Air-cooled refrigerator air supply control method and air-cooled refrigerator

Abstract

The application provides an air supply control method of a forced air cooling refrigerator and the forced air cooling refrigerator. The air supply control method comprises the following steps: obtaining refrigeration demand of a chamber; controlling an air supply fan in an air duct to operate at a rotating speed N1 for a first preset time S1, so that an air door in the air duct is opened and an opening angle of the air door relative to a horizontal plane is not less than 90 degrees; then controlling the air supply fan to continue operating at a rotating speed N2 until the chamber reaches a set temperature, wherein N2 is less than N1. In the air supply control method provided by the application, the air supply fan is controlled to open the air door quickly at the rotating speed N1, and then the chamber is cooled at the relatively small rotating speed N2, so that the energy consumption of the air supply fan is reduced. Meanwhile, the air supply fan is controlled to cool at the relatively small rotating speed N2, so that the noise of the air supply fan is reduced, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air-cooled refrigerator technology, specifically to an air-cooled refrigerator air supply control method and an air-cooled refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] Air-cooled refrigerators typically have a cooling compartment for housing the evaporator and multiple air supply ducts. A fan uses these ducts to deliver cooled air from the cooling compartment to the corresponding storage compartments. To control airflow, mechanical or electric dampers are usually installed within the air supply ducts. Compared to electric dampers, mechanical dampers offer advantages such as lower cost and no electricity consumption.

[0003] In existing technologies, the opening of the air duct is mostly ensured by the continuous force of the cooling air delivered into the air duct on the damper. This means that the fan needs to continuously deliver a large amount of cooling air into the air duct to ensure that the air duct is open. However, the temperature control requirements of the storage compartment do not require so much cooling capacity, which means that there is a waste of cooling capacity and the energy consumption of the air-cooled refrigerator is too high.

[0004] In summary, a new air supply control method and an air-cooled refrigerator need to be designed to overcome the defects and shortcomings of the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides an air supply control method for an air-cooled refrigerator and an air-cooled refrigerator to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0006] To achieve one of the above-mentioned objectives, an embodiment of the present invention provides an air supply control method for a frost-free refrigerator, the air supply control method comprising the following steps:

[0007] Obtain the cooling requirements of the room;

[0008] After obtaining the cooling demand of the room, the air supply fan in the air duct is controlled to run at a speed of N1 for a first preset time S1, so that the air damper in the air duct is opened and the opening angle of the air damper relative to the horizontal plane is not less than 90 degrees.

[0009] Then control the air supply fan to continue running at speed N2 until the room reaches the set temperature, where N2 is less than N1.

[0010] As a further improvement to the above technology, the air supply control method further includes: after the room reaches the set temperature, controlling the air supply fan to rotate in the reverse direction for a second preset time S2, so that the damper closes the air duct under the action of the reverse force F1 of the air supply fan and / or the gravity F0 of the damper.

[0011] As a further improvement to the above technology, the air supply fan stops rotating after a second preset time S2 when it rotates in the reverse direction, and the second preset time S2 is 0 to 15 seconds.

[0012] As a further improvement to the above technology, the opening angle of the aforementioned damper relative to the horizontal plane is 90 degrees. When the air supply fan is running at a speed of N2, the air force of the air supply fan is not less than the gravity F0 of the damper, so that when the room reaches the set temperature, the damper rotates under the action of gravity F0 to close the air duct when the air supply fan stops rotating.

[0013] The present invention also provides an air-cooled refrigerator capable of implementing the above-described air supply control method to solve the aforementioned technical problems. The air-cooled refrigerator includes a storage compartment, a cooling compartment, an air duct structure connecting the storage compartment and the cooling compartment, and an air supply fan. The air duct structure includes an air duct wall forming the air duct, an air damper rotatably connected to the air duct wall to close or open the air duct, and a mechanical closing structure cooperating with the air damper. The air duct wall has a support portion that allows the air damper to open at a 90-95 degree angle relative to the horizontal plane. The mechanical closing structure is configured such that when the air damper is open, the air supply fan must meet a first driving force so that the air damper is blown open and rests against the support portion. When the air supply fan is closed or rotates in the reverse direction, the air damper closes under the action of gravity or the reverse drive of the air supply fan. As a further improvement to the above technology, the mechanical closing structure includes a limiting plate that cooperates with the damper. The limiting plate is located inside the air duct and away from the damper's rotating shaft. When the damper closes the air duct, the limiting plate contacts the damper and the damper is located below the limiting plate.

[0014] As a further improvement to the above technology, the contact end between the limiting lever and the damper is made of a flexible material.

[0015] As a further improvement to the above technology, the air duct structure also includes a limiting baffle disposed in the air duct. The limiting baffle is installed to the air duct wall and the limiting lever is located between the limiting baffle and the damper shaft. The limiting lever is installed to the air duct wall through an intermediate shaft, and the rotation radius of the limiting lever is greater than the distance from the intermediate shaft to the limiting baffle.

[0016] As a further improvement to the above technology, the air duct structure also includes a counterweight and a connecting rope disposed at the end of the damper away from the damper's pivot axis, and the counterweight is connected to the damper via the connecting rope.

[0017] As a further improvement to the above technology, the air duct structure also includes a magnetic attraction device disposed at the end of the damper away from the damper pivot.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: In the air supply control method provided by the present invention, the fan is controlled to open the damper quickly at a speed of N1, and then the room is cooled at a relatively small speed of N2, which reduces the energy consumption of the air supply fan. At the same time, the fan is cooled at a relatively small speed of N2, which reduces the noise of the air supply fan and improves the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an air-cooled refrigerator air supply control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a frost-cooled refrigerator when the air door is opened, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows the air duct structure of a frost-free refrigerator with the damper open.

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The diagram shows a duct structure with the damper closed.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the opening structure of the air duct structure in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The diagram shows a duct structure with the damper closed.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the opening of the damper in the air duct structure in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The diagram shows a duct structure with the damper closed. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element 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 invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, one embodiment of the present invention provides an air supply control method for a frost-free refrigerator, the air supply control method comprising the following steps:

[0030] S10, obtain the cooling requirements of the room;

[0031] S20, control the air supply fan in the air duct to run at a speed of N1 for a first preset time S1, so that the air damper in the air duct opens, and the opening angle of the air damper relative to the horizontal plane is not less than 90 degrees.

[0032] Specifically, after the cooling demand of the room is obtained, the air supply fan in the air duct is controlled to run at a speed of N1 for a first preset time S1. During the operation of the air supply fan at a speed of N1, the force F1 of the airflow delivered by the air supply fan to the air duct on the damper is greater than the weight F0 of the damper, so that the damper rotates to open the air duct, and the angle between the damper and the horizontal plane after the damper is opened is not less than 90 degrees. At this time, the damper rests against the wall of the air duct.

[0033] The first preset time S1 can be set in the range of 0 to 20 seconds to enable the damper to open quickly, thereby improving the user experience.

[0034] S30 controls the air supply fan to run at a speed of N2 until the room reaches the set temperature, where N2 is less than N1.

[0035] In the above air supply control method, the air supply fan is first controlled at a speed of N1 to open the damper, and then the room is cooled at a relatively small speed of N2, which reduces the energy consumption of the air supply fan. At the same time, the fan is cooled at a relatively small speed of N2, which reduces the noise of the air supply fan and improves the user experience.

[0036] As a further improvement to the above-mentioned air supply control method, the air supply control method further includes controlling the air supply fan to rotate in the reverse direction for a second preset time S2 after the room reaches the set temperature, so that the damper closes the air duct under the action of the reverse force F1 of the air supply fan and / or the gravity F0 of the damper.

[0037] Specifically, after the supply fan rotates in reverse, it creates a reverse airflow within the duct, causing the damper to close the duct. During the duct closure process, when the opening angle of the damper with respect to the horizontal plane is greater than 90 degrees, a pressure difference is created on both sides of the damper. Under the action of this pressure difference, the damper rotates to close the duct. When the opening angle of the damper with respect to the horizontal plane is less than 90 degrees, the supply fan can be controlled to stop rotating in reverse. At this time, the damper completes the duct closure under the action of gravity F0. Similarly, the supply fan can be controlled to continue rotating in reverse, so that the reverse force F1 of the supply fan acts on the damper to accelerate the closure of the damper.

[0038] Furthermore, the air supply fan stops rotating after a second preset time S2 when it rotates in the reverse direction. Optionally, the second preset time S2 is 0 to 15 seconds.

[0039] In another embodiment of the present invention, when the opening angle of the aforementioned damper relative to the horizontal plane is 90 degrees, and the air supply fan is running at a speed of N2, the air force of the air supply fan is not less than the gravity F0 of the damper, so that when the air supply fan stops rotating after the room reaches the set temperature, the damper rotates under the action of gravity F0 to close the air duct.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, a wind-cooled refrigerator 100 capable of implementing the above-described air supply control method is also provided, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the air-cooled refrigerator 100 includes a storage compartment 110, a cooling compartment 120, an air duct structure 130 connecting the storage compartment 110 and the cooling compartment 120, and a blower 140.

[0042] The refrigeration chamber 120 is equipped with an evaporator 121 for heat exchange of air into the storage chamber 110. The air duct structure 130 includes an air inlet duct 131 and a return air duct 132 connecting the storage chamber 110 and the refrigeration chamber 120. The evaporator 121 is positioned between the air inlet of the air inlet duct 131 and the air outlet of the return air duct 132. A blower 140 is positioned at the air inlet of the air inlet duct 131 to deliver the airflow treated by the evaporator 121 to the storage chamber 110. The airflow direction within the refrigeration chamber 120, air inlet duct 131, storage chamber 110, and return air duct 132 is as follows: Figure 2 As indicated by the middle arrow.

[0043] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the air duct structure 130 further includes an air duct wall 134 forming an air duct 133, an air damper 135 rotatably connected to the air duct wall 134 to close or open the air duct 133, and a mechanical closing structure 150 that cooperates with the air damper 135. The air duct wall 134 has a support portion 1321 that allows the air damper 135 to open at an angle of 90 to 95 degrees relative to the horizontal plane.

[0044] Furthermore, a damper mounting plate 1341 is formed in the air duct wall 134 into the air duct 133, and the damper 135 is connected to the damper mounting plate 1341 via a damper pivot 1351. The damper mounting plate 1341 extends horizontally from the air duct wall 134 into the air duct 133, so that the damper 135 rests against the resting part 1321 at an angle of 90 to 95 degrees relative to the horizontal plane.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the damper 135 itself has a relatively small weight. In order to ensure that the damper 135 has a stable state when the air duct 133 is closed, and to prevent cold energy from escaping from the damper 135 to the storage chamber 110, the mechanical closing structure 150 is configured such that when the damper 135 is open, the air supply fan 140 needs to meet a first driving force so that the damper 135 is blown open and rests on the support part 1321. When the air supply fan 140 is closed or rotated in the reverse direction, the damper 135 closes under the action of gravity or under the reverse drive of the air supply fan 140.

[0046] Furthermore, the mechanical closing structure 150 includes a limiting lever 151 that cooperates with the damper 135. The limiting lever 151 is disposed within the air duct 133 and away from the damper pivot 1351. When the damper 135 closes the air duct 133, the limiting lever 151 contacts the damper 135, and the damper 135 is positioned below the limiting lever 151. The contact end between the limiting lever 151 and the damper 135 is made of a flexible material.

[0047] In this embodiment, when the damper 135 is below the limiting lever 151 and the air duct 133 is closed, and the damper 135 needs to be opened, under the force F1 exerted by the airflow delivered by the blower 140 into the air duct 133, the damper 135 rotates upward. At this time, the contact end between the limiting lever 151 and the damper 135 deforms, thereby opening the damper 135. Furthermore, the force F1 is greater than the weight of the damper 135, causing the damper 135 to be finally blown open to a 90-95 degree angle and rest against the support part 1321. In this embodiment, the limiting lever 151 can be fixedly installed on the air duct wall 134, or the limiting lever 151 can be rotatably connected to the air duct wall 134.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the limiting paddle 151 is rotatably mounted to the air duct wall 134 via an intermediate shaft, and the mechanical closing structure 150 further includes a limiting baffle 152 disposed in the air duct. The limiting baffle 152 is mounted to the air duct wall 134 and the limiting paddle 151 is located between the limiting baffle 152 and the damper shaft 1351.

[0049] Furthermore, the rotation radius of the limiting lever 151 is greater than the distance from the intermediate shaft 153 to the limiting baffle 152. For example... Figure 3 As shown, due to the obstruction of the limiting baffle 152, the limiting lever 151 can only rotate within a certain angle range. When the damper needs to be opened, the airflow delivered by the blower 140 acts on the damper to push the damper 135 upward. At this time, due to the obstruction of the limiting baffle 152, the limiting lever 151 cannot rotate counterclockwise. The contact end of the limiting lever 151 with the damper 135 deforms, thereby realizing the opening of the damper 135. Figure 4 As shown, when the damper needs to be closed, the damper 135 rotates downward, causing the limiting lever 151 to rotate clockwise. The contact end of the limiting lever 151 with the damper is made of flexible material, so that the damper 135 is located below the limiting lever, thereby achieving the closure of the damper 135.

[0050] Furthermore, the limiting lever 151 is rotatably connected to the air duct wall 134 via the intermediate shaft 153, which not only enables the closure of the air door 135, but also allows the airflow delivered by the air supply fan 140 to rotate the limiting lever when the storage chamber 110 needs cooling, thus not affecting the cooling of the storage chamber.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] In another embodiment of the present invention, a frost-cooled refrigerator is also provided, which differs from the above embodiments in that: Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the mechanical closing structure 250 includes a counterweight 254 and a connecting rope 255 disposed at the end of the damper 235 away from the damper pivot 2351. The counterweight 254 is connected to the damper 235 via the connecting rope 255. The counterweight 254 makes the blower require a greater force to lift the damper, thereby making the closed state of the damper 235 more stable.

[0053] In this embodiment, when the damper 235 is closed, the damper 235 rests on the limiting baffle 252 to prevent the damper 235 from rotating downward; when the storage room needs to be cooled, the airflow delivered by the blower towards the air duct 233 exerts a force on the damper 235 greater than the weight of the damper 235 and the counterweight 254, until the damper 235 is opened to rest against the support part 2341 on the air duct wall 234.

[0054] The air-cooled refrigerator provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention is substantially the same in other aspects as the above embodiments, so the description is omitted.

[0055] Example 3

[0056] In another embodiment of the present invention, a frost-cooled refrigerator is also provided, which differs from the above embodiments in that: Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the mechanical closing structure 350 includes a magnetic attraction device 356 disposed at the end of the damper 335 away from the damper pivot 3351. The magnetic attraction device 356 can be attracted to the duct wall 334 or to the limiting baffle 352 to close the duct 333.

[0057] In this embodiment, when the damper 335 closes the air duct 333, the magnetic attraction device 356 is attracted and fixed to the limiting baffle 352; when the storage room needs to be cooled, the airflow delivered by the blower towards the air duct 333 exerts a force on the damper 335 greater than the attraction force of the damper 335 and the magnetic attraction device 356, until the damper 335 is opened to rest against the support part 3341 on the air duct wall 334.

[0058] The air-cooled refrigerator provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention has roughly the same structure as the above embodiments, so the description is omitted.

[0059] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: In the air supply control method provided by the present invention, the air supply fan 140 is controlled to quickly open the air dampers 135, 235, and 335 at a speed of N1, and then cools the storage compartment 110 at a relatively low speed of N2, which reduces the energy consumption of the air supply fan 140. At the same time, the air supply fan 140 cools at a relatively low speed of N2, reducing the noise of the air supply fan 140 and improving the user experience. The air-cooled refrigerator 100 provided by the present invention achieves the opening or closing of the air ducts 133, 233, and 333 by setting mechanical closing structures 150, 250, and 350, which is simple in structure and reduces production costs; and the setting of the limiting lever 151 makes the closing effect of the air damper 135 better, and at the same time can achieve rapid cooling of the storage compartment 110.

[0060] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0061] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific descriptions of feasible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the air supply of a frost-free refrigerator, characterized in that, The air supply control method includes the following steps: Obtain the cooling requirements of the room; After obtaining the cooling demand of the room, the air supply fan in the air duct is controlled to run at a speed of N1 for a first preset time S1, so that the air damper in the air duct is opened and the opening angle of the air damper relative to the horizontal plane is not less than 90 degrees; during the operation of the air supply fan at a speed of N1, the force F1 of the airflow delivered by the air supply fan to the air damper on the air damper is greater than the weight F0 of the air damper, so that the air damper rotates to open the air duct. Then, the supply fan is controlled to continue operating at a speed of N2 until the room reaches the set temperature, where N2 is less than N1. After the room reaches the set temperature, the supply fan is controlled to rotate in reverse for a second preset time S2, so that the damper closes the air duct under the action of the reverse force F1 of the supply fan and / or the gravity F0 of the damper. After the supply fan rotates in reverse, a reverse airflow is formed in the air duct, so that the damper closes the air duct. During the process of closing the air duct, when the opening angle of the damper with the horizontal plane is greater than 90 degrees, a pressure difference is formed on the left and right sides of the damper. Under the action of the pressure difference, the damper rotates to close the air duct. When the opening angle of the damper with the horizontal plane is less than 90 degrees, the supply fan is controlled to stop rotating in reverse. At this time, the damper completes the closure of the air duct under the action of gravity F0. The first preset time S1 is set in the range of 0~20s.

2. The air supply control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The blower stops rotating after a second preset time S2, and the second preset time S2 is 0~15s.

3. A frost-free refrigerator, comprising a storage compartment, a cooling compartment, an air duct structure connecting the storage compartment and the cooling compartment, and a blower; characterized in that, The air-cooled refrigerator is the air-cooled refrigerator in the air supply control method of the air-cooled refrigerator according to claim 1. The air duct structure includes an air duct wall forming the air duct, an air door rotatably connected to the air duct wall to close or open the air duct, and a mechanical closing structure that cooperates with the air door. The air duct wall has a support portion that allows the air door to open at a 90-95 degree angle relative to the horizontal plane. The mechanical closing structure is configured such that when the air door is open, the air supply fan needs to meet a first driving force so that the air door is blown open and supports the support portion. When the air supply fan is closed, the air door closes under the action of gravity, or, when the air supply fan rotates in the opposite direction, the air door closes under the reverse drive of the air supply fan. The mechanical closing structure includes a limiting lever that cooperates with the damper. The limiting lever is located inside the air duct and away from the damper's pivot. When the damper closes the air duct, the limiting lever contacts the damper and the damper is below the limiting lever. The contact end between the limiting lever and the damper is made of a flexible material. The air duct structure also includes a limiting baffle disposed in the air duct. The limiting baffle is installed to the air duct wall and the limiting lever is located between the limiting baffle and the damper shaft. The limiting lever is installed to the air duct wall through an intermediate shaft, and the rotation radius of the limiting lever is greater than the distance from the intermediate shaft to the limiting baffle.

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