Air duct structure and refrigerator

Abstract

The application discloses a wind channel structure and a refrigerator, and relates to the technical field of the refrigerator. The wind channel structure specifically comprises at least one wind channel component, wherein the wind channel component is provided with at least one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets, and the path lengths between the plurality of air outlets and the air inlet are equal. The application aims to reduce temperature fluctuation and make the internal temperature of the refrigerator uniformly distributed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of refrigerator technology, and particularly to air duct structure and refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] The temperature distribution inside a frost-free refrigerator directly affects the freshness of food. Current frost-free refrigerators suffer from low temperature control precision and a limited range of vent opening and closing mechanisms, resulting in uneven temperature distribution and significant fluctuations. Solving the problem of achieving uniform temperature distribution within the existing refrigerator compartments has become a pressing technical challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to provide an air duct structure and a refrigerator designed to reduce temperature fluctuations and ensure a uniform temperature distribution inside the refrigerator.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes an air duct structure, comprising:

[0005] At least one air duct assembly having at least one air inlet and multiple air outlets, wherein the path lengths between the multiple air outlets and the air inlet are all equal.

[0006] In one embodiment of this application, when there are two air duct components, the two air duct components are a first air duct component and a second air duct component, and the air outlet of the first air duct component extends from the top of the second air duct component to the bottom of the second air duct component and is on the same plane as the air outlet of the second air duct component.

[0007] In one embodiment of this application, a switching element is further provided on the air inlet of the first air duct component and the air inlet of the second air duct component for switching between the air inlet of the first air duct component and the air inlet of the second air duct component.

[0008] In one embodiment of this application, the first air duct assembly includes:

[0009] The main air duct has a first air inlet and a first air outlet; and

[0010] At least one secondary air duct, when the secondary air duct is of the first level, the middle part of the side wall of the secondary air duct is connected to the first air outlet of the main air duct, and the air outlet of the secondary air duct is located at both ends of the secondary air duct.

[0011] In one embodiment of this application, when the number of secondary air ducts is two or more, the middle part of the sidewall of the first-level secondary air duct is connected to the air outlet of the main air duct, the middle part of the sidewall of the next-level secondary air duct is connected to the air outlet of the previous-level secondary air duct, and the air outlets of all the last-level secondary air ducts are located at both ends of the last-level secondary air duct.

[0012] In one embodiment of this application, the secondary air duct has four stages.

[0013] In one embodiment of this application, any two adjacent air ducts are perpendicular to each other.

[0014] In one embodiment of this application, the second air duct assembly includes:

[0015] The main air duct includes a second air inlet and a second air outlet; and

[0016] At least one level of branch air duct, when the number of levels of the branch air duct is one, the middle part of the side wall of the branch air duct is connected to the second air outlet of the main air duct, and the plurality of air outlets are respectively located at both ends of the branch air duct.

[0017] In one embodiment of this application, when the number of branch ducts is two or more, the middle part of the side wall of the first-level branch duct is connected to the second air outlet of the main duct, the middle part of the side wall of the next-level branch duct is connected to the air outlet of the previous-level branch duct, and the air outlets of all the last-level branch ducts are located at both ends of the last-level branch duct.

[0018] In one embodiment of this application, the branch duct has 8 levels.

[0019] This application also discloses a refrigerator, including the air duct structure described in any of the above claims.

[0020] Using the above technical solution, the air duct assembly has at least one air inlet and multiple air outlets. The path lengths between the multiple air outlets and the air inlets of the air duct assembly are all equal, which can make the airflow fluctuations from each air outlet of the air duct assembly small, and the air volume ratio of each air outlet will not change significantly, thus ensuring the stability of the airflow at the air outlet of the air duct assembly. The structure is simple and easy to implement. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the explosion structure.

[0024] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the switching device.

[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A bottom view.

[0026] Figure 5This is a cross-sectional view of the first air duct assembly.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the second air duct assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are only used to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof.

[0029] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, in order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes an air duct structure, comprising:

[0030] At least one air duct assembly having at least one air inlet and multiple air outlets, wherein the path lengths between the multiple air outlets and the air inlet are all equal.

[0031] Specifically, an air duct structure includes air duct components.

[0032] The air duct assembly has at least one air inlet and multiple air outlets, and the path lengths between the multiple air outlets and the air inlets of the air duct assembly are all equal. When there are multiple air inlets, in order to avoid mutual interference between the air inlets, one air inlet is always kept in working condition.

[0033] By setting the distances between the multiple air outlets and the air inlet of the air duct assembly to be equal, it can be ensured that the airflow fluctuations between the various air outlets of the air duct assembly are small.

[0034] When this air duct structure is installed in the compartment of a frost-free refrigerator, cold air enters the air duct assembly through the air inlet and is blown out into the refrigerator compartment through the air outlet. This makes the temperature distribution inside the refrigerator compartment more uniform and alleviates temperature fluctuations. At the same time, due to the use of a parallel path design, even if the air volume changes when the air duct assembly is working, the air volume ratio of each air outlet will not change significantly, providing a good storage environment for food preservation.

[0035] The number of air duct components can be one or more, and in this application, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0036] When the air duct assembly has two or more stages, taking two air duct assemblies as an example:

[0037] Two air duct components can be stacked one on top of the other. The air outlet of the upper air duct component extends downward along the top to the bottom of the lower air duct component and is on the same horizontal plane as the air outlet of the lower air duct component. This design allows the two air duct components to be installed in a smaller space to achieve more uniform temperature regulation.

[0038] The air outlets of the two air duct components can also be set opposite each other to cool the refrigerator compartment simultaneously, resulting in faster cooling and more uniform temperature regulation.

[0039] Using the above technical solution, the air duct assembly has at least one air inlet and multiple air outlets. The path lengths between the multiple air outlets and the air inlet of the air duct assembly are all equal, which can make the airflow fluctuations from each air outlet of the air duct assembly small, and the air volume ratio of each air outlet will not change significantly, thus ensuring the stability of the airflow at the air outlet of the air duct assembly. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0040] In one embodiment of this application, when there are two air duct components, the two air duct components are a first air duct component 10 and a second air duct component 20, and the air outlet of the first air duct component 10 extends from the top of the second air duct component 20 to the bottom of the second air duct component 20 and is on the same plane as the air outlet of the second air duct component.

[0041] Specifically, when there are two air duct components, the two air duct components are a first air duct component 10 and a second air duct component 20. The first air duct component 10 and the second air duct component 20 are stacked one on top of the other, with the first air duct component 10 located above the second air duct component 20. The air outlet of the first air duct component 10 extends from the top to the bottom of the second air duct component 20. After the air outlet of the first air duct component 10 extends downward, it is on the same horizontal plane as the air outlet of the second air duct component 20. With this design, the first air duct component 10 and the second air duct component 20 can be aired on the same horizontal plane, thereby achieving temperature regulation of the same space.

[0042] The air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10 and the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20 are located on the same side and on the same horizontal plane, which facilitates the blowing of airflow into the first air duct assembly 10 and the second air duct assembly 20.

[0043] The above technical solution allows two air duct components to be installed in a smaller space to achieve more uniform temperature regulation. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0044] In one embodiment of this application, a switching element 30 is further provided on the air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10 and the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20 for switching between the air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10 and the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20.

[0045] Specifically, the air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10 and the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20 are located on the side walls of the first air duct assembly 10 and the second air duct assembly 20, respectively. The air inlets of the first air duct assembly 10 and the second air duct assembly 20 are stacked on each other to form a groove. The groove is a semi-cylindrical groove. The air inlets of the first air duct assembly 10 and the second air duct assembly 20 are both set on the side wall of the semi-cylindrical groove. The line connecting the air inlets of the first air duct assembly 10 and the second air duct assembly 20 is not parallel to the axis of the semi-cylindrical groove.

[0046] The switch 30 is a semi-cylinder that cooperates with the semi-cylindrical groove. A drive motor 40 is provided at the end of the semi-cylinder. The drive motor 40 adopts a stepper motor commonly used in the prior art. The stepper motor facilitates the control of the rotation of the semi-cylinder.

[0047] Driven by the drive motor 40, the semi-cylinder rotates around the axis of the semi-cylinder groove within the semi-cylinder groove, thereby opening or closing the air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10, and thus opening or closing the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20.

[0048] Its action process is divided into three stages:

[0049] In the first stage, the switch 30 first opens the air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10, and the first air duct assembly 10 blows a large amount of cold air into the refrigerator compartment, so that the compartment cools down quickly. Since the length of each branch of the airflow through the first air duct assembly 10 is equal, the air volume of the air outlet of each branch is basically the same.

[0050] In the second stage, the switch 30 rotates to close the air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10, and then opens the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20 to blow cold air into the refrigerator compartment. The second air duct assembly 20 is used to supplement the cooling capacity of the refrigerator compartment to avoid large temperature fluctuations in the refrigerator compartment.

[0051] In the third stage, the switch 30 rotates to open the second air duct assembly 20 to half-open, further supplementing the refrigerator compartment with cooling capacity. Once the cooling capacity is saturated, the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20 is closed.

[0052] The above technical solution has a simple structure and is easy to implement.

[0053] In one embodiment of this application, the first air duct assembly 10 includes:

[0054] Main air duct 11, with a first air inlet 13 and a first air outlet; and

[0055] At least one secondary air duct 12, when the secondary air duct 12 is of the first level, the middle part of the side wall of the secondary air duct 12 is connected to the first air outlet of the main air duct 11, and the air outlets of the secondary air duct 12 are located at both ends of the secondary air duct 12.

[0056] Specifically, the first air duct assembly 10 includes a main air duct 11 and at least one secondary air duct 12.

[0057] The main air duct 11 is constructed using a metal enclosure, such as aluminum alloy or alloy steel. Metal enclosures offer advantages such as strong support and wear resistance. Of course, depending on design requirements, the main air duct 11 can also be made of other materials, such as plastic. Plastic enclosures offer advantages such as light weight, low cost, and ease of manufacturing.

[0058] The main air duct 11 includes a first air inlet 13 and a first air outlet. The first air inlet 13 of the main air duct 11 is also the air inlet of the first air duct assembly 10.

[0059] The secondary air duct 12 is constructed using a metal enclosure, such as aluminum alloy or alloy steel. Metal enclosures offer advantages such as strong support and wear resistance. However, depending on design requirements, the secondary air duct 12 can also be made of other materials, such as plastic. Plastic enclosures offer advantages such as light weight, low cost, and ease of manufacture. To facilitate the fabrication of the first air duct assembly 10, the main air duct 11 and the secondary air duct 12 use the same materials, thus sharing the same advantages.

[0060] When the secondary air duct 12 is a primary air duct, the middle part of the side wall of the secondary air duct 12 is connected to the first air outlet of the main air duct 11, and the air outlets of the secondary air duct 12 are located at both ends of the secondary air duct 12.

[0061] At this time, the branch paths of the first air duct component 10 are relatively short and have fewer bends, so the pressure loss is relatively small. It can be used as the main cooling air duct to cool the refrigerator compartment.

[0062] By adopting the above technical solution, the paths of each branch of the first air duct component 10 are shorter and the number of bends is less, so the pressure loss is smaller, which can provide sufficient cooling capacity. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0063] In one embodiment of this application, when the secondary air duct 12 has two or more levels, the middle part of the side wall of the first-level secondary air duct 12 is connected to the air outlet of the main air duct 11, the middle part of the side wall of the next-level secondary air duct 12 is connected to the air outlet of the previous-level secondary air duct 12, and the air outlets 14 of all the last-level secondary air ducts 12 are located at both ends of the last-level secondary air duct 12.

[0064] Specifically, when the secondary air duct 12 has two or more stages, the middle part of the sidewall of the first-stage secondary air duct 12 is connected to the air outlet of the main air duct 11, and the middle part of the sidewall of the next-stage secondary air duct 12 is connected to the air outlet of the previous-stage secondary air duct 12. It is conceivable that, in order to ensure that the path length between each air outlet and air inlet in the first air duct assembly 10 is equal, the secondary air ducts 12 of the same stage have the same length and the same inner diameter. The air outlets 14 of all the last-stage secondary air ducts 12 are located at both ends of the last-stage secondary air duct 12.

[0065] By adopting the above technical solution, the number of air outlets of the first air duct component 10 and the number of bends in each branch of the first air duct component 10 can be regularly increased to achieve air volume control. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0066] In one embodiment of this application, the secondary air duct 12 has 4 stages.

[0067] Specifically, when the secondary air duct 12 has a level of 4, the number of air outlets of the first air duct component 10 is 16.

[0068] By adopting the above technical solution, the first air duct assembly 10 can cover the space of the refrigerator compartment, while reducing the number of bends in the first air duct assembly 10 to avoid excessive wind resistance.

[0069] In one embodiment of this application, any two adjacent air ducts are perpendicular to each other.

[0070] Specifically, any two adjacent air ducts are perpendicular to each other, so that the paths of each branch within the first air duct assembly 10 are equal, and the angle and number of cold air bending are the same. Therefore, it can be ensured that the air volume at the outlet of the first air duct assembly 10 changes little and the temperature is uniform.

[0071] In one embodiment of this application, the second air duct assembly 20 includes:

[0072] Main air duct 21, including second air inlet 23 and second air outlet; and

[0073] At least one branch air duct 22, when the branch air duct 22 is of the first level, the middle part of the side wall of the branch air duct 22 is connected to the second air outlet of the main air duct 21, and the multiple air outlets are respectively located at both ends of the branch air duct 22.

[0074] Specifically, the second air duct assembly 20 includes a main air duct 21 and at least one primary branch air duct 22.

[0075] The main air duct 21 is constructed using metal enclosures, such as aluminum alloy or alloy steel. Metal enclosures offer advantages such as strong support and wear resistance. Of course, depending on design requirements, the main air duct 21 can also be made of other materials, such as plastic.

[0076] The main air duct 21, which is enclosed by plastic materials, has the advantages of being lightweight, low-cost, and easy to manufacture.

[0077] The main air duct 21 includes a second air inlet 23 and a second air outlet. The second air inlet 23 of the main air duct 21 is also the air inlet of the second air duct assembly 20.

[0078] Branch duct 22 is constructed using metal enclosures, such as aluminum alloy or alloy steel. Metal enclosures offer advantages such as strong support and wear resistance. Of course, depending on design requirements, branch duct 22 can also be made of other materials, such as plastic. Plastic enclosures offer advantages such as light weight, low cost, and ease of manufacture. To facilitate the fabrication of the second duct assembly 20, the main duct 21 and branch duct 22 use the same materials, offering the same advantages.

[0079] When the branch duct 22 is a first-level duct, the middle part of the side wall of the branch duct 22 is connected to the second air outlet of the main duct 21, and the air outlets of the branch duct 22 are located at both ends of the branch duct 22.

[0080] At this time, the branch paths of the second air duct assembly 20 are relatively short and have fewer bends, so the pressure loss is relatively small. It can be used as the main cooling air duct to cool the refrigerator compartment.

[0081] By adopting the above technical solution, the paths of each branch of the second air duct component 20 are shorter and the number of bends is less, so the pressure loss is smaller, which can provide sufficient cooling capacity. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0082] In one embodiment of this application, when the number of levels of the branch duct 22 is two or more, the middle part of the side wall of the first-level branch duct 22 is connected to the second air outlet of the main duct 21, the middle part of the side wall of the next-level branch duct 22 is connected to the air outlet of the previous-level branch duct 22, and the air outlets 24 of all the last-level branch ducts 22 are located at both ends of the last-level branch duct 22.

[0083] Specifically, when the branch duct 22 has two or more stages, the middle part of the sidewall of the first-stage branch duct 22 connects to the air outlet of the main duct 11, and the middle part of the sidewall of the next-stage branch duct 22 connects to the air outlet of the previous-stage branch duct 22. It is conceivable that, in order to ensure that the path length between each air outlet and air inlet in the second duct assembly 20 is equal, the lengths and inner diameters of the same-stage branch ducts 22 are all the same. The air outlets 24 of all the last-stage branch ducts 22 are located at both ends of the last-stage branch duct 22.

[0084] By adopting the above technical solution, the number of stages of the air outlet of the second air duct component 20 and the number of bends in each branch of the second air duct component 20 can be regularly expanded to achieve air volume control. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0085] In one embodiment of this application, the branch duct 22 has 8 levels.

[0086] Specifically, when the branch duct 22 has a level of 8, the number of air outlets of the second duct component 20 is 2 to the power of 8, which is 256.

[0087] When the number of air outlets of the second air duct component 20 is 256, the resistance is relatively large. The second air duct component 20 can be a cold air supplement duct to realize subsequent cold air supplement. By supplementing a small amount of cold air, large temperature fluctuations are avoided. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0088] This application also discloses a refrigerator, including the air duct structure described in any of the above claims.

[0089] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A duct structure, characterized in that, include: Two air duct components, namely a first air duct component and a second air duct component, each air duct component having at least one air inlet and multiple air outlets, the path lengths between the multiple air outlets and the air inlet being equal, the air outlets of the first air duct component extending from the top to the bottom of the second air duct component and being on the same plane as the air outlets of the second air duct component, each air duct component containing multiple levels of air ducts, and the number of lower-level air ducts in the second air duct component being greater than the number of lower-level air ducts in the first air duct component; A switching element, disposed at the air inlet of two air duct assemblies, is used to switch the air inlets of the two air duct assemblies between each other; the operation process of the switching element includes at least: The first stage uses a first duct component with fewer stages and a relatively short air supply path for air supply, while the second stage uses a second duct component with more stages and a relatively long air supply path for air supply.

2. The air duct structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first air duct assembly includes: The main air duct has a first air inlet and a first air outlet; and At least one secondary air duct, when the secondary air duct is of the first level, the middle part of the side wall of the secondary air duct is connected to the first air outlet of the main air duct, and the air outlet of the secondary air duct is located at both ends of the secondary air duct.

3. The air duct structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, When the secondary air duct has two or more levels, the middle part of the side wall of the first-level secondary air duct is connected to the air outlet of the main air duct, the middle part of the side wall of the next-level secondary air duct is connected to the air outlet of the previous-level secondary air duct, and the air outlets of all the last-level secondary air ducts are located at both ends of the last-level secondary air duct.

4. The air duct structure as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The secondary air duct has four levels.

5. The air duct structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Any two adjacent air ducts are perpendicular to each other.

6. The air duct structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second air duct assembly includes: The main air duct includes a second air inlet and a second air outlet; and At least one level of branch air duct, when the number of levels of the branch air duct is one, the middle part of the side wall of the branch air duct is connected to the second air outlet of the main air duct, and the plurality of air outlets are respectively located at both ends of the branch air duct.

7. The air duct structure as described in claim 6, characterized in that, When the number of branch ducts is two or more, the middle part of the side wall of the first-level branch duct is connected to the second air outlet of the main duct, the middle part of the side wall of the next-level branch duct is connected to the air outlet of the previous-level branch duct, and the air outlets of all the last-level branch ducts are located at both ends of the last-level branch duct.

8. The air duct structure as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The branch ventilation duct has a level of 8.

9. A refrigerator, characterized in that, Includes the air duct structure described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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