Pressure equalizing valve and refrigerator having the same

Abstract

The application discloses a gas pressure balance valve, which comprises a gas pipeline, an end cover, a valve piece, an elastic member and a button. The end cover is matched with the gas inlet end of the gas pipeline and is formed with a gas inlet hole. The valve piece is arranged inside the gas pipeline and is fixed relative to the button. A gap is formed between the edge of the valve piece and the inner wall of the gas pipeline. The elastic member has an elastic force for driving the valve piece to close to the end cover to close the gas inlet hole. The button is connected to the elastic member to overcome the elastic force and drive the valve piece to open the gas inlet hole when pressed. The gas pressure balance valve is of a passive control mode, simple in structure. In the application scene of a specific refrigerator, the conduction inside the gas pipeline is controlled by the button. Users can determine the channel opening time according to the needs, and the problem of energy consumption increase caused by the active pressure relief mode in the prior art can be effectively avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of refrigerator design, and in particular to an air pressure balancing valve and a refrigerator having the same. Background Art

[0002] Negative pressure is a common phenomenon in existing refrigerators. The process is as follows: When the door is opened, air exchanges occur between the interior and exterior of the refrigerator compartment, allowing warm air from the outside to enter. When the door is closed, the warm air inside the compartment gradually cools due to cooling, reducing the pressure inside the compartment and creating a pressure differential between the inside and outside of the refrigerator. This results in the user having to exert considerable force to open the door.

[0003] In the prior art, there are some technical solutions designed to relieve pressure to balance the pressure inside and outside the refrigerator in response to this technical problem. However, in pursuit of so-called automation, the air pressure balancing structure involved in the prior art generally adopts an active pressure relief method, that is, when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerator reaches the critical value set by it, the air pressure balancing structure will automatically conduct to achieve the balance adjustment of the pressure inside and outside the refrigerator. These technical solutions have the following problems: during use, the refrigerator will automatically relieve pressure when there is no need for pressure relief, resulting in cold leakage, thereby increasing the energy consumption of the refrigerator; only when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerator reaches the critical value set by it can the outside air enter the refrigerator. In this way, when the user needs to open the door when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerator is less than the critical value set by it, it still requires a lot of force, making it impossible for the air pressure balancing structure to achieve a better effect; in addition, the low temperature of the refrigerator will cause frost at the gas channel position of the air pressure balance, which will cause the gas channel to be blocked for a long time, thereby affecting the air pressure balance effect.

[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to provide an improved technical solution to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, the present invention provides an air pressure balancing valve, and its specific design is as follows.

[0006] A gas pressure balancing valve, comprising a gas pipeline, an end cover, a valve disc, an elastic member, and a button, wherein the end cover is fitted to the gas inlet end of the gas pipeline and is formed with an air inlet hole, the valve disc is located inside the gas pipeline and is fixed relative to the button, a gap is formed between the edge of the valve disc and the inner wall of the gas pipeline, the elastic member has an elastic force that drives the valve disc toward the end cover to close the air inlet hole, and the button is connected to the elastic member so that when pressed, it overcomes the elastic force and drives the valve disc to open the air inlet hole;

[0007] The elastic member is a spring whose length direction is consistent with the pressing operation direction of the button. The air pressure balance valve also has a cylindrical cover fixed inside the gas pipeline and whose length direction is consistent with the length direction of the spring. The spring is compressed and arranged in the cover. The button has an abutment portion that fits into the cover to abut one end of the spring.

[0008] The button protrudes outward at the position of the abutment portion to form a step portion, and the port of the cover for the operating portion to extend outward is contracted inward to form an inner edge, and the inner edge is configured to limit the button from moving further toward the air inlet end when abutted by the step portion.

[0009] Furthermore, the end cover is also provided with an assembly hole, and the button is arranged inside the gas pipeline and has an operating portion passing through the assembly hole for pressing operation.

[0010] Furthermore, the plurality of air inlet holes are evenly distributed in a ring shape with the assembly hole as the center.

[0011] Furthermore, the air pressure balancing valve further comprises a fixing platform fixedly arranged in the gas pipeline for fixing the cover body, and one end of the spring away from the button abuts against the fixing platform.

[0012] Furthermore, the gas pipeline includes a detachably connected inlet pipe and an outlet pipe, the end cover is fitted to one end of the inlet pipe away from the outlet pipe, and the fixing platform is fixedly arranged in the outlet pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, the air pressure balancing valve also has a molecular sieve arranged inside the gas pipeline.

[0014] The present invention further provides a refrigerator, which includes a cabinet body and a door body installed on the cabinet body, and the above-mentioned air pressure balancing valve is installed on the cabinet body or the door body.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the air pressure balancing valve involved in the present invention adopts a passive control method and has a simple structure. In the application scenario of a specific refrigerator, the conduction inside the gas pipeline is controlled by a button, and the user can determine the channel opening time according to needs. When the button is pressed, the inside and outside of the refrigerator can be connected to achieve air pressure balance adjustment; after the button is released, the air between the inside and outside of the refrigerator no longer circulates, which can effectively avoid the problem of increased energy consumption caused by the active pressure relief method adopted in the existing technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the refrigerator of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 Shown Figure 1 A schematic plan view of the door of the refrigerator shown;

[0019] Figure 3 Shown Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cross section of the door body at position AA';

[0020] Figure 4 Shown Figure 3 The enlarged schematic diagram of part a in the middle;

[0021] Figure 5 Shown Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the state of the button after being pressed in the structure shown;

[0022] Figure 6 Shown is an exploded schematic diagram of a gas pressure balancing valve;

[0023] Figure 7 Shown Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the middle structure after preliminary assembly;

[0024] Figure 8 The figure shows a structural diagram of the gas outlet pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] The present invention relates to a pressure balancing valve 100, which can be used in a refrigerator. Figure 1 、 Figure 2As shown, in this specific embodiment, the refrigerator includes a cabinet body 200 and a door body 300 installed on the cabinet body 200, and the door body 300 is installed with an air pressure balance valve 100. In other embodiments of the present invention, although not shown, it is easier to understand that the air pressure balance valve 100 can also be set on the cabinet body 200.

[0027] The following combination Figure 3-Figure 8 The specific implementation structure of the air pressure balancing valve 100 involved in the present invention is described in detail:

[0028] As shown in the figure, the air pressure balancing valve 100 includes a gas pipeline, an end cap 11, a valve plate 12, an elastic member 13, and a button 14. In this embodiment, the gas pipeline includes a detachably connected inlet pipe 16 and an outlet pipe 17; in other embodiments of the present invention (not shown), the gas pipeline can also be an integrally formed pipeline structure.

[0029] In the present invention, the end cover 11 is fitted into the air inlet end of the gas pipe and is formed with an air inlet hole 111. The valve plate 12 is located inside the gas pipe and is fixed relative to the button 14. A gap is formed between the edge of the valve plate 12 and the inner wall of the gas pipe. The elastic member 13 has an elastic force that drives the valve plate 12 toward the end cover 11 to close the air inlet hole 111. The button 14 is connected to the elastic member 13 to overcome the elastic force when pressed and drive the valve plate 12 to open the air inlet hole.

[0030] More specifically, the end cap 11 is secured to the gas inlet end of the gas pipeline via a snap-fit ​​mechanism. Specifically, in this embodiment, a securing hole 161 is formed on the sidewall of the inlet pipe 16 at the end away from the outlet pipe 17. The side of the end cap 11 is formed with an elastic protrusion 113 that engages with this securing hole 161 to secure the end cap 11 to the gas inlet end of the gas pipeline. In other embodiments of the present invention, the connection between the end cap 11 and the gas pipeline is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

[0031] In this embodiment, the valve plate 12 is circular, and a through hole 120 is formed at the center thereof. The operating portion 141 of the button 14 for pressing passes through the through hole 120. The button 14 is formed with a raised portion (not marked in the figure) for abutting against the side surface of the valve plate 12 away from the end cover 11 to limit the position of the valve plate 12 relative to the button 14. The air intake pipe 16 involved in this embodiment is roughly cylindrical, and the diameter of the section corresponding to the air intake pipe 16 and the valve plate 12 is larger than the diameter of the valve plate 12, so that a gap is formed between the edge of the valve plate 12 and the inner wall of the air intake pipe 16. When the gas pipeline is connected, the gas entering the air intake pipe 16 through the air inlet hole 111 can pass through the gap and be transported to the air outlet pipe 17 and discharged from the air outlet pipe 17 (for details, please refer to Figure 5 The path is indicated by the dotted arrow).

[0032] As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the elastic force of the elastic member 13 acts on the button 14. When the button 14 is not pressed, the elastic force keeps the valve plate 12 fixed to the button 14 closed to the air inlet 111. When the button 14 is released, the elastic force drives the valve plate 12 fixed to the button 14 toward the end cover 11 until the air inlet 111 is closed. When the button 14 is pressed, the pressure applied to the button 14 overcomes the elastic force and drives the valve plate 12 away from the end cover 11, thereby opening the air inlet 111.

[0033] It should be understood that in the present invention, when the valve plate 12 closes the air inlet hole 111, the gas pipeline is in a non-conducting state, and in the application scenario of a specific refrigerator, air cannot circulate between the inside and outside of the refrigerator; and when the valve plate 12 opens the air inlet hole 111, the gas pipeline is in a conducting state, and in the application scenario of a specific refrigerator, air can circulate between the inside and outside of the refrigerator.

[0034] As described above, the air pressure balancing valve involved in the present invention adopts a passive control method. In the application scenario of a specific refrigerator, the conduction inside the gas pipeline is controlled by button 14. The user can decide the opening time of the gas channel according to needs. When the button 14 is pressed, the inside and outside of the refrigerator can be connected to achieve air pressure balance adjustment; after the button 14 is released, the air between the inside and outside of the refrigerator no longer circulates, which can effectively avoid the problem of increased energy consumption caused by the active pressure relief method adopted in the existing technology.

[0035] As shown in the figure, during the specific implementation of the present invention, the end cover 11 is further provided with an assembly hole 112, the button 14 is arranged inside the gas pipeline, and its operating part 14 passes through the assembly hole 112 for the user to press the operation outside the end cover 11.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, the air inlet holes 111 provided on the end cap 11 of the present invention are evenly distributed in a circular pattern centered around the assembly hole 112. Thus, in a specific refrigerator application scenario, when the valve plate 12 closes the assembly hole 112, the pressure exerted on the valve plate 12 by the external air through the assembly hole 112 is evenly distributed around the valve plate 12, thereby preventing the valve plate 12 from partially tilting due to uneven force, which could lead to poor sealing performance.

[0037] In the illustrated embodiment, the elastic member 13 is a spring whose length direction is consistent with the pressing operation direction of the button 14 .

[0038] The air pressure balancing valve 100 of the present invention further comprises a cylindrical housing 15 secured within the gas pipeline and having a length aligned with the length of the spring. The spring is compressed within the housing 15, and the button 14 includes an abutment portion 142 that fits within the housing 15 to abut one end of the spring. The compressed spring provides an elastic force that forces the button 14 toward the end cap 11. The cylindrical housing 15 protects the spring, preventing lateral displacement during compression.

[0039] Preferably, as shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the button 14 protrudes outward at the position where the abutment portion 141 is located to form a step portion, and the cover body 15 for the operating portion 141 to extend outward is contracted inward to form an inner edge 151. The inner edge 151 is configured to limit the button 14 from moving further toward the air inlet end when abutted by the step portion. In this way, when assembling the air pressure balancing valve 100, the button 14 can be assembled from the end of the cover body 15 away from the inner edge 151 to the inside of the cover body 15, and then the valve plate 12 is fixed to the operating portion 141 of the button 14 on the outside of the end where the inner edge 151 of the cover body 15 is located, and the air pressure balancing valve 100 is formed. Figure 7 The integrated component shown in FIG. 1 integrates the valve plate 12 , the button 14 and the cover body 15 , which can facilitate the subsequent further assembly of the air pressure balancing valve 100 .

[0040] In the present invention, the air pressure balancing valve 100 further comprises a fixing platform 172 fixedly disposed in the gas pipeline for fixing the cover 15 , wherein one end of the spring away from the button 14 abuts against the fixing platform 172 .

[0041] When implementing it, refer to Figure 8 As shown in the figure, the fixing platform 172 includes a connecting frame 1721 fixedly connected to the inner wall of the gas pipeline and a boss 1720 fixed to the connecting frame 1721. The boss 1720 and the cover body 15 are fixed by a threaded connection. The area of ​​the connecting frame 1721 where the boss 1720 is not provided is formed with an air circulation hole (not marked in the figure) for air to circulate in the gas pipeline.

[0042] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas pipeline includes a detachably connected inlet pipe 16 and an outlet pipe 17, wherein the end cap 11 is fitted to the end of the inlet pipe 16 away from the outlet pipe 17, and the fixing platform 172 is fixedly disposed in the outlet pipe 17. Based on this, when assembling the air pressure balancing valve 100, the integrated component integrating the valve plate 12, the button 14 and the cover body 15 is fixedly connected to the outlet pipe 17 (in this process, the spring needs to be installed inside the cover body 15), and then the inlet pipe 16 and the outlet pipe 17 are connected to realize the installation of various components inside the gas pipeline. That is, the structure provided by this embodiment is reasonable and convenient for assembling the air pressure balancing valve.

[0043] When the gas pipeline is composed of the detachable connection gas inlet end pipeline 16 and the gas outlet end pipeline 17, the gas inlet end pipeline 16 and the gas outlet end pipeline 17 can be fixed by screw connection or buckle connection.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, the gas inlet end pipeline 16 and the gas outlet end pipeline 17 are fixed by buckle connection. Specifically, the gas inlet end pipeline 16 has a sleeve part (not labeled in the figure) sleeved on the outside of the gas outlet end pipeline 17, and the sleeve part is provided with a clamping groove 162, and the outer wall of the gas outlet end pipeline 17 is protruded to form a protrusion 171 matched with the clamping groove 162. It should be understood that in other embodiments of the present application, the positions of the clamping groove 162 and the protrusion 171 can also be interchanged, and the sleeve part can also be provided on the gas outlet end pipeline 17.

[0045] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, the gas pressure balance valve 100 also has a molecular sieve arranged inside the gas pipeline. In the illustrated embodiment, a containing groove 18 is fixed inside the gas outlet end pipeline 17, the containing groove 18 is formed with through holes (not shown in the figure) for air flow, and is fixed inside the gas outlet end pipeline 17 by detachable buckle fixing or screw fixing, and the molecular sieve is contained in the containing groove 18. In the specific application scenario of the refrigerator, the molecular sieve can absorb water vapor in the air, so that the problem of blockage of the gas pressure balance valve 100 due to frosting can be effectively avoided, and because the containing groove 18 is detachable relative to the gas pipeline, the user can replace the molecular sieve in the containing groove 18 at any time, thereby making the molecular sieve have the optimal water absorption effect.

[0046] Reference Figure 4 , Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the door body 300 of the refrigerator includes an outer shell 31, an inner shell 32, and a heat preservation layer (not shown in the figure) filled between the outer shell 31 and the inner shell 32, and the door body 300 is formed with a mounting hole penetrating the outer shell 31, the inner shell 32 and the heat preservation layer for mounting the gas pressure balance valve 100.

[0047] In the present application, the end cover 11 is assembled to the gas pipeline from the outer shell 31, and the outer shell 31 is clamped between the end cover 11 and the gas inlet end of the gas pipeline; preferably, the gas inlet end of the gas pipeline extends peripherally to form an extension for abutting against the inner surface of the outer shell 31, which can reduce the probability of cold leakage between the gas pressure balance valve 100 and the door body 300 when the gas pressure balance valve 100 is installed.

[0048] It should be understood that the gas pipeline involved in the present invention also has an outlet end opposite the inlet end. In some other embodiments of the present invention, as shown in the figure, the air pressure balance valve 100 may also have a bottom cover 19 disposed at the outlet end, with an exhaust hole formed on the bottom cover 19 for air to be discharged. In the specific application scenario of a refrigerator, the bottom cover 19 can be snapped onto the corresponding bayonet position (not shown) on the inner shell 32 via a hook 191.

[0049] It should be understood that although this specification is described in terms of implementation methods, not every implementation method contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method 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 method can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0050] 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. A pressure balancing valve, characterized in that: The invention comprises a gas pipeline, an end cover, a valve plate, an elastic member, and a button. The end cover is fitted to the gas inlet end of the gas pipeline and is formed with an air inlet hole. The valve plate is located inside the gas pipeline and is fixed relative to the button. A gap is formed between the edge of the valve plate and the inner wall of the gas pipeline. The elastic member has an elastic force that drives the valve plate toward the end cover to close the air inlet hole. The button is connected to the elastic member so that when pressed, it overcomes the elastic force and drives the valve plate to open the air inlet hole. The elastic member is a spring whose length direction is consistent with the pressing operation direction of the button. The air pressure balance valve further includes a cylindrical cover fixed inside the gas pipeline and whose length direction is consistent with the length direction of the spring. The spring is compressed and arranged in the cover. The button has an abutment portion that fits into the cover to abut one end of the spring. The button protrudes outward at the position of the abutment portion to form a step portion, and the port of the cover for the operating portion to extend outward is contracted inward to form an inner edge, and the inner edge is configured to limit the button from moving further toward the air inlet end when abutted by the step portion.

2. The air pressure balancing valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end cover is further provided with an assembly hole. The button is arranged inside the gas pipeline and has an operating portion passing through the assembly hole for a pressing operation.

3. The air pressure balancing valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of air inlet holes are evenly distributed in a ring shape with the assembly hole as the center.

4. The air pressure balancing valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air pressure balance valve further comprises a fixing platform fixedly arranged in the gas pipeline for fixing the cover body, and one end of the spring away from the button abuts against the fixing platform.

5. The air pressure balancing valve according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gas pipeline includes an inlet end pipeline and an outlet end pipeline that are detachably connected. The end cover is fitted to an end of the inlet end pipeline away from the outlet end pipeline. The fixing platform is fixedly arranged in the outlet end pipeline.

6. The air pressure balancing valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The air pressure balancing valve further comprises a molecular sieve arranged inside the gas pipeline.

7. A refrigerator, comprising a cabinet body and a door body mounted on the cabinet body, characterized in that: The cabinet body or the door body is installed with the air pressure balancing valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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