U.S. patent application number 17/434354 was filed with the patent office on 2022-05-12 for refrigerator having air blower located upstream of transverse side of evaporator.
This patent application is currently assigned to HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Wei LI, Jianlin MIAO, Shengyuan NIE, Tong XU.
Application Number | 20220146180 17/434354 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-05-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220146180 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MIAO; Jianlin ; et
al. |
May 12, 2022 |
REFRIGERATOR HAVING AIR BLOWER LOCATED UPSTREAM OF TRANSVERSE SIDE
OF EVAPORATOR
Abstract
A refrigerator (100) is provided. The refrigerator includes: a
cabinet, in which are defined a cooling chamber (133) and at least
one storage compartment; an evaporator (150), arranged in the
cooling chamber (133) and configured to cool an airflow entering
the cooling chamber (133) to form a cooled airflow; and an air
blower (102), arranged on a transverse side of the evaporator
(150), located upstream of the evaporator (150) in an airflow path,
and configured to cause a return airflow in the at least one
storage compartment to flow into the cooling chamber (133) to be
cooled by the evaporator (150), and cause at least part of the
cooled airflow to flow into the at least one storage
compartment.
Inventors: |
MIAO; Jianlin; (Qingdao,
CN) ; NIE; Shengyuan; (Qingdao, CN) ; LI;
Wei; (Qingdao, CN) ; XU; Tong; (Qingdao,
CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD. |
Qingdao, Shandong |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.
Qingdao, Shandong
CN
|
Appl. No.: |
17/434354 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2020 |
PCT Filed: |
February 19, 2020 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2020/075883 |
371 Date: |
August 26, 2021 |
International
Class: |
F25D 11/02 20060101
F25D011/02; F25D 17/06 20060101 F25D017/06; F25D 17/08 20060101
F25D017/08; F25D 23/00 20060101 F25D023/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 26, 2019 |
CN |
201910142773.6 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a cabinet, in which are defined a
cooling chamber and at least one storage compartment; an
evaporator, arranged in the cooling chamber and configured to cool
an airflow entering the cooling chamber to form a cooled airflow;
and an air blower, arranged on a transverse side of the evaporator,
located upstream of the evaporator in an airflow path, and
configured to cause a return airflow in the at least one storage
compartment to flow into the cooling chamber to be cooled by the
evaporator, and cause at least part of the cooled airflow to flow
into the at least one storage compartment.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet
comprises: a freezing liner, in which the cooling chamber is
defined at a lower part, the storage compartment comprising a
freezing chamber defined by the freezing liner and located above
the cooling chamber; and a freezing chamber air supply duct,
located inside a first transverse side wall of the freezing liner
and provided with at least one first air supply outlet communicated
with the freezing chamber, wherein the air blower is arranged in
the cooling chamber, located on a second transverse side of the
evaporator, and configured to cause at least part of the cooled
airflow to flow into the freezing chamber through the freezing
chamber air supply duct.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a freezing
chamber return air inlet is formed on a second transverse side wall
of the cooling chamber, so that a return airflow of the freezing
chamber enters the cooling chamber through the freezing chamber
return air inlet under the driving of the air blower and is cooled
by the evaporator.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the cabinet
further comprises: a variable temperature liner, located above the
freezing liner, the storage compartment comprising a variable
temperature chamber defined by the variable temperature liner, and
a variable temperature chamber return air inlet being formed in a
region, corresponding to the evaporator, of a second transverse
side wall of the freezing liner; a variable temperature chamber air
supply duct, arranged outside a first transverse side wall of the
variable temperature liner, controllably communicated with the
freezing chamber air supply duct through a variable temperature
damper, and provided with at least one second air supply outlet
communicated with the variable temperature chamber; and a variable
temperature chamber return air duct, arranged outside a second
transverse side wall of the variable temperature liner, and
extending downwards to be communicated with the variable
temperature chamber return air inlet, so that a return airflow of
the variable temperature chamber enters the cooling chamber through
the variable temperature chamber return air duct and the variable
temperature chamber return air inlet under the driving of the air
blower and is cooled by the evaporator.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator is
transversely arranged in the cooling chamber.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a compressor
chamber is further defined in the cabinet and is located behind and
below the cooling chamber.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, further comprising: a
compressor, a heat dissipation fan and a condenser which are
transversely and sequentially arranged in the compressor chamber,
wherein a bottom air inlet adjacent to the condenser and a bottom
air outlet adjacent to the compressor, which are transversely
arranged, are defined on a bottom wall of the cabinet; and the heat
dissipation fan is further configured to suck ambient air from the
bottom air inlet and cause the air to pass through the condenser
and the compressor and then to flow into an ambient environment
from the bottom air outlet.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the cabinet
further comprises: a bottom plate, comprising a bottom horizontal
section located on a bottom front side and a bent section bending
and extending upwards and rearwards from a rear end of the bottom
horizontal section, the bent section comprising an inclined section
located above the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet; a
supporting plate, located behind the bottom horizontal section, the
bent section extending to an upper side of the supporting plate,
wherein the supporting plate together with the bottom horizontal
section forms the bottom wall of the cabinet and is spaced apart
from the bottom horizontal section, so that a bottom opening is
defined by the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and a
front end of the supporting plate; two side plates, extending
upwards to both transverse sides of the bent section from both
transverse sides of the supporting plate respectively to form two
transverse side walls of the compressor chamber; and a vertically
extending back plate, extending upwards from a rear end of the
supporting plate to a rear end of the bent section to form a rear
wall of the compressor chamber, wherein the compressor, the heat
dissipation fan and the condenser are transversely and sequentially
spaced apart on the supporting plate and are located in a space
defined by the supporting plate, the two side plates, the back
plate and the bent section; and the cabinet further comprises a
divider, which is arranged behind the bent section, has a front
part connected to the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and
a rear part connected to the front end of the supporting plate, and
is configured to divide the bottom opening into the bottom air
inlet and the bottom air outlet transversely arranged.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the cabinet
further comprises: a wind blocking strip extending forwards and
rearwards, located between the bottom air inlet and the bottom air
outlet, extending from a lower surface of the bottom horizontal
section to a lower surface of the supporting plate, and connected
to a lower end of the divider, so as to completely separate the
bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet using the wind blocking
strip and the divider, so that when the refrigerator is placed on a
supporting surface, a space between the bottom wall of the cabinet
and the supporting surface is transversely divided to allow
external air to enter the compressor chamber through the bottom air
inlet on a transverse side of the wind blocking strip under the
action of the heat dissipation fan, to sequentially flow through
the condenser and the compressor, and to finally flow out of the
bottom air outlet on the other transverse side of the wind blocking
strip.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein a plate section
of the back plate facing the condenser is a continuous plate
surface.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of
household appliances, and in particular to a refrigerator having an
air blower located upstream of a transverse side of an
evaporator.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In an existing refrigerator, a fan for causing an airflow
cooled by an evaporator to flow to a storage compartment is
generally arranged downstream of the evaporator in a front-rear
direction. The fan occupies a space in the front-rear direction of
the refrigerator, so that a distance between the rear of an
evaporator chamber and a housing of a cabinet is reduced, the
thickness of a foamed material is reduced, and the refrigeration
performance and the energy consumption of the refrigerator are
adversely affected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In view of the above problems, an object of the present
invention is to provide a refrigerator that overcomes or at least
partially solves the above problems.
[0004] A further object of the present invention is to improve the
heat dissipation effect of a compressor chamber.
[0005] The present invention provides a refrigerator,
including:
[0006] a cabinet, in which are defined a cooling chamber and at
least one storage compartment;
[0007] an evaporator, arranged in the cooling chamber and
configured to cool an airflow entering the cooling chamber to form
a cooled airflow; and
[0008] an air blower, arranged on a transverse side of the
evaporator, located upstream of the evaporator in an airflow path,
and configured to cause a return airflow in the at least one
storage compartment to flow into the cooling chamber to be cooled
by the evaporator, and cause at least part of the cooled airflow to
flow into the at least one storage compartment.
[0009] Optionally, the cabinet includes:
[0010] a freezing liner, in which the cooling chamber is defined at
a lower part, the storage compartment including a freezing chamber
defined by the freezing liner and located above the cooling
chamber; and
[0011] a freezing chamber air supply duct, located inside a first
transverse side wall of the freezing liner and provided with at
least one first air supply outlet communicated with the freezing
chamber.
[0012] The air blower is arranged in the cooling chamber, located
on a second transverse side of the evaporator, and configured to
cause at least part of the cooled airflow to flow into the freezing
chamber through the freezing chamber air supply duct.
[0013] Optionally, a freezing chamber return air inlet is formed on
a second transverse side wall of the cooling chamber, so that a
return airflow of the freezing chamber enters the cooling chamber
through the freezing chamber return air inlet under the driving of
the air blower and is cooled by the evaporator.
[0014] Optionally, the cabinet further includes:
[0015] a variable temperature liner, located above the freezing
liner, the storage compartment including a variable temperature
chamber defined by the variable temperature liner, and a variable
temperature chamber return air inlet being formed in a region,
corresponding to the evaporator, of a second transverse side wall
of the freezing liner;
[0016] a variable temperature chamber air supply duct, arranged
outside a first transverse side wall of the variable temperature
liner, controllably communicated with the freezing chamber air
supply duct through a variable temperature damper, and provided
with at least one second air supply outlet communicated with the
variable temperature chamber; and
[0017] a variable temperature chamber return air duct, arranged
outside a second transverse side wall of the variable temperature
liner, and extending downwards to be communicated with the variable
temperature chamber return air inlet, so that a return airflow of
the variable temperature chamber enters the cooling chamber through
the variable temperature chamber return air duct and the variable
temperature chamber return air inlet under the driving of the air
blower and is cooled by the evaporator.
[0018] Optionally, the evaporator is transversely arranged in the
cooling chamber.
[0019] Optionally, a compressor chamber is further defined in the
cabinet and is located behind and below the cooling chamber.
[0020] Optionally, the refrigerator further includes:
[0021] a compressor, a heat dissipation fan and a condenser which
are transversely and sequentially arranged in the compressor
chamber.
[0022] A bottom air inlet adjacent to the condenser and a bottom
air outlet adjacent to the compressor, which are transversely
arranged, are defined on a bottom wall of the cabinet.
[0023] The heat dissipation fan is further configured to suck
ambient air from the bottom air inlet and cause the air to pass
through the condenser and the compressor and then to flow into an
ambient environment from the bottom air outlet.
[0024] Optionally, the cabinet further includes:
[0025] a bottom plate, including a bottom horizontal section
located on a bottom front side and a bent section bending and
extending upwards and rearwards from a rear end of the bottom
horizontal section, the bent section including an inclined section
located above the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet;
[0026] a supporting plate, located behind the bottom horizontal
section, the bent section extending to an upper side of the
supporting plate, wherein the supporting plate together with the
bottom horizontal section forms the bottom wall of the cabinet and
is spaced apart from the bottom horizontal section, so that a
bottom opening is defined by the rear end of the bottom horizontal
section and a front end of the supporting plate;
[0027] two side plates, extending upwards to both transverse sides
of the bent section from both transverse sides of the supporting
plate respectively to form two transverse side walls of the
compressor chamber; and
[0028] a vertically extending back plate, extending upwards from a
rear end of the supporting plate to a rear end of the bent section
to form a rear wall of the compressor chamber.
[0029] The compressor, the heat dissipation fan and the condenser
are transversely and sequentially spaced apart on the supporting
plate and are located in a space defined by the supporting plate,
the two side plates, the back plate and the bent section.
[0030] The cabinet further includes a divider, which is arranged
behind the bent section, has a front part connected to the rear end
of the bottom horizontal section and a rear part connected to the
front end of the supporting plate, and is configured to divide the
bottom opening into the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet
transversely arranged.
[0031] Optionally, the cabinet further includes:
[0032] a wind blocking strip extending forwards and rearwards,
located between the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet,
extending from a lower surface of the bottom horizontal section to
a lower surface of the supporting plate, and connected to a lower
end of the divider, so as to completely separate the bottom air
inlet and the bottom air outlet using the wind blocking strip and
the divider, so that when the refrigerator is placed on a
supporting surface, a space between the bottom wall of the cabinet
and the supporting surface is transversely divided to allow
external air to enter the compressor chamber through the bottom air
inlet on a transverse side of the wind blocking strip under the
action of the heat dissipation fan, to sequentially flow through
the condenser and the compressor, and to finally flow out of the
bottom air outlet on the other transverse side of the wind blocking
strip.
[0033] Optionally, a plate section of the back plate facing the
condenser is a continuous plate surface.
[0034] In the refrigerator provided by the present invention, the
air blower is located on the transverse side of the evaporator, and
does not occupy a space behind or in front of the evaporator, which
reduces a space occupied by the cooling chamber in a front-rear
direction, and ensures the thickness of a foamed material between
the rear of the cooling chamber and a housing of the cabinet. In
addition, the air blower is located upstream of the evaporator in
the airflow path, so that the flow of the return airflow is
accelerated, and the refrigerating speed can be increased.
[0035] Furthermore, in the refrigerator provided by the present
invention, a lower space in the freezing liner defines the cooling
chamber, the freezing chamber is located above the cooling chamber,
the compressor chamber is located at the rear lower side of the
cooling chamber, and the freezing chamber does not need to give way
to the compressor chamber, so that the storage volume of the
freezing chamber is increased, and the freezing chamber is a
rectangular space convenient for placement of articles which are
large in volume and are not easily divided. In addition, the air
blower is arranged on the transverse side of the evaporator, so
that the air blower is prevented from occupying the space behind or
in front of the evaporator, the space occupied by the cooling
chamber in the front-rear direction is reduced, the space between
the rear of the cooling chamber and the compressor chamber is
increased, and the thickness of the foamed material between the
rear of the cooling chamber and the compressor chamber is
increased, thereby ensuring the refrigeration performance of the
refrigerator and reducing the energy consumption.
[0036] Furthermore, in the refrigerator provided by the present
invention, the bottom of the cabinet is constructed into a
three-dimensional structure by the bottom plate and the supporting
plate of a special structure, an independent three-dimensional
space is provided for the arrangement of the compressor, the
supporting plate is used for supporting the compressor, and the
influence of vibration of the compressor on other components at the
bottom of the cabinet is reduced. In addition, a slope structure of
the inclined section is capable of guiding and rectifying feeding
airflow, so that the airflow entering from the bottom air inlet
flows more concentratedly to the condenser, avoiding that the
airflow is too dispersed to pass more through the condenser,
thereby further ensuring the heat dissipation effect of the
condenser. Moreover, the cabinet is designed into the above smart
special structure, so that the bottom of the refrigerator is
compact in structure and reasonable in layout, the overall volume
of the refrigerator is reduced, the space at the bottom of the
refrigerator is fully utilized, and the heat dissipation efficiency
of the compressor and the condenser is ensured.
[0037] The above, as well as other objectives, advantages, and
characteristics of the present invention, will be better understood
by those skilled in the art according to the following detailed
description of specific embodiments of the present invention taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0038] In the following part, some specific embodiments of the
present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary
rather than limited manner with reference to the accompanying
drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings
indicate the same or similar components or parts. Those skilled in
the art should understand that these accompanying drawings are not
necessarily drawn to scale. In figures:
[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic structure view of one direction of a
refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0040] FIG. 2 is a schematic structure view of another direction of
a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0041] FIG. 3 is a partial schematic view of a refrigerator
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0042] FIG. 4 is a partial exploded schematic view of a
refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0043] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a housing of a refrigerator
according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
[0044] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a region A in FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0045] The present embodiment first provides a refrigerator 100.
The refrigerator 100 according to the embodiment of the present
invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. In the
following description, an orientation or position relationship
indicated by "front", "rear", "upper", "lower" and the like is an
orientation based on the refrigerator 100 as a reference, and
"front" and "rear" are directions as indicated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4.
As shown in FIG. 2, "transverse" refers to a direction parallel to
a width direction of the refrigerator 100.
[0046] FIG. 1 is a schematic structure view of one direction of a
refrigerator 100 according to one embodiment of the present
invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic structure view of another
direction of a refrigerator 100 according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 100 may generally
include a cabinet which includes a housing and a storage liner
arranged inside the housing. A space between the housing and the
storage liner is filled with a thermal insulation material (forming
a foamed layer). At least one storage compartment is defined in the
storage liner. The storage liner may generally include a freezing
liner 130, a refrigerating liner and a variable temperature liner.
The storage compartment may include a refrigerating chamber 11
defined by the refrigerating liner, a variable temperature chamber
121 defined by the variable temperature liner, and a freezing
chamber 131 defined by the freezing liner 130. A front side of the
storage liner is also provided with a door body for opening or
closing the storage compartment. For example, a front side of the
refrigerating liner is provided with a refrigerating chamber door
body 12, a front side of the variable temperature liner is provided
with a variable temperature chamber door body 122, and a front side
of the freezing liner 130 is provided with a freezing chamber door
body 132.
[0048] A plurality of storage containers 1311 distributed
vertically are arranged in the freezing chamber 131. As shown in
FIG. 1, three storage containers 1311 are distributed
vertically.
[0049] As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, the
refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment may further include an
evaporator 150, an air blower 102, a compressor 104, a condenser
105 and a throttling element (not shown). The evaporator 150 is
located in a cooling chamber 133 and is connected to the compressor
104, the condenser 105 and the throttling element via a refrigerant
pipeline to form a refrigeration cycle loop. The evaporator reduces
the temperature to cool air flowing therethrough to form a cooled
airflow when the compressor 104 is started. The air blower 102 may
be a centrifugal fan, a cross-flow fan, or an axial-flow fan.
[0050] In particular, in the present embodiment, the air blower 102
is located on a transverse side of the evaporator 150, located
upstream of the evaporator 150 in an airflow path, and configured
to cause a return airflow in the at least one storage compartment
to flow into the cooling chamber 133 to be cooled by the evaporator
150, and cause part of the cooled airflow to flow into the at least
one storage compartment.
[0051] In the refrigerator 100 of the present embodiment, the air
blower 102 is located on the transverse side of the evaporator 150,
and does not occupy a space behind or in front of the evaporator
150, which reduces a space occupied by the cooling chamber 133 in a
front-rear direction, and ensures the thickness of a foamed
material between the rear of the cooling chamber 133 and a housing
of the cabinet.
[0052] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling chamber
133 may be defined by a lowermost space in the freezing liner 130.
That is, the aforementioned cooling chamber 133 is defined at a
lower part in the freezing liner 130, and the freezing chamber 131
defined by the freezing liner 130 is located above the cooling
chamber 133.
[0053] The air blower 102 is arranged in the cooling chamber 133,
located on a second transverse side of the evaporator 150, and
configured to cause at least part of the cooled airflow to flow
into the freezing chamber 131 through a freezing chamber air supply
duct 160.
[0054] In the conventional refrigerator 100, the cooling chamber
133 is generally located in a rear space of the cabinet, the
freezing chamber 131 is generally located on the lowermost side of
the cabinet, a compressor chamber is located on the rear of the
freezing chamber 131, and the freezing chamber 131 is inevitably
constructed as a special-shaped space giving way to the compressor
chamber, thereby reducing the storage volume of the freezing
chamber 131, and also causing the following problems. On one hand,
the freezing chamber 131 is located at a lower position, and a user
needs to bend or squat greatly to take and place articles in the
freezing chamber 131, so it is inconvenient for the user,
particularly for the elderly. On the other hand, since the depth of
the freezing chamber 131 is reduced, in order to ensure the storage
volume of the freezing chamber 131, the space in a height direction
of the freezing chamber 131 needs to be increased, and a user needs
to stack articles in the height direction when storing the articles
into the freezing chamber 131; thus, it is inconvenient for the
user to find the articles, and the articles at the bottom of the
freezing chamber 131 are easily shielded, so that the user cannot
easily find and forget the articles, resulting in deterioration and
wasting of the articles. Moreover, since the freezing chamber 131
has a special shape and is not a rectangular space, it is
inconvenient to place some articles which are large in volume and
are not easily divided into the freezing chamber 131.
[0055] In the present embodiment, the lower space in the freezing
liner 130 defines the cooling chamber 133, so that the cooling
chamber 133 occupies the lower space in the cabinet. That is, the
cooling chamber 133 is arranged at the bottom. The freezing chamber
131 is located above the cooling chamber 133, so that the freezing
chamber 131 is raised, the bending degree of a user when taking and
placing articles in the freezing chamber 131 is reduced, and the
use experience of the user is improved. Meanwhile, the cabinet may
define the compressor chamber on the rear lower side of the cooling
chamber 133. That is, the compressor chamber is located on the rear
lower side of the cooling chamber 133, the freezing chamber 131
does not need to give way to the compressor chamber any more, and
the storage volume of the freezing chamber 131 is ensured, so that
the freezing chamber 131 is a rectangular space. Thus, articles can
be stored in a tiled expansion storage manner instead of a stacked
storage manner and can be conveniently searched by a user, so that
the time and energy of the user are saved. Meanwhile, articles
which are large in volume and are not easily divided can be
conveniently placed, and the problem that a large article cannot be
placed in the freezing chamber 131 is solved.
[0056] With regard to the embodiment in which the cooling chamber
133 is located in the lower space in the cabinet and the compressor
chamber is located on the rear lower side of the cooling chamber
133, the thickness of the foamed material between the rear lower
side of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor chamber directly
affects the refrigeration performance of the refrigerator. In the
patent previously filed by the applicants, the air blower 102 is
arranged on the rear of the evaporator 150, which increases the
size of the cooling chamber 133 in the front-rear direction. The
space between the rear lower side of the cooling chamber 133 and
the compressor chamber is small, so that the thickness of the
foamed material between the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor
chamber is reduced, and certain influences are exerted on the
refrigeration performance, energy consumption and the like of the
refrigerator 100.
[0057] However, in the present embodiment, the applicants adjusted
the position of the air blower 102. The air blower 102 is arranged
on the transverse side of the evaporator 150, so that the air
blower 102 is prevented from occupying the space behind or in front
of the evaporator 150, the space occupied by the cooling chamber
133 in the front-rear direction is reduced, the space between the
rear lower side of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor
chamber is increased, and the thickness of the foamed material
between the rear of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor
chamber is increased, thereby ensuring the refrigeration
performance of the refrigerator 100 and reducing the energy
consumption.
[0058] Since the air blower 102 is located on the second transverse
side of the evaporator 150, the freezing chamber air supply duct
160 may be located inside a first transverse side wall of the
freezing liner 130 accordingly and provided with at least one first
air supply outlet 160a communicated with the freezing chamber 131.
The air blower 102 is configured to cause at least part of the
cooled airflow to flow to the freezing chamber 131 through the
freezing chamber air supply duct 160.
[0059] FIG. 3 is a partial schematic view of a refrigerator 100
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0060] The refrigerator 100 further includes a casing (not shown)
arranged in the freezing liner 130. The casing covers the
evaporator 150. The cooling chamber 133 is defined by the casing
and a bottom wall of the freezing liner 130. A side air outlet 134b
communicated with an air inlet of the freezing chamber air supply
duct 160 is formed on a first transverse side wall of the
casing.
[0061] The evaporator 150 as a whole may be transversely arranged
in the cooling chamber in the shape of a flat cube. That is, a
length-width surface of the evaporator 150 is parallel to a
horizontal plane, a thickness surface of the evaporator is
perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the thickness size of
the evaporator 150 is significantly smaller than the length size
thereof. By arranging the evaporator 150 transversely in the
cooling chamber 133, the evaporator 150 is prevented from occupying
more space, and the storage volume of the freezing chamber 131
above the cooling chamber 133 is ensured.
[0062] As shown in FIG. 1, a freezing chamber return air inlet 134a
is formed on a second transverse side wall of the cooling chamber
133 (i.e. a second transverse side wall of the casing), so that a
return airflow of the freezing chamber 131 enters the cooling
chamber 133 through a freezing chamber return air passage 170 via
the freezing chamber return air inlet 134a under the driving of the
air blower 102 and is cooled by the evaporator 150. The freezing
chamber return air passage 170 is defined by a gap between a second
transverse side wall of the freezing liner 130 and the storage
containers 1311.
[0063] As shown in FIG. 1, the freezing chamber return air inlet
134a formed by the second transverse side wall of the cooling
chamber 133 (i.e., the second transverse side wall of the casing)
and the side air outlet 134b formed by the first transverse side
wall of the casing are staggered, so that the return airflow
entering the cooling chamber 133 from the freezing chamber return
air inlet 134a passes through the evaporator 150, and flows into
the freezing chamber air supply duct 160 from the side air outlet
134b after being cooled by the evaporator 150. With respect to the
freezing chamber air supply duct 160, the air blower 102 is
adjacent to the freezing chamber return air inlet 134a. That is,
the air blower 102 is located upstream of the evaporator 150 in the
airflow path, i.e., on the second transverse side of the evaporator
150, and specifically, between an end face of the second transverse
side of the evaporator 150 and the freezing chamber return air
inlet 134a.
[0064] In the patent previously filed by the applicants, a front
return air inlet communicated with the freezing chamber 131 is
formed on a front side of the cooling chamber 133 (i.e., a front
wall of the casing). External impurities are easily introduced into
the cooling chamber 133 through the front return air inlet, and
melted frost may flow out of the front return air inlet during
defrosting of the evaporator 150. In addition, when the freezing
chamber door body 132 is opened, a large amount of warm moisture
may enter the cooling chamber 133 from the front return air inlet,
increasing the frosting amount. However, in the present embodiment,
by arranging the air blower 102 on the transverse side (e.g., the
second transverse side) of the evaporator 150 and forming the
freezing chamber return air inlet 134a communicated with the
freezing chamber 131 on the second transverse side wall of the
cooling chamber 133, the above problems can be effectively solved,
the appearance of the front side of the cooling chamber 133 can be
made simpler, and the visual feeling when a user opens the freezing
chamber door body 132 can be better.
[0065] The variable temperature liner of the refrigerator 100 is
located above the freezing liner 130. A variable temperature
chamber air supply duct is arranged outside a first transverse side
wall of the variable temperature liner, located in a foamed layer,
and provided with at least one second air supply outlet
communicated with the variable temperature chamber 121. A top end
of the freezing chamber air supply duct 160 is provided with a
variable temperature damper 103, and the variable temperature
damper 103 may be controllably opened or closed to communicate the
variable temperature chamber air supply duct with the freezing
chamber air supply duct 160.
[0066] As shown in FIG. 3, a variable temperature chamber return
air inlet 130c is formed in a region, corresponding to the
evaporator 150, of the second transverse side wall 1301 of the
freezing liner 130, and a variable temperature chamber return air
duct is arranged outside a second transverse side wall of the
variable temperature liner and extends downwards to be communicated
with the variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c.
[0067] Obviously, the second transverse side wall of the cooling
chamber 133 (i.e., the second transverse side wall of the casing)
and the second transverse side wall of the freezing liner 130 are
located on the same transverse side, and accordingly, the variable
temperature chamber return air inlet 130c and the freezing chamber
return air inlet 134a are located on the same transverse side. A
return airflow entering through the variable temperature chamber
return air inlet 130c enters the cooling chamber 133 through the
freezing chamber return air inlet 134a and is cooled by the
evaporator 150. Specifically, under the driving of the air blower
102, the return airflow of the variable temperature chamber 121
flows to the variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c
through the variable temperature chamber return air duct, enters
the cooling chamber 133 through the variable temperature chamber
return air inlet 130c and the freezing chamber return air inlet
134a and is cooled by the evaporator 150.
[0068] The freezing chamber 131 and the variable temperature
chamber 121 above are both air-cooled, and the refrigerating
chamber 11 may be directly cooled. A refrigerating evaporator (not
shown) is disposed in the refrigerating liner, and directly cools
the refrigerating chamber 11.
[0069] A section of the bottom wall of the freezing liner 130
directly below the evaporator 150 is denoted as a water receiving
section, which is generally funnel-shaped and configured to receive
the melted frost of the evaporator 150. The aforementioned water
drainage outlet 130b is formed at the lowest point of the water
receiving section. The water drainage outlet 130b is connected with
a water drainage pipe 140. The melted frost is conveyed to an
evaporation dish (not numbered) located in the compressor chamber
through the water drainage pipe 140. The evaporation dish is
generally located below the condenser 105. The melted frost in the
evaporation dish absorbs heat from the condenser 105 to
evaporate.
[0070] FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of a refrigerator 100
according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a
schematic view of a housing of a refrigerator 100 according to one
embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of
a region A in FIG. 5.
[0071] As shown in FIG. 4, the compressor 104, the condenser 105
and the heat dissipation fan 106 are disposed in the compressor
chamber defined in the cabinet. The heat dissipation fan 106 is
configured to cause an airflow entering the compressor chamber to
pass sequentially through the condenser 105 and the compressor 104
and then to flow out of the compressor chamber. The heat
dissipation fan 106 may be an axial-flow fan. In the present
embodiment, the compressor 104, the heat dissipation fan 106 and
the condenser 105 are transversely and sequentially spaced apart in
the compressor chamber.
[0072] In some embodiments, at least one rear air outlet 1162a is
formed in a section 1162 of a rear wall of the compressor chamber
corresponding to the compressor 104.
[0073] In fact, prior to the present invention, a common design
idea for those skilled in the art is to provide a rear air inlet
facing the condenser 105 and the rear air outlet 1162a facing the
compressor 104 in the rear wall of the compressor chamber, and to
complete the cycle of a heat dissipation airflow at the rear of the
compressor chamber; or to form ventilation holes in the front and
rear walls of the compressor chamber respectively to form a heat
dissipation cycle air passage in the front-rear direction. For the
problem of improving the heat dissipation effect of the compressor
chamber, those skilled in the art generally increase the number of
rear air inlets and rear air outlets 1162a in the rear wall of the
compressor chamber to increase the ventilation area, or increase
the heat exchange area of the condenser 105, for example, using a
U-shaped condenser with a larger heat exchange area.
[0074] The applicants of the present invention creatively realized
that the heat exchange area of the condenser 105 and the
ventilation area of the compressor chamber are not as larger as
better, and in a conventional design scheme for increasing the heat
exchange area of the condenser 105 and the ventilation area of the
compressor chamber, the problem of non-uniform heat dissipation of
the condenser 105 is caused, and adverse effects are generated on a
refrigerating system of the refrigerator 100. To this end, the
applicants of the present invention jumped out of the conventional
design idea and creatively proposed a new scheme different from the
conventional design. A bottom wall of the cabinet is defined with a
bottom air inlet 110a adjacent to the condenser 105 and a bottom
air outlet 110b adjacent to the compressor 104 which are
transversely arranged. The cycle of the heat dissipation airflow is
completed at the bottom of the refrigerator 100, the space between
the refrigerator 100 and a supporting surface is fully utilized,
the distance between the rear wall of the refrigerator 100 and a
cupboard does not need to be increased, the space occupied by the
refrigerator 100 is reduced while heat from the compressor chamber
can be well dissipated, the problem that the heat dissipation of
the compressor chamber and the space occupation of a built-in
refrigerator 100 cannot be balanced is fundamentally solved, and
the present invention is of particularly important
significance.
[0075] The heat dissipation fan 106 is configured to cause ambient
air around the bottom air inlet 110a to enter the compressor
chamber from the bottom air inlet 110a, to sequentially pass
through the condenser 105 and the compressor 104, and then to flow
from the bottom air outlet 110b to an external environment so as to
dissipate heat from the compressor 104 and the condenser 105.
[0076] In a vapor compression refrigeration cycle, the surface
temperature of the condenser 105 is generally lower than that of
the compressor 104, so the external air is made to cool the
condenser 105 first and then cool the compressor 104 in the process
above.
[0077] Furthermore particularly, in a preferred embodiment of the
present invention, a plate section 1161 of a back plate 116 (the
rear wall of the compressor chamber) facing the condenser 105 is a
continuous plate surface. That is, the plate section 1161 of the
back plate 116 facing the condenser 105 has no heat dissipation
holes.
[0078] The applicants of the present invention creatively realized
that even if the heat exchange area of the condenser 105 is not
increased, a better heat dissipation airflow path can be formed by
reducing the ventilation area of the compressor chamber abnormally,
and a better heat dissipation effect can still be achieved.
[0079] In a preferred scheme of the present invention, the
applicants broke through the conventional design idea. The plate
section 1161 of the rear wall (back plate 116) of the compressor
chamber corresponding to the condenser 105 is designed to be the
continuous plate surface, and the heat dissipation airflow entering
the compressor chamber is sealed at the condenser 105, so that the
ambient air entering from the bottom air inlet 110a is more
concentrated at the condenser 105, thereby ensuring the heat
exchange uniformity of each condensation section of the condenser
105, favorably forming a better heat dissipation airflow path, and
achieving a better heat dissipation effect as well.
[0080] Moreover, the plate section 1161 of the back plate 116
facing the condenser 105 is the continuous plate surface and is not
provided with the air inlet, so that the problems that in
conventional design, air exhaust and air feeding are both
concentrated at the rear part of the compressor chamber, which
causes that the hot air blown from the compressor chamber enters
the compressor chamber again without being cooled by the ambient
air in time, causing adverse effects on heat exchange of the
condenser 105 are avoided, and thus the heat exchange efficiency of
the condenser 105 is ensured.
[0081] In some embodiments, both transverse side walls of the
compressor chamber are separately provided with a side ventilation
hole 119a. The side ventilation hole 119a may be covered with a
ventilation cover plate 108. Small grilled ventilation holes are
formed in the ventilation cover plate 108. The housing of the
refrigerator 100 includes two cabinet side plates 111 in a
transverse direction. The two cabinet side plates 111 extend
vertically to form two side walls of the refrigerator 100. The two
cabinet side plates 111 are respectively provided with a side
opening 111a communicated with the corresponding side ventilation
hole 119a so that the heat dissipation airflow flows to the outside
of the refrigerator 100. Therefore, the heat dissipation path is
further increased, and the heat dissipation effect of the
compressor chamber is ensured.
[0082] Furthermore particularly, the condenser 105 includes a first
straight section 1051 extending transversely, a second straight
section 1052 extending forwards and rearwards, and a transitional
curved section (not numbered) connecting the first straight section
1051 and the second straight section 1052, thereby forming an
L-shaped condenser 105 having an appropriate heat exchange area.
The plate section 1161 of the rear wall (back plate 116) of the
aforementioned compressor chamber corresponding to the condenser
105 is the plate section 1161 of the back plate 116 facing the
first straight section 1051.
[0083] The ambient airflow entering from the side ventilation hole
119a directly exchanges heat with the second straight section 1052,
and the ambient air entering from the bottom air inlet 110a
directly exchanges heat with the first straight section 1051,
thereby further concentrating the ambient air entering the
compressor chamber more at the condenser 105 to ensure the
uniformity of the overall heat dissipation of the condenser
105.
[0084] Furthermore particularly, the housing of the cabinet further
includes a bottom plate, a supporting plate 112, two side plates
119 and a vertically extending back plate 116. The supporting plate
112 forms a bottom wall of the compressor chamber and is configured
to support the compressor 104, the heat dissipation fan 106 and the
condenser 105. The two side plates 119 form two transverse side
walls of the compressor chamber respectively. The vertically
extending back plate 116 forms the rear wall of the compressor
chamber.
[0085] Furthermore particularly, the bottom plate includes a bottom
horizontal section 113 located on a bottom front side and a bent
section bending and extending upwards and rearwards from a rear end
of the bottom horizontal section 113. The bent section extends to
the upper side of the supporting plate 112. The compressor 104, the
heat dissipation fan 106 and the condenser 105 are transversely and
sequentially spaced apart on the supporting plate 112 and are
located in a space defined by the supporting plate 112, the two
side plates 119, the back plate and the bent section.
[0086] The supporting plate 112 and the bottom horizontal section
113 together form the bottom wall of the cabinet, and the
supporting plate 112 is spaced apart from the bottom horizontal
section 113 to form a bottom opening communicated with an external
space using a space between a front end of the supporting plate 112
and a rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113. The bent
section has an inclined section 114 located above the bottom air
inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b.
[0087] Specifically, the bent section may include a vertical
section 1131, the aforementioned inclined section 114 and a top
horizontal section 115. The vertical section 1131 extends upwards
from the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113. The
inclined section 114 extends upwards and rearwards from an upper
end of the vertical section 1131 to the upper side of the
supporting plate 112. The top horizontal section 115 extends
rearwards from a rear end of the inclined section 114 to the back
plate, so as to cover the upper sides of the compressor 104, the
heat dissipation fan 106 and the condenser 105.
[0088] Furthermore particularly, the refrigerator 100 further
includes a divider 117. The divider 117 is arranged behind the bent
section, has a front part connected to the rear end of the bottom
horizontal section 113 and a rear part connected to the front end
of the supporting plate 112, and is configured to divide the bottom
opening into the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet
110b transversely arranged.
[0089] It can be known from the foregoing that the bottom air inlet
110a and the bottom air outlet 110b of the present embodiment are
defined by the divider 117, the supporting plate 112 and the bottom
horizontal section 113, so that the groove-shaped bottom air inlet
110a and the groove-shaped bottom air outlet 110b with large
opening sizes are formed, the air feeding area and the air exhaust
area are increased, the air feeding resistance is reduced, making
the circulation of airflow smoother, the manufacturing process is
simpler, and the integral stability of the compressor chamber is
stronger.
[0090] In particular, the applicants of the present invention
creatively realized that a slope structure of the inclined section
114 is capable of guiding and rectifying feeding airflow, so that
the airflow entering from the bottom air inlet 110a flows more
concentratedly to the condenser 105, avoiding that the airflow is
too dispersed to pass more through the condenser 105, thereby
further ensuring the heat dissipation effect of the condenser 105.
Meanwhile, the slope of the inclined section 114 guides exhaust
airflow from the bottom air outlet 110b to the front side of the
bottom air outlet, so that the exhaust airflow flows out of the
compressor chamber more smoothly, and thus the smoothness of
airflow circulation is further improved.
[0091] Furthermore particularly, in a preferred embodiment, the
inclined section 114 has an included angle of less than 45.degree.
with the horizontal plane, and in such embodiment, the inclined
section 114 is better in airflow guiding and rectifying effect.
[0092] Moreover, it is unexpected that the applicants of the
present application creatively realized that the slope of the
inclined section 114 provides a better dampening effect on airflow
noise, and in prototype tests, noise of the compressor chamber with
the aforementioned specially designed inclined section 114 can be
reduced by 0.65 decibel or above.
[0093] In addition, in the conventional refrigerator 100, the
bottom of the cabinet generally has a bearing plate of a
substantially flat plate type structure. The compressor 104 is
arranged inside the bearing plate, and vibration generated during
operation of the compressor 104 has a great influence on the bottom
of the cabinet. However, in the present embodiment, as described
above, the bottom of the cabinet is constructed into a
three-dimensional structure by the bottom plate and the supporting
plate 112 of a special structure, an independent three-dimensional
space is provided for the arrangement of the compressor 104, the
supporting plate 112 is used for supporting the compressor 104, and
the influence of vibration of the compressor 104 on other
components at the bottom of the cabinet is reduced. In addition,
the cabinet is designed into the above smart special structure, so
that the bottom of the refrigerator 100 is compact in structure and
reasonable in layout, the overall volume of the refrigerator 100 is
reduced, the space at the bottom of the refrigerator 100 is fully
utilized, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the compressor 104
and the condenser 105 is ensured.
[0094] Furthermore particularly, a wind blocking piece 1056 is
arranged at the upper end of the condenser 105. The wind blocking
piece 1056 may be wind blocking sponge for filling a space between
the upper end of the condenser 105 and the bent section. That is,
the wind blocking piece 1056 covers the upper ends of the first
straight section 1051, the second straight section 1052 and the
transitional curved section, and the upper end of the wind blocking
piece 1056 should abut against the bent section to seal the upper
end of the condenser 105, so that the situation that part of the
air entering the compressor chamber passes through the space
between the upper end of the condenser 105 and the bent section and
does not pass through the condenser 105 is avoided, thus the air
entering the compressor chamber is subjected to heat exchange
through the condenser 105 as much as possible, and the heat
dissipation effect of the condenser 105 is further improved.
[0095] Furthermore particularly, the refrigerator 100 further
includes a wind blocking strip 107 extending forwards and
rearwards. The wind blocking strip 107 is located between the
bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b, extends from
a lower surface of the bottom horizontal section 113 to a lower
surface of the supporting plate 112, and is connected to a lower
end of the divider 117, so as to completely separate the bottom air
inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b using the wind blocking
strip 107 and divider 117, so that when the refrigerator 100 is
placed on a supporting surface, a space between the bottom wall of
the cabinet and the supporting surface is transversely divided to
allow external air to enter the compressor chamber through the
bottom air inlet 110a on a transverse side of the wind blocking
strip 107 under the action of the heat dissipation fan, to
sequentially flow through the condenser 105 and the compressor 104,
and to finally flow out of the bottom air outlet 110b on the other
transverse side of the wind blocking strip 107. Thus, the bottom
air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b are completely
separated, and cross flowing of the external air entering the
condenser 105 and the heat dissipation air discharged from the
compressor 104 is avoided, thereby further ensuring the heat
dissipation efficiency.
[0096] Hereto, those skilled in the art should realize that
although a plurality of exemplary embodiments of the present
invention have been shown and described in detail herein, without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, many
other variations or modifications that conform to the principles of
the present invention can still be directly determined or deduced
from contents disclosed in the present invention. Therefore, the
scope of the present invention should be understood and recognized
as covering all these other variations or modifications.
* * * * *