CN109114855B

CN109114855B - Refrigerator with a door

Info

Publication number: CN109114855B
Application number: CN201710492889.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: W·肯特纳; S·温纳; 任相华
Original assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd; BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Electrical Appliances Jiangsu Co Ltd; BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2017-06-26
Filing date: 2017-06-26
Publication date: 2022-03-22
Anticipated expiration: 2037-06-26
Also published as: CN109114855A

Abstract

A refrigerator (1) comprising a storage compartment (2), a mist generating unit (3) and a mist pipe (4) connected with the mist generating unit (3), the mist pipe (4) comprising a mist section (41), the mist section (41) being located within the storage compartment (2) and being provided with a plurality of mist outlet openings (410) for discharging mist towards the storage compartment (2). Different from the humidifier in the prior art, the invention utilizes the spray humidification of a plurality of spray outlets (410), and the sprayed water mist carries a large amount of small droplets to be spread over the whole storage chamber (2), thereby improving the fresh-keeping effect of food, particularly fruits, vegetables, fishes and meat.

Description

Refrigerator with a door

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigeration, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

It has been found that the humidity conditions in the food storage environment are one of the important factors affecting the quality of food storage. In order to improve the fresh-keeping effect, in recent years, refrigerators with humidifiers in storage rooms have appeared in the industry.

Practical use shows that the technology for improving the food fresh-keeping effect by using the humidifier still has further room for improvement.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to improve the food fresh-keeping effect of the refrigerator.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a refrigerator including a storage compartment, a mist generating unit, and a spray pipe connected to the mist generating unit, the spray pipe including a spray section located in the storage compartment and provided with a plurality of mist outlet ports for discharging mist toward the storage compartment. Different from the humidifier in the prior art, the invention utilizes the spray humidification of a plurality of spray outlets, and the sprayed water mist carries a large amount of small droplets to be spread over the whole storage chamber, thereby improving the fresh-keeping effect of food, particularly fruits, vegetables, fishes and meat.

Optionally, the spray section is located at a) the free end or b) the middle section of the spray tube. a) The concentration of the water mist is higher than that of the water mist at the position b), and the humidity of the storage chamber can be improved.

Optionally, the plurality of mist outlets are equally distributed. In other alternatives, the plurality of mist outlets may also be distributed unequally.

Optionally, the plurality of mist outlets open downwardly and/or rearwardly. The density of the small water mist drops is higher than that of air, so that the water mist can diffuse in the whole storage chamber by means of the gravity of the water mist due to the downward opening of the mist outlet. The rear wall of the storage chamber is generally provided with an air duct, and the air circulation path in the storage chamber is realized by the air in the air duct: rear upper → rear lower → front upper → rear upper, the mist outlet opening facing backward can add the water mist circulation to the wind circulation, and is consistent with the wind circulation path.

Optionally, the spray section is located at the top of the storage compartment. The benefits of being at the top, relative to the spray section at the bottom of the storage compartment, are: the water mist can diffuse in the whole storage chamber by means of the gravity of the water mist.

Optionally, the spraying section extends transversely at the top of the front end of the storage chamber, and the mist outlet is arranged on the side of the spraying section facing the rear wall of the storage chamber.

Optionally, the spray section extends in a horizontal direction. In other alternatives, the spray section may also extend in a vertical direction.

Optionally, the spray section extends horizontally along an upper end of a) a rear wall or b) side walls or c) a top wall of the storage compartment.

Optionally, a fan is disposed at the top of the storage chamber, and wind of the fan blows mist towards the mist outlet.

Optionally, the outer wall of the spray tube is covered with a protective shell that exposes the mist outlet or the spray section. The spray pipe may be fixed to a sidewall of the storage chamber using a protective case.

Optionally, the protective shell is detachably clamped on the outer wall of the spray pipe. The detachable mode can improve the convenience in the installation, maintenance and updating processes of the spray pipe.

Optionally, the protective shell outside the spraying section is provided with a flow-limiting cover, the opening of the flow-limiting cover is large, the bottom of the flow-limiting cover is small, and the mist outlet is exposed at the bottom of the flow-limiting cover. The flow-limiting cover can guide the flow direction of the water mist flow. The flow restriction hood may also be provided directly on the spray section.

Optionally, the mist generating unit is located within the storage chamber. The fog generating unit can be an ultrasonic humidifier, for example, when the fog generating unit is placed in a storage room, the operation of adding water and replacing water for avoiding bacterial breeding is convenient, and when the fog generating unit is placed outside the storage room, for example, the fog generating unit is placed below an evaporator to collect defrosting water, the water adding and water replacing processes can be omitted.

Optionally, the mist generating unit is fixed to a side wall of the storage compartment, and the spray pipe extends in a horizontal direction along the side wall to a top wall of the storage compartment. In order to save storage space, the mist generating unit may be fixed to a sidewall of the storage compartment when the mist generating unit is located in the storage compartment.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the mist generating unit and the spray tube of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of region P of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the area Q of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a mist generating unit, a spray tube, and a protective case in another embodiment of the invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the mist generating unit, the spray pipe, the protective case, and the flow restricting cover of FIG. 6;

fig. 8 is a right side view of a portion of the structure of the refrigerator of fig. 6.

Detailed Description

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the mist generating unit and the spray pipe of fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the region P in fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the region Q in fig. 2.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the refrigerator 1 includes a storage chamber 2, a mist generating unit 3, and a spray pipe 4 connected to the mist generating unit 3, wherein the spray pipe 4 includes a spray section 41, and the spray section 41 is located in the storage chamber 2 and provided with a plurality of mist outlet ports 410 for discharging mist toward the storage chamber 2.

In fig. 1, the storage chamber 2 may be a refrigerating chamber or a 0-degree fresh-keeping chamber, and the mist generating unit 3 may be a moisture generating device such as an ultrasonic humidifier.

In fig. 1, the mist generating unit 3 is located inside the storage chamber 2. When placed in the storage chamber 2, it is convenient to add water to the mist generating unit 3. In addition, in order to avoid the growth of bacteria, the water in the mist generating unit 3 needs to be replaced regularly, and the operation is also convenient. Alternatively, the mist generating unit 3 may be located outside the storage chamber 2, for example, below the evaporator, and may collect the defrosting water, and the water adding and water changing processes may be omitted.

The mist generating unit 3 may be provided with an on-off key to be turned on and off by a user. The storage chamber 2 may also be provided with a humidity sensor, and when the detected humidity is lower than a predetermined value, the mist generating unit 3 is activated, and when the detected humidity reaches or exceeds the predetermined value, the mist generating unit 3 is deactivated. In addition, the mist generating unit 3 is operable when the door of the storage chamber 2 is opened and closed. The refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention has a better visual effect of spraying if the mist generating unit 3 sprays when the door of the storage chamber 2 is opened.

In fig. 2, the spray tube 4 comprises, in addition to the spray section 41, a guide section 42. Referring to fig. 2 and 4, the mist generating unit 3 has a steam outlet 31, and the guiding section 42 has a steam inlet 421. After the mist pipe 4 is fixed to the mist generating unit 3, the steam outlet 31 is abutted to the steam inlet 421, and the guiding section 42 guides the mist to the mist spraying section 41.

In fig. 1, the spray section 41 is located at the top of the storage compartment 2, in particular, extending transversely at the top of the front end of the storage compartment 2. In other embodiments, the spray section 41 may also extend horizontally along the top wall of the storage compartment 2 at the top of the storage compartment 2, or the upper end of the rear or side walls of the storage compartment 2. The benefit of being at the top, relative to the bottom of the storage chamber 2 at the spray section 41, is: the water mist can be diffused throughout the storage chamber 2 by its own weight.

Instead of the spraying section 41 extending in a horizontal direction, the spraying section 41 may alternatively extend in a vertical direction.

In fig. 2, the spray section 41 has only one, at the free end of the spray tube 4. In other alternatives, the spray section 41 may have two or more, one or more located in the middle of the spray tube 4.

In fig. 1, the mist generating unit 3 is fixed to a side wall of the storage chamber 2, and the mist pipe 4 extends horizontally along the side wall to a ceiling wall of the storage chamber 2. The guiding section 42 of the spray pipe 4 may be fixed to the side wall of the storage compartment 2 or not fixed to lean against the side wall only, and the spraying section 41 may be suspended or fixed to the top wall of the storage compartment 2. The fixing means may be an adhesive or mechanical fixing, such as a screw or the like. The advantage of the spray tube 4 not being secured to the side walls and top wall of the storage chamber 2 is that: conveniently pull down spray tube 4 and clear up, prevent that the bacterium from breeding.

In fig. 2 and 3, the spraying section 41 has a plurality of outlet openings 410 that are open downward, so that the water mist can diffuse downward by its own weight. In other alternatives, the mist outlet 410 may be open rearward or both rearward and downward. The benefit of open towards the rear is: the rear wall of the storage chamber 2 is generally provided with an air duct, and the air in the air duct makes the air circulation path in the storage chamber 2: rear upper → rear lower → front upper → rear upper, the mist outlet 410 opens backward to allow the mist circulation to add to the wind circulation, and to coincide with the wind circulation path.

The plurality of mist outlets 410 may be of uniform aperture, evenly distributed across the spray section 41 to provide even airflow. Alternatively, the plurality of mist outlets 410 may be distributed unevenly or may be distributed with a gradually increasing or decreasing aperture diameter from the connecting end of the guiding section 42 to the free end of the spraying section 41.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a mist generating unit, a spray pipe, and a protective case in another embodiment. The refrigerator in the embodiment of fig. 5 is substantially the same as the refrigerator in fig. 2, except that: the outer wall of the spray pipe 4 is covered with a protective case 5, and the protective case 5 exposes the mist outlet 410 or the spray section 41.

In fig. 5, the protective case 5 may be fixed to the side wall of the storage chamber 2 or not fixed to lean against only the side wall. The fixing means may be an adhesive or mechanical fixing, such as a screw or the like. Protective housing 5 and spray tube 4 both can be for dismantling the connection, for example the joint to conveniently pull down spray tube 4 and clear up, prevent bacterial growing.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to still another embodiment. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the mist generating unit, the spray pipe, the protective case, and the flow restricting cover in fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a right side view of a partial structure of the refrigerator of fig. 6. The refrigerator in the embodiment of fig. 6 is substantially the same as the refrigerator in fig. 5 except that: the protective casing 5 outside the spraying section 41 is provided with a flow restricting hood 6. The flow-limiting cover 6 has a large opening and a small bottom, and the mist outlet 410 is exposed at the bottom of the flow-limiting cover 6. The flow-restricting hood 6 can guide the flow direction of the water mist flow. The current-limiting cover 6 can be clamped on the protective shell 5 so as to be convenient to disassemble and clean.

In fig. 8, a fan 7 is provided on the top of the rear wall of the storage chamber 2. A fan 7 may be used in combination with the flow restricting cover 6, and wind of the fan is blown toward the flow restricting cover 6 to blow the mist of the mist outlet 410. The fan 7 may be used alone, and the wind of the fan 7 blows the mist toward the mist outlet 410.

The fan 7 may be located in the middle of the rear wall in the left-right direction.

In other alternatives, the protective shell 5 may be omitted and the flow-limiting cap 6 may be directly fixed to the spray pipe 4, specifically, the two may be connected by a snap connection.

It can be understood that the mist outlets 410 of the present invention spray mist carrying a large amount of small droplets all over the storage chamber 2, so as to improve the preservation effect of food, especially fruits, vegetables, fish and meat.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerator (1) comprising a storage compartment (2), a mist generating unit (3) and a mist pipe (4) connected to the mist generating unit (3), characterized in that the mist pipe (4) comprises a mist section (41) located at the top of the storage compartment (2), the mist section (41) being located inside the storage compartment (2) and being provided with a plurality of mist outlet openings (410) for discharging mist towards the storage compartment (2); the refrigerator comprises an air duct arranged on the rear wall of the storage chamber, and the plurality of mist outlet openings (410) are opened towards the rear so as to enable the water mist to be circularly added into the air circulation in the storage chamber (2); the wind within the wind tunnel causes the wind circulation to include a flow of wind from the rear up to the rear down within the storage compartment.

2. A refrigerator (2) as in claim 1, characterized by the spray section (41) being located at the free end of the spray tube (4).

3. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the plurality of mist outlets (410) being equally distributed; the rear wall of the storage chamber (2) is provided with a fan (7) for blowing wind to the mist outlet.

4. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the plurality of mist outlets (410) opening downwards.

5. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the spraying section (41) extending transversely at the top of the front end of the storage compartment (2), the mist outlet (410) being provided at the side of the spraying section (41) facing the rear wall of the storage compartment.

6. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the spraying section (41) extending in a horizontal direction.

7. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 6, characterized by the spray section (41) that extends horizontally along the upper end of the rear or side wall of the storage compartment (2).

8. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by that, the top of the storage chamber (2) is provided with a fan (7), the wind of the fan (7) blows the mist to the mist outlet (410).

9. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the spraying tube (4) whose outer wall is covered with a protective shell (5), said protective shell (5) exposing the mist outlet (410) or the spraying section (41).

10. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 9, characterized by the protective casing (5) removably clipped to the outer wall of the spray tube (4).

11. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 9, characterized by the protective shell (5) outside the spraying section (41) being provided with a flow restricting hood (6), the opening of the flow restricting hood (6) being large and the bottom being small, the mist outlet (410) being exposed at the bottom of the flow restricting hood (6).

12. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the mist generating unit (3) being located inside the storage compartment (2).

13. A refrigerator (1) as in claim 1, characterized by the mist generating unit (3) being fixed to a side wall of the storage compartment (2), the mist pipe (4) extending horizontally along the side wall to a top wall of the storage compartment (2).