Air duct components and refrigerator

Abstract

The present invention discloses an air duct assembly, which includes: an air duct cover plate; a mounting plate for mounting a fan, the mounting plate being buckled with the air duct cover plate, and the mounting plate and the air duct cover plate jointly define an air duct, the air duct having an air outlet and an air return port; a guide rib plate, the guide rib plate being arranged in the air duct and protruding from one side of the air duct cover plate toward one side of the mounting plate; and a sound-absorbing structure, the sound-absorbing structure being arranged on the guide rib plate, the sound-absorbing structure including a first slit and a first cavity that are interconnected; wherein the air duct and the first cavity are interconnected through the first slit. By designing a sound-absorbing structure on the guide rib plate in the existing air duct, the fan noise is reduced, and the fan noise of the refrigerator is significantly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and in particular to an air duct component and a refrigerator having the same. Background Art

[0002] Air-cooled refrigerators use the cold air generated by the built-in hidden evaporator to circulate through the fan, so that the cold air is evenly distributed in each compartment of the refrigerator to achieve refrigeration. Air-cooled refrigerators have gradually become the mainstream of the market and are favored by consumers because of their advantages such as automatic defrosting, fast refrigeration, good uniformity of food preservation temperature, and relatively fresh indoor odor.

[0003] At present, air-cooled refrigerators on the market generally have the problem of high noise, and the noise generated by the fan operation is one of the main noise sources. After analysis, the startup noise generated by the fan is the main component of the fan noise. When it is assembled into the air duct assembly, the fan characteristics and the air duct characteristics are coupled, radiating more complex aerodynamic noise flow field changes. Therefore, for refrigerator manufacturers, how to carry out noise reduction design of fan aerodynamic noise is of great significance. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the fan noise by designing a sound absorption structure on the guide rib plate in the existing air duct, thereby significantly improving the fan noise of the refrigerator.

[0005] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objects of the invention, one embodiment of the present invention provides an air duct assembly, the air duct assembly comprising: an air duct cover; a mounting plate for mounting a fan, the mounting plate being snap-fitted with the air duct cover, and the mounting plate and the air duct cover together define an air duct, the air duct having an air outlet and an air return outlet; a guide rib plate, the guide rib plate being arranged in the air duct and protruding from one side of the air duct cover toward one side of the mounting plate; and a sound-absorbing structure, the sound-absorbing structure being arranged on the guide rib plate, the sound-absorbing structure comprising a first slit and a first cavity which are interconnected; wherein the air duct and the first cavity are interconnected through the first slit.

[0006] As an optional technical solution, the sound-absorbing structure further includes a second slit and a second cavity that are interconnected, and the second slit connects the air duct and the second cavity; wherein the convex surface of the second cavity protrudes beyond the convex surface of the first cavity.

[0007] As an optional technical solution, the number of the interconnected first slits and first cavities is multiple, and the number of the interconnected second slits and second cavities is multiple, wherein each interconnected first slit and first cavity is alternately arranged with each interconnected second slit and second cavity.

[0008] As an optional technical solution, the guide rib plate divides the air duct into a guide portion and a non-guide portion; the air outlet is arranged on the side of the air duct cover plate away from the mounting plate and corresponds to the guide portion; wherein the silencer structure is located in the non-guide portion.

[0009] As an optional technical solution, the mounting plate includes a volute, and the fan is installed in the volute.

[0010] As an optional technical solution, the guide rib includes a raised portion, which separates the lower portion of the guide portion away from the volute into a first flow channel and a second flow channel, wherein the sound-absorbing structure is arranged in the raised portion.

[0011] As an optional technical solution, the raised portion is an arc-shaped structure, and the arc-shaped structure protrudes toward the volute.

[0012] As an optional technical solution, the sound-absorbing structure is arranged on a side of the raised portion away from the first flow channel and the second flow channel.

[0013] As an optional technical solution, the guide rib plate and the sound-absorbing structure are integrally formed.

[0014] The present invention also provides a refrigerator, comprising: a box body having a refrigeration compartment; an air duct assembly, the air duct assembly being the air duct assembly described above and arranged in the refrigeration compartment; and a fan, the fan being arranged on the mounting plate.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides an air duct assembly and a refrigerator thereof, which utilizes the guide rib plate in the existing air duct and arranges a sound-absorbing structure thereon, wherein the sound-absorbing structure includes a slit and a cavity, and the slit guides the noise into the cavity for resonance sound absorption to achieve the effect of noise reduction. In addition, the guide rib plate divides the air duct into a guide part and a non-guide part, and the sound-absorbing structure is located in the non-guide part, does not occupy the space of the guide part, has little effect on the air flow in the guide part, and improves the space utilization rate in the air duct. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an air duct in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 to Figure 1Schematic diagram of another view of the stroke tract.

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Exploded schematic diagram of the stroke duct.

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Enlarged schematic diagram of the dotted line in the middle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to provide a further understanding of the purpose, structure, features, and functions of the present invention, the following detailed description is given in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate directions or positional relationships based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0023] The air duct system in the refrigerator includes air ducts and fans. Its working principle is: the cold air generated by the evaporator is rotated by the fan and sent to the refrigerator, freezer and temperature-changing room in the refrigerator through the air duct. Then, through the return air ducts of different rooms, the cold air returns to the evaporator to form an air circulation. The noise in the air duct system of the refrigerator mainly includes fan noise and air duct noise. Among them, the commonly used noise reduction measures for fan noise are: optimizing the fan blade shape to reduce fan noise and reducing fan speed; the commonly used noise reduction measures for air duct noise are: optimizing the air duct structure and improving air flow.

[0024] By optimizing the fan structure and the air duct structure, the feasibility of further improving the existing optimization scheme is very small due to the limitations of air volume, structure, cost, process, accommodation space, etc.

[0025] The purpose of the present invention is to achieve the purpose of effectively reducing fan noise by optimizing the existing air duct structure without adding an additional independent noise reduction structure to the air duct structure of the existing refrigerator.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, the present invention provides an air duct assembly 100, which includes a mounting plate 110 and an air duct cover plate 120 that are snap-connected, the mounting plate 110 is used to install a fan (not shown), the mounting plate 110 and the air duct cover plate 120 are snap-fitted to each other to jointly define an air duct (not shown), and the air duct includes an air outlet and an air return outlet; a guide rib plate 113 is arranged in the air duct, and protrudes from one side of the mounting plate 110 toward one side of the air duct cover plate 120; a sound-absorbing structure is arranged on the guide rib plate 113, and the sound-absorbing structure includes a first slit 131 and a first cavity 130 that are interconnected, wherein the air duct and the first cavity 130 are interconnected through the first slit 131.

[0027] When the fan rotates, cold air is sucked in from one side of the mounting plate 110, flows out from the air duct toward the air outlet, and is further sent to different compartments of the refrigerator through other air ducts for refrigeration.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the mounting plate 110 includes a volute 111, which defines an installation space, and the fan is installed in the installation space defined by the volute 111. In this embodiment, the volute 111 protrudes from the side of the mounting plate 110 away from the air duct cover plate 120 to reserve enough space for installing the fan.

[0029] The volute 111 has an opening, and when the fan rotates, cold air is sucked into the air duct from the opening.

[0030] In addition, the volute 111 is integrally formed with other parts of the mounting plate 110 .

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, the air duct cover plate 120 has a plurality of air outlets 121 , and the plurality of air outlets 121 are connected to the air duct.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, the air duct cover plate 120 further includes a first side wall protruding toward the mounting plate 110, the first side wall is arranged around the four sides of the air duct cover plate 120, and a plurality of hooks 122 are arranged on the first side wall; the mounting plate 110 further includes a second side wall protruding toward the air duct cover plate 110, the second side wall is arranged around the four sides of the mounting plate 110, and a plurality of slots 112 are arranged on the second side wall, and the plurality of slots 112 and the plurality of hooks 122 correspond one to one. When the air duct cover plate 120 and the mounting plate 110 are buckled together, each hook 122 is inserted into each corresponding slot 112.

[0033] In other embodiments of the present invention, the air duct cover plate and the mounting plate may be fastened to each other by means of screw locking, magnetic adsorption, etc.

[0034] like Figure 3As shown, the guide rib 113 is arranged on the side of the mounting plate 110 facing the air duct cover 120, and protrudes from the surface of the mounting plate 110 toward the air duct cover 120, and is roughly U-shaped. The opening of the U-shaped structure is located on one side of the volute 111.

[0035] When the air duct cover plate 120 and the mounting plate 110 are buckled, one end of the guide rib plate 113 abuts against the surface of the side of the air duct cover plate 120 facing the mounting plate 110. Moreover, the guide rib plate 113 divides the air duct between the air duct cover plate 120 and the mounting plate 110 into a guide portion 114 and a non-guide portion 117. The guide portion 114 refers to a passage through which cold air flows, which is interconnected with the air outlet 121 on the air duct cover plate 120, that is, after the cold air is diverted in the guide portion 114, it flows out from the corresponding air outlet 121. The non-guide portion 117 refers to a space through which cold air does not flow. In other words, there is no passage through which cold air flows in the non-guide portion 117, and it is actually located at the periphery of the guide portion 114.

[0036] It should be noted that the non-flow-guiding portion 117 may include a plurality of mutually isolated spaces. In this embodiment, since the lower side of the flow-guiding rib plate 113 is in contact with the side wall of the bottom of the mounting plate 110, the lower side of the flow-guiding rib plate 113 includes a raised portion 1131, so that the flow-guiding rib plate 113 forms three mutually isolated spaces in the air duct.

[0037] In the present invention, the existing non-flow-guiding portion 117 in the air duct is utilized, and the silencer structure is set in the non-flow-guiding portion 117, which does not occupy the circulation space of the cold air in the air duct extra, which is equivalent to improving the space utilization rate in the air duct. At the same time, the silencer structure is interconnected with the flow-guiding portion 114 in the air duct, and can absorb the noise of a specified frequency in the noise generated by the rotation of the fan, thereby achieving the purpose of eliminating noise.

[0038] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the guide rib 113 includes a protrusion 1131 which protrudes from one side of the mounting plate 110 toward the other opposite side and separates the lower portion of the guide portion 114 into a first flow channel 115 and a second flow channel 116 .

[0039] In this embodiment, Figure 3 , the volute 111 is located at the upper part of the air duct, the raised portion 1131 is located at the lower part of the air duct, and the lower part of the air guide portion 114 in the air duct is divided into a first flow channel 115 and a second flow channel 116. Corresponding to the first flow channel 115, an air outlet 123 is arranged at the lower left of the air duct cover plate 120; corresponding to the second flow channel 116, an air outlet 124 is arranged at the lower right of the air duct cover plate 120; wherein, the cold air in the first flow channel 115 flows out from the air outlet 123, and the cold air in the second flow channel 116 flows out from the air outlet 124.

[0040] In this embodiment, the number of the air outlets 123 and the number of the air outlets 124 are 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of the air outlets corresponding to the first flow channel and the number of the air outlets corresponding to the second flow channel can be set according to actual use requirements.

[0041] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, a muffler structure is provided on one side of the raised portion 1131 away from the air guide portion 114, and the muffler structure includes a first slit 131 and a first cavity 130 that are interconnected, and the air guide portion 114 is interconnected with the first cavity 130 through the first slit 131. In other words, the openings at opposite ends of the first slit 131 are formed on the first cavity 130 and the raised portion 1131, respectively.

[0042] The noise generated by the fan is transmitted to the inside of the first cavity 130 through the first slit 131, and resonates inside the first cavity 130, thereby absorbing the designated frequency noise in the fan duct noise and achieving the purpose of noise reduction.

[0043] The muffler frequency formula of the first cavity 130 is:

[0044] Where C is the speed of sound, S is the cross-sectional area of ​​the channel opening, V is the cavity volume, and L is k By changing the relevant parameters S, V, L k The sound absorption frequency f0 can be adjusted to eliminate noise of different frequencies and achieve wide-band noise reduction.

[0045] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, there are a plurality of first slits 131 and first cavities 130 that are interconnected, which are arranged at intervals along a surface of the raised portion 1131 away from the flow guide portion 114 , that is, located in the non-flow guide portion 117 .

[0046] The muffler structure further includes a second slit 141 and a second cavity 140 that are interconnected, wherein the length of the second slit 141 is greater than the length of the first slit 131 , so that the second convex surface 142 of the second cavity 140 protrudes beyond the first convex surface 132 of the first cavity 130 .

[0047] In this embodiment, the number of the interconnected second slits 141 and the second cavity 140 is also plural, and each interconnected second slit 141 and the second cavity 140 and each interconnected first slit 131 and the first cavity 130 are arranged alternately on the side of the protrusion 1131 away from the guide portion 114, that is, in the non-guide portion 117. By means of the staggered arrangement, a better broadband noise reduction effect can be achieved.

[0048] The muffler frequency formula of the second cavity 140 is:

[0049] Where C is the speed of sound, S is the cross-sectional area of ​​the channel opening, V is the cavity volume, and L is k is the effective length. k is the effective length and L of the first cavity 130 k Since the effective lengths are different, the muffler frequency of the second cavity 140 is different from the muffler frequency of the first cavity 130 .

[0050] In addition, in other embodiments of the present invention, according to actual noise reduction needs, the muffler structure may further include a third slit and a third cavity that are interconnected, the length of the third slit being greater than the length of the first slit and less than the length of the second slit, so that the third convex surface of the third cavity protrudes from the first convex surface of the first cavity and is lower than the second convex surface of the second cavity. The interconnected third slit and the third cavity are arranged between any adjacent interconnected first slits and first cavities and interconnected second slits and second cavities.

[0051] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the first slit 131 and the first cavity 130 is T-shaped, and the cross-sectional shape of the second slit 141 and the second cavity 140 is also T-shaped, but it is not limited to this. In other embodiments of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the first slit and the second slit can be wavy, arc-shaped, etc., and the cross-sectional shape of the first cavity and the second cavity can be trapezoidal, triangular, elliptical, arc-shaped, etc.

[0052] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the sound-absorbing structure is only provided at the raised portion 1131 of the guide rib plate 113, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the present invention, the sound-absorbing structure can be provided at any position of the guide rib plate, and the sound-absorbing structure connects the guide portion with the cavity through the slit, and introduces the noise from the slit into the cavity for elimination. In addition, the slit and cavity of the sound-absorbing structure are located in the non-guide portion, and will not occupy the space of the guide portion, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the air duct.

[0053] Preferably, the interconnected slits and cavities in the muffler structure are integrally formed with the guide ribs, or the interconnected slits and cavities, the guide ribs and the mounting plate are integrally formed. The integral forming process includes but is not limited to injection molding process and 3D printing process.

[0054] The materials of the noise reduction structure, the guide ribs and the mounting plate are preferably resin materials.

[0055] In this embodiment, the guide rib plate 113 and the sound-absorbing structure are preferably formed in one piece, and then mounted on the surface of the mounting plate 110 on one side facing the air duct cover plate 120 by means of snap connection, screw locking, etc. That is, the guide rib plate 113 with the sound-absorbing structure and the mounting plate 110 are detachably connected, so that the air duct assembly 100 can be applied to air ducts with different guide rib plates, thereby improving the versatility of the air duct assembly 100.

[0056] The present invention further provides a refrigerator, comprising: a box body having a refrigeration compartment; an air duct assembly 100 disposed in the refrigeration compartment; and a fan disposed in a volute 111 of a mounting plate 110 in the air duct assembly 100 .

[0057] In summary, the present invention provides an air duct assembly and a refrigerator thereof, which utilizes the guide rib plate in the existing air duct and arranges a sound-absorbing structure thereon, wherein the sound-absorbing structure includes a slit and a cavity, and the slit guides the noise into the cavity for resonance sound absorption to achieve the effect of noise reduction. In addition, the guide rib plate divides the air duct into a guide part and a non-guide part, and the sound-absorbing structure is located in the non-guide part, does not occupy the space of the guide part, has little effect on the air flow in the guide part, and improves the space utilization rate in the air duct.

[0058] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0059] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the present invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air duct assembly, characterized in that: The air duct assembly comprises: Air duct cover; A mounting plate for mounting a fan, the mounting plate being buckled with the air duct cover plate, and the mounting plate and the air duct cover plate jointly define an air duct, the air duct having an air outlet and an air return outlet; a guide rib plate, the guide rib plate being disposed in the air duct and protruding from one side of the mounting plate toward one side of the air duct cover plate; and A sound-absorbing structure, the sound-absorbing structure being arranged on the guide rib plate, the sound-absorbing structure comprising a first slit and a first cavity being interconnected; Wherein, the air duct and the first cavity are connected to each other through the first slit; The sound-absorbing structure also includes a second slit and a second cavity that are interconnected, and the second slit connects the air duct and the second cavity; wherein the convex surface of the second cavity protrudes from the convex surface of the first cavity, and the number of the interconnected first slits and first cavities is multiple, and the number of the interconnected second slits and second cavities is multiple, wherein each interconnected first slit and first cavity and each interconnected second slit and second cavity are alternately arranged in sequence.

2. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide rib plate divides the air duct into a guide portion and a non-guide portion; the air outlet is arranged on a side of the air duct cover plate away from the mounting plate and corresponds to the guide portion; wherein the silencer structure is located in the non-guide portion.

3. The air duct assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting plate comprises a volute, and the fan is mounted in the volute.

4. The air duct assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guide rib plate includes a raised portion, which separates the lower portion of the guide portion away from the volute into a first flow channel and a second flow channel, wherein the sound-absorbing structure is arranged in the raised portion.

5. The air duct assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The raised portion is an arc-shaped structure, and the arc-shaped structure protrudes toward the volute.

6. The air duct assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The noise reduction structure is arranged on a side of the raised portion away from the first flow channel and the second flow channel, and the noise reduction structure is communicated with the first flow channel and the second flow channel respectively.

7. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide rib plate and the sound-absorbing structure are integrally formed.

8. A refrigerator, characterized in that: include: A box body, wherein the box body has a refrigeration compartment; An air duct assembly, wherein the air duct assembly is the air duct assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the air duct assembly is arranged in the refrigeration room; as well as A fan is arranged on the mounting plate.

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