one or more embodiments, a pin portion 150 extending downward may be disposed on the lid 130. When the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the pin portion 150 contacts the first driving portion 142 (that is, the second locking portion 123) of the drawer 120, so that the drawer 120 drives the lid 130 to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position.

[0147] Further, when the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the pin portion 150 can contact the second driving portion 143 (that is, the first stop portion 124) of the drawer 120, so that the drawer 120 drives the lid 130 to move toward the uncovering position from the covering position. Accordingly, while the drawer 120 is being pulled out of and pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the lid 130 can keep moving frontward/rearward synchronously with the drawer 120, to prevent the lid 130 and/or the drawer 120 from being damaged due to friction with the drawer 120 while the lid 130 is moving toward the uncovering position, and ensure the lid 130 can timely move to a position at which the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is covered while the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110.

[0148] In one or more embodiments, at the covering position, the pin portion 150 may contact at least one of the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143, to function as the second locking portion 123 and/or the first stop portion 124.

[0149] For example, referring to FIG. 19, at the covering position, when a pushing mechanism 151 is disposed on a pin portion 150, due to a frontward thrust force applied by the pushing mechanism 151, the pin portion 150 can contact the first driving portion 142, and contacts a second driving portion 143 in a dummy manner. Accordingly, when the lid moves from a position shown in FIG. 20 to a position shown in FIG. 22 after passing through a position shown FIG. 21, the pin portion 150 is not abutted by the second driving portion 143, thereby ensuring that the lid 130 can be smoothly separated from the drawer 120.

[0150] Similarly, referring to FIG. 26, at the covering position, when a traction mechanism 183 is connected between the lid 130 and the support structure 111, due to a frontward thrust force applied by the traction mechanism 183, the pin portion 150 can also contact the first driving portion 142, and contacts the second driving portion 143 in a dummy manner.

[0151] In one or more non-limiting embodiments, the first driving portion 142 may be located in front of the second driving portion 143. At the covering position, the pin portion 150 may be located between the first driving portion 142 and the second driving portion 143, to respectively function as the second locking portion 123 and the first stop portion 124.

[0152] In one preferred embodiment, the pin portion 150 may be integrally formed (or integrally fixed) to the rear end 130a of the lid 130.

[0153] For example, when a frontward force is applied to the lid 130 through the first spring 166, the pin portion 150 and the lid 130 may be integrally formed.

[0154] As a variant example, the pin portion 150 may be an independent component shown in FIG. 14 and installed on the rear end 130a of the lid 130.

[0155] For example, when the torsion spring 186 is designed, the pin portion 150 and the lid 130 may be two separate components, so that the torsion spring 186 is installed on the pin portion 150, and then the pin portion 150 is installed on the lid 130 during installation.

[0156] Similarly, when a driving portion 140 is disposed on the drawer 120, when the lid 130 switches between the uncovering position and the covering position, the pin portion 150 needs to be frequently inserted into the jack 141 or separated from the jack 141, resulting in continuous mutual friction between the pin portion 150 and the driving portion 140. Therefore, the pin portion 150 may be designed to be separated from the lid 130 and independently made of parts with good lubrication performance.
In one or more embodiments, referring to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, a size of an installation hole 135 disposed on the upper rib 132 may be smaller than a size of an installation hole 135 disposed on the lower rib 133.

[0157] For example, the installation hole 135 may be a waist-type hole to prevent the pin portion 150 inserted therein from unexpectedly rotating.

[0158] Preferably, a width of a straight wall of the installation hole 135 disposed on the upper rib 132 is the same as a width of a straight wall of the installation hole 135 disposed on the lower rib 133, and an arc radius of the installation hole 135 disposed on the upper rib 132 may be smaller than an arc radius of the installation hole 135 disposed on the lower rib 133. For a single installation hole 135, a width of a straight wall of the installation hole 135 means a spacing between two opposing straight walls of the installation hole 135. Accordingly, it can be ensured that the upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 can smoothly pass through the installation hole 135 disposed on the lower rib 133, and is stuck by the installation hole 135 disposed on the upper rib 132.

[0159] In one or more embodiments, referring to FIG. 14, the upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 may have a vertical rib 152. Referring to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, two sides of the vertical rib 152 may respectively abut against two straight walls of the installation hole 135 of the upper rib 132, to prevent the pin portion 150 installed within the jack 141 from shaking within the jack 141 along the directions ±y, that is, prevent the pin portion 150 from shaking back and forth.

[0160] In one or more embodiments, still referring to FIG. 14, a stop portion 153 may be disposed at a position at which the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 contacts the lower rib 133. Referring to FIG. 16, an upper surface of the stop portion 153 abuts against a lower edge of the installation hole 135 of the lower rib 133, to prevent the pin portion 150 installed within the jack 141 from unexpectedly moving within the jack 141 along the direction z, that is, prevent the pin portion 150 from moving upward.

[0161] In one or more embodiments, referring to FIG. 14 and FIG. 16, an outer wall of the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 may have a flat portion 154, the flat portion 154 abutting against the straight wall of the installation hole 135 of the lower rib 133, to prevent the pin portion 150 installed within the jack 141 from axially rotating around within the jack 141.

[0162] In one or more embodiments, referring to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the upper end 150a of the pin portion 150 may have a snap portion 155, the snap portion 155 being engaged with the installation hole 135 of the upper rib 32 to prevent the pin portion from moving downward within the installation hole 135, that is, prevent the pin portion 150 installed within the jack 141 from separating from the jack 141 due to action of gravity.

[0163] In one or more embodiments, still referring to FIG. 3, an opening portion 167 may be disposed on the support structure 111, so that a sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 is installed into the rail 160.

[0164] For example, the opening portion 167 may be located at a rear of a horizontal rail 165.

[0165] In one or more embodiments, the drawer 120 may have a handle 125 to be grasped by a user to pull the drawer 120 out or push the drawer 120 back.

[0166] In one typical application scenario, uncovering of the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is used as an example. The drawer 120 may be initially located within the storage compartment 110, and the lid 130 is located at the covering position. In this case, relative position relationships among the drawer 120, the lid 130, and the support structure 111 are shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 19.

[0167] In particular, at the covering position, the pin portion 150 is located within the jack 141 of the driving portion 140 at the rear end 120a of the drawer 120, and the lid 130 is supported on the horizontal rail 165 of the support structure 111. The sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 is located at a rear of a jack catch 164 of the horizontal rail 165.

[0168] In particular, the jack catch 164 may perform limiting. At the covering position, a frontward force applied to the lid 130 by the torsion spring 186 leads the lid 130 to tend to move frontward, so that the drawer 120 also tends to move frontward as a result of being driven by the lid 130. Therefore, when the drawer 120 is being pushed back into the storage compartment 110, the sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 is stuck using the jack catch 164 to fix the lid 130, thereby fixing the drawer 120.

[0169] In particular, at the covering position, the pin portion 150 is located within the jack 141, and a face at which the pin portion contacts the first driving portion 142 is a height of the entire driving portion 142 in the direction z, and a face at which the pin portion contacts the second driving portion 143 is a height of the entire second driving portion 143 in the direction z. Because the first driving portion 142 is higher than the second driving portion 143, a face at which that the pin portion 150 contacts the first driving portion 142 is relatively large.

[0170] Further, when the drawer 120 is being pulled out of the storage compartment 110, the second driving portion 143 actuates the pin portion 150 to move frontward together due to action of a frontward tensile force, thereby driving the lid 130 to move frontward together until the sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 spans the jack catch 164. In this case, a relative position relationship among the lid 130, the drawer 120, and the support structure 111 is shown in FIG. 20.

[0171] In particular, while the sliding shaft 138 is moving from a position shown in FIG. 17 to a position shown in FIG. 20, because the sliding shaft is always moving on the horizontal rail 165, the sliding shaft 138 is always moving horizontally during movement, and the lid 130 still keeps being on the drawer 120.

[0172] In particular, after the sliding shaft 138 spans the jack catch 164, because there is always a frontward force on the lid 130 (such as forces of the torsion springs 186 shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 or a force of the first spring 166 shown in FIG. 26), the pin portion 150 can abut against the first driving portion 142 at a moment at which the sliding shaft 138 spans the jack catch 164.

[0173] Further, as the drawer 120 continues moving frontward along the direction +y, the sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 moves to the inclined rail 163 after passing through the horizontal rail 165. In this case, a relative position relationship among the lid 130, the drawer 120, and the support structure 111 is shown in FIG. 21.

[0174] In particular, while the sliding shaft 138 is moving within the inclined rail 163, the drawer 120 always keeps moving frontward along the direction +y, and the lid 130 moves along the direction +y and the direction z (that is, moves obliquely upward). The lid 130 and the drawer 120 synchronously move frontward in the direction +y. Therefore, seen from an angle of the drawer 120, the lid 130 moves only upward (that is, toward a direction away from the drawer 120).

[0175] In particular, after the sliding shaft 138 spans the jack catch 164 and while the sliding shaft is moving within the inclined rail 163, under action of the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151, the pin portion 150 always keeps abutting against the first driving portion 142, thereby ensuring that a process in which the lid 130 moves obliquely upward and a process in which the drawer 120 moves frontward are synchronous. In addition, the lid 130 always keeps the pin portion 150 being blocked by the first driving portion 142 while the drawer 120 is being uncovered, so that user experience can be optimized, thereby ensuring that a process in which the lid 130 moves obliquely upward is a slow process, and the lid 130 does not suddenly bounce obliquely upward.

[0176] Otherwise, after the sliding shaft 138 spans the jack catch 164 and while the sliding shaft is moving within the inclined rail 163, the second driving portion 143 always drives the lid 130 to move frontward. When the sliding shaft 138 enters the inclined rail 163, the lid 130 may be stuck by the second driving portion 143 when moving upward relative to the drawer 120 to a position shown in FIG. 21, affecting smoothness of oblique upward movement of the lid 130.

[0177] Therefore, through the design of the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151, the lid 130 moves obliquely upward under action of the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151 instead of action of the drawer 120 (for example, the second driving portion 143), so that a respective movement distance of the lid 130 or the drawer 120 is prevented from being limited by each other.

[0178] Further, as the drawer 120 keeps moving toward the direction +y, the sliding shaft 138 of the lid 130 moves to a top of the inclined rail 163 along the inclined rail 163, which is shown in FIG. 22. In this case, the lower end 150b of the pin portion 150 is higher than the second driving portion 143, a gap1 is formed between the lower surface of the lid 130 and the upper edge 122 of the drawer 120, the sealing strip 136 disposed on the lid 130 is separated from the drawer 120, the lid 130 is kept at the uncovering position (that is, the sliding shaft 138 is located on the top of the inclined rail 163), and the drawer 120 continues moving frontward.

[0179] In particular, the lid 130 is kept at the uncovering position through the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151.

[0180] Further, the drawer 120 continues being pulled out of the storage compartment 110. Because the lid 130 has been kept at the uncovering position in a state of being completely separated from the drawer 120, the drawer 120 continues moving outward without being affected by the lid 130, so that the drawer 120 can be still smoothly pulled outward until the opening 121 is completely uncovered, which is shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8.

[0181] When the opening 121 of the drawer 120 is to be covered, the foregoing various steps may be implemented in reverse, that is, implemented in a sequence from FIG. 8, FIG. 22, FIG. 21, FIG. 20, to FIG. 19, so that the lid 130 can synchronously move to the covering position and keep the opening 121 covered while the drawer 120 is pushed back into the storage compartment 110.

[0182] Further, referring to FIG. 22, when the drawer 120 moves to a location shown in FIG. 22, because the second driving portion 143 is lower than the first driving portion 142, the pin portion can smoothly fall into the jack 141 of the driving portion 140, so that the pin portion 150 is actuated to always move rearward through the first driving portion 143 to overcome a frontward force applied to the lid 130 by the traction mechanism 183 and/or the pushing mechanism 151.

[0183] Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator (100), characterized by comprising:

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

a drawer (120), the drawer (120) having an opening (121) facing upward;

a lid (130), the lid (130) being suitable for moving between a covering position and an uncovering position, wherein at the covering position, the lid (130) covers the opening (121) of the drawer (120) within the storage compartment (110), and the uncovering position is higher than the covering position, and at the uncovering position, the lid (130) is supported on the support structure (111).

2. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that at the uncovering position, the lid (130) and the drawer (120) are separately supported on the support structure (111); and/or while the drawer (120) is being pulled out of the storage compartment (110), the drawer (120) actuates the lid (130) to move toward the uncovering position on the support structure (111), so as to uncover the opening (121) while the drawer (120) is being pulled out of the storage compartment (110); and/or while the drawer (120) is being pushed back into the storage compartment (110), the drawer (120) actuates the lid (130) to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position, so as to cover the opening (121) while the drawer (120) is being pushed back into the storage compartment (110).

3. The refrigerator (100) according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the drawer (120) and the lid (130) has a sealing strip (136), wherein at the covering position, the sealing strip (136) of one of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) presses against the other of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) along the opening (121), and at the uncovering position, the sealing strip (136) of one of the lid (130) and the drawer (120) is detached from the other of the lid (130) and the drawer (120).

4. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that the support structure (111) comprises a first limiting portion (114), the first limiting portion (114) abutting against the lid (130) at the covering position and applying a downward force to the lid (130) to press the sealing strip (136).

5. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that the support structure (111) comprises:
a rail (160), the lid (130) moving between the covering position and the uncovering position along the rail (160), and the rail (160) comprising an upper rail wall (162), the first limiting portion (114) being formed by the upper rail wall (162).

6. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the rail (160) comprises an inclined rail (163) that is inclined upward in a rear-to-front direction.

7. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that an angle (α) between an extending direction of the inclined rail (163) and the frontward direction is from 10° to 30°; and/or the rail (160) comprises a horizontal rail (165) located behind the inclined rail (163), and at the covering position, the lid (130) is supported on the horizontal rail (165), or additionally wherein the lid (130) has a sliding shaft (138), the sliding shaft (138) being located within the rail (160) and moving between the covering position and the uncovering position with the lid (130), and the sliding shaft (138) sliding frontward/rearward within the rail (160), and a fourth locking portion (116) is disposed on the horizontal rail (165) to prevent the sliding shaft (138) located within the horizontal rail (165) from sliding frontward.

8. The refrigerator (100) according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized by comprising a locking mechanism (170), the locking mechanism (170) applying a rearward force to the lid (130) to lock the lid (130) at the covering position.

9. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that the locking mechanism (170) comprises a first locking portion (171) disposed on the support structure (111), when the lid (130) is at the covering position, the first locking portion (171) abutting against a side portion (130b) of the lid (130), and/or the locking mechanism (170) comprises a second locking portion (123) disposed on the drawer (120), the second locking portion (123) being located at a rear end (120a) and/or a side portion (120b) of the drawer (120) and, and abutting against the lid (130) when the lid (130) is at the covering position.

10. The refrigerator (100) according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized by comprising a stop mechanism (180) configured to prevent the lid (130) from keeping moving rearward after the lid reaches the covering position.

11. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that the stop mechanism (180) comprises a first stop portion (124) located at the drawer (120), and/or a second stop portion (181) located at the side wall (110a), and/or a third stop portion (182) located at a rear wall (110b) of the storage compartment (110) and fitting a rear end (130a) of the lid (130).

12. The refrigerator (100) according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized by comprising a traction mechanism (183) and/or a pushing mechanism (151), when the lid (130) moves toward the uncovering position from the covering position, the traction mechanism (183) and/or the pushing mechanism (151) drags and/or pushes the lid (130) to move frontward; or additionally the traction mechanism (183) comprises a first spring (166) with one end fixed to the side wall (110a) or the support structure (111) and the other end fixed to the lid (130) and/or the pushing mechanism (151) comprises a second spring (185) with one end fixed to the rear end (130a) of the lid (130) and the other end abutting against the rear wall (110b) of the storage compartment (110).

13. The refrigerator (100) according to anyone of claims 1 to 12, characterized by comprising a third locking portion (115) disposed on the support structure (111), when the lid (130) moves to the uncovering position, the third locking portion (115) abutting against the side portion (130b) of the lid (130) to apply a frontward force to the lid (130) to lock the lid (130) at the uncovering position.

14. The refrigerator (100) according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that a pin portion (150) extending downward is disposed on the lid (130), wherein when the drawer (120) is pushed back into the storage compartment (110), the pin portion (150) contacts a first driving portion (142) of the drawer (120), to enable the drawer (120) to drive the lid (130) to move toward the covering position from the uncovering position; and/or when the drawer (120) is pulled out of the storage compartment (110), the pin portion (150) contacts a second driving portion (143) of the drawer (120) to enable the drawer (120) to drive the lid (130) to move toward the uncovering position from the covering position.

15. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 14, characterized in that the first driving portion (142) is located in front of the second driving portion (143), and at the covering position, the pin portion (150) is located between the first driving portion (142) and the second driving portion (143); and/or the first driving portion (142) is higher than the second driving portion (143); and/or the first driving portion (142) and the second driving portion (143) enclose a jack (141), and when the lid (130) is in the covering position, the pin portion (150) is inserted into the jack (141); and/or the first driving portion (142) and the second driving portion (143) are located at a rear end (120a) of the drawer (120); and/or the first driving portion (142) and the second driving portion (143) are connected through a pair of guiding faces (144), a spacing (11) between ends (144a) of the pair of guiding faces (144) closed to the rear end (120a) of the drawer (120) is less than a spacing (12) between the other opposite ends (144b) of the pair of guiding faces (144; and/or further comprising a torsion spring (186) disposed on the pin portion (150), one end (186a) of the torsion spring (186) abutting against the rear end (130a) of the lid (130), and the other end (186b) of the torsion spring (186) abutting against the rear wall (110b) of the storage compartment (110).

Drawing