Refrigerator with lighting unit

Abstract

This invention relates to a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a storage compartment (101) and an air duct assembly (3) extending along the inner wall of the storage compartment. The air duct assembly (3) includes a first wall (31) facing the storage space and a second wall (32) opposite to the first wall, with a gap between the first wall and the second wall to form an air duct (33). The first wall includes at least one vent (34a-34d) for fluid communication between the storage space and the air duct. An illumination unit (4) is disposed on the second wall and configured to emit light toward the first wall to illuminate the vent.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator with a lighting unit. [Background Technology]

[0002] CN106885180A discloses a light-emitting component for a refrigerator air outlet. A light source is installed inside the air outlet, which illuminates and reflects light onto the air outlet. The light source is mounted on the inner wall of the air outlet via a light plate slot. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] One object of the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerator with a lighting unit.

[0004] One aspect of this invention relates to a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a storage compartment; an air duct assembly extending along the inner wall of the storage compartment, the air duct assembly including a first wall facing the storage space and a second wall opposite to the first wall, a gap between the first wall and the second wall to form an air duct, the first wall including at least one vent for fluid communication between the storage space and the air duct; and an illumination unit disposed on the second wall and configured to emit light toward the first wall to illuminate the vent.

[0005] In existing technologies, the lighting unit directly illuminates the vent located on the first wall, requiring the lighting unit to protrude into the air duct from the first wall at an angle to illuminate the vent. However, in this embodiment of the invention, the lighting unit is positioned on the second wall and illuminates towards the first wall. Since the lighting unit and the vent can be spaced apart in the direction perpendicular to the inner wall, the lighting unit does not need to protrude into the air duct as in existing technologies. This helps reduce the impact of the lighting unit located within the air duct assembly on airflow. With appropriate design, it is also foreseeable that the impact of the lighting unit on airflow can be completely avoided.

[0006] Ventilation openings can be air outlets that exhaust air from the duct into the storage space and / or air inlets that introduce air from the storage space into the duct.

[0007] The first wall and the second wall can be formed by a pair of oppositely arranged cover plates.

[0008] The interior walls of a storage room may include the rear wall, top wall, and / or side walls of the storage room.

[0009] In an advantageous embodiment, the projections of the lighting unit and the vent on the second wall do not overlap. By illuminating the first wall with the lighting unit positioned on the second wall, the vent is softly illuminated by the light that has undergone at least two reflections / diffuse reflections and then passes through the vent. This effectively reduces the likelihood that the lighting unit will be visible through the vent.

[0010] In a possible embodiment, at least two spaced-apart vents are included, with the lighting unit located between adjacent vents. This allows a single lighting unit to illuminate the air duct and thus cover adjacent vents, improving lighting efficiency.

[0011] In a possible embodiment, of a pair of adjacent vents, the lighting unit is closer to the vent located upstream in the direction of airflow.

[0012] In a possible embodiment, air flows from bottom to top within the duct, and among a pair of vertically adjacent vents, the lighting unit is closer to the lower vent of the pair.

[0013] In a possible embodiment, at least a pair of adjacently distributed vents have air guides disposed along the edge of the vents, the air guides extending into the air duct, the air guides including a first surface facing the vents and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first surface of the air guide of the vent downstream in the airflow direction being exposed to an illumination unit located between the pair of vents, and the second surface of the air guide of the vent upstream in the airflow direction being exposed to an illumination unit located between the pair of vents.

[0014] In a possible embodiment, it includes at least three vents spaced apart along the airflow direction of the duct, and at least two lighting units, each lighting unit and each vent being staggered in the airflow direction within the duct.

[0015] In a possible embodiment, the lighting unit includes a light-emitting element, the intersection of the optical axis of the light-emitting element and the first wall being located outside any one of the vents.

[0016] In a possible embodiment, the lighting unit includes a light-emitting element, the intersection of the optical axis of the light-emitting element and the first wall being located between a pair of spaced-apart vents.

[0017] In a possible embodiment, the lighting unit includes a light-emitting element, the optical axis of which is parallel to the thickness direction of the first wall or the angle between them is less than 15 degrees.

[0018] In a possible embodiment, the air duct extends along the rear wall of the storage compartment, the side wall of the storage compartment including at least two vertically spaced supports for supporting the glass shelf, and the lighting unit is adapted to illuminate the vent located between a pair of vertically adjacent supports to form a mirror image of the vent through the glass shelf.

[0019] In a possible embodiment, the second wall includes a groove recessed in a direction away from the air duct, and the lighting unit is at least partially located within the groove.

[0020] In a possible embodiment, the lighting unit includes a lampshade facing the first wall, the lampshade being at least partially located within the recess so as not to protrude or slightly bulge from the front surface of the second wall facing the first wall.

[0021] The structure of the present invention, as well as its other inventive objects and beneficial effects, will become more apparent from the description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Image Description]

[0022] As part of this specification and to provide a further understanding of the invention, the following accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of the invention and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a partial perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a second wall with lighting elements installed thereon, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 It is along Figure 3 A cross-sectional view along the BB direction. [Detailed Implementation]

[0027] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator 100 includes a storage compartment 101 with an opening 10 and a door (not shown) for closing the storage compartment 101.

[0028] Storage compartment 101 includes a rear wall 103 facing the opening 10, a pair of side walls 104, a top wall 105, and a bottom wall (not shown). At least one of these inner walls of storage compartment 101 may be defined by an inner box 108 covered with insulating material.

[0029] The refrigerator 100 may include a main lighting unit 106 disposed on the top wall 105 or the side wall 104 to illuminate the storage compartment 101.

[0030] The sidewall 104 may have multiple pairs of supports 107 spaced apart in the vertical direction H. The two sides of the shelf 2 may be supported on a pair of supports 107 at the same height for placing items. The shelf 2 may include a transparent and smooth glass plate.

[0031] The refrigerator 100 includes an air duct assembly 3 extending along the inner wall of the storage compartment 101. In one exemplary embodiment, the air duct assembly 3 is arranged along the rear wall 103. In other embodiments, the air duct assembly 3 may also be arranged along the rear wall 103 and / or the top wall 105.

[0032] Storage room 101 is located in front of air duct assembly 3 to form storage space 110 for arranging storage devices (such as shelves 2 or drawers) for storing items.

[0033] The air duct assembly 3 includes a first wall 31 facing the storage space 110 and a second wall 32 opposite to the first wall 31. There is a gap between the first wall 31 and the second wall 32 to form an air duct 33. The first wall 31 is exposed to the storage space 110 and is visible when the user opens the door.

[0034] The first wall 31 includes a plurality of vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d for fluid communication between the storage space 110 and the air duct 33. In one embodiment, air in the air duct 33 enters the storage space 110 through the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d.

[0035] The air duct assembly 3 may also include a return air vent (not shown) through which the storage space 110 passes to return to the air duct 33.

[0036] Ventilation openings 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d can be spaced apart in the direction of air flow within the duct 33. In this embodiment, these ventilation openings 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d are spaced apart vertically on the first wall 31.

[0037] In an exemplary embodiment, air flows upward within the air duct 33. Air guides 35 may be provided at the upper edges of the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d. The upper edges of the air guides 35 extend into the air duct 33 to guide air through the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d into the storage space 110. The side of the air guide 35 facing the respective 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d may be a rearwardly and upwardly concave arc surface to better guide air through the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d into the storage space 110.

[0038] In other embodiments, air can flow from top to bottom within the duct 33. The air deflector of the vent can be adaptively modified to guide the airflow.

[0039] The refrigerator 100 includes at least one lighting unit 4 located within the air duct assembly 3 to illuminate at least one vent 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d. The lighting unit 4 can serve as ambient lighting to enhance the visual effect of the storage compartment 101.

[0040] The lighting unit 4 includes a light-emitting element 41. The light-emitting element 41 may be an LED. The lighting unit 4 may include a plurality of spaced-apart light-emitting elements 41. The light-emitting elements 41 may be fixed on a printed circuit board 43.

[0041] The lighting unit 4 may include a lampshade 42 through which light shines on the first wall 31.

[0042] The lighting unit 4 is disposed on the second wall 32 to illuminate at least one ventilation opening 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d. The lighting unit 4 may be disposed on the side of the second wall 32 facing the first wall 31.

[0043] The projections of the lighting unit 4 and each of the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d onto the second wall 32 do not overlap. This reduces the probability that the lighting unit 4, located on the second wall 32, is visible to the user through the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, and also reduces the possibility that the lighting unit 4 directly shines on the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d.

[0044] Lighting units 4 can be installed between a pair of adjacent vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d. For example, at least one lighting unit can be installed between vents 34b and 34c, and at least one lighting unit can be installed between vents 34c and 34d.

[0045] When the vents include at least three vents spaced apart along the airflow direction of the duct 33, at least two lighting units may be included, with each lighting unit and each vent being staggered in the airflow direction of the duct.

[0046] The air guide plate 35 includes a first surface 351 facing the corresponding air vent and a second surface 352 opposite to the first surface 351. Between a pair of adjacent air vents 34b, 34c; 34c, 34d, the first surface 351 of the air guide plate 35 for the downstream air vents 34b, 34c in the airflow direction is exposed to the lighting unit 4 located between the pair of air vents 34b, 34c, 34c, 34d, and the second surface 352 of the air guide plate for the upstream air vents 34c, 34d in the airflow direction is exposed to the lighting unit 4 located between the pair of air vents 34b, 34c, 34c, 34d.

[0047] Of a pair of adjacent vents 34b and 34c, the lighting unit 4 is closer to the vent 34c located upstream in the direction of airflow AF.

[0048] In another pair of adjacent vents 34c and 34d, the lighting unit 4 is closer to the vent 34d located upstream in the direction of airflow AF.

[0049] This helps reduce the impact of the air guide plate 35 on the upstream vent, so that adjacent vents can obtain the same / closer light intensity.

[0050] In an embodiment where air flows upward within the duct 33, the lighting unit is closer to the lower vent of a pair of adjacent vents.

[0051] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, the distance D1 between the lighting unit 4 located between vents 34b and 34c and vent 34b is greater than the distance D2 between the lighting unit 4 and vent 34c. Similarly, the distance D3 between the lighting unit 4 located between vents 34c and 34d and vent 34c is greater than the distance D4 between the lighting unit 4 and vent 34d.

[0052] The intersection of the optical axis a of the light-emitting element 41 and the first wall 31 is preferably located outside any of the ventilation openings 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d. When the light-emitting element 41 does not overlap with any of the ventilation openings and the optical axis of the light-emitting element 41 does not intersect with the ventilation openings 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, most of the light emitted from the lighting unit 4 can be reflected or diffused by the first wall 31 and the second wall 32 before illuminating the ventilation openings 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d. This not only helps to reduce the possibility of users looking directly at the lighting unit 4, but also helps to improve the visual effect of the ventilation openings 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d illuminated by soft light, thereby improving the ambient lighting of the storage room 101.

[0053] Preferably, the optical axis a of the light-emitting element 41 is parallel to the thickness direction of the first wall 31. The optical axis a may be substantially perpendicular to the first wall 31. In an alternative embodiment, the angle between the optical axis a of the light-emitting element 41 and the thickness direction of the first wall 31 is less than 15 degrees.

[0054] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d may have an elongated shape extending along the width direction W of the storage room 101. The length of the lighting unit 4 in the width direction W of the storage room 101 may be greater than the length of the adjacent vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d in the width direction W of the storage room 101, thereby allowing the air duct 33 to have a more uniform brightness, and thus the vents 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d can be evenly illuminated.

[0055] At least one vent located between two adjacent pairs of support sections 107 is illuminated, thereby enabling the brightness of the storage space 110 to be increased through the glass plate of the shelf 2 supported by the support section 107. More importantly, when viewed from the front of the storage room 101, an illuminated vent can be mirrored through the shelf 2 to further enhance the visual effect of the storage room 101. The effect of the lighting unit 4 as ambient lighting for the storage space can be advantageously enhanced.

[0056] The lighting unit 4 can be fixed to the second wall 32 as a pre-assembled component. The second wall 32 may include a recess 6 recessed in a direction away from the first wall 31, and the lighting unit 4 is at least partially located within the recess 6. The lighting unit 4 preferably does not protrude or slightly protrudes from the front surface 320 of the second wall 32 facing the first wall 31. This is particularly beneficial in reducing the impact of the lighting unit 4 used to illuminate the air duct 33 on airflow.

[0057] The lighting unit 4 may include a lampshade 42 facing the first wall 31, the lampshade 42 being at least partially located within the recess 6.

[0058] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the length of the groove 6 can be greater than the width of the lighting unit 4, so that during installation, the first end 45 of the lighting unit 4 is adapted to slide along the length direction of the groove 6 until the stop portion 451 of the first end 45 of the lighting unit 4 extends into the inside of the stop portion 63 protruding from the first end wall 61 of the groove 6 toward the second end wall 62 opposite to the first end wall 61. Then, the second end 46 of the lighting unit 4 rotates toward the second end wall 62 of the groove 6 with the contact point between the stop portion 451 and the stop portion 63 as the pivot point (e.g., ...). Figure 4 (Illustratively indicated by arrow X). When the second end 46 of the lighting unit 4 engages with the snap-fit ​​device in the groove 6, the lighting unit 4 is fixed to the second wall 32. There is a gap between the second end 46 of the lighting unit 4 and the second end wall 62. Other connecting mechanisms may also be provided between the other two sides of the lighting unit 4 and the corresponding inner sidewalls of the groove 6.

[0059] Combination Figures 1 to 4 The various embodiments described can be combined with each other in any given manner to achieve the advantages of the invention. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments; other means besides those shown can generally be used, as long as they achieve the same effect.

Claims

1. A refrigerator (100), characterized in that, include: Storage room (101); A duct assembly (3) extending along the inner wall of the storage room includes a first wall (31) facing the storage space and a second wall (32) opposite to the first wall, with a gap between the first wall and the second wall to form a duct (33), and the first wall includes at least one vent (34a-34d) for fluid communication between the storage space and the duct. as well as An illumination unit (4) is disposed on the second wall and configured to emit light toward the first wall to illuminate the vent. The second wall includes a recessed groove in the direction away from the air duct, and the illumination unit is at least partially located in the groove.

2. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The projections of the lighting units and vents on the second wall do not overlap.

3. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, It includes at least two spaced-apart vents, with lighting units located between adjacent vents.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that, In a pair of adjacent vents, the lighting unit is closer to the vent located upstream in the direction of airflow.

5. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that, Air flows upward within the duct, and among a pair of adjacent vents, the lighting unit is closer to the lower vent.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, At least one pair of adjacent vents have air guides (35) arranged along the edge of the vents, the air guides extending into the air duct, the air guides including a first surface (351) facing the vents and a second surface (352) opposite to the first surface, the first surface of the air guide of the vent downstream in the airflow direction is exposed to the lighting unit located between the pair of vents, and the second surface of the air guide of the vent upstream in the airflow direction is exposed to the lighting unit located between the pair of vents.

7. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that It includes at least three vents spaced apart along the airflow direction of the duct, and at least two lighting units, each lighting unit and each vent being staggered in the airflow direction within the duct.

8. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The lighting unit includes a light-emitting element (41), and the intersection of the optical axis (a) of the light-emitting element and the first wall is located outside any one of the vents.

9. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The lighting unit includes a light-emitting element, the intersection of the optical axis of the light-emitting element and the first wall being located between a pair of spaced-apart vents.

10. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The lighting unit includes a light-emitting element, wherein the optical axis of the light-emitting element is parallel to the thickness direction of the first wall or the angle between them is less than 15 degrees.

11. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The air duct extends along the rear wall (103) of the storage room, and the side wall (104) of the storage room includes at least two vertically spaced supports (107) for supporting the glass shelf (2). The lighting unit is adapted to illuminate the vent located between a pair of vertically adjacent supports to form a mirror image of the vent through the glass shelf.

12. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lighting unit includes a lampshade facing the first wall, the lampshade being at least partially located within the recess so as not to protrude or slightly bulge from the front surface of the second wall facing the first wall.

13. The refrigerator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the groove is greater than the length of the lighting unit, and during installation, the first end of the lighting unit is adapted to slide along the length direction of the groove until the stop portion located at the first end of the lighting unit extends into the inside of the stop portion protruding from the end wall of the groove toward the other end wall.

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