A blower is located on the lateral side of the evaporator upstream

Abstract

The present application provides a refrigerator with a blower located upstream of a transverse side of an evaporator, comprising a cabinet defining a cooling chamber and at least one storage compartment, an evaporator arranged in the cooling chamber, and a blower arranged on a transverse side of the evaporator and upstream of the evaporator in an air flow path, the blower does not occupy space behind or in front of the evaporator, reduces the space occupied in the front-rear direction of the cooling chamber, and ensures the thickness of the foaming material between the rear of the cooling chamber and the outer shell of the cabinet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of home appliance technology, and in particular to a refrigerator in which the blower is located upstream of the evaporator on the lateral side. Background Technology

[0002] In existing refrigerators, the fan that drives the airflow cooled by the evaporator to the storage compartment is usually located downstream of the evaporator in the front-to-back direction. The fan occupies space in the front-to-back direction of the refrigerator, which reduces the distance between the rear of the evaporator compartment and the outer shell of the refrigerator, resulting in a reduction in the thickness of the foaming material. This has an adverse effect on the refrigerator's cooling performance and energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

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

[0004] A further objective of this invention is to improve the heat dissipation effect of the compressor compartment.

[0005] This invention provides a refrigerator, comprising:

[0006] The enclosure includes a cooling chamber and at least one storage compartment.

[0007] An evaporator, disposed within the cooling chamber, is configured to cool the airflow entering the cooling chamber to form a cooling airflow;

[0008] A blower, located laterally to the side of the evaporator and upstream of the evaporator in the airflow path, is configured to cause return airflow from at least one storage chamber to flow into the cooling chamber for cooling by the evaporator, and to cause at least a portion of the cooling airflow to flow into at least one storage chamber.

[0009] Optionally, the enclosure includes:

[0010] A freezer inner liner, with a cooling chamber defined at its lower part, and a storage compartment including a freezer chamber defined by the freezer inner liner and located above the cooling chamber;

[0011] The freezer compartment air supply duct is located on the inner side of the first transverse side wall of the freezer inner liner, and forms at least one first air supply outlet that connects to the freezer compartment.

[0012] The blower is located in the cooling chamber and on the second lateral side of the evaporator, configured to cause at least a portion of the cooling airflow to flow into the refrigeration chamber through the refrigeration chamber air duct.

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

[0014] Optionally, the enclosure also includes:

[0015] A variable temperature inner liner is located above the freezer inner liner. The storage compartment includes a variable temperature chamber defined by the variable temperature inner liner. The area of ​​the second transverse side wall of the freezer inner liner corresponding to the evaporator forms a variable temperature chamber return air inlet.

[0016] The variable temperature compartment air supply duct is located on the outer side of the first transverse side wall of the variable temperature inner liner, and is connected to the freezer compartment air supply duct in a controlled manner through a variable temperature damper, and has at least one second air supply outlet connected to the variable temperature compartment.

[0017] The return air duct of the variable temperature chamber is located on the outer side of the second transverse side wall of the variable temperature inner liner and extends downward to connect with the return air inlet of the variable temperature chamber. Driven by the blower, the return air of the variable temperature chamber enters the cooling chamber through the return air duct and the return air inlet of the variable temperature chamber and is cooled by the evaporator.

[0018] Alternatively, the evaporator is positioned horizontally within the cooling chamber.

[0019] Optionally, the chamber may also include a compressor compartment located below and behind the cooling chamber.

[0020] Optionally, the refrigerator also includes:

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

[0022] The bottom wall of the enclosure is defined by horizontally arranged bottom air inlets near the condenser and bottom air outlets near the compressor;

[0023] The cooling fan is also configured to draw in ambient air from the bottom air inlet and cause the air to pass through the condenser, then through the compressor, and then flow out of the bottom air outlet into the surrounding environment.

[0024] Optionally, the enclosure also includes:

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

[0026] The tray is located behind the bottom horizontal section, and the bent section extends above the tray. The tray and the bottom horizontal section form the bottom wall of the box and are spaced apart from the bottom horizontal section so that the bottom opening is defined by the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and the front end of the tray.

[0027] Two side plates extend upward from the lateral sides of the pallet to the lateral sides of the bending section, forming the two lateral side walls of the compressor compartment.

[0028] The vertically extending backplate extends upward from the rear end of the pallet to the rear end of the bending section, forming the rear wall of the compressor compartment.

[0029] The compressor, cooling fan, and condenser are arranged sequentially and at intervals along the transverse direction on the pallet, and are located in the space defined by the pallet, the two side plates, the back plate, and the bending section;

[0030] The housing also includes a divider located behind the bent section. Its front part is connected to the rear end of the bottom horizontal section, and its rear part is connected to the front end of the support plate. It is configured to divide the bottom opening into a horizontally arranged bottom air inlet and bottom air outlet.

[0031] Optionally, the enclosure also includes:

[0032] The front and rear extending wind deflector strips are located between the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet. They extend from the lower surface of the bottom horizontal section to the lower surface of the tray and connect to the lower end of the separator. The wind deflector strips and the separator completely isolate the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet. This allows the space between the bottom wall of the refrigerator and the support surface to be separated laterally when the refrigerator is placed on a support surface. This allows outside air to enter the compressor compartment through the bottom air inlet located on the lateral side of the wind deflector strip under the action of the cooling fan, and then flow through the condenser and compressor in sequence, finally flowing out from the bottom air outlet located on the other lateral side of the wind deflector strip.

[0033] Optionally, the plate segment facing the condenser on the back plate is a continuous plate surface.

[0034] In the refrigerator of the present invention, the blower is located on the lateral side of the evaporator, which does not occupy the space behind or in front of the evaporator, thus reducing the space occupied by the cooling chamber in the front-to-back direction and ensuring the thickness of the foaming material between the rear of the cooling chamber and the outer shell of the cabinet; in addition, the blower is located upstream of the evaporator in the airflow path, which accelerates the flow of the return airflow and can improve the cooling speed.

[0035] Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the lower space inside the freezer liner defines the cooling chamber, with the freezer chamber located above the cooling chamber and the compressor compartment located below and behind the cooling chamber. The freezer chamber no longer needs to make way for the compressor compartment, increasing the storage volume of the freezer chamber and making it a rectangular space, which is convenient for placing large, difficult-to-divide items. In addition, the blower is located on the lateral side of the evaporator, avoiding the blower occupying the space behind or in front of the evaporator, reducing the space occupied by the cooling chamber in the front-to-back direction, increasing the space between the rear of the cooling chamber and the compressor compartment, and increasing the thickness of the foaming material between the rear of the cooling chamber and the compressor compartment, thereby ensuring the refrigeration performance of the refrigerator and reducing energy consumption.

[0036] Furthermore, in the refrigerator of this invention, the bottom of the cabinet is constructed into a three-dimensional structure by a specially structured base plate and support plate, providing an independent three-dimensional space for the compressor. The support plate supports the compressor, reducing the impact of compressor vibration on other components at the bottom of the cabinet. In addition, the sloping structure of the inclined section can guide and rectify the airflow, making the airflow entering from the bottom air inlet more concentrated and flowing towards the condenser, avoiding excessive airflow dispersion that prevents more air from passing through the condenser, thereby further ensuring the heat dissipation effect of the condenser. Moreover, by designing the cabinet with such an ingenious special structure, the bottom structure of the refrigerator is compact and rationally laid out, reducing the overall volume of the refrigerator, while making full use of the space at the bottom of the refrigerator to ensure the heat dissipation efficiency of the compressor and condenser.

[0037] The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0038] The following sections will describe some specific embodiments of the invention in detail by way of example and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts or portions. Those skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing one direction.

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

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

[0042] Figure 4 This is a partially exploded view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the outer casing of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0044] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A magnified view of region A in the middle. Detailed Implementation

[0045] This embodiment first provides a refrigerator 100, which will be described below. Figures 1 to 6 To describe the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment of the invention, in the following description, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by "front," "rear," "up," "down," etc., is based on the orientation of the refrigerator 100 itself as a reference. "Front" and "rear" are as follows: Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 The indicated direction, such as Figure 2 As shown, "horizontal" refers to the direction parallel to the width of the refrigerator 100.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing one direction. Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention from another direction.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the refrigerator 100 generally includes a cabinet, which includes an outer shell and a storage liner disposed inside the outer shell. The space between the outer shell and the storage liner is filled with insulation material (forming a foam layer). The storage liner defines at least one storage compartment. The storage liner generally includes a freezer liner 130, a refrigerator liner, a variable temperature liner, etc. The storage compartment may include a refrigerator compartment 11 defined by the refrigerator liner, a variable temperature compartment 121 defined by the variable temperature liner, and a freezer compartment 131 defined by the freezer liner 130. A door is also provided on the front side of the storage liner to open or close the storage compartment. For example, a refrigerator compartment door 12 is provided on the front side of the refrigerator liner, a variable temperature compartment door 122 is provided on the front side of the variable temperature liner, and a freezer compartment door 132 is provided on the front side of the freezer liner 130.

[0048] The freezer compartment 131 contains multiple storage containers 1311 arranged vertically, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the three storage containers 1311 are arranged vertically.

[0049] 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 loop. When the compressor 104 starts, it cools the air flowing through it to form a cooling airflow. The blower 102 may be a centrifugal fan, a cross-flow fan, or an axial fan.

[0050] Specifically, in this embodiment, the blower 102 is located on the lateral side of the evaporator 150 and upstream of the evaporator 150 in the airflow path, configured to cause the return airflow in at least one storage room to flow into the cooling chamber 133 for cooling by the evaporator 150, and to cause a portion of the cooling airflow to flow into at least one storage room.

[0051] In the refrigerator 100 of this embodiment, the blower 102 is located on the lateral side of the evaporator 150, and will 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-to-back direction and ensuring the thickness of the foaming material between the rear of the cooling chamber 133 and the outer shell of the cabinet.

[0052] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling chamber 133 can be defined by the lowest space inside the freezing inner liner 130. That is to say, the aforementioned cooling chamber 133 is defined in the lower part of the freezing inner liner 130, while the freezing chamber 131 defined by the freezing inner liner 130 is located above the cooling chamber 133.

[0053] The blower 102 is disposed in the cooling chamber 133 and located on the second lateral side of the evaporator 150, configured to cause at least a portion of the cooling airflow to flow into the freezer chamber 131 through the freezer chamber air duct 160.

[0054] In a traditional refrigerator 100, the cooling compartment 133 is generally located in the rear space of the cabinet, the freezer compartment 131 is generally located at the bottom of the cabinet, and the compressor compartment is located behind the freezer compartment 131. The freezer compartment 131 inevitably has to be an irregularly shaped space to make way for the compressor compartment, which reduces the storage volume of the freezer compartment 131 and also brings about the following problems. On the one hand, the freezer compartment 131 is located at a low position, requiring users to bend over or squat significantly to retrieve items, which is inconvenient for users, especially the elderly. On the other hand, due to the reduced depth of the freezer compartment 131, the vertical space of the freezer compartment 131 needs to be increased to ensure storage capacity. Users need to stack items vertically when storing items in the freezer compartment 131, making it inconvenient for users to find items. Moreover, items at the bottom of the freezer compartment 131 are easily obscured, making them difficult for users to find and causing them to be forgotten, resulting in spoilage and waste. Furthermore, because the freezer compartment 131 is irregularly shaped and not a rectangular space, it is inconvenient to place some large and difficult-to-divide items in the freezer compartment 131.

[0055] In this embodiment, the lower space within the freezer liner 130 defines the cooling chamber 133, which occupies the lower space of the cabinet, meaning the cooling chamber 133 is at the bottom. The freezer chamber 131 is located above the cooling chamber 133, raising the freezer chamber 131 and reducing the bending required for users to retrieve items from the freezer chamber 131, thus improving the user experience. Simultaneously, a compressor compartment can be defined at the rear lower part of the cabinet behind the cooling chamber 133. This means the compressor compartment is located at the rear lower part of the cooling chamber 133, eliminating the need for the freezer chamber 131 to make way for it, ensuring the storage volume of the freezer chamber 131. This makes the freezer chamber 131 a rectangular space, allowing items to be stored flat instead of stacked, making it easier for users to find items and saving them time and effort. It also facilitates the placement of larger, harder-to-divide items, addressing the pain point of not being able to place larger items in the freezer chamber 131.

[0056] In embodiments where the cooling chamber 133 is located in the lower space of the cabinet body and the compressor compartment is located at the rear lower part of the cooling chamber 133, the thickness of the foam material between the rear lower part of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor compartment directly affects the refrigeration performance of the refrigerator. In a previous patent application, the applicant placed the blower 102 behind the evaporator 150. This design increases the front-to-back dimensions of the cooling chamber 133, reduces the space between the rear lower part of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor compartment, and decreases the thickness of the foam material between the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor compartment, which has a certain impact on the refrigeration performance and energy consumption of the refrigerator 100.

[0057] In this embodiment, the applicant adjusted the position of the blower 102, placing it on the lateral side of the evaporator 150. This avoids the blower 102 occupying the space behind or in front of the evaporator 150, reduces the space occupied by the cooling chamber 133 in the front-rear direction, increases the space between the lower rear of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor compartment, and increases the thickness of the foaming material between the rear of the cooling chamber 133 and the compressor compartment. This ensures the cooling performance of the refrigerator 100 and reduces energy consumption.

[0058] Since the blower 102 is located on the second transverse side of the evaporator 150, the freezer compartment air duct 160 can be located on the inner side of the first transverse side wall of the freezer liner 130, forming at least one first air outlet 160a communicating with the freezer compartment 131. The blower 102 is configured to cause at least a portion of the cooling airflow to flow through the freezer compartment air duct 160 to the freezer compartment 131.

[0059] Figure 3 This is a partial schematic diagram of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] The refrigerator 100 also includes a cover (not shown) disposed in the freezer liner 130, which covers the evaporator 150, and the cover and the bottom wall of the freezer liner 130 define a cooling chamber 133. The first transverse side wall of the cover forms a side air outlet 134b that communicates with the air inlet of the freezer chamber air duct 160.

[0061] The evaporator 150 can be placed horizontally in the cooling chamber in a flat cubic shape. That is, the long and wide sides of the evaporator 150 are parallel to the horizontal plane, and the thick side is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Moreover, 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 is avoided from occupying more space, thus ensuring the storage volume of the freezer compartment 131 above the cooling chamber 133.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, the second transverse sidewall of the cooling chamber 133 (that is, the second transverse sidewall of the casing) has a freezer return air inlet 134a, so that the return airflow from the freezer chamber 131, driven by the blower 102, enters the cooling chamber 133 through the freezer return air passage 170 and the freezer return air inlet 134a, where it is cooled by the evaporator 150. The freezer return air passage 170 is defined by the gap between the second transverse sidewall of the freezer inner liner 130 and the storage container 1311.

[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, the return air inlet 134a of the cooling chamber 133, formed by the second transverse side wall (that is, 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. This allows the return airflow entering the cooling chamber 133 from the return air inlet 134a to pass through the evaporator 150, be cooled by the evaporator 150, and then flow through the side air outlet 134b into the supply air duct 160 of the cooling chamber. The blower 102 is located near the return air inlet 134a relative to the supply air duct 160 of the cooling chamber. That is, the blower 102 is located upstream of the evaporator 150 in the airflow path, specifically on the second transverse side of the evaporator 150, between the second transverse side end face of the evaporator 150 and the return air inlet 134a of the cooling chamber.

[0064] In the applicant's previous patent application, a front return air inlet communicating with the freezer compartment 131 was formed on the front side of the cooling chamber 133 (i.e., the front wall of the casing). External debris could easily enter the cooling chamber 133 through the front return air inlet. Moreover, during the defrosting process of the evaporator 150, defrosting water might flow out from 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 from the front return air inlet, increasing the amount of frost. In this embodiment, by arranging the blower 102 on the lateral side of the evaporator 150 (e.g., the lateral second side) and forming a freezer compartment return air inlet 134a communicating with the freezer compartment 131 on the lateral second sidewall of the cooling chamber 133, the above problems can be effectively solved, and the appearance of the front side of the cooling chamber 133 is simpler, providing a better visual experience for the user when opening the freezer compartment door 132.

[0065] The variable-temperature inner liner of the refrigerator 100 is located above the freezer inner liner 130. The variable-temperature compartment air duct (not shown) is located on the outer side of the first transverse side wall of the variable-temperature inner liner, within the foam layer, and has at least one second air outlet (not shown) communicating with the variable-temperature compartment 121. A variable-temperature damper 103 is provided at the top of the freezer compartment air duct 160. The variable-temperature damper 103 can be controlled to open or close to connect the variable-temperature compartment air duct with the freezer compartment air duct 160.

[0066] like Figure 3 As shown, a variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c is formed in the area corresponding to the evaporator 150 on the second transverse sidewall 1301 of the freezer liner 130. The variable temperature chamber return air duct (not shown) is located on the outside of the second transverse sidewall of the variable temperature liner and extends downward to communicate with the variable temperature chamber return air inlet 130c.

[0067] Clearly, the second transverse sidewall of the cooling chamber 133 (i.e., the second transverse sidewall of the casing) and the second transverse sidewall of the refrigeration liner 130 are located on the same transverse side. Correspondingly, the return air inlet 130c of the variable temperature compartment and the return air inlet 134a of the refrigeration chamber are located on the same transverse side. The return airflow entering through the return air inlet 130c of the variable temperature compartment then enters the cooling chamber 133 through the return air inlet 134a of the refrigeration chamber and is cooled by the evaporator 150. Specifically, driven by the blower 102, the return airflow of the variable temperature compartment 121 flows through the return air duct of the variable temperature compartment to the return air inlet 130c of the variable temperature compartment, and then enters the cooling chamber 133 through the return air inlet 130c of the variable temperature compartment and the return air inlet 134a of the refrigeration chamber and is cooled by the evaporator 150.

[0068] The freezer compartment 131 and the variable temperature compartment 121 are both air-cooled, while the refrigerator compartment 11 can be directly cooled. The refrigerator evaporator (not shown) is installed in the refrigerator liner and directly cools the refrigerator compartment 11.

[0069] The section of the bottom wall of the freezer inner liner 130 located directly below the evaporator 150 is called the water receiving section. The water receiving section is roughly funnel-shaped and is used to receive defrost water from the evaporator 150. The lowest point of the water receiving section forms the aforementioned drain outlet 130b. The drain outlet 130b is connected to a drain pipe 140. The defrost water is transported through the drain pipe 140 to an evaporating dish (unlabeled) located in the compressor compartment. Generally, the evaporating dish is located below the condenser 105. The defrost water in the evaporating dish absorbs heat from the condenser 105 and evaporates.

[0070] Figure 4 This is a partial exploded view of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the outer casing of a refrigerator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A magnified view of region A in the middle.

[0071] like Figure 4 As shown, a compressor 104, a condenser 105, and a cooling fan 106 are disposed within the compressor compartment defined by the housing. The cooling fan 106 is configured to cause the airflow entering the compressor compartment to pass sequentially through the condenser 105 and the compressor 104 before flowing out of the compressor compartment. The cooling fan 106 may be an axial flow fan. In this embodiment, the compressor 104, the cooling fan 106, and the condenser 105 are arranged laterally and at intervals within the compressor compartment.

[0072] In some embodiments, the rear wall of the compressor compartment, in the section 1162 corresponding to the compressor 104, has at least one rear air outlet 1162a.

[0073] Prior to this invention, the common design approach for those skilled in the art was to create 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 compartment, thus completing the circulation of cooling airflow at the rear of the compressor compartment; or to form ventilation holes on the front and rear walls of the compressor compartment, creating a front-to-back cooling airflow path. When addressing the issue of improving the cooling effect of the compressor compartment, those skilled in the art typically increase the number of rear air inlets and outlets 1162a on the rear wall of the compressor compartment 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.

[0074] The applicant of this invention creatively recognized that the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser 105 and the ventilation area of ​​the compressor compartment are not necessarily better the larger they are. In conventional designs that increase the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser 105 and the ventilation area of ​​the compressor compartment, uneven heat dissipation of the condenser 105 can occur, which has an adverse effect on the refrigeration system of the refrigerator 100. To address this, the applicant of this invention departs from conventional design thinking and creatively proposes a new solution that differs from conventional designs. The bottom wall of the refrigerator body is defined with horizontally arranged bottom air inlets 110a near the condenser 105 and bottom air outlets 110b near the compressor 104. This completes the circulation of heat dissipation airflow at the bottom of the refrigerator 100, making full use of the space between the refrigerator 100 and the supporting surface. This eliminates the need to increase the distance between the rear wall of the refrigerator 100 and the cabinet, reducing the space occupied by the refrigerator 100 while ensuring good heat dissipation of the compressor compartment. This fundamentally solves the pain point of the inability to balance heat dissipation and space occupation in the compressor compartment of the built-in refrigerator 100, which is of particular significance.

[0075] The cooling 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, pass through the condenser 105 and the compressor 104 in sequence, and then flow out to the external environment from the bottom air outlet 110b, 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. Therefore, in the above process, the outside air cools the condenser 105 first and then the compressor 104.

[0077] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the section 1161 of the back plate 116 (rear wall of the compressor compartment) facing the condenser 105 is a continuous plate surface, that is, there are no heat dissipation holes on the section 1161 of the back plate 116 facing the condenser 105.

[0078] The applicant of this invention has creatively recognized that even without increasing the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser 105, abnormally reducing the ventilation area of ​​the compressor compartment can create a better heat dissipation airflow path and still achieve a good heat dissipation effect.

[0079] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the applicant breaks through the conventional design concept and designs the rear wall (back plate 116) of the compressor chamber and the plate segment 1161 corresponding to the condenser 105 as a continuous plate surface, which seals the heat dissipation airflow entering the compressor chamber 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 condensing section of the condenser 105, and is conducive to forming a better heat dissipation airflow path, which can also achieve a better heat dissipation effect.

[0080] Furthermore, since the plate segment 1161 of the back plate 116 facing the condenser 105 is a continuous plate surface and does not have an air inlet hole, it avoids the situation in conventional designs where both the exhaust and intake air are concentrated at the rear of the compressor compartment, which would cause the hot air blown out from the compressor compartment to not be cooled by the ambient air in time and re-enter the compressor compartment, thus adversely affecting the heat exchange of the condenser 105. This ensures the heat exchange efficiency of the condenser 105.

[0081] In some embodiments, each of the two transverse sidewalls of the compressor compartment has a side ventilation hole 119a, which can be covered by a ventilation cover plate 108, and the ventilation cover plate 108 has a grid-like ventilation hole. The outer shell of the refrigerator 100 includes two transverse cabinet side plates 111, which extend vertically to form two sidewalls of the refrigerator 100. Each of the two cabinet side plates 111 forms a side opening 111a that communicates with the corresponding side ventilation hole 119a, so that the heat dissipation airflow can 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.

[0082] Specifically, the condenser 105 includes a first straight section 1051 extending laterally, a second straight section 1052 extending front-to-back, and a transition curved section (unlabeled) connecting the first straight section 1051 and the second straight section 1052, thereby forming an L-shaped condenser 105 with an appropriate heat exchange area. The plate segment 1161 of the rear wall (back plate 116) of the aforementioned compressor compartment corresponding to the condenser 105 is also the plate segment 1161 of the back plate 116 facing the first straight section 1051.

[0083] The ambient airflow entering through the side ventilation hole 119a directly exchanges heat with the second straight section 1052, and the ambient air entering through the bottom air inlet 110a directly exchanges heat with the first straight section 1051. This further concentrates more of the ambient air entering the compressor chamber at the condenser 105, ensuring the uniformity of heat dissipation of the condenser 105 as a whole.

[0084] More specifically, the outer shell of the housing also includes 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, which supports the compressor 104, the cooling fan 106, and the condenser 105. The two side plates 119 form the two transverse side walls of the compressor compartment, and the vertically extending back plate 116 forms the rear wall of the compressor compartment.

[0085] More specifically, the base plate includes a bottom horizontal section 113 located at the front of the bottom and a bent section extending backward and upward from the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113. The bent section extends above the tray 112. The compressor 104, the cooling fan 106 and the condenser 105 are arranged laterally on the tray 112 at intervals, and are located in the space defined by the tray 112, the two side plates 119, the back plate and the bent section.

[0086] The tray 112 and the bottom horizontal section 113 together form the bottom wall of the housing. The tray 112 and the bottom horizontal section 113 are spaced apart to form a bottom opening that communicates with the external space by utilizing the space between the front end of the tray 112 and the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113. The bending section has an inclined section 114 located above the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b.

[0087] Specifically, the bending section may include a vertical section 1131, the aforementioned 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 top of the compressor 104, the cooling fan 106, and the condenser 105.

[0088] In particular, the refrigerator 100 also includes a divider 117, which is disposed behind the bent section. Its front part is connected to the rear end of the bottom horizontal section 113, and its rear part is connected to the front end of the tray 112. It is configured to divide the bottom opening into a horizontally arranged bottom air inlet 110a and a bottom air outlet 110b.

[0089] As can be seen from the foregoing, the bottom air inlet 110a and bottom air outlet 110b of this embodiment are defined by the separator 117, the support plate 112, and the bottom horizontal section 113, thereby forming a groove-shaped bottom air inlet 110a and bottom air outlet 110b with a large opening size, which increases the air inlet and outlet area, reduces the air inlet resistance, makes the airflow smoother, and simplifies the manufacturing process, making the overall stability of the compressor chamber stronger.

[0090] In particular, the applicant of this invention has creatively recognized that the slope structure of the inclined section 114 can guide and rectify the incoming airflow, so that the airflow entering from the bottom air inlet 110a flows more concentratedly to the condenser 105, avoiding the airflow 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 outgoing airflow from the bottom air outlet 110b to the front side of the bottom air outlet, so that the outgoing airflow flows more smoothly out of the compressor compartment, thereby further improving the smoothness of airflow.

[0091] Furthermore, 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 guiding and rectifying effect on the airflow.

[0092] Furthermore, unexpectedly, the inventors of this application have creatively recognized that the ramp of the inclined section 114 has a good effect on suppressing airflow noise. In the prototype test, the noise of the compressor chamber with the aforementioned specially designed inclined section 114 can be reduced by more than 0.65 decibels.

[0093] Furthermore, in traditional refrigerators 100, the bottom of the cabinet typically has a roughly flat support plate, with the compressor 104 located inside the support plate. The vibrations generated by the compressor 104 during operation have a significant impact on the bottom of the cabinet. In this embodiment, as mentioned earlier, the bottom of the cabinet is constructed as a three-dimensional structure using a specially structured base plate and a support plate 112. This provides an independent three-dimensional space for the compressor 104, and the support plate 112 supports the compressor 104, reducing the impact of compressor 104 vibrations on other components at the bottom of the cabinet. Additionally, by designing the cabinet with this ingenious special structure, the bottom of the refrigerator 100 is compact and rationally laid out, reducing the overall volume of the refrigerator 100. At the same time, it fully utilizes the space at the bottom of the refrigerator 100, ensuring the heat dissipation efficiency of the compressor 104 and the condenser 105.

[0094] Specifically, a baffle 1056 is provided at the upper end of the condenser 105. The baffle 1056 can be a windproof sponge that fills the space between the upper end of the condenser 105 and the bend section. That is to say, the baffle 1056 covers the upper ends of the first straight section 1051, the second straight section 1052 and the transition curve section, and the upper end of the baffle 1056 should abut against the bend section to seal the upper end of the condenser 105. This prevents some of the air entering the compressor chamber from passing through the space between the upper end of the condenser 105 and the bend section without passing through the condenser 105, thereby allowing as much of the air entering the compressor chamber as possible to pass through the condenser 105 for heat exchange, further improving the heat dissipation effect of the condenser 105.

[0095] Furthermore, the refrigerator 100 also includes a front-to-back extending baffle 107 located between the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b, extending from the lower surface of the bottom horizontal section 113 to the lower surface of the tray 112, and connecting to the lower end of the separator 117. This baffle 107 and the separator 117 completely isolate the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b, thereby horizontally separating the space between the bottom wall of the refrigerator body and the supporting surface when the refrigerator 100 is placed on a supporting surface. The space allows external air to enter the compressor chamber through the bottom air inlet 110a located on the lateral side of the baffle 107 under the action of the cooling fan, and then flows through the condenser 105 and the compressor 104 in sequence, and finally flows out from the bottom air outlet 110b located on the other lateral side of the baffle 107. This completely isolates the bottom air inlet 110a and the bottom air outlet 110b, ensuring that the external air entering the condenser 105 and the cooling air discharged from the compressor 104 do not crossflow, further ensuring the cooling efficiency.

[0096] Therefore, those skilled in the art should recognize that although numerous exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications conforming to the principles of the present invention can be directly determined or derived from the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should be understood and construed as covering all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A refrigerator with a blower located upstream of the evaporator on its lateral side, comprising: The enclosure includes a cooling chamber and at least one storage compartment. An evaporator, disposed in the cooling chamber, is configured to cool the airflow entering the cooling chamber to form a cooling airflow; A blower is disposed on the lateral side of the evaporator and located upstream of the evaporator in the airflow path, configured to cause the return airflow in at least one of the storage chambers to flow to the cooling chamber for cooling by the evaporator, and to cause at least a portion of the cooling airflow to flow to at least one of the storage chambers; The housing also includes a compressor compartment, which is located below and behind the cooling chamber. The refrigerator also includes: The compressor, cooling fan, and condenser are arranged horizontally and sequentially within the compressor compartment; The bottom wall of the enclosure is defined by horizontally arranged bottom air inlets and bottom air outlets; The enclosure also includes: The base plate includes a bottom horizontal section located at the front of the bottom and a bent section extending rearward and upward from the 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. A tray is located behind the bottom horizontal section, and the bent section extends above the tray. The tray and the bottom horizontal section form the bottom wall of the box and are spaced apart from the bottom horizontal section so that the bottom opening is defined by the rear end of the bottom horizontal section and the front end of the tray. A separator is disposed 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 configured to divide the bottom opening into the horizontally arranged bottom air inlet and bottom air outlet. Two side plates extend upward from the lateral sides of the pallet to the lateral sides of the bending section, forming the two lateral side walls of the compressor chamber. A vertically extending back plate extends upward from the rear end of the pallet to the rear end of the bending section, forming the rear wall of the compressor chamber. The compressor, the cooling fan, and the condenser are arranged sequentially and at intervals along the transverse direction on the support plate, and are located in the space defined by the support plate, the two side plates, the back plate, and the bending section; The back plate segment facing the condenser is a continuous plate surface without heat dissipation holes; the back plate segment facing the compressor has at least one rear air outlet.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet comprises: A freezer inner liner, with the cooling chamber defined at its lower part, and the storage compartment including a freezer chamber defined by the freezer inner liner and located above the cooling chamber; The freezer compartment air supply duct is located on the inner side of the first transverse side wall of the freezer inner liner, and forms at least one first air supply outlet that communicates with the freezer compartment. The blower is disposed in the cooling chamber and located on the second lateral side of the evaporator, configured to cause at least a portion of the cooling airflow to flow into the freezing chamber through the freezing chamber air duct.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein The second transverse side wall of the cooling chamber is formed with a refrigeration chamber return air inlet, so that the return airflow of the refrigeration chamber enters the cooling chamber through the refrigeration chamber return air inlet under the drive of the blower and is cooled by the evaporator.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the cabinet further comprises: A variable temperature inner liner is located above the refrigeration inner liner. The storage compartment includes a variable temperature chamber defined by the variable temperature inner liner. The refrigeration inner liner has a variable temperature chamber return air inlet in the area corresponding to the evaporator on its second transverse side wall. The variable temperature compartment air supply duct is located on the outer side of the first transverse side wall of the variable temperature inner liner, and is connected to the freezer compartment air supply duct in a controlled manner through a variable temperature damper, and has at least one second air supply outlet connected to the variable temperature compartment. The return air duct of the variable temperature chamber is located on the outer side of the second transverse side wall of the variable temperature inner liner and extends downward to communicate with the return air inlet of the variable temperature chamber. Driven by the blower, the return airflow of the variable temperature chamber enters the cooling chamber through the return air duct and the return air inlet of the variable temperature chamber and is cooled by the evaporator.

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

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The bottom air inlet is located near the condenser, and the bottom air outlet is located near the compressor; The cooling fan is also configured to draw in ambient air from the bottom air inlet and cause the air to pass through the condenser, then through the compressor, and then flow out of the bottom air outlet into the surrounding environment.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein, The enclosure also includes: The front and rear extending wind deflector strips are located between the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet, extending from the lower surface of the bottom horizontal section to the lower surface of the support plate, and connecting to the lower end of the separator. The wind deflector strips and the separator completely isolate the bottom air inlet and the bottom air outlet, thereby laterally separating the space between the bottom wall of the refrigerator and the support surface when the refrigerator is placed on a support surface. This allows external air to enter the compressor compartment through the bottom air inlet located on one side of the wind deflector strip under the action of the cooling fan, and flow sequentially through the condenser and the compressor, and finally flow out from the bottom air outlet located on the other side of the wind deflector strip.

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