Branching air supply device and refrigerator with branching air supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10753667-B2
Application number	US-201615547495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2016
Priority date	Aug 28, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A branching air supply device for a refrigerator, comprising: a housing provided with at least one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets; an adjusting piece configured to completely shield, partially shield or completely expose each air outlet in a controlled manner, so as to regulate respective air discharging areas of the plurality of air outlets; and an air-feeding device configured to enable air flow to flow into the housing from the at least one air inlet and to flow out of the housing via one or more air outlets of the plurality of the air outlets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A branching air supply device for a refrigerator, comprising:
a housing provided with at least one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets;
an adjusting piece configured to completely shield, partially shield or completely expose each air outlet in a controlled manner, so as to regulate respective air discharging areas of the plurality of air outlets; and
an air-feeding device configured to enable air flow to flow into the housing from the at least one air inlet and to flow out of the housing via one or more air outlets of the plurality of the air outlets;
wherein the housing comprises:
a base whose circumferential edge consists of a first edge section and a second edge section, the first edge section being in a shape of a circular arc;
a circumferential wall provided with a first circumferential wall section and a second circumferential wall section which respectively extend from the first edge section and the second edge section to one side of the base, the plurality of air outlets being formed in the first circumferential wall section; and
a distributor cover is clamped with the base by a plurality of clamping arms extending from the edge of the distributor cover towards the base, and the distributor cover covers one end of the circumferential wall which is away from the base, the at least one air inlet is formed in the distributor cover;

the adjusting piece comprises a plurality of shielding portions arranged in the circumferential direction of the base at intervals and a plurality of circulation portions; the adjusting piece is further configured to allow air flow into enter the partially shielded or completely exposed air outlets via circulation holes in the circulation portions when the adjusting piece is rotated to different rotation positions;
the adjusting piece further comprises a rotation disc portion coaxial with the first circumferential wall section, and each shielding portion extends out from one surface of the rotation disc portion;
the branching air supply device further comprises a motor provided at a radially outer side of the rotation disc portion, a gear mounted on an output shaft of the motor, and a gear ring engaged with the gear, the housing further comprises a motor accommodation portion provided on an outer surface of the circumferential wall, an accommodation cavity for accommodating the gear and the motor is defined in the motor accommodation portion, the motor accommodation portion comprises a cavity portion extending out from the outer surface of the circumferential wall, and a cover plate portion detachably mounted to the cavity portion.

2. The branching air supply device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the air-feeding device is a centrifugal impeller which is provided in the housing.

3. The branching air supply device according to claim 1 , wherein:
a mounting groove is formed in an inner surface of the base, the air-feeding device being mounted in the mounting groove.

4. The branching air supply device according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least one part of a surface, facing the circumferential wall, of each shielding portion is arranged coaxially with the first circumferential wall section; and
the adjusting piece is rotatably mounted to the housing about an axis of the first circumferential wall section, such that the plurality of shielding portions completely shield, partially shield or completely expose each air outlet in the controlled manner when the adjusting piece is rotated to different rotation positions.

5. The branching air supply device according to claim 4 , wherein:
the plurality of shielding portions and the plurality of circulation portions are sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction of the base, and the plurality of shielding portions and the plurality of circulation portions form a cylindrical structure, one or more circulation holes being formed in each circulation portion.

6. The branching air supply device according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the gear ring comprises an annular rib which extends out from another surface of the rotation disc portion and is coaxial with the rotation disc portion, and a plurality of teeth which extend out from an outer circumferential surface of the annular rib and are arranged in the circumferential direction of the annular rib at intervals; or
the gear ring is independent and is fixed to the another surface of the rotation disc portion coaxially with the rotation disc portion.

7. The branching air supply device according to claim 6 , wherein:
the rotation disc portion is annular, and an annular groove is formed in an inner surface of the base, the gear ring and the rotation disc portion being mounted in the annular groove; or
the rotation disc portion is annular and mounted at one end, away from the base, of the circumferential wall.

8. The branching air supply device according to claim 5 , wherein:
the number of the air outlets is three, which are sequentially arranged in the circumferential direction of the base at intervals;
the number of the shielding portions and the circulation portions may be two respectively, wherein the two shielding portions are a first shielding portion and a second shielding portion respectively, and the two circulation portions are a first circulation portion and the second circulation portion respectively; and
the first shielding portion is configured to completely shield one of the air outlets;
the second shielding portion is configured to at least completely shield two of the air outlets;
the first circulation portion is provided with a circulation hole, and the second circulation portion is provided with three circulation holes which are sequentially provided in the circumferential direction of the base at intervals, wherein each circulation hole is configured to completely expose one of the air outlets, and the three circulation holes in the second circulation portion are configured to completely expose three of the air outlets.

9. The branching air supply device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the base is annular, such that the air-feeding device is allowed to extend to the housing from a center ring hole defined by the base when the air-feeding device and the base are mounted in other components of the refrigerator respectively.

10. A refrigerator, comprising:
an air passage assembly in which an air inlet passage, a plurality of air outlet passages and an accommodation space are defined, wherein each air outlet passage is provided with one or more refrigeration air outlets; the plurality of air outlet passages are configured to enable air flow flowing out of the air passage assembly to enter a plurality of storage compartments of the refrigerator respectively, or enable air flow flowing out of the air passage assembly to enter one storage compartment of the refrigerator respectively from a plurality of positions on a compartment wall of the storage compartment; and
a branching air supply device comprising: a housing provided with at least one air inlet and a plurality of air outlets; an adjusting piece configured to completely shield, partially shield or completely expose each air outlet in a controlled manner, so as to regulate respective air discharging areas of the plurality of air outlets; and an air-feeding device configured to enable air flow to flow into the housing from the at least one air inlet and to flow out of the housing via one or more air outlets of the plurality of the air outlets, wherein the branching air supply device is provided in the accommodation space, at least one air inlet of the branching air supply device is communicated with the air inlet passage, and the plurality of air outlets of the branching air supp

Assignees

• Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhu Xiaobing
• Cheng Xueli
• Fei Bin
• Lu Riyong

Classifications

• F25D17/045

  Air flow control arrangements · CPC title

• F25D17/04 Primary

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

• F25D11/02

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F04D27/003 Primary

  by throttling (F04D27/002 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04D29/4246

  comprising more than one outlet · CPC title