Air door regulating device, air outlet plate structure and refrigerator

Abstract

The present invention provides a damper adjustment device, an air outlet plate structure and a refrigerator, which relate to the technical field of refrigerators and solve the technical problem that the control of the dampers of existing refrigerators in the prior art requires the use of motor drive. The device includes a support structure and an elastic bag, wherein the elastic bag is filled with a refrigerant and the elastic bag is supported on the support structure. The refrigerant is converted between solid and liquid states so that when the refrigerant is in a solid state, the damper can be lifted up to close the air outlet, and when the refrigerant is in a liquid state, the damper can fall under the action of gravity to open the air outlet. The present invention uses physical properties to open and close the air outlet without additional power consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigerators, and in particular to an air door regulating device, an air outlet plate structure and a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] At present, the damper control of mainstream air-cooled refrigerators is all facilitated by small motors or stepper motors, which are driven by gears or directly connected to the damper mechanism, and the damper is opened and closed according to the control logic and temperature detection to achieve the cooling and temperature maintenance of each compartment of the refrigerator. In addition, in the prior art, the damper control not only uses gear transmission but also adds a feedback device to monitor whether the damper is closed; there are also electromagnetically driven damper mechanisms to achieve the damper switch.

[0003] The applicant has found that the prior art has at least the following technical problems:

[0004] 1. The fan damper needs to be driven by a motor, and motor damage will cause failure;

[0005] 2. The use of motor drive requires a wiring harness, which takes up space. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a damper adjustment device, an air outlet plate structure and a refrigerator, which solves the technical problem that the control of the damper of the existing refrigerator in the prior art requires the use of a motor drive. The preferred technical solution among the many technical solutions provided by the present invention can produce many technical effects as described below.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] The present invention provides a damper adjustment device, comprising a supporting structure and an elastic bag, wherein the elastic bag is filled with a coolant and the elastic bag is supported on the supporting structure, and the coolant is converted between solid and liquid states so that when the coolant is in a solid state, the damper can be lifted up to close the air outlet, and when the coolant is in a liquid state, the damper can fall under the action of gravity to open the air outlet.

[0009] Furthermore, the air outlet is an air inlet of a refrigeration device, the support structure is located in a refrigeration chamber of the refrigeration device, and the phase state of the refrigerant can be changed by a change in temperature in the refrigeration chamber.

[0010] Furthermore, the supporting structure is connected to the tuyere plate, the tuyere is arranged on the tuyere plate, a limiting space is formed on the supporting structure or the supporting structure cooperates with the tuyere plate to form a limiting space, the elastic bag is located in the limiting space and the damper is supported on the elastic bag.

[0011] Furthermore, the limiting space is in a slit-like structure, so as to facilitate the expansion of the coolant changing from liquid to solid in the height direction.

[0012] Furthermore, the damper is in a plate-like structure, the damper is inserted into the limiting space, and the outer side surface of the damper cooperates with the side surface of the limiting space to guide the damper to move in the height direction.

[0013] Furthermore, the supporting structure includes a supporting portion and a side portion, the supporting portion is arranged on one side of the air outlet plate, the air gate is inserted into the supporting portion and clamped between the supporting portion and the air outlet plate, and the two side portions are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the air gate and are both connected to the supporting portion.

[0014] Furthermore, the side portion is plate-shaped and protrudes from the support portion in a height direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the elastic bag is made of elastic rubber material.

[0016] An air outlet plate structure is provided, wherein an air outlet is formed on the air outlet plate structure, and the air door regulating device is arranged on the air outlet plate structure, and the air door regulating device cooperates with the corresponding air outlet.

[0017] Furthermore, a plurality of air outlets are formed on the air outlet plate structure, the air outlet far away from the air supply duct of the refrigeration equipment is a distal air outlet, and the air outlet close to the air supply duct is a proximal air outlet, the damper adjustment device cooperates with the corresponding distal air outlet, and the area of ​​the distal air outlet cooperated with the air outlet adjustment device is larger than the area of ​​the proximal air outlet.

[0018] A refrigerator comprises the air outlet plate structure.

[0019] Since the volume of the coolant expands when it changes from liquid to solid, a damper adjustment device is designed by utilizing the characteristic that the volume changes during phase change. The damper adjustment device can replace the damper adjustment mechanism in the prior art that uses a motor and a transmission mechanism to drive the damper to open and close, and uses physical properties to realize the opening and closing of the air outlet without additional power consumption. The specific structure of the damper adjustment device is as follows: the damper adjustment device includes a support structure and an elastic bag, the elastic bag is filled with coolant and the elastic bag is supported on the support structure, and the coolant is transformed between solid and liquid so that when the coolant is in a solid state, the damper can be lifted up to close the air outlet, and when the coolant is in a liquid state, the damper can fall under the action of gravity to open the air outlet.

[0020] The preferred technical solution of the present invention can at least produce the following technical effects:

[0021] The limiting space has a slit-like structure. The narrower and longer the space is, the easier it is for the solidification expansion to change along the height direction, and the more sensitive the action of pushing the damper is, achieving a certain degree of precise control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the damper adjustment structure in the prior art;

[0024] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a damper adjustment device provided in an embodiment of the present invention (the tuyere is in an open state);

[0025] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a damper adjustment device provided by an embodiment of the present invention (the air outlet is in a partially open state);

[0026] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the liquid refrigerant and the tuyere plate provided in an embodiment of the present invention (the tuyere is in an open state);

[0027] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the solid coolant provided by an embodiment of the present invention cooperating with the tuyere plate (the tuyere is in a closed state);

[0028] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the air outlet plate structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] In the figure, 1-support structure; 11-support part; 12-side part; 2-damper; 3-air outlet; 31-adjusting air outlet; 4-air outlet plate; 5-limiting space; 6-driving motor; 7-transmission gear; 8-refrigerant; 9-variable temperature damper; 10-refrigeration damper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] See also Figure 1, which is a damper control mechanism of an ordinary refrigerator. The motor can control the opening and closing of the variable temperature damper 9 and the refrigeration damper 10 through gear transmission. However, this mechanism has a complex structure, a large number of parts, and requires a motor drive. The motor line is long, and the service life of the fine drive motor at low temperature is not high. Based on this, the present invention provides a damper adjustment device, including a support structure 1 and an elastic bag, wherein the elastic bag is filled with a refrigerant 8 and the elastic bag is supported on the support structure 1. When the refrigerant 8 is in a solid state, the damper 2 can be lifted to close the air outlet 3 by the conversion of the refrigerant 8 between solid and liquid states. When the refrigerant 8 is in a liquid state, the damper 2 can fall under the action of gravity to open the air outlet 3. Since the volume of the refrigerant 8 expands when it is converted from liquid to solid, the damper adjustment device is designed by utilizing the characteristic that the volume changes during phase change. It can replace the damper control mechanism in the prior art that uses a motor and a transmission mechanism to drive the damper to open and close, and realizes the opening and closing of the air outlet by utilizing physical characteristics without additional power consumption.

[0032] As an optional embodiment, the air outlet 3 is the air inlet of the refrigeration equipment, and the support structure 1 is located in the refrigeration chamber of the refrigeration equipment. The phase state of the refrigerant 8 can be changed by the change of the temperature in the refrigeration chamber to realize the automatic adjustment function. The specific examples are as follows: the refrigeration equipment can be a refrigerator or a freezer, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 , when the cold air passes through the vent 3 after passing through the refrigerator evaporator and entering the air duct, it directly enters the refrigerator compartment to cool down. At the same time, part of the cold air sinks to cool the refrigerant. The refrigerant begins to solidify after reaching the phase change point. After solidification, the volume expands and increases, pushing the movable damper 2 upward, gradually closing the vent 3, and realizing automatic stepless temperature control during the closing process. When the refrigerant is completely solidified, the damper 2 blocks the vent, and the cold air cannot enter the compartment. At this time, the temperature of the refrigerant will gradually rise and melt, turning back into liquid. The movable damper 2 will lose support and move downward, gradually opening the damper 2 to control the temperature. When the refrigerant is in a solid-liquid mixed state, the vent 3 opened by the damper 2 is small, and the air volume is also small, which can form an automatic stabilization state, and the temperature fluctuation will also become smaller.

[0033] As an optional implementation, the support structure 1 is connected to the tuyere plate 4, the tuyere plate 4 is provided with a tuyere 3, a limiting space 5 is formed on the support structure 1 or the support structure 1 and the tuyere plate 4 cooperate to form a limiting space 5, the elastic bag is located in the limiting space 5 and the damper 2 is supported on the elastic bag. Figure 2 and Figure 3 , schematically showing that the support structure 1 and the tuyere plate 4 together form a limiting space 5. Of course, a groove may also be opened on the top of the support structure 1 to form a limiting space on the support structure 1.

[0034] The specific description of the limiting space 5 is as follows: the limiting space 5 is a slit-like structure. The narrower and longer the space is, the easier it is for the solidification expansion to change along the height direction, and the more sensitive the action of pushing the damper 2 is, achieving a certain degree of precise control. Figure 3 , indicating that the thickness of the tuyere plate 4 is consistent everywhere, the thickness of the part of the tuyere plate 4 inserted into the limiting space 5 can also be made thinner, while the thickness of other areas of the tuyere plate 4 except the inserted limiting space 5 can be appropriately made thicker, so as to reduce the width of the limiting space 5.

[0035] In order to achieve more precise adjustment, the dosage of the refrigerant in the elastic bag can also be adjusted as needed. The smaller the dosage, the shorter the expansion time after reaching the phase change point, and the easier it is to achieve precise control. Therefore, according to the actual situation, several small air ports 3 can be added to the air port plate 4. In this way, while ensuring that the dosage of the refrigerant in the elastic bag is reduced, it can also ensure that the air door adjustment device provided by the present invention can be used normally.

[0036] An air outlet plate structure is provided, on which an air outlet 3 is formed. A damper regulating device is arranged on the air outlet plate structure, and the damper regulating device cooperates with the corresponding air outlet 3 to adjust the opening and closing of the corresponding air outlet 3 through the damper regulating device.

[0037] One air outlet 3 can be formed on the air outlet plate structure; however, it is preferred that multiple air outlets 3 are formed on the air outlet plate structure, and there is more than one air damper adjustment device, which cooperates with the corresponding air outlet 3. The sizes of the air outlets 3 on the air outlet plate 4 may vary, and the air damper adjustment device may be provided on all the air outlets 3, or only on some of the air outlets 3.

[0038] A plurality of air vents 3 are formed on the air outlet plate structure. The air vents 3 far away from the air supply duct of the refrigeration equipment are distal air vents. The refrigeration equipment here can be a refrigerator or a freezer. The air vents 3 close to the air supply duct are proximal air vents. The damper adjustment device is matched with the corresponding distal air vents, and the area of ​​the distal air vents matched with the air vent adjustment device is larger than the area of ​​the proximal air vents. In the prior art, a plurality of air vents 3 are usually opened on the air outlet plate 4 to facilitate the uniformity of the temperature in the refrigeration cavity. However, since the distal air vents are far away from the air supply duct, the air volume of the distal air vents is small, which is not conducive to the uniformity of the temperature in the refrigeration cavity. In view of this problem, the present invention increases the opening area of ​​some distal air vents (the distal air vents with increased opening area are defined as regulating air vents 31) to increase their air volume; at the same time, a damper adjustment device is added to the regulating air vents 31 to avoid uneven temperature due to the large area of ​​the regulating air vents 31 and the large air volume.

[0039] See also Figure 5, is an air outlet plate structure of a multi-hole air outlet, illustrating two regulating air outlets 31. The two regulating air outlets 31 are respectively provided with damper regulating devices, which utilize solidification and liquid transformation to promote damper switches to achieve local temperature regulation, and ultimately facilitate the realization of uniform temperature in the refrigeration chamber.

[0040] Embodiment 1:

[0041] The present invention provides a damper adjustment device, comprising a supporting structure 1 and an elastic bag, wherein the elastic bag is filled with a coolant 8 and the elastic bag is supported on the supporting structure 1, and the elastic bag is made of an elastic rubber material. The coolant 8 is transformed between solid and liquid states so that when the coolant 8 is in a solid state, the damper 2 can be lifted up to close the air outlet 3, and when the coolant 8 is in a liquid state, the damper 2 can fall under the action of gravity to open the air outlet 3.

[0042] The air vent 3 is the air inlet of the refrigeration equipment, and the support structure 1 is located in the refrigeration cavity of the refrigeration equipment. The phase state of the refrigerant 8 can be changed by the change of the temperature in the refrigeration cavity. The support structure 1 is connected to the air vent plate 4, and the air vent plate 4 is provided with the air vent 3. The support structure 1 and the air vent plate 4 cooperate to form a limited space 5. The damper 2 is a plate-shaped structure, and the elastic bag is located in the limited space 5. The damper 2 is inserted into the limited space 5 and supported on the elastic bag.

[0043] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The support structure 1 includes a support portion 11 and a side portion 12. The support portion 11 is arranged on one side of the air outlet plate 4. The air door 2 is inserted into the support portion 11 and clamped between the support portion 11 and the air outlet plate 4. The two side portions 12 are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the air door 2 and are both connected to the support portion 11. The side portion 12 is plate-shaped and protrudes from the support portion 11 in the height direction. Through the support portion 11, the air outlet plate 4 and the left and right side portions 12, the air door 2 is guided to move in the height direction. In addition, see Figure 2 A limiting plate 13 is added to the top of the block-shaped supporting portion 11 . The limiting plate 13 is located on one side of the tuyere plate 4 , and can increase the depth of the limiting space 5 .

[0044] The phase change temperature of the refrigerant 8 is selected according to the demand of the refrigerator compartment. For example, if the required temperature of the refrigerator refrigerator compartment is 4°C, the phase change point of the refrigerant is selected to be 4°C~5°C, the damper is fully opened, and cold air is blown into the refrigerator compartment, cooling the refrigerant and the compartment at the same time. When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment approaches 4°C, the phase change point of the refrigerant is reached, and the refrigerant begins to solidify, causing the refrigerant to change from liquid to solid. The volume expansion of the refrigerant gradually pushes the damper 2 up to close the vent 3 to achieve temperature control; since the vent 3 is closed and there is no cold air to cool, when the refrigerant temperature rises above the phase change point, it gradually turns into a liquid state, and the damper 2 automatically descends due to gravity, and cold air is blown into the refrigerator compartment, thereby realizing the opening and closing of the damper. Since the solidification and melting of the refrigerant requires a certain process, the damper opening and closing can be adjusted steplessly. Similarly, for the freezer compartment, for example, the required temperature of the refrigerator freezer compartment is -5°C, the phase change point of the refrigerant is selected to be -6°C~-4°C. See Figure 4 , indicating that the refrigerant is in liquid state and the tuyere 3 is in an open state; see Figure 5 , indicating that the refrigerant condenses into a solid state and the damper 2 closes the air outlet 3.

[0045] Embodiment 2:

[0046] A refrigerator comprises the air outlet plate structure provided by the present invention, wherein an air door regulating device on the air outlet plate structure is located in a refrigeration cavity of the refrigerator.

[0047] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A damper adjustment device, characterized in that: It comprises a supporting structure (1) and an elastic bag, wherein: The elastic bag is filled with a coolant (8) and supported on the support structure (1). The coolant (8) is transformed between a solid state and a liquid state so that when the coolant (8) is in a solid state, the damper (2) can be lifted up to close the air outlet (3); and when the coolant (8) is in a liquid state, the damper (2) can fall down under the action of gravity to open the air outlet (3); The support structure (1) is connected to the tuyere plate (4), the tuyere (3) is arranged on the tuyere plate (4), a limiting space (5) is formed on the support structure (1), or the support structure (1) and the tuyere plate (4) cooperate to form a limiting space (5), the elastic bag is located in the limiting space (5) and the damper (2) is supported on the elastic bag; The limiting space (5) is in a slit-like structure so as to facilitate the expansion of the refrigerant (8) changing from a liquid state to a solid state in a height direction; The damper (2) is in a plate-like structure, the damper (2) is inserted into the limiting space (5), and the outer side surface of the damper (2) cooperates with the side surface of the limiting space (5) to guide the damper (2) to move in the height direction; The support structure (1) comprises a support portion (11) and a side portion (12); the support portion (11) is arranged on one side of the air outlet plate (4); the air door (2) is inserted into the support portion (11) and clamped between the support portion (11) and the air outlet plate (4); and the two side portions (12) are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the air door (2) and are both connected to the support portion (11).

2. The damper adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air port (3) is an air inlet of a refrigeration device, and the support structure (1) is located in a refrigeration chamber of the refrigeration device. The phase state of the refrigerant (8) can be changed by a change in the temperature in the refrigeration chamber.

3. The damper adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side portion (12) is plate-shaped and protrudes from the support portion (11) in the height direction.

4. The damper adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic bag is made of elastic rubber.

5. An air outlet plate structure, characterized in that: An air outlet (3) is formed on the air outlet plate structure, and a damper adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is arranged on the air outlet plate structure, and the damper adjustment device cooperates with the corresponding air outlet (3).

6. The air outlet plate structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: A plurality of air outlets (3) are formed on the air outlet plate structure, the air outlet (3) away from the air supply duct of the refrigeration equipment is a distal air outlet, and the air outlet (3) close to the air supply duct is a proximal air outlet, the damper adjustment device cooperates with the corresponding distal air outlet, and the area of ​​the distal air outlet (31) cooperated with the air outlet adjustment device is larger than the area of ​​the proximal air outlet.

7. A refrigerator, characterized in that: It comprises the air outlet plate structure described in any one of claims 5-6.

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