Refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure and refrigerator

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure and refrigerator, wherein refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure includes the air duct main body being arranged in foaming layer and the auxiliary fan being arranged in air duct main body;The upper end of air duct main body is communicated with evaporator chamber, and is located near main fan;The lower end of air duct main body is communicated with evaporator chamber, and is located near evaporator lower part;Auxiliary fan has the positive rotation mode and reverse mode of alternative operation, and main fan is located above evaporator;The utility model can not only ensure that frost block appears in evaporator lower part due to excessive refrigeration capacity when high-power refrigeration, and thus lead to refrigeration efficiency reduction, but also can avoid the influence defrosting efficiency and the temperature of refrigeration compartment due to hot gas disorderly escaping when defrosting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of refrigerators, and more specifically, it relates to a refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure and a refrigerator. Background Technology

[0002] The current conventional household frost-free air-cooled evaporator's internal components and air vent arrangement, from top to bottom, is: air inlet → fan → evaporator → defrost heater → return air inlet. During cooling, this arrangement allows the fan to blow cold air into the chamber from the top air inlet, utilizing the principle of cold air sinking to achieve uniform cooling. During defrosting, the defrost heater activates, using rising hot air to defrost the evaporator. This arrangement provides relatively reasonable control over the circulation of cold and hot air, but it still has some unresolved drawbacks.

[0003] In household use, if a large number of items are stored at once, the refrigerator will enter a high-load operation state. At this time, the compressor runs at high power to quickly generate cold air. However, due to the limitations of the fan's airflow and the obstruction of air circulation by the evaporator fins and pipes, the cold air generated at the bottom of the evaporator usually cannot be driven into the refrigeration cycle by the fan. Furthermore, this cold air comes into contact with the high-humidity airflow entering from the bottom return air vent, resulting in frost formation. After a period of operation, frost will gradually spread from the bottom of the evaporator upwards, leading to a decrease in cooling efficiency. In severe cases, excessive frost accumulation at the bottom can clog the return air vent, disrupting the refrigeration cycle and causing frost blockage in the refrigerator.

[0004] When a refrigerator defrosts, the defrost heater heats up, and the hot air rises. However, due to obstructions from the fins and pipes, as well as structural recesses at the evaporator pipe inlet, some areas cannot come into contact with the hot air, leading to low defrosting efficiency and incomplete defrosting. Simultaneously, the hot air rising to the air vents causes it to escape, affecting the temperature stability of the cooling compartment.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to propose a solution to address the aforementioned pain points. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an auxiliary air duct structure for a refrigerator and a refrigerator in order to solve the problem of low refrigeration and defrosting efficiency in the prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:

[0008] In a first aspect, this utility model provides a refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure, including an air duct body disposed in a foam layer and an auxiliary fan disposed within the air duct body; wherein, the upper end of the air duct body is connected to the evaporator chamber and is located near the main fan; the lower end of the air duct body is connected to the evaporator chamber and is located near the lower part of the evaporator; the auxiliary fan has a selectable forward rotation mode and a reverse rotation mode, and the main fan is located above the evaporator.

[0009] Furthermore, the upper end of the air duct body is provided with an air outlet and an air inlet that can be opened selectively. The air outlet is located diagonally below the air intake side of the main fan, and the air inlet is located diagonally above the upper part of the evaporator.

[0010] Furthermore, a bidirectional damper is provided between the air outlet and the air inlet, and the bidirectional damper has a first use state of closing only the air outlet and a second use state of closing only the air inlet.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper end of the main air duct body is provided with an air outlet branch air duct and an air intake branch air duct that can be selectively connected. The air outlet of the air outlet branch air duct corresponds to the air intake side of the main fan, and the air intake of the air intake branch air duct corresponds to the upper part of the evaporator. Both the air outlet and the air intake are provided with independently opening and closing dampers.

[0012] Furthermore, the lower end of the main body of the air duct is provided with a bidirectional air outlet, which corresponds to the lower part of the evaporator.

[0013] Furthermore, the bidirectional air vent is located diagonally above the defrosting heater.

[0014] Furthermore, the auxiliary fan is closer to the upper end of the air duct body than to the lower end of the air duct body.

[0015] Furthermore, the auxiliary fan is an axial flow fan.

[0016] Secondly, this utility model provides a refrigerator, including a refrigeration compartment, an evaporation chamber for supplying cold air to the refrigeration compartment, and a refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described above. The evaporation chamber is provided with a main fan and an evaporator spaced from top to bottom, and a defrosting heater is provided at the lower part of the evaporator.

[0017] Furthermore, an air supply outlet and a return air outlet are provided between the refrigeration chamber and the evaporation chamber. The air supply outlet corresponds to the air outlet side of the main fan, and the return air outlet corresponds to the defrosting heater.

[0018] Compared with existing technologies, the beneficial effects of the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure and the refrigerator provided by this utility model are as follows: This utility model adds a refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure to the evaporator chamber. When the refrigerator is cooling at high power, the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure is activated, and the auxiliary fan operates in forward rotation mode, using the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure to draw cold air from the lower part of the evaporator to the vicinity of the main fan; when the refrigerator is defrosting, the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure is activated, and the auxiliary fan operates in reverse rotation mode, using the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure to draw hot air from the vicinity of the main fan to the lower part of the evaporator. In this way, it can ensure that during high-power cooling, frost blockage will not occur at the lower part of the evaporator due to excessive cooling capacity, thus preventing a reduction in cooling efficiency, and it can also prevent the disorderly dissipation of hot air during defrosting from affecting the defrosting efficiency and the temperature of the cooling chamber. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the refrigerator in this utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the refrigerator in this utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling air circulation path when the refrigerator's cooling capacity is small in this utility model;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling air circulation path when the refrigerator has a large cooling capacity in this utility model;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the defrosting air circulation path during defrosting in the refrigerator of this utility model;

[0025] The main markings in the attached figures are as follows:

[0026] 11. Foaming layer;

[0027] 12. Evaporator chamber; 121. Main fan; 122. Evaporator; 123. Defrosting heater;

[0028] 13. Refrigeration room;

[0029] 14. Air outlet;

[0030] 15. Return air vent;

[0031] 21. Main body of the air duct; 211. Air outlet; 212. Air inlet; 213. Two-way damper; 214. Two-way air outlet;

[0032] 22. Auxiliary fan. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model.

[0034] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, in order to improve the efficiency of cooling and defrosting, this utility model proposes the following refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure. This refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure adds an air circulation path during cooling and defrosting, thereby improving the efficiency of cooling and defrosting.

[0035] Specifically, the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure includes an air duct body 21 disposed in the foam layer 11 and an auxiliary fan 22 disposed in the air duct body 21; wherein, the upper end of the air duct body 21 is connected to the evaporator chamber 12 and is located near the main fan 121; the lower end of the air duct body 21 is connected to the evaporator chamber 12 and is located near the lower part of the evaporator 122; the auxiliary fan 22 has a selectable forward rotation mode and a reverse rotation mode, and the main fan 121 is located above the evaporator 122.

[0036] In practical applications, when the refrigerator is cooling at high power, the auxiliary air duct structure is activated, and the auxiliary fan 22 operates in forward rotation mode. The auxiliary air duct structure draws cold air from the lower part of the evaporator 122 to the vicinity of the main fan 121. When the refrigerator is defrosting, the auxiliary air duct structure is activated, and the auxiliary fan 22 operates in reverse rotation mode. The auxiliary air duct structure draws hot air from the vicinity of the main fan 121 to the lower part of the evaporator 122. This ensures that during high-power cooling, excessive cooling capacity will not cause frost blockage at the lower part of the evaporator 122, thus preventing a decrease in cooling efficiency. It also prevents disordered heat dissipation during defrosting, which could affect defrosting efficiency and the temperature of the cooling compartment 13.

[0037] In some alternative embodiments, given that the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure is designed to be housed within the foam layer 11, the thickness of the air duct body 21 is relatively thin, and the cross-section of the air duct body 21 is elongated or elliptical. When the upper end of the air duct body 21 is used as either an air outlet or an air intake, the airflow directions are diametrically opposed, and their most advantageous airflow paths differ. Therefore, two air vents or branch air ducts are designed at the upper end of the air duct body 21 to promote air circulation during cooling and defrosting.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the upper end of the air duct body 21 is provided with an air outlet 211 and an air intake 212 that can be opened selectively. The air outlet 211 is located below the air intake side of the main fan 121, and the air intake 212 is located above the upper part of the evaporator 122.

[0039] In practical applications, the upper dimension of the air duct body 21 can be appropriately increased to facilitate the separation of the air outlet 211 and the air inlet 212 at the upper end. This structural design is simple and inexpensive. Through the coordinated operation of the damper and the auxiliary fan 22, the airflow direction in the refrigerator's auxiliary air duct structure is switched. When the refrigerator is cooling at high power, the air outlet 211 is opened and the air inlet 212 is closed. Under the action of the auxiliary fan 22, the cold air below the evaporator 122 enters from the lower end of the air duct body 21 and is finally led to the main fan 121 through the air outlet 211, thereby reducing frost formation on the evaporator 122 and improving cooling efficiency. When the refrigerator is defrosting, the air outlet 211 is closed and the air inlet 212 is opened. Under the action of the auxiliary fan 22, the hot air above the evaporator 122 enters the air duct body 21 through the air inlet 212 and is finally led to the lower part of the evaporator 122, thereby accelerating the defrosting speed of the evaporator 122 and improving the temperature stability of the cooling compartment 13.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, a bidirectional damper 213 is provided between the air outlet 211 and the air inlet 212. The bidirectional damper 213 has a first use state of closing only the air outlet 211 and a second use state of closing only the air inlet 212.

[0041] In practical applications, the bidirectional damper 213 switches between states via an electric control mechanism. When the refrigerator main control board receives a high-power cooling command, the electric control mechanism operates in the forward direction, switching the bidirectional damper 213 to its first operating state. In this state, the damper seal completely seals the air outlet 211, ensuring that cold air flows upwards only from the bottom of the evaporator 122. When a defrosting command is received, the electric control mechanism operates in the reverse direction, switching the bidirectional damper 213 to its second operating state. In this state, the damper seal completely seals the air intake 212, directing hot air towards the bottom of the evaporator 122. Compared to designing separate dampers for the air outlet 211 and the air intake 212, this design reduces costs.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the upper end of the air duct body 21 is provided with an air outlet branch air duct and an air intake branch air duct that can be connected. The air outlet 211 of the air outlet branch air duct corresponds to the air intake side of the main fan 121, and the air intake 212 of the air intake branch air duct corresponds to the upper part of the evaporator 122. Both the air outlet 211 and the air intake 212 are provided with independently opening and closing dampers.

[0043] In practical applications, the upper end of the air duct body 21 is provided with outlet branch air ducts and suction branch air ducts at intervals, so that the air outlet 211 of the outlet branch air duct is closer to the main fan 121, and the air inlet 212 of the suction branch air duct is closer to the evaporator 122. In this way, when the upper end of the air duct body 21 is used as the air outlet or the air intake, it can obtain the most advantageous airflow path, thereby more effectively improving the cooling and defrosting efficiency.

[0044] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a bidirectional air vent 214 is provided at the lower end of the air duct body 21, corresponding to the lower part of the evaporator 122. In practical applications, the bidirectional air vent 214 is kept open, eliminating the need for an additional damper, thus saving costs. The closer the bidirectional air vent 214 is to the lower part of the evaporator 122, the smoother the cold air can be guided to the vicinity of the main fan 121 through the air duct body 21 during refrigerator cooling, thereby improving cooling efficiency; the smoother the hot air can be guided to the vicinity of the lower part of the evaporator 122 through the air duct body 21 during refrigerator defrosting, thereby improving defrosting efficiency.

[0045] The bidirectional air vent 214 is located diagonally above the defrosting heater 123, and can also be placed in structural locations such as the evaporator 122 fins or pipes that would obstruct air circulation. In this way, the evaporator 122 can fully contact the hot air, improving defrosting efficiency.

[0046] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the auxiliary fan 22 is closer to the upper end of the air duct body 21 than to the lower end. In practical applications, when the auxiliary fan 22 rotates forward, it can more quickly draw the cold air from the lower part of the evaporator 122 to the vicinity of the main fan 121, enhancing the cooling effect; when the auxiliary fan 22 rotates in reverse, it can more effectively draw the hot air from the vicinity of the main fan 121 to the lower part of the evaporator 122, improving defrosting efficiency. This layout is optimized, fully considering the path and efficiency of airflow circulation, so that the refrigerator's auxiliary air duct structure can perform at its best during both cooling and defrosting processes.

[0047] The auxiliary fan 22 is an axial fan. Axial fans have advantages such as large air volume, moderate air pressure, and low energy consumption. In the refrigerator's auxiliary air duct structure, the axial fan can generate a large air volume with low energy consumption, meeting the airflow circulation needs during cooling and defrosting. Its air pressure characteristics also allow the airflow to flow smoothly within the main body of the air duct 21, reducing energy loss. Moreover, the structure of the axial fan is relatively simple, making installation and maintenance convenient, thus reducing the refrigerator's production and maintenance costs. At the same time, the axial fan has low noise, which will not significantly affect the user experience of the refrigerator, providing users with a quiet and comfortable operating environment.

[0048] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the refrigerator provided by this utility model includes a refrigeration compartment 13, an evaporation chamber for supplying cold air to the refrigeration compartment 13, a compressor, a condenser, and an auxiliary air duct structure. A main fan 121 and an evaporator 122 are spaced from top to bottom within the evaporation chamber, with a defrost heater 123 located at the bottom of the evaporator 122. An air supply vent 14 and a return air vent 15 are provided between the refrigeration compartment 13 and the evaporation chamber. The air supply vent 14 corresponds to the air outlet side of the main fan 121, and the return air vent 15 corresponds to the defrost heater 123. The positioning of the air supply vent 14 and the return air vent 15 promotes good cold air circulation between the refrigeration compartment 13 and the evaporation chamber. Furthermore, the defrost heater 123 is a steel pipe heater, the main fan 121 is a centrifugal fan, and a defrost sensor is installed on the evaporator 122.

[0049] For ease of understanding, the following will take the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure in the preferred embodiment as an example to specifically explain the refrigerator's cooling and defrosting air circulation.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure includes an air duct body 21 and an auxiliary fan 22. The auxiliary fan 22 is disposed in the air duct body 21, which is disposed in the foam layer 11 and located behind the evaporation chamber. The upper end of the air duct body 21 is provided with an air outlet 211, an air inlet 212 and a bidirectional air damper 213. The air outlet 211 is closer to the air intake side of the main fan 121 than the air inlet 212. The air inlet 212 is closer to the upper part of the evaporator 122 than the air outlet 211. The lower end of the air duct body 21 is provided with a bidirectional air outlet 214, which is close to both the lower part of the evaporator 122 and the defrost heater 123.

[0051] The refrigerator's cooling and defrosting air circulation is as follows:

[0052] 1) such as Figure 1 , Figure 3 As shown, during the refrigerator's cooling process, when the compressor runs at a low speed, the cooling capacity is relatively small. At this time, the refrigerator's auxiliary air duct structure enters a dormant state, the auxiliary fan 22 stops running, the bidirectional damper 213 closes the air intake 212, and the main fan 121 operates normally. The current cooling air circulation path is: evaporator 122 → main fan 121 → air outlet 14 → return air outlet 15 → evaporator 122.

[0053] 2) such as Figure 1 , Figure 4As shown, when the compressor operates at high speed, the cooling capacity is large, and the main fan 121 has difficulty extracting the cold air from the lower part of the evaporator 122. At this time, the refrigerator's auxiliary air duct structure is activated, the auxiliary fan 22 operates in forward rotation mode, the bidirectional damper 213 closes the air intake 212, and the main fan 121 continues to work, using the refrigerator's auxiliary air duct structure to extract the cold air from the lower part of the evaporator 122 to the main fan 121. The current cooling air circulation path is: evaporator 122 → bidirectional air vent 214 → auxiliary fan 22 → air outlet 211 → main fan 121 → air outlet 211 → return air vent 15 → evaporator 122.

[0054] 3) such as Figure 1 , Figure 5 As shown, after the refrigerator enters defrost mode, the defrost heater 123 starts, the two-way air vent 214 closes the air outlet 211, and simultaneously opens the air intake vent 212. The auxiliary fan 22 runs in reverse mode. The current defrost air circulation path is: defrost heater 123 → evaporator 122 → air intake vent 212 → auxiliary fan 22 → two-way air vent 214 → defrost heater 123.

[0055] In this way, it can be ensured that when high-power cooling is performed, the lower part of the evaporator 122 will not be blocked by excessive cooling capacity, thus reducing the cooling efficiency; and it can also prevent the disorderly dissipation of heat during defrosting, which would affect the defrosting efficiency and the temperature of the cooling room 13.

[0056] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terminology used above is only for describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this utility model. When the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof. The order of execution of actions, steps, etc., in the apparatus and methods shown in the specification and drawings can be implemented in any order unless a specific express order is specified, and as long as the output of the preceding process is not used in the subsequent process. Similar sequential terms used for ease of description do not imply that they must be implemented in such an order.

[0057] Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure, characterized in that, The device includes a main air duct body disposed in a foaming layer and an auxiliary fan disposed within the main air duct body; wherein, the upper end of the main air duct body is connected to the evaporator chamber and is located near the main fan; the lower end of the main air duct body is connected to the evaporator chamber and is located near the lower part of the evaporator; the auxiliary fan has a selectable forward rotation mode and a reverse rotation mode, and the main fan is located above the evaporator.

2. The refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the air duct body is provided with an air outlet and an air inlet that can be opened selectively. The air outlet is located diagonally below the air intake side of the main fan, and the air inlet is located diagonally above the upper part of the evaporator.

3. The refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, A bidirectional damper is provided between the air outlet and the air inlet, and the bidirectional damper has a first use state of closing only the air outlet and a second use state of closing only the air inlet.

4. The refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the main air duct body is provided with an air outlet branch air duct and an air intake branch air duct that can be connected. The air outlet of the air outlet branch air duct corresponds to the air intake side of the main fan, and the air intake of the air intake branch air duct corresponds to the upper part of the evaporator. Both the air outlet and the air intake are provided with independently opening and closing dampers.

5. The refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The lower end of the main body of the air duct is provided with a bidirectional air outlet, which corresponds to the lower part of the evaporator.

6. The refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The bidirectional air vent is located diagonally above the defrosting heater.

7. The refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The auxiliary fan is closer to the upper end of the air duct body than to the lower end of the air duct body.

8. The refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The auxiliary fan is an axial flow fan.

9. A refrigerator, characterized in that, The refrigerator includes a refrigeration compartment, an evaporation chamber that supplies cold air to the refrigeration compartment, and a refrigerator auxiliary air duct structure as described in any one of claims 1-8. The evaporation chamber is provided with a main fan and an evaporator spaced from top to bottom, and the lower part of the evaporator is provided with a defrost heater.

10. The refrigerator as described in claim 9, characterized in that, An air supply outlet and a return air outlet are provided between the refrigeration chamber and the evaporation chamber. The air supply outlet corresponds to the air outlet side of the main fan, and the return air outlet corresponds to the defrosting heater.

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