Refrigerator with blower located laterally downstream of evaporator

Abstract

The present invention provides a refrigerator with an air blower located laterally downstream of an evaporator, comprising a box body defining a cooling chamber and at least one storage compartment, an evaporator arranged in the cooling chamber, and an air blower arranged laterally to the evaporator and downstream of the evaporator in the air flow path. The air blower does not occupy space behind or in front of the evaporator, thereby reducing the space occupied by the cooling chamber in the front-to-rear direction and ensuring the thickness of the foam material between the rear of the cooling chamber and the outer shell of the box body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular to a refrigerator in which a blower is located laterally downstream of an evaporator. Background Art

[0002] In existing refrigerators, the fan that drives the air cooled by the evaporator to flow into the storage compartment is generally located downstream of the evaporator in the front-to-back direction. The fan occupies space in the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator, reducing the distance between the rear of the evaporator compartment and the outer shell of the refrigerator body, resulting in a reduction in the thickness of the foam material, which has an adverse impact on the refrigerator's cooling performance and energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that overcomes the above problems or at least partially solves the above problems.

[0004] A further object of the present invention is to improve the heat dissipation effect of the compressor cabin.

[0005] The present invention provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0006] a box body defining a cooling chamber and at least one storage compartment therein;

[0007] an evaporator disposed in the cooling chamber and configured to cool an airflow entering the cooling chamber to form a cooling airflow;

[0008] The blower is located laterally of the evaporator and downstream of the evaporator in the air flow path, and is configured to force at least a portion of the cooling air flow into the at least one storage compartment.

[0009] Optionally, the box includes:

[0010] A freezer liner defines a cooling chamber at its lower portion, and the storage compartment includes a freezer compartment defined by the freezer liner and located above the cooling chamber;

[0011] a freezer compartment air supply duct, located on an inner side of a first transverse side wall of the freezer liner, forming at least one first air supply outlet communicating with the freezer compartment, wherein the blower is configured to cause at least a portion of the cooling air flow to flow into the freezer compartment through the freezer compartment air supply duct;

[0012] The blower is arranged in the cooling chamber and located at a first lateral side of the evaporator, and is configured to force at least part of the cooling air flow to flow into the freezing chamber through the freezing chamber air supply duct.

[0013] Optionally, a freezer compartment return air inlet is formed on the second transverse side wall of the cooling chamber, so that the return air from the freezer compartment enters the cooling chamber through the freezer compartment return air inlet under the drive of the blower and is cooled by the evaporator.

[0014] Optionally, the box further includes:

[0015] The variable temperature liner is located above the freezing liner, the storage compartment includes a variable temperature chamber defined by the variable temperature liner, and a return air inlet for the variable temperature chamber is formed on the second transverse side wall of the freezing liner in an area corresponding to the evaporator;

[0016] The variable temperature chamber air supply duct is arranged outside the first transverse side wall of the variable temperature liner, is controlledly connected to the freezer chamber air supply duct through a variable temperature damper, and has at least one second air supply outlet connected to the variable temperature chamber;

[0017] The variable temperature chamber return air duct is arranged on the outside of the second horizontal side wall of the variable temperature inner tank, and extends downward to be connected with the variable temperature chamber return air inlet, so that the return air flow of the variable temperature chamber passes through the variable temperature chamber return air duct and the variable temperature chamber return air inlet under the drive of the blower and enters the cooling chamber to be cooled by the evaporator.

[0018] Optionally, the evaporator is placed horizontally in the cooling chamber.

[0019] Optionally, a compressor cabin is further defined in the box body, and the compressor cabin is located at the rear and lower part of the cooling chamber.

[0020] Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises:

[0021] The compressor, cooling fan and condenser are arranged in sequence in the compressor cabin;

[0022] The bottom wall of the box body defines a bottom air inlet adjacent to the condenser and a bottom air outlet adjacent to the compressor which are arranged transversely;

[0023] The heat dissipation fan is further configured to draw in ambient air from the bottom air inlet and force the air to pass through the condenser first, then through the compressor, and then flow into the surrounding environment from the bottom air outlet.

[0024] Optionally, the box further includes:

[0025] The bottom plate includes a bottom horizontal section located at the front side of the bottom and a bent section extending backward and upward from the rear end of the bottom horizontal section, wherein the bent section includes an inclined section located above the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet;

[0026] The support plate is located behind the bottom horizontal section, and the bent section extends above the support plate. The support plate and the bottom horizontal section constitute the bottom wall of the box body, and the support plate is spaced apart from the bottom horizontal section so that the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and the front end of the support plate define a bottom opening.

[0027] Two side panels extend upward from the lateral sides of the support plate to the lateral sides of the bent section, forming two lateral side walls of the compressor cabin;

[0028] A vertically extending back plate extends upward from the rear end of the support plate to the rear end of the bent section, forming a rear wall of the compressor cabin;

[0029] The compressor, the cooling fan and the condenser are arranged on the support plate in sequence and spaced apart in the transverse direction, and are located in the space defined by the support plate, the two side plates, the back plate and the bent section;

[0030] The box body also includes a partition, which is arranged behind the bending section, with its front part connected to the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and its rear part connected to the front end of the support plate, and is arranged to divide the bottom opening into a horizontally arranged bottom air inlet and bottom air outlet.

[0031] Optionally, the box further includes:

[0032] The windshield extending forward and backward is located between the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet, extends from the lower surface of the bottom horizontal section to the lower surface of the support plate, and is connected to the lower end of the partition, so that the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet are completely isolated by the windshield and the partition, so that when the refrigerator is placed on a supporting surface, the space between the bottom wall of the box body and the supporting surface is laterally divided to allow external air to enter the compressor cabin through the bottom air inlet located on the lateral side of the windshield under the action of the heat dissipation fan, and flow through the condenser and the compressor in sequence, and finally flow out from the bottom air outlet located on the other lateral side of the windshield.

[0033] Optionally, the plate section of the back plate facing the condenser is a continuous plate surface.

[0034] In the refrigerator of the present invention, the blower is located on the lateral side of the evaporator and does not occupy the space behind or in front of the evaporator, thereby reducing the space occupied by the cooling chamber in the front-to-back direction and ensuring the thickness of the foam material between the rear of the cooling chamber and the outer shell of the cabinet; in addition, the blower is located downstream of the evaporator in the air flow path, which accelerates the flow of the cooling air flow to the storage compartment and improves the refrigeration speed.

[0035] Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the lower space inside the freezer inner tank defines a cooling chamber, the freezing chamber is located above the cooling chamber, and the compressor cabin is located at the rear and lower part of the cooling chamber. The freezing chamber no longer needs to make way for the compressor cabin, thereby increasing the storage volume of the freezing chamber, making the freezing chamber a rectangular space, which is convenient for placing large items that are difficult to divide; in addition, the air blower is arranged on the lateral side of the evaporator, avoiding the air blower occupying the rear or front space of the evaporator, reducing the space occupied by the cooling chamber in the front and rear directions, increasing the interval space between the rear and lower part of the cooling chamber and the compressor cabin, and increasing the thickness of the foam material between the rear and lower part of the cooling chamber and the compressor cabin, thereby ensuring the refrigeration performance of the refrigerator and reducing energy consumption.

[0036] Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the bottom of the cabinet is constructed into a three-dimensional structure by a specially structured bottom plate and a support plate, providing an independent three-dimensional space for the compressor. The support plate is used to support the compressor, reducing the impact of compressor vibration on other components at the bottom of the cabinet. In addition, the slope structure of the inclined section can guide and rectify the incoming air flow, so that the airflow entering from the bottom air inlet flows more concentratedly to the condenser, avoiding the airflow being too dispersed and unable to pass through the condenser more, thereby further ensuring the heat dissipation effect of the condenser; furthermore, by designing the cabinet into such a clever special structure, the structure of the bottom of the refrigerator is compact and the layout is reasonable, reducing the overall volume of the refrigerator, while fully utilizing the space at the bottom of the refrigerator to ensure the heat dissipation efficiency of the compressor and condenser.

[0037] Based on the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will become more aware of the above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the accompanying drawings:

[0039] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator in one direction according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 is a first partial schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator cover according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 is a partial exploded view of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a housing of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

[0045] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Magnified view of area A in the middle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] This embodiment first provides a refrigerator 100, and the following Figures 1 to 7To describe the refrigerator 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, in the following description, the directions or positional relationships indicated by "front", "back", "upper", "lower", etc. are directions based on the refrigerator 100 itself as a reference, and "front" and "back" are such directions or positional relationships. Figure 1 、 Figure 5 and Figure 7 The direction indicated, such as Figure 2 As shown, “transverse” refers to a direction parallel to the width direction of the refrigerator 100 .

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator 100 in one direction according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the refrigerator 100 may generally include a box body, which includes an outer shell and a storage liner arranged inside the outer shell. The space between the outer shell and the storage liner is filled with a heat-insulating material (forming a foam layer). At least one storage compartment is defined in the storage liner. The storage liner may generally include a freezer liner, a refrigerator liner, a variable temperature liner, etc. The storage compartments may include a refrigerator compartment 11 defined by the refrigerator liner, a variable temperature chamber 121 defined by the variable temperature liner, and a freezer compartment 131 defined by the freezer liner. A door body is further provided on the front side of the storage liner to open or close the storage compartment. For example, a refrigerator compartment door body 12 is provided on the front side of the refrigerator liner, a variable temperature chamber door body 122 is provided on the front side of the variable temperature liner, and a freezer compartment door body 132 is provided on the front side of the freezer liner.

[0049] The freezer compartment 131 is provided with a plurality of storage containers 1311 distributed vertically. Figure 1 As shown, three storage containers 1311 are distributed up and down.

[0050] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment may further include an evaporator 150, a blower 102, a compressor 104, a condenser 105, and a throttling element (not shown). The evaporator 150 is located in the cooling chamber 133 and is connected to the compressor 104, the condenser 105, and the throttling element via refrigerant piping, forming a refrigeration cycle. When the compressor 104 is activated, the evaporator 150 cools the air flowing through the evaporator to form a cooling airflow. The blower 102 may be a centrifugal fan, a crossflow fan, or an axial flow fan.

[0051] In particular, in this embodiment, the blower 102 is located laterally of the evaporator 150 and downstream of the evaporator 150 in the airflow path, and is configured to force at least part of the cooling airflow to flow into at least one storage compartment.

[0052] In the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment, the blower 102 is located on the lateral side of the evaporator 150 and does not occupy the space behind or in front of the evaporator 150, thereby reducing the space occupied by the cooling chamber 133 in the front and rear directions and ensuring the thickness of the foam material between the rear of the cooling chamber 133 and the outer shell of the box body.

[0053] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling chamber 133 can be defined by the lowermost space in the freezing liner, that is, the lower part of the freezing liner defines the aforementioned cooling chamber 133, and the freezing chamber 131 defined by the freezing liner is located above the cooling chamber 133.

[0054] The blower 102 is disposed in the cooling chamber 133 and located at a first lateral side of the evaporator 150 , and is configured to force at least a portion of the cooling air flow to flow into the freezing chamber 131 through the freezing chamber air supply duct 160 .

[0055] In a traditional refrigerator 100, the cooling chamber 133 is generally located in the rear space of the box body, the freezing chamber 131 is generally located at the bottom of the box body, and the compressor compartment is located at the rear and lower part of the freezing chamber 131. The freezing chamber 131 inevitably has to be made into an irregular space to make room for the compressor compartment, which reduces the storage capacity of the freezing chamber 131 and also brings about the following problems. On the one hand, the freezer compartment 131 is located at a low position, and the user needs to bend down or squat significantly to take items into and out of the freezer compartment 131, which is inconvenient for users, especially for the elderly. On the other hand, since the depth of the freezer compartment 131 is reduced, in order to ensure the storage volume of the freezer compartment 131, the space in the height direction of the freezer compartment 131 needs to be increased. When the user stores items in the freezer compartment 131, the items need to be stacked in the height direction, which is inconvenient for the user to find items. Moreover, the items at the bottom of the freezer compartment 131 are easily blocked, making it difficult for the user to find them and forget them, resulting in deterioration and waste of the items. Furthermore, since the freezer compartment 131 is irregular in shape and not a rectangular space, it is inconvenient to place some large and difficult to divide items in the freezer compartment 131.

[0056] In this embodiment, the lower space within the freezer liner defines a cooling chamber 133, so that the cooling chamber 133 occupies the lower space within the box body. In other words, the cooling chamber 133 is placed at the bottom, and the freezer 131 is located above the cooling chamber 133. This elevates the freezer 131, reduces the amount of bending a user has to do when placing items in and out of the freezer 131, and improves the user experience. At the same time, the box body can define a pressurizing chamber at the rear lower portion of the cooling chamber 133. In other words, the pressurizing chamber is located at the rear lower portion of the cooling chamber 133, and the freezer 131 no longer needs to make way for the pressurizing chamber, thereby ensuring the storage capacity of the freezer 131 and making the freezer 131 a rectangular space. This allows items to be stored in a flat, unfolded manner instead of in a stacked manner, making it easier for users to find items and saving time and effort. It is also convenient for placing larger, difficult-to-divide items, solving the problem of not being able to place larger items in the freezer 131.

[0057] In the embodiment in which the cooling chamber 133 is located in the lower space inside the box body and the compressor cabin is located at the rear and lower part of the cooling chamber 133, the thickness of the foam material between the rear and lower part of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor cabin will directly affect the refrigeration performance of the refrigerator. In the patent previously applied for by the applicant, the blower 102 was set behind the evaporator 150. This design method increases the size of the cooling chamber 133 in the front-to-back direction, and the interval space between the rear of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor cabin is smaller, which reduces the thickness of the foam material between the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor cabin, and has a certain impact on the refrigeration performance, energy consumption, etc. of the refrigerator 100.

[0058] The blower 102 is located on the first lateral side of the evaporator 150. Accordingly, the freezer compartment air supply duct 160 is located on the inner side of the first lateral side wall of the freezer liner, forming at least one first air supply outlet connected to the freezer compartment 131. The blower 102 is configured to cause at least part of the cooling air flow to flow to the freezer compartment 131 through the freezer compartment air supply duct 160.

[0059] Figure 3 is a first partial schematic diagram of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cover 134 of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] The refrigerator 100 also includes a cover 134 arranged in the freezer liner 130. The cover 134 covers the evaporator 150. The first lateral side of the cover 134 can be opened. The blower 102 is located on the first lateral side of the evaporator 150 and is connected to the freezer air supply duct 160 through the opening of the first lateral side of the cover 134. The cover 134 and the bottom wall of the freezer liner 130 and the first lateral side wall of the freezer liner 130 define the aforementioned cooling chamber 133.

[0061] The evaporator 150 can be placed horizontally in the cooling chamber in a flat cubic shape. That is, the length and width of the evaporator 150 are parallel to the horizontal plane, and the thickness is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The thickness dimension is significantly smaller than the length dimension of the evaporator 150. By placing the evaporator 150 horizontally in the cooling chamber 133, the evaporator 150 does not occupy more space, and the storage capacity of the freezer compartment 131 above the cooling chamber 133 is maintained.

[0062] A freezer compartment return air inlet 134a is formed on the second transverse side wall of the cooling chamber 133 (i.e., the second transverse side wall 1341 of the housing 134). Driven by the blower 102, return air from the freezer compartment 131 flows through the freezer compartment return air path 170, enters the cooling chamber 133 through the freezer compartment return air inlet 134a, and is cooled by the evaporator 150. The freezer compartment return air path 170 is defined by the gap between the second transverse side wall of the freezer liner 130 and the storage container 1311.

[0063] In the patent previously filed by the applicant, a front return air inlet communicating with the freezer compartment 131 is formed on the front side of the cooling chamber 133 (i.e., the front wall of the housing 134). External debris can easily enter the cooling chamber 133 through the front return air inlet. Moreover, during the defrosting process of the evaporator 150, defrosted water may flow out of the front return air inlet. In addition, when the freezer compartment door 132 is opened, a large amount of warm and humid air will enter the cooling chamber 133 through the front return air inlet, increasing the amount of frost. In this embodiment, by arranging the blower 102 laterally (e.g., on the first lateral side) of the evaporator 150 and forming a freezer compartment return air inlet 134a communicating with the freezer compartment 131 on the second lateral side wall of the cooling chamber 133, the above-mentioned problems can be effectively solved. The front side of the cooling chamber 133 is further simplified in appearance, and the user has a better visual experience when opening the freezer compartment door 132.

[0064] The variable temperature liner of refrigerator 100 is located above the freezer liner 130. A variable temperature chamber air supply duct (not shown) is provided on the outside of the first transverse sidewall of the variable temperature liner, within the foam layer, and has at least one second air supply outlet (not shown) communicating with the variable temperature chamber 121. A variable temperature damper 103 is provided at the top of the freezer compartment air supply duct 160. This damper 103 can be controlled to open or close to connect the variable temperature chamber air supply duct with the freezer compartment air supply duct 160.

[0065] like Figure 3 As shown, a variable temperature room return air inlet 130c is formed in the area corresponding to the second transverse side wall 1301 of the freezing liner 130 and the evaporator 150, and a variable temperature room return air duct (not shown) is arranged on the outside of the second transverse side wall of the variable temperature liner and extends downward to communicate with the variable temperature room return air inlet 130c.

[0066] Obviously, the second transverse side wall of the cooling chamber 133 (that is, the second transverse side wall 1341 of the cover 134) and the second transverse side wall 1301 of the freezing liner 130 are located on the same transverse side. Accordingly, the variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c and the freezer chamber return air inlet 134a are located on the same transverse side. The return airflow entering through the variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c then passes through the freezer chamber return air inlet 134a and enters the cooling chamber 133 to be cooled by the evaporator 150. Specifically, driven by the blower 102, the return airflow from the variable temperature chamber 121 flows through the variable temperature chamber return air duct to the variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c, and then enters the cooling chamber 133 through the variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c and the freezer chamber return air inlet 134a to be cooled by the evaporator 150.

[0067] The freezing chamber 131 and the temperature-changing chamber 121 are both air-cooled, while the refrigerating chamber 11 can be directly cooled. A refrigerating evaporator (not shown) is provided in the refrigerating liner, and the refrigerating evaporator directly cools the refrigerating chamber 11 .

[0068] The section of the bottom wall of the freezing liner 130 located directly below the evaporator 150 is recorded as the water receiving section. The water receiving section is roughly funnel-shaped and is used to receive the defrost water of the evaporator 150. The aforementioned drain port 130b is formed at the lowest point of the water receiving section. The drain port 130b is connected to the drain pipe 140. The defrost water is transported to the evaporating dish (unnumbered) located in the compressor cabin through the drain pipe 140. Generally, the evaporating dish is located below the condenser 105, and the defrost water in the evaporating dish absorbs the heat of the condenser 105 and evaporates.

[0069] Figure 5 is a partial exploded view of a refrigerator 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a housing of a refrigerator 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Magnified view of area A in the middle.

[0070] Generally, if Figure 5 As shown, a compressor 104, a condenser 105, and a cooling fan 106 are disposed within the compressor compartment defined within the housing. Cooling fan 106 is configured to force airflow entering the compressor compartment to pass through condenser 105, compressor 104, and then out of the compartment. Cooling fan 106 may be an axial flow fan. In this embodiment, compressor 104, cooling fan 106, and condenser 105 are arranged in a sequentially spaced arrangement within the compressor compartment along a transverse direction.

[0071] In some embodiments, at least one rear air outlet 1162 a is formed in a section 1162 of the rear wall of the compressor compartment corresponding to the compressor 104 .

[0072] In fact, before the present invention, the general design ideas of those skilled in the art were to open a rear air inlet facing the condenser 105 and a rear air outlet 1162a facing the compressor 104 on the rear wall of the compressor cabin, so as to complete the circulation of the heat dissipation airflow at the rear of the compressor cabin; or to form ventilation holes on the front and rear walls of the compressor cabin respectively, forming a heat dissipation circulation air path in the front-to-back direction. When faced with the problem of improving the heat dissipation effect of the compressor cabin, those skilled in the art usually increase the number of rear air inlet and rear air outlet 1162a on the rear wall of the compressor cabin to expand the ventilation area, or increase the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser 105, for example, by using a U-shaped condenser with a larger heat exchange area.

[0073] However, the applicant of the present invention creatively realized that the larger the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser 105 and the ventilation area of ​​the compressor cabin, the better. In the conventional design scheme of increasing the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser 105 and the ventilation area of ​​the compressor cabin, the problem of uneven heat dissipation of the condenser 105 will be brought about, which will have an adverse effect on the refrigeration system of the refrigerator 100. To this end, the applicant of the present invention breaks away from the conventional design ideas and creatively proposes a new scheme different from the conventional design. The bottom wall of the box is defined with a horizontally arranged bottom air inlet 110a adjacent to the condenser 105 and a bottom air outlet 110b adjacent to the compressor 104. The heat dissipation airflow is circulated at the bottom of the refrigerator 100, making full use of the space between the refrigerator 100 and the supporting surface. There is no need to increase the distance between the back wall of the refrigerator 100 and the cabinet. While reducing the space occupied by the refrigerator 100, it ensures good heat dissipation of the compressor cabin, fundamentally solving the pain point of the built-in refrigerator 100 that the heat dissipation of the compressor cabin and the space occupied cannot be balanced, which is of particular significance.

[0074] The cooling fan 106 is configured to force the ambient air around the bottom air inlet 110a into the compressor cabin from the bottom air inlet 110a, and pass through the condenser 105 and the compressor 104 in sequence, and then flow to the external environment from the bottom air outlet 110b to dissipate heat for the compressor 104 and the condenser 105.

[0075] In the vapor compression refrigeration cycle, the surface temperature of the condenser 105 is generally lower than the surface temperature of the compressor 104 . Therefore, in the above process, the external air first cools the condenser 105 and then cools the compressor 104 .

[0076] Further in particular, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plate section 1161 of the back panel 116 (the rear wall of the compressor cabin) facing the condenser 105 is a continuous plate surface, that is, there are no heat dissipation holes on the plate section 1161 of the back panel 116 facing the condenser 105.

[0077] The applicant of the present invention creatively realized that even without increasing the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser 105, abnormally reducing the ventilation area of ​​the compressor cabin can form a better heat dissipation airflow path and still achieve a better heat dissipation effect.

[0078] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the applicant breaks through the conventional design ideas and designs the rear wall of the compressor cabin (back panel 116) and the plate section 1161 corresponding to the condenser 105 as a continuous plate surface, so that the heat dissipation airflow entering the compressor cabin 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, ensuring the heat exchange uniformity of each condensation section of the condenser 105, and is conducive to forming a better heat dissipation airflow path, which can also achieve better heat dissipation effect.

[0079] Moreover, since the plate section 1161 of the back panel 116 facing the condenser 105 is a continuous plate surface and does not have an air inlet hole, it avoids the conventional design in which both the air outlet and the air inlet are concentrated at the rear of the compressor cabin, resulting in the hot air blown out from the compressor cabin not being cooled by the ambient air in time and re-entering the compressor cabin, which has an adverse effect on the heat exchange of the condenser 105, thereby ensuring the heat exchange efficiency of the condenser 105.

[0080] In some embodiments, each of the two lateral side walls of the compressor compartment is formed with a side vent 119a, which may be covered with a ventilation cover 108 having grille-like ventilation holes. The outer shell of the refrigerator 100 includes two lateral side panels 111, which extend vertically and constitute the two side walls of the refrigerator 100. Each of the two side panels 111 is formed with a side opening 111a that communicates with the corresponding side vent 119a, allowing heat dissipation to flow to the outside of the refrigerator 100. This further increases the heat dissipation path and ensures the heat dissipation effect of the compressor compartment.

[0081] More specifically, condenser 105 includes a first straight section 1051 extending laterally, a second straight section 1052 extending forward and backward, and a transitional curved section (not numbered) connecting first straight section 1051 and second straight section 1052, thereby forming an L-shaped condenser 105 with a suitable heat exchange area. The panel section 1161 of the rear wall (back panel 116) of the compressor cabin corresponding to condenser 105 is also the panel section 1161 of back panel 116 facing first straight section 1051.

[0082] The ambient air flow entering from the side vent 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 more of the ambient air entering the compressor cabin at the condenser 105, ensuring the uniformity of the overall heat dissipation of the condenser 105.

[0083] More specifically, the housing further comprises a bottom plate, a support plate 112, two side plates 119, and a vertically extending back plate 116. The support plate 112 forms the bottom wall of the compressor compartment, and is used to support the compressor 104, the cooling fan 106, and the condenser 105. The two side plates 119 respectively form the two lateral side walls of the compressor compartment, and the vertically extending back plate 116 forms the rear wall of the compressor compartment.

[0084] More particularly, the bottom plate includes a bottom horizontal section 113 located on the front side of the bottom and a bent section extending backward and upward from the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113, and the bent section extends to the top of the support plate 112. The compressor 104, the cooling fan 106 and the condenser 105 are arranged in sequence on the support plate 112 along the horizontal direction and are located in the space defined by the support plate 112, the two side panels 119, the back panel and the bent section.

[0085] The support plate 112 and the bottom horizontal section 113 together form the bottom wall of the box. The support plate 112 and the bottom horizontal section 113 are spaced apart, so that the space between the front end of the support plate 112 and the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113 forms a bottom opening that communicates with the outside space. The bent section includes an inclined section 114 located above the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b.

[0086] Specifically, the bending section may include a vertical section 1131, an inclined section 114 and a top horizontal section 115. The vertical section 1131 extends upward from the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113, the inclined section 114 extends backward and upward from the upper end of the vertical section 1131 to the top of the support plate 112, and the top horizontal section 115 extends backward from the rear end of the inclined section 114 to the back plate to shield the compressor 104, the cooling fan 106 and the top of the condenser 105.

[0087] Further specifically, the refrigerator 100 also includes a partition 117, which is arranged behind the bending section, with its front part connected to the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113, and its rear part connected to the front end of the support plate 112, and is configured to divide the bottom opening into a horizontally arranged bottom air inlet 110a and a bottom air outlet 110b.

[0088] As can be seen from the foregoing, the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b of this embodiment are defined by the partition 117, the support plate 112, and the bottom horizontal section 113, thereby forming the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b with a larger opening size. The air inlet and outlet areas are increased, the air inlet resistance is reduced, the air flow is smoother, and the manufacturing process is simpler, so that the overall stability of the compressor cabin is stronger.

[0089] In particular, the applicant of the present invention creatively realized that the slope structure of the inclined section 114 can guide and rectify the incoming air flow, so that the air flow entering from the bottom air inlet 110a flows more concentratedly to the condenser 105, avoiding the air flow from being too dispersed and unable to pass through the condenser 105 more, thereby further ensuring the heat dissipation effect of the condenser 105; at the same time, the slope of the inclined section 114 guides the outlet air flow of the bottom air outlet 110b to the front side of the ground air outlet, so that the outlet air flow flows out of the compressor cabin more smoothly, thereby further improving the smoothness of the air flow.

[0090] More particularly, in a preferred embodiment, the angle between the inclined section 114 and the horizontal plane is less than 45°. In this embodiment, the inclined section 114 has a better effect of guiding and rectifying the airflow.

[0091] Moreover, surprisingly, the inventors of the present application creatively realized that the slope of the inclined section 114 has a better suppressive effect on airflow noise. In prototype tests, the noise of the compressor cabin with the aforementioned specially designed inclined section 114 can be reduced by more than 0.65 decibels.

[0092] In addition, in conventional refrigerators 100, the bottom of the cabinet generally has a generally flat-plate support plate, with compressor 104 positioned inside the support plate. The vibrations generated by compressor 104 during operation significantly impact the bottom of the cabinet. In this embodiment, as previously described, the bottom of the cabinet is constructed from a specially constructed bottom plate and support plate 112 to form a three-dimensional structure, providing an independent three-dimensional space for the placement of compressor 104. Support plate 112 supports compressor 104, minimizing the impact of compressor 104 vibrations on other components at the bottom of the cabinet. Furthermore, by designing the cabinet with this ingenious, special structure, the bottom of refrigerator 100 is compact and rationally laid out, reducing the overall volume of refrigerator 100 while fully utilizing the space at the bottom of refrigerator 100 and ensuring efficient heat dissipation from compressor 104 and condenser 105.

[0093] More specifically, a windshield 1056 is provided at the upper end of the condenser 105. The windshield 1056 may be a windshield sponge, filling the space between the upper end of the condenser 105 and the bent section. That is to say, the windshield 1056 covers the upper ends of the first straight section 1051, the second straight section 1052 and the transition curved section, and the upper end of the windshield 1056 should abut against the bent section to seal the upper end of the condenser 105, so as to prevent part of the air entering the compressor cabin from passing through the space between the upper end of the condenser 105 and the bent section instead of passing through the condenser 105, so that as much air as possible entering the compressor cabin can be heat-exchanged through the condenser 105, thereby further improving the heat dissipation effect of the condenser 105.

[0094] In particular, the refrigerator 100 further includes a windshield 107 extending forward and backward. The windshield 107 is located between the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b, extends from the lower surface of the bottom horizontal section 113 to the lower surface of the support plate 112, and is connected to the lower end of the partition 117. The windshield 107 and the partition 117 are used to completely isolate the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b, so that when the refrigerator 100 is placed on a supporting surface, the space between the bottom wall of the horizontal partition body and the supporting surface is The bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b are completely isolated from each other to ensure that the external air entering the condenser 105 and the heat dissipating air discharged from the compressor 104 do not cross-flow, thereby further ensuring the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0095] At this point, those skilled in the art will recognize that, although a number of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the present invention may be directly determined or derived from the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A refrigerator in which a blower is located laterally downstream of an evaporator, comprising: a box body defining a cooling chamber and at least one storage compartment therein; an evaporator disposed in the cooling chamber and configured to cool the airflow entering the cooling chamber to form a cooling airflow; a blower located laterally of the evaporator and downstream of the evaporator in the airflow path, configured to force at least a portion of the cooling airflow into at least one of the storage compartments; The box body further defines a compressor cabin, which is located at the rear and lower part of the cooling chamber; The box also includes: A compressor, a cooling fan and a condenser are arranged in sequence in the compressor cabin; The bottom wall of the box body is defined with a bottom air inlet adjacent to the condenser and a bottom air outlet adjacent to the compressor arranged laterally; The heat dissipation fan is further configured to draw ambient air from the bottom air inlet and force the air to pass through the condenser first, then through the compressor, and then flow from the bottom air outlet to the surrounding environment; The box also includes: a bottom plate comprising a bottom horizontal section located at the front side of the bottom and a bent section extending backward and upward from a rear end of the bottom horizontal section, wherein the bent section comprises an inclined section located above the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet; a supporting plate, located behind the bottom horizontal section, and the bent section extends above the supporting plate, the supporting plate and the bottom horizontal section forming the bottom wall of the box body, and the supporting plate is spaced apart from the bottom horizontal section so that the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and the front end of the supporting plate define a bottom opening; A partition is arranged behind the bending section, with its front part connected to the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and its rear part connected to the front end of the support plate, and is arranged to separate the bottom opening into the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet arranged horizontally; the heat dissipation fan is located on the rear side of the partition.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises: A freezing liner defines the cooling chamber at its lower portion, and the storage compartment includes a freezing chamber defined by the freezing liner and located above the cooling chamber; a freezer compartment air supply duct, located on an inner side of a first transverse side wall of the freezer liner, forming at least one first air supply outlet communicating with the freezer compartment, wherein the blower is configured to cause at least a portion of the cooling air flow to flow into the freezer compartment through the freezer compartment air supply duct; The blower is disposed in the cooling chamber and located on a first lateral side of the evaporator, and is configured to force at least a portion of the cooling air flow to flow into the freezing chamber through the freezing chamber air supply duct.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein A freezer compartment return air inlet is formed on the second transverse side wall of the cooling chamber, so that the return air from the freezer compartment enters the cooling chamber through the freezer compartment return air inlet under the drive of the blower and is cooled by the evaporator.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises: A variable temperature liner is located above the freezing liner, the storage compartment includes a variable temperature chamber defined by the variable temperature liner, and a variable temperature chamber return air inlet is formed on the second transverse side wall of the freezing liner in an area corresponding to the evaporator; a variable temperature chamber air supply duct, arranged on the outer side of the first transverse side wall of the variable temperature liner, controlledly connected to the freezer chamber air supply duct through a variable temperature damper, and having at least one second air supply outlet connected to the variable temperature chamber; The variable temperature chamber return air duct is arranged on the outer side of the second transverse side wall of the variable temperature inner tank and extends downward to be connected with the variable temperature chamber return air inlet, so that the return air flow of the variable temperature chamber passes through the variable temperature chamber return air duct and the variable temperature chamber return air inlet under the drive of the blower and enters the cooling chamber to be cooled by the evaporator.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The evaporator is placed horizontally in the cooling chamber.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The box also includes: Two side panels, extending upward from the lateral sides of the support plate to the lateral sides of the bending section respectively, forming two lateral side walls of the press cabin; a vertically extending back plate extending upward from the rear end of the support plate to the rear end of the bent section, constituting a rear wall of the press cabin; The compressor, the heat dissipation fan and the condenser are arranged on the support plate in sequence and spaced apart in the transverse direction, and are located in a space defined by the support plate, the two side plates, the back plate and the bending section.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein: The box also includes: The windshield extending forward and backward is located between the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet, extends from the lower surface of the bottom horizontal section to the lower surface of the support plate, and is connected to the lower end of the partition, so as to utilize the windshield and the partition to completely isolate the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet, so that when the refrigerator is placed on a supporting surface, the space between the bottom wall of the box body and the supporting surface is laterally separated to allow external air to enter the compressor cabin through the bottom air inlet located on the lateral side of the windshield under the action of the cooling fan, and flow through the condenser and the compressor in sequence, and finally flow out from the bottom air outlet located on the other lateral side of the windshield.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein The plate section of the back plate facing the condenser is a continuous plate surface.

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