Refrigerator having quick-freezing function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9951987-B2
Application number	US-201114240859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2011
Priority date	Aug 25, 2011
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A refrigerator having a quick-freezing function includes: a main body; at least one freezing chamber disposed in the main body and comprising at least one quick-freezing chamber; a freezing evaporator disposed in the main body, and spaced apart from the at least one freezing chamber via a freezing air duct cover plate; a freezing fan corresponding to the at least one freezing chamber and a quick-freezing fan corresponding to the at least one quick-freezing chamber, and configured to blow cold air generated by the freezing evaporator into the at least one freezing chamber and the at least one quick-freezing chamber respectively; and a controller configured to control the freezing fan and the quick-freezing fan. The refrigerator can maintain the taste and nutrition of foods through quick-freezing, and prolong the fresh period of vegetables and fruits.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator having a quick-freezing function, comprising:
a main body including at least one door;
at least one refrigerating chamber disposed in the main body, the at least one refrigerating chamber having an air circulation system;
at least one freezing chamber disposed in the main body, wherein the at least one freezing chamber comprises at least one quick-freezing chamber;
a freezing evaporator disposed in the main body and behind the at least one freezing chamber, and spaced apart from the at least one freezing chamber via a freezing air duct cover plate, wherein a plurality of freezing air outlets are formed in the freezing air duct cover plate;
a freezing fan corresponding to the at least one freezing chamber and a quick-freezing fan corresponding to the at least one quick-freezing chamber, wherein the freezing fan and the quick-freezing fan are disposed above the freezing evaporator respectively and configured to blow cold air from the freezing evaporator into the at least one freezing chamber and the at least one quick-freezing chamber respectively;
a controller configured to control the freezing fan and the quick-freezing fan, wherein the controller is further configured to controls the quick-freezing fan to carry out quick freezing on the at least one quick-freezing chamber when needed; and
a quick-freezing control unit configured to switch the refrigerator between a normal mode where there is no quick-freezing and a quick-freezing mode where the quick-freezing is carried out based on activation of a key disposed on the at least one door of the refrigerator;
a quick-freezing temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature in the quick-freezing chamber, wherein the controller is further configured to controls the quick-freezing fan to transition from the maximum rotating speed to a low speed when the temperature in the quick-freezing chamber is less than a first predetermined temperature (T 1 ) or a quick-freezing time is larger than a first predetermined time (a);
wherein the controller is further configured to controls the freezing fan to stop working and controls the quick-freezing fan to work at a maximum rotating speed when the quick-freezing control unit starts the quick-freezing;
wherein the freezing evaporator provides cooling energy for the at least one freezing chamber, when the food is not needed to be quick frozen, under an action of the freezing fan, the cold air flows through the freezing evaporator, and flows into the at least one freezing chamber and a lower freezing portion of the at least one freezing chamber via the plurality of freezing air outlets, and then flows back to a bottom of the freezing evaporator, thus forming a cycle to refrigerate the at least one freezing chamber; and
wherein an upper space of the freezing evaporator is formed by the freezing air duct cover plate and side walls and a rear wall of the main body, and is divided into two portions by a baffle plate, the freezing fan and the quick-freezing fan are respectively disposed in the two portions, a front side of the freezing fan directly faces the at least one freezing chamber, a front side of the quick-freezing fan directly faces the at least one quick-freezing chamber, and the quick-freezing fan, the freezing air duct cover plate, the baffle plate, and the side walls and the rear wall of the main body form an air circulation system of the at least one quick-freezing chamber separate from the air circulation system of the at least one refrigerating chamber.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a refrigerating evaporator disposed in the main body and behind the at least one refrigerating chamber, and spaced apart from the at least one refrigerating chamber via a refrigerating air duct cover plate; and
a refrigerating fan disposed above the refrigerating evaporator and configured to blow cold air from the refrigerating evaporator into the at least one refrigerating chamber for refrigerating the at least one refrigerating chamber,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the refrigerating fan to refrigerate the refrigerating chamber.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of refrigerating air outlets are formed in the refrigerating air duct cover plate.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to controls the quick-freezing fan to stop working when the quick-freezing control unit stops the quick-freezing.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a freezing temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature in the freezing chamber.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the freezing fan to work when the temperature in the freezing chamber sensed by the freezing temperature sensor is larger than a freezing starting temperature (Tdk); and
wherein the controller is further configured to controls the freezing fan to stop working when the temperature in the freezing chamber sensed by the freezing temperature sensor is less than a freezing stopping temperature (Tdt), in which the freezing stopping temperature is less than the freezing starting temperature.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator comprises a plurality of freezing chambers disposed adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, a first freezing drawer and the quick-freezing chamber disposed adjacent to the first freezing drawer in a horizontal direction are detachably disposed in one of the plurality of freezing chambers, and a second freezing drawer is disposed in one of the plurality of freezing chambers.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the freezing chamber provided with the quick-freezing chamber is divided into a plurality of portions in a vertical direction, a third freezing drawer is disposed in a portion adjacent to the portion provided with the quick-freezing chamber, and a fourth freezing drawer is disposed in one of the plurality of portions.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of portions are spaced apart from each other via a freezing beam disposed in a horizontal direction.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein each of the freezing evaporator and the refrigerating evaporator is configured as a finned-tube evaporator.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein during the quick-freezing fan operating at a low speed, the controller is configured to control the refrigerating fan to switch from an off state to an on state to refrigerate the refrigerating chamber.

Assignees

• Ren Wei
• Li Lingyun
• Cheng Jian
• Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co
• Hefei Hualing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ren Wei
• Li Lingyun
• Cheng Jian

Classifications

• F25B2600/2511

  Evaporator distribution valves · CPC title

• F25D2400/30

  Quick freezing · CPC title

• F25D11/04 Primary

  specially adapted for storing deep-frozen articles (F25D11/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B2600/112

  of evaporator fans · CPC title

• F25D29/00

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title