Refrigerator

Abstract

The refrigerator comprises a cabinet body, a door body, a drawer assembly, an air curtain assembly and a heat exchange air duct, the cabinet body is provided with a chamber, the drawer assembly is installed in the chamber in a sliding mode, and the door body is connected with the cabinet body and used for opening or closing the chamber; the heat exchange air duct is located on the back of the drawer assembly and used for providing cold air, the air curtain assembly is located on the top of the drawer assembly, the bottom of the drawer assembly and the inner wall of the compartment are arranged at intervals and define a first channel, and the air curtain assembly is provided with an inlet facing the heat exchange air duct and an outlet facing the first channel; the air curtain assembly is configured to be capable of responding to the opening state of the door body, cool air is sucked through the inlet, the cool air is blown out downwards through the outlet, an airflow barrier is formed in front of the chamber, and then the cool air enters the heat exchange air duct through the first channel. According to the refrigerator, it is guaranteed that when the refrigerator door is in the open state, the compartment makes contact with the external environment, and meanwhile good heat insulation can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Refrigerators are used to cool and preserve food. When the refrigerator door is opened, the cold air inside the refrigerator exchanges heat with the outside air, causing the temperature inside the refrigerator to drop, affecting the cooling effect and even the quality of food. This is especially true for side-by-side refrigerators with large doors, where the open door causes a significant amount of cold air to dissipate, resulting in an overall increase in temperature. Utility Model Content

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a refrigerator that can ensure good heat insulation even when the refrigerator door is open and the compartment is in contact with the outside environment.

[0004] A refrigerator includes a cabinet, a door, a drawer assembly, an air curtain assembly, and a heat exchange duct. The cabinet has a compartment, the drawer assembly is slidably installed in the compartment, and the door is connected to the cabinet and used to open or close the compartment. The heat exchange duct is located at the back of the drawer assembly and is used to provide cold air. The air curtain assembly is located at the top of the drawer assembly, and the bottom of the drawer assembly is spaced apart from the inner wall of the compartment to form a first channel. The air curtain assembly has an inlet facing the heat exchange duct and an outlet facing the first channel. The air curtain assembly is configured to draw in cold air through the inlet in response to the opening state of the door, blow the cold air downward through the outlet, form an airflow barrier in front of the compartment, and then enter the heat exchange duct through the first channel.

[0005] In one embodiment, the air curtain assembly includes a fan, an upper cover, and a lower cover. The upper cover and the lower cover interlock and enclose each other to form an assembly cavity, and the fan is installed in the assembly cavity. An inlet is opened in the upper cover and / or the lower cover, and an outlet is opened in the upper cover and / or the lower cover.

[0006] In one embodiment, the fan is located near the outlet, and the fan is configured as an axial flow fan or a cross flow fan.

[0007] In one embodiment, the refrigerator also includes a pressure sensor and a control system. The pressure sensor is used to detect the air pressure in the compartment. The pressure sensor and a fan are respectively connected to the control system, and the fan is configured to start in response to the air pressure in the compartment.

[0008] In one embodiment, the air curtain assembly is also equipped with an infrared sensor for detecting the usage status of the compartment. The infrared sensor is connected to the control system, and the fan is configured to stop operating in response to the usage status of the compartment.

[0009] In one embodiment, a temperature sensor is provided at the front of the drawer assembly to detect the rate of temperature rise at the front of the drawer assembly. The temperature sensor is connected to a control system, and the fan speed is configured to increase as the rate of temperature rise at the front of the drawer assembly increases.

[0010] In one embodiment, the refrigerator further includes an evaporator, and the heat exchange duct has a return air inlet facing the first channel and an air outlet facing the inlet. The evaporator is correspondingly arranged with the heat exchange duct and is used to exchange heat with the heat exchange duct.

[0011] In one embodiment, the length of the drawer assembly is less than the depth of the compartment, so that when the drawer assembly is placed inside the compartment, a second passage is formed between the drawer assembly and the compartment opening; wherein, after the cold air is blown downward through the outlet, it forms an airflow barrier through the second passage.

[0012] In one embodiment, the drawer assembly includes a plurality of drawers arranged along the height of the compartment, each drawer having a through slot extending along its own height at the front; wherein, after cold air is blown downward through the outlet, it forms an airflow barrier through the plurality of through slots.

[0013] In one embodiment, each drawer includes a drawer body and a front cover, the drawer body and the front cover forming a through groove, and an insulation layer is provided in the through groove; wherein, the front cover and the drawer body are integrally formed; or, the front cover and the drawer body are detachably connected.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the refrigerator provided in this application can separate the external environment from the interior of the compartment when the door is opened, thereby preventing the convection of hot air from the outside environment with cold air inside the compartment. Furthermore, when the door is opened, the air curtain assembly draws in cold air through the inlet and blows it downward through the outlet, forming an airflow barrier in front of the compartment. The cold air then enters the heat exchange duct through the first channel. In this way, an air circulation loop can be formed around the drawer assembly, thereby continuously forming an airflow barrier in front of the compartment, which is beneficial to ensuring the heat insulation effect. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the refrigerator door when it is open, as provided in this application.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 1 provided in this application;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator in Embodiment 2 provided in this application;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one of the drawers in Embodiment 2 provided in this application;

[0020] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of another drawer in Embodiment 2 provided in this application;

[0021] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the air curtain assembly provided in this application;

[0022] Figure 7 An exploded view of the air curtain assembly provided in this application;

[0023] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the heat exchange duct provided in this application;

[0024] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating the workflow of the air curtain component provided in this application.

[0025] Reference numerals: 100, refrigerator; 10, cabinet; 11, compartment; 111, second passage; 20, door; 30, drawer assembly; 31, drawer; 312, through groove; 313, drawer body; 314, front cover; 315, insulation layer; 40, air curtain assembly; 41, fan; 411, impeller; 42, inlet; 43, outlet; 44, top cover; 45, bottom cover; 46, assembly cavity; 50, heat exchange air duct; 51, return air vent; 52, air outlet; 60, first passage. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0028] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0029] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0031] Please see Figures 1 to 3 This application provides a refrigerator 100, which includes a cabinet 10, a door 20, a drawer assembly 30, an air curtain assembly 40, and a heat exchange duct 50. The cabinet 10 has a compartment 11, the drawer assembly 30 is slidably installed in the compartment 11, and the door 20 is connected to the cabinet 10 and used to open or close the compartment 11. The heat exchange duct 50 is located at the back of the drawer assembly 30 and is used to provide cold air. The air curtain assembly 40 is located at the top of the drawer assembly 30, and the bottom of the drawer assembly 30 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the compartment 11 to form a first channel 60. The air curtain assembly 40 has an inlet 42 facing the heat exchange duct 50 and an outlet 43 facing the first channel 60. The air curtain assembly 40 is configured to respond to the opening state of the door 20 by drawing in cold air through the inlet 42, blowing the cold air downward through the outlet 43, forming an airflow barrier in front of the compartment 11, and then entering the heat exchange duct 50 through the first channel 60.

[0032] Understandably, when the door 20 is opened, the airflow barrier can separate the external environment from the interior of the compartment 11, thereby preventing the convection of hot air from the external environment with the cold air inside the compartment 11. Furthermore, when the door 20 is opened, the air curtain assembly 40 draws in cold air through the inlet 42, and the cold air is blown downward through the outlet 43, forming an airflow barrier in front of the compartment 11. Afterward, it enters the heat exchange air duct 50 through the first channel 60. In this way, an air circulation loop can be formed around the drawer assembly 30, thereby continuously forming an airflow barrier in front of the compartment 11, which is beneficial to ensuring the heat insulation effect.

[0033] Specifically, the refrigerator also includes an evaporator, such as Figure 2 and Figure 8 As shown, the heat exchange duct 50 has a return air inlet 51 facing the first channel 60 and an air outlet 52 facing the inlet 42. The evaporator is correspondingly arranged with the heat exchange duct 50 and is used for heat exchange with the heat exchange duct 50. That is, the heat exchange duct 50 not only provides cool air to the compartment 11, but also forms an air circulation loop. The heat exchange duct 50 is spaced apart from the back of the drawer assembly 30.

[0034] The refrigerator can be configured as a cross-shaped refrigerator, with the cabinet 10 having four compartments 11 and two compartments 11 arranged vertically, wherein the two compartments 11 share a door 20.

[0035] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the air curtain assembly 40 includes a fan 41, an upper cover 44, and a lower cover 45. The upper cover 44 and the lower cover 45 interlock and enclose each other to form an assembly cavity 46, and the fan 41 is installed inside the assembly cavity 46. The upper cover and the lower cover 45 can be connected by snap-fit.

[0036] In one embodiment, the inlet 42 is provided on the upper cover 44; or, in another embodiment, the inlet 42 is provided on the lower cover 45; or, in yet another embodiment, both the upper cover 44 and the lower cover 45 are provided with the inlet 42.

[0037] Similarly, in one embodiment, the outlet 43 is provided on the upper cover 44; or, in another embodiment, the outlet is provided on the lower cover 45; or, in yet another embodiment, both the upper cover 44 and the lower cover 45 are provided with outlet 43.

[0038] In one embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the assembly cavity 46 increases along the direction from the inlet 42 to the outlet 43, and the fan 41 is located close to the outlet 43. The fan 41 can be configured as an axial flow fan or a cross flow fan.

[0039] For example, in one embodiment, the fan 41 is configured as a cross-flow fan. Specifically, the fan 41 is connected to a fan wheel 411. The fan 41 drives the fan wheel 411 to rotate. The fan wheel 411 rotates and draws in air through the inlet 42 in a direction tangential to it, and discharges high-pressure airflow over a large area in another direction tangential to it, and blows out high-speed airflow through the outlet 43.

[0040] Drawer assembly 30 includes multiple drawers 31 arranged along the height of compartment 11. Two methods for forming airflow barriers in front of drawer assembly 30 are described below.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the length of the drawer assembly 30 is less than the depth of the compartment 11, so that when the drawer assembly 30 is placed inside the compartment 11, a second channel 111 is formed between the front of the drawer assembly 30 and the opening of the compartment 11; wherein, after the cold air is blown downward through the outlet 43, it forms an airflow barrier through the second channel 111. That is, in this embodiment, the cold air forms an airflow barrier in the space in front of the drawer assembly 30.

[0043] Furthermore, the door 20 is provided with a bottle frame corresponding to the second channel 111. When the door 20 is closed, the bottle frame is stored in the second channel 111, which helps to improve the space utilization of the refrigerator 100.

[0044] Example 2

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown, each drawer 31 has a through-slot 312 extending along its height at its front. After being blown downwards through the outlet 43, cold air passes through multiple through-slots 312, forming an airflow barrier. That is, in this embodiment, cold air passes through the through-slots 312 of the drawer assembly 30, forming an airflow barrier. This allows the front of the drawer 31 to be closer to the front of the cabinet 10 when the drawer 31 is stored in the compartment 11, resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing appearance for the refrigerator. Furthermore, the through-slots 312 can guide airflow, and users can adjust the structure of the through-slots 312 to improve the drawer structure as needed.

[0046] Specifically, each drawer 31 includes a drawer body 313 and a front cover 314, with the drawer body 313 and the front cover 314 forming a through groove 312. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the front cover 314 and the drawer body 313 can be configured as a single unit, or, as... Figure 5 As shown, the front cover 314 and the drawer body 313 can also be detachably connected by a snap-fit ​​mechanism. An insulation layer 315 can also be provided inside the through groove 312.

[0047] For example, such as Figure 5As shown, the front cover 314 and the drawer body 313 are detachably connected by a snap-fit ​​mechanism. Furthermore, an insulation layer 315 is provided on the wall of the front cover 314 facing the drawer body 313. This creates two barriers between the drawer body 313 and the external environment: the insulation layer 315 and the airflow barrier, thereby improving the heat insulation effect. The insulation layer 315 can be configured as heat-insulating foam, and the heat-insulating foam can be adhered to the front cover 314 using adhesive.

[0048] Please see Figure 9 The refrigerator also includes a pressure sensor and a control system. The pressure sensor detects the air pressure in compartment 11. The pressure sensor and fan 41 are connected to the control system, and fan 41 is configured to start in response to the air pressure in compartment 11. It can be understood that by detecting the air pressure in compartment 11, the open / closed state of door 20 can be determined. Specifically, the pressure sensor detects the air pressure change ΔP before and after the door of compartment 11 is opened. If the air pressure change exceeds the ΔP threshold, fan 41 is activated; otherwise, fan 41 is not activated.

[0049] The air curtain assembly 40 is also equipped with an infrared sensor, which is used to detect the usage status of the compartment 11. The infrared sensor is connected to the control system, and the fan 41 is configured to stop operating in response to the usage status of the compartment 11. It should be noted that detecting the usage status of the compartment 11 means detecting whether the user is storing or retrieving items from the compartment 11. When the user is storing or retrieving items from the compartment 11, the fan 41 stops working. In this way, not only can the temperature of the unused compartment 11 be prevented from rising when the door 20 is open, but also the airflow barrier can be prevented from affecting the user's storage and retrieval operations.

[0050] The infrared sensor can be configured as an infrared temperature sensor. When a user performs a storage or retrieval operation in compartment 11, if the infrared temperature sensor detects that the temperature exceeds a preset temperature, it determines that the user is performing a storage or retrieval operation, and the air curtain assembly 40 stops operating. If the infrared temperature sensor detects that the temperature is less than or equal to the preset temperature, it determines that the user is not performing a storage or retrieval operation, and the air curtain assembly 40 continues to operate. The preset temperature can be set to 30℃.

[0051] A temperature sensor is installed at the front of the drawer assembly 30 to detect the rate of temperature rise at the front of the drawer assembly 30. The temperature sensor is connected to the control system, and the rotational speed of the fan 41 is configured to increase as the rate of temperature rise at the front of the drawer assembly 30 increases. Thus, when the rate of temperature rise at the front of the drawer assembly 30 increases, the rotational speed of the fan 41 increases, thereby forming a stronger airflow barrier to improve heat insulation; when the rate of temperature rise at the front of the drawer assembly 30 decreases, the rotational speed of the fan 41 decreases, thereby helping to reduce energy consumption.

[0052] Specifically, the working process of the air curtain assembly 40 is as follows: when the user opens the door, the air pressure sensor detects the change in air pressure before and after the door is opened. When the pressure difference between the air pressure after the door is opened and the original air pressure inside the refrigerator exceeds a certain threshold, the air curtain assembly 40 is activated. When the infrared sensor detects that a person's hand is touching or entering the compartment 11, it indicates that the user is using the compartment for storage and retrieval, and the operation of the air curtain assembly 40 is stopped. When the temperature sensor detects that the rate of temperature increase is increasing, the fan 41 of the air curtain assembly 40 operates at a higher speed, forming a stronger airflow barrier.

[0053] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0054] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator characterized by comprising: The refrigerator (100) comprises a cabinet (10), a door body (20), a drawer assembly (30), an air curtain assembly (40) and a heat exchange air duct (50), the cabinet (10) has a chamber (11), the drawer assembly (30) is slidingly arranged in the chamber (11), and the door body (20) is connected to the cabinet (10) and used for opening or closing the chamber (11); The heat exchange air duct (50) is located at the back of the drawer assembly (30) and used for providing cold air, the air curtain assembly (40) is located at the top of the drawer assembly (30), the bottom of the drawer assembly (30) is spaced apart from the inner wall of the chamber (11) and surrounded to form a first channel (60), the air curtain assembly (40) has an inlet (42) arranged towards the heat exchange air duct (50) and an outlet (43) arranged towards the first channel (60); Wherein, the air curtain assembly (40) is configured to be able to suck cold air through the inlet (42) in response to the opening state of the door body (20), the cold air is blown out downward through the outlet (43) and forms an air flow barrier in front of the chamber (11), and then enters the heat exchange air duct (50) through the first channel (60).

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air curtain assembly (40) comprises a fan (41), an upper cover (44) and a lower cover (45), the upper cover (44) and the lower cover (45) are buckled to each other and surrounded to form an assembly cavity (46), and the fan (41) is arranged in the assembly cavity (46); The inlet (42) is arranged in the upper cover (44) and / or the lower cover (45), and the outlet (43) is arranged in the upper cover (44) and / or the lower cover (45).

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fan (41) is arranged close to the outlet (43), and the fan (41) is configured as an axial flow fan or a cross flow fan.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The refrigerator further comprises a gas pressure sensor and a control system, the gas pressure sensor is used for detecting the gas pressure condition of the chamber (11), the gas pressure sensor and the fan (41) are connected to the control system respectively, and the fan (41) is configured to be started in response to the gas pressure condition of the chamber (11).

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, An infrared sensor is further arranged on the air curtain assembly (40), the infrared sensor is used for detecting the use condition of the chamber (11), the infrared sensor is connected to the control system, and the fan (41) is configured to be stopped in response to the use condition of the chamber (11).

6. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, A temperature sensor is arranged on the front of the drawer assembly (30), the temperature sensor is used for detecting the temperature rise rate of the front of the drawer assembly (30), the temperature sensor is connected to the control system, and the rotating speed of the fan (41) is configured to be increased with the increase of the temperature rise rate of the front of the drawer assembly (30).

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerator further comprises an evaporator, the heat exchange air duct (50) has an air return port (51) arranged towards the first channel (60) and an air outlet (52) arranged towards the inlet (42), and the evaporator is arranged corresponding to the heat exchange air duct (50) and used for heat exchange with the heat exchange air duct (50).

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the drawer assembly (30) is less than the depth of the chamber (11), so that when the drawer assembly (30) is stored inside the chamber (11), a second passage (111) is formed between the drawer assembly (30) and the opening of the chamber (11); Wherein, after the cold air is blown downward through the outlet (43), an air flow barrier is formed through the second passage (111).

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drawer assembly (30) comprises a plurality of drawers (31) arranged along the height direction of the chamber (11), and the front part of each drawer (31) has a through slot (312) along the height direction thereof; Wherein, after the cold air is blown downward through the outlet (43), an air flow barrier is formed through the plurality of through slots (312).

10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, characterized in that, Each drawer (31) comprises a drawer body (313) and a front cover (314), the drawer body (313) and the front cover (314) surround to form the through slot (312), and a heat preservation layer (315) is arranged in the through slot (312); Wherein, the front cover (314) and the drawer body (313) are integrally arranged; or, the front cover (314) and the drawer body (313) are detachably connected.

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