CN219713744U - Refrigerator with a refrigerator body - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a refrigerator, comprising: a case; the partition plate is arranged in the box body and divides the internal space of the box body into a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber; the partition plate is provided with a return air channel which is used for communicating the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber; the return air channel is provided with a return air outlet positioned at one side of the freezing chamber; the turning plate is rotationally connected with the partition plate and is arranged corresponding to the return air outlet; the flap is configured to close the return air outlet to close the return air passage based on its own weight when cold air of the freezing compartment is not introduced into the refrigerating compartment, and to open the return air outlet to open the return air passage when cold air of the freezing compartment is introduced into the refrigerating compartment. The utility model aims to solve the technical problem that cold air in a freezing chamber permeates into a cold storage area through a return air channel in the prior art.

Description

Refrigerator with a refrigerator body

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, in particular to a refrigerator.

Background

The side-by-side combination refrigerator has a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment. In order to control the cost of the whole machine, the side-by-side combination refrigerator adopts a single system to carry out refrigeration temperature control, namely: the refrigerator has only one evaporator and one fan, and is placed in the freezer compartment. A return air channel is established between the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber. However, when the refrigerating chamber does not need to be refrigerated, cold air of the freezing chamber can permeate into the refrigerating region through the return air passage, so that food placed at the return air passage is frozen.

Disclosure of Invention

The utility model provides a refrigerator, and aims to solve the technical problem that cold air in a freezing chamber permeates into a cold storage area through a return air channel in the prior art.

To this end, the present utility model proposes a refrigerator including:

a case;

the partition plate is arranged in the box body and divides the internal space of the box body into a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber; the partition plate is provided with a return air channel which is used for communicating the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber; the return air channel is provided with a return air outlet positioned at one side of the freezing chamber; and

the turning plate is rotationally connected with the partition plate and is arranged corresponding to the return air outlet; the flap is configured to close the return air outlet to close the return air passage based on its own weight when cool air of the freezing compartment is introduced into the refrigerating compartment, and to open the return air outlet to open the return air passage when cool air of the freezing compartment is introduced into the refrigerating compartment,

optionally, the partition extends in a height direction of the case; the turning plate comprises a rotating shaft and a plate body connected with the rotating shaft; the rotating shaft is pivoted with the partition board; wherein, in the height direction, the rotation axis is located at an upper side of the plate body.

Optionally, the partition plate has a first support shaft hole and a second support shaft hole; the first support shaft hole and the second support shaft hole are positioned on the upper side of the return air outlet in the height direction; the rotating shaft is provided with a first end and a second end which are oppositely arranged, the first end is in running fit with the first supporting shaft hole, and the second end is in running fit with the second supporting shaft hole.

Optionally, the partition plate further has a mounting notch located between the first support shaft hole and the second support shaft hole; the installation notch is communicated with the return air outlet;

the rotating shaft has a body section at the first end and the second end; the body section is arranged in the mounting notch, and the body section is connected with the plate body.

Optionally, the return air channel penetrates the partition board in the thickness direction of the partition board.

Optionally, the partition plate is further provided with an air supply channel, and the air supply channel is used for communicating the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber; the air supply channel is positioned on the upper side of the return air channel in the height direction of the box body.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises a damper; the air door is rotatably connected to the partition board and is arranged corresponding to the air supply channel and is configured to have a first state of opening the air supply channel and a second state of closing the air supply channel.

Optionally, the refrigerator further comprises a driving piece, wherein the driving piece is installed on the partition board; the driving piece is configured to drive the air door to open the air supply channel and close the air supply channel.

Optionally, the air supply channel is provided with an air supply inlet and an air supply outlet which are oppositely arranged, the air supply inlet is arranged at one side of the freezing chamber, and the air supply outlet is arranged at one side of the refrigerating chamber; wherein the air door is arranged corresponding to the air supply outlet;

the damper is configured to have a first state of opening the air supply outlet to open the air supply passage and a second state of closing the air supply outlet to close the air supply passage.

Optionally, the refrigerator further includes: and the fan is arranged in the freezing chamber and used for introducing cold air in the freezing chamber into the refrigerating chamber when the fan is started so as to establish air circulation between the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber.

According to the technical scheme, when refrigeration is needed in the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator, cold air of the freezing chamber is introduced into the refrigerating chamber, the cold air enters the return air channel from the refrigerating chamber side, wind pressure is applied to the turning plate, and the wind pressure of the turning plate on one side of the refrigerating chamber is larger than that of one side of the freezing chamber, so that the gravity of the turning plate is overcome to open the return air outlet, and then the return air channel is opened, so that air circulation flow is established; when the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator does not need to be refrigerated, the turning plate rotates relative to the partition plate under the action of gravity to close the return air outlet to close the return air channel, so that when the refrigerating chamber does not need to be refrigerated, the turning plate automatically closes the return air outlet, and cold air cannot permeate into the refrigerating chamber from the refrigerating chamber through the return air channel, so that the technical problem that refrigerated articles are frozen due to supercooling of the area of the refrigerating chamber close to the return air channel is solved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present utility model, the drawings that are needed in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present utility model under a first working condition;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present utility model under a second working condition;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a flap, a damper and a partition plate of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present utility model in a first working condition;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a flap, a damper and a partition of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present utility model in a second working condition;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a partition plate of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a refrigerator turning plate, a damper and a partition plate according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

List of reference numerals

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present utility model will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present utility model, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the utility model without making any inventive effort, are intended to fall within the scope of the utility model.

In the description of the present utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the drawings are merely for convenience in describing the present utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present utility model, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise.

In the present utility model, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described as "exemplary" in this disclosure is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the utility model. In the following description, details are set forth for purposes of explanation. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present utility model may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the description of the utility model with unnecessary detail. Thus, the present utility model is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

In the prior art, side-by-side refrigerators are generally provided with a single refrigeration system to control temperatures of a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment, respectively. The refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are partitioned by a partition plate. The baffle is provided with a return air channel and an air supply channel. The single refrigeration system is arranged in the refrigerating chamber. When the refrigerating chamber needs cold, the fan of the single refrigerating system is started, and air flows and circulates in the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber through the air supply channel and the air return channel. However, when the refrigerator compartment does not require refrigeration, cool air within the freezer compartment permeates into the refrigerator compartment from the return air passage, causing supercooling of the region of the refrigerator compartment adjacent the return air passage, resulting in freezing of the refrigerated items.

To this end, an embodiment of the present utility model proposes a refrigerator, which is provided with a flap 300 at the return air outlet 211. When there is no refrigeration request in each compartment of the refrigerator, the flap 300 closes the return air outlet 211 by its own gravity so that cold air cannot permeate from the freezing compartment 110 into the refrigerating compartment 120 through the return air channel 210, thereby solving the technical problem that the region of the refrigerating compartment 120 close to the return air channel 210 is supercooled, resulting in freezing of refrigerated articles.

Specifically, referring to fig. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the present utility model provides a refrigerator, including:

a case 100;

a partition plate 200 provided in the cabinet 100 to partition an inner space of the cabinet 100 into a freezing chamber 110 and a refrigerating chamber 120; the partition 200 has a return air passage 210, and the return air passage 210 is used for communicating the freezing compartment 110 and the refrigerating compartment 120; wherein, the return air duct 210 has a return air outlet 211 at one side of the freezing compartment 110; and

the turning plate 300 is rotatably connected with the partition board 200 and is arranged corresponding to the return air outlet 211; the flap 300 is configured to close the return air outlet 211 based on its own weight to close the return air duct 210 when the cool air of the freezing compartment 110 is not introduced into the refrigerating compartment 120, and to open the return air outlet 211 to open the return air duct 210 when the cool air of the freezing compartment 110 is introduced into the refrigerating compartment 120,

in the technical scheme of the utility model, when the refrigerating chamber 120 of the refrigerator needs to be refrigerated, cold air of the freezing chamber 110 is introduced into the refrigerating chamber 120, the cold air enters into the return air channel 210 from the refrigerating chamber 120 side, and wind pressure is applied to the turning plate 300, and as the wind pressure of the turning plate 300 on one side of the refrigerating chamber 120 is larger than the wind pressure of one side of the freezing chamber 110, the gravity of the turning plate 300 is overcome to open the return air outlet 211, and then the return air channel 210 is opened, so that air circulation flow is established; when the cold air in the freezing chamber 110 is not introduced into the refrigerating chamber 120 when the refrigerating chamber 120 of the refrigerator does not need to be refrigerated, the flap 300 rotates relative to the partition board 200 under the action of gravity to close the return air outlet 211 so as to close the return air channel 210, and when the refrigerating chamber 120 does not need to be refrigerated, the flap 300 automatically closes the return air outlet 211, so that the cold air cannot permeate into the refrigerating chamber 120 from the freezing chamber 110 through the return air channel 210, and the technical problem that the area of the refrigerating chamber 120 close to the return air channel 210 is supercooled, and refrigerated articles are frozen is solved.

It should be noted that the refrigerator further includes a door. For example, in the embodiment of the present utility model, the refrigerator is a side-by-side refrigerator, that is, the refrigerator door includes a side-by-side type freezing chamber door and a refrigerating chamber door.

As an alternative to the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the partition 200 extends in the height direction of the case 100. The partition 200 divides the refrigerator into a freezing chamber 110 and a refrigerating chamber 120 disposed left and right. The flap 300 includes a rotation shaft 310 and a plate body 320 connected to the rotation shaft 310. In general, the flap 300 is a plastic piece and is integrally injection molded. The rotation shaft 310 is pivotally connected to the partition 200. Wherein the rotation shaft 310 is located at an upper side of the plate 320 in the height direction. As shown in fig. 1, when cool air is introduced into the refrigerating compartment 120, the plate 320 is blown open by the air, and rotates upward around the rotation shaft 310 to be inclined with respect to the partition 200; when the refrigerating compartment 120 does not need cooling, the plate 320 rotates around the rotating shaft 310 under the dead weight to the lower side to automatically close the return air outlet 211, so that the cooling air cannot permeate from the freezing compartment 110 into the refrigerating compartment 120 through the return air channel 210. In addition, in the implementation, the size of the plate 320 is specifically set according to the size of the return air outlet 211, so that the return air outlet 211 can be covered when the refrigerating compartment 120 does not need cooling capacity.

As an alternative to the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the partition 200 has a first support shaft hole 231 and a second support shaft hole 232; the first support shaft hole 231 and the second support shaft hole 232 are located at an upper side of the return air outlet 211 in the height direction; as shown in fig. 6, the rotating shaft 310 has a first end 311 and a second end 312 that are disposed opposite to each other, the first end 311 is in a rotating fit with the first support shaft hole 231, and the second end 312 is in a rotating fit with the second support shaft hole 232. The first support shaft hole 231 and the second support shaft hole 232 are respectively rotatably fitted with the first end 311 and the second end 312 opposite to the rotation shaft, so that the flap 300 is rotatably installed at the upper side of the return air outlet 211. In general, the first end 311 and the second end 312 of the rotation shaft 310 are respectively in clearance fit with the first support shaft hole 231 and the second support shaft hole 232, so that the flap 300 is conveniently rotated upwards under the action of wind pressure and rotated downwards under the condition of its own weight.

As an alternative to the above-described embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the rotational shaft 310 includes a first end 311, a body section 313, and a second end 312. The body section 313 is connected to the plate 320. As shown in fig. 5, the partition 200 further has a mounting notch 233 between the first support shaft hole 231 and the second support shaft hole 232. The mounting notch 233 is configured with the first support shaft hole 231 and the second support shaft hole 232 at axially opposite sides of the rotation shaft 310. The mounting notch 233 communicates with the return air outlet 211. The body section 313 is disposed in the mounting notch 233, and the body section 313 is connected to the plate 320. In an embodiment, the first support shaft hole 231 and the second support shaft hole 232 are respectively in rotation fit with the first end 311 and the second end 312 opposite to the rotating shaft, and the body section 313 is installed in the installation notch 233. The mounting notch 233 provides mounting relief for the body section 313.

As an alternative to the above embodiment, the return air duct 210 penetrates the partition 200 in the thickness direction of the partition 200. As shown in fig. 1 to 4, in the embodiment, the return air duct 210 has a return air inlet 212 disposed opposite to the return air outlet 211 in the thickness direction, and the return air inlet 212 is located at one side of the refrigerating compartment 120. The return air duct 210 extends from the return air inlet 212 to the return air outlet 211 in the thickness direction. The return air duct 210 penetrates the partition plate 200 in the thickness direction of the partition plate 200 so that the flow resistance of air is small when the air circulation is established between the refrigerating compartment 120 and the freezing compartment 110.

As an alternative implementation of the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 to 4, the partition 200 further has a blowing passage 220, and the blowing passage 220 is used to communicate the freezing chamber 110 and the refrigerating chamber 120; the air supply duct 220 is located at an upper side of the return air duct 210 in a height direction of the cabinet 100. The air supply channel 220 is located at the upper side of the return air channel 210, and when the refrigerating chamber 120 needs cold energy, cold air enters the refrigerating chamber 120 from the upper part of the refrigerating chamber 120; the cool air flows from the top down, can flow to various areas within the refrigerator compartment 120, and then flows from the return air duct 210 to the freezer compartment 110 to establish circulation.

Further, as shown in fig. 1 to 4, in the embodiment, the air supply duct 220 has an air supply outlet 222 and an air supply inlet 221 disposed opposite to each other in the thickness direction, the air supply inlet 221 is located at one side of the freezing chamber 110, and the air supply outlet 222 is located at one side of the refrigerating chamber 120. The air flow path 220 extends from the air flow inlet 221 to the air flow outlet 222 in the thickness direction. The air supply passage 220 penetrates the partition plate 200 in the thickness direction of the partition plate 200 so that the flow resistance of air is small when the refrigerating chamber 120 and the freezing chamber 110 establish air circulation.

As an alternative to the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the refrigerator further includes a damper 400; the damper 400 is rotatably coupled to the partition 200 and disposed corresponding to the air supply passage 220, and is configured to have a first state of opening the air supply passage 220 and a second state of closing the air supply passage 220. When the refrigerating compartment 120 requires cold, the damper 400 opens the air supply passage 220, and cold air is introduced into the refrigerating compartment 120 from the inside of the freezing compartment 110 through the air supply passage 220. When the refrigerating compartment 120 does not require cold, the damper 400 closes the supply passage 220. In an embodiment, the damper 400 may be rotatably disposed in the air supply duct 220, at the air supply inlet 221, or at the air supply outlet 222. Typically, the damper 400 is disposed at the supply air outlet 222, i.e., the damper 400 is disposed on one side of the fresh food compartment 120.

As an alternative implementation of the above embodiment, the refrigerator further includes a driving member 500, and the driving member 500 is mounted on the partition 200; the driving part 500 is configured to drive the damper 400 to open the air supply passage 220 and to close the air supply passage 220. In an embodiment, the partition 200 is provided with a mounting groove 242 for mounting the driving member 500, and a third support shaft hole 241 for supporting the damper 400, which is disposed adjacent to the mounting groove 242. As shown in fig. 6, the damper 400 includes a damper body 410 and a damper shaft 420. As shown in fig. 5, the damper shaft 420 is inserted into the third support shaft hole 241 and connected to the driving member 500 in the mounting groove 242. The damper body 410 is disposed in the air supply duct 220, such as inside the air supply duct 220, at the air supply outlet 222 or at the air supply inlet 221. Generally, the driver 500 includes at least a motor. The driving member 500 drives the damper shaft 420 to rotate to drive the damper body 410 to rotate, so as to drive the damper 400 to open the air supply channel 220 and close the air supply channel 220.

As an alternative implementation of the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the air supply duct 220 has an air supply inlet 221 and an air supply outlet 222 that are disposed opposite to each other, the air supply inlet 221 is disposed at one side of the freezing chamber 110, and the air supply outlet 222 is disposed at one side of the refrigerating chamber 120. Namely: for convenience in installation of the damper 400 and the driving member 500, the damper 400 is disposed corresponding to the air supply outlet 222, that is, the damper 400 is disposed at the air supply outlet 222; the damper 400 is configured to have a first state of opening the air supply outlet 222 to open the air supply passage 220 and a second state of closing the air supply outlet 222 to close the air supply passage 220. The size of the damper body 410 is specifically set according to the size of the air supply outlet 222. When the refrigerating chamber 120 needs to be refrigerated, the driving member 500 drives the damper shaft 420 to rotate, and drives the damper body 410 to open the air supply outlet 222, and cold air in the freezing chamber 110 enters the refrigerating chamber 120 through the air supply channel 220; when the refrigerating chamber 120 does not need to be refrigerated, the driving member 500 drives the damper shaft 420 to rotate, and drives the damper body 410 to close the air supply outlet 222, so that the cold air in the freezing chamber 110 is blocked by the damper body 410 and cannot enter the refrigerating chamber 120 through the air supply channel 220.

As an alternative implementation of the above embodiment, the refrigerator further includes a blower 600 disposed in the freezing compartment 110 for introducing cool air in the freezing compartment 110 into the refrigerating compartment 120 at the time of starting up to establish air circulation between the freezing compartment 110 and the refrigerating compartment 120. The refrigerator of the embodiment of the utility model can be a side-by-side refrigerator with a single refrigerating system. The single refrigeration system includes a blower fan 600, an evaporator 700, and a compressor, which are disposed in the freezing chamber 110. The single refrigeration system may employ conventional arrangements of prior art chapters. The refrigerator has a first operating mode in which the refrigerating compartment 120 and the freezing compartment 110 are partitioned, and a second operating mode in which the refrigerating compartment 120 and the freezing compartment 110 are communicated. The first working condition may be a working condition that the freezing chamber 110 is independently refrigerated, at this time, the fan 600 is operated, the damper 400 is closed, and the compressor is operated; the working conditions of no cooling capacity of the freezing chamber 110 and the refrigerating chamber 120 can be adopted, and the fan 600 stops running and the compressor stops running at the moment; in the first working condition, the refrigerator has no forced convection refrigeration air circulation inside, and the flap 300 closes the return air outlet 211 by means of gravity. The second working condition may be a working condition that the refrigerating chamber 120 is independently refrigerated, at this time, the fan 600 is operated, the damper 400 is opened, and the compressor is stopped; the second working condition may be the working condition that the freezing chamber 110 and the refrigerating chamber 120 are both refrigerated, at this time, the fan 600 is operated, the air door 400 is opened, the compressor is operated, at this time, the flap 300 overcomes the gravity of the flap 300 by means of the air pressure difference generated on both sides, the flap 300 is driven to turn over to one side of the freezing chamber 110, the return air outlet 211 is opened, and the refrigerating chamber 120 and the freezing chamber 110 are connected by establishing an air circulation loop, so as to refrigerate the refrigerating chamber 120.

Further, the refrigerator further includes a control system for controlling the rotation of the damper 400, the start and stop of the blower 600, and the start and stop of the compressor.

The refrigerator provided by the embodiment of the utility model is described in detail, and specific examples are applied to illustrate the principle and the implementation of the utility model, and the description of the above embodiments is only used for helping to understand the method and the core idea of the utility model; meanwhile, as those skilled in the art will have variations in the specific embodiments and application scope in light of the ideas of the present utility model, the present description should not be construed as limiting the present utility model.

Claims (10)

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a case;

the partition plate is arranged in the box body and divides the internal space of the box body into a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber; the partition plate is provided with a return air channel which is used for communicating the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber; the return air channel is provided with a return air outlet positioned at one side of the freezing chamber; and

the turning plate is rotationally connected with the partition plate and is arranged corresponding to the return air outlet; the flap is configured to close the return air outlet to close the return air passage based on its own weight when cold air of the freezing compartment is not introduced into the refrigerating compartment, and to open the return air outlet to open the return air passage when cold air of the freezing compartment is introduced into the refrigerating compartment.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the partition extends in a height direction of the cabinet;

the turning plate comprises a rotating shaft and a plate body connected with the rotating shaft; the rotating shaft is pivoted with the partition board; wherein, in the height direction, the rotation axis is located at an upper side of the plate body.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the partition plate has a first support shaft hole and a second support shaft hole; the first support shaft hole and the second support shaft hole are positioned on the upper side of the return air outlet in the height direction;

the rotating shaft is provided with a first end and a second end which are oppositely arranged, the first end is in running fit with the first supporting shaft hole, and the second end is in running fit with the second supporting shaft hole.

4. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the partition plate further has a mounting notch between the first support shaft hole and the second support shaft hole; the installation notch is communicated with the return air outlet;

the rotating shaft has a body section at the first end and the second end; the body section is arranged in the mounting notch, and the body section is connected with the plate body.

5. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the return air passage penetrates the partition plate in a thickness direction thereof.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the partition plate further has an air supply passage for communicating the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber; the air supply channel is positioned on the upper side of the return air channel in the height direction of the box body.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, further comprising a damper; the air door is rotatably connected to the partition board and is arranged corresponding to the air supply channel and is configured to have a first state of opening the air supply channel and a second state of closing the air supply channel.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, further comprising a driving member mounted to the partition; the driving piece is configured to drive the air door to open the air supply channel and close the air supply channel.

9. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the air supply passage has an air supply inlet and an air supply outlet which are disposed opposite to each other, the air supply inlet being disposed at one side of the freezing chamber, the air supply outlet being disposed at one side of the refrigerating chamber; wherein the air door is arranged corresponding to the air supply outlet;

the damper is configured to have a first state of opening the air supply outlet to open the air supply passage and a second state of closing the air supply outlet to close the air supply passage.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a blower disposed within the freezer compartment for introducing cool air within the freezer compartment into the refrigerator compartment at start-up to establish air circulation between the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment.