CN102914119B

CN102914119B - Refrigerating appliance

Info

Publication number: CN102914119B
Application number: CN201110224587.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朱卫忠; 陈秀鹏; 鲁松涛; 张江文
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd
Priority date: 2011-07-31
Filing date: 2011-07-31
Publication date: 2016-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2031-07-31
Also published as: CN102914119A

Abstract

The present invention is about a kind of refrigerating appliance.Refrigerating appliance includes the first storage space (2) side by side and the second storage space (3), separate described first storage space (2) and the next door (4 of described second storage space (3), 4 '), in order to the air duct (5) of at least one conveying cold air in described first storage space (2) and the second storage space (3)；And the fan (6) being positioned in described air duct (5).Suggestion according to the present invention, described next door (4,4 ') there is dented space (7,7 '), wherein, described fan (6) remain at least partially within described dented space (7,7 ') and/or the remaining at least partially within described dented space (7,7 ') of described air duct (5).

Description

Refrigeration device

[ technical field ]

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, such as a domestic refrigerator, wine chest, freezer or the like.

[ background art ]

In order to homogenize the temperature distribution in the storage compartment of a refrigeration appliance, it is known to provide the storage compartment with an air circulation device. In the solution disclosed in chinese patent CN1254652C, the air circulation device includes a fan to make the warmer air in the storage chamber enter an air channel and flow through a cooler (such as an evaporator or a surface cooled by the evaporator) to be cooled, and then the cooled air flows into the storage chamber again through a plurality of discharge holes.

On the other hand, large capacity refrigeration appliances (e.g., multi-door refrigerators, side-by-side refrigerators) have been gaining popularity in recent years. These refrigerators can have a larger lateral width, and therefore it is possible to arrange two storage compartments side by side left and right. In such a refrigerator, it is a technical problem faced by the person skilled in the art how to arrange an air circulation system to even out the temperature distribution in the storage compartment and to ensure that the effective storage volume of the refrigerator is not necessarily significantly reduced.

[ summary of the invention ]

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigeration appliance which has the advantage of a uniform temperature distribution of at least one of two storage compartments side by side and whose effective volume does not have to be significantly reduced thereby.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention pertains to a refrigeration appliance. The refrigeration appliance comprises a first storage space and a second storage space which are arranged side by side, a partition wall for separating the first storage space from the second storage space, an air channel for conveying cold air to at least one of the first storage space and the second storage space, and a fan positioned in the air channel; characterized in that the partition wall has a recessed space, wherein at least a part of the fan is located in the recessed space and/or at least a part of the air channel is located in the recessed space.

On one hand, the temperature gradient in the storage space can form forced air circulation due to the operation of the fan in the air passage, so that the temperature gradient in the storage space can be reduced, and the temperature distribution in the storage space can be uniform. On the other hand, because the fan and a part of the air channel are positioned in the partition wall which can not be used for storing articles, the occupation of the first storage space and the second storage space by the fan and the air channel is reduced, thereby improving the effective storage volume of the refrigeration appliance.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention, individually or in combination with other features, are set forth in the following appended claims.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the depressed space is formed depressed downward from the upper end of the partition wall. Obviously, this does not exclude the case where the recessed space may also be recessed forward from the rear end of the partition wall.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the recessed space extends forward from the rear end of the partition wall.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the recessed space is not visible from the front side of the partition wall looking backwards.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rear end of the partition wall has a lowered height to form the depressed space, and the depressed space is notched.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the partition wall includes side walls on both sides of the depressed space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the length of the recessed space is greater than one third of the length of the partition wall. The relatively long concave space is beneficial to increasing the length of the air channel in the partition wall, so that the air channel can be relatively smooth, and the wind resistance is small, thereby being beneficial to the flow of wind.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air passage includes a first branch path for supplying the cool air to the first storage space and a second branch path for supplying the cool air to the second storage space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first branch and the second branch are each connected to a portion of the air channel located in the recessed space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first branch and the second branch each extend at the top of the respective storage space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fan is located at a rear end of the depressed space, and a portion of the depressed space located in front of the fan forms a part of the air passage. This not only helps to save space, but also helps to increase the efficiency of the fan due to the fact that the air duct is arranged in front of the fan, and the pressure is low.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom surface of the concave space has a curved surface rising upward in the backward-forward direction to form a part of the air passage. The gentle wind channel is favorable to reducing the windage, increases the efficiency of fan.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air duct plate comprises a hollow protrusion extending into the recessed space, wherein the fan is accommodated in the protrusion and/or the protrusion forms part of the air channel.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of sets of discharge ports are included corresponding to each storage space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one set of discharge openings is located at the front end of the air channel and is the main discharge opening for the cold air.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one set of discharge ports is located substantially in a central region of each of the storage spaces.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one set of discharge ports is located at a rear region of each of the storage spaces.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one set of discharge ports is provided at an upper end of a side wall of a portion of the air passage located within the depressed space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one group of discharge openings is arranged in a row in the front-rear direction.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator appliance including a first storage space and a second storage space which are arranged side by side; a partition wall partitioning the first storage space and the second storage space; and a first branch and a second branch for delivering cold air to the first storage space and the second storage space, respectively, wherein the first branch and the second branch extend at the top of the corresponding storage space after being branched at the partition wall, respectively.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first branch path and the second branch path share one fan to blow cold air into the first storage space and the second storage space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the partition wall has a recessed space, and the fan is located at least partially within the recessed space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air duct is provided in the partition wall, and the first branch and the second branch are branched at the air duct.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the partition wall has a plurality of through-holes fluidly connecting the first storage space and the second storage space.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first storage space and the second storage space are different in humidity.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the partition wall has a thermal insulation material, and the first storage space and the second storage space are thermally isolated from each other by the partition wall.

The construction of the present invention and other objects and advantages thereof will be more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[ description of the drawings ]

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Wherein,

fig. 1 is a schematic partial perspective view of a refrigeration appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with the door of the second packing compartment removed.

FIG. 2 is a partially assembled view of a zero degree compartment according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein neither the housing nor the insulating material of the refrigeration appliance is shown.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a duct board according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of the airway plate shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a schematic sectional view taken along line a-a in fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a schematic sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a schematic sectional view taken along line C-C in fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a partition wall in which a fan has been mounted according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the inner container of the compartment of the refrigerator according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the duct board has been mounted on the inner container.

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the partition wall shown in fig. 9 attached to the liner shown in fig. 10.

[ detailed description of the invention ]

Please refer to the drawings, and particularly to fig. 1. The refrigeration device 1 comprises a thermally insulated cabinet 20. The case 20 includes an inner container 21, an outer container 22, and a heat insulating material (not shown) between the inner container 21 and the outer container 22. The thermal insulation material may be formed by injecting a foaming agent between the inner container 21 and the outer case 22 in a foaming process. After the foaming process is completed, the inner container 21 and the outer container 22 are fixed together by the cured thermal insulation material.

In the present embodiment, the cabinet 20 defines an insulated refrigerating compartment 23 at an upper section thereof, a zero-degree compartment 24 immediately below the refrigerating compartment 23, and a freezing compartment 25 at a lower section of the cabinet 20. These storage compartments 23, 24, 25 are thermally insulated from one another by respective partition walls.

The refrigeration device 1 has doors for closing these storage compartments. In one embodiment, the refrigerating compartment 23 is closed by a pair of french-door doors 26 hinged on both sides of the cabinet 20 and movable in rotation about respective longitudinal axes, and the zero-degree compartment 24 and the freezing compartment 25 may be closed by respective drawer-type doors, respectively.

As shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, the zero-degree chamber 24 is provided with a first storage space 2 and a second storage space 3 partitioned into parallel by a vertical partition wall 4. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 4 is located at the middle position of the zero-degree compartment 24, and the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 have the same width. However, in other embodiments, the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 may have different widths, which may be determined by the position of the partition wall 4.

The first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 are respectively provided with at least one container 31 for storing articles. These containers 31 are drawers that are open at the top.

In the present embodiment, the front end of the partition wall 4 extends beyond the front ends of all the containers 31. The partition wall 4 can thus be clearly seen by the user, which may give the user the impression that the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 are two separate storage compartments. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 4 extends to the front port of the zero-degree chamber 24. When the door of the zero-degree chamber 24 is closed, the rear side of the door contacts the front end surface of the partition wall 4.

The first and second storage spaces 2 and 3 may be closed by the same door 50. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 are closed by different doors, for example the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 may be closed by a pair of french-door closures. For example, the split doors 26 extend to below the bottom wall of the zero-degree compartment 24, so that the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 can also be closed by one of the split doors 26, respectively; another possibility is that one of the other pair of split doors, independent of the split doors 26, is closed separately. Of course, it is also possible that the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 are closed by different drawer type doors. The seal gasket on the rear side of the door is preferably in close contact with the front end of the partition wall 4.

In this embodiment, the partition wall 4 is provided with a plurality of through holes 28 that fluidly communicate the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3, so that the storage temperatures of the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 are substantially the same. The through holes 28 are in a grid pattern to facilitate sufficient heat exchange between the two storage spaces 2, 3.

A moisturizing unit 29 is disposed in the second storage space 3 to increase or maintain the humidity in the second storage space 3, so that the second storage space 3 is particularly suitable for preserving vegetables, fruits and the like.

The moisturizing unit 29 is located at the top of the second storage space 3 or near the top of the second storage space 3. By reducing or preventing the air leaving the container 31 from carrying away moisture from the interior thereof, the humidity in the container 31 being higher than that in the first storage space 2, the articles stored in the container 31 can be stored in the container 31 of the second storage space 3 more freshly for a longer period of time. Thus, the zero-degree chamber 24 is divided in the longitudinal direction into a "dry area" (first storage space) and a "wet area" (second storage space) which are arranged side by side on the left and right.

In an alternative embodiment, the second storage space 3 may also employ a moisturizing unit that can generate moisture, such as water vapor, to increase or maintain the humidity within the second storage space 3. The operation of such a humidifier may then be controlled using a corresponding humidity control device.

As shown in fig. 3, 6 and 7, the refrigeration appliance 1 includes an evaporator 30 that can exchange heat with the zero-degree compartment 24 (including the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3). The evaporator 30 includes a refrigerant line and a heat transfer element in close contact with the refrigerant line. In this embodiment, the heat transfer element is plate-shaped, almost completely covering the rear wall 32 of the zero degree chamber 24. Evaporator 30 may be positioned on a side of back wall 32 of zero degree chamber 24 facing the thermal insulation layer and in close proximity to back wall 32 to cool back wall 32, thereby making back wall 32 a cooling surface. In another embodiment, the evaporator 30 may also be located inside the back wall 32 and within the zero degree chamber 24, with the evaporator 30 itself forming the cooling surface.

In order to reduce the temperature gradient in the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3, the refrigeration appliance 1 comprises an air circulation device for taking in air in the first and second storage spaces 2, 3, cooling the air directly or indirectly by an evaporator, and then feeding the air into the first and second storage spaces 2, 3. The air circulation device includes an air duct plate 10 to form the air passage 5 and a fan 6 located in the air passage 5.

Referring to fig. 3 to 9, in this embodiment, the duct board 10 includes a top plate 13 adjacent to the top walls 12 of the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3 of the zero-degree compartment 24 but spaced apart from the top walls 12. The wind tunnel plate 10 further includes a back plate 33 bent from the rear end of the top plate 13 and extending downward. The back plate 33 is close to the rear wall 32 but at a distance from the rear wall 32. In this way, the air passage 5 extends from between the back plate 33 and the rear wall 32 to between the top plate 13 and the top wall 12. The edges of the top and back panels 13, 33 may have partition walls 34 extending toward the top and back walls 12, 32, respectively, to provide the above-described gap between the duct board 10 and the inner container 21.

The top plate 13 and the back plate 33 may be substantially vertical, so that the airway plate 10 is substantially L-shaped. In this embodiment, the back plate 33 covers a substantial portion of the rear wall 32. It should be understood that in other embodiments, it is also possible that the back plate 33 covers only a portion of the rear wall 32, for example a small portion or the upper half of the upper end of the rear wall 32. A gap is formed between the lower end of the back plate 33 and the bottom walls of the first and second storage compartments 2 and 3 to form a return air opening 41.

The top plate 13 and the back plate 33 are provided with a plurality of fixing holes 45, respectively, and a fixing device (not shown) such as a screw can pass through the fixing holes 45 to fix the air duct plate 10 to the inner liner 21. The two-sided partition walls 34 of the back plate 33 and the rear-sided partition wall 34 of the top plate 13 may be provided with seal grooves 49 to insert seal strips (not shown) to hermetically connect both ends of the back plate 33 and the rear end of the top plate 13 with the rear wall 32 and the top wall 12, respectively.

The top panel 13 includes a substantially plate-shaped main body portion 35 exposed above the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3, and an intermediate portion 36 between the pair of main body portions 35.

The main body portion 35 extends substantially parallel to the top wall 12 in a horizontal direction. The first branch 8 and the second branch 9 of the air passage 5 are formed between the top walls 12 of the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3, respectively, and the corresponding main body portion 35 to deliver the cool air to the corresponding storage spaces 2, 3, respectively. In the present embodiment, the first branch 8 and the second branch 9 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center plane of the top plate 13.

The first branch 8 and the second branch 9 are substantially sector-shaped. Each body portion 35 may include arcuate first and second baffles 44 and 27 to define the boundaries of the first and second branches 8 and 9. The first guide plate 44 extends between the front and middle portions of the rear end of each main body part 35 to prevent cold air from being caught in the distal rear corners of the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3 to be turbulent therein.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the intermediate portion 36 comprises a downwardly projecting protrusion 11. The projection 11 is located at the rear of the intermediate portion 36, and the rear end of the projection 11 is connected to the back plate 33.

The projection 11 is hollow and includes a space 38. The upper end of the space 38 is open and communicates with the first branch passage 8 and the second branch passage 9. The rear end of the space 38 is open to the back plate 33, and therefore, the space 38 and the portion of the air passage 5 between the back plate 33 and the rear wall 12 communicate. After being cooled by the cooling surface, the air may enter the space 38 through an opening of the space 38 located on the back plate 33.

The space 38 includes a fan chamber 38a for housing the fan 6 and an air duct 38b located in front of the fan chamber 38 a. In this embodiment, the fan chamber 38a is located at the rear of the space 38, compared to the wind tunnel 38 b.

The width of the air channel chamber 38b substantially corresponds to the width of the partition wall 4. The fan chamber 38a may be wider than the wind tunnel 38b to accommodate the fan 6. Of course, whether the fan chamber 38 needs to be wider or narrower than the air duct 38b may be determined entirely by the size of the fan 6.

The bottom wall of the fan chamber 38a is preferably flat, while the bottom wall of the air duct 38b is preferably rounded to facilitate air flow. In the present embodiment, the height of the air passage 38b of the protruding portion 11 in the longitudinal direction is gradually reduced from back to front, that is, the bottom wall of the protruding portion 11 at the air passage 38b is gradually raised from back to front.

The partition wall 4 is substantially plate-shaped, and the upper end of the partition wall 4 is connected to the lower side of the intermediate portion 36. When installed, the bulkhead 4 may be inserted into the zero degree chamber 24 from front to back along the intermediate portion 36.

The partition wall 4 is provided with a recessed space 7 to accommodate the protrusion 11. The recessed space 7 is recessed downward from the rear of the upper end of the partition wall 4. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 4 has a reduced height at the rear portion, and a notch-shaped concave space 7 is formed. The lateral width of the partition wall 4 is substantially uniform from front to rear.

The upper end of the front portion of the partition wall 4 is substantially flat and has a height close to the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3, and thus the recessed space 7 is not visible from the front of the partition wall 4.

The depth of the recessed space 7 in the longitudinal direction is gradually reduced from the rear to the front, and therefore, the upper end face of the partition wall 4 at the recessed space 7 is gradually raised from the rear to the front to accommodate the shape of the protruding portion 11.

The length of the protruding portion 11 and the recessed space 7 in the front-rear direction may be at least greater than one third of the length of the partition wall 4, for example, close to one half of the length of the partition wall 4. Accordingly, the partition wall 4 has a curved surface at the upper end face corresponding to the concave space 7 as the bottom wall of the air path 38 b.

The fan 6 is accommodated in the fan chamber 38a of the protrusion 11, and since the protrusion 11 protrudes into the recessed space 7, the fan 6 is also accommodated at least partially in the recessed space 7. In the lateral direction, the fan 6 extends beyond the partition wall 4 and is therefore accommodated in the recess space 7 in a corresponding portion. It will be appreciated that in another embodiment the fan 6 may also be located entirely within the recessed space 7 of the partition wall 4.

The duct board 10 includes a mounting plate 40 spanning above the fan chamber 38a, and the fan 6 is attached below the mounting plate 40.

In the present embodiment, the fan 6 blows air forward, so when the fan 6 is operated, the cool air cooled by the evaporator 30 is sucked into the space 38 by the fan 6 and flows forward toward the wind tunnel 38b, and then enters the first branch passage 8 and the second branch passage 9 from both sides of the wind tunnel 38b, respectively, to perform the corresponding storage spaces 2, 3 via the discharge port 14 at the front end of each main body portion 35.

Since the air passage 5 forms a negative pressure in the vicinity of the cooling surface, the air in the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3 leaves the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3 through the return air opening 41 at the lower end of the back plate 33, enters the portion of the air passage 5 at the rear side of the back plate 33 to be cooled by heat exchange with the evaporator 30, is sucked into the space 38 again by the fan 6, is branched from the space 38 into the first and second branches 8 and 9, and is finally sent into the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3, respectively, whereby the air forms a forced circulation.

The back plate 33 may be provided with curved gibs 48 on the side facing the back wall 32 to distribute the return air evenly over the cooling surface for adequate heat exchange.

In addition to the main discharge port 14 at the front end of the air duct plate 10, the air circulation system may further include at least one set of auxiliary discharge ports between the fan and the main discharge port 14.

In this embodiment, the air circulation system includes a set of first auxiliary discharge ports 15a located approximately at a middle portion of the main body portion 35. The cold air is blown toward the inside of the container 31 positioned in the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3 through the first auxiliary discharge port 15 a. Thus, the food in the storage container 31 can be cooled more efficiently and directly, which helps to make the temperature distribution in the first and second storage spaces 2 and 3 more uniform.

The top plate 13 includes a downwardly concave depression 42. The pocket 42 has a side wall 43 extending in the longitudinal direction, and the first auxiliary discharge port 15a is formed on the side wall 43. Thus, the first auxiliary discharge port 15a is not parallel to the flow direction of the cool air but forms an angle. In the present embodiment, the side wall 43 is substantially perpendicular to the flow direction of the cool air. Therefore, when the cold air is blown forward, the flow of the cold air substantially parallel to the horizontal plane is more easily introduced into the corresponding storage compartment 2, 3 from the first auxiliary discharge port 15a, which is advantageous in increasing the intake amount of the cold air in the middle region and/or the middle-rear region of the storage compartment 2, 3.

The side wall 43 is curved so that the first auxiliary discharge openings 15a arranged in a row on the side wall 43 are also curved so that the cool air can be divergently blown into the container 31 to facilitate the spreading of the cool air in the container 31.

Further, at least one second auxiliary discharge port 15b may be further provided on each side wall 39 of the protruding portion 11. The second auxiliary discharge opening 15b is located at an upper end edge of the side wall 39 corresponding to the rear of the first and second storage spaces 2, 3. The second auxiliary discharge ports 15b are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction. When the cold air is blown toward the space 38 and the first and second branches 8 and 9 by the fan 6, some of the cold air enters the rear portion of the corresponding storage space 2 and 3 from the second auxiliary discharge opening 15 b.

Owing to have diversified, multi-angle discharge port, the temperature distribution in first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 can be more even, and the heat exchange efficiency of cold and hot air improves, and then can improve the refrigeration efficiency of refrigeration utensil 1.

In addition, because the fan and a part of the air channel are positioned in the partition wall, the occupation of the first storage space and the second storage space by the fan and the air channel is reduced, and the effective storage volume of the refrigeration appliance can be increased.

Fig. 9 to 11 schematically show an air circulation device of a refrigeration appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 7 to 9, the partition wall 4 'is substantially the same in height from front to rear, but has a recessed space 7' recessed downward at the rear thereof. The partition wall 4 ' includes side walls 39 ' at both sides of the depressed space 7 ', and the upper end is open. The bottom surface of the concave space 7' has a rounded curved surface in the same shape as the bottom wall of the protrusion 11 of the first embodiment.

The concave space 7' has an enlarged fan chamber 51 at the rear end thereof and an air passage 52 in front of the fan chamber 51. The fan 6 is housed in the fan chamber 51, and the air passage 52 constitutes a part of the air passage 5.

The air duct plate 10 'forms a substantially L-shaped opening 46 at the corresponding partition wall 4'. The partition walls 4 'are connected to the wind tunnel 10' along the openings 46.

When the fan 6 is operated, the fan 6 creates a negative pressure at the rear side thereof, and cool air is blown forward into the air passage 52 of the depressed space 7 'and branched into the first branch path and the second branch path similar to the first embodiment, and then introduced into the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 from the discharge port 14 at the front end of the air passage plate 10'.

In this embodiment, the partition wall 4' is not provided with a through hole, and the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 are not in fluid communication. The partition wall 4' may be provided therein with a heat insulating material to thermally isolate the first storage space 2 from the second storage space 3. In this case, it is possible that the first storage space 2 and the second storage space 3 are set to have different temperatures.

In the above embodiment, the air circulation system simultaneously delivers cold air to the first storage space and the second storage space so that the two storage spaces form a forced air circulation, respectively. However, in other embodiments it is also possible that the air passage of the air circulation system delivers cold air to only one of the storage spaces, and that the fan for creating a forced air circulation in this storage space is located at least partly in the partition wall separating the first storage space from the second storage space, and/or that a part of such an air passage is located in the partition wall. In addition, it is also possible that the recessed space of the partition wall accommodates only one of the fan and the air passage, for example, the cold air is directly blown into the first storage space and/or the second storage space by the fan located in the recessed space, and for example, the cold air flows into the air passage formed in the partition wall and enters the corresponding storage space through the air passage by the action of the fan located outside the recessed space.

It will be appreciated that the invention can obviously also be applied to other compartments of a refrigeration appliance, such as a cold storage compartment, a freezer compartment, a temperature changing compartment, etc., besides being applied to a zero degree compartment.

Claims

1. A refrigeration appliance (1) comprising:

a compartment having a rear wall and a top wall;

a first storage space (2) and a second storage space (3) located side by side in the compartment;

a partition (4, 4') separating the first storage space (2) and the second storage space (3);

an air passage (5) for delivering cold air to at least one of the first storage space (2) and the second storage space (3); and

a fan (6) located in the air channel (5);

an air duct panel including a top panel adjacent said top wall and spaced therefrom and a back panel adjacent said back wall and spaced therefrom, said air duct extending from between said back panel and said back wall to between said top panel and said top wall;

characterized in that the partition wall (4, 4 ') has a recessed space (7, 7'), wherein at least a part of the fan (6) is located in the recessed space (7, 7 ') and/or a part of the air channel (5) is located in the recessed space (7, 7'); the air channel (5) comprises a first branch (8) conveying cold air to the first storage space (2) and a second branch (9) conveying cold air to the second storage space (3), the first and second branches being located between the top wall and the ceiling.

2. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said concave space (7, 7 ') is formed to be concave downward from an upper end of said partition wall (4, 4').

3. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said recessed space (7, 7 ') extends forward from a rear end of said partition wall (4, 4').

4. The refrigeration device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the recessed space (7, 7 ') is not visible when viewed from the front side of the partition (4, 4') looking backwards.

5. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rear end of the partition wall (4) has a reduced height to form the recessed space (7), the recessed space (7) being notched.

6. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said partition (4 ') comprises side walls (39 ') located on both sides of said recessed space (7 ').

7. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the length of the concave space (7, 7 ') is greater than one third of the length of the partition wall (4, 4').

8. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first branch (8) and the second branch (9) are connected to a portion of the air channel (5) located in the recessed space (7), respectively.

9. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fan (6) is located at the rear end of the recessed space (7, 7 '), the portion of the recessed space (7, 7') located in front of the fan (6) forming part of the air passage (5).

10. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the concave space (7, 7') has a curved surface rising upward in the backward-forward direction to form a part of the air passage (5).

11. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, wherein said top panel comprises a pair of main body portions exposed above the first storage space and the second storage space, respectively, and an intermediate portion between the pair of main body portions; the first branch is located between one of the pair of body portions and the top wall, and the second branch is located between the other of the pair of body portions and the top wall.

12. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 11, wherein the upper end of the partition is connected to the underside of the intermediate portion.

13. The refrigerator appliance according to claim 12, wherein the intermediate portion comprises a hollow projection (11) which projects into the recess space (7), wherein the fan (6) is accommodated in the projection (11) and/or wherein the projection (11) forms part of the air channel (5).

14. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of groups of discharge openings (14, 15a, 15b) corresponding to each storage space (2, 3).

15. The refrigerating appliance (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one set of discharge openings (14) is located at the front end of the air channel (5) and is the main discharge opening for cold air.

16. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 14, wherein at least one group of discharge openings (15a) is located substantially in a central region of each storage space (2, 3).

17. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one set of discharge openings (15b) is located in the rear region of each storage space (2, 3).

18. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 17, wherein said at least one set of discharge openings (15b) is provided at the upper end of the side wall (39) of the portion of the air channel (5) located within the recessed space (7, 7').

19. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 17, wherein at least one set of discharge openings (15b) is arranged in a row in the front-rear direction.

20. A refrigeration appliance (1) comprising:

a compartment having a rear wall and a top wall;

a first storage space (2) and a second storage space (3) located side by side within the compartment;

a partition wall (4, 4,') separating the first storage space (2) and the second storage space (3);

an air duct panel including a top panel adjacent to and spaced from the top wall and a back panel adjacent to and spaced from the back wall to form an air duct extending from between the back panel and the back wall to between the top panel and the top wall; wherein the air passage comprises a first branch (8) for delivering cold air to the first storage space (2) and a second branch (9) for delivering cold air to the second storage space (3), wherein the first branch (8) and the second branch (9) diverge at the partition (4, 4') and extend at the top of the respective storage space (2, 3).

21. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 20, characterized in that said first branch (8) and said second branch (9) share a fan (6) to blow cold air into said first storage space (2) and into said second storage space (3).

22. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 21, wherein said partition wall (4, 4 ') has a recessed space (7, 7 '), said fan (6) being located at least partially within said recessed space (7, 7 ').

23. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 20, comprising a duct (38b, 52) located inside said partition (4, 4'), said first branch (8) and said second branch (9) diverging in said duct (38b, 52).

24. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the partition (4) has a plurality of through holes (28) fluidly connecting the first storage space (2) and the second storage space (3).

25. The refrigeration appliance (1) according to claim 24, characterized in that said first storage space (2) and said second storage space (3) are different in humidity.

26. A refrigerator appliance (1) as in any one of claims 1 to 23, characterized by the partition wall being of a thermally insulating material, the first storage space and the second storage space being thermally isolated from each other by the partition wall.