A pressure balance adjusting device for a refrigerator

Abstract

The application discloses a refrigerator air pressure balance adjusting device. The refrigerator has a bin body, a closable door body is hinged to one side of the opening of the bin body, and a sealing strip is arranged on the side of the opening to close the door body. The air pressure balance adjusting device is arranged on the side of the bin body outside the sealing strip. The air pressure balance adjusting device contacts the door body before the sealing strip when the door body is closed, and slows down the closing speed of the door body after contacting to close the door body with the sealing strip. The air pressure balance adjusting device is arranged on the side of the bin body outside the sealing strip, contacts the door body before the sealing strip when the door body is closed, and slows down the closing speed of the door body after contacting to close the door body with the sealing strip. The excess gas in the bin body can be discharged by using the airflow when the door is closed, so that the air pressure inside and outside the bin body can reach a relatively balanced state, thereby effectively solving the problem of unbalanced air pressure of the refrigerator.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] During the cooling process, the decrease in internal temperature causes a drop in air pressure. When the refrigerator door is closed, if the internal air pressure is significantly lower than the external pressure, the excessive pressure difference may lead to the following problems:

[0003] Increased resistance when opening the door: Users need to pull the refrigerator door open with force, which affects the user experience.

[0004] Wear and tear on door seals: Repeatedly forcibly opening the door may damage the seals, leading to air leakage.

[0005] Therefore, refrigerators are now equipped with a pressure balance regulation mechanism, which controls the exchange of air inside and outside the refrigerator to ensure that the pressure difference between the inside and outside is within a reasonable range (usually ≤0.02MPa) when the door is closed, thereby reducing the pulling force when opening the door, preventing damage to the sealing strip, and avoiding a large amount of hot and humid air from entering.

[0006] Currently, refrigerators mainly use two types of air pressure balancing devices. One is a mechanical float valve, which works by having a built-in float that controls the opening and closing of the valve via levers or gravity. When the air pressure inside the refrigerator drops, the float is lifted by the external air pressure, opening the valve and allowing outside air to enter after drying and filtration. Once the air pressure is balanced, the float falls back down and closes the valve. The second type is an automatic opening and closing movable cover device. This device uses a rubber movable cover at the vent, which provides an elastic seal. When negative pressure is generated inside the refrigerator, the cover is sucked up, allowing outside air to enter through the vent. Once the air pressure is balanced, the cover springs back to close. However, this relies on the sealing material; rubber aging can lead to leaks, requiring regular maintenance. The mechanical float valve requires dried outside air to enter the refrigerator. Excessive moisture entering the refrigerator can affect the float's effectiveness. The second type is prone to reduced efficiency due to rubber aging after prolonged use. Therefore, after long-term use, refrigerators often experience significant air pressure imbalance, specifically leading to a "door suction" phenomenon, which negatively impacts the user experience. Forcibly opening the door can lead to the risk of tearing the sealing strip, and damage to the sealing strip can reduce the sealing effect and increase the refrigerator's energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, this application aims to provide a pressure balancing device for refrigerators. When the door is closed, it expels excess gas from the interior, achieving a relatively balanced pressure inside and outside the compartment, thus effectively solving the problem of pressure imbalance in the refrigerator. When the door is opened, the L-shaped drive rod and rollers work together to assist in the rapid opening of the door, resolving the issue of negative pressure suction on the door caused by pressure imbalance inside and outside the compartment.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted in this application is as follows: a pressure balance regulating device for a refrigerator, the refrigerator having a compartment, a hinged door at one side of the opening of the compartment, and a sealing strip on the side of the opening that fits and seals the door, characterized in that: the pressure balance regulating device is located on the side of the compartment outside the sealing strip, the pressure balance regulating device contacts the door before the sealing strip when the door is closed, and after contact, slows down the closing speed of the door until the door and the sealing strip are fitted and sealed.

[0009] Preferably, the air pressure balance adjustment device is a spring sleeve disposed on the side of the chamber body, the spring sleeve comprising an outer cylinder fixed on the side of the chamber body and an inner cylinder capable of abutting against the door body.

[0010] Preferably, the height of the outer cylinder is less than the thickness of the sealing strip in its uncompressed state.

[0011] Preferably, an L-shaped drive rod is hinged to the door body, and the end of the L-shaped drive rod is provided with a roller that rolls in contact with the side of the compartment body. When the door body is closed, the L-shaped drive rod forms an angle with the thickness direction of the door body.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: The air pressure balance regulating device is located on the side of the compartment outside the sealing strip. When the door closes, it contacts the door before the sealing strip, and after contact, it slows down the closing speed of the door until the door and sealing strip are tightly sealed. The airflow during closing allows excess gas inside the compartment to be expelled, enabling a relatively balanced air pressure inside and outside the compartment, thus effectively solving the problem of air pressure imbalance in the refrigerator. When opening the door, the L-shaped drive rod and roller work together to assist the door in opening quickly, solving the problem of negative pressure suction on the door due to pressure imbalance inside and outside the compartment. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a diagram of the current refrigerator's external structure.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a picture of the refrigerator door open.

[0015] Figure 3 A top view of the refrigerator door opening process.

[0016] Figure 4 The illustration shows the excessive compression of the left-side sealing strip caused by frequent opening and closing of the door over a long period of time.

[0017] Figure 5 This application illustrates the installation of a spring sleeve on the side of the storage compartment.

[0018] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the process of the spring sleeve contacting the door body first and the pressure balancing inside and outside the compartment when the door is closed, as described in this application.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the L-shaped drive rod and roller disclosed in this application.

[0020] Figure 8 The illustration shows the L-shaped drive rod and roller of this application installed on the refrigerator door and in the closed state.

[0021] Figure 9 This is an operational illustration of how the negative pressure inside the compartment is overcome when the door is opened, as described in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this application, the technical solutions of this application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] See attached document Figures 1-9 The refrigerator 1 shown is a pressure balance regulating device for a refrigerator. The refrigerator 1 has a compartment 1a, which is usually divided into refrigeration and freezing areas. A hinged door 11 is connected to one side of the opening of each compartment 1a, and a sealing strip 2 is provided on the side of the opening to fit and seal the door 11. By abutting the door 11 against the sealing strip, the interior of the compartment 1a is sealed, preventing the leakage of cold air from the compartment 1a and thus avoiding increased energy consumption.

[0024] To address the issue of pressure imbalance in refrigerators that persists after prolonged use despite the use of mechanical floats or automatic opening / closing lids, this application discloses a pressure balance adjustment device, such as... Figure 6 As shown, this pressure balancing device is located on the side of the compartment 1a outside the sealing strip 2. When the door 11 is closed, this device contacts the door 11 before the sealing strip 2, and then slows down the closing speed of the door 11 until the door 11 and the sealing strip 2 are tightly sealed. When closing the door 11, the door contacts the pressure balancing device before it is fully closed. After contact, before the door 11 contacts the sealing strip 2, since the compartment 1a is a one-way opening, the airflow during closing can expel excess gas from the compartment 1a. This solves the problem of excessively high air pressure in the compartment 1a when the door 11 is fully in circumferential contact with the sealing strip 2 during closing, which is difficult to expel excess gas. At the same time, after the pressure balancing device contacts the door, it slows down the closing speed of the door 11, that is, it prolongs the contact time with the sealing strip 2, so that the air pressure inside and outside the compartment 1a can reach a relatively balanced state, thereby effectively solving the problem of air pressure imbalance in the refrigerator.

[0025] Specifically, such as Figure 5As shown, the air pressure balance adjustment device is a spring sleeve 3 installed on the side of the chamber 1a. The spring sleeve 3 includes an outer cylinder 31 fixed to the side of the chamber 1a and an inner cylinder 32 that abuts against the door 11. A compression spring is provided between the outer cylinder 31 and the inner cylinder 32, but is not shown in the figure. When the door is closed... Figure 6 As shown, after the door body first contacts the inner cylinder 32, the closing speed of the door body 11 is slowed down by the action of the compression spring, so that the excess gas in the chamber 1a is discharged from the gap between the door body 11 and the sealing strip 2 through the airflow when the door body closes. Figure 6 (As indicated by arrow a) Then, a closing force is applied to the door 11 again, causing the door 11 to adhere to the sealing strip 2. Utilizing the negative pressure generated by the cold air inside the compartment 1a and the magnetic attraction usually provided at the door, a sealing effect is achieved by adhering to the sealing strip 2, overcoming the force of the compression spring. The reverse force of the compression spring on the door 11 also provides assistance when the door 11 is opened, to overcome the force of the negative pressure state inside the compartment 1a.

[0026] A good sealing effect can only be achieved when the door body 11 is in contact with the sealing strip 2 and exerts a certain degree of pressure on the sealing strip 2. Therefore, to avoid the spring sleeve 3 obstructing or interfering with the sealing and pressing of the door body 11 and the sealing strip 2, such as Figure 5-6 As shown, the height of the outer cylinder 31 is less than the thickness of the sealing strip 2 in its uncompressed state. That is, when the door body 11 contacts the sealing strip, the door body 11 does not contact the port of the outer cylinder 31. Only after further squeezing the sealing strip 2 can it abut against the port of the outer cylinder 31. At this time, the door body 11 has achieved a sealing and pressing against the sealing strip 2, thereby solving the problem of interference caused by the spring sleeve 3 to the sealing environment inside the door body compartment 1a.

[0027] When door 11 is opened, because the chamber 1a has been in a low-temperature environment for a long time, the pressure inside the chamber is lower than the external ambient pressure. This results in a negative pressure suction effect when door 11 is opened, preventing it from opening quickly. Therefore, to solve this problem, such as... Figure 7-8 As shown, an L-shaped drive rod 4 is hinged to the door body 11. The end of the L-shaped drive rod 4 is provided with a roller 5 that rolls in contact with the side of the compartment 1a. When the door body 11 is closed, the L-shaped drive rod 4 forms an angle with the thickness direction of the door body 11. Figure 8 The diagram shows the positional structure of the L-shaped drive rod 4 and roller 5 when the door 11 is normally closed. When the door 11 is opened, as shown... Figure 9As shown, the user first drives the L-shaped drive rod 4 (handle 41, preferably with a groove for embedding the handle 41 on the door body 11, not shown in the figure) in the direction of arrow b. When the L-shaped drive rod 4 is rotating, the roller 5 rolls on the side of the compartment 1a in the direction of arrow c. Since the L-shaped drive rod 4 forms an angle with the thickness direction of the door body 11, as the roller 5 rolls, the L-shaped drive rod 4 gradually becomes parallel to the thickness direction of the door body 11. The length between the hinge of the L-shaped drive rod 4 and the roller 5 will be greater than the distance between the hinge and the side of the compartment 1a. As a result, the side of the compartment 1a will drive the auxiliary door body 11 to open in the direction of arrow d, realizing the lever opening effect. This can effectively overcome the problem that the door body 11 is difficult to open quickly under the negative pressure suction in the compartment 1a.

[0028] The principle of this application is as follows: Spring sleeves 3 are set at intervals on the side of the compartment 1a. When the door 11 is closed, the door first contacts the inner cylinder 32. Under the action of the compression spring, the closing speed of the door 11 is slowed down, so that the excess gas in the compartment 1a is discharged from the gap between the door 11 and the sealing strip 2 through the airflow when the door is closed. Then, the closing force is applied to the door 11 again, so that the door 11 and the sealing strip 2 are attached. The negative pressure generated by the cold air in the compartment 1a and the magnetic attraction usually set at the door are used to achieve the sealing effect of attaching with the sealing strip 2 and overcome the force of the compression spring.

[0029] When the door 11 needs to be opened, the user first drives the L-shaped drive rod 4. While the L-shaped drive rod 4 is rotating, the roller 5 rolls on the side of the compartment 1a. As the roller 5 rolls, the L-shaped drive rod 4 gradually becomes parallel to the thickness direction of the door 11. The length between the hinge of the L-shaped drive rod 4 and the roller 5 will be greater than the distance between the hinge and the side of the compartment 1a. As a result, the side of the compartment 1a will drive the auxiliary door 11 to open in the direction of arrow d, realizing the lever-driven opening effect. This can effectively overcome the problem that the door 11 is difficult to open quickly under the negative pressure suction inside the compartment 1a.

[0030] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application. Various changes and modifications may be made to this application without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A pressure balancing device for a refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator (1) has a compartment (1a), a hinged door (11) is connected to one side of the opening of the compartment (1a), and a sealing strip (2) is provided on the side of the opening to fit and seal the door (11), characterized in that: The air pressure balance adjustment device is located on the side of the compartment (1a) outside the sealing strip (2). When the door (11) is closed, the air pressure balance adjustment device contacts the door (11) before the sealing strip (2) and slows down the closing speed of the door (11) until the door (11) and the sealing strip (2) are in close contact.

2. The air pressure balance regulating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air pressure balance adjustment device is a spring sleeve (3) installed on the side of the chamber (1a). The spring sleeve (3) includes an outer cylinder (31) fixed on the side of the chamber (1a) and an inner cylinder (32) that can abut against the door (11).

3. The air pressure balance regulating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The height of the outer cylinder (31) is less than the thickness of the sealing strip (2) in its uncompressed state.

4. The air pressure balance regulating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: An L-shaped drive rod (4) is hinged to the door body (11). The end of the L-shaped drive rod (4) is provided with a roller (5) that rolls in contact with the side of the compartment body (1a). When the door body (11) is closed, the L-shaped drive rod (4) forms an angle with the thickness direction of the door body (11).

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