Refrigerator and air passage device thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10386107-B2
Application number	US-201615748194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Oct 23, 2015
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A refrigerator and an air passage device thereof. The air passage device comprises an air passage cover plate, an air passage foam, and an air door which comprises: a base plate part provided with at least one arcuate guide hole and an elongate through hole parallel with the arcuate guide hole, wherein the hole wall of at least a part of the arcuate guide holes is provided with multiple limiting portions, and the elongate through hole is arranged close to the side at which the hole wall is provided with the limiting portions; and a shielding part which adjusts the ventilation area of the air passage when being rotated, and at least one guide column, which is inserted into a corresponding arcuate guide hole and cooperates with the arcuate guide hole by interference fit. The air door is simple in structure, convenient in operation and does not consume any power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air passage device of a refrigerator, comprising an air passage cover plate arranged in front of a rear wall of a refrigerator inner tank and air passage foam arranged between the refrigerator inner tank and the air passage cover plate, the air passage foam defining an air passage, and the air passage device further comprising at least one air door, wherein the air door comprises: a base plate part which is rotatably attached to the inner wall of the air passage cover plate, and is provided with at least one arcuate guide hole with one hole wall of the arcuate guide and an elongate through hole parallel with the arcuate guide hole, wherein the hole wall of at least a part of the arcuate guide holes is provided with multiple limiting portions, and the elongate through hole is arranged close to the side at which the hole wall is provided with the limiting portions; and a shielding part which extends rearwards into the air passage from an edge of the base plate part and is configured to adjust the ventilation area of the air passage when being rotated along with the base plate part; wherein the inner wall of the air passage cover plate extends rearwards to form at least one guide column, which is inserted into a corresponding arcuate guide hole and cooperates with the arcuate guide hole by interference fit so that when the base plate part rotates, the hole wall of the arcuate guide hole close to the elongate through hole is elastically deformed to cause the guide column to enter the limiting portion to limit the rotation freedom of the base plate part.

2. The air passage device according to claim 1 , wherein the shielding part is an arcuate baffle plate extending rearwards from the edge of the base plate part.

3. The air passage device according to claim 2 , wherein the air passage foam is provided with an arcuate make-way recess to allow the arcuate baffle plate to pass through.

4. The air passage device according to claim 2 , wherein the base plate part is of a circular plate structure; and
the inner wall of the air passage cover plate is provided with an annular protruding rib protruding outwards so that the base plate part can be rotatably arranged at a radial inner side of the annular protruding rib.

5. The air passage device according to claim 2 , wherein the chord length of the arcuate baffle plate is larger than the distance between two transverse sidewalls of the air passage; and
at least one transverse sidewall of the air passage is provided with an arcuate notch matched with the outer diameter of the arcuate baffle plate.

6. The air passage device according to claim 1 , wherein there are two arcuate guide holes, and one hole wall of one arcuate guide hole is provided with multiple limiting portions; and
there are two guide columns arranged at 180 degrees relative to each other.

7. The air passage device according to claim 1 , wherein the limiting portion is a recess portion recessed from the hole wall of the arcuate guide hole and away from the arcuate guide hole.

8. The air passage device according to claim 1 , wherein the front surface of the base plate part is provided with a circular knob; and
the air passage cover plate is provided with a circular make-way hole to allow the circular knob to extend out.

9. The air passage device according to claim 8 , wherein the circular knob and the base plate part are of an integral member made by an integral formation process.

10. A refrigerator comprising a refrigerator inner tank, an article storage compartment defined by the refrigerator inner tank, a cooling chamber having an evaporator arranged therein; and an air passage device comprising an air passage cover plate arranged in front of a rear wall of a refrigerator inner tank and air passage foam arranged between the refrigerator inner tank and the air passage cover plate, the air passage foam defining an air passage; and at least one air door, the air passage device is configured to transport cooling air from the cooling chamber to the article storage compartment via the air passage of the air passage device and adjust a flow rate of the cooling air entering the article storage compartment using the air door; wherein the air door comprises: a base plate part which is rotatably attached to the inner wall of the air passage cover plate, and is provided with at least one arcuate guide hole with one hole wall of the arcuate guide and an elongate through hole parallel with the arcuate guide hole, wherein the hole wall of at least a part of the arcuate guide holes is provided with multiple limiting portions, and the elongate through hole is arranged close to the side at which the hole wall is provided with the limiting portions; and a shielding part which extends rearwards into the air passage from an edge of the base plate part and is configured to adjust the ventilation area of the air passage when being rotated along with the base plate part; wherein the inner wall of the air passage cover plate extends rearwards to form at least one guide column, which is inserted into a corresponding arcuate guide hole and cooperates with the arcuate guide hole by interference fit so that when the base plate part rotates, the hole wall of the arcuate guide hole close to the elongate through hole is elastically deformed to cause the guide column to enter the limiting portion to limit the rotation freedom of the base plate part.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the shielding part is an arcuate baffle plate extending rearwards from the edge of the base plate part.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the air passage foam is provided with an arcuate make-way recess to allow the arcuate baffle plate to pass through.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the base plate part is of a circular plate structure; and
the inner wall of the air passage cover plate is provided with an annular protruding rib protruding outwards so that the base plate part can be rotatably arranged at a radial inner side of the annular protruding rib.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the chord length of the arcuate baffle plate is larger than the distance between two transverse sidewalls of the air passage; and
at least one transverse sidewall of the air passage is provided with an arcuate notch matched with the outer diameter of the arcuate baffle plate.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein there are two arcuate guide holes, and one hole wall of one arcuate guide hole is provided with multiple limiting portions; and
there are two guide columns arranged at 180 degrees relative to each other.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the limiting portion is a recess portion recessed from the hole wall of the arcuate guide hole and away from the arcuate guide hole.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the front surface of the base plate part is provided with a circular knob; and
the air passage cover plate is provided with a circular make-way hole to allow the circular knob to extend out.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 17 , wherein the circular knob and the base plate part are of an integral member made by an integral formation process.

Assignees

• Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xia Enpin
• Zhang Huimin
• Zhang Hao
• Zhu Xiaobing

Classifications

• F25D17/045 Primary

  Air flow control arrangements · CPC title

• F25D17/065

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F16K31/041

  for rotating valves (F16K31/055 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D17/04

  for circulating air, e.g. by convection · CPC title