Air-cooled refrigerator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-cooled refrigerators face issues with large occupied space, easy freezing of shielding covers, and difficulty in discharging defrosting water during the defrosting process, which affects the sealing performance and increases power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A compact air-cooled refrigerator design featuring a rotatable air door shielding device with air baffles and a centrifugal wind wheel, along with an inclined water guide groove for efficient water discharge, to prevent hot air entry and facilitate airflow while minimizing the risk of freezing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lift type shielding cover is disposed on an axial flow fan at an air outlet of a cellar compartment to prevent hot air from entering the storage compartment directly, then the sealing performance is improved, but the occupied space increases and the cover is easy to freeze and fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional lift type shielding cover from the air outlet and integrates the shielding function directly into the air duct structure. The air duct is designed with a specific configuration that inherently prevents hot air entry without requiring an additional movable cover component, thereby reducing occupied space while maintaining sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding function is merged with the air duct structure itself. The air duct incorporates baffles and a specific geometric design that combines air guiding and hot air prevention functions into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate shielding covers and reducing overall device volume.
2Ease of operation
If defrosting water on the fan flows to a gap between a moving component and a fixed part during defrosting, then water discharge becomes difficult, but the water accumulation leads to freezing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the fan component that created gaps for water accumulation. By eliminating the fan and its associated moving parts, the source of the water discharge problem is removed entirely, preventing water from getting trapped in gaps between moving and fixed components.
Solution Approach 2:
The air duct structure is designed with self-draining features where condensation and defrosting water naturally flow along the duct surfaces and discharge through designated openings without requiring active pumping or complex drainage systems. The gravity-assisted drainage prevents water accumulation that could lead to freezing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces the volume of the shielding device, enhances sealing performance, prevents water accumulation, and ensures smooth water discharge, thereby maintaining efficient air supply and reducing power consumption during defrosting.
Implementation Method 1
a centrifugal wind wheel (590) mounted on the base (510), located on a radial inner side of the air baffles (521)
Implementation Method 2
an inclined water guide groove for efficient water discharge
Implementation Method 3
as the temperature of a heating wire rises, hot air flows directly from an air duct opening to a freezing compartment by convection
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An air-cooled refrigerator (100). The air-cooled refrigerator (100) comprises an air duct assembly (300, 400) and an air door shielding device (500). The air duct assembly (300, 400) is provided with an accommodating cavity (105) with a backward air inlet. A plurality of air supply communicating holes (106) is formed on the peripheral wall of the accommodating cavity (105). The air door shielding device (500) is provided with a shielding part (520). The shielding part (520) is provided with a plurality of air baffles (521). The shielding part (520) is rotatably provided in the accommodating cavity (105) and has shielding positions where all the air supply communicating holes are completely shielded by the air baffles (521), and then the air in a cooling chamber is prevented from entering at least one storage chamber (101) by means of the plurality of air supply communicating holes in the defrosting process of the air-cooled refrigerator (100). The bottom of the sidewall of the accommodating cavity (105) is provided with a water guide groove (381) inclined backwards and downwards. The air duct assembly (300, 400) is provided with a water outlet hole (382) communicating the rear side of the air duct assembly (300, 400) with the rear end of the water guide groove (381), so that water in the accommodating cavity (105) flows out of the air duct assembly (300, 400) by means of the water guide groove (381) and the water outlet hole (382). The air door shielding device (500) adopts a rotary structure and is small in size, simple, compact and convenient to control. Condensate water at the air door shielding device (500) can be smoothly discharged by means of a special defrosted water discharge channel.