Refrigerator
By installing a condenser in the refrigerator's return air duct, and using metal condensing components to condense water vapor in the return air, the problem of frost formation on the evaporator and freezer compartment under high temperature and high humidity conditions is solved, thus achieving a stable cooling effect for the refrigerator.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-03
AI Technical Summary
Under high temperature and high humidity conditions, excessive humidity in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator can cause frequent frost formation on the evaporator and abnormal ice buildup inside the freezer, affecting the stability of food storage.
A condenser is installed in the return air duct of the refrigerator. The condensing component is made of metal. By controlling the temperature, the low-temperature water vapor in the return air is condensed into water droplets, reducing the air humidity. The condensate is then drained through the drainage channel, reducing frost buildup on the evaporator and freezer compartment.
It effectively reduces the humidity of the air returning to the freezer compartment and evaporator, reduces frost formation on the evaporator and abnormal icing in the freezer compartment, and improves the storage stability and cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.
Smart Images
Figure CN224455048U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to a refrigerator. Background Technology
[0002] In existing refrigerators, air from the refrigerator compartment is directly returned to the freezer compartment, then cooled by the evaporator before being sent back to the refrigerator compartment, achieving cold air circulation. However, when the refrigerator is operating under high temperature and humidity conditions, or when high-humidity items are stored in the freezer compartment, the evaporator is prone to frost buildup due to excessive humidity in the return air. Regular defrosting is required, but frequent defrosting leads to significant temperature fluctuations within the freezer compartment. Furthermore, excessive humidity in the return air can cause abnormal icing in the freezer compartment, and frozen food storage does not have particularly high humidity requirements. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the humidity of the air returning to the freezer compartment and the evaporator. Utility Model Content
[0003] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a refrigerator that can effectively reduce the humidity in the air returning to the freezer compartment and the evaporator, thereby effectively reducing the occurrence of frost on the evaporator and abnormal frost in the freezer compartment.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the refrigerator of this invention includes at least one refrigerator compartment and at least one freezer compartment. The refrigerator further includes an evaporator, an air supply duct for supplying gas cooled by the evaporator to the refrigerator compartment, a return air duct for returning the gas that has passed through the refrigerator compartment to the freezer compartment, and a condenser located near the evaporator, including a mounting portion installed on the side wall of the return air duct and a condensing portion located within the return air duct. By placing the condenser near the evaporator, the temperature of the condenser can be controlled, thereby causing low-temperature water vapor in the return air to condense into water droplets in the condensing portion, reducing the humidity in the air. This effectively reduces the humidity of the air returning to the freezer compartment and the evaporator, thus effectively reducing frost formation on the evaporator and abnormal frost formation in the freezer compartment.
[0005] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the mounting portion may include a first plate and a second plate that intersect at an angle of less than 90°. The condenser portion extends from the end face of the second plate in a direction parallel to the surface of the second plate. An opening extending through the sidewall of the return air duct is formed in a downwardly inclined manner. The first plate is attached to the outer surface of the sidewall, and the second plate and the condenser portion are inserted into the return air duct along the opening. This downward inclination of the condenser portion more effectively promotes the dripping of water droplets condensed in it.
[0006] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the condenser section can also be made of a metal material. In this way, by using a condenser section made of a metal material, the low-temperature water vapor in the return air can be more effectively condensed into water droplets.
[0007] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the condenser section may include multiple spaced-apart claws. This allows for more effective promotion of the dripping of water droplets condensed in the condenser section.
[0008] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the front end face of the claw can be formed as a first inclined surface that slopes downward relative to the upper surface of the claw. This can more effectively promote the dripping of water droplets condensed in the condensation section.
[0009] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the bottom surface of the claw portion may include a second inclined surface and a third inclined surface that are inclined downwards and intersect each other relative to the side surface of the claw portion. This can more effectively promote the dripping of water droplets condensed in the condensation section.
[0010] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, a sealing element for sealing the opening can be attached to the lower surface of the second plate. This increases the sealing of the return air duct and improves the overall cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.
[0011] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the sealing element may be a cuboid-shaped sponge.
[0012] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the corner where the first plate and the second plate intersect may be chamfered.
[0013] Alternatively, in the refrigerator described above, the refrigerator may also include a drain channel for discharging water droplets condensed on the condenser section. This allows the water droplets condensed on the condenser section to be discharged from the refrigerator via the drain channel.
[0014] According to this invention, a refrigerator can be provided that can effectively reduce the humidity in the air returning to the freezer compartment and evaporator, thereby effectively reducing frost formation on the evaporator and abnormal frost formation in the freezer compartment. Attached Figure Description
[0015] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this utility model will become clearer from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0016] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the evaporator, return air duct, and condenser of the refrigerator involved in this embodiment.
[0017] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing the general structure of the return air duct and condenser involved in this embodiment.
[0018] Figure 3 This is a front view showing the general structure of the return air duct and condenser involved in this embodiment.
[0019] Figure 4 This is a top view showing the general structure of the return air duct and condenser involved in this embodiment.
[0020] Figure 5 This is a perspective view showing the general structure of the condenser involved in this embodiment when viewed from above.
[0021] Figure 6 This is a perspective view showing the general structure of the condenser involved in this embodiment when viewed from below.
[0022] Figure 7 This is a perspective view showing the general structure of the condenser involved in the modified example of this embodiment when viewed from below. Detailed Implementation
[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, identical or equivalent elements are marked with the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right are not specifically described, but are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings. Moreover, the scale of the drawings is not limited to the scale shown in the illustrations, except as used in the actual drawings.
[0024] Furthermore, it should be understood that the embodiments listed in this specification are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. Rather, as those skilled in the art will understand, the present invention includes various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
[0025] In this specification, it should be understood that terms such as “comprising,” “including,” and “having” mean the presence of features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.
[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the evaporator, return air duct, and condenser of the refrigerator involved in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing the general structure of the return air duct and condenser involved in this embodiment. Figure 3This is a front view showing the general structure of the return air duct and condenser involved in this embodiment. Figure 4 This is a top view showing the general structure of the return air duct and condenser involved in this embodiment. Figure 5 This is a perspective view showing the general structure of the condenser involved in this embodiment when viewed from above. Figure 6 This is a perspective view showing the general structure of the condenser involved in this embodiment when viewed from below.
[0027] The refrigerator described in this embodiment includes at least one refrigerator compartment and at least one freezer compartment. For example, it may include one refrigerator compartment and one freezer compartment. In addition, the refrigerator may also include other functional compartments such as a variable temperature compartment and an intermediate compartment.
[0028] like Figures 1-6 As shown, the refrigerator includes an evaporator 1, an air supply duct that sends air cooled by the evaporator 1 to the refrigerator compartment, a return air duct 2 that returns air that has passed through the refrigerator compartment to the freezer compartment, a condenser 3 located near the evaporator 1 and including a mounting part 31 installed on the side wall 21 of the return air duct 2 and a condensing part 32 located in the return air duct 2, and a drain channel that discharges water droplets condensed on the condensing part 32.
[0029] In this embodiment, by placing the condenser near the evaporator as described above, the temperature of the condenser can be controlled. This allows the low-temperature water vapor in the return air to condense into water droplets in the condenser section, reducing the humidity in the air. Consequently, the humidity in the air returning to the freezer compartment and the evaporator can be effectively reduced, thereby significantly decreasing frost formation on the evaporator and abnormal frost formation in the freezer compartment. Furthermore, the drain channel allows the water droplets condensed on the condenser section to be discharged from the refrigerator.
[0030] Next, the specific structure of condenser 3 will be described. For example... Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the mounting portion 31 of the condenser 3 includes a first plate portion 311 and a second plate portion 312 that intersect at an angle of less than 90°. The corner where the first plate portion 311 and the second plate portion 312 intersect is as follows: Figure 5 and Figure 6 The chamfer shown can be rounded, for example.
[0031] The condenser portion 32 extends from the end face of the second plate portion 312 along a direction parallel to the surface (i.e., the upper surface) 312S of the second plate portion 312.
[0032] Next, the installation of condenser 3 and return air duct 2 will be explained. For example... Figures 2-4As shown, an opening 22 extending downwards through the sidewall 21 of the return air duct 2 is formed. A first plate portion 311 is attached to the outer surface 21S of the sidewall 21. A second plate portion 312 and a condenser portion 32 are inserted into the return air duct 2 along the opening 22. In this way, the condenser portion can be tilted downwards, thereby more effectively promoting the dripping of water droplets condensed in the condenser portion.
[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the condenser 32 is preferably made of a metallic material. This allows for more efficient condensation of low-temperature water vapor in the return air into water droplets.
[0034] In addition, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the condenser section 32 may include a plurality of spaced-apart claws 321 (e.g., three in this case). This allows for more effective promotion of the dripping of water droplets condensed in the condenser section.
[0035] The specific structure of the claw 321 will be described below. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the front end face S1 of the claw portion 321 is formed as a first inclined surface that slopes downward relative to the upper surface S2 of the claw portion 321. This allows for more effective promotion of the dripping of water droplets condensed in the condensation section.
[0036] In addition, such as Figure 6 As shown, the bottom surface of the claw portion 321 includes a second inclined surface S4 and a third inclined surface S5 that are inclined downward relative to the side surface S3 of the claw portion 321 and intersect each other. This can more effectively promote the dripping of water droplets condensed in the condensation section.
[0037] (Example)
[0038] A refrigerator with the aforementioned condenser installed in the return air duct, as an example, can reduce the relative humidity of the air returning to the freezer compartment by 5%-15% through measurements. This effectively reduces the humidity in the air returning to the freezer compartment and evaporator, thereby effectively reducing frost formation on the evaporator and abnormal frost formation in the freezer compartment, and improving the storage stability and safety of the refrigerator.
[0039] (Modified Example)
[0040] Figure 7 This is a perspective view showing the approximate structure of the condenser involved in the modified example of this embodiment when viewed from below. For example... Figure 7As shown, the main difference between the condenser 3A in this modified embodiment and the condenser 3 described above is that a sealing member 33 with a sealing opening 22 is attached to the lower surface of the second plate portion 312 (i.e., the surface opposite to the upper surface 312S). This increases the sealing performance of the return air duct and improves the overall cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.
[0041] Here, the sealing element 33 is preferably a cuboid-shaped sponge. This is because sponges are easily deformable, thus they can be easily inserted into the opening to seal it.
[0042] According to this invention, a refrigerator can be provided that can effectively reduce the humidity in the air returning to the freezer compartment and evaporator, thereby effectively reducing frost formation on the evaporator and abnormal frost formation in the freezer compartment.
[0043] The embodiments of this utility model have been described above; however, this utility model is not limited to the embodiments described above. Those skilled in the art can make modifications and variations to this utility model as needed without departing from its essential spirit and scope. All such modifications and variations fall within the scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes at least one refrigerator compartment and at least one freezer compartment. The refrigerator also includes an evaporator, an air supply duct that sends gas cooled by the evaporator to the refrigerator compartment, a return air duct that returns the gas that has passed through the refrigerator compartment to the freezer compartment, and a condenser located near the evaporator and including a mounting portion installed on the side wall of the return air duct and a condensing portion located within the return air duct.
2. The refrigerator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting portion includes a first plate portion and a second plate portion that intersect at an angle of less than 90°. The condensation section extends from the end face of the second plate in a direction parallel to the surface of the second plate. An opening extending through the sidewall of the return air duct is formed in a downwardly inclined manner. The first plate portion is attached to the outer surface of the sidewall. The second plate and the condenser section are inserted into the return air duct along the opening.
3. The refrigerator as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The condenser section is made of metallic material.
4. The refrigerator as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The condensation section includes a plurality of spaced-apart claws.
5. The refrigerator as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The front end face of the claw is formed as a first inclined surface that slopes downward relative to the upper surface of the claw.
6. The refrigerator as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the claw includes a second inclined surface and a third inclined surface that are inclined downward relative to the side surface of the claw and intersect each other.
7. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, A seal is attached to the lower surface of the second plate to seal the opening.
8. The refrigerator as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The sealing element is a rectangular sponge.
9. The refrigerator as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The corner where the first plate portion intersects with the second plate portion is chamfered.
10. The refrigerator as described in any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, The refrigerator also includes a drain channel for discharging water droplets that condense on the condenser section.