Refrigerator-freezer device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigeration and freezing apparatus comprising a storage compartment, an evaporator, and further comprising: a storage device disposed in the storage compartment and having a device air supply port and a device air return port exposed to the storage compartment; an air supply damper disposed at the device air supply port or on an air flow path between the evaporator and the device air supply port and configured to be controllably opened to allow a cooling air flow into the storage device or controllably closed to prevent the cooling air flow into the storage device; a circulation air path circumscribing an exterior of the storage device with a portion of the circulation air path being outside the device air return port; and a circulation air blower disposed in the circulation air path and configured to be controllably activated when the air supply damper is closed to cause the air flow to circulate along the circulation air path to form an air curtain outside the device air return port that forms a barrier between the device air return port and the storage compartment to prevent humidity in the storage device from being affected by the storage compartment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to refrigeration and freezing technology, and in particular to a refrigeration and freezing apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] As refrigerators and other refrigeration and freezing devices become increasingly integrated into people's daily lives, users have higher and higher requirements for the quality of food preservation in these devices. For example, users want dedicated areas within the freezer for storing fruits and vegetables with high water content to improve their freshness and prevent moisture loss. They also want dedicated areas for storing delicacies, tea, and other dried goods to prevent them from becoming damp and spoiling. Furthermore, to avoid wasting storage space, users also want a section of the freezer that can switch between a humidification mode for fruits and vegetables and a drying mode for dried goods, allowing for flexible selection of the desired function and selective preservation of ingredients with different humidity requirements.

[0003] To meet the aforementioned user needs, existing technologies incorporate adjustable humidity drawers within the refrigerator compartment of refrigeration and freezing units. These units typically achieve drying by introducing cooling airflow after it has passed through the evaporator into the drawer. Accordingly, the drawer is equipped with an air inlet and a return air inlet. When the drawer requires humidification, cooling airflow is no longer needed. In this case, existing technologies usually prevent cooling airflow from continuing into the drawer by closing the air inlet damper. However, this neglects the drawer's return air inlet, which is directly exposed to the refrigerator compartment. This means that return air from the refrigerator compartment can enter the drawer through the return air inlet, affecting the temperature and humidity inside the drawer. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One object of the present invention is to overcome at least one deficiency of the prior art and to provide a refrigeration and freezing device having an independent storage space and the humidity of the storage space being unaffected by the storage compartment.

[0005] Another objective of this invention is to reduce the cost of refrigerators and simplify their control logic.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a refrigeration and freezing apparatus, including a storage compartment for storing items, an evaporator for providing cooling airflow, and further comprising:

[0007] A storage device is provided in the storage compartment and has a device air inlet for airflow into it and a device air outlet for airflow out of it, the device air outlet being exposed in the storage compartment.

[0008] An air supply damper is provided at the air supply port of the device or on the airflow path between the evaporator and the air supply port of the device, and is configured to be opened in a controlled manner to allow cooling airflow into the storage device or closed in a controlled manner to prevent cooling airflow from entering the storage device.

[0009] A circulating air duct is provided outside the storage device, and a portion of the circulating air duct is located outside the device's return air inlet; and

[0010] A circulating fan is installed in the circulating air path and configured to be started in a controlled manner when the air supply damper is closed, so as to cause the airflow to circulate along the circulating air path, thereby forming an air curtain outside the return air inlet of the device.

[0011] Optionally, the circulating fan is configured such that the airflow direction of the formed air curtain is the same as the airflow direction in the storage room outside the air curtain.

[0012] Optionally, the air supply vent of the device is formed on the rear side of the storage device, and the air return vent of the device is formed on the front side of the storage device.

[0013] Optionally, the circulating airflow surrounds the storage device in both the front-to-back and vertical directions, and includes a first airflow section above the storage device, a second airflow section in front of the storage device, a third airflow section below the storage device, and a fourth airflow section behind the storage device, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth airflow sections are sequentially connected; wherein

[0014] The second air path is located in front of the return air inlet of the device.

[0015] Optionally, the storage compartment has a supply air vent and a return air vent, the return air vent being adjacent to the bottom of the storage compartment; and

[0016] The airflow direction in the area of ​​the storage room located in front of the second air passage is vertically downward, and the circulating fan is configured to cause the airflow to flow through the second air passage in a vertically downward direction.

[0017] Optionally, the circulating air route is formed by inner and outer enclosure panels disposed inside and outside the building; and

[0018] Both the inner and outer enclosure panels have notches at their front ends, allowing the device's return air vent to communicate with the storage compartment through these notches.

[0019] Optionally, the return air vent of the device extends entirely in a vertical direction; and

[0020] The vertical positions and lengths of the notches in the inner and outer enclosures are respectively matched with the vertical positions and lengths of the device's return air inlet.

[0021] Optionally, the top of the storage device is provided with a moisture-permeable membrane that allows moisture inside to escape outwards; and

[0022] The inner cladding is spaced apart from the top of the storage device to form a permeable space above the permeable membrane; or, the upper section of the inner cladding is adjacent to or close to the top of the storage device, and a viewing window is provided on the upper section of the inner cladding above the permeable membrane to allow the permeable membrane to be exposed to the circulating air path.

[0023] Optionally, the storage device has a drying mode and a humidifying mode with different preset humidity ranges; and

[0024] The air supply damper is configured to open or close in a controlled manner when the storage device is in a dry mode to selectively allow the cooling airflow generated by the evaporator to flow into the storage device, and to close in a controlled manner when the storage device is in a humidifying mode to prevent the cooling airflow from flowing into the storage device.

[0025] Optionally, the evaporator is disposed in an evaporator chamber located behind the storage compartment; and

[0026] The evaporator chamber is connected to the storage chamber via a compartment air supply duct and to the storage device via a device air supply duct. The compartment air supply duct and the device air supply duct are independent of each other, and the air supply damper is located at the end of the device air supply duct adjacent to the evaporator chamber.

[0027] The refrigeration and freezing apparatus of the present invention includes a storage compartment, an evaporator, a storage device disposed in the storage compartment, and an air supply damper for selectively allowing cooling airflow into the storage device, so as to achieve an independent, humidity-adjustable storage space within the storage device by controlling the opening and closing of the air supply damper. Specifically, the refrigeration and freezing apparatus also includes a circulating air duct surrounding the storage device and a circulating fan disposed in the circulating air duct, a portion of which is located outside the device return air inlet of the storage device (i.e., the side of the device return air inlet facing the storage compartment). When the air supply damper is closed, cooling airflow no longer enters the storage device, no airflow exits from the device return air inlet, and airflow from the storage compartment is not expected to enter the storage device via the device return air inlet. At this time, turning on the circulating fan can create an air curtain outside the device's return air vent. This air curtain forms a barrier between the device's return air vent and the storage room. Regardless of whether the storage room is supplying air for cooling, the air inside the storage room will not enter the storage device through the device's return air vent. Therefore, the humidity of the dry and wet adjustable storage space within the storage device is not affected by the storage room.

[0028] Furthermore, when faced with the problem of how to prevent the humidity inside the storage unit from being affected by the return air vent, the inventors realized that a return air damper could be added to the return air vent. However, adding a return air damper not only increases costs, but also makes the damper small, difficult to assemble, and affects production efficiency. Most importantly, it requires precise control of the return air damper, increasing the burden on the control logic. Therefore, this invention proposes a completely different solution from the damper principle. This invention utilizes an independent circulating air path and a circulating fan to prevent air from flowing from the storage room to the return air vent by forming an air curtain outside the return air vent. The design concept is very novel and the effect is quite good.

[0029] The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The following sections will describe some specific embodiments of the invention in detail by way of example and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts or portions. Those skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic enlarged view of part A in the middle;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a circulating fan in operation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a circulating fan in a stopped state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a partial structural schematic of a refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] This invention provides a refrigeration and freezing device. Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic enlarged view of section A in the middle. See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The refrigeration and freezing apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a housing 10 and an evaporator 50 for providing cooling airflow, and a storage compartment 11 is defined within the housing 10. Specifically, the storage compartment 11 is preferably a refrigerated compartment with a refrigerated storage environment, but it can also be other compartments capable of preserving freshness, such as a variable temperature compartment.

[0037] The refrigeration and freezing unit 1 also includes a storage unit 20 and an air supply damper 30. The storage unit 20 is disposed in a storage compartment 11 and has an air supply vent 21 for airflow into it and an air return vent 22 for airflow out of it. The air return vent 22 is exposed within the storage compartment 11, meaning it communicates with the storage compartment 11. The air supply damper 30 is disposed at the air supply vent 21 or in the airflow path between the evaporator 50 and the air supply vent 21, and is configured to be controlled to open to allow cooling airflow into the storage unit 20 or controlled to close to prevent cooling airflow into the storage unit 20. When the air supply damper 30 is open, cooling airflow generated by the evaporator 50 flows into the storage unit 20, and the existing air in the storage unit 20 flows out through the air return vent 22 and returns to the evaporator 50 through the storage compartment 11, thereby replacing the air in the storage unit 20. As the airflow passes through the evaporator 50, which has a lower temperature, the moisture in the airflow condenses on the evaporator 50, resulting in a low temperature and humidity in the cooling airflow. Therefore, after the cooling airflow replaces the air inside the storage device 20, a low-temperature, low-humidity dry storage space can be formed inside the storage device 20. When the air supply damper 30 is closed, it prevents the cooling airflow from flowing into the storage device 20. If the storage device 20 stores dried goods such as delicacies or tea, closing the air supply damper 30 can prevent the humidity inside the storage device 20 from decreasing further, avoiding ineffective dehumidification or the dried goods becoming too dry. If the storage device 20 stores fruits and vegetables with high water content, these items will evaporate a large amount of moisture after the air supply damper 30 is closed, creating a high-humidity space inside the storage device 20, which is beneficial for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. Thus, an independent, adjustable-humidity storage space can be achieved within the storage device 20 by controlling the opening and closing of the air supply damper 30.

[0038] Specifically, the refrigeration and freezing unit 1 also includes a circulating air passage 40 and a circulating fan 60. Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a circulating fan in operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a circulating fan in a stopped state according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The arrows indicate the approximate direction of airflow. A circulating air path 40 surrounds the storage unit 20, with a portion of the circulating air path 40 located outside the unit's return air inlet 22. A circulating fan 60 is disposed within the circulating air path 40 and configured to be activated in a controlled manner when the supply air damper 30 is closed, thereby causing airflow to circulate along the circulating air path 40, thus forming an air curtain outside the unit's return air inlet 22. It should be noted that the outer side of the unit's return air inlet 22 is the side of the unit's return air inlet 22 facing the storage compartment 11, and the inner side opposite the outer side of the unit's return air inlet 22 is the side of the unit's return air inlet 22 facing the interior of the storage unit 20.

[0039] When the air supply damper 30 is closed, cooling airflow no longer enters the storage unit 20, and no airflow exits from the return air vent 22. It is also undesirable for airflow from the storage chamber 11 to enter the storage unit 20 via the return air vent 22. At this time, turning on the circulating fan 60 creates an air curtain outside the return air vent 22, forming a barrier between the return air vent 22 and the storage chamber 11. Regardless of whether the storage chamber 11 is supplying cooling air, the air in the storage chamber 11 will not enter the storage unit 20 via the return air vent 22. Therefore, the humidity of the adjustable storage space within the storage unit 20 is not affected by the storage chamber 11.

[0040] Faced with the problem of how to prevent the humidity inside the storage unit 20 from being affected by the return air vent 22 of the device, the inventors realized that a return air damper could be added to the return air vent 22. However, adding a return air damper not only increases costs, but also makes the damper small, difficult to assemble, and affects production efficiency. Most importantly, it requires precise control of the return air damper, increasing the burden on the control logic. Therefore, this invention has devised a completely different solution from the damper principle. This invention utilizes an independent circulating air path 40 and a circulating fan 60 to prevent air from flowing from the storage room 11 to the return air vent 22 by forming an air curtain outside the return air vent 11. The design concept is very novel and the effect is better.

[0041] In some embodiments, the storage device 20 may have a drying mode and a humidifying mode with different preset humidity ranges. The air supply damper 30 is configured to open or close in a controlled manner when the storage device 20 is in the drying mode to selectively allow the cooling airflow generated by the evaporator 50 to flow into the storage device 20, and to close in a controlled manner when the storage device 20 is in the humidifying mode to prevent the cooling airflow from flowing into the storage device 20. When the storage device 20 is in the drying mode, used for storing dried goods such as tea and delicacies, the air supply damper 30 is open, allowing the cooling airflow into the storage device 20, reducing the humidity inside the storage device 20. When the humidity inside the storage device 20 decreases to the minimum humidity threshold corresponding to the drying mode, the air supply damper 30 can be closed to allow all the cooling airflow to flow to the storage chamber 11, ensuring the cooling effect of the storage chamber 11. When the humidity inside the storage device 20 rises back to above the maximum humidity threshold corresponding to the drying mode, the air supply damper 30 can be reopened. When the storage device 20 is in the humidification mode, it is used to store items with high water content such as fruits and vegetables. At this time, the air supply damper 30 is closed to form a relatively closed space inside the storage device 20. The humidity inside the storage device 20 is increased by the moisture evaporated by the fruits and vegetables themselves, so as to ensure the freshness of the fruits and vegetables.

[0042] In some embodiments, the circulating fan 60 is configured such that the airflow direction of the formed air curtain is the same as the airflow direction in the storage compartment 11 located outside the air curtain. It is understood that since a section of the circulating air duct 40 is located outside the device return air inlet 22, the formed air curtain is also located outside the device return air inlet 22; that is, the device return air inlet 22 is located inside the air curtain, and the side of the air curtain away from the device return air inlet 22 is the outer side of the air curtain. The outer side of the air curtain is still the space of the storage compartment 11. In other words, when the storage compartment 11 is cooled by air supply, airflow is formed within the storage compartment 11. The airflow direction outside the air curtain within the storage compartment 11 is the same as the airflow direction of the air curtain. This avoids backflow or crossflow between the airflow forming the air curtain and the airflow within the storage compartment 11, which would affect the normal flow of the two airflows, ensuring the normal formation of the air curtain and normal airflow within the storage compartment 11.

[0043] In some embodiments, the device air outlet 21 is formed on the rear side of the storage device 20 to facilitate the input of cooling airflow into the storage device 20 and simplify the air duct structure. Preferably, the device air outlet 21 may be formed on the upper part of the rear side of the storage device 20 to make the distribution of cooling airflow within the storage device 20 more even.

[0044] In the prior art, the return air vent 22 is usually also located at the rear of the storage unit 20. This way, even if a damper is installed at the return air vent 22, it will not be exposed at the front of the storage unit 20, thus not affecting the aesthetics. However, since the air supply vent 21 is also located at the rear of the storage unit 20 and is relatively close to the return air vent 22, the cooling airflow flowing in through the air supply vent 21 may only flow through the rear area of ​​the storage unit 20 before flowing out through the return air vent 22, resulting in the humidity in the front area of ​​the storage unit 20 not being regulated.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment of the invention, the return air vent 22 is formed on the front side of the storage device 20. That is, the return air vent 22 and the air supply vent 21 are respectively located on two opposite sides of the storage device 20. This allows the cooling airflow flowing in through the air supply vent 21 to flow from back to front through most of the storage device 20 before exiting through the return air vent 22, ensuring a relatively uniform humidity level in all areas of the storage device 20. Furthermore, since this invention prevents air from entering the storage compartment 11 into the storage device 20 by forming an air curtain outside the return air vent 22, there is no need to install dampers or other structures at the return air vent 22, thus not affecting the appearance of the refrigeration and freezing device 1.

[0046] In some embodiments, the circulating air path 40 surrounds the storage device 20 in both the front-to-back and vertical directions, and includes a first air path section 41 located above the storage device 20, a second air path section 42 located in front of the storage device 20, a third air path section 43 located below the storage device 20, and a fourth air path section 44 located behind the storage device 20. The first air path section 41, the second air path section 42, the third air path section 43, and the fourth air path section 44 are sequentially connected to form a closed-loop air path structure. The second air path section 42 is located in front of the device's return air inlet 22. When the circulating fan 60 is running, an air curtain is formed within the second air path section 42 to isolate the device's return air inlet 22 from the storage compartment 11. When the circulating fan 60 stops running, no air curtain is formed within the second air path section 42, and the device's return air inlet 22 is connected to the storage compartment 11 through the second air path section 42.

[0047] Furthermore, the storage compartment 11 has a compartment air supply vent 111 and a compartment air return vent 112, with the compartment air return vent 112 adjacent to the bottom of the storage compartment 11. The airflow direction in the area of ​​the storage compartment 11 located in front of the second air passage 42 is vertically downward, and the circulating fan 60 is configured to cause the airflow to flow vertically downward through the second air passage 42.

[0048] In some embodiments, the circulating air path 40 is defined by an inner enclosure 45 and an outer enclosure 46 disposed inside and outside. Both the inner enclosure 45 and the outer enclosure 46 have notches at their front portions, allowing the device return air inlet 22 to communicate with the storage compartment 11 through these notches. It is understood that the notches in the inner enclosure 45 and the outer enclosure 46 define the aforementioned second air path segment 42. When the circulating fan 60 is stopped, the airflow from the device return air inlet 22 can flow through the notches to the storage compartment 11, and then return to the evaporator 40 via the storage compartment 11. When the circulating fan 60 is running, an air curtain is formed between the notches in the inner enclosure 45 and the outer enclosure 46.

[0049] Furthermore, the return air vent 22 extends vertically as a whole. The vertical positions and lengths of the notches in the inner and outer enclosures 45 and 46 match the vertical positions and lengths of the return air vent 22. Thus, any area of ​​the return air vent 22 can be exposed to the storage compartment 11, and when the circulating fan 60 is running, an air curtain can be formed on the outer side of any location within the return air vent 22.

[0050] Specifically, the return air vent 22 of the device can be a strip-shaped vent extending in the vertical direction, or it can include multiple small through holes arranged in the vertical direction.

[0051] In some embodiments, the top of the storage device 20 is provided with a moisture-permeable membrane 23 that allows moisture inside to escape. When the storage device 20 is in a humidification mode, and the humidity inside the storage device 20 exceeds the maximum humidity threshold corresponding to the humidification mode, the moisture inside the storage device 20 escapes through the moisture-permeable membrane 23 to ensure that the humidity inside the storage device 20 is suitable. Further, the humidity inside the storage device 20 can be obtained by a humidity sensor disposed inside it.

[0052] To ensure that the moisture that seeps out can dissipate effectively, a certain space needs to be left above the moisture-permeable membrane 23. Therefore, in some embodiments, the inner cladding 45 is spaced apart from the top of the storage device 20 to form a moisture-permeable space above the moisture-permeable membrane 23.

[0053] However, even with the moisture-permeable membrane 23 installed, the humidity inside the storage device 20 remains high, and condensation may even occur. Prior to this application, those skilled in the art typically believed that the moisture-permeable membrane 23 was not performing adequately and replaced it; however, the condensation problem remained unresolved. The applicant recognizes that in order to maintain a sufficiently large effective storage space within the storage compartment 11, the size or height of the aforementioned moisture-permeable space is limited, resulting in a slow airflow velocity within the space. When the humidity inside the storage device 20 is high, the area outside the moisture-permeable membrane 23 also experiences high humidity due to the slow airflow velocity, causing a humidity balance between the inside and outside of the membrane 23, thus rendering the membrane 23 ineffective.

[0054] Therefore, the present invention also provides a more preferred embodiment. Figure 5 This is a partial structural schematic of a refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the upper section of the inner lining plate 45 is disposed adjacent to or close to the top of the storage device 20, and a viewing window 451 is provided on the upper section of the inner lining plate 45 above the moisture-permeable membrane 23 to allow the moisture-permeable membrane 23 to be exposed to the circulating air passage 40. Thus, when the storage device 20 is in the humidification mode, the air supply damper 30 is closed, the circulating fan 60 is started, and a continuous airflow is formed in the circulating air passage 40, which can promptly disperse the moisture permeated by the moisture-permeable membrane 23 to other areas, preventing moisture from accumulating in the space above the moisture-permeable membrane 23 and preventing excessively high air humidity outside the moisture-permeable membrane 23 from affecting its moisture permeability.

[0055] In some embodiments, the evaporator 50 is disposed in the evaporator chamber 12 located behind the storage chamber 11. The evaporator chamber 12 is connected to the storage chamber 11 via the chamber air supply duct 13 and to the storage device 20 via the device air supply duct 14. The chamber air supply duct 13 and the device air supply duct 14 are disposed independently of each other, and the air supply damper 30 is disposed at the end of the device air supply duct 14 adjacent to the evaporator chamber 12. On the one hand, the air supply of the storage device 20 and the storage chamber 11 does not affect each other. When the storage device 20 needs to supply air, it is not necessary to consider whether the storage chamber 11 is in a cooling state, whether it needs to be cooled, or the amount of cooling. That is, the air supply of the storage device 20 will not affect the temperature of the storage chamber 11. On the other hand, all the airflow sent out through the device air supply duct 14 can flow to the storage device 20, and all the airflow sent out through the chamber air supply duct 13 can flow to the storage chamber 11. This increases the air supply volume when the storage device 20 needs to supply air and the air supply volume when the storage chamber 11 needs to be cooled, thereby improving the humidity regulation efficiency of the storage device 20 in the drying mode and the cooling efficiency of the storage chamber 11.

[0056] In some embodiments, the number of storage devices 20 may be one, two or more. When the number of storage devices 20 is two, the two storage devices 20 may be arranged side by side in the horizontal direction at the bottom of the storage compartment 11.

[0057] Those skilled in the art will understand that the refrigeration and freezing device 1 of the present invention includes not only refrigerators, but also storage devices with refrigeration, freezing or other storage functions, such as refrigerator boxes, freezers, etc.

[0058] Those skilled in the art should also understand that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", etc. used to indicate orientation or positional relationship in the embodiments of the present invention are based on the actual use state of the refrigeration and freezing device 1. These terms are only for the purpose of describing and understanding the technical solution of the present invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

[0059] Therefore, those skilled in the art should recognize that although numerous exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications conforming to the principles of the present invention can be directly determined or derived from the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should be understood and construed as covering all such other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A refrigeration and freezing apparatus, comprising a storage compartment for storing items and an evaporator for providing cooling airflow, characterized in that, Also includes: A storage device is provided in the storage compartment and has a device air inlet for airflow into it and a device air outlet for airflow out of it, the device air outlet being exposed in the storage compartment. An air supply damper is provided at the air supply port of the device or on the airflow path between the evaporator and the air supply port of the device, and is configured to be opened in a controlled manner to allow cooling airflow into the storage device or closed in a controlled manner to prevent cooling airflow from entering the storage device. A circulating air duct is provided outside the storage device, and a portion of the circulating air duct is located outside the device's return air inlet; and A circulating fan is installed in the circulating air path and configured to be started in a controlled manner when the air supply damper is closed, so as to cause the airflow to circulate along the circulating air path, thereby forming an air curtain outside the return air inlet of the device. The storage compartment has a compartment air supply vent and a compartment air return vent; the circulating fan is configured such that the airflow direction of the formed air curtain is the same as the airflow direction in the storage compartment located outside the air curtain.

2. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air supply vent of the device is formed on the rear side of the storage device, and the air return vent of the device is formed on the front side of the storage device.

3. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The circulating airflow surrounds the storage device in both the front-to-back and vertical directions, and includes a first airflow section above the storage device, a second airflow section in front of the storage device, a third airflow section below the storage device, and a fourth airflow section behind the storage device. The first, second, third, and fourth airflow sections are sequentially connected. The second air path is located in front of the return air inlet of the device.

4. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The air return vent of the compartment is located near the bottom of the storage compartment; and The airflow direction in the area of ​​the storage room located in front of the second air passage is vertically downward, and the circulating fan is configured to cause the airflow to flow through the second air passage in a vertically downward direction.

5. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The circulating air path is formed by inner and outer enclosures; and Both the inner and outer enclosure panels have notches at their front ends, allowing the device's return air vent to communicate with the storage compartment through these notches.

6. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The return air vent of the device extends vertically as a whole; and The vertical positions and lengths of the notches in the inner and outer enclosures are respectively matched with the vertical positions and lengths of the device's return air inlet.

7. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The top of the storage device is equipped with a moisture-permeable membrane that allows moisture inside to escape; and The inner cladding is spaced apart from the top of the storage device to form a permeable space above the permeable membrane; or, the upper section of the inner cladding is adjacent to or close to the top of the storage device, and a viewing window is provided on the upper section of the inner cladding above the permeable membrane to allow the permeable membrane to be exposed to the circulating air path.

8. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage device has a drying mode and a moisturizing mode with different preset humidity ranges; and The air supply damper is configured to open or close in a controlled manner when the storage device is in a dry mode to selectively allow the cooling airflow generated by the evaporator to flow into the storage device, and to close in a controlled manner when the storage device is in a humidifying mode to prevent the cooling airflow from flowing into the storage device.

9. The refrigeration and freezing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporator is located in an evaporator chamber behind the storage room; and The evaporator chamber is connected to the storage chamber via a compartment air supply duct and to the storage device via a device air supply duct. The compartment air supply duct and the device air supply duct are independent of each other, and the air supply damper is located at the end of the device air supply duct adjacent to the evaporator chamber.

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