Refrigerator

Abstract

The present application provides a refrigerator, comprising a cabinet, the front side of which is open to define a first chamber; and a door body for opening and closing the first chamber and defining a second chamber, the door body further defining a square ring-shaped air duct around the outside of the second chamber, the air duct comprising an air inlet section, two air outlet sections and an air outlet section respectively located on the upper side, lateral sides and lower side of the second chamber; and the air inlet section has an air inlet for introducing cold air, the air outlet section has an air outlet for discharging the remaining cold air in the air duct. In the refrigerator of the present application, the temperature of the chamber of the door body is independently controllable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration and freezing, and in particular to a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement of technology and the improvement of people's living standards, users have higher and higher requirements for refrigerators. Traditional refrigerators with only refrigerator compartment, freezer compartment and temperature-changing room can no longer meet users' diverse needs for storage space.

[0003] In recent years, composite door technology has emerged in the refrigerator industry. As we all know, traditional refrigerator doors are used to open and close the refrigerator's refrigeration compartment, and at most, bottle holders are provided on the lining of the refrigerated door for bottled items. Refrigerators with composite doors, however, improve on the door structure and functionality, now comprising a main door and a secondary door. The main door opens and closes the refrigeration compartment. Furthermore, the main door defines a door compartment with an open front, while the secondary door opens and closes the door compartment. While the main door rotates, the secondary door remains closed. The door compartment can be used to store items, and access requires only the secondary door, not the main door. This not only makes operation more convenient and quick, but also prevents excessive cooling loss caused by frequent opening of the main door.

[0004] However, composite door refrigerators also have many drawbacks, such as a small door compartment, difficult temperature control, storage conditions similar to those in the refrigerator, or even being completely connected to the refrigerator, becoming part of the refrigerator. These issues negatively impact the user experience and hinder the further development of composite door technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art and to provide a refrigerator in which the temperature of the door compartment is independent of the temperature of the cabinet compartment.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to make the temperature distribution in each compartment of the door body more balanced.

[0007] In particular, the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising:

[0008] a housing having a front side open to define a first chamber; and

[0009] The door body is used to open and close the first compartment and define a second compartment. The door body further defines a square annular air duct surrounding the outside of the second compartment. The air duct includes an air inlet section, two air supply sections, and an air outlet section respectively located on the upper side, two lateral sides, and the lower side of the second compartment; and

[0010] The air inlet section has an air inlet for introducing cold air, the air supply section has an air supply portion for delivering cold air to the second chamber, and the air outlet section has an air outlet for discharging remaining cold air in the air duct.

[0011] Optionally, the second compartment is divided into a plurality of sub-compartments, and each sub-compartment is matched with at least one air supply unit.

[0012] Optionally, each sub-compartment matches the air supply parts on two air supply sections.

[0013] Optionally, the air supply unit includes an electric damper to adjust the flow rate of cold air entering the second chamber from the air supply section.

[0014] Optionally, the door body is configured so that when it is in a closed state, the air inlet and the air outlet are both located in the first room, so as to allow the air duct to introduce cold air in the first room and return air to the first room.

[0015] Optionally, the second chamber has an air return port at the bottom; when the door is in a closed state, the air return port is located in the first chamber to allow the second chamber to return air to the first chamber.

[0016] Optionally, an air inlet fan is provided in the air inlet section to draw cold air into the air duct from the air inlet; and the air inlet and the air inlet fan are both located in the lateral center of the air inlet section so that the air inlet fan blows air evenly to both lateral sides of the air inlet section.

[0017] Optionally, an exhaust fan is provided at the transverse center of the air outlet section to discharge air to the air outlet.

[0018] Optionally, the door body includes: an inner liner, which defines a second compartment and an air inlet section; and an enclosure cover, which surrounds the inner liner on the circumferential outside of the inner liner and covers the inner liner, so as to define two air supply sections and an air outlet section together with the outer wall of the inner liner; an air inlet grille opposite to the air inlet is provided on the top of the enclosure cover, and an air outlet is provided at the bottom.

[0019] Optionally, the door body includes a main door and a secondary door, the main door defines a second chamber and an air duct, and the secondary door is used to open and close the second chamber.

[0020] In the refrigerator of this invention, the second compartment defined by the door is not simply connected directly to the first compartment defined by the housing for uncontrolled heat and cold exchange. Instead, a specially designed air duct supplies cooling to the second compartment. This allows the refrigerator to adjust the cooling temperature of the second compartment by adjusting the amount of cold air supplied by the air duct to the second compartment, making it a truly independent storage space, providing more options for users and enhancing the user experience.

[0021] Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the air duct is a square ring circling the outside of the second compartment. The air supply sections of the air duct, located on either side of the second compartment, are used to supply air to the second compartment. Because the air supply sections span the entire height of the second compartment, designers can choose to install multiple air supply units at various heights within the air supply section to meet the cooling air needs of various heights within the second compartment, resulting in a more uniform temperature distribution throughout the second compartment. Furthermore, because the cooling air from each air supply unit originates directly from the air duct, the entire area covered by the air supply unit is directly cooled by the cooling air from the duct, resulting in higher cooling efficiency.

[0022] Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present invention, the second compartment is provided with multiple sub-compartments, each with its own independent air supply unit. This allows each sub-compartment to receive independent cooling air and independently adjust its temperature, creating distinct storage environments. Users can adjust the temperature of each sub-compartment individually to meet the specific temperature requirements of the items stored there, achieving optimal storage conditions.

[0023] 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

[0024] 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:

[0025] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator door in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 NN cross-sectional view of the main door;

[0029] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A magnified view of point A;

[0030] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 Exploded diagram of the main door in the;

[0031] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Enlarged view of point B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Refer to the following Figures 1 to 7 The refrigerator of the embodiment of the present invention is described below. The directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and "lateral" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific direction. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0033] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator door 20 in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 yes Figure 3 NN cross-sectional view of the main door 100; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of point A.

[0034] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention may generally include a housing 10 and a door 20. The front of the housing 10 is open to define a first compartment 11 (the side where the door 20 is located is referred to as the front of the refrigerator in this invention, and the front-to-back direction is shown in the figure). The door 20 is used to open and close the first compartment 11 and defines a second compartment 110. Both the first compartment 11 and the second compartment 110 are used to store items.

[0035] like Figure 4 As shown, the door body 20 further defines a square, annular air duct 120 surrounding the outside of the second compartment 110. The air duct 120 includes an air inlet section 121, two air supply sections 122, 123, and an air outlet section 124, located on the upper side, lateral sides, and lower side of the second compartment 110. The air inlet section 121, the two air supply sections 122, 123, and the air outlet section 124 are merely names for the various sections of the annular air duct 120; the air duct 120 is completely continuous.

[0036] Each section of the air duct 120 includes an air inlet 130 for introducing cool air. The air supply sections 122 and 123 each include an air supply portion 126 for delivering cool air to the second compartment 110. The air outlet section 124 includes an air outlet 140 for exhausting any remaining cool air from the air duct 120. During refrigerator operation, cool air from outside the second compartment 110 enters the air inlet section 121 of the air duct 120 through the air inlet 130. From there, the air is split into two paths, flowing left and right, before entering the two air supply sections 122 and 123, respectively. The air supply portions 126 on the air supply sections 122 and 123 can be controlled to open, introducing some of the cool air into the second compartment 110 to cool it. The remaining air that does not enter the air supply portion 126 continues to flow downward into the air outlet section 124, ultimately exiting the air duct 120 from there. In this way, the air duct 120 completes the supply of cold air to the second chamber 110 , and fresh cold air continuously enters the air duct 120 from the air inlet 130 and flows to the air supply sections 122 and 123 to be supplied to the second chamber 110 at any time, making the cold air entering the second chamber 110 fresher and cooler.

[0037] The air supply unit 126 may include an electric damper 1262 to adjust the flow of cold air from the air supply sections 122 and 123 into the second chamber 110. Figure 7 The air supply sections 122 and 123 are provided with a vent 1261 leading to the second chamber 110. An electric damper 1262 is provided at the vent 1261 and is controlled by the refrigerator main control panel to adjust the ventilation volume of the vent 1261 in a controlled manner (including closing the vent 1261).

[0038] In some existing structures, multiple vents are directly provided on the rear wall of the door, so that the compartment defined by the door is directly connected to the compartment defined by the box, allowing free flow of cold air, and using the compartment of the box to supply cold air to the compartment of the door. However, this method makes the storage environment between the compartment of the door and the compartment of the box not much different, making the existence of the door compartment meaningless.

[0039] In this embodiment of the present invention, however, the second compartment 110 defined by the door 20 is not simply directly connected to the first compartment 11 defined by the housing 10. Instead, a specially designed air duct 120 is provided to supply cold air to the second compartment 110. Thus, the refrigerator can adjust the cooling temperature of the second compartment 110 by adjusting the amount of cold air supplied to the second compartment 110 by the air duct 120, making it a truly independent storage space separate from the first compartment 11, thus enriching user options and improving the user experience.

[0040] And, since the air duct 120 is a square ring surrounding the outside of the second chamber 110, the air supply sections 122, 123 on the two lateral sides of the second chamber 110 are used to supply air to the second chamber 110. Since the air supply sections 122, 123 span the entire height range of the second chamber 110, the designer can choose to set multiple air supply parts 126 at multiple height positions of the air supply sections 122, 123 to meet the cold air demand of each height position of the second chamber 110, so that the temperature distribution of the second chamber 110 is more uniform. Moreover, since the cold air of each air supply part 126 is directly sourced from the air duct 120, the coverage range of the air supply part 126 is directly cooled by the cold air of the air duct 120, and the refrigeration efficiency is higher.

[0041] For example Figure 2 And Figure 3 As shown in FIGS. 1 1 and 12, the second chamber 110 can be divided into multiple sub-chambers 111, 112, 113, 114, and each sub-chamber 111, 112, 113, 114 is matched with at least one air supply part 126. For example Figure 3 And Figure 4 As shown in FIGS. 1 1 and 12, four sub-chambers 111, 112, 113, 114 can be provided, and storage modules such as storage boxes, drawers, shelves, etc. can be provided in the sub-chambers 111, 112, 113, 114. Each sub-chamber can be matched with air supply parts 126 on the two air supply sections 122, 123. That is, one or more air inlet points are provided on the two lateral sides of each sub-chamber to fully utilize the advantage of the air duct 120 having two air supply sections 122, 123, and the cold air supply on the two lateral sides of the sub-chamber is more balanced.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, since the second chamber 110 is provided with multiple sub-chambers 111, 112, 113, 114, and each sub-chamber is matched with an independent air supply part 126, each sub-chamber is provided with independent cold air supply, and the temperature of each sub-chamber can be independently adjusted to form different storage environments. The user can independently adjust the temperature of each sub-chamber according to the special temperature requirements of the storage materials in the sub-chamber to achieve the best storage state.

[0043] In some embodiments, the door body 20 is configured to locate the air inlet 130 and the air outlet 140 in the first chamber 11 when the door body 20 is in a closed state, so as to allow the air duct 120 to introduce cold air into the first chamber 11 and return air to the first chamber 11. In some alternative embodiments, the air inlet 130 of the air duct 120 can also introduce cold air from other cold sources, such as a wind path connected to the cabinet 10, or directly from the evaporator chamber of a refrigerator, and this alternative mode will not be described here.

[0044] The refrigerator can be cooled by a vapor compression refrigeration cycle system, a semiconductor refrigeration system or other means. Depending on the refrigeration temperature, the compartments inside the refrigerator can be divided into a refrigerator, a freezer and a variable temperature chamber. For example, the temperature in the refrigerator is generally controlled between 2°C and 10°C, preferably between 4°C and 7°C. The temperature range in the freezer is generally controlled between -22°C and -14°C. The variable temperature chamber can be adjusted between -18°C and 8°C to achieve a variable temperature effect. The optimal storage temperature for different types of items is not the same, and the storage compartments suitable for storage are also different. For example, fruits and vegetables are suitable for storage in the refrigerator, while meat is suitable for storage in the freezer. The first compartment 11 of the embodiment of the present invention is preferably a refrigerator.

[0045] A return air vent 190 can be provided at the bottom of the second chamber 110. When the door 20 is closed, the return air vent 190 is located within the first chamber 11, allowing air to be returned from the second chamber 110 to the first chamber 11. After entering the first chamber 11, the return air flows upward due to its higher temperature and lower density, and is gradually cooled again by the cold air in the first chamber 11 during the flow.

[0046] In some embodiments, an exhaust fan 400 may be provided at the transverse center of the air outlet section 124 to exhaust air to the air outlet 140, thereby promoting the air flow in the air duct 120. Figure 4 .

[0047] In addition, an air inlet fan may be provided in the air inlet section 121 to draw cold air from the air inlet 130 into the air duct 120, thereby promoting airflow in the air duct 120. The air inlet 130 and the air inlet fan may both be located in the transverse center of the air inlet section 121, so that the air inlet fan blows air evenly to both transverse sides of the air inlet section 121.

[0048] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the exploded view of the main door 100.

[0049] In some embodiments, as Figure 6 As shown, the door body 20 includes an inner liner 101 and an enclosure cover 102. The inner liner 101 defines a second compartment 110 and an air inlet section 121. The door body 20 may also include an outer frame 103, and the inner liner 101 is installed in the outer frame 103. The enclosure cover 102 surrounds and covers the inner liner 101 on the circumferential outside of the inner liner 101, so as to define two air supply sections 122, 123 and an air outlet section 124 together with the outer wall of the inner liner 101. An air inlet grille 160 opposite to the air inlet 130 is provided at the top of the enclosure cover 102, and an air outlet 140 is provided at the bottom. This embodiment utilizes the enclosure cover 102 to cover the air outlet duct 120 on the outside of the inner liner 101, and the structure is very simple and practical.

[0050] In some embodiments, as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the refrigerator is a composite door refrigerator, the door body 20 comprises a main door 100 and a sub-door 200, the main door 100 defines a second chamber 110 and an air duct 120, and the sub-door 200 is used to open and close the second chamber 110. The main door 100 can be rotatably installed on the cabinet 10 at the front side of the cabinet 10, and the front side of the main door 100 is open to define the aforementioned second chamber 110, and the sub-door 200 is rotatably installed on the main door 100 at the front side of the main door 100. When the main door 100 is opened, the user can access the items from the first chamber 11. When the main door 100 is closed and the sub-door 200 is opened, the user can access the items from the second chamber 110.

[0051] At this point, those skilled in the art will recognize that, while the present application has been shown and described in detail herein as embodied in exemplary embodiments thereof, many modifications, substitutions, and variations are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and the essential characteristics of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the present application should be understood to include all such variations as can fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that include: a housing having a front side open to define a first chamber; and The door body is used to open and close the first chamber and define a second chamber. The door body further defines a square ring-shaped air duct surrounding the outside of the second chamber. The air duct includes an air inlet section, two air supply sections, and an air outlet section respectively located on the upper side, two lateral sides, and the lower side of the second chamber; wherein The air inlet section has an air inlet for introducing cold air, and an air inlet fan is provided in the air inlet section to suck the cold air from the air inlet into the air duct. The air supply section is provided with multiple air supply units at multiple height positions for delivering the cold air to the second compartment, and the air supply units include electric dampers to adjust the flow rate of the cold air entering the second compartment from the air supply section to meet the cold air demand at each height position of the second compartment. The air outlet section has an air outlet for discharging the remaining cold air in the air duct, and an exhaust fan is provided at a transverse center position of the air outlet section to exhaust air to the air outlet; and The door body is configured such that when the door body is in a closed state, the air inlet and the air outlet are both located in the first chamber, so as to allow the air duct to introduce cold air in the first chamber and return air to the first chamber.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The second chamber is divided into a plurality of sub-chambers, and each of the sub-chambers is matched with at least one of the air supply parts.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that Each of the sub-compartments matches the air supply parts on two of the air supply sections.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The bottom of the second chamber has an air return port; and When the door is in a closed state, the return air port is located in the first chamber to allow the second chamber to return air to the first chamber.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The air inlet and the air inlet fan are both located in the transverse center of the air inlet section, so that the air inlet fan blows air evenly to the transverse sides of the air inlet section.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein: The door body comprises: an inner liner defining a second compartment and the air inlet section; and An enclosure cover surrounds and covers the inner liner on the circumferential outer side of the inner liner, so as to define the two air supply sections and the air outlet section together with the outer wall of the inner liner; and The top of the enclosure cover is provided with an air inlet grille opposite to the air inlet, and the bottom is provided with the air outlet.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein The door body includes a main door and a secondary door. The main door defines the second chamber and the air duct. The secondary door is used to open and close the second chamber.

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