Refrigerator

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of refrigerators, in particular to a refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises a shell, an inner container arranged in the shell, a storage chamber and a device cabin formed in the inner container, an evaporator arranged in the device cabin, a heat insulation layer arranged between the shell and the inner container, an air duct located at the rear side of the inner container, one end of the air duct being in communication with the storage chamber and the other end being in communication with the device cabin, a support column arranged in the air duct, the two ends of the support column being respectively in abutment with the inner wall of the air duct along the depth direction of the shell, and a reinforcing rib arranged in the air duct, the reinforcing rib and the support column being distributed along the extension direction of the air duct. Since the air duct is provided with the reinforcing rib, the structural strength of the air duct is improved, so that even if the protruding height of the reinforcing rib arranged on the outer surface of the air duct is shortened or the reinforcing rib is not arranged on the outer surface of the air duct, the strength requirement of the air duct can be met, the filling density of the heat insulation layer wrapping the air duct can be improved, the cold energy of the air duct can be better prevented from being transmitted to the shell, and the risk of condensation of the shell is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Currently, with the improvement of living standards, refrigerators have become an indispensable part of people's daily lives, as they can store and refrigerate items and extend their shelf life.

[0003] A refrigerator consists of an outer shell, an inner liner, and air ducts. The inner liner contains a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. The freezer compartment is connected to the refrigerator compartment via air ducts to facilitate heat exchange between the two compartments.

[0004] To achieve insulation of the inner liner and air ducts, related technologies incorporate a heat insulation layer between the inner liner and the outer shell to prevent the low temperatures of the inner liner and air ducts from being transferred to the outer shell, thus preventing condensation. However, in practice, refrigerators using these technologies still experience condensation on the outer shell. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application discloses a refrigerator that can reduce the risk of condensation on the refrigerator's outer shell.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application disclose a refrigerator, comprising:

[0007] shell;

[0008] An inner liner is located inside the outer shell, and a storage room and an equipment compartment are formed inside the inner liner;

[0009] The evaporator is located in the equipment compartment;

[0010] A heat insulation layer is disposed between the outer shell and the inner liner;

[0011] The air duct is located at the rear of the inner liner, with one end connected to the storage room and the other end connected to the equipment compartment;

[0012] The air duct is equipped with a support column, and both ends of the support column abut against the inner wall of the air duct along the depth direction of the outer shell.

[0013] The duct is equipped with reinforcing ribs, and the reinforcing ribs and the support columns are distributed along the extension direction of the duct.

[0014] The duct of this application is provided with a support column. Along the depth direction of the outer shell, the two ends of the support column abut against the inner wall of the duct. The support column can provide support for the duct along the depth direction of the outer shell and prevent the duct from deforming under the extrusion of the foam material. In order to further improve the structural strength of the duct, this application also provides a reinforcing rib inside the duct. After the reinforcing rib is set, the cross-sectional area of ​​the duct will increase, and thus the structural strength of the duct will also increase, which can further prevent the duct from deforming under the extrusion of the foam material.

[0015] Furthermore, since the reinforcing ribs and support columns inside the duct are distributed along the extension direction of the duct, that is, the reinforcing ribs and support columns are distributed along the wind direction inside the duct, and the reinforcing ribs and support columns have overlapping parts along the wind direction, compared with the reinforcing ribs and support columns being staggered along the wind direction, this application can reduce the resistance of the reinforcing ribs and support columns to the wind and ensure the air volume delivered by the duct.

[0016] Furthermore, since the duct of this application has reinforcing ribs inside to improve the structural strength of the duct, even if the height of the reinforcing ribs on the outer surface of the duct is shortened, or even if no reinforcing ribs are set on the outer surface of the duct, the strength requirements of the duct can be met. This can increase the filling density of the insulation layer that wraps the duct, thereby improving the insulation capacity of the insulation layer, better preventing the cold air of the duct from being transferred to the outer shell, reducing the risk of condensation on the outer shell and improving the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigerator.

[0017] In one optional embodiment, the number of support columns includes a plurality of them, which are spaced apart along the extension direction of the duct. At least some of the adjacent support columns are provided with reinforcing ribs, and at least one end of the reinforcing ribs is connected to the adjacent support column along the extension direction of the duct.

[0018] In this embodiment, at least one end of the reinforcing rib along the extension direction of the duct is connected to an adjacent support column. In this way, when the support column is subjected to force, the reinforcing rib can share the force on the support column, preventing the support column from deforming or being damaged under the force. Furthermore, when the reinforcing rib is subjected to force, the support column can also share the force on the reinforcing rib, preventing the reinforcing rib from deforming or being damaged under the force.

[0019] In one alternative embodiment, along the depth direction, the two ends of the reinforcing rib abut against the inner wall of the duct.

[0020] In this embodiment, along the depth direction, the two ends of the reinforcing rib abut against the inner wall of the air duct. During the foaming process of the refrigerator, when the foaming material applies a force along the depth direction to the air duct, not only can the support column inside the air duct support the air duct and prevent the air duct from sinking and deforming along the depth direction, but the reinforcing rib inside the air duct can also support the air duct. Under the combined action of the support column and the reinforcing rib, the air duct can be better prevented from sinking and deforming along the depth direction.

[0021] In one alternative embodiment, along the first direction, the size of the reinforcing rib is less than or equal to the size of the support column;

[0022] Wherein, the first direction is perpendicular to the depth direction and perpendicular to the extension direction of the duct.

[0023] In this embodiment, along the first direction, the size of the reinforcing rib is less than or equal to the size of the support column. That is to say, along the wind direction, all parts of the reinforcing rib overlap with the support column, and the reinforcing rib does not protrude from the support column. The reinforcing rib will not increase wind resistance. Therefore, even if the reinforcing rib is additionally set in the duct in this application, the reinforcing rib will not increase wind resistance.

[0024] In one alternative embodiment, the dimension of the support column along the first direction is less than or equal to 5 mm.

[0025] If the dimension of the support column along the first direction is greater than 5mm, the contact area between the support column and the gas in the duct is too large, resulting in excessive air resistance and reduced gas flow rate. Therefore, in this embodiment, the dimension of the support column along the first direction is controlled to be less than or equal to 5mm to reduce the contact area between the support column and the gas in the duct, decrease air resistance, and increase gas flow rate.

[0026] In one alternative embodiment, the duct includes:

[0027] First cover;

[0028] The second cover is detachably connected to the first cover and is distributed along the depth direction with the first cover. The first cover and the second cover cooperate to form the air duct.

[0029] The support columns include:

[0030] A first column is disposed on the first cover;

[0031] A second column is disposed on the second cover, and the first column and the second column abut against each other along the depth direction;

[0032] The reinforcing ribs include:

[0033] The first rib is provided on the first cover and is distributed along the extension direction of the air duct with the first column.

[0034] The second rib is provided on the second cover and is distributed along the extension direction of the air duct with the second column.

[0035] In this embodiment, the support column includes a first column and a second column that are separately arranged. The first column and the second column abut against each other along the depth direction. That is, the support column includes two columns, which cooperate to support the air duct in the depth direction. Compared with a support column that only includes one column, this embodiment can reduce the height of the column, thereby reducing the deflection of the column and ensuring that the column has greater rigidity. That is, both the first column and the second column have greater rigidity to prevent the support column from being damaged when subjected to greater compressive force.

[0036] Furthermore, compared to a reinforcing rib consisting of only one raised rib, this embodiment can also reduce the height of the raised rib. Thus, when the first column and the first raised rib are integrally injection molded with the first cover, the molding difficulty of the first cover is reduced because the protrusion height of the first column and the first raised rib is smaller. Similarly, the molding difficulty of the second cover is reduced because the protrusion height of the second column and the second raised rib is smaller.

[0037] In one alternative embodiment, along the depth direction, the first rib and the second rib are disposed opposite to each other, and the size of the first column is equal to the size of the second column.

[0038] In this embodiment, the dimensions of the first column and the second column are equal along the depth direction. Therefore, the protrusion heights of the first column and the second column are both small, which can reduce the difficulty of injection molding the first column and the second column.

[0039] In one alternative embodiment, the size of the first rib is equal to the size of the second rib along the depth direction.

[0040] In this embodiment, the first rib and the second rib are arranged opposite to each other, and the size of the first rib is equal to the size of the second rib. Therefore, the first rib and the second rib will abut against each other along the depth direction. In this way, the first rib and the second rib can jointly support the air duct along the depth direction to share the force on the support column and reduce the risk of damage to the support column.

[0041] Furthermore, along the depth direction, if the size of the first rib is greater than or less than the size of the second rib, then the protrusion height of one of the first and second ribs is larger, making it more difficult to injection mold the larger of the two ribs. In this embodiment, however, along the depth direction, the size of the first rib is equal to the size of the second rib, therefore the protrusion height of both the first and second ribs is smaller, which reduces the difficulty of injection molding the first and second ribs.

[0042] In one alternative embodiment, the first column has a first plane facing the second column, the second column has a second plane facing the first column, and the first plane and the second plane abut against each other.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first plane of the first column abuts against the second plane of the second column, which increases the contact area between the first column and the second column, thereby dispersing the stress between the first column and the second column and preventing the first column and the second column from deforming or being damaged under high stress.

[0044] In one alternative embodiment, the first cover, the first column, and the first rib are integrally injection molded, and the first column is hollow.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first column is hollow. Compared with a solid first column, the hollow first column can have a larger external size while having a smaller wall thickness. This not only prevents the first column from shrinking, but also allows the first plane to have a larger size, ensuring the contact stability between the first plane and the second plane.

[0046] In one alternative embodiment, the second cover, the second column, and the second rib are integrally injection molded, and the second column is hollow.

[0047] In this embodiment, the second column is hollow. Compared with a solid second column, the hollow second column can have a larger external size while having a smaller wall thickness. This not only prevents the second column from shrinking, but also allows the second plane to have a larger size, ensuring the contact stability between the first plane and the second plane.

[0048] In one alternative embodiment, the outer surface of the duct is not provided with the reinforcing ribs.

[0049] In this embodiment, the outer surface of the air duct does not have reinforcing ribs. This not only avoids the problem of low filling density of the insulation layer caused by setting reinforcing ribs on the outer surface of the air duct, thus further reducing the problem of condensation on the back panel, but also avoids the problem of cold leakage caused by the reinforcing ribs on the outer surface of the air duct, thus further improving the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigerator. Attached Figure Description

[0050] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments 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.

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the refrigerator disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0052] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the refrigerator disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0053] Figure 3 For this application Figure 2 The diagram shows the structure behind the hidden back panel.

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the air duct disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 5 Cross-sectional view of the air duct disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0056] Figure 6 This is an exploded schematic diagram of the air duct disclosed in the embodiments of this application, and an enlarged schematic diagram of point A therein;

[0057] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first cover body disclosed in the embodiment of this application, and an enlarged schematic diagram of point B therein;

[0058] Figure 8 Cross-sectional view of the air duct disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 .

[0059] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0060] 100. Outer shell; 110. Back panel;

[0061] 200. Inner liner; 210. Refrigerated inner liner; 220. Frozen inner liner;

[0062] 300, Air duct; 301, Refrigerated return air duct; 302, Ice-making return air duct; 303, Ice-making supply air duct; 310, Support column; 311, First column; 312, Second column; 313, First plane; 314, Second plane; 320, Reinforcing rib; 321, First protruding rib; 322, Second protruding rib; 330, First cover; 340, Second cover. Detailed Implementation

[0063] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0064] In this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing this application and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated device, element, or component to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0065] Furthermore, in addition to indicating location or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in some cases to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0066] Furthermore, the terms "installation," "setup," "equipped with," "connection," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two devices, components, or parts. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0067] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are primarily used to distinguish different devices, elements, or components (which may be the same or different in specific type and construction), and are not intended to indicate or imply the relative importance or quantity of the indicated devices, elements, or components. Unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0068] Currently, with the improvement of living standards, refrigerators have become an indispensable part of people's daily lives, as they can store and refrigerate items and extend their shelf life.

[0069] A refrigerator consists of an outer shell, an inner liner, and air ducts. The inner liner contains a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. The freezer compartment is connected to the refrigerator compartment via air ducts to facilitate heat exchange between the two compartments.

[0070] To achieve insulation of the inner liner and air ducts, related technologies incorporate a heat insulation layer between the inner liner and the outer shell to prevent the low temperatures of the inner liner and air ducts from being transferred to the outer shell, thus preventing condensation. However, in practice, refrigerators using this technology still experience condensation on the back panel of the outer shell.

[0071] The inventors discovered that the insulation layer of the related technology is made by a foaming process. During the foaming process, the foaming material will compress the air duct. In order to prevent the air duct from being deformed by compression, the related technology sets multiple support columns spaced apart along the extension direction of the air duct on the inner surface of the air duct, and sets reinforcing ribs in a mesh structure on the outer surface of the air duct. The mesh structure forms multiple grids, and there is air in the grids. After the foaming material enters the grids, the air in the grids cannot be discharged, so the insulation layer cannot fill the grids completely. That is, the filling density of the insulation layer surrounding the air duct is low. Obviously, this will weaken the insulation capacity of the insulation layer, and the cold air of the air duct will be transferred to the back panel, causing condensation on the back panel. Moreover, the cold air of the air duct transferred to the back panel will lead to cold leakage, that is, the cold air in the air duct will be reduced, the temperature of the air will be increased, and the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigerator will be reduced.

[0072] The refrigerator provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0073] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the figure, an embodiment of this application discloses a refrigerator, including:

[0074] The outer casing 100 forms the exterior surface of the refrigerator and can be square or other shapes. For example, the outer casing 100 may include a back panel 110 located along its depth direction. Figure 2 and Figure 3 (As indicated by the arrow in the middle) on the rear side, the depth direction of the outer casing 100 is perpendicular to the height direction of the outer casing 100. Figure 2 and Figure 3 (The direction indicated by the arrow in the middle).

[0075] The inner liner 200 is disposed within the outer shell 100, and a storage compartment and an equipment compartment are formed within the inner liner 200. For example, the inner liner 200 can be connected to the outer shell 100 by means of snap-fit, screw connection, etc. This application does not limit the connection method between the inner liner 200 and the outer shell 100.

[0076] An evaporator is located in the equipment compartment. For example, the evaporator, along with the refrigerator's compressor and condenser, is connected in series to form a refrigeration circuit, which can reduce the temperature of the equipment compartment.

[0077] An insulation layer is provided between the outer shell 100 and the inner liner 200 to prevent the inner liner 200 from exchanging heat with the external environment.

[0078] The air duct 300 is located at the rear of the inner liner 200. One end of the air duct 300 is connected to the storage room, and the other end is connected to the equipment compartment, thereby realizing heat exchange between the equipment compartment and the storage room.

[0079] The duct 300 is equipped with a support column 310 along the depth direction of the outer shell 100. Both ends of the support column 310 abut against the inner wall of the duct 300. The duct 300 also has reinforcing ribs 320, which, along with the support column 310, are distributed along the extension direction of the duct 300. Specifically, the reinforcing ribs 320 extend along the extension direction of the duct 300 to reduce air resistance within the duct 300. It should be noted that the extension direction of the duct 300 is parallel to the airflow direction within the duct 300.

[0080] The duct 300 of this application is provided with a support column 310. Along the depth direction of the outer shell 100, the two ends of the support column 310 abut against the inner wall of the duct 300. The support column 310 can provide support for the duct 300 along the depth direction of the outer shell 100, preventing the duct 300 from deforming under the extrusion of the foaming material. In order to further improve the structural strength of the duct 300, this application also provides a reinforcing rib 320 in the duct 300. After the reinforcing rib 320 is provided, the cross-sectional area of ​​the duct 300 will increase, and thus the structural strength of the duct 300 will also increase, which can further prevent the duct 300 from deforming under the extrusion of the foaming material.

[0081] Furthermore, since the reinforcing ribs 320 and support columns 310 within the duct 300 are distributed along the extension direction of the duct 300, that is, the reinforcing ribs 320 and support columns 310 are distributed along the wind direction within the duct 300, and the reinforcing ribs 320 and support columns 310 have overlapping portions along the wind direction, compared to the staggered distribution of the reinforcing ribs 320 and support columns 310 along the wind direction, this application can reduce the resistance of the reinforcing ribs 320 and support columns 310 to the wind, thus ensuring the air volume delivered by the duct 300.

[0082] Furthermore, since the duct 300 of this application is provided with reinforcing ribs 320 to improve the structural strength of the duct 300, even if the protrusion height of the reinforcing ribs 320 provided on the outer surface of the duct 300 is shortened, or even if the reinforcing ribs 320 are not provided on the outer surface of the duct 300, the strength requirements of the duct 300 can still be met. This can increase the filling density of the insulation layer surrounding the duct 300, thereby improving the insulation capacity of the insulation layer and better preventing the cold air of the duct 300 from being transferred to the outer shell 100, such as the back panel of the outer shell 100, so as to reduce the risk of condensation on the outer shell 100 and improve the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.

[0083] For example, the inner liner 200 may include a refrigerated inner liner 210 and a frozen inner liner 220. The refrigerated inner liner 210 has a refrigerated compartment, which can be used to store frequently accessed food items such as vegetables and dairy products. The frozen inner liner 220 has a frozen compartment and an equipment compartment. A partition (not shown in the figure) can be installed in the frozen inner liner 220 to divide the space inside the frozen inner liner 220 into a frozen compartment and an equipment compartment. The aforementioned storage compartment may also include a frozen compartment.

[0084] The air duct 300 may include a refrigerated air inlet duct 300 and a refrigerated air return duct 301. The refrigerated air inlet duct 300 is used to transport cold air from the equipment compartment to the refrigerated compartment, and the refrigerated air return duct 301 is used to introduce air from the refrigerated compartment into the equipment compartment. Further, a partition structure may be provided in the refrigerated compartment to form an ice-making chamber. In this case, the air duct 300 may include an ice-making air supply duct 303 and an ice-making air return duct 302. The ice-making air supply duct 303 is used to transport cold air from the equipment compartment to the ice-making chamber, and the ice-making air return duct 302 is used to transport air from the ice-making chamber to the equipment compartment. It should be noted that at least one of the refrigerated air inlet duct 300, the refrigerated air return duct 301, the ice-making air supply duct 303, and the ice-making air return duct 302 has the support column 310 and reinforcing rib 320 of this application inside.

[0085] Please see Figure 6 and Figure 7 In one optional embodiment, the number of support columns 310 includes a plurality of support columns 310, which are distributed at intervals along the extension direction of the duct 300. A reinforcing rib 320 is provided between at least some of two adjacent support columns 310, or a reinforcing rib 320 is provided between all two adjacent support columns 310. Along the extension direction of the duct 300, at least one end of the reinforcing rib 320 is connected to an adjacent support column 310. That is, along the extension direction of the duct 300, the first end of the reinforcing rib 320 is connected to the support column 310 adjacent to the first end, and / or the second end of the reinforcing rib 320 is connected to the support column 310 adjacent to the second end.

[0086] In this embodiment, at least one end of the reinforcing rib 320 extending along the duct 300 is connected to an adjacent support column 310. Thus, when the support column 310 is subjected to force, the reinforcing rib 320 can distribute the force, preventing deformation or damage to the support column 310 under the force. Furthermore, when the reinforcing rib 320 is subjected to force, the support column 310 can also distribute the force, preventing deformation or damage to the reinforcing rib 320. Of course, the end of the reinforcing rib 320 extending along the duct 300 in the windward direction may not be connected to the support column 310; this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0087] Please see Figure 5 In one alternative embodiment, along the depth direction, the two ends of the reinforcing rib 320 abut against the inner wall of the duct 300.

[0088] In this embodiment, along the depth direction, both ends of the reinforcing rib 320 abut against the inner wall of the duct 300. During the refrigerator foaming process, when the foaming material applies a force along the depth direction to the duct 300, not only can the support column 310 inside the duct 300 support the duct 300 and prevent it from deforming along the depth direction, but the reinforcing rib 320 inside the duct 300 can also support it. Under the combined action of the support column 310 and the reinforcing rib 320, the deformation of the duct 300 along the depth direction can be better prevented. Of course, the reinforcing rib 320 may also have only one end abutting against the inner wall of the duct 300, while the other end does not abut against the inner wall of the duct 300. This application does not limit this.

[0089] The duct 300 in the related technology originally had a support column 310. In this application, the positions of the reinforcing rib 320 and the support column 310 in the duct 300 were designed so that the reinforcing rib 320 and the support column 310 were distributed along the extension direction of the duct. This allows the reinforcing rib 320 to have a part that overlaps with the support column 310 along the wind direction, thereby reducing the wind resistance of the reinforcing rib 320 to the gas in the duct 300.

[0090] To avoid increasing air resistance within the duct 300 due to the addition of additional reinforcing ribs 320, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 5 In one alternative embodiment, along the first direction ( Figure 5 In the x' direction (as shown in the diagram), the size of the reinforcing rib 320 is less than or equal to the size of the support column 310. That is, along the first direction, the edge of the support column 310 extends beyond or is flush with the edge of the reinforcing rib 320; or along the wind direction, all parts of the reinforcing rib 320 are positioned opposite the support column 310; or along the extension direction of the duct 300, the orthographic projection of the reinforcing rib 320 lies within the orthographic projection of the support column 310. Here, the orthographic projection is the projection of the object to be projected onto a plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the duct 300. The first direction is perpendicular to both the depth direction and the extension direction of the duct 300. It should be noted that the first direction here is perpendicular to the width direction of the outer casing 100 (…). Figure 2 and Figure 3 (The direction indicated by the x-arrow in the middle) is parallel.

[0091] In this embodiment, along the first direction, the size of the reinforcing rib 320 is less than or equal to the size of the support column 310. That is, along the wind direction, all parts of the reinforcing rib 320 overlap with the support column 310, and the reinforcing rib 320 does not protrude from the support column 310. The reinforcing rib 320 will not increase wind resistance. Therefore, even if the reinforcing rib 320 is additionally provided in the duct 300 in this application, the reinforcing rib 320 will not increase wind resistance.

[0092] Please see Figure 5 In one optional embodiment, the dimension of the support column 310 along the first direction is less than or equal to 5 mm. For example, the dimension of the support column 310 along the first direction can be 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 3.8 mm, 4 mm, 4.2 mm, 4.6 mm, 4.9 mm, etc., and this application does not limit this. The support column 310 can be a square column or a cylindrical column. When the support column 310 is a cylindrical column, the dimension of the support column 310 along the first direction is the diameter of the support column 310.

[0093] If the dimension of the support column 310 along the first direction is greater than 5mm, the contact area between the support column 310 and the gas in the duct 300 is too large, resulting in excessive air resistance from the support column 310 and thus reducing the gas flow rate within the duct 300. Therefore, in this embodiment, the dimension of the support column 310 along the first direction is controlled to be less than or equal to 5mm to reduce the contact area between the support column 310 and the gas in the duct 300, thereby reducing the air resistance from the support column 310 and increasing the gas flow rate within the duct 300. Of course, the dimension of the support column 310 along the first direction can also be greater than 5mm; this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0094] Please see Figure 5 In one alternative embodiment, the duct 300 includes:

[0095] First cover 330. For example, a first groove is formed inside the first cover 330.

[0096] The second cover 340 is detachably connected to the first cover 330 and is distributed along the depth direction with the first cover 330. The first cover 330 and the second cover 340 cooperate to form the air duct 300. For example, a second groove is formed within the second cover 340, and the second groove cooperates with the first groove to form the flow channel space within the air duct 300. The second cover 340 and the first cover 330 can be connected by snap-fit, screw connection, adhesive, etc. This application does not limit the connection method between the second cover 340 and the first cover 330.

[0097] Support column 310 includes:

[0098] The first column 311 is located on the first cover 330.

[0099] The second column 312 is disposed on the second cover 340. The first column 311 and the second column 312 abut against each other in the depth direction, thereby providing depth support for the air duct 300 and preventing the air duct 300 from being dented and deformed in the depth direction under the extrusion of the foam material.

[0100] Reinforcing rib 320 includes:

[0101] The first rib 321 is provided on the first cover 330 and is distributed along the extension direction of the air duct 300 with the first column 311.

[0102] The second rib 322 is disposed on the second cover 340 and distributed along the extension direction of the duct 300 with the second column 312. For example, the first rib 321 can be disposed opposite to the second rib 322 along the depth direction, or the first rib 321 can be disposed opposite to the second rib 322 along the depth direction.

[0103] In this embodiment, the support column 310 includes a first column 311 and a second column 312 that are separately arranged. The first column 311 and the second column 312 abut against each other in the depth direction. That is, the support column 310 includes two columns, which cooperate to support the air duct 300 in the depth direction. Compared with the support column 310 which only includes one column, this embodiment can reduce the height of the column, thereby reducing the deflection of the column and ensuring that the column has greater rigidity. That is, both the first column 311 and the second column 312 have greater rigidity to prevent the support column 310 from being damaged when subjected to greater compressive force.

[0104] Furthermore, compared to the reinforcing rib 320 which only includes one protruding rib, this embodiment can also reduce the height of the protruding rib. Thus, when the first column 311 and the first protruding rib 321 are integrally injection molded with the first cover 330, the molding difficulty of the first cover 330 can be reduced because the protrusion height of the first column 311 and the first protruding rib 321 is smaller. Similarly, the molding difficulty of the second cover 340 can be reduced because the protrusion height of the second column 312 and the second protruding rib 322 is smaller.

[0105] Please see Figure 5 In one alternative embodiment, the size of the first column 311 is equal to the size of the second column 312 along the depth direction.

[0106] Along the depth direction, if the size of the first column 311 is greater than or less than the size of the second column 312, then the protrusion height of one of the first column 311 and the second column 312 is larger, making it more difficult to injection mold the larger of the two columns. In this embodiment, however, along the depth direction, the size of the first column 311 is equal to the size of the second column 312. Therefore, the protrusion heights of both the first column 311 and the second column 312 are smaller, reducing the difficulty of injection molding both columns.

[0107] Please see Figure 5 In one optional embodiment, along the depth direction, the first rib 321 and the second rib 322 are disposed opposite to each other, and the size of the first rib 321 is equal to the size of the second rib 322.

[0108] In this embodiment, the first rib 321 and the second rib 322 are arranged opposite to each other, and the size of the first rib 321 is equal to the size of the second rib 322. Therefore, the first rib 321 and the second rib 322 will abut against each other along the depth direction. In this way, the first rib 321 and the second rib 322 can jointly support the duct 300 along the depth direction to share the force on the support column 310 and reduce the risk of damage to the support column 310.

[0109] Furthermore, along the depth direction, if the size of the first rib 321 is greater than or less than the size of the second rib 322, then the protrusion height of one of the first rib 321 and the second rib 322 is larger, making it more difficult to injection mold the larger of the two ribs. In this embodiment, however, along the depth direction, the size of the first rib 321 is equal to the size of the second rib 322. Therefore, the protrusion heights of both the first rib 321 and the second rib 322 are smaller, which reduces the difficulty of injection molding the first rib 321 and the second rib 322.

[0110] Please see Figure 6 and Figure 7 In one alternative embodiment, the first column 311 has a first plane 313 facing the second column 312, and the second column 312 has a second plane 314 facing the first column 311, with the first plane 313 and the second plane 314 abutting each other.

[0111] In this embodiment, the first plane 313 of the first column 311 abuts against the second plane 314 of the second column 312. This increases the contact area between the first column 311 and the second column 312, thereby dispersing the stress between them and preventing deformation or damage under high stress. Of course, the surface of the first column 311 facing the second column 312 can also be curved, and the surface of the second column 312 facing the first column 311 can also be curved.

[0112] When the wall thickness of the injection molded part exceeds a critical value, shrinkage will occur during the injection molding process, i.e., the surface of the injection molded part will collapse. To ensure that the first pillar 311 of this embodiment has a large external dimension while avoiding shrinkage during injection molding, please refer to... Figure 8 In one optional embodiment, the first cover 330, the first column 311 and the first rib 321 are integrally injection molded, and the first column 311 is hollow.

[0113] In this embodiment, the first column 311 is hollow. Compared with the solid first column 311, the hollow first column 311 can have a larger external size while having a smaller wall thickness. This not only prevents the first column 311 from shrinking, but also allows the first plane 313 to have a larger size, ensuring the contact stability between the first plane 313 and the second plane 314.

[0114] When the wall thickness of an injection-molded part exceeds a critical value, shrinkage will occur during the injection molding process, meaning the surface of the injection-molded part will collapse. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 8 In one optional embodiment, the second cover 340, the second column 312, and the second rib 322 are integrally injection molded, and the second column 312 is hollow.

[0115] In this embodiment, the second column 312 is hollow. Compared with the solid second column 312, the hollow second column 312 can have a larger external size while having a smaller wall thickness. This not only prevents the second column 312 from shrinking, but also allows the second plane 314 to have a larger size, ensuring the contact stability between the first plane 313 and the second plane 314.

[0116] Please see Figure 4 In one alternative embodiment, the outer surface of the duct 300 is not provided with reinforcing ribs 320.

[0117] In this embodiment, the outer surface of the air duct 300 is not provided with reinforcing ribs 320. This can not only avoid the problem of low filling density of the insulation layer caused by providing reinforcing ribs 320 on the outer surface of the air duct 300, thus further reducing the problem of condensation on the back panel 110; it can also avoid the problem of cold leakage caused by the reinforcing ribs 320 on the outer surface of the air duct 300, thus further improving the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigerator.

[0118] The foregoing embodiments of this application focus on describing the differences between various embodiments. As long as the different optimization features between embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form better embodiments. For the sake of brevity, these differences will not be elaborated upon here. The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art, under the guidance of this application, can make many modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, all of which fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, characterized in that, include: Outer shell (100); An inner liner (200) is disposed inside the outer shell (100), and a storage room and an equipment compartment are formed inside the inner liner (200); The evaporator is located in the equipment compartment; A heat insulation layer is disposed between the outer shell (100) and the inner liner (200); The air duct (300) is located on the rear side of the inner liner (200), with one end of the air duct (300) connected to the storage room and the other end connected to the equipment compartment; The air duct (300) is provided with a support column (310), and the two ends of the support column (310) abut against the inner wall of the air duct (300) along the depth direction of the outer shell (100). The air duct (300) is provided with reinforcing ribs (320), and the reinforcing ribs (320) and the support columns (310) are distributed along the extension direction of the air duct (300).

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of support columns (310) includes a plurality of them, and the plurality of support columns (310) are distributed at intervals along the extension direction of the air duct (300). At least a portion of the two adjacent support columns (310) are provided with reinforcing ribs (320), and at least one end of the reinforcing ribs (320) is connected to the adjacent support column (310) along the extension direction of the air duct (300).

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the depth direction, the two ends of the reinforcing rib (320) abut against the inner wall of the air duct (300).

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the first direction, the size of the reinforcing rib (320) is less than or equal to the size of the support column (310); The first direction is perpendicular to the depth direction and perpendicular to the extension direction of the duct (300).

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The dimension of the support column (310) along the first direction is less than or equal to 5 mm.

6. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The air duct (300) includes: First cover (330); The second cover (340) is detachably connected to the first cover (330) and is distributed along the depth direction with the first cover (330). The first cover (330) and the second cover (340) cooperate to form the air duct (300). The support column (310) includes: The first column (311) is disposed on the first cover (330); A second column (312) is disposed on the second cover (340), and the first column (311) and the second column (312) abut against each other along the depth direction; The reinforcing rib (320) includes: The first rib (321) is provided on the first cover (330) and is distributed along the extension direction of the air duct (300) along with the first column (311); The second rib (322) is provided on the second cover (340) and is distributed along the extension direction of the air duct (300) along with the second column (312).

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that, Along the depth direction, the size of the first column (311) is equal to the size of the second column (312); and / or, Along the depth direction, the first rib (321) and the second rib (322) are arranged opposite to each other, and the size of the first rib (321) is equal to the size of the second rib (322).

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first column (311) has a first plane (313) facing the second column (312), and the second column (312) has a second plane (314) facing the first column (311), and the first plane (313) and the second plane (314) abut against each other.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first cover (330), the first column (311), and the first rib (321) are integrally injection molded, and the first column (311) is hollow; and / or, The second cover (340), the second column (312) and the second rib (322) are integrally injection molded, and the second column (312) is hollow.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the air duct (300) is not provided with the reinforcing rib (320).

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