Air duct assembly and refrigerator

Abstract

The utility model provides an air duct assembly and a refrigerator. The air duct assembly comprises an upper-section air duct, a middle-section air duct and a lower-section air duct, the upper-section air duct comprises an upper air outlet, and the upper air outlet is communicated with the upper area of the refrigerating chamber; the middle-section air duct comprises a middle air outlet, and the upper air outlet communicates with the middle area of the refrigerating chamber; the lower-section air duct comprises a lower air outlet, and the upper air outlet is communicated with the lower area of the refrigerating chamber; the upper-section air duct, the middle-section air duct and the lower-section air duct are communicated in sequence; an evaporator is arranged at the end, away from the middle-section air duct, of the lower-section air duct. A windward end surface is arranged at one end of the lower-section air duct close to the middle-section air duct; the included angle between the windward end surface and the horizontal direction is 60-63 degrees; when the fan drives cold air to flow upwards, airflow impacts the windward end face, the included angle between the windward end face and the horizontal direction is set to be 60-63 degrees, the resistance of the windward end face is reduced, the air speed is increased, and the problems that when the thickness of the air duct assembly is small, the temperature in the refrigerator is not uniform and high are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and specifically includes an air duct assembly and a refrigerator. Background Art

[0002] As a common refrigeration equipment, a refrigerator is used to store food, medicine, and other items that need to be refrigerated or frozen. With the improvement of living standards and the increasing demand for space utilization, users have higher requirements for the appearance design, volume efficiency, and energy efficiency ratio of refrigerators. Especially in the case of limited kitchen space, built-in refrigerators are popular because they can be perfectly integrated with cabinets. In addition, ultra-thin refrigerators are also increasingly favored by the market due to their small floor area and easy placement. Among them, the refrigerator air duct system usually includes components such as an upper air duct cover, a lower air duct cover, insulating foam, an electric air damper, and a fan motor. As the thickest part of the air duct system, the fan motor plays a decisive role in the overall thickness of the air duct. The electric air damper is responsible for distributing the air volume to the corresponding compartments according to the refrigeration demand, while the insulating foam prevents the cold air input by the evaporator from conducting to the surface of the air duct cover and causing condensation. The role of the fan motor is to suck the cold air on the evaporator into the air cavity and then transmit it to each compartment of the refrigerator.

[0003] Although the air duct system can meet the basic refrigeration requirements, its overall thickness is relatively large. Especially when the fan motor is thick, it will cause a significant increase in the overall thickness of the air duct and the air cavity. In a conventional refrigerator, the air duct system occupies nearly one-sixth of the depth, and in a built-in refrigerator pursuing an ultra-thin design, the encroachment of the air duct system volume is more obvious. However, when the thickness of the air duct assembly is set to be relatively thin, the flow of cold air in the air duct assembly is restricted, resulting in uneven temperature inside the refrigerator and a relatively high temperature in the refrigerator's fresh food compartment. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The present application provides an air duct assembly and a refrigerator to solve the problem of uneven and high temperature inside the refrigerator when the thickness of the air duct assembly is relatively thin.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides an air duct assembly for use in a refrigerator, the refrigerator including a fresh food compartment, comprising:

[0006] An upper air duct, a middle air duct, and a lower air duct;

[0007] The upper air duct includes an upper air outlet, and the upper air outlet communicates with the upper region of the fresh food compartment;

[0008] The middle air duct includes a middle air outlet, and the middle air outlet communicates with the middle region of the fresh food compartment;

[0009] The lower air duct includes a lower air outlet, and the lower air outlet communicates with the lower region of the fresh food compartment;

[0010] The upper air duct, the middle air duct, and the lower air duct are connected in sequence;

[0011] An evaporator is provided at one end of the lower air duct away from the middle air duct;

[0012] A fan, the fan is provided at one end of the lower air duct close to the middle air duct, and the fan is located above the evaporator;

[0013] One end of the lower air duct close to the middle air duct is provided with a windward end face; the included angle between the windward end face and the horizontal direction is 60°-63°; the windward end face is located above the fan.

[0014] Optionally, the thicknesses of the upper air duct, the middle air duct, and the lower air duct are all less than 45 mm; the thickness of the fan is less than 28 mm.

[0015] Optionally, the number of the middle air outlets is one, and the width of the middle air outlet is equal to the inner diameter of the middle air duct.

[0016] Optionally, it further includes a volute. The volute is provided with a volute spiral. Any adjacent volute spirals form an air inlet passage. The opening width of one end of the air inlet passage close to the center point of the volute is the first width, and the opening width of the other end of the air inlet passage away from the center point of the volute is the second width. The first width is less than the second width; the fan is connected to the lower air duct through the volute.

[0017] Optionally, it further includes PE foam. The middle air duct is provided with a groove along the length direction. The two sides of the PE foam are attached to the two sides of the groove to form an air cavity for conveying air.

[0018] Optionally, the groove is provided with a plurality of conical protrusions for supporting the PE foam along the length direction.

[0019] Optionally, one end of the middle air duct close to the upper air duct is provided with a convex bump. The convex bump protrudes from the groove, and the height of the convex bump is less than the depth of the groove.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present application provides a refrigerator, including a box body, a box liner, and the air duct assembly described in the first aspect above. The box liner is arranged in the box body, and the air duct assembly is arranged between the box body and the box liner.

[0021] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the present application provides an air duct assembly and a refrigerator. The air duct assembly includes: an upper air duct, a middle air duct, and a lower air duct; the upper air duct includes an upper air outlet, and the upper air outlet communicates with the upper region of the refrigerating chamber; the middle air duct includes a middle air outlet, and the upper air outlet communicates with the middle region of the refrigerating chamber; the lower air duct includes a lower air outlet, and the upper air outlet communicates with the lower region of the refrigerating chamber; the upper air duct, the middle air duct, and the lower air duct are sequentially communicated; an evaporator is provided at one end of the lower air duct away from the middle air duct; a fan, the fan is provided at one end of the lower air duct close to the middle air duct, and the fan is located above the evaporator; an air-facing end surface is provided at one end of the lower air duct close to the middle air duct; the included angle between the air-facing end surface and the horizontal direction is 60°-63°; by providing a plurality of air outlets, when the fan drives the cold air to flow upward, the cold air can be evenly dispersed into the refrigerating chamber. When the air flow impacts the air-facing end surface, by setting the included angle between the air-facing end surface and the horizontal direction to 60°-63°, the resistance of the air-facing end is reduced and the wind speed is increased, so as to solve the problem of uneven and high temperature inside the refrigerator when the thickness of the air duct assembly is relatively thin. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0023] Figure 1 Structural schematic diagram of the air duct assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 Structural schematic diagram of the lower air duct provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 Structural schematic diagram of the middle air duct provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 Structural schematic diagram of the volute provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0027] REFERENCE SIGNS

[0028] Among them, 1 - upper air duct; 11 - upper air outlet; 2 - middle air duct; 21 - middle air outlet; 22 - groove; 23 - conical protrusion; 24 - convex hull; 3 - lower air duct; 31 - lower air outlet; 4 - evaporator; 5 - fan; 6 - air-facing end surface; 7 - volute; 71 - volute spiral; 72 - air inlet air path; 8 - PE foam. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Embodiments will be described in detail below, and examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following examples do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. They are merely examples of systems and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the claims.

[0030] As a common refrigeration device, a refrigerator is used to store food, medicine, and other items that need to be refrigerated or frozen. With the improvement of living standards and the increasing demand for space utilization, users have higher requirements for the appearance design, volume efficiency, and energy efficiency ratio of refrigerators. Especially in the case of limited kitchen space, built-in refrigerators are popular because they can be perfectly integrated with cabinets. In addition, ultra-thin refrigerators such as built-in refrigerators are also increasingly favored by the market because of their small floor area and easy placement.

[0031] Among them, the refrigerator air duct system usually includes components such as an upper air hood, a lower air hood, insulating foam, an electric air damper, and a fan 5 motor. As the thickest part of the air duct system, the fan motor plays a decisive role in the overall thickness of the air duct. The electric air damper is responsible for distributing air volume to the corresponding compartments according to the refrigeration demand, while the insulating foam prevents the cold air input by the evaporator 4 from conducting to the surface of the air hood and causing condensation. The role of the fan 5 motor is to suck the cold quantity on the evaporator into the air cavity and then transmit it to each compartment of the refrigerator.

[0032] Although the air duct system can meet the basic refrigeration requirements, its overall thickness is relatively large. In some embodiments, for one refrigerator, the thickness of the fan is 47.7 mm, the thickness of the air duct component where it is located is 66.7 mm, and the thickness of the air duct plus the air cavity formed by the air duct component and the inner liner reaches 94.5 mm. For another refrigerator, the thickness of its fan 5 is 47.5 mm, the thickness of the air duct component where it is located is 63.6 mm, and the thickness of the air duct plus the air cavity formed by the air duct component and the inner liner is 89.7 mm. In the above two refrigerators, the overall thickness of the air duct component reaches more than 90 mm. The thickness of a conventional refrigerator is less than 600 mm, and the air duct component and the air cavity occupy nearly one-sixth of the depth.

[0033] Therefore, in some embodiments, a fan 5 and an air duct component with a relatively thin thickness can be selected to save the space inside the refrigerator, deepen the depth of the drawer, and improve the loading capacity of the drawer. However, when the fan 5 and the air duct component become thinner, when the fan 5 drives the cold air to flow, when the cold air moves in the relatively thin air duct component, the protrusions and the bent parts in the air duct component will affect the flow of the cold air in the air duct component, and further affect the cooling speed and temperature uniformity of the refrigerator.

[0034] To solve the problem of uneven and high temperature inside the refrigerator when the thickness of the air duct component is relatively thin, refer to Figure 1, an embodiment of the present application provides an air duct assembly, which is applied to a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a refrigerating chamber and comprises: an upper air duct 1, a middle air duct 2, and a lower air duct 3; the upper air duct 1 includes an upper air outlet 11, and the upper air outlet 11 communicates with the upper region of the refrigerating chamber; the middle air duct 2 includes a middle air outlet 21, and the middle air outlet 21 communicates with the middle region of the refrigerating chamber; the lower air duct 3 includes a lower air outlet 31, and the lower air outlet 31 communicates with the lower region of the refrigerating chamber; the upper air duct 1, the middle air duct 2, and the lower air duct 3 are connected in sequence; an evaporator 4 is provided at one end of the lower air duct 3 away from the middle air duct 2; a fan 5 is provided at one end of the lower air duct 3 close to the middle air duct 2, and the fan 5 is located above the evaporator 4; an air-facing end face 6 is provided at one end of the lower air duct 3 close to the middle air duct 2; the included angle between the air-facing end face 6 and the horizontal direction is; the air-facing end face 6 is located above the fan 5.

[0035] For the air duct assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application, through the settings of the upper air duct 1, the middle air duct 2, and the lower air duct 3, the temperature control of the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region of the refrigerating chamber is realized. Among them, the upper air duct 1 includes an upper air outlet 11, which communicates with the upper region of the refrigerating chamber; the middle air duct 2 includes a middle air outlet 21, which communicates with the middle region of the refrigerating chamber; the lower air duct 3 includes a lower air outlet 31, which communicates with the lower region of the refrigerating chamber. The cold air generated by the evaporator 4 flows from the lower air duct 3 to the middle air duct 2 through the fan 5, then to the upper air duct 1, and enters the refrigerating chamber through the upper air outlet 11, the middle air outlet 21, and the lower air outlet 31, making the temperature in the refrigerating chamber more uniform and improving the refrigeration effect.

[0036] Meanwhile, an evaporator 4 is provided at one end of the lower air duct 3 away from the middle air duct 2, and a fan 5 is provided at one end of the lower air duct 3 close to the middle air duct 2, above the evaporator 4. Since the generated cold air will enter the middle air duct 2 through the lower air duct 3, and the thickness of the air duct assembly is relatively thin, therefore, when the cold air with a relatively fast flow rate impacts the air-facing end face 6 head-on, the kinetic energy loss of the cold air is relatively large, making the cold air unable to be effectively transmitted to the upper air duct 1. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, as Figure 2 shown, the included angle between the air-facing end face 6 and the horizontal direction is set to be 60° - 63°. When the included angle between the air-facing end face 6 and the horizontal direction is 60° - 63°, when the cold air in the lower air duct 3 moves from bottom to top, the cold air can move along the air-facing end face 6 and then enter the middle air duct 2, so that when the cold air impacts the air-facing end face 6, it loses less kinetic energy.

[0037] In some embodiments, the thicknesses of the upper air duct 1, the middle air duct 2, and the lower air duct 3 are all less than 45 mm; the thickness of the fan 5 is less than 28 mm. For example, the thickness of the fan 5 is 27 mm, and the thickness of the air duct assembly is 44.5 mm, so that the thickness of the air duct plus air cavity formed by the air duct assembly and the box liner is 63.7 mm. By thinning the thicknesses of the air duct assembly and the fan 5, the actual effective depth of the box body is increased, and the loading capacity of the drawer is expanded.

[0038] In some embodiments, the number of the middle air outlets 21 is one, and the width of the middle air outlet 21 is equal to the inner diameter of the middle air duct 2. Among them, a single middle air outlet 21 can make the air flow more concentrated, which helps to increase the air speed and air pressure, and concentrate the cold air into the upper air duct 1.

[0039] In some embodiments, as Figure 4 shown, it further includes a volute 7. The volute 7 is provided with a volute spiral 71. Any adjacent volute spirals 71 form an air inlet air path 72. The opening width of one end of the air inlet air path 72 close to the center point of the volute 7 is the first width, and the opening width of the other end of the air inlet air path 72 far from the center point of the volute 7 is the second width. The first width is less than the second width; the fan 5 is connected to the lower air duct 3 through the volute 7.

[0040] Among them, the spiral shape inside the volute 7 has a direct impact on the performance of the fan 5. The spiral is responsible for guiding the air flow, so that the air flow forms a favorable flow state before entering the impeller of the fan 5. By optimizing the shape and layout of the spiral, the resistance of the air flow inside the volute 7 and the generation of eddy currents can be effectively reduced, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the fan 5. In addition, the spiral shape can also significantly reduce the noise generated when the fan 5 operates. When the air flow passes through the spiral, the turbulent flow and pressure fluctuations will be reduced due to the smooth path, which not only improves the stability of the air flow, but also reduces the generation of noise. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, the opening width of one end of the air inlet air path 72 close to the center point of the volute 7 is small, while the opening width of the other end far from the center point of the volute 7 is large, which can increase the flow velocity of the air flow when passing through the air inlet air path 72, so that the air flow already has a certain speed before reaching the impeller of the fan 5, which helps to improve the efficiency of the fan 5. In addition, by adjusting the width change of the air inlet air path 72, the distribution of the air flow inside the volute 7 can be controlled to a certain extent, the generation of eddy currents can be reduced, and the noise can be reduced.

[0041] In some embodiments, it further includes a PE foam 8. The middle air duct 2 is provided with a groove 22 along the length direction. The two sides of the PE foam 8 are attached to the two sides of the groove 22 to form an air cavity for conveying air. By providing the PE foam 8, on the one hand, the thickness of the middle air duct 2 can be reduced, and on the other hand, by providing the PE foam 8, the heat insulation performance of the middle air duct 2 can be improved, so that the temperature change of the cold air passing through the middle air duct 2 is small.

[0042] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the groove 22 is provided with tapered protrusions 23 along the length direction for supporting the PE foam 8. By providing the tapered protrusions 23, it is convenient to support the PE foam 8 to prevent the PE foam 8 from sagging and affecting the flow of cold air in the middle duct 2.

[0043] A convex hull 24 is provided in the duct assembly to divide the cold air entering the duct assembly. However, when the thickness of the duct assembly is relatively thin, the convex hull 24 in the duct assembly will affect the air flow direction and reduce the air flow velocity in the duct assembly. Therefore, in some embodiments, a convex hull 24 is provided at one end of the middle duct 2 close to the upper duct 1. The convex hull 24 protrudes from the groove 22, and the height of the convex hull 24 is less than the depth of the groove 22. By setting the height of the convex hull 24 to be less than the depth of the groove 22, the influence of the convex hull 24 on the air flow is reduced. At the same time, the convex hull 24 is provided at one end of the middle duct 2 close to the upper duct 1, making the air flow path narrower, thereby increasing the air flow velocity and enabling the air flow to enter the upper duct 1 at a higher speed.

[0044] In some embodiments, the present application provides a refrigerator, including a box body, a liner, and the duct assembly provided in the above embodiments. The liner is provided in the box body, and the duct assembly is provided between the box body and the liner.

[0045] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the present application provides a duct assembly and a refrigerator. The duct assembly includes: an upper duct 1, a middle duct 2, and a lower duct 3; the upper duct 1 includes an upper air outlet 11, and the upper air outlet 11 communicates with the upper region of the refrigerating chamber; the middle duct 2 includes a middle air outlet 21, and the upper air outlet 11 communicates with the middle region of the refrigerating chamber; the lower duct 3 includes a lower air outlet 31, and the upper air outlet 11 communicates with the lower region of the refrigerating chamber; the upper duct 1, the middle duct 2, and the lower duct 3 are connected in sequence; an evaporator 4 is provided at one end of the lower duct 3 away from the middle duct 2; a fan 5, the fan 5 is provided at one end of the lower duct 3 close to the middle duct 2, and the fan 5 is located above the evaporator 4; an air-facing end face 6 is provided at one end of the lower duct 3 close to the middle duct 2; the included angle between the air-facing end face 6 and the horizontal direction is 60° - 63°; by providing a plurality of air outlets, when the fan 5 drives the cold air to flow upward, the cold air can be evenly dispersed into the refrigerating chamber. When the air flow hits the air-facing end face 6, by setting the included angle between the air-facing end face 6 and the horizontal direction to be 60° - 63°, the resistance at the air-facing end is reduced and the wind speed is increased to solve the problem of uneven and high temperature in the refrigerator when the thickness of the duct assembly is relatively thin.

[0046] For the similar parts between the embodiments provided in this application, reference can be made to each other. The specific embodiments provided above are only several examples under the general concept of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of this application. For those skilled in the art, any other embodiments extended based on the solution of this application without creative efforts fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An air duct assembly, applied to a refrigerator, the refrigerator comprising a refrigerating chamber, characterized in that: include: An upper air duct (1), a middle air duct (2) and a lower air duct (3); The upper air duct (1) comprises an upper air outlet (11), and the upper air outlet (11) is in communication with the upper area of ​​the refrigerating chamber; the middle air duct (2) comprises a middle air outlet (21), and the middle air outlet (21) is in communication with the middle area of ​​the refrigerating chamber; the lower air duct (3) comprises a lower air outlet (31), and the lower air outlet (31) is in communication with the lower area of ​​the refrigerating chamber; The upper air duct (1), the middle air duct (2) and the lower air duct (3) are connected in sequence; an evaporator (4) is provided at one end of the lower air duct (3) away from the middle air duct (2); A fan (5), the fan (5) being arranged at one end of the lower air duct (3) close to the middle air duct (2), and the fan (5) being located above the evaporator (4); A windward end surface (6) is provided at one end of the lower air duct (3) close to the middle air duct (2); the angle between the windward end surface (6) and the horizontal direction is 60°-63°; and the windward end surface (6) is located above the fan (5).

2. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the upper air duct (1), the middle air duct (2) and the lower air duct (3) are all less than 45 mm; the thickness of the fan (5) is less than 28 mm.

3. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the middle air outlet (21) is one, and the width of the middle air outlet (21) is equal to the inner diameter of the middle air duct (2).

4. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a volute (7), wherein the volute (7) is provided with a volute spiral line (71), and any adjacent volute spiral lines (71) form an air inlet passage (72), wherein the opening width of the air inlet passage (72) at one end close to the center point of the volute (7) is a first width, and the opening width of the air inlet passage (72) at one end away from the center point of the volute (7) is a second width, and the first width is smaller than the second width; the fan (5) is connected to the lower air duct (3) through the volute (7).

5. The air duct assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises PE foam (8), the middle section air duct (2) is provided with a groove (22) along the length direction, and two sides of the PE foam (8) are attached to two sides of the groove (22) to form an air cavity for conveying air.

6. The air duct assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The groove (22) is provided with a conical protrusion (23) along the length direction for supporting the PE foam (8).

7. The air duct assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: A bulge (24) is provided at one end of the middle air duct (2) close to the upper air duct (1), the bulge (24) protrudes from the groove (22), and the height of the bulge (24) is less than the depth of the groove (22).

8. A refrigerator, characterized in that: The invention comprises a box body, a box liner and an air duct assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the box liner is arranged in the box body, and the air duct assembly is arranged between the box body and the box liner.

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