Refrigerator and method for controlling refrigeration thereof

Abstract

The application relates to a refrigerator and a refrigeration control method thereof. The refrigerator comprises a shell, a refrigeration component and a fan. The fan comprises a fan body and a driving circuit which are connected with each other. The fan body is arranged in an air duct, and the driving circuit is arranged in a sandwich layer. When the refrigeration component is refrigerated so that the refrigeration cavity of the freezing chamber reaches-40 DEG C, the driving circuit drives the fan body to rotate in the refrigeration cavity of the freezing chamber, so that cold air is sent from the air duct into the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber respectively. The application also provides a refrigeration control method, which comprises collecting whether the freezing chamber temperature is greater than-40 DEG C; if yes, counting the running time of the compressor and the fan; if the interval time of two fan running is greater than a preset first time length, starting the fan to detect whether the fan fails. The refrigerator and the refrigeration control method thereof can work under an ambient temperature below-40 DEG C, and are not limited by the minimum working temperature-40 DEG C of electronic components.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigeration equipment technology, and in particular to a refrigerator and its refrigeration control method. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of refrigeration technology, household refrigerators have increasingly stringent requirements for low temperatures to improve food preservation. The market initially offered -32℃, then -33℃, and now -38℃. However, further reductions, such as below -40℃, face numerous limitations. For example, the lowest operating temperature of current industry-standard chips is -40℃. In existing refrigerators, the fan drive is located inside the fan body. The refrigeration fan is placed in the freezer compartment. To lower the compartment temperature below -40℃, the ambient temperature of the fan body must be below -40℃. However, since the fan body contains chips, it will malfunction below -40℃. To solve this problem, a heating element is added to the fan body, but this affects refrigeration, and heating at low temperatures requires neutralizing a large amount of cold air before the fan body temperature can rise. A new technology is needed in this field to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a refrigerator and its refrigeration control method, which can operate in ambient temperatures below -40°C and is not limited by the minimum operating temperature of electronic components of -40°C.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a refrigerator, comprising:

[0005] The shell includes an inner shell and an outer shell, with a sandwich layer between the inner shell and the outer shell. The shell includes a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment stacked together, with a connecting air duct between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment.

[0006] A refrigeration component, disposed within the refrigeration chamber of the freezer compartment; and

[0007] The fan includes a fan body and a drive circuit connected to each other. The fan body is located in the air duct, and the drive circuit is located in the interlayer. When the refrigeration components are refrigerated to the point that the refrigeration chamber of the freezer reaches -40°C, the drive circuit drives the fan body to rotate in the refrigeration chamber of the freezer, so as to send cold air from the air duct into the freezer and the refrigerator respectively.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the interlayer is provided with a filler that encloses the drive circuit.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the refrigerator also includes a damper disposed between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, the opening and closing degree of which is controllable to adjust the amount of cold air in the air duct.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the wind turbine body includes:

[0011] The substrate is disposed between the inner wall of the inner shell and the freezer compartment;

[0012] Mounting structural components, multiple of which are arranged circumferentially along the substrate, are used to mount the substrate onto the inner wall of the inner shell; and

[0013] An impeller is rotatably mounted on a base plate and faces the freezer compartment. The impeller includes several arc-shaped blades arranged around the center of the base plate. When the refrigeration unit is cooling, the drive circuit drives the impeller to rotate so as to send cold air from the air duct into the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment respectively.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the refrigerator also includes a temperature sensor disposed within the air duct to monitor the temperature of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the refrigerator also includes a controller disposed on the housing, which is electrically connected to the drive circuit via a wiring harness.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the refrigerator also includes a controller disposed on the housing, with the drive circuitry integrated on the controller.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the controller is located at the top of the refrigerator compartment.

[0018] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a refrigeration control method for a refrigerator, the refrigeration control method comprising:

[0019] Check if the temperature of the freezer compartment is greater than -40℃;

[0020] If so, record the running time of the compressor and fan;

[0021] If the interval between two fan runs is longer than the preset first duration, the fan will be started to check for any fan malfunction.

[0022] In one possible implementation, if the interval between two wind turbine operations is less than or equal to a preset first duration, the wind turbine is controlled to shut down.

[0023] The refrigerator and its refrigeration control method provided in this application embodiment place the fan body in the refrigeration chamber of the freezer compartment. The fan body can withstand low temperatures below -40°C. The drive circuit of the fan body is not placed on the fan body, but is electrically connected to the fan body through a wiring harness and placed outside the refrigeration chamber of the freezer compartment. This solves the current problem that the fan cannot work below -40°C and provides a foundation for the development of refrigerators towards lower temperatures. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. In addition, in the drawings, the same parts use the same reference numerals, and the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0025] Figure 1 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 2 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the structure of the fan body according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 3 A flowchart of the refrigeration control method provided in this application is shown;

[0028] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the refrigeration control method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0030] 1. Shell; 11. Inner shell; 12. Outer shell; 13. Air duct; 14. Refrigerator compartment; 15. Freezer compartment;

[0031] 2. Refrigeration components;

[0032] 3. Fan; 31. Fan body; 311. Base plate; 312. Mounting structure; 313. Impeller; 32. Drive circuit;

[0033] 4. Filler;

[0034] 5. Air damper;

[0035] 6. Temperature sensor;

[0036] 7. Controller. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0038] In existing refrigerators on the market, the fan drive is located inside the fan body. The refrigeration fan is placed in the freezer compartment. To lower the compartment temperature to below -40°C, the ambient temperature of the fan body must be below -40°C. However, the fan body contains chips, and below -40°C, some fans will not function properly. To solve this problem, a heating element is added to the fan body, but this affects refrigeration, and at low temperatures, heating requires neutralizing a large amount of cold air before the fan body temperature can rise. This application proposes a refrigerator and its refrigeration control method. This refrigerator, in conjunction with the refrigeration control method, can operate in ambient temperatures below -40°C, unaffected by the -40°C minimum operating temperature of the electronic components.

[0039] Specifically, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a refrigerator, comprising: a shell 1, the shell 1 including an inner shell 11 and an outer shell 12, with a sandwich layer formed between the inner shell 11 and the outer shell 12, the interior of the shell 1 including a refrigerator compartment 14 and a freezer compartment 15 stacked together, with a communicating air duct 13 formed between the refrigerator compartment 14 and the freezer compartment 15; a refrigeration component 2 disposed in the refrigeration chamber of the freezer compartment 15; and a fan 3, the fan 3 including a fan body 3 and a drive circuit 32 connected to each other, the fan body 3 disposed in the air duct 13, and the drive circuit 32 disposed in the sandwich layer, when the refrigeration component 2 refrigerates to the point that the refrigeration chamber of the freezer compartment 15 reaches -40°C, the drive circuit 32 drives the fan body 3 to rotate in the refrigeration chamber of the freezer compartment 15 to send cold air from the air duct 13 into the freezer compartment 15 and the refrigerator compartment 14 respectively.

[0040] For example, the refrigerator provided in this application includes a refrigerator compartment 14 and a freezer compartment 15. The freezer compartment 15 is located below the refrigerator compartment 14. A refrigeration chamber is provided inside the freezer compartment 15. The refrigeration component 2 includes an evaporator and a compressor. The evaporator is located inside the refrigeration chamber to provide cold air to the freezer compartment 15 under the action of the compressor. In this application, the fan 3 body is placed inside the refrigeration chamber of the freezer compartment 15, and the drive circuit 32 of the fan 3 is placed in the interlayer behind the refrigeration chamber. The fan 3 body can blow out cold air below -40°C and send it into the freezer compartment 15 and the refrigerator compartment 14 under the drive of the drive circuit 32. With this arrangement, the drive circuit 32 containing the chip is separated from the fan 3 body and placed outside the freezer compartment 15. The two are electrically connected by a wiring harness. In this way, the fan 3 body is not limited by the low temperature of the freezer compartment 15 and can work at a lower ambient temperature. The drive circuit 32 is not limited by the position of the fan 3 body and is not affected by the low temperature of the freezer compartment 15, so that the operating temperature range of the fan 3 is wider and the cost is significantly reduced compared to using a low-temperature chip drive.

[0041] In an optional example, the interlayer is provided with filler 4, which encloses the drive circuit 32.

[0042] Specifically, the filler 4 is expanding foam that fills the interlayer, and the drive circuit 32 is wrapped inside the expanding foam. This arrangement can effectively ensure that the drive circuit 32, which is located in the interlayer, is not affected by the internal cold air, while also improving the heat preservation effect of the refrigerator and improving the efficiency of the refrigerator.

[0043] It should be noted that in practical applications, those skilled in the art can select filler 4 with equivalent effects according to the actual situation, and are not limited to the foaming adhesive mentioned above. Therefore, such adjustments and changes to the specific substance of filler 4 do not deviate from the principles and scope of this application, and should be limited to the protection scope of this application.

[0044] In an optional example, the refrigerator also includes a damper 5 disposed between the refrigerator compartment 14 and the freezer compartment 15, the opening and closing degree of the damper 5 being controllable to adjust the amount of cold air in the air duct 13.

[0045] For example, the damper 5 is installed in the air duct 13 between the freezer compartment 15 and the refrigerator compartment 14. By adjusting the opening degree of the damper 5, the amount of cold air flowing from the freezer compartment 15 into the refrigerator compartment 14 can be controlled. Specifically, by controlling the size of the damper 5, the amount of cold air blown into the refrigerator compartment 14 is reduced, which not only protects the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 14 from being too low, but also makes the temperature of the freezer compartment 15 tend to be lower, thereby improving the cooling effect.

[0046] In an optional example, the fan 3 body includes: a base plate 311 disposed between the inner wall of the inner shell 11 and the freezer chamber 15; a mounting structure 312 having a plurality of components disposed along the circumference of the base plate 311 to mount the base plate 311 onto the inner wall of the inner shell 11; and an impeller 313 rotatably disposed on the base plate 311 and facing the freezer chamber 15. The impeller 313 includes a plurality of arc-shaped blades disposed around the center of the base plate 311. When the refrigeration component 2 is refrigerating, the drive circuit 32 drives the impeller 313 to rotate to send cold air from the air duct 13 into the freezer chamber 15 and the refrigerator chamber 14 respectively.

[0047] As mentioned above, the fan 3 body is not affected by low temperature. Therefore, the fan 3 body is placed in the refrigeration chamber, and the drive circuit 32 containing the chip is placed in the foam layer behind the freezer 15 and connected by a wiring harness. In this way, the fan 3 drive circuit 32 is not affected by the refrigeration temperature, and the fan 3 can send cold air below -40°C into the freezer 15, thereby making the freezer 15 reach a lower temperature. Specifically, the base plate 311 of the fan 3 body is set on the inner wall of the refrigeration chamber and fixed by three mounting structure members 312. An impeller 313 is provided on the front side of the base plate 311. The impeller 313 can rotate relative to the base plate 311. The airflow is formed by the arc blades on the impeller 313, thereby blowing cold air into the freezer 15.

[0048] In an optional example, the refrigerator provided in this application also includes a temperature sensor 6 disposed in the air duct 13 to monitor the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 14 and the freezer compartment 15. By monitoring the temperature of the freezer compartment 15 in real time, the start and stop of the drive circuit 32 can be better controlled to keep the temperature within a suitable range.

[0049] In an optional example, the refrigerator also includes a controller 7 disposed on the housing 1, which is electrically connected to the drive circuit 32 via a wiring harness, or the drive circuit 32 is integrated into the controller 7.

[0050] In an optional example, controller 7 is located at the top of refrigerator compartment 14.

[0051] It should be noted that the controller 7 and drive circuit 32 mentioned above can be integrated into one unit, connected by a wiring harness, or connected by communication. The controller 7 can be set anywhere in the refrigerator. Such adjustments and changes to the connection method between the drive circuit 32 and the controller 7, as well as the installation position of the controller 7, do not deviate from the principles and scope of this application and should be limited to the protection scope of this application.

[0052] Of course, this application preferably connects the controller 7 and the drive circuit 32 through a wiring harness, or integrates the drive circuit 32 into the controller 7, which makes the signal transmission more stable. Furthermore, the controller 7 is placed on the top of the refrigerator compartment 14, which facilitates connection with the refrigerator's control panel.

[0053] In a second aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a refrigeration control method for a refrigerator, the refrigeration control method comprising:

[0054] Check if the temperature of freezer compartment 15 is greater than -40℃;

[0055] If so, record the running time of the compressor and fan 3;

[0056] If the interval between two runs of fan 3 is longer than the preset first duration, then fan 3 will be started to check whether fan 3 has malfunctioned.

[0057] In an optional example, if the interval between two runs of fan 3 is less than or equal to a preset first duration, then fan 3 is controlled to stop.

[0058] Taking a preset first duration of 20 minutes as an example, if the interval between two runs of fan 3 is greater than 20 minutes, fan 3 will be started to check whether fan 3 has malfunctioned.

[0059] Accordingly, if the interval between two runs of fan 3 is less than or equal to 20 minutes, then fan 3 will be shut down.

[0060] The fan 3 body is placed inside the freezer compartment 15. When the temperature of the freezer compartment 15 is very low (below -40℃), the viscosity of the lubricating oil inside the fan 3 decreases when the fan 3 is not running. This application uses the method of detecting the temperature of the freezer compartment 15, counting the running time of the compressor and the fan 3, and starting the fan 3 in a timely manner according to the length of the interval between two runs of the fan 3, so as to ensure the viscosity of the lubricating oil inside the fan 3 body, ensure its normal start-up and operation, and not easily generate noise during long-term operation, thereby improving the operational reliability of the fan 3.

[0061] It should be noted that those skilled in the art can adjust the specific value of the preset first duration according to the actual situation. For example, depending on the different cooling efficiencies of different refrigerators, it can be 30 minutes or 40 minutes, etc. Such adjustments and changes to the specific value of the preset first duration do not deviate from the principles and scope of this application and should be limited to the protection scope of this application.

[0062] It should be noted that the terms "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., mentioned in the specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not, is within the knowledge scope of those skilled in the art.

[0063] It should be readily understood that the terms “on,” “above,” and “on top of” in this disclosure should be interpreted in the broadest possible sense, such that “on” means not only “directly on something” but also “on something” with an intermediate feature or layer therebetween, and that “above” or “on top of” means not only “on top of something” but also “on top of something” without an intermediate feature or layer therebetween (i.e., directly on something).

[0064] Furthermore, for ease of explanation, spatially relative terms such as "below," "below," "under," "above," and "above" may be used to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to other elements or features as shown in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation other than those shown in the figures. The device may have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptive terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0065] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0066] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, include: The housing includes an inner shell and an outer shell, with a sandwich layer between the inner shell and the outer shell. The housing includes a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment stacked together, with a communicating air duct between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment. A refrigeration component is disposed within the refrigeration chamber of the freezing compartment; as well as A fan includes a fan body and a drive circuit connected to each other. The fan body is disposed in the air duct, and the drive circuit is disposed in the interlayer. When the refrigeration component cools down to the point that the refrigeration chamber of the freezer reaches -40°C, the drive circuit drives the fan body to rotate in the refrigeration chamber of the freezer to send cold air from the air duct into the freezer and the refrigerator respectively. The interlayer contains a filler that encloses the drive circuit.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a damper disposed between the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, the opening and closing degree of which is controllable to adjust the amount of cold air in the air duct.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fan body includes: A substrate is disposed between the inner wall of the inner shell and the freezing chamber; A plurality of mounting structural members are arranged circumferentially along the substrate to mount the substrate to the inner wall of the inner shell; and An impeller is rotatably mounted on the substrate and faces the freezer compartment. The impeller includes several arc-shaped blades arranged around the center of the substrate. When the refrigeration component is cooling, the drive circuit drives the impeller to rotate so as to send cold air from the air duct into the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment respectively.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a temperature sensor disposed within the air duct to monitor the temperature of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a controller mounted on the housing, and the controller is electrically connected to the drive circuit via a wiring harness.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controller is located at the top of the refrigerator compartment.

7. A refrigeration control method for a refrigerator as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The refrigeration control method includes: Check if the freezer temperature is greater than -40°C; If so, record the running time of the compressor and fan; If the interval between two fan operations is longer than a preset first duration, the fan will be started to detect whether the fan has malfunctioned.

8. The refrigeration control method for a refrigerator according to claim 7, characterized in that, If the interval between two wind turbine operations is less than or equal to the preset first duration, the wind turbine is controlled to stop.

Images