Threaded Fan Cover Shielding for Refrigerator Defrost Air Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerators face challenges in preventing hot air from entering the storage chamber during defrosting, leading to increased development and production costs due to multi-specification air doors and flow resistance issues, as well as moisture freezing problems in air volume control mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A shielding device with a forced draft fan cover and drive shaft featuring a threaded slot and tilted thread, along with a guide post and support portion, which allows air to flow while preventing hot air entry and reducing moisture accumulation, thereby enhancing drainage and reducing flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If air doors are disposed in cooling air ducts to prevent hot air entry during defrosting, then hot air blocking is improved, but device complexity and production cost increase due to multi-specification requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The forced draft fan cover is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the fan cover and an air door that can block the air duct. By integrating the blocking function into the existing fan cover structure, the invention eliminates the need for separate air doors in various specifications, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining hot air prevention capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the fan cover and air door into a single integrated component. The forced draft fan cover is designed with the ability to block the air duct when the fan is not operating, combining two previously separate functions (fan covering and air flow control) into one structure, which simplifies the overall system
2Ease of operation
If air volume control mechanisms are mounted to forced draft fans, then air flow control is improved, but flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the air flow control function from a separate air volume control mechanism and integrates it into the fan cover design. The fan cover itself becomes the control element that opens or closes the air duct, eliminating the need for additional control plates or mechanisms that would create flow resistance
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding a control mechanism to regulate air flow through the fan, the invention inverts the approach by using the fan cover's position (open or closed) to control air flow. The fan cover is opened during cooling operation to allow air flow and closed during defrosting to block hot air, reversing the conventional approach of using separate control plates
3Ease of manufacture
If threaded connections are used to attach the fan cover, then ease of assembly is improved, but moisture freezing occurs in the threaded slot
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a threaded rod as an intermediary component that connects the fan cover to the support base. The threaded rod engages with a threaded slot in the support base, providing a reliable mechanical connection that is easier to assemble than direct threading while preventing moisture accumulation and freezing issues in the connection interface
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is segmented into separate components: the fan cover, the threaded rod, and the support base with threaded slot. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and prevents moisture from becoming trapped in a single enclosed threaded connection, thereby reducing freezing risks while maintaining assembly ease
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a shielding device for closing a path through which air circulates in a refrigerator and a refrigerator having shielding device. The shielding device includes a forced draft fan cover having a threaded hole formed with a threaded slot; and a drive shaft formed with a thread being screwed with the threaded slot and extended to pass through the threaded hole, where an air duct that allows the air flows from the inside of the forced draft fan cover to the outside is provided between the drive shaft and the forced draft fan cover.