AIR DUCT SYSTEM OF REFRIGERATION DEVICE AND REFRIGERATION DEVICE

The present application relates to the field of refrigeration apparatuses. Provided are an air duct system of a refrigeration apparatus, and the refrigeration apparatus. The air duct system comprises: an ice-making air duct assembly, which is adapted to be arranged in a refrigerator compartment liner of the refrigeration apparatus and comprises an ice-making air duct front cover plate, and an ice-making air duct is formed between the ice-making air duct front cover plate and one part of a side wall of the refrigerator compartment liner, and is adapted to be in communication with an ice-making compartment to form an ice-making air circulation structure; and a refrigeration air duct assembly, which is adapted to be arranged in the refrigerator compartment liner and comprises a refrigeration air duct cover plate.

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Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is a national phase application of International Application No. PCT/CN2022/102112, filed on Jun. 29, 2022, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Applications No. 202210658372.8 filed on Jun. 10, 2022, and No. 202221461952.X filed on Jun. 10, 2022, the entireties of which are herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present application relates to the field of refrigeration device, and in particular to an air duct system for refrigeration device and a refrigeration device.

BACKGROUND

Many traditional refrigeration devices, such as a refrigerator, are equipped with ice makers, and the ice maker is provided inside an ice-making compartment. In order to provide cooling capacity for the ice maker, an ice-making evaporator and an ice-making fan are also required. The ice-making compartment, the ice-making evaporator and the ice-making fan occupy a large volume in a refrigerator compartment due to their large sizes, which limits an outline dimension design of the ice-making evaporator. Not only the uniformity of a temperature distribution inside the refrigerator compartment is affected, but also an effective heat exchange area of the ice-making evaporator is reduced, resulting in poor defrosting capacity of the ice-making evaporator. Both frequent heating and defrosting are required, which not only increases the energy consumption of the refrigerator, but also affects an ice-making speed and the quality of ice cubes.

SUMMARY

The present application is intended to solve at least one of problems in the related art. The present application provides an air duct system for a refrigeration device, which may improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution inside the refrigerator compartment, improve the defrosting capacity of the ice-making evaporator, decrease energy consumption, and improve the ice-making speed and the quality of surfaces of ice cubes.

The present application further provides a refrigeration device.

The air duct system for the refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

    • an ice-making air duct assembly, provided inside a refrigerator cabinet liner of the refrigeration device and including an ice-making air duct front cover plate, where an ice-making air duct is formed between the ice-making air duct front cover plate and a part of a side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the ice-making air duct communicates with an ice-making compartment inside the refrigerator cabinet liner to form an ice-making air circulation structure; and
    • a refrigerator air duct assembly, provided inside the refrigerator cabinet liner and including a refrigerator air duct cover plate, where a refrigerator air duct is formed between the refrigerator air duct cover plate and another part of the side wall, the refrigerator air duct includes a first refrigerator air duct and a second refrigerator air duct, and the ice-making air duct is located between the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct.

In the air duct system for the refrigeration device according to the embodiment of the present application, by connecting the refrigerator air duct cover plate with a part of the side wall to form the refrigerator air duct and connecting the ice-making air duct front cover plate with another part of the side wall to form the ice-making air duct, the ice-making air duct and the refrigerator air duct share one side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the volume occupied by the air duct in the refrigerator compartment is reduced. By providing the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct at both sides of the ice-making air duct, the ice-making air duct is located in a middle of the side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct are located at both sides of the ice-making air duct. The cooling capacity inside the refrigerator compartment is distributed more uniformly, and the area of the ice-making air duct corresponding to the side wall may be increased, which is conducive to increasing the effective area of the ice-making evaporator located inside the ice-making air duct, the heat load of the ice maker and the area of the ice-making evaporator are more rationally matched, which is conducive to increasing an ice-making speed of the ice maker, improving the defrosting capacity of the ice-making evaporator, lowering a heating defrosting frequency of the ice-making evaporator, reducing the energy consumption, and improving the surface quality of the ice cubes.

According to an embodiment of the present application, a top wall or a bottom wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner is provided with a refrigerator air duct air inlet, first ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate with the refrigerator air duct air inlet, and second ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct extend to the top wall or the bottom wall.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the refrigerator air duct further includes: a branch air duct, the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate respectively with the refrigerator air duct air inlet through the branch air duct.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the refrigerator air duct assembly further includes: a refrigerator air duct rear cover plate, the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate is provided with a branch air groove, the refrigerator air duct cover plate is provided with a refrigerator air groove, the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate is buckled with the refrigerator air duct cover plate to form the branch air duct between the branch air groove and the refrigerator air groove.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the branch air duct is provided with a first air guide surface and a second air guide surface opposite to each other, the first air guide surface extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet to the first refrigerator air duct, and the second air guide surface extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet to the second refrigerator air duct.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the refrigerator air duct cover plate includes: a cover plate body and a refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate, the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate is provided at a side of the cover plate body facing the refrigerator air duct, and the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct are formed between the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate and the side wall.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making air duct front cover plate is embedded in the refrigerator air duct cover plate.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making air duct assembly further includes: a thermal insulation layer, the thermal insulation layer is provided at a side of the ice-making air duct front cover plate facing the ice-making air duct.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making air duct assembly further includes: an ice-making air duct rear cover plate, the ice-making air duct rear cover plate is connected to the ice-making air duct front cover plate, the thermal insulation layer is provided between the ice-making air duct front cover plate and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate, and the ice-making air duct is formed between the ice-making air duct rear cover plate and the side wall.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making air duct assembly further includes: a fan hood, an accommodation cavity is formed between the fan hood and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate; and

    • the air duct system further includes: an ice-making fan, the ice-making fan is provided inside the accommodation cavity.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the air duct system further includes:

    • an air inflow tube and an air return tube, where the air inflow tube and the air return tube communicate with the ice-making air duct and the ice-making compartment, and both the air inflow tube and the air return tube are located outside the refrigerator cabinet liner and connected to the refrigerator cabinet liner.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the air inflow tube includes: a first cover plate and a second cover plate buckled with each other, the first cover plate extends along an outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner and is connected to the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the second cover plate is located at a side of the first cover plate away from the refrigerator cabinet liner;

    • the air return tube includes: a third cover plate and a fourth cover plate buckled with each other, the third cover plate extends along an outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner and is connected to the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the fourth cover plate is located at a side of the first cover plate away from the refrigerator cabinet liner.

According to an embodiment of the present application, positions of the refrigerator air duct cover plate corresponding to the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct are provided with refrigerator air outlets, and the refrigerator air duct cover plate is further provided with a refrigerator air return port, both the refrigerator air outlet and the refrigerator air return port communicate with the refrigerator compartment of the refrigeration device, and the refrigerator air return port communicates respectively with the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct to form a refrigerator air circulation structure.

According to an embodiment of the present application, a bottom wall or a top wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner is provided with a refrigerator air duct air inlet and two refrigerator air duct air return ports respectively provided at both sides of the refrigerator air duct air inlet,

    • where the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate with the refrigerator air duct air inlet; the refrigerator air return ports are respectively provided at positions of both sides of the refrigerator air duct cover plate corresponding to the two refrigerator air duct air return ports, and the two refrigerator air return ports are in one-to-one communication with the two refrigerator air duct air return ports to form two refrigerator air return ducts.

A refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

    • a refrigerator cabinet liner, where a refrigerator compartment and an ice-making compartment are provided inside the refrigerator cabinet liner;
    • an air duct system, where the air duct system is any of the above air duct system of refrigeration device, where the air duct system is provided at the refrigerator compartment, the refrigerator air duct communicates with the refrigerator compartment, and the ice-making air duct communicates with the ice-making compartment; and
    • an ice-making system, including a compressor, a condenser, a throttle apparatus and an evaporator connected in sequence, where the evaporator includes an ice-making evaporator and a main evaporator, and the ice-making evaporator is provided inside the ice-making air duct and used to refrigerate the ice-making compartment, and the main evaporator is used to refrigerate the refrigerator compartment.

According to the refrigeration device of the embodiment of the present application, by providing the above-mentioned air duct system, the occupied volume of the refrigerator compartment by the air duct is reduced, the cooling capacity inside the refrigerator compartment is distributed more uniformly, and the area of the ice-making air duct corresponding to the side wall is further increased, which is conducive to increasing the effective area of the ice-making evaporator located inside the ice-making air duct, the heat load of the ice maker and the area of the ice-making evaporator are more rationally matched, which is conducive to increasing the ice-making speed of the ice maker, improving the defrosting capacity of the ice-making evaporator, lowering the heating defrosting frequency of the ice-making evaporator, reducing the energy consumption, and improving the surface quality of the ice cubes.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the ice-making compartment is located in the refrigerator compartment and at an upper part of the refrigerator compartment, an air inflow tube of the air duct system is connected to an upper part of the ice-making air duct and a top of the ice-making compartment, and an air return tube of the air duct system is connected to a lower part of the ice-making air duct and a bottom of the ice-making compartment.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the refrigeration device further includes:

    • a freezer cabinet liner, where a freezer compartment is provided inside the freezer cabinet liner; and
    • the air duct system further includes: an ice-making air duct assembly and a main fan, where the ice-making air duct assembly is provided inside the freezer cabinet liner, a freezer air duct is formed between the freezer cabinet liner and the ice-making air duct assembly, the freezer air duct communicates with the freezer compartment, and the main evaporator and the main fan are provided inside the freezer air duct.

One or more embodiments of the present application mentioned above have at least one of the following effects.

Furthermore, first ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate with the air inlet of the refrigerator air duct, and second ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct extend to the top wall or the bottom wall of the refrigeration liner, which may increase an air duct length between the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct, and is conductive to making the temperature distribution of the refrigerator compartment in the height direction more uniform.

Furthermore, by providing a branch air duct for branching air entering the refrigerator compartment from the refrigerator air duct air inlet to the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct, the cooling capacity inside the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct may be distributed more uniformly. The air from the refrigerator air duct air inlet is branched to the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct at both sides through the branch air duct, air flow in the refrigerator air supply duct is smoother and the refrigeration efficiency is improved.

Still further, by providing the air inflow tube and the air return tube outside the refrigerator cabinet liner and connecting them to the refrigerator cabinet liner, the occupied space of the refrigerator compartment by the air inflow tube and the air return tube may be avoided, and the volume of the refrigerator compartment may be increased.

Additional embodiments of the present application will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To illustrate the embodiments of the present application more clearly, the drawings used in the descriptions of the embodiments or the related art will be briefly described below. The drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 1 is a first main view of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of the refrigeration device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial schematic structural diagram of the refrigeration device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded schematic diagram of a refrigerator air duct cover plate and a refrigerator air duct rear cover plate of an air duct system according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator air duct rear cover plate in an air duct system according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigeration device at A-A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a circled part C in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an explosive schematic structural diagram of an ice-making air duct assembly and an ice-making fan according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view of a circled part A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of the refrigeration device in FIG. 1 from another perspective;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a connection relationship among a refrigerator air duct assembly, an ice-making air duct assembly, an air inflow tube and an air return tube in an air duct system according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a connection relationship among the refrigerator air duct assembly, the ice-making air duct assembly, the air inflow tube and the air return tube in the air duct system in FIG. 12 from another perspective;

FIG. 14 is a second main view of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of the refrigeration device in FIG. 14 from another perspective;

FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of an air inflow tube in an air duct system according to an embodiment of the present application; and

FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of an air return tube in an air duct system according to an embodiment of the present application.

 REFERENCE NUMERALS

    • 100: refrigerator cabinet liner; 200: freezer cabinet liner; 300: support member;
    • 11: refrigerator compartment; 111: side wall; 112: top wall; 113: bottom wall; 1131: refrigerator air duct air inlet; 1132: refrigerator air duct air return port; 12, ice-making compartment;
    • 2: refrigerator air duct assembly; 21: refrigerator air duct cover plate; 211: cover plate body; 212: thermal insulation plate; 2121: refrigerator air groove; 213: refrigerator air outlet; 214: refrigerator air return port; 215: decorative plate; 22: refrigerator air duct rear cover plate; 221: branch air groove; 222: first assemble surface; 223: second assemble surface; 224: inclined surface;
    • 3: ice-making air duct assembly; 31: ice-making air duct front cover plate; 32: thermal insulation layer; 33: ice-making air duct rear cover plate; 331: ice-making air groove; 332: limit plate; 333: air guide portion; 334: snap block; 335: main plate body; 336: extension portion; 3351: inclined portion; 1111: inclined side wall; 1112: flat-plate portion; 337: first connection plate; 338: second connection plate; 339: position buckle; 34: fan hood; 341: mount portion; 342: air inlet; 343: air outlet;
    • 4: refrigerator air duct; 41: refrigerator air supply duct; 411: first refrigerator air duct; 412: second refrigerator air duct; 413: branch air groove; 4131: first air guide surface; 4132: second air guide surface;
    • 5: ice-making air duct; 61: ice-making evaporator; 62: ice-making fan; 621: connection lug; 71: air inflow tube; 72: air return tube; 711: first cover plate; 7111: first buckle; 712: second cover plate; 7121: first snap slot; 721: third cover plate; 7211: second buckle; 722: fourth cover plate; 7221: second snap slot; 731: first seal rib; 732: second seal rib; 741: first pillar; 742: second pillar; 8: freezer air duct assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. The following embodiments are intended to illustrate the application, but are not intended to limit the scope of the application.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it is to be noted that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are merely for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component stated must have a particular orientation, is constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus is not to be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application. Moreover, the terms “first”, “second” and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless explicitly specified and defined otherwise, the terms “connected to” and “connected” shall be understood broadly, for example, it may be either fixedly connected or detachably connected, or can be integrated; and it may be either directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. The specific meanings of the terms above in embodiments of the present application can be understood in accordance with specific conditions.

In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise clearly stated and defined, a first feature being located “on” or “under” a second feature means that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature or the first feature is in contact with the second feature by an intervening media. In addition, the first feature is “on”, “above” and “over” the second feature can refer to that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply refer to that the level height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature is “under”, “below” and “beneath” the second feature can refer to that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply refer to that the level height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

The present application provides an air duct system for a refrigeration device, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the air duct system includes a refrigeration air duct assembly 2 and an ice-making air duct assembly 3. Both the refrigerator air duct assembly 2 and the ice-making air duct assembly 3 are provided inside a refrigerator cabinet liner 100 of the refrigeration device. The ice-making air duct assembly 3 includes an ice-making air duct front cover plate 31, and an ice-making air duct 5 is formed between the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31 and a part of a side wall 111 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100. The ice-making air duct 5 communicates with an ice-making compartment 12 inside the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 to form an ice-making air circulation structure. The refrigerator air duct assembly 2 includes a refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 and a refrigerator air duct 4 is formed between the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 and another part of the side wall 111. The refrigerator air duct 4 includes a first refrigerator air duct 411 and a second refrigerator air duct 412. The ice-making air duct 5 is located between the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412.

Both the refrigerator air duct 4 and the ice-making air duct 5 are located inside a refrigerator compartment 11. The side wall 111 may be any side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100. In an embodiment, the side wall 111 is a side wall opposite to a door body of the refrigeration device, that is, a rear side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

The ice-making air duct 5 in the air duct system provided inside the present application is use for providing an ice-making evaporator 61 and an ice-making fan 62. An ice maker is provided inside the ice-making compartment 12. Under the action of the ice-making fan 62, air flows through the ice-making evaporator 61, and the air exchanging heat with the ice-making evaporator 61 flows into the ice maker. After exchanging heat in the ice maker, the air flows back to the ice-making air duct 5 and exchanges heat with the ice-making evaporator 61 again, and such reciprocal circulation provides cooling capacity for the ice-making compartment. A separate ice-making evaporator 61 and a separate ice-making fan 62 are provided inside the ice-making air duct 5 to provide cooling capacity for the ice-making compartment 12 alone. A start-up rate of the ice-making evaporator 61 may be high since the ice-making compartment 12 needs to maintain a low temperature for a long time.

Air inside the refrigerator air duct 4 exchanges heat with air inside the refrigerator compartment 11 to refrigerate the refrigerator compartment 11. In one embodiment, the air inside the refrigerator air duct 4 is refrigerated by heat conduction with the air inside the refrigerator compartment 11 through the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, that is, refrigeration is performed by direct cooling. In an embodiment, the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is provided with a refrigerator air outlet 213 and a refrigerator air return port 214 communicating with the refrigerator compartment 11 to form a refrigerator air circulation structure, that is, refrigeration is performed by air cooling.

In the air duct system for the refrigeration device provided by the present application, by connecting the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 with a part of the side wall 111 to form the refrigerator air duct 4 and connecting the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31 with another part of the side wall 111 to form the ice-making air duct 5, the ice-making air duct 5 and the refrigerator air duct 4 share one side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the volume occupied by the air duct in the refrigerator compartment 11 is reduced. By providing the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 at both sides of the ice-making air duct 5, the ice-making air duct 5 is located in a middle of the side wall 111 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 are located at both sides of the ice-making air duct 5. The cooling capacity inside the refrigerator compartment 11 is distributed more uniformly, and the area of the ice-making air duct 5 corresponding to the side wall 111 may be increased, which is conducive to increasing the effective area of the ice-making evaporator 61 located inside the ice-making air duct 5, the heat load of the ice maker and the area of the ice-making evaporator 61 are more rationally matched, which is conducive to increasing an ice-making speed of the ice maker, improving the defrosting capacity of the ice-making evaporator 61, lowering a heating defrosting frequency of the ice-making evaporator 61, reducing the energy consumption, and improving the surface quality of the ice cubes.

Furthermore, an ice-making air groove 331 is provided at a side of the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 facing the side wall 111, and the ice-making air duct 5 is formed between the ice-making air groove 331 and the side wall 111, that is, the ice-making evaporator 61 and the ice-making fan 62 are provided inside the ice-making air groove 331. In an embodiment, the ice-making fan 62 is connected to the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, and the ice-making evaporator 61 is connected to the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, which may facilitate the mounting of the ice-making evaporator 61 and the ice-making fan 62. Both the ice-making evaporator 61 and the ice-making fan 62 may also be provided at the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, or both provided on the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31 is embedded in the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, that is, the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is adjacent to the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31, the refrigerator air duct 4 and the ice-making air duct 5 may make full use of the area of the side wall 111, and increase the area of the ice-making air duct 5 corresponding to the side wall 111.

In an embodiment, the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 are provided inside a vertical direction, that is, both the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 are located on the left and right sides of the side wall 111 respectively. Since the ice-making air duct 5 is located between the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412, it is beneficial to lengthen the dimensions of the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 in the height direction of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution of the refrigerator compartment 11 in the height direction of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

In conjunction with FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 10, a refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 is provided at a bottom wall 113 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, first ends of the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 communicate with the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131, and second ends of the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 extend to a top wall 112. In an embodiment, the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 may also be provided at the top wall 112 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, first ends of the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 communicate with the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131, and second ends of the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 extend to the bottom wall 113. The top wall 112 is connected to an upper end of the side wall 111, the bottom wall 113 is connected to a lower end of the side wall 111, and the top wall 112 and the bottom wall 113 are provided opposite to each other.

In the present embodiment, by providing a refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 on the top wall 112 or the bottom wall 113, an air duct length between the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 may be increased, which is conducive to making the temperature distribution of the refrigerator compartment 11 in the height direction more uniform.

The refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 communicates with a heat exchange air duct outside the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the cooling capacity is transported to the refrigerator air duct through the heat exchange air duct provided outside. In one embodiment, a main heat exchange air duct is provided outside the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and a main evaporator and a main fan of the refrigeration device are provided inside the main heat exchange air duct. Under the action of the main fan, the air flows through the main evaporator, and the air flowing through the main evaporator enters the refrigerator air duct 4. After performing heat exchange in the refrigerator air duct 4, the air flows back to the main heat exchange air duct to exchange heat with the main evaporator again; or the air continues to enter the refrigerator compartment 11, and, flows back to the main heat exchange air duct to exchange heat with the main evaporator again after heat exchange. This reciprocal circulation provides cooling capacity for the refrigerator compartment.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator air duct 4 further includes a branch air duct 413, and the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 communicate respectively with the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 through the branch air duct 413. Furthermore, by providing a branch air duct 413 to branch air entering the refrigerator compartment from the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 to the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412, the cooling capacity inside the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 may be distributed more uniformly.

The branch air duct 413, the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 jointly form a refrigerator air supply duct. The refrigerator air supply duct extends from the bottom wall to the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, which may increase the area of the refrigerator air supply duct, improve the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigerator compartment 11 and the uniformity of the temperature distribution of the refrigerator compartment 11 in the height direction of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

In case that the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 is provided at the bottom wall 113, an air inlet of the branch air duct 413 is connected to the bottom wall 113 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 extend from the air outlet of the branch air duct 413 to the top wall 112 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

In case that the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 is provided at the top wall 112, an air inlet of the branch air duct 413 is connected to the top wall 112 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 extend from the air outlet of the branch air duct 413 to the top wall 113 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

In an embodiment, the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is provided with refrigerator air outlets 213 in the height direction of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the air outflow of the refrigerator air duct 4 in the height direction of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is more uniform. As shown in FIG. 3, a position of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 corresponding to the first refrigerator air duct 411 is provided with two refrigerator air outlets 213, and a position of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 corresponding to the second refrigerator air duct 413 is provided with two refrigerator air outlets 213. A position of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 corresponding to the branch air duct 413 is also provided with a refrigerator air outlet 213.

The branch air duct 413 may not be provided at the air duct system according to some embodiments of the present application. The first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 jointly form a refrigerator air supply duct. The refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is provided with two refrigerator air duct air inlets 1131, the first refrigerator air duct 411 communicates with one of the refrigerator air duct air inlets 1131, and the second refrigerator air duct 412 communicates with the other refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131. In this case, the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 may extend directly from the bottom wall to the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the refrigerator air duct assembly 2 further includes a refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22, and the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 is provided between the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 and the side wall 111. The refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 is provided with a branch air groove 221, and the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is provided with a refrigerator air groove 2121, and the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 is buckled with the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 to form a branch air duct 413 between the branch air groove 221 and the refrigerator air groove 2121.

Since the branch air duct 413 communicates with the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131, in the present embodiment, the air inlet of the branch air duct 413 may be enlarged and the air inflow range may be expanded by providing the branch air groove at the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22. It is conducive to controlling the pressure stability inside the refrigerator air supply duct. An air inlet matched with the size of the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 may be formed through the structure of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 and the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 to eliminate the air supply dead angle inside the branch air duct 413, and make the air flow inside the branch air duct 413 to be more smoothly branched to the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412, thereby improving the refrigeration efficiency.

Referring to FIG. 13, the branch air duct 413 is provided with a first air guide surface 4131 and a second air guide surface 4132 opposite to each other. The first air guide surface 4131 extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 to the first refrigerator air duct 411, and the second air guide surface 4132 extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 to the second refrigerator air duct 412.

The first air guide surface 4131 and the second air guide surface 4132 are provided at an angle, the width of the branch air duct 413 from its air inlet to the air outlet is gradually increased to branch the air from the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 to the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 on both sides, the air flow inside the refrigerator air supply duct is smoother, and the refrigeration efficiency is improved.

The first air guide surface 4131 and the second air guide surface 4132 may be formed at the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 or the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22, or at the side wall of the branch air duct 413 formed by buckling the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 and the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22, that is, a part of the first air guide surface 4131 is located at the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, and another part of the first air guide surface 4131 is located at the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22. A part of the second air guide surface 4132 is located at the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, and another part of the second air guide surface 4132 is located at the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22.

In one embodiment, a branch air groove 221 is provided at a side of the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 facing the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, and a refrigerator air groove 2121 is provided at a side of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 facing the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22. The refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 is buckled with the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, and a branch air duct 413 is formed between the branch air groove 221 and the refrigerator air groove 2121. Through walls of the branch air groove 221 located at both sides of the branch air duct 413 are connected to trough walls of the refrigerator air groove 2121 located at both sides of the branch air duct 413 in a one-to-one correspondence to form the first air guide surface 4131 and the second air guide surface 4132.

In an embodiment, a position groove is provided at a side of the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 facing the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, and a position boss is provided at a side of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 facing the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22. When the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 is buckled with the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, the position groove is matched with the position boss.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a side of the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 away from the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is hermetically connected to the side wall 111 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100. The side of the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 away from the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is provided with a first assemble surface 222 and a second assemble surface 223, and the first assemble surface 222 is connected to the second assemble surface 223 by an inclined surface 224.

A groove matching the shape of the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 is provided at the side wall 111, and the first assemble surface 222 is hermetically connected to the groove bottom plane of the groove. The side wall 111 is provided with a plane portion connected to a notch of the groove, and the second assemble surface 223 is hermetically connected to the plane portion. The refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 may maintain a plane-sealed assembly, that is, a plane seal is mandatory for sealing. The sealing surface of the refrigerator air duct assembly and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is stressed more uniformly, and there is no gap in the plane matching, which prevents the cold air inside the refrigerator air duct 4 from leaking out, makes the temperature of the refrigerator compartment more uniform and the temperature difference smaller.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 includes a cover plate body 211 and a refrigerator air duct insulation plate 212. The refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate 212 is provided at a side of the cover plate body 211 facing the refrigerator air duct 4, and the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 are formed between the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate 212 and the side wall 111. The refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate 212 has a thermal insulation effect on the refrigerator air supply duct, which may reduce the cooling capacity loss of air inside the refrigerator air supply duct. The refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate 212 may be thermal insulation foam. In an embodiment, the cover plate body 211 is covered on the refrigerator air duct 4 and the ice-making air duct 5, that is, the refrigerator air duct 4 and the ice-making air duct 5 are located between the cover plate body 211 and the side wall 111.

The branch air duct 413 in the above embodiment is formed between the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate 212 and the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22, and the refrigerator air groove 2121 is provided at the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate 212. The first refrigerator air duct 411, the second refrigerator air duct 412 and the branch air duct 413 are formed between the refrigerator air groove 2121 and the side wall 111. The refrigerator air outlet 213 penetrates through the cover plate body 211 and the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate 212.

In one embodiment, the thermal insulation plate 212 includes a first plate body, a second plate body, and a third plate body connecting the first plate body and the second plate body. The first refrigerator air duct 411 is formed between the first plate body and the side wall 111, and a second refrigerator air duct 412 is formed between the second plate body and the side wall 111. A branch air duct 413 is formed between the third plate body and the side wall 111 or the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate 22.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 further includes a decorative plate 215, which is provided at a side of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 away from the refrigerator air duct 4. The refrigerator air outlet 213 penetrates through the decorative plate 215, the cover plate body 211 and the thermal insulation plate 212.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, the ice-making air duct assembly 3 further includes a thermal insulation layer 32, which is provided at a side of the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31 facing the ice-making air duct 5. The thermal insulation layer 32 has a thermal insulation effect on the ice-making air duct 5, which may prevent the cooling capacity inside the ice-making air duct 5 from being transferred to the refrigerator compartment 11, reduce the cooling capacity loss inside the ice-making air duct 5, and improve the ice-making efficiency. The thermal insulation layer 32 may be thermal insulation foam fixedly connected to the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the ice-making air duct assembly 3 further includes an ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33. The ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 is connected to the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31, and the thermal insulation layer 32 is provided between the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, and the ice-making air duct 5 is formed between the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 and the side wall 111.

In this embodiment, the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 is provided to arrange the thermal insulation layer 32 between the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 and the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31. When the thermal insulation layer 32 is a vacuum insulation panel (VIP panel), it is convenient to mount and fix the VIP. In an embodiment, a foam cavity is formed between the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 and the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31, and the foam cavity is filled with foam material to form the thermal insulation layer 32.

As shown in FIG. 9, the air duct system provided by the present application further includes a fan hood 34, and an accommodation cavity for the ice-making fan 62 is formed between the fan hood 34 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33. The air duct system further includes an ice-making fan 62, which is provided inside the accommodation cavity.

In this embodiment, the ice-making fan 62 and the fan hood 34 are integrally provided at the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, which may effectively reduce the structural base, save mounting space, and increase the volume of the refrigerator compartment 11. The ice-making fan 62 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 may also be disassembled as a whole by disassembling the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, which is convenient for the mounting, maintenance and replacement of the ice-making fan 62 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33.

In one embodiment, the fan hood 34 is detachably connected to the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 through a snap component. The snap component includes a snap block 334 provided at the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, and a snap slot provided at the fan hood 34 to be matched with the snap block 334 to form snap connection.

The fan hood 34 may also be detachably connected to the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 through a fastener (such as a screw). In an embodiment, the fan hood 34 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 are partially detachably connected by a snap component and partially detachably connected by a fastener. The connection form between the fan hood 34 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 may be selected based on the actual use situation and is not specifically limited.

As shown in FIG. 9, the fan hood 34 is provided with mutually independent mount portions 341 along the circumference, and the above-mentioned snap slots may be provided at the mount portions 341. By providing the mutually independent mount portions 341 along the circumference of the fan hood 34, the snap slots are distributed around the fan hood 34 to evenly bear the load, avoid deformation of the local structure, and affect the snap slot connection in other areas, and the fan hood 34 is more reliable after being mounted.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 9, the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 includes a back plate and side plates, and the side plates are provided at the rear cover plate 33 of the ice-making air duct along the circumference of the back plate. The side plates and the back plate form an ice-making air groove 331, and the ice-making fan 62 is provided inside the ice-making air groove 331. The back plate and the side plates may be integrally formed, and the ice-making fan 62 is mounted at the back plate.

Further, a limit plate 332 is provided at the back plate, and the limit plate 332 is connected between two adjacent side plates and forms a certain included angle with each side plate. That is, the limit plate 332 is provided obliquely between two adjacent side plates, and the limit plate 332 and the two adjacent side plates form a three-sided limit for the fan hood 34, to effectively prevent the fan hood 34 from moving during the operation of the ice-making fan 62.

In an embodiment, a position component is provided between the fan hood 34 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33. Since the fan hood 34 has a low snap accuracy after being buckled with the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, the assembly size and assembly accuracy between the fan hood 34 and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 may be ensured by providing the position component.

The position component may include a position block provided at the fan hood 34, and a position buckle 339 provided at the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 and matched with the position block for positioning. The position component with an appropriate height may provide guidance for the assembly process and improve assembly efficiency. The position component may effectively prevent the above-mentioned snap components from being damaged due to rough assembly actions.

A connection lug 621 is provided at the ice-making fan 62, and correspondingly, a connection column matched with the connection lug 621 is provided at the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33. An internal threaded hole is provided at the connection column, and the ice-making fan 62 may be connected to the connection column by passing a screw through a connection hole on the connection lug 621 and the internal threaded hole in the connection column. The screw limits the freedom of the ice-making fan 62 to move upward along the direction of the connection column, and simultaneously limits the freedom of the ice-making fan 62 to move in the plane.

As shown in FIG. 9, the fan hood 34 includes an air inlet 342 and an air outlet 343. The air inlet 342 is provided at a cover body of the fan hood 34 opposite to the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, and the air outlet 343 is provided at a side of the fan hood 34. The air outlet 343 is connected to the air inflow tube 71, and the ice-making fan 62 takes in air from the air inlet 342 and sends the air into the ice-making compartment 12 from the air outlet 343.

The air outlet 343 is provided obliquely, which is equivalent to increasing the air outlet area, to further increase the air supply volume. The air outlet 343 is provided obliquely, which is convenient for the connection of the air inflow tube, and the air inflow tube is provided close to the ice maker to effectively reduce the structural volume of the ice maker.

As shown in FIG. 9, an air guide portion 333 is provided at a position corresponding to the outlet air on the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, and the air guide portion 333 is provided obliquely to ensure that the air flow may fully enter the air inlet channel, shorten the airflow entry path, and avoid airflow loss.

As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 includes a main plate body 335 and an extension portion 336, and the main plate body 335 includes an inclined portion 3351, and the inclined portion 3351 is matched with an inclined side wall 1111 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100. The extension portion 336 is connected to an edge of the inclined portion 3351, and is matched with a flat-plate portion 1112 connected to the inclined side wall 1111 on the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

In an embodiment, the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is provided with a groove, and the main plate body 335 is bent to form an ice-making air groove 331, and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 is integrally buckled at the groove, and the ice-making air groove 331 and the groove together form the ice-making air duct 5. A corresponding air return hole should be provided at the position where the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 communicates with the air return tube 72 since the ice-making air duct 5 communicates with the air return tube 72.

In the actual manufacturing process, the position of the air return hole needs to be designed as an inclined structure for the punching process. Therefore, in order to cooperate with the punching process, a side wall of the groove extending along its length direction is provided as the inclined side wall 1111, and is gradually inclined from an inside to an outside of the groove. An inclined portion 3351 matched with the inclined side wall 1111 is provided at a position of the main plate body 335 corresponding to the inclined side wall 1111, the inclined side wall 1111 extends outwardly from the notch of the groove to form the flat-plate portion 1112 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and an extension portion 336 matched with the flat-plate portion 1112 is provided at a position of ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 corresponding to the flat-plate portion 1112.

In the present application, by providing an extension portion 336 of the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33, the ice-making air duct assembly 3 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 are forcibly plane-sealed on the assemble surface where the ice-making air duct assembly 3 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 are sealed. On the basis that the inclined side wall 1111 and the inclined portion 3351 are assembled using the inclined surface, the assembly structure of the flat-plate portion 1112 and the extension portion 336 is designed, a sealing surface of the ice-making air duct assembly 3 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is more evenly stressed, and there is no gap in the plane matching, which solves the problem of cold air leakage in the ice-making air duct 5 due to the poor contact of the sealing surface between the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 due to the inclined surface matching. While improving the structure, it may effectively prevent the cold air leakage of the ice-making air duct 5, and makes the temperature of the refrigerator room more uniform and the temperature difference smaller.

The extension portion 336 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 may be connected by plugging, snap, threaded fastening and other connections. The connection at the plane matching position may ensure the structural strength and uniform force of the connection between the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

Further, the ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 further includes a first connection plate 337, a first side of first connection plate 337 is connected to the extension portion 336, and a second side of first connection plate 337 extends in the direction of the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31 and is connected to the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31. The ice-making air duct rear cover plate 33 further includes a second connection plate 338 provided opposite to the first connection plate 337. A first side of the second connection plate 338 is connected to the main board body 335, and a second side of the second connection plate 338 is connected to the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31.

The second connection plate 338, the main board body 335, the extension portion 336 and the first connection plate 337 may be formed as a whole by bending and stamping, or each independent plate body may be welded and connected in sequence.

Further, a seal member is provided between the extension portion 336 and the flat-plate portion 1112. The plane assembly of the extension portion 336 and the flat-plate portion 1112 is more conducive to the arrangement of the seal member. Compared with the sealing effect of attaching the seal member between the inclined portion 3351 and the inclined side wall 1111, the plane assembling between the extension portion 336 and the flat-plate portion 1112 may ensure good contact between the sealing surface, which makes the seal member easier to be mounted and further improves the sealing effect. In an embodiment, the seal member may be a seal sponge, a seal strip and other components.

As shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the air duct system provided by the present application further includes an air inflow tube 71 and an air return tube 72, and the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 communicate with the ice-making air duct 5 and the ice-making compartment 12. After the ice-making fan 62 drives the air flowing through the ice-making evaporator 61 to flow from the air inflow tube 71 into the ice-making compartment 12, the air flows back to the ice-making air duct 5 from the air return tube 72. In an embodiment, both the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 are located outside the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 and connected to the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 to avoid the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 occupying the space of the refrigerator compartment 11 and increase the volume of the refrigerator compartment 11.

In an embodiment, an air outflow side of the ice-making fan 62 is opposite to an air inflow end of the air inflow tube 71, and an air inflow side of the ice-making evaporator 61 is opposite to an air outflow end of the air return tube 72. In this way, the ice-making air duct 5 may be compact in structure, which reduces the loss of cooling capacity, and improves the ice-making efficiency.

As shown in FIG. 16, the air inflow tube 71 includes a first cover plate 711 and a second cover plate 712 that are mutually buckled. The first cover plate 711 extends along an outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 and is connected to the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the second cover plate 712 is located at a side of the first cover plate 711 away from the refrigerator cabinet liner 100.

In one embodiment, the first cover plate 711 is provided with a first buckle 7111, and the second cover plate 712 is provided with a first snap slot 7121 that matches the first buckle, and the first cover plate 711 is detachably connected to the second cover plate 712 through the first buckle 7111 and the first snap slot 7121. The first buckle 7111 extends to the first snap slot 7121 when the first cover plate 711 is connected to the second cover plate 712. In an embodiment, first buckles 7111 provided at intervals are provided at the first cover plate 711, and first snap slots 7121 matched with the first buckles 7111 in one-to-one correspondence are provided at the second cover plate 712. The first buckle 7111 may also be provided at the second cover plate 712, and the corresponding first snap slot 7121 is provided at the first cover plate 711.

The first cover plate 711 and the second cover plate 712 are mutually buckled to form the air inflow tube 71. The first cover plate 711 is provided with two air outlets, which communicate respectively with the ice-making air duct 5 and the ice-making compartment 12. By only providing the air outlet at the first cover plate 711, the structure of the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 may be simplified. Two air outlets for connecting the ice-making compartment 12 and the ice-making air duct 5 may also be provided at the second cover plate 712 or at both the first cover plate 711 and the second cover plate 712.

Further, in order to ensure the sealing of the connection between the first cover plate 711 and the second cover plate 712, a first seal rib 731 may be provided at the edge of the first cover plate 711 for being buckled with the second cover plate 712, or a first seal rib 731 may be provided at the edge of the second cover plate 712 for being buckled with the first cover plate 711, or a first seal rib 731 may be provided at both the edge of the first cover plate 711 for being buckled with the second cover plate 712 and an edge of the second cover plate 712 for being buckled with the first cover plate 711. By the first seal rib 731, a seal cavity may be formed inside the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 to prevent foam liquid from entering the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 during the foaming process, and also prevent the cold air from leaking out during the refrigeration process, thereby reducing the loss of cooling capacity.

As shown in FIG. 17, the air return tube 72 includes a third cover plate 721 and a fourth cover plate 722 that are buckled with each other. The third cover plate 721 extends along an outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 and is connected to the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the fourth cover plate 722 is located at a side of the third cover plate 721 away from the refrigerator cabinet liner 100. The mount method of the third cover plate 721 and the fourth cover plate 722 is the same as the mount method of the first cover plate 711 and the second cover plate 712. One of the third cover plate 721 and the fourth cover plate 722 is provided with a second buckle 7211, and the other of the third cover plate 721 and the fourth cover plate 722 is provided with a second snap slot 7221.

Further, a second seal rib 732 is provided at the third cover plate 721, and a mode of providing the second seal rib 732 at the third cover plate 721 is the same as a mode of providing the first seal rib 731 at the first cover plate 711, which will not be repeated here.

In an embodiment, the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is provided with a third seal rib, and the third seal rib at the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 extends along the edge of the first cover plate 711 and/or the third cover plate 721. The position of the third seal rib may be provided as needed. In one embodiment, the seal rib may extend along the edge of one side of the first cover plate 711 or the entire circumferential edge of the first cover plate 711 to seal at different positions on the first cover plate 711.

Based on the height and position of the third seal rib, on the one hand, the third seal rib may be used for snapping the first cover plate 711, and may also be used for sealing the first cover plate 711 and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 to prevent the foam liquid from entering the air inflow tube 71 or the air return tube 72 during foaming.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, positions of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 corresponding to the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 are provided with refrigerator air outlets 213, and the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is also provided with a refrigerator air return port 214. Both the refrigerator air outlet 213 and the refrigerator air return port 214 communicate with the refrigerator compartment of the refrigeration device, and the refrigerator air return port 214 communicates respectively with the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 to form a refrigerator air circulation structure.

In one embodiment, a refrigerator air return port 214 is further provided at the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21, and the refrigerator air return port 214 communicates with the refrigerator compartment 11 and the refrigerator air return duct. A refrigerator air return duct is formed between the refrigerator air return port 214 and the refrigerator air duct air return port 1132.

The refrigerator air return duct may communicate with the refrigerator air supply duct 41 through the main heat exchange air duct, and a main evaporator and a main fan are provided inside the main heat exchange air duct. The main fan drives the air flowing through the main evaporator into the refrigerator air supply duct 41, and then enters the refrigerator compartment 11 through the refrigerator air outlets 213. After heat exchange, the air flows back from the refrigerator air return port 214 to the refrigerator air return duct, and then flows back to the main heat exchange air duct to exchange heat with a main heat exchanger again. This reciprocal circulation provides cool capacity for the refrigerator compartment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the bottom wall 113 or the top wall 112 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is provided with a refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 and two refrigerator air duct air return ports 1132 provided at both sides of the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131. The first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 communicate respectively with the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131. When a branch air duct 413 is provided, the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 communicate respectively with the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 respectively through the branch air duct 413.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, refrigerator air return ports 214 are respectively provided at both sides of the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 corresponding to the positions of the two refrigerator air duct air return ports 1132. The two refrigerator air return ports 214 communicate with the two refrigerator air duct air return ports 1132 in a one-to-one correspondence to form two refrigerator air return ducts. That is, the two refrigerator air return ducts are located at both sides of the refrigerator air supply duct 41. In an embodiment, the refrigerator air return port 214 is provided with a grille structure.

In one embodiment, the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 includes a first plate body and two second plate bodies connected to both ends of the first plate body, and the second plate bodies are connected to a side of the first plate body close to the side wall 111, the first plate body and the two second plate bodies form an accommodation space, and the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131 is located inside the accommodation space. The refrigerator air groove 2121 is provided at the first plate body, and the two second plate bodies are provided with refrigerator air duct air return ports 1132.

The refrigerator cabinet liner 100 further includes two other side walls adjacent to the side wall 111. When the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 is mounted at the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, the two refrigerator air duct air return ports 1132 are respectively opposite to the other two side walls. The refrigerated wind is blown into the refrigerator compartment 11 from an upper and middle area, and then flows back from the areas at both sides of the lower part, and the temperature distribution inside the refrigerator compartment 11 is more uniform.

The present application further provides a refrigeration device, which may be a refrigerator, an ice bar, a freezer, a wine cabinet, a refrigeration cabinet and other refrigeration device. The refrigeration device includes a refrigerator cabinet liner 100, an air duct system and a refrigeration system. A refrigerator compartment 11 and an ice-making compartment 12 are provided inside the refrigerator cabinet liner 100. The air duct system is the air duct system described in any of the above embodiments. The air duct system is provided at the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, the refrigerator air duct 4 communicates with the refrigerator compartment 11, and the ice-making air duct 5 communicates with the ice-making compartment 12. The refrigeration system includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttle apparatus and an evaporator connected in sequence. The evaporator includes an ice-making evaporator 61 and a main evaporator (not shown in the figure). As shown in FIG. 13, the ice-making evaporator 61 is provided inside the ice-making air duct 5 and is used to refrigerate the ice-making compartment 12, and the main evaporator is used to refrigerate the refrigerator compartment 11.

In the refrigeration device provided by the embodiment of the present application, a refrigerator air duct 4 is formed by connecting the refrigerator air duct cover plate 21 with a part of the side wall 111, and the ice-making air duct 5 is formed by connecting the ice-making air duct front cover plate 31 with another part of the side wall 111, the ice-making air duct 5 and the refrigerator air duct 4 share a side wall 111 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, thereby reducing the volume occupied by the air duct in the refrigerator compartment 11. By providing the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 at both sides of the ice-making air duct 5, the ice-making air duct 5 is located in the middle of the side wall 111 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the first refrigerator air duct 411 and the second refrigerator air duct 412 are located at both sides of the ice-making air duct 5. The cooling capacity inside the refrigerator compartment 11 is distributed more uniformly, and the area of the ice-making air duct 5 corresponding to the side wall 111 may be increased, which is conducive to increasing the effective area of the ice-making evaporator 61 located inside the ice-making air duct 5, the heat load of the ice maker and the area of the ice-making evaporator 61 are more rationally matched, which is conducive to increasing the ice-making speed of the ice maker, improving the defrosting capacity of the ice-making evaporator 61, lowering the heating defrosting frequency of the ice-making evaporator 61, reducing the energy consumption, and improving the surface quality of the ice cubes.

In case that no thermal insulation layer 32 is provided inside the ice-making air duct assembly 3, the ice-making air duct 5 may exchange heat with the refrigerator compartment 11 to supplement cooling capacity for the refrigerator compartment 11.

In an embodiment, the ice-making compartment 12 is located inside the refrigerator compartment 11 and at an upper part of the refrigerator compartment 11. The air inflow tube 71 connects the upper part of the ice-making air duct 5 and the top of the ice-making compartment 12, and the air return tube 72 connects the lower part of the ice-making air duct 5 and the bottom of the ice-making compartment 12. In this way, an air duct length of an air duct between the ice-making compartment 12 and the ice-making air duct 5 may be reduced, the cooling capacity of the ice-making evaporator 61 may be transported to the ice-making compartment 12 for ice-making through a shorter inlet loop, the loss of cooling capacity inside the air duct is effectively reduced and the ice-making efficiency is improved. The air inflow tube may blow cold air from the top of the ice-making compartment 12 into the ice-making compartment, flow from the top of the ice-making compartment to the bottom, and then flow back from the air return tube to the ice-making air duct 5, which is conducive to shortening the ice-making time and increasing the ice-making amount.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the refrigeration device further includes a freezer cabinet liner 200, and a freezer compartment is provided inside the freezer cabinet liner 200. The air duct system further includes a freezer air duct assembly 8 and a main fan. The freezer air duct assembly 8 is provided inside the freezer cabinet liner 200 and a freezer air duct is formed between the freezer air duct assembly 8 and the freezer cabinet liner 200. The freezer air duct communicates with the freezer compartment, and the main evaporator and the main fan are provided inside the freezer air duct. The freezer air duct serves as the main heat exchange air duct of the refrigeration device described in the above embodiment.

The refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is located above the freezer cabinet liner 200, or the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is located below the freezer cabinet liner 200. A refrigerator air duct inlet 1131 and a refrigerator air duct air return vent 1132 communicating with the freezer air duct are provided at a side of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 close to the freezer cabinet liner 200.

Further, a support member 300 is provided at the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 is connected to the freezer cabinet liner 200 through the support member 300. An air inflow duct and an air return duct are provided inside the support member 300, the air inflow duct is connected to the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131, and the air return duct is connected to the refrigerator air duct air return port 1132. In an embodiment, the support member 300 is buckled with the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 and the freezer cabinet liner 200. In one embodiment, buckles are provided at an outer side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 and an outer side wall of the freezer cabinet liner 200, and snap slots matched with the buckles are provided at the support member 300.

In an embodiment, a through hole is provided at the bottom wall 113 of the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the support member 300 is provided at the through hole. The air outlet of the air inflow duct of the support member 300 serves as the refrigerator air duct air inlet 1131, and the air inlet of the air return duct serves as the refrigerator air duct air return port 1132.

The refrigeration device includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttle apparatus and an evaporator. The compressor, the condenser, the throttle apparatus and the evaporator are connected in sequence to form a refrigerant circulation flow path. The evaporator includes the ice-making evaporator 61 and the main evaporator in the above embodiment. The condenser communicates with the ice-making evaporator 61 through a first throttle apparatus, and the condenser communicates with the main evaporator through a second throttle apparatus.

Further, the refrigeration device further includes a cabinet housing, a foam layer is provided between the cabinet housing and the refrigerator cabinet liner 100, and the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 of the air duct system are buried inside the foam layer. The foam layer has a thermal insulation effect on the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72, which is conducive to reducing the volume of the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72, and reducing the space of the cabinet housing occupied by the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72.

The air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 are only buckled with the refrigerator cabinet liner 100. As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, in order to ensure the stability of the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 during operation, the air inflow tube 71 is connected to a first pillar 741, and the air return tube 72 is connected to a second pillar 742. An end of the first pillar 741 away from the air inflow tube 71 abuts against the cabinet housing, and an end of the second pillar 742 away from the air return tube 72 abuts against the cabinet housing. The first pillar 741 is supported between the air inflow tube 71 and the cabinet housing to ensure the stability of the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72. The second pillar 742 is supported between the air return tube 72 and the cabinet housing to ensure the stability of the air return tube 72. The air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 are pressed against the refrigerator cabinet liner 100 by squeezing the pillars against the cabinet housing, the air inflow tube 71 and the air return tube 72 are fixed and sealed without screwing and sticking tape, which reduces the use of materials, improves the manufacturability of the product, and decreases costs.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, but not to limit the present application. Although the application has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, various combinations, modifications, or equivalent replacements of the embodiments of the application do not depart from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the application, and should all cover the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. An air duct system for refrigeration device, comprising:

an ice-making air duct assembly, provided inside a refrigerator cabinet liner of the refrigeration device and comprising an ice-making air duct front cover plate, wherein an ice-making air duct is formed between the ice-making air duct front cover plate and a part of a side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the ice-making air duct communicates with an ice-making compartment inside the refrigerator cabinet liner to form an ice-making air circulation structure; and
a refrigerator air duct assembly, provided inside the refrigerator cabinet liner and comprising a refrigerator air duct cover plate, wherein a refrigerator air duct is formed between the refrigerator air duct cover plate and another part of the side wall, the refrigerator air duct comprises a first refrigerator air duct and a second refrigerator air duct, and the ice-making air duct is located between the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct.

2. The air duct system of claim 1, wherein a top wall or a bottom wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner is provided with a refrigerator air duct air inlet, first ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate with the refrigerator air duct air inlet, and second ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct extend to the top wall or the bottom wall.

3. The air duct system of claim 2, wherein the refrigerator air duct further comprises: a branch air duct, the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate respectively with the refrigerator air duct air inlet through the branch air duct.

4. The air duct system of claim 3, wherein the refrigerator air duct assembly further comprises: a refrigerator air duct rear cover plate, the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate is provided with a branch air groove, the refrigerator air duct cover plate is provided with a refrigerator air groove, the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate is buckled with the refrigerator air duct cover plate to form the branch air duct between the branch air groove and the refrigerator air groove.

5. The air duct system of claim 3, wherein the branch air duct is provided with a first air guide surface and a second air guide surface opposite to each other, the first air guide surface extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet to the first refrigerator air duct, and the second air guide surface extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet to the second refrigerator air duct.

6. The air duct system of claim 1, wherein the refrigerator air duct cover plate comprises: a cover plate body and a refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate, the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate is provided at a side of the cover plate body facing the refrigerator air duct, and the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct are formed between the refrigerator air duct thermal insulation plate and the side wall.

7. The air duct system of claim 1, wherein the ice-making air duct front cover plate is embedded in the refrigerator air duct cover plate.

8. The air duct system of claim 1, wherein the ice-making air duct assembly further comprises: a thermal insulation layer, the thermal insulation layer is provided at a side of the ice-making air duct front cover plate facing the ice-making air duct.

9. The air duct system of claim 8, wherein the ice-making air duct assembly further comprises: an ice-making air duct rear cover plate, the ice-making air duct rear cover plate is connected to the ice-making air duct front cover plate, the thermal insulation layer is provided between the ice-making air duct front cover plate and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate, and the ice-making air duct is formed between the ice-making air duct rear cover plate and the side wall.

10. The air duct system of claim 9, wherein the ice-making air duct assembly further comprises: a fan hood, an accommodation cavity is formed between the fan hood and the ice-making air duct rear cover plate; and

the air duct system further comprises: an ice-making fan, the ice-making fan is provided inside the accommodation cavity.

11. The air duct system of claim 1, further comprising:

an air inflow tube and an air return tube, wherein the air inflow tube and the air return tube communicate with the ice-making air duct and the ice-making compartment, and both the air inflow tube and the air return tube are located outside the refrigerator cabinet liner and connected to the refrigerator cabinet liner.

12. The air duct system of claim 11, wherein the air inflow tube comprises: a first cover plate and a second cover plate buckled with each other, the first cover plate extends along an outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner and is connected to the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the second cover plate is located at a side of the first cover plate away from the refrigerator cabinet liner; and

the air return tube comprises: a third cover plate and a fourth cover plate buckled with each other, the third cover plate extends along an outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner and is connected to the outer wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the fourth cover plate is located at a side of the first cover plate away from the refrigerator cabinet liner.

13. The air duct system of claim 1, wherein positions of the refrigerator air duct cover plate corresponding to the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct are provided with a plurality of refrigerator air outlets, and the refrigerator air duct cover plate is further provided with a refrigerator air return port, both the refrigerator air outlet and the refrigerator air return port communicate with the refrigerator compartment of the refrigeration device, and the refrigerator air return port communicates respectively with the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct to form a refrigerator air circulation structure.

14. The air duct system of claim 13, wherein a bottom wall or a top wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner is provided with a refrigerator air duct air inlet and two refrigerator air duct air return ports respectively provided at both sides of the refrigerator air duct air inlet,

wherein the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate with the refrigerator air duct air inlet; refrigerator air return ports are respectively provided at positions of both sides of the refrigerator air duct cover plate corresponding to the two refrigerator air duct air return ports, and the two refrigerator air return ports are in one-to-one communication with the two refrigerator air duct air return ports to form two refrigerator air return ducts.

15. A refrigeration device, comprising:

a refrigerator cabinet liner, wherein a refrigerator compartment and an ice-making compartment are provided inside the refrigerator cabinet liner;
an air duct system, wherein the air duct system is air duct system for refrigeration device, comprising:
an ice-making air duct assembly, provided inside a refrigerator cabinet liner of the refrigeration device and comprising an ice-making air duct front cover plate, wherein an ice-making air duct is formed between the ice-making air duct front cover plate and a part of a side wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner, and the ice-making air duct communicates with an ice-making compartment inside the refrigerator cabinet liner to form an ice-making air circulation structure; and
a refrigerator air duct assembly, provided inside the refrigerator cabinet liner and comprising a refrigerator air duct cover plate, wherein a refrigerator air duct is formed between the refrigerator air duct cover plate and another part of the side wall, the refrigerator air duct comprises a first refrigerator air duct and a second refrigerator air duct, and the ice-making air duct is located between the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct, the air duct system is provided at the refrigerator cabinet liner, the refrigerator air duct communicates with the refrigerator compartment, and the ice-making air duct communicates with the ice-making compartment; and
an ice-making system, comprising a compressor, a condenser, a throttle apparatus and an evaporator connected in sequence, wherein the evaporator comprises an ice-making evaporator and a main evaporator, the ice-making evaporator is provided inside the ice-making air duct and used to refrigerate the ice-making compartment, and the main evaporator is used to refrigerate the refrigerator compartment.

16. The refrigeration device of claim 15, wherein the ice-making compartment is located inside the refrigerator compartment and at an upper part of the refrigerator compartment, an air inflow tube of the air duct system is connected to an upper part of the ice-making air duct and a top of the ice-making compartment, and an air return tube of the air duct system is connected to a lower part of the ice-making air duct and a bottom of the ice-making compartment.

17. The air duct system of claim 15, wherein a top wall or a bottom wall of the refrigerator cabinet liner is provided with a refrigerator air duct air inlet, first ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate with the refrigerator air duct air inlet, and second ends of the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct extend to the top wall or the bottom wall.

18. The air duct system of claim 17, wherein the refrigerator air duct further comprises: a branch air duct, the first refrigerator air duct and the second refrigerator air duct communicate respectively with the refrigerator air duct air inlet through the branch air duct.

19. The air duct system of claim 18, wherein the refrigerator air duct assembly further comprises: a refrigerator air duct rear cover plate, the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate is provided with a branch air groove, the refrigerator air duct cover plate is provided with a refrigerator air groove, the refrigerator air duct rear cover plate is buckled with the refrigerator air duct cover plate to form the branch air duct between the branch air groove and the refrigerator air groove.

20. The air duct system of claim 18, wherein the branch air duct is provided with a first air guide surface and a second air guide surface opposite to each other, the first air guide surface extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet to the first refrigerator air duct, and the second air guide surface extends obliquely from the refrigerator air duct air inlet to the second refrigerator air duct.

Patent History
Publication number: 20250354746
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 29, 2022
Publication Date: Nov 20, 2025
Inventors: Ying JIA (HEFEI), Wanfu DONG (HEFEI), Dongxian LIU (HEFEI), Xiuhua GENG (HEFEI), Hak Jae JUNG (HEFEI), Bokdong LEE (HEFEI)
Application Number: 18/872,277
Classifications
International Classification: F25D 17/06 (20060101);