CN111156760B

CN111156760B - Air door device for refrigerator and refrigerator with same

Info

Publication number: CN111156760B
Application number: CN202010128529.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王富冈; 陶伟; 王振; 冯佳慧
Original assignee: Jiangsu Leili Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Jiangsu Leili Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-02-28
Filing date: 2020-02-28
Publication date: 2021-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2040-02-28
Also published as: CN111156760A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a damper device for a refrigerator and a refrigerator having the same. The air door device comprises a frame, a shell and a driving module. The frame has an end plate provided with an opening portion, and has a shutter assembly rotatably mounted to the end plate, the shutter assembly being rotatable between a closed position to completely close the opening portion and an open position to completely open the opening portion. The housing engages the frame and forms a drive chamber between the housing and the frame. The drive module is at least partially retained within the drive chamber and drives the flapper assembly to rotate.

Description

Air door device for refrigerator and refrigerator with same

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a damper device for a refrigerator and a refrigerator having the same.

Background

As a common household appliance, a refrigerator has its main functions including storage, freshness preservation, and the like. A refrigerator may have more than one storage chamber in order to store different kinds of food or other items. Typically, different storage chambers need to be maintained at different temperature levels. To this end, the refrigerator is provided with cold air passages to the respective storage chambers, through which cold air adjusts temperature levels of the different storage chambers. Each cold air channel can be provided with a wind door device to change the cold air quantity by changing the opening and closing of each cold air channel, thereby realizing the dynamic regulation of the temperature of each storage chamber. However, there are several problems with current damper devices.

First, the existing refrigerator damper solution is not stable in operation, and there are cases where the refrigerator issues a command to open or close the damper without the damper actually being opened or closed. This results in the inability to continuously and dynamically adjust the cold air flowing into each storage chamber as needed, the inability to achieve an appropriate temperature for the food, and a greatly shortened fresh-keeping period.

Second, in the damper scheme of the conventional refrigerator, a multi-stage gear transmission mechanism is often used, and when the damper is in a closed position, teeth of adjacent gears abut against each other. In order to eliminate the error of gear transmission, the pulse number of the step motor for closing the door is generally designed to be larger than the pulse number of the step motor for opening the door, so that the plurality of gears generate locked rotor when the door is closed, and the accuracy of closing the door is improved. For the multi-stage gear transmission mechanism in the prior art, the locked-rotor time is too long, and the phenomenon of tooth breakage caused by insufficient gear strength is easy to occur; moreover, significant noise is present during the stalling process. The solution in the prior art is difficult to give consideration to solving the problems of noise and tooth breakage.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned problems and needs, the present invention provides a novel air door device and a refrigerator having the same, which solves the above-mentioned problems and brings other technical effects by adopting the following technical features.

In a first aspect of the present invention, a damper device for a refrigerator is presented, wherein the damper device comprises: a frame having an end plate provided with an opening portion, and having a shutter assembly rotatably mounted to the end plate, the shutter assembly being rotatable between a closed position to completely close the opening portion and an open position to completely open the opening portion; a housing engaging the frame and forming a drive chamber between the housing and the frame; a drive module at least partially retained within the drive chamber and driving rotation of the flapper assembly.

Optionally, the frame has a shell engaging portion located at a side edge of the end plate and extending substantially perpendicular to the end plate, the shell being connected to the shell engaging portion of the frame.

Optionally, the baffle assembly includes a baffle mounted to the end plate and an elastic member provided on the baffle, the elastic member abutting the frame and elastically deforming to seal the opening portion when the baffle assembly is in the closed position.

Optionally, the end plate of the frame has a sealing plate portion disposed around the opening portion and protruding from the end plate, and the elastic member abuts against the sealing plate portion of the frame when the shutter assembly is in the closed position.

Optionally, a reinforcing rib is arranged on the side of the baffle plate, which faces away from the elastic part.

Optionally, the baffle assembly comprises a first shaft part and a second shaft part which are arranged at two ends of the baffle, the baffle assembly passes through the first shaft part and the second shaft part and is installed on the frame, a clamping structure is arranged inside the first shaft part, and the driving module drives the baffle assembly to rotate through the clamping structure.

Optionally, the damper device further comprises a heater mounted to the end plate and at least partially surrounding the opening portion.

Optionally, the frame further comprises an edge plate extending from an outer edge of the end plate, the edge plate surrounding the heater.

Optionally, the shape of the heater at least partially matches the shape of the end plate.

Optionally, the damper device is configured to generate an electrical signal when the damper assembly is in the closed position or the open position and to generate no electrical signal or another electrical signal when the damper assembly is in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position; and the damper device is configured to activate the heater if the absence of the electrical signal or the change from the electrical signal to the another electrical signal is not detected within a predetermined time after receiving the command to rotate the flapper assembly.

Optionally, the damper device further comprises a microswitch and one of the transfer gears of the drive module comprises two contacts projecting outwardly therefrom in a radial direction, wherein the microswitch and the transfer gear are arranged to: when the shutter assembly is in the closed position, one of the two contacts triggers a stationary contact of a micro-switch, causing the micro-switch to generate an electrical signal; when the shutter assembly is in the open position, the other of the two contacts triggers a stationary contact of a microswitch, causing the microswitch to generate an electrical signal; when the flapper assembly is in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position, neither of the two contacts triggers a stationary contact of the microswitch such that the microswitch does not generate an electrical signal or generates another electrical signal.

Optionally, the predetermined time is 3 seconds to 8 seconds.

Optionally, the damper device further has a circuit board having: a first coupling part for coupling the micro switch; a second coupling part for coupling the driving module; a third coupling portion for coupling the heater.

Optionally, the driving module comprises: a stepping motor; a missing tooth gear connected to the stepping motor; a sector gear meshed with the gear with missing teeth; an output shaft connected to the sector gear and to the baffle; wherein, step motor can drive the baffle through missing tooth gear, sector gear and output shaft and rotate.

Optionally, the sector gear comprises a sector gear tooth part, a cylindrical part and a sector gear output part which are sequentially arranged along the axis direction; the toothless gear comprises a shaft part and a circular gear tooth part, wherein the circular gear tooth part comprises a gear tooth section with gear teeth and a circular arc section without the gear teeth, and the gear teeth on the gear tooth section are meshed with the gear teeth on the fan-shaped gear tooth part. The sector gear output part can be in the form of a rotating shaft and is used for being connected to a clamping structure in the form of a clamping groove at the first shaft part of the baffle; the sector gear output may also be in the form of a snap-in groove for connection to a snap-in formation in the form of a protrusion at the first shaft portion of the baffle.

Optionally, the frame has a bottom plate portion extending perpendicular to a plane in which the opening portion is located, the bottom plate portion including: a first cylindrical portion for rotatably supporting the cylindrical portion of the sector gear inside thereof; and a second cylindrical portion for rotatably supporting the shaft portion of the missing tooth gear inside thereof.

Optionally, the bottom plate portion has a through hole for allowing the sector gear output portion as the output shaft to pass therethrough and extend to the baffle plate, inside the first cylindrical portion.

Optionally, the second cylinder portion has an arc groove recessed away from an end face of the second cylinder portion, a center of the arc groove coincides with an axis of the second cylinder portion, and the arc groove extends between the two stopper surfaces. The gear with the missing teeth is provided with an arc-shaped protruding part, the arc-shaped protruding part extends out of the side face of the gear tooth part of the gear with the missing teeth and is configured to be capable of extending into the arc-shaped groove and moving along the arc-shaped groove along with the rotation of the gear with the missing teeth, and any one of the two limiting faces is used for being abutted against the arc-shaped protruding part so as to limit the rotation range of the gear with the missing teeth.

Optionally, the damper device further comprises a microswitch having a stationary contact. The gear with missing teeth also comprises a contact part, and the contact part is provided with two contacts. When the shutter is in the open position, one of the two contacts engages a stationary contact of the microswitch, which sends an electrical signal; when the shutter is in the closed position, the other of the two contacts engages a stationary contact of the microswitch, which sends an electrical signal; when the flapper is in a position between the closed position and the fully open position, the contact portion does not engage the stationary contact of the microswitch, which does not send an electrical signal or sends a signal different from the electrical signal.

Alternatively, the contact portion is provided on a side of the gear tooth portion of the tooth-lacking gear that faces away from the shaft portion, and the contact portion has two arms extending radially outward, a tip of each arm forming a contact, each contact being located farther from a center of the tooth-lacking gear than the rest on the contact portion.

Optionally, the outer periphery of the gear with missing teeth has a circular arc segment immediately adjacent to its gear tooth segment. When the baffle is in the closed position, the outer peripheral surface of the arc section of the tooth-missing gear abuts against the sector gear, so that the sector gear is prevented from rotating towards the direction of opening the baffle.

Optionally, the outer periphery of the sector gear has a concave locking arc immediately adjacent its gear tooth section, the concave locking arc being concave towards the centre of the sector gear; when the baffle is in the closed position, the part of the circular arc section enters the inner part of the concave locking arc to prevent the concave locking arc from rotating relative to the circular arc section, and therefore the gear with the missing teeth prevents the sector gear from rotating towards the direction of opening the baffle.

Optionally, when the shutter is in the closed position, any point on the concave locking arc is located at a distance from the center of the toothless gear that is greater than the radius of the circular arc segment, and the circular arc segment is not prevented from rotating relative to the concave locking arc, whereby the toothless gear is able to idle by an idle angle in a direction of closing the damper.

Optionally, the frame has a second cylindrical portion rotatably supporting the toothless gear, the second cylindrical portion having an arcuate groove extending between the two stop surfaces. The gear with missing teeth is provided with an arc-shaped protruding part which is configured to be capable of extending into the arc-shaped groove and moving along the arc-shaped groove along with the rotation of the gear with missing teeth until the gear with missing teeth abuts against any one of the two limiting surfaces. The angle between the two limiting surfaces is a first angle, the angle which the gear with the missing teeth rotates is a second angle when the baffle is driven to rotate from the opening position to the closing position, and the first angle is equal to the sum of the second angle and the idle rotation angle.

Optionally, the radius of the circular arc segment of the gear with missing teeth is R1, the distance from the arc end point of the concave locking arc of the sector gear to the center of the sector gear is L2, and the center distance between the sector gear and the gear with missing teeth is L, wherein (R1+ L2) -L is an interference amount L1, and the interference amount L1 is greater than zero.

Optionally, the range of the interference amount L1 is: l1 is more than or equal to 0.05mm and less than or equal to 1 mm.

The driving module includes: a stepping motor; a gear having a missing tooth connected to the stepping motor, and including a circular arc section having no gear teeth; a sector gear meshed with the gear with missing teeth; an output shaft connected to the sector gear and to the baffle. Wherein, step motor can drive the baffle through missing tooth gear, sector gear and output shaft and rotate. When the baffle is in the closed position, the part of the circular arc section of the tooth-lacking gear is positioned between two teeth of the sector gear, and the tooth-lacking gear prevents the sector gear from rotating towards the direction of opening the baffle.

Optionally, the sector gear has a first tooth that comes into mesh last when the flap is closed and a second tooth that is immediately adjacent to the first tooth, the end face of the first tooth facing the output shaft being further away from the output shaft than the end face of the second tooth facing the output shaft. The gear with the missing teeth is also provided with an arc-shaped groove, the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped groove is smaller than that of the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped section, the arc-shaped groove is positioned on one side of the arc-shaped section, which is far away from the output shaft, and the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped section is connected with the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped groove through an inner end surface. When the baffle is in the closed position, the arc-shaped groove accommodates the first tooth in the arc-shaped groove, the part of the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped section is positioned between the first tooth and the second tooth and is abutted against the second tooth, the second tooth is prevented from rotating relative to the arc-shaped section, and therefore the gear with the missing teeth prevents the sector gear from rotating towards the direction of opening the baffle.

Optionally, when the shutter is in the closed position, any point on the second tooth is spaced from the center of the toothless gear by a distance greater than the radius of the circular arc segment, and the circular arc segment is not prevented from rotating relative to the second tooth, whereby the toothless gear is able to idle by an idle angle in a direction of closing the damper.

Optionally, the sector gear further has a third tooth adjacent to the second tooth, the third tooth and the second tooth being connected by a connecting portion on a side close to the output shaft.

Alternatively, the end surfaces of the third teeth and the second teeth on the side close to the output shaft are closer to the output shaft than the end surfaces of the other teeth on the sector gear on the side close to the output shaft.

Optionally, the radius of the addendum circle of at least part of the second teeth of the sector gear is smaller than the radius of the addendum circle of the remaining teeth.

Optionally, a portion of the second tooth distal to the output shaft end is cut away.

Optionally, the portion of the second tooth outside the inner end face of the circular arc segment is cut away entirely.

Optionally, both ends of the circular arc section of the gear with missing teeth are proximate to the gear section, and the radius of the circular arc section of the gear with missing teeth is larger than the radius of the addendum circle of the gear section.

Alternatively, the outer circumference of the circular arc segment of the missing gear and the tooth flank of the first tooth of the gear tooth segment which enters into engagement first during opening of the door are connected by an arcuate guide surface.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: one or more storage compartments; one or more cold air channels leading to the one or more storage chambers, respectively; one or more damper devices as described above, wherein the opening portion of each damper device is provided in the corresponding cold air passage, so that the cold air delivery amount in the corresponding cold air passage is controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the opening portion of the corresponding damper device.

The best modes for carrying out the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the features and advantages of the present disclosure can be readily understood.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly described below. The drawings are intended to depict only some embodiments of the disclosure, and not all embodiments of the disclosure are limited thereto.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a damper apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment with a flapper assembly in an open position;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a damper apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment with a flapper assembly in a closed position;

FIG. 3 illustrates the frame of the damper assembly with the baffle assembly of the frame removed;

FIG. 4A illustrates a first embodiment of a baffle of a damper device according to an exemplary embodiment from two perspectives;

FIG. 4B illustrates a second embodiment of a baffle of a damper device according to an exemplary embodiment from two perspectives; FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a damper apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment with a frame and a housing in a separated state;

FIG. 6 illustrates a drive chamber of a damper apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates a circuit board of a damper apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows an illustrative view of a drive module and frame in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 illustrates an explanatory diagram of a framework according to an exemplary embodiment;

figures 10 and 11A show different angle illustrations of a sector gear according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11B illustrates an explanatory view of a sector gear according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate different angle illustrations of a missing tooth gear according to an exemplary embodiment

FIG. 14 illustrates a plan view of a sector gear and a missing tooth gear with a damper closed according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 15 illustrates an enlarged view of the circled area in FIG. 14;

FIGS. 16 and 17 show perspective and side views of the damper assembly when closed;

FIGS. 18 and 19 show perspective and side views of the damper assembly when open;

FIG. 20 illustrates an explanatory view of a sector gear according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 21 shows an explanatory view of a tooth-missing gear according to another exemplary embodiment;

fig. 22 and 23 show plan and explanatory views of a sector gear and a missing tooth gear when the damper device according to another exemplary embodiment is closed;

FIG. 24 illustrates an explanatory view of a sector gear according to yet another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 25 illustrates a partially schematic view of a sector gear and a missing tooth gear in accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment.

List of reference numerals

10 air door device

100 frame

101 opening part

102 sealing plate part

103 end plate

104 edge plate

105 routing part

106 bottom plate part

107 housing joint

200 shell

300 baffle plate assembly

301 baffle

302 elastic member

303 flat plate part

305 first shaft part

306 second shaft part

307 reinforcing ribs

400 driving module

402 drive assembly

403 stepping motor

404 motor output shaft

405, 405' toothless gear

406, 406' sector gear

407 output shaft

408 circuit board

409 microswitch

410 first barrel part

411 second cylinder part

412 a first limiting surface

413 second limit surface

414 arc groove

415 support part

416 card slot part

417 through hole

421 first coupling part

422 second coupling part

423 third coupling part

424 electric motor spacing part

425 tin plating hole

H heater

X axis of rotation

431 shaft part

432, 432' gear tooth part

433 cylindrical part

434, 434' sector gear output

435 flat part

436 tooth segment

437 concave locking arc

441 axle unit

442 gear tooth part

443, 443' contact point part

444, 444' gear tooth segment

445, 445' arc segment

446 contact

447 axle hole

448, 448' arc projection

First tooth of 451 sector gear

Second tooth of 452 sector gear

453 third tooth of sector gear

454 connecting part

455 arc groove

456 inner end face

First tooth of 457 toothless gear

458 arc guide surface

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all of the embodiments.

All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the described embodiments of the disclosure without any inventive step, are within the scope of protection of the disclosure.

One, the whole structure

An exemplary embodiment of the damper device 10 proposed by the present disclosure will be described first with reference to fig. 1 to 6. Wherein fig. 1 and 2 illustrate perspective views of a damper apparatus 10 according to an exemplary embodiment with a flapper assembly 300 in an open position and a closed position, respectively. Fig. 3 illustrates the frame 100 of the damper apparatus 10 with the baffle assembly 300 of the frame 100 removed. Fig. 4A and 4B illustrate the baffle 301 of the damper device 10 according to an exemplary embodiment from two perspectives. Fig. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the damper device 10 according to an exemplary embodiment, in which the frame 100 and the housing 200 are in a separated state. Fig. 6 illustrates a drive chamber of the damper apparatus 10 according to an exemplary embodiment.

The damper device 10 basically includes a frame 100, a housing 200 and a drive module. The housing 200 engages the frame 100 and forms a drive chamber between the housing 200 and the frame 100. The drive module is at least partially retained within the drive chamber, as shown in fig. 6.

The frame 100 has an end plate 103 provided with an opening 101. The opening 101 may be an opening of a cold air passage that delivers cold air to a storage compartment of the refrigerator to maintain the temperature thereof. That is, the opening portions 101 are provided in the respective cold air passages of the refrigerator, and the cold air delivery amount in the respective cold air passages can be controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the opening portions 101.

The frame 100 also has a shutter assembly 300 rotatably mounted to the end plate 103, the shutter assembly 300 being rotatable between a closed position fully closing the opening portion 101 and an open position fully opening the opening portion 101. Wherein fig. 1 illustrates the flapper assembly 300 in a fully open position, wherein the flapper assembly 300 is substantially orthogonal to the end plate 103 of the frame 100 and shows the axis of rotation X of the flapper assembly 300. Fig. 2 shows the shutter assembly 300 in a closed position. Although the drawings illustrate that the open position may be different from the closed position by an angle of 90 degrees, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and the open position may be different from the closed position by an angle of more than 90 degrees.

The frame 100 also has a housing joint 107 at the side edge of the end plate 103 and extending substantially perpendicular to the end plate 103. Specifically, the housing joint portion 107 may be a structural portion that extends perpendicularly from the side edge of the frame 100 perpendicular to the rotation axis of the baffle 301 to the end plate 103 of the frame 100. Thus, the baffle 301 is generally divided into two parts: a housing joint 107, and the rest including the end plate 103. Referring preferably to fig. 5, the two portions may be arranged in a generally L-shape. Preferably, the housing joint part 107 may have a snap structure, and the housing 200 is connected to the housing joint part 107 by a snap manner. However, the connection between the housing and the frame is not limited to the snap connection, and may be performed by screw fastening or ultrasonic welding.

Therein, reference is preferably made to fig. 3, which clearly shows the end plates 103 of the assembly of the frame 100. The opening 101 is provided in the end plate 103, and the shape thereof is not limited, and may be, for example, a rectangular opening 101. Preferably, the frame 100 has an edge plate 104 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the end plate 103 for protecting a heater H to be described later.

Fig. 4A and 4B illustrate a baffle 301 of the baffle assembly 300. The shutter 301 mainly functions to control the amount of air passing through the opening 101, and is sized and shaped to easily close the opening 101, for example, also in the form of a long rectangle as shown in the drawing, and is sized slightly larger than the opening 101. The barrier 301 may include a first shaft portion 305 and a second shaft portion 306 provided at both ends thereof, and the barrier 301 is mounted to the frame 100 through the first shaft portion 305 and the second shaft portion 306 such that the barrier 301 is rotatable with respect to the frame 100 about the first and second shaft portions 306. Wherein, the inside of first axial region 305 is provided with the joint structure, drive module can for example through the corresponding characteristic joint of its output shaft the joint structure to through the joint structure drive baffle 301 rotates. For example, as shown in fig. 4A, the first shaft portion 305 is provided with a slot inside, the output shaft of the drive module is provided with a flat portion engaged into the slot, and the output shaft of the drive module is engaged with the flat portion to the slot of the first shaft portion 305, so that it can drive the first shaft portion to rotate. Alternatively, a snap groove may be provided in the interior of the output shaft of the drive module, and a flat portion may be provided at the end of the first shaft portion, as shown in fig. 4B. Preferably, one side of the baffle 301 is a flat plate portion 303 for placing the elastic member 302, and the other side, i.e. the side facing away from the elastic member 302, is provided with a reinforcing rib 307. The provision of the ribs 307 may improve the strength of the baffle 301, prevent the baffle assembly 300 from shrinking, and improve the quality of the surface appearance.

The elastic member 302 may be adhered to the flat plate portion 303 of the flat plate 301, and the shape of the elastic member 302 may match the shape of the flat plate portion 303 of the flat plate 301, for example, a sheet-shaped rectangular shape. The resilient member may be constructed of a foamed polyurethane or the like. When the shutter assembly 300 is in the closed position, the elastic member 302 abuts against the frame 100 and elastically deforms to seal the opening portion 101. More preferably, the end plate 103 of the frame 100 has a sealing plate portion 102 disposed around the opening 101 and protruding from the end plate 103, and the elastic member 302 abuts against the sealing plate portion 102 of the frame 100 when the shutter assembly 300 is in the closed position. The elastic member 302 abuts against the seal plate portion 102, effectively increasing the sealing performance of the shutter 301 to the opening portion 101.

According to a preferred embodiment, the housing 200 is connected to the frame 100 by a snap-fit connection. For example, fig. 5 shows the frame 100 and the case 200 in a separated state.

The driving module drives the baffle assembly 300 to rotate. The drive module may include a motor and a transmission assembly. The motor is preferably a stepper motor. The transmission assembly transmits power from the motor to the baffle assembly 300 to drive the baffle assembly 300 to rotate, so that the opening and closing degree of the opening part 101 is controlled, and the cold air amount of the cold air channel is controlled. The drive module is located within the drive chamber, such as shown in fig. 6.

Second, heater

The damper device 10 may further include a heater H. According to the aspect of the present disclosure, the heater H is mounted to the end plate 103 of the frame 100, and at least partially surrounds the opening portion 101. Preferably, the shape of the heater H may at least partially match the shape of the end plate 103. For example, fig. 1 shows the installation of the heater H in the frame 100, since the opening portion 101 shown in the drawing is rectangular and the end plate 103 is also rectangular in shape, the heater H thereof is rectangular frame-shaped arranged around the opening portion 101.

According to a preferred version, the frame 100 further comprises an edge plate 104 extending from the outer edge of the end plate 103, which partially surrounds the heater H. The edge plates 104 extend in the same direction as the housing engaging portions 107 and extend away from the opening 101 from the side thereof on which the baffle assembly 300 is mounted, for example, as seen in the embodiment of fig. 1, so that the heater H is surrounded at three edges thereof by the edge plates 104 and at the other edge thereof is engaged by the housing engaging portions 107 of the frame 100, thereby being restrained and protected at four edges thereof. With this structural arrangement of the frame 100, it is possible to prevent external parts from crushing the heater H, serving to protect the heater H. At the same time, allows easy operation, compact installation of the heater H.

Although the drawings show the heater disposed on the side of the end plate close to the opening direction of the shutter assembly, according to another preferred embodiment, the heater is disposed on the back side of the end plate, i.e., the side of the end plate away from the opening direction of the shutter assembly. With the arrangement in which the heater is provided on the back surface of the end plate, it is preferable that a groove surrounding the opening is formed in the back surface of the end plate, and the heater is disposed in the groove. By the scheme, compact space arrangement is realized, and the heater can be protected.

Wherein the damper assembly 10 is configured to generate an electrical signal when the damper assembly 300 is in the closed position or the open position; when the shutter assembly 300 is in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position, no electrical signal is generated, or another electrical signal is generated. The damper device 10 is configured to monitor the signal and activate the heater H if the damper device 10 does not detect the absence of the signal or the change of the electrical signal to another electrical signal within a predetermined time after receiving a command to rotate the flapper assembly 300. Preferably, the predetermined time may be 3 to 8 seconds. In an exemplary embodiment, when the shutter assembly 300 is in the closed position or the open position, an electrical signal 1 is generated; an electrical signal of 0 is generated when the shutter assembly 300 is in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position. The damper assembly 10 is configured to monitor the signal and activate the heater H if the damper assembly 10 does not detect a change in the signal within a predetermined time after receiving a command to rotate the flapper assembly 300.

Through the control arrangement, when the stepping motor is driven to open the air door, if the change of the electrical signal can be detected, the air door is indicated not to be frozen and is normally opened; if a change in the electrical signal is not detected, indicating that the damper may freeze due to frost formation, the heater H is activated to melt the frost and return the flapper 301 to normal open. In this way, the occurrence of a situation where the damper freezes in the fully open or fully closed position due to frost or ice is avoided.

The heating scheme described above may specifically be implemented using a microswitch 409. The microswitch 409 may be disposed in the driving chamber, for example, on a circuit board disposed in the driving chamber. Cooperatively, one of the transmission components of the drive module, such as a missing tooth gear as will be described in detail below, may include two contacts 446 protruding in a radial direction. Through the mounted position who sets up the missing tooth gear for: one contact 446 triggers the stationary contact of the microswitch 409 when the flap assembly 300 is in the closed position, causing the microswitch 409 to generate an electrical signal, and the other contact 446 triggers the stationary contact of the microswitch 409 when the flap assembly 300 is in the open position, causing the microswitch 409 to also generate an electrical signal; when the shutter assembly 300 is in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position, none of the contacts 446 contact the stationary contacts of the micro-switch 409, and the micro-switch 409 generates no electrical signal or generates another electrical signal.

The heater H may be electrically connected to the wiring board. More about the wiring board will be described below. Preferably, the frame 100 includes a wire trace portion 105, the wire trace portion 105 being in the form of a groove formed in the frame 100 and extendable from a position of the case engaging portion 107 of the frame 100 near the end plate 103 to a vicinity of a circuit board mounting position of the frame 100. For example, fig. 1-3 illustrate the placement of the trace portion 105 in the housing interface 107 of the frame 100. The cables of the heater H for connection to the wiring board are arranged along the routing portion 105.

Third, the breadboard

As already mentioned, the damper assembly 10 may also include a circuit board. Figure 7 shows a preferred embodiment of the wiring board. The circuit board can be used for controlling the motor, the heater H and the microswitch 409.

According to a preferred embodiment, the circuit board has a coupling for the heater H, the drive module (which may be in particular a motor of the drive module) or the like. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the wiring board comprises a first coupling portion 421 for coupling the microswitch 409, a second coupling portion 422 for coupling the drive module, a third coupling portion 423 for coupling the heater H. Further, the wiring board has a motor stopper 424 for stopper of the stepping motor, which is in the form of a hole formed in the wiring board.

To facilitate the mounting of the circuit board, the frame 100 is preferably provided with a card slot portion 416, to which card slot portion 416 the circuit board is inserted. The click groove portion 416 may be provided at a side of the case engagement portion 107 of the frame 100 facing the driving chamber so that the circuit board is disposed therein. As best seen in fig. 6, the arrangement of the wiring board within the drive chamber is shown.

According to the preferred scheme, the circuit board is provided with a tinning hole penetrating through the circuit board, so that when one side of the circuit board fails to work, the other side can work, and the electrifying effect of the circuit is ensured.

Fourth, drive module

The drive module 400 of the damper device 10 is configured to drive the flapper 301 to rotate between a fully open state, as shown in fig. 1, and a fully closed state, as shown in fig. 2. The components of the driving module 400 are accommodated inside a driving chamber formed by the housing 200 and the frame 100.

Fig. 8 removes the housing 200 showing the components of the drive module 400. The drive module 400 includes a gearing assembly 402 and a stepper motor 403. The transmission assembly 402 includes an edentulous gear 405 directly connected to a motor output shaft 404 of the stepper motor 403, a sector gear 406 meshed with the edentulous gear 405, the sector gear 406 may be directly connected to an output shaft 407, and the output shaft 407 is connected to the baffle 301. The baffle 301 can be driven to rotate forward and backward by driving the stepping motor to rotate forward and backward, so that the opening and closing actions of the air door are realized.

Fig. 9 shows an explanatory diagram of the frame 100. The frame 100 has a bottom plate portion 106 facing the housing 200, on which a structure for mounting and supporting the components of the driving module 400 is provided. The bottom plate portion 106 is an integral part of a case engaging portion 107 constituting a frame.

Referring to fig. 9, the bottom plate portion 106 has a first cylindrical portion 410 for rotatably supporting the sector gear 406. The first cylindrical portion 410 protrudes from the plane of the bottom plate portion 106 toward the housing 200. The inner periphery of the first cylindrical section 410 defines a rotational bearing surface. Inside the first cylindrical portion 410, a through hole 417 is formed through the bottom plate portion 106 for passing the output shaft 407 therethrough.

The structure of the sector gear 406 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown in fig. 10 and 11A. In the axial direction, the sector gear 406 comprises in sequence a shaft portion 431, a toothed portion 432, a cylindrical portion 433 and a sector gear output portion 434, which sector gear output portion 434 may be in the form of a spindle serving as the output shaft 407 of the drive module 400 for insertion into a snap-fit arrangement in the form of a snap-fit slot at the first shaft portion 305 of the bezel 301, as shown in fig. 4A. In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 11B, the sector gear output 434 may also be in the form of a slot for receiving and engaging a snap-fit structure in the form of a rotating shaft at the first shaft portion 305 of the bezel 301, as shown in fig. 4B. The shaft portion 431 may be mounted on a corresponding support structure (not shown) inside the housing 200. The cog portion 432 is fan-shaped and has a plurality of cogs on its outer peripheral side for meshing with a corresponding plurality of cogs of the upstream toothless cog 405. The cylindrical portion 433 is coaxially inserted into the first cylindrical portion 410 such that the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 433 is rotatably supported on a rotation support surface on the inner periphery of the first cylindrical portion 410. Meanwhile, the sector gear output part 434 in the form of a rotary shaft may partially protrude to the other side of the bottom plate part 106 through the through hole 417. The sector gear output portion 434 has a keyed structure, such as two flat portions 435 shown in fig. 11A and 11B, for engaging with an engagement hole at the first shaft portion 305 of the shutter 301.

With continued reference to fig. 9, the bottom plate portion 106 has a second cylindrical portion 411 for rotatably supporting the toothless gear 405. The second cylindrical portion 411 protrudes from the plane of the bottom plate portion 106 toward the housing 200, and the inner periphery of the second cylindrical portion 411 defines a rotation bearing surface. Further, an arc groove 414 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the second cylindrical portion 411, the arc groove 414 being recessed away from the end face of the second cylindrical portion 411, the center of the arc groove 414 coinciding with the axis of the second cylindrical portion 411 for guiding the rotation of the missing tooth gear 405 and defining the angular range of the rotation thereof. The arc groove 414 has two end surfaces, namely a first limiting surface 412 corresponding to the open position of the damper and a second limiting surface 413 corresponding to the closed position of the damper, and the arc groove 414 extends between the two limiting

surfaces

412, 413.

The structure of the toothless gear 405 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown in fig. 12 and 13. The toothless gear 405 includes a shaft portion 441, a gear tooth portion 442, and a contact portion 443 in this order in the axial direction. The shaft portion 441 is coaxially insertable inside the second cylindrical portion 411 such that the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 441 is rotatably supported on a rotation support surface of the inner periphery of the second cylindrical portion 411. The outer periphery of gear teeth 442 is divided into two distinct sections, the first section having gear teeth, gear teeth segment 444; the second section has no gear teeth and is a circular arc section 445. The plurality of gear teeth on the gear tooth segment 444 are adapted to mesh with a corresponding plurality of gear teeth on the downstream sector gear 406. The contact portion 443 has two arms extending away from the axis, the tip of each arm forming a contact 446 for actuating the microswitch 409. Each contact 446 forms a point on the contact portion 443 furthest from the axis. Therefore, during the rotation of the toothless gear 405, only the contact 446 touches the stationary contact on the microswitch 409; in addition, during rotation of the edentulous gear 405, the sector gear 405 does not interfere with any other structure except that the contact 446 touches the stationary contact on the microswitch 409. Adjacent to the axis of the contact portion 443, a shaft hole 447 is formed, and the shaft hole 447 is fastenably connected to the motor output shaft 404.

As shown in fig. 13, an arc-shaped projection 448 is provided on the surface of the gear tooth portion 442 facing the shaft portion 441. When the shaft portion 441 is inserted into the second tube portion 411, the arc-shaped projection 448 is inserted into the arc-shaped groove 414 on the outer side of the second tube portion 411. Thus, when the stepping motor 403 drives the gear 405 to rotate, the arc-shaped protrusion 448 moves along the arc-shaped groove 414 until the two

limit surfaces

412 and 413 of the arc-shaped groove 414 abut against the arc-shaped protrusion 448, and the gear 405 is prevented from rotating, thereby performing a limit function.

With continued reference to fig. 9, the base plate portion 106 also has a support portion 415 for mounting the stepper motor 403 to the frame 100 by screw-fixing a mounting structure connected to the stepper motor 403. The bottom plate portion 106 also has a card slot portion 416 for clipping and fixing the circuit board 408.

The working mechanism of the driving module 400 of the present disclosure is as follows:

when the shutter device is opened, the stepper motor 403 rotates the toothless gear 405 counterclockwise (viewed from left to right in fig. 8), which in turn drives the flap 301 clockwise via the sector gear 406; when the arc-shaped protruding portion 448 of the toothless gear 405 abuts against the first stopper surface 412, the baffle 301 stops rotating, and reaches the open position at this time, the opening portion 101 of the frame 100 is opened, and the cooling air flow is allowed to flow therethrough; at this time, one contact 446 of the gear 405 with missing teeth touches a stationary contact on the micro switch 409, and the micro switch 409 outputs a corresponding electrical signal indicating that the damper device is fully opened.

When the shutter device is closed, the stepper motor 403 rotates the toothless gear 405 clockwise, which in turn drives the flap 301 counterclockwise via the sector gear 406; when the elastic member 302 on the baffle 301 abuts against the sealing plate part 102 on the frame 100, the baffle 301 stops rotating, and reaches the closing position at this time, the opening part 101 of the frame 100 is closed, and the cooling air flow is blocked; at this time, the other contact 446 of the gear 405 triggers a stationary contact on the microswitch 409, and the microswitch 409 outputs a corresponding electrical signal indicating that the damper device is fully closed.

The contact 446 cooperates with a stationary contact on the microswitch 409 forming a signal feedback method. In an exemplary embodiment, when the shutter 301 is fully opened or fully closed, an electrical signal (e.g., signal "1" is shown) is output; during the rotation of the shutter 301, no electrical signal (e.g., output signal "0") is output. When the stepping motor is driven to open the air door, if the change of the electrical signal can be detected, the air door is indicated not to be frozen and is normally opened; if a change in the electrical signal is not detected, indicating that the damper may freeze due to frost formation, the heating function may be activated to melt the frost and return the flapper 301 to normal opening.

Fifth, locking mechanism

To prevent the flap 301 from rotating in the opening direction due to the elastic member 302 rebounding, airflow pushing, vibration, etc. after reaching the closed position, the driving module 400 may be provided with a locking mechanism. The present disclosure proposes two different locking structures, an arc locking structure (fig. 10 to 13) and a tooth locking structure (fig. 14 to 25).

5.1 arc locking structure

In the first embodiment, the lock mechanism is constituted by the concave lock arc 437 of the sector gear 406 and the circular arc section 445 of the toothless gear 405. As shown in fig. 10, 11A and 11B, on the outer periphery of the gear tooth portion 432 of the sector gear 406, there are a gear tooth section 436 including a plurality of gear teeth, and two concave locking arcs 437 located at both circumferential ends of the gear tooth section 436. Each concave locking arc 437 is concave toward the center of the sector gear 406, taking the shape of a circular arc. During rotation of the driving dog 301, the gear segment 436 of the sector gear 406 and the gear segment 444 of the toothless gear 405 mesh.

During the time the flapper 301 is in the closed position, as shown in fig. 14, the concave locking arcs 437 engage portions of the circular arc segments 445, forming a concave-convex arc locking structure. The curvature of the concave locking arc 437 is configured to match the curvature of the circular arc segment 445. In this configuration, if the toothless gear 405 remains stationary, the female locking arc 437 will not rotate freely relative to the circular arc segment 445 because a portion of the circular arc segment 445 extends into the interior of the female locking arc 437, which will provide resistance against the female locking arc 437 rotating past the circular arc segment 445. Just because of the locking effect of the concave locking arc 437 and the arc section 445, the sector gear 406 and the baffle 301 linked therewith are stably located at the closed position and cannot be easily displaced, and the baffle 301 cannot move towards the open position due to the rebound effect of the elastic component 302, the pushing force of the airflow on the baffle 301, vibration and other factors, so that the air door closing tightness is improved, and the noise problem caused by the shaking of the baffle 301 is also reduced.

Fig. 14 and its partially enlarged view 15 show the structure of the missing tooth gear 405 and the sector gear 406 in the locked state. The radius of the circular arc section 445 of the toothless gear 405 is R1, the distance from the arc end point of the concave locking arc 437 of the sector gear 406 to the center of the sector gear 406 is L2, and the center distance between the sector gear 406 and the toothless gear 405 is L. To achieve the above locking effect, L is smaller than R1+ L2, and the difference (R1+ L2) -L is the interference amount L1. The interference L1 is preferably more than or equal to 0.05mm and less than or equal to L1 and less than or equal to 1mm, and when the value of the interference L1 is more than 1mm, the gears have interference due to the space design problem; due to factors such as part manufacturing errors, the interference L1 is not less than 0.05mm, and when the interference L1 is less than 0.05mm, the locking mechanism does not work. In addition, the size constraint of the shaft part is also considered, the radius of the shaft part 441 of the gear with missing teeth 405 is R1, the radius of the shaft part 431 of the sector gear is R2, and the radius of the circular arc section 445 of the gear with missing teeth 305 is R1, so that R1 is more than or equal to R1 and more than or equal to L-R2; the distance from the arc end point of the concave locking arc 437 of the sector gear 306 to the center of the sector gear 306 is L2, and r1 is more than or equal to L2 is more than or equal to L-r 2.

Besides the locking function, the locking structure also has the functions of allowing the gear with missing teeth to idle and shortening the locked-rotor time of the stepping motor when the door is closed.

In this embodiment, when the shutter 301 is closed in position, that is, after the elastic member 302 abuts against the sealing plate portion 102 of the frame 100 and is elastically deformed, the second stopper surface 413 of the arc groove 414 of the housing 200 does not abut against the arc protrusion 448 of the toothless gear 405; thereafter, the arc segment 445 of the toothless gear 405 has entered the concave locking arc 437 of the sector gear 406, but can still continue to rotate forward relative to the concave locking arc 437 (at which time the stepper motor 403 is freewheeling, i.e., not driving the shutter 301 to rotate further) until the second limit surface 413 abuts the arc-shaped projection 448, eventually preventing the stepper motor 403 from rotating. The missing tooth gear 405 can continue to rotate through an idle angle a.

Fig. 16 is a schematic view of the sector gear 406 and the toothless gear 405 when the shutter 301 is completely closed (as shown in fig. 17). Fig. 18 is a schematic view of the sector gear 406 and the toothless gear 405 when the shutter 301 is fully opened (as shown in fig. 19). As shown, θ is the total angle of rotation of the gear 405 driven by the stepping motor 403 (i.e., the angle from the first stopper face 412 to the second stopper face 413), α is the angle of idle rotation, β is the angle of rotation of the gear 405 during the rotation of the damper flap 301 from the open position to the closed position, and the relationship is: θ is α + β.

During the door closing process, it is necessary to design the step motor 403 to be locked, and the purpose of the locking is to return the gear of the step motor 403 to zero, so that the damper flap 301 can return to the same position in the next door closing process, thereby avoiding the error of gear rotation, ensuring that the damper is closed more accurately, and ensuring that the opening 101 is closed more reliably by the flap 301. If the number of opening and closing pulses of the stepping motor 403 set by the client is M, N-M is W, W is the number of minimum locked-rotor pulses of the stepping motor, and a is the number of idle pulses of the stepping motor. The inventor finds that if the overall angle theta of the stepping motor 403 for driving the gear 406 with missing teeth is set to be equal to the rotation angle beta of the gear 406 with missing teeth required for the shutter 301 to be closed in place, when the pulse step value N set by the motor needs to be finished after the shutter is closed in place, the pulse step value of the stepping motor 403 needs to be blocked to be W + a, and the blocking time is too long, so that the risk of gear tooth breakage and the like can be caused. Therefore, in the solution of the present disclosure, the idling angle α is increased by the above-mentioned locking mechanism, so that the arc-shaped protruding portion 448 of the gear with missing teeth 405 reaches the second limiting surface 413 after idling for a certain number of pulse steps, thereby shortening the rotation blocking time and reducing the risk of tooth breakage.

5.2 tooth-shaped locking structure

In the second embodiment, the lock mechanism is constituted by the distal first tooth 451, the second tooth 452, and the circular arc section 445 ' of the toothless gear 405 ' of the sector gear 406 '.

Referring to fig. 20, the structure of the sector gear 406' in the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the sector gear 406 in the first embodiment, and only the differences therebetween will be described below. Both sides of the gear tooth portion 432 'of the sector gear 406' do not have a female locking arc. In contrast, the cog portion 432' has a first tooth 451, a second tooth 452, and a third tooth 453 in order on one side (the side that engages last when the damper is closed and first when the damper is opened), with the first tooth 451 being positioned at the outermost edge. As shown in fig. 20, the width of the first tooth 451 in the axial direction is shortened relative to the other teeth, and thus the end surface of the first tooth 451 on the side of the sector gear output portion 434' is farther from the output shaft than the other teeth. In addition, the second gear 452 and the third gear 453 are connected by a connecting portion 454 at a side close to the sector gear output portion 434'.

Referring to fig. 21, the structure of the toothless gear 405' in the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the toothless gear 405 in the first embodiment, and only the difference therebetween will be described below. Between the circular arc section 445 ' of the toothless gear 405 ' and the contact point portion 443 ', a circular arc groove 455 is formed, which is located between the inner end surface 456 of the circular arc section 445 ' and the side surface of the contact point portion 443 '. The arcuate groove 455 extends at each end to the outer surface of the outermost teeth of the segment 444'. The radial depth of the arcuate groove 455 is greater than the radial height of the first tooth 451 and the axial width of the arcuate groove 455 is greater than the axial width of the first tooth 415. Thus, the first tooth 451 may be received within the arc groove 455 and slide along the arc groove 455.

During the shutter 301 is in the closed position, as shown in fig. 22 and 23, a portion of the outer surface of the circular arc segment 445 ' of the toothless gear 405 ' enters between the first tooth 451 and the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406 '. The second tooth 452 abuts an outer surface of the circular arc segment 445'. Since the first tooth 451 is axially offset from the circular arc section 445 ', the first tooth 451 does not block the circular arc section 445' from entering a space between the first tooth 451 and the second tooth 452, and the first tooth 451 is accommodated by the arc-shaped groove 455.

In this configuration, on the one hand, the arc section 445 'of the toothless gear 405' may continue to rotate by a certain angle relative to the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406 'after the shutter 301 reaches the closed position, i.e., idle rotation of the toothless gear 405' and the stepping motor 403 is achieved until the arc-shaped protrusion 448 'on the toothless gear 405' abuts against the corresponding second limit surface 413, which helps to shorten the stalling time of the stepping motor.

On the other hand, since the outer surface of the arc 445 'abuts against the second tooth 452, the sector gear 406' is prevented from rotating in the direction of opening the damper, which can prevent the damper from being opened due to the rebound effect of the elastic component 302 on the baffle 301, the impact or vibration of the air flow, and the like after the damper is closed, and improve the tightness of the damper when the damper is closed. In addition, the tops of the second tooth 452 and the third tooth 453 of the sector gear 406 'are connected together by the connecting portion 454, so that the strength of the gear can be increased, and the abutting area of the second tooth 452 can be increased, thereby effectively avoiding tooth breakage caused by impact when the arc section 445' of the tooth-missing gear 405 'abuts against the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406'.

The above configuration may have a noise problem when opening and closing the damper. For example, referring to fig. 22, when the damper is opened, the stepping motor 403 drives the gear 405 ' to rotate counterclockwise, and the first tooth 457 of the gear 405 ' goes over the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406 ' to engage between the first tooth 451 and the second tooth 452. At this time, the rotational center axis of the sector gear 406 'may be inclined due to a force acting on the sector gear 406' from the damper flap side, manufacturing tolerance, and the like. In such a case, the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406 ' tends to interfere with the inner end surface 456 of the circular arc section 445 ' of the toothless gear 405 ', the first tooth 457, and the like, and causes noise. A similar situation occurs when the damper is closed.

In order to reduce this noise phenomenon, the configuration of the present disclosure may be modified as follows:

the radius of the tip circle of the portion where the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406' is provided is smaller than that of the normal tooth, for example, as shown in fig. 22 and 23, a portion of the second tooth 452 distant from the connecting portion 454 may be partially cut away. In this case, when the rotation center axis of the sector gear 406 'is tilted, the second teeth 452 of the sector gear 406' do not have a portion protruding toward the inner end surface 456 of the circular arc segment 445 'of the tooth-missing gear 405', and there is no interference, and no noise is generated.

The end face of the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406 'remote from the connecting portion 454 is located on the same plane as the inner end face 456 of the circular arc section 445' of the gear with teeth 405 ', i.e. the part of the second tooth 452 below the inner end face 456 of the circular arc section 445' is completely cut away, as shown in fig. 24. In this case, when the rotation center axis of the sector gear 406 'is tilted, the second teeth 452 of the sector gear 406' do not have a portion protruding toward the inner end surface 456 of the circular arc segment 445 'of the tooth-missing gear 405', and there is no interference, and no noise is generated.

The radius of the circular arc section 445 'of the gear 405' is larger than that of the addendum circle of the gear section 444 ', as shown in fig. 25, and the dotted line is the addendum circle locus of the gear section 444'. In this case, when the rotation center axis of the sector gear 406 'is inclined and the circular arc section 445' abuts against the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406 ', the tooth tip position of the second tooth 452 is also located outside the tooth tip circle of the tooth-missing gear 405'. Therefore, when the gear 405 'and the sector gear 406' start to mesh with each other, the first tooth 457 of the gear 405 'and the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406' do not interfere with each other, and noise is not generated. In this example, as shown in fig. 25, since the outer peripheral surface of the circular arc section 445 ' of the toothless gear 405 ' and the tooth surface of the first tooth 457 of the gear tooth section 444 ' are connected by the arc-shaped guide surface 458, when the second tooth 452 of the sector gear 406 ' comes into contact with the tooth surface of the first tooth 457 of the toothless gear 405 ', the second tooth 452 does not collide with the step, and noise generation can be prevented or suppressed.

The damper mechanism proposed by the present disclosure can be used for various types of refrigerators. Such as a refrigerator that includes one or more storage compartments. The refrigerator has one or more cold air passages leading to the one or more storage chambers, respectively. The opening portions of the damper devices are respectively provided in the corresponding cold air passages, so that the cold air delivery amount in the corresponding cold air passages is controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the opening portions of the corresponding damper devices.

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The use of "first," "second," and similar terms in the description and claims of the present disclosure are not intended to indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Also, the use of the terms "a" or "an" and the like do not necessarily denote a limitation of quantity. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element or item listed before the word covers the element or item listed after the word and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described is changed, the relative positional relationships may also be changed accordingly.

While the exemplary embodiments of the water pump proposed by the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the specific embodiments described above, and various combinations of the various technical features and structures presented in the present disclosure can be made without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A damper device for a refrigerator, the damper device comprising:

a frame (100) having an end plate (103) provided with an opening portion (101), and having a shutter assembly (300) rotatably mounted to the end plate (103), the shutter assembly (300) being rotatable between a closed position in which the opening portion (101) is fully closed and an open position in which the opening portion (101) is fully opened;

a housing (200) engaging the frame (100) and forming a drive chamber between the housing (200) and the frame (100);

a drive module (400) at least partially retained within the drive chamber and driving rotation of the flapper assembly (300), the drive module comprising:

a stepping motor (403);

a missing tooth gear (405) connected to the stepper motor (403);

a sector gear (406) that meshes with the missing-tooth gear (405);

an output shaft (407) connected to the sector gear (406) and to the baffle plate (301);

the stepping motor (403) can drive the baffle (301) to rotate through the gear with missing teeth (405), the sector gear (406) and the output shaft (407);

the periphery of the toothless gear (405) is provided with an arc section (445) adjacent to the gear tooth section (444) of the toothless gear, and when the baffle (301) is in the closed position, the peripheral surface of the arc section (445) of the toothless gear (405) abuts against the sector gear (406), so that the sector gear (406) is prevented from rotating towards the direction of opening the baffle (301);

wherein the periphery of the sector gear (406) has a concave locking arc (437) next to its gear tooth section (436), the concave locking arc (437) is recessed towards the center of the sector gear (406), when the flapper (301) is in the closed position, a portion of the circular arc section (445) enters the interior of the concave locking arc (437), preventing the concave locking arc (437) from rotating relative to the circular arc section (445), whereby the edentulous gear (405) prevents the sector gear (406) from rotating in the direction to open the flapper.

2. The damper device according to claim 1, wherein the frame (100) has a housing engagement portion (107) located at a side edge of the end plate (103) and extending substantially perpendicular to the end plate (103), the housing (200) being connected to the housing engagement portion (107) of the frame (100).

3. The damper device according to claim 1, wherein the baffle assembly (300) includes a baffle plate (301) mounted to the end plate (103) and an elastic member (302) provided on the baffle plate (301), the elastic member (302) abutting the frame (100) and elastically deforming to seal the opening portion (101) when the baffle assembly (300) is in the closed position.

4. A damper device according to claim 3, wherein the end plate (103) of the frame (100) has a seal plate portion (102) provided around the opening portion (101) and protruding from the end plate (103), and the elastic member (302) abuts against the seal plate portion (102) of the frame (100) when the shutter assembly (300) is in the closed position.

5. A damper device according to claim 3, characterized in that a reinforcement rib (307) is provided on the side of the flap (301) facing away from the resilient member (302).

6. The damper device according to claim 1, wherein the baffle assembly (300) comprises a first shaft portion (305) and a second shaft portion (306) disposed at two ends of the baffle (301), the baffle assembly (300) is mounted to the frame (100) through the first shaft portion (305) and the second shaft portion (306), wherein a clamping structure is disposed inside the first shaft portion (305), and the driving module (400) drives the baffle assembly (300) to rotate through the clamping structure.

7. The damper device according to claim 1, further comprising a heater (H) mounted to the end plate (103) and at least partially surrounding the opening portion (101).

8. The damper assembly of claim 7, wherein the frame (100) further comprises an edge plate (104) extending from an outer edge of the end plate (103), the edge plate (104) surrounding the heater (H).

9. A damper device according to claim 7, characterised in that the shape of the heater (H) at least partially matches the shape of the end plate (103).

10. The damper apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the damper device is configured to generate an electrical signal when the shutter assembly (300) is in the closed position or the open position, and to generate no electrical signal or another electrical signal when the shutter assembly (300) is in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position;

and the damper device is configured to activate the heater (H) if the absence of the electrical signal or the change from the electrical signal to the further electrical signal is not detected within a predetermined time after receiving the command to rotate the shutter assembly (300).

11. The damper device according to claim 10, wherein the damper device further comprises a microswitch (409) and one of the transfer gears of the drive module (400) comprises two contacts (446) projecting outwardly therefrom in a radial direction, wherein the microswitch (409) and the transfer gear are arranged to:

when the shutter assembly (300) is in the closed position, one of the two contacts (446) triggers a stationary contact of a micro switch (409) such that the micro switch (409) generates an electrical signal;

when the shutter assembly (300) is in the open position, the other of the two contacts (446) triggers a stationary contact of a micro-switch (409) such that the micro-switch (409) generates an electrical signal;

when the shutter assembly (300) is in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position, neither of the two contacts (446) triggers a stationary contact of the micro-switch (409) such that the micro-switch (409) generates no electrical signal or generates another electrical signal.

12. The damper apparatus of claim 10, wherein the predetermined time is 3 seconds to 8 seconds.

13. The damper assembly of claim 11, further comprising a circuit board (408), the circuit board having:

a first coupling part (421) for coupling the microswitch (409);

a second coupling portion (422) for coupling the drive module (400);

a third coupling portion (423) for coupling the heater (H).

14. The damper device of claim 1,

the sector gear (406) comprises a sector gear tooth part (432), a cylindrical part (433) and a sector gear output part (434), which are sequentially arranged along the axial direction;

the toothless gear (405) comprises a shaft part (441) and a circular gear tooth part (442), the circular gear tooth part (442) comprises a gear tooth section (444) with gear teeth and a circular arc section (445) without gear teeth, and the gear teeth on the gear tooth section (444) are meshed with the gear teeth on the fan-shaped gear tooth part (432).

15. The damper device of claim 14,

the frame (100) has a bottom plate portion (106) extending perpendicularly to a plane in which the opening portion (101) is located, and the bottom plate portion (106) includes:

a first cylindrical portion (410) for rotatably supporting a cylindrical portion (433) of the sector gear inside thereof,

and a second cylindrical portion (411) for rotatably supporting the shaft portion (441) of the missing tooth gear inside.

16. The damper device of claim 15,

inside the first tube section (410), the bottom plate section (106) has a through hole (417) for allowing a sector gear output section (434) as an output shaft (407) to pass therethrough and extend to the baffle plate (301).

17. The damper device of claim 15,

the second cylinder part (411) is provided with an arc groove (414), the arc groove (414) is recessed away from the end face of the second cylinder part (411), the center of the arc groove (414) is overlapped with the axis of the second cylinder part (411), and the arc groove (414) extends between the two limiting surfaces (412, 413);

the gear with missing teeth (405) is provided with an arc-shaped protruding part (448), the arc-shaped protruding part (448) protrudes from the side surface of the gear tooth part (444) of the gear with missing teeth, and is configured to be capable of protruding into the arc-shaped groove (414) and moving along the arc-shaped groove (414) along with the rotation of the gear with missing teeth (405), and any one of the two limiting surfaces (412, 413) is used for abutting against the arc-shaped protruding part (448) so as to limit the rotation range of the gear with missing teeth (405).

18. The damper device of claim 14,

the damper device further includes a microswitch (409) having a stationary contact;

the toothless gear (405) further comprises a contact point portion (443) having two contact points (446);

when the shutter (301) is in the open position, one of the two contacts (446) engages a stationary contact of the microswitch (409), the microswitch (409) sending an electrical signal;

when the shutter (301) is in the closed position, the other of the two contacts (446) engages a stationary contact of the microswitch (409), the microswitch (409) sending an electrical signal;

when the shutter (301) is in a position between the closed position and the fully open position, the contact portion (446) does not engage a stationary contact of the microswitch (409), and the microswitch (409) does not send an electrical signal or sends a signal different from said electrical signal.

19. The damper device of claim 18,

the contact point portion (443) is provided on a side of the gear tooth portion (442) of the gear with missing teeth (405) facing away from the shaft portion (441), and the contact point portion (443) has two arms extending radially outward, a tip end of each arm forming one contact point (446), each contact point (446) being located farther from the center of the gear with missing teeth (405) than the rest of the contact point portion (443).

20. The damper device of claim 1,

when the baffle (301) is in the closed position, the distance from any point on the concave locking arc (437) to the center of the gear with missing teeth (405) is larger than the radius of the circular arc section (445), the circular arc section (445) cannot be prevented from rotating relative to the concave locking arc (437), and therefore the gear with missing teeth (405) can idle for an idle rotation angle (alpha) in the direction of closing the air door.

21. The damper assembly of claim 20,

the frame (301) has a second cylindrical portion (411) rotatably supporting the toothless gear (405), the second cylindrical portion (411) having an arc groove (414), the arc groove (414) extending between two stopper surfaces (412, 413);

the gear with missing teeth (405) is provided with an arc-shaped protruding part (448), the arc-shaped protruding part (448) is configured to be capable of extending into the arc-shaped groove (414), and moves along the arc-shaped groove (414) along with the rotation of the gear with missing teeth (405) until the gear with missing teeth abuts against any one of the two limiting surfaces (412, 413);

wherein the angle between the two limiting surfaces (412, 413) is a first angle (theta), the angle which the toothless gear (405) rotates during the period that the baffle (301) is driven to rotate from the opening position to the closing position is a second angle (beta), and the first angle (theta) is equal to the sum of the second angle (beta) and the idle rotation angle (alpha).

22. The damper device of claim 21,

the radius of the circular arc section (445) of the gear with missing teeth (405) is R1,

the distance from the arc end point of the concave locking arc (437) of the sector gear (406) to the center of the sector gear (406) is L2,

the center distance between the sector gear (406) and the gear with missing teeth (405) is L,

wherein, (R1+ L2) -L is interference L1, and the interference L1 is larger than zero.

23. The damper device of claim 22,

the range of the interference amount L1 is: l1 is more than or equal to 0.05mm and less than or equal to 1 mm.

24. A damper device for a refrigerator, characterized in that the damper device comprises

a stepping motor (403);

a missing tooth gear (405 ') connected to the stepper motor (403), and the missing tooth gear (405 ') comprising a circular arc segment (445 ') without teeth;

a sector gear (406 ') meshing with the gear (405') having a missing tooth;

an output shaft (407) connected to the sector gear (406') and to the baffle plate (301);

wherein the stepping motor (403) can drive the baffle (301) to rotate through the gear with missing teeth (405 '), the sector gear (406') and the output shaft (407);

wherein, when the flap (301) is in the closed position, a portion of the circular arc section (445 ') of the toothless gear (405') is located between two teeth of the sector gear (406 '), the toothless gear (405') preventing the sector gear (406 ') from rotating in a direction to open the flap (301), wherein the sector gear (406') has a first tooth (451) which comes into engagement last when the flap is closed and a second tooth (452) which is immediately adjacent to the first tooth, and an end face of the first tooth (451) facing the output shaft (407) is farther from the output shaft (407) than an end face of the second tooth (452) facing the output shaft (407).

25. The damper assembly of claim 24,

the toothless gear (405 ') is also provided with an arc-shaped groove (455), the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped groove (455) is smaller than that of the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped section (445'), the arc-shaped groove (455) is positioned on one side of the arc-shaped section (445 ') away from the output shaft (407), and the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped section (445') and the outer peripheral surface of the arc-shaped groove (455) are connected by an inner end surface (456);

when the shutter (301) is in the closed position, the arc-shaped groove (455) accommodates the first tooth (451) therein, a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the circular arc section (445 ') is located between the first tooth (451) and the second tooth (452) and abuts against the second tooth (452), the second tooth (452) is prevented from rotating relative to the circular arc section (445'), and thus the tooth-missing gear (405 ') prevents the sector gear (406') from rotating in a direction to open the shutter (301).

26. The damper assembly of claim 25,

when the shutter (301) is in the closed position, any point on the second tooth (452) is spaced from the center of the toothless gear (405 ') by a distance greater than the radius of the circular arc segment (445'), without preventing the circular arc segment (445 ') from rotating relative to the second tooth (452), whereby the toothless gear (450') can freewheel in the direction of closing the damper by an idle angle (α).

27. The damper assembly of claim 25,

the sector gear (406') further has a third tooth (453) adjacent to the second tooth (452), and the third tooth (453) and the second tooth (452) are connected by a connecting portion (454) on a side close to the output shaft (407).

28. The damper device of claim 27,

the end surfaces of the third teeth (453) and the second teeth (452) on the side closer to the output shaft (407) are closer to the output shaft than the end surfaces of the other teeth on the sector gear (406') on the side closer to the output shaft (407).

29. The damper assembly of claim 24,

the radius of the tip circle of at least part of the second teeth (452) of the sector gear (406') is smaller than the radius of the tip circle of the remaining teeth.

30. The damper assembly of claim 24,

a portion of the second tooth (452) remote from the end of the output shaft (407) is cut away.

31. The damper assembly of claim 25,

the second tooth (452) is completely cut away beyond the inner end face (456) of the circular arc segment (445').

32. The damper assembly of claim 24,

both ends of the circular arc section (445 ') of the gear (405') lacking teeth are abutted to the gear section (444 '), and the radius of the circular arc section (445') of the gear (405 ') lacking teeth is larger than the radius of the addendum circle of the gear section (444').

33. The damper device of claim 32,

the outer circumferential surface of the circular arc section (445 ') of the missing gear (405 ') and the tooth surface of the first tooth (457) of the gear tooth section (444 ') which enters into engagement first when the door is opened are connected by an arc-shaped guide surface (458).

34. A refrigerator, characterized by comprising:

one or more storage compartments;

one or more cold air channels leading to the one or more storage chambers, respectively;

the one or more damper devices of any of claims 1-33, wherein the opening portion (101) of each damper device is disposed in the corresponding cold air passage, whereby the amount of cold air delivery in the corresponding cold air passage is controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the opening portion (101) of the corresponding damper device.