WO2017211073A1

WO2017211073A1 - Centrifugal fan and refrigerator having same

Info

Publication number: WO2017211073A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/113937
Authority: WO
Inventors: 程学丽; 费斌; 刘建如
Original assignee: 青岛海尔股份有限公司
Priority date: 2016-06-06
Filing date: 2016-12-30
Publication date: 2017-12-14
Also published as: CN106089757B; CN106089757A

Abstract

A centrifugal fan and a refrigerator having same. A centrifugal fan (100) comprises a housing (20) that has a bottom housing part (21), a periphery wall part (22), and a cover part (23). An air inlet is formed in the cover part (23). A plurality of air outlets is formed in the periphery wall part (22). A centrifugal impeller (30) is disposed in the housing (20) and is configured to enable an airflow to flow into the housing (20) from the air inlet and flow out of the housing (20) through one or more of the plurality of air outlets. An adjusting part (40) is provided with one or more shielding parts (41). The adjusting part (40) is rotatably disposed in the housing (20) and is used for enabling the one or more shielding parts (41) to fully shield, partially shield, or fully expose each air outlet at different rotation positions, so that the respective air outlet areas of the plurality of air outlets are adjusted. A motor (50) is disposed in the housing (20). A transmission mechanism (60) is disposed in the housing (20) and is configured to transmit rotary motion output by the motor (50) to the adjusting part (40). The centrifugal fan is capable of reasonably supplying air in multiple directions simultaneously.

Description

Centrifugal fan and refrigerator having the same

Technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of fan air supply, in particular to a centrifugal fan and a refrigerator having the same.

Background technique

The existing centrifugal fan is only provided with one air outlet. When it is required to supply air to two or more different directions or multiple positions, it is necessary to set a plurality of fans or add external connectors matched with the fan to be able to meet different directions or The need to supply air in multiple locations. This causes an increase in cost, and in some special occasions, it is impossible to set a plurality of fans due to space constraints, which may affect production or use. In addition, the provision of external joints not only increases the cost but also greatly increases the air supply resistance, so that the air volume is reduced. The air supply efficiency is low.

Moreover, in the field of air-cooled refrigerator technology, the freshness preservation performance of food depends to a large extent on the air circulation in the storage compartment of the air-cooled refrigerator and the temperature difference between various parts in the tank. The airflow in the box is reasonable, and the smaller the temperature difference, the better the freshness preservation performance of the refrigerator. The key to determining whether the airflow circulation of the refrigerator is reasonable is whether it can supply air to multiple places in the storage room and control the amount of air supplied to each place. The existing centrifugal fan can not meet the demand of the refrigerator at all, that is, the existing one. No centrifugal fan is used to supply air in the refrigerator. How to apply the centrifugal fan to the refrigerator field is also an urgent problem to be solved in the air-cooled refrigerator.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the first aspect of the present invention to overcome at least one of the deficiencies of prior centrifugal fans, and to provide a novel centrifugal fan that is capable of not only delivering air to a plurality of locations or directions, but is also capable of adjusting each The amount of air supplied to the air outlet.

A further object of the first aspect of the invention is that the centrifugal fan has a reasonable structural layout and a compact structure.

Another further object of the first aspect of the present invention is to provide a smooth flow of the centrifugal fan with low noise.

An object of the second aspect of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having the above centrifugal fan.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the invention provides a centrifugal fan comprising:

a housing having a bottom shell portion, a peripheral wall portion and a cover portion, the cover portion is provided with an air inlet opening, and the peripheral wall portion is provided with a plurality of air outlets;

a centrifugal impeller disposed in the housing, configured to cause airflow from the air inlet to the housing and out of the housing via one or more of the plurality of air outlets;

An adjustment member having one or more shielding portions rotatably disposed in the housing to cause the one or more shielding portions to each of the air outlets at different rotational positions Performing full shielding, partial shielding or full exposure to adjust the respective outlet areas of the plurality of air outlets;

a motor disposed within the housing; and

A transmission mechanism is disposed in the housing and configured to transmit a rotational motion of the output of the motor to the adjustment member.

Optionally, the adjusting member further includes a rotating portion, the rotating portion is annular or arc-shaped, and the rotating portion is rotatably mounted to the housing, the one or more A shielding portion extends from the slewing portion along an axis of the slewing portion.

Optionally, the transmission mechanism comprises:

a gear mounted on an output shaft of the motor; and

The rack meshing with the gear has an annular shape or an arc shape, and the upper teeth are located inside thereof and are disposed coaxially with the slewing portion.

Optionally, the swivel portion includes a turntable, and a rib extending from a surface of the turntable facing away from the shielding portion;

The inner surface of the bottom shell portion has a groove, and an outer peripheral surface of the rib contacts or abuts against a side wall of the groove;

The rack includes the ribs of the slewing portion, and a plurality of teeth extending from an inner circumferential surface of the ribs and spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the ribs; or The rack is independent and mounted to the rib;

The motor is mounted to the cover.

Optionally, the centrifugal fan further includes:

a collecting plate disposed in the housing;

The centrifugal impeller and the plurality of air outlets are located on the same side of the collecting plate, and the collecting plate is configured to cause an airflow flowing out of the centrifugal impeller to flow to the plurality of air outlets;

The centrifugal impeller and the electric machine are located on both sides of the collecting plate.

Optionally, the centrifugal fan further includes:

A flow dividing device disposed in the housing is configured to guide an air flow out of the centrifugal impeller and to cause a flow of air flowing out of the centrifugal impeller to flow to each of the air outlets at a predetermined ratio.

Optionally, the flow dividing device comprises a plurality of baffles, each of the baffles being configured to flow an airflow flowing out of the centrifugal impeller from two sides of the baffle to two adjacent ones of the air outlets .

Optionally, the centrifugal impeller is mounted to the bottom casing portion;

Each of the baffle and the collecting plate extends from the cover portion toward the bottom case portion.

Optionally, each of the shielding portions is a shielding plate;

One end of each of the baffles adjacent to the peripheral wall portion is spaced apart from the peripheral wall portion to define a yielding passage that allows the adjustment member to rotate;

Both ends of the collecting plate are spaced apart from the peripheral wall portion to define a retaining passage that allows the adjusting member to rotate.

Optionally, the adjusting member further includes at least one circulation portion, the shielding plate and the circulation portion are sequentially disposed along a circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion, and the one or more shielding plates and the at least one The circulation portion encloses a cylindrical structure, and each of the circulation portions is provided with one or more circulation holes;

The adjustment member is further configured to cause airflow into the partially shielded or fully exposed air outlet via the flow aperture in the at least one flow portion as it rotates to a different rotational position.

Optionally, the peripheral wall portion has a cylindrical shape;

The axis of rotation of the centrifugal impeller is parallel and spaced apart from the axis of the peripheral wall portion to bias the centrifugal impeller within the housing;

The collecting plate is a curved plate that is arched away from the centrifugal impeller.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a refrigerator comprising:

a duct assembly comprising a cold air inlet and a plurality of cold air outlets;

Any one of the centrifugal fans disposed in the air duct assembly, wherein an air inlet of the centrifugal fan communicates with the cold air inlet, and each air outlet of the centrifugal fan communicates with at least one of the plurality of cold air outlets One.

Since the centrifugal fan of the present invention has a plurality of air outlets, the plurality of air outlets can be controllably shielded by the rotation of the adjusting member, so that the air can be blown to multiple directions/multiple places at the same time, and the wind direction can be /The air supply place is selected and the air volume of each air outlet is adjusted to achieve reasonable air supply. Since the refrigerator of the present invention has the centrifugal fan, it is possible to reasonably divide the cold air according to the cooling demand of different storage rooms or the cooling demand at different positions of a storage room. Matching, enhance the freshness preservation performance and operating efficiency of the refrigerator.

Further, due to the special design of the centrifugal impeller, the motor for driving the adjusting member, the adjusting member and the transmission mechanism in the centrifugal fan of the present invention, the centrifugal fan can be arranged in a reasonable layout, compact in structure and beautiful in appearance.

Further, since the centrifugal fan of the present invention has a collecting plate and a deflector, the air blowing smoothness can be improved, the air blowing noise can be reduced, and the air volume flowing to each air outlet can be pre-allocated to be more precise. The amount of air leading to each air outlet is quantified and then adjusted using an adjustment member.

The above as well as other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the <

DRAWINGS

Some specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below by way of example, and not limitation. The same reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar parts. Those skilled in the art should understand that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the figure:

1 is a schematic structural view of a centrifugal fan 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic exploded view of a centrifugal fan 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic exploded view of another perspective view of the centrifugal fan 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

4 to 11 respectively show schematic structural views of the centrifugal fan 100 when the adjusting member 40 is at different rotational positions in the centrifugal fan 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 12 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 13 is a schematic structural view of a duct assembly 300 in which a centrifugal fan 100 is mounted to a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

1 is a schematic structural view of a centrifugal fan 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic exploded views of a centrifugal fan 100, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a centrifugal fan 100. The centrifugal fan 100 can include a housing 20, a centrifugal impeller 30, an adjustment member 40, a motor 50, and a transmission mechanism 60.

The housing 20 may have a bottom case portion 21, a peripheral wall portion 22, and a cover portion 23. Specifically, the bottom case portion 21 may be a circular bottom plate, the peripheral wall portion 22 may have a cylindrical shape, and the cover portion 23 may be a cover plate. The peripheral wall portion 22 can be integrally formed with the lid portion 23, that is, the peripheral wall portion 22 extends from the cover plate toward the bottom plate. Bottom portion 21 The clip extending toward the lid portion 23 at its edge is engaged in the card hole on the outer side surface of the peripheral wall portion 22. An air inlet is opened in the cover portion 23, and a plurality of air outlets are opened in the peripheral wall portion 22. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of air outlets may be three, such as the first air outlet 221, the second air outlet 222, and the third air outlet 223. In some other embodiments, the plurality of air outlets It can also be 2, 4, 5, etc.

The centrifugal impeller 30 can be disposed within the housing 20 and configured to cause airflow to flow from the air inlet into the housing 20 and out of the housing 20 via one or more of the plurality of air outlets. Specifically, the centrifugal impeller 30 may be mounted to the inner side surface of the bottom case portion 21. The axis of rotation of the centrifugal impeller 30 is preferably disposed coaxially with the air inlet. The motor that drives the rotation of the centrifugal impeller 30 may be located at the rotating shaft of the centrifugal impeller 30, or may be located outside the casing 20, or may be mounted in the motor receiving hole formed in the bottom casing portion 21.

The adjustment member 40 can have one or more shielding portions 41. For example, the shielding portion 41 is preferably a shielding plate that is disposed coaxially with the peripheral wall. When there are a plurality of shielding portions 41, they are sequentially spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22. The adjusting member 40 is rotatably disposed in the housing 20 to completely or partially expose each of the air outlets at one of the different rotating positions to adjust the plurality of air outlets. The respective outlet area. That is, the adjustment member 40 can be configured to be controlled to rotate about the axis of the peripheral wall portion 22 to different rotational positions to completely shield, partially shield or completely expose each of the air outlets, thereby adjusting the respective plurality of air outlets. The area of the wind.

In particular, the motor 50 and the transmission mechanism 60 that drive the adjustment member 40 are also disposed in the housing 20. The transmission mechanism 60 is configured to transmit rotational motion of the output of the motor 50 to the adjustment member 40.

Since the centrifugal fan 100 in the embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of air outlets, it is possible to output airflow in a plurality of directions or a plurality of places. Moreover, the adjusting member 40 can controllably distribute the cold air flowing in from the air inlet to the plurality of air outlets, and can control the opening and closing of the air outlet ducts connected to each air outlet and/or for each air outlet duct. The blast air volume is adjusted, when applied to the refrigerator, to further meet the cooling demand of the different storage compartments 200, or the cooling demand at a different location of the storage compartment 200, or a storage compartment 200 The cooling capacity of different storage spaces within. The special arrangement position of the motor 50 and the transmission mechanism 60 can also make the layout of the centrifugal fan 100 more reasonable and the structure is more compact, and the internal space of the casing 20 can be fully utilized.

Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, the adjusting member 40 further includes a swivel portion 42 having an annular shape or an arc shape, and the swivel portion 42 is rotatably mounted to the housing 20, one Or a plurality of shielding portions 41 extend from the seat portion 42 along the axis of the seat portion 42. Preferably, the swivel portion 42 has an annular shape including a turntable and a rib extending from a surface of the turntable facing away from the shielding portion 41. Enter In one step, the inner surface of the bottom case portion 21 may have a groove, and the outer peripheral surface of the rib may contact or abut against the side wall of the groove to facilitate the rotation of the adjusting member 40. Of course, a bearing may be disposed between the rib of the adjusting member 40 and the side wall of the recess.

The transmission mechanism 60 includes a gear 61 and a rack 62 that meshes with the gear 61. The gear 61 is mounted on the output shaft of the motor 50. The rack 62 may have an annular shape or an arc shape, and the upper teeth are located inside thereof, and are disposed coaxially with the slewing portion 42 on the slewing portion 42. Preferably, the rack 62 is annular, that is, the rack 62 can also be referred to as a ring gear. Further, the motor 50 can be mounted on the cover portion 23 of the housing 20, for example, a motor housing portion extending from the inner side of the cover portion 23 toward the bottom housing portion 21 and extending out of the housing 50 of the motor 50, the motor 50 being mounted in the motor housing cavity The cover portion 23 also has a through hole for allowing the wires of the motor 50 to pass therethrough.

In order to facilitate the installation and simplification of the structure of the centrifugal fan 100, the rack 62 includes ribs of the slewing portion 42, and a plurality of teeth extending in the circumferential direction of the ribs extending inwardly from the inner circumferential surface of the rib. That is, the rack 62 is integrally formed with the slewing portion 42, for example, injection molding or the like. In some alternative embodiments, the rack 62 can also be self-contained and mounted to the ribs. In some alternative embodiments of the invention, the swivel portion 42 may only include a turntable that is slightly thicker. The outer peripheral surface of the turntable can come into contact with the groove on the bottom case portion 21. The inner peripheral surface of the turntable may have teeth to form a rack.

In this embodiment of the invention, the motor 50 is disposed radially inward of the swivel portion 42. The transmission mechanism 60 is configured to decelerately transmit the rotational motion output by the motor 50 to the adjustment member 40. In this embodiment, the inventors have proposed to use the transmission mechanism 60 to weaken the sloshing effect of the output shaft of the motor 50 to make the indexing of the adjustment member 40 accurate. The deceleration and torsion function of the transmission mechanism 60 also eliminates the jamming phenomenon of the motor 50. Moreover, the special position of the motor 50 can reduce the overall thickness of the centrifugal fan 100 and save space for use in the refrigerator. The specially configured swivel portion 42 also allows for smoother movement of the adjustment member 40 in the centrifugal motor 50.

In some embodiments, the motor 50 that drives the adjustment member 40 can be a stepper motor, especially a DC stepper motor. The predetermined reduction ratio may range from 5 to 10. For example, the reduction ratio is 8, and the angle at which the adjustment member 40 continues to rotate when the motor 50 is rotated to the predetermined position is less than or equal to the first preset value (eg, 0.2°). When the motor 50 is turned to the predetermined position to stop, the gear 61 on the output shaft of the motor 50 and the output shaft of the motor 50 may continue to rotate due to the inertia, and the adjustment member 40 is driven to continue to rotate, assuming that the motor 50 outputs the gear 61 and the motor on the shaft. 50 The output shaft can continue to rotate at an angle of less than or equal to 1°, then the motion has a predetermined reduction ratio (such as a predetermined reduction ratio) After being transmitted to the end gear 61 and the adjusting member 40 fixed to the end gear 61 by the transmission mechanism 60 of 8), the end gear 61 and the adjusting member 40 may continue to rotate at an angle of 0.125°, which greatly improves the adjusting member. 40 rotation accuracy.

In some embodiments of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the centrifugal fan 100 may further include a flow collecting plate 70. The flow plate 70 can be disposed within the housing 20. The centrifugal impeller 30 and the plurality of air outlets are located on the same side of the collecting plate 70. The flow plate 70 is configured to cause the flow of air flowing out of the centrifugal impeller 30 to flow to a plurality of air outlets.

In order to further improve the air blowing efficiency, the rotation axis of the centrifugal impeller 30 is disposed in parallel with and spaced apart from the axis of the peripheral wall portion 22 to bias the centrifugal impeller 30 into the casing 20. The collecting plate 70 is a curved plate that is arched away from the centrifugal impeller 30. For example, the collecting plate 70 may be a circular arc plate, an involute plate or a volute plate. In order to more rationally utilize the space inside the casing 20 and prevent the motor 50 that drives the movement of the adjusting member 40 from affecting the air flow, the centrifugal impeller 30 and the motor 50 are located on both sides of the collecting plate 70.

In some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the centrifugal fan 100 further includes a flow dividing device disposed in the housing 20, configured to guide the airflow flowing out of the centrifugal impeller 30, and to cause the airflow flowing out of the centrifugal impeller 30 to be predetermined. The ratio flows to each air outlet. In this embodiment, the flow dividing device and the adjusting member 40 cooperatively control the shunting air blowing device to utilize the shunting function of the shunting device and the function of the control member 40 to controllably shield the plurality of air outlets, thereby realizing The selection of the air outlet and the adjustment of the air volume of each air outlet can adjust the working state and air volume of each air outlet; if applied in a refrigerator, the refrigerator can be adapted according to the cooling capacity of different storage compartments 200 or The cold demand at different locations of a storage compartment 200 provides precise flow distribution and flow control of the cold air.

Specifically, the flow dividing device includes a plurality of baffles, each of which is configured to flow airflow out of the centrifugal impeller 30 from both sides of the baffle to two adjacent air outlets. Each of the baffles and the collecting plates 70 extends from the cover portion 23 toward the bottom case portion 21. One end of each of the baffles adjacent to the peripheral wall portion 22 is spaced from the peripheral wall portion 22 to define a yielding passage that allows the adjustment member 40 to rotate. Both ends of the flow collecting plate 70 are spaced apart from the peripheral wall portion 22 to define a retaining passage that allows the adjusting member 40 to rotate to facilitate the rotation of the adjusting member 40.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the number of air outlets is three, and the three air outlets are a first air outlet 221, a second air outlet 222, and a third air outlet 223, respectively, along the peripheral wall portion 22. The circumferential direction is set at intervals. Each of the air outlets forms a central angle of projection on the bottom casing portion 21 of about 35 to 55 degrees.

The rotation axis of the centrifugal impeller 30 and the two end edges of the plurality of air outlets (the first air outlet 221 The angle between the junctions of the side of the third air outlet 223 away from the second air outlet 222 is 110° to 140°. The distance between the rotation axis of the centrifugal impeller 30 and the one end edge of the plurality of air outlets (the side of the first air outlet 221 away from the second air outlet 222), and the rotation axis of the centrifugal impeller 30 and the plurality of air outlets The ratio between the distances between the other end edges (the side of the third air outlet 223 that is away from the second air outlet 222) is 5/12 to 5/8. One end of the collecting plate 70 may be directed to a side of the third air outlet 223 away from the first air outlet 221, and the other end is adjacent to a side of the centrifugal impeller 30 remote from the plurality of air outlets.

The deflector can be provided with two, which are a first baffle 81 and a second baffle 82, respectively. The first baffle 81 is configured to flow the first air outlet 221 and the second air outlet 222, and the second baffle 82 is disposed to flow the second air outlet 222 and the third air outlet 223. The plane of the first air deflector 81 on the side of the first air outlet 221 is a plane, and the angle between the plane of the edge of the first air outlet 221 is 65° to 80°; the first deflector 81 is located at an angle of 65° to 80°; The surface on the side of the second air outlet 222 is a curved surface at the inlet of the air flow, and the flow guiding surface is a flat surface; the angle between the two planes on both sides of the first baffle 81 is 5° to 20°. The surface of the second baffle 82 on the side of the second air outlet 222 is a plane, and the surface of the second baffle 82 on the side of the third air outlet 223 is also a plane, and the two planes of the second baffle 82 are The angle between the two is 3° to 18°. The angle between the plane of the first air deflector 81 on the side of the second air outlet 222 and the plane of the second air deflector 82 on the side of the second air outlet 222 is 15° to 35°, so that the channel along the channel The airflow is tapered. The length of the second deflector 82 may be 3.5 to 4 times the length of the first deflector 81. The first baffle 81, the second baffle 82, the peripheral wall portion 22, and the collecting plate 70 can limit the air volume ratio of the first air outlet 221, the second air outlet 222, and the third air outlet 223 to about 65: %: 25%: 10%, which accurately quantifies the outlet of each air outlet.

In some embodiments of the present invention, when the centrifugal fan 100 is installed in the refrigerator, condensed water is easily generated in the centrifugal fan 100. Generally, when the centrifugal fan 100 is installed in the refrigerator, the axis of the centrifugal fan 100 extends in the horizontal direction, and the water outlet hole 231 is opened in the cover portion 23 of the centrifugal fan 100 to facilitate the discharge of the condensed water. The water outlet hole 231 is preferably disposed in the poly. The place where the flow plate 70 and the lid portion 23 meet.

In some further embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the adjusting member 40 further includes at least one flow-through portion 43 which is sequentially disposed in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22, and The one or more shielding portions 41 and the at least one circulation portion 43 enclose a cylindrical structure, and each of the circulation portions 43 is provided with one or a plurality of flow holes 433. The adjustment member 40 is also configured to cause airflow into the partially shielded or fully exposed air outlet via the flow aperture 433 in the at least one flow portion 43 as it is rotated to a different rotational position.

In some embodiments of the invention, each of the shutter portion 41 and the flow-through portion 43 are preferentially disposed at an outer edge of the swivel portion 42. When the seat portion 42 is rotated about the axis of the peripheral wall portion 22, the outer side surface of each of the shielding portions 41 can be always sealed and attached to the inner side surface of the peripheral wall portion 22, so that the shutter can be controlled to open at different rotational positions or Close one or more air outlets. In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, in order to facilitate the rotation of the adjustment member 40, it may be solved by slightly increasing the distance between each of the shielding portions 41 and the peripheral wall portion 22, however, in the shielding portion 41 and the peripheral wall portion 22 In the case where the distance between them is increased, it is not possible to provide a completely effective shielding, and the airflow can flow from one air outlet to the other through the gap between the shielding portion 41 and the peripheral wall portion 22. Therefore, a gasket can be provided at both ends of the outer side surface of each of the shielding portions 41 in the rotational direction thereof. A gasket may also be provided between every two adjacent flow holes 433 on each of the circulation portions 43.

Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first air outlet 221, the second air outlet 222, and the third air outlet 223 may be in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22 and may be in a counterclockwise direction (from The lid portions 23 are arranged in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in the bottom case portion 21, and are sequentially disposed at intervals. The number of the shielding portion 41 and the flow portion 43 is two. The two shielding portions 41 include a first shielding portion 411 and a second shielding portion 412. The two flow portions 43 include a first flow portion 431 and a second flow portion 432 which are sequentially spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22 and in the clockwise direction. The first shielding portion 411 is configured to allow it to completely obscure an air outlet. The second shielding portion 412 is configured to allow it to at least completely shield the two air outlets, for example, the second shielding portion 412 can at least completely shield the three air outlets. One flow hole 433 is opened in the first flow portion 431, and three flow holes 433 are provided in the second flow portion 432 at intervals in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22, and each of the flow holes 433 is configured to allow it to be completely exposed. An air outlet, and three flow holes 433 on the second flow portion 432 are configured to allow them to completely expose the three air outlets.

When the centrifugal fan 100 is in operation, when the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 4, the three flow holes 433 on the second circulation portion can make the first air outlet 221 and the second Both the air outlet 222 and the third air outlet 223 are in an open state. When the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 5, the second shielding portion 412 can completely shield the second air outlet 222 and the third air outlet 223, and the second air distribution portion 432 The flow hole 433 allows the first air outlet 221 to be in a fully exposed state. When the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 6 , the first shielding portion 411 can completely shield the third air outlet 223 , and the second shielding portion 412 can completely shield the first air outlet 221 . The flow hole 433 in the first circulation portion 431 can make the second air outlet 222 completely exposed. When the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 7, the second shielding portion 412 completely shields the first air outlet 221 and the second air outlet. The port 222, the flow hole 433 in the first circulation portion 431 allows the third air outlet 223 to be in a fully exposed state.

When the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 8 , the second shielding portion 412 can completely shield the third air outlet 223 , and the two flow holes 433 of the second circulation portion 432 can be The first air outlet 221 and the second air outlet 222 are brought into a fully exposed state. When the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 9, the first shielding portion 411 can completely shield only the first air outlet 221, and the two flow holes 433 on the second circulation portion 432. The second air outlet 222 and the third air outlet 223 may be in a fully exposed state. When the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 10, the first shielding portion 411 can completely shield the second air outlet 222, and the circulation hole 433 on the first circulation portion 431 can be made The first air outlet 221 is in a fully exposed state, and a flow hole 433 in the second flow portion 432 allows the third air outlet 223 to be in a fully exposed state. When the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 are rotated to the position shown in FIG. 11, the second shielding portion 412 can completely shield the first air outlet 221, the second air outlet 222, and the third air outlet 223. Of course, the first shielding portion 411 and the second shielding portion 412 can also be rotated to other rotational positions to adjust the air passage and the air volume.

In still other embodiments of the present invention, there is no flow-through portion 43 in the adjustment member 40, and in the case where there is only one shield portion 41, both sides of the shield portion 41 allow airflow therethrough. In the case where the adjustment member 40 has a plurality of shielding portions 41, the interval between each two adjacent shielding portions 41 allows airflow therethrough.

Specifically, in some embodiments, the number of air outlets is three, which are sequentially spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22. The three air outlets include a first air outlet 221, a second air outlet 222, and a third air outlet 223, which are sequentially spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22 and in the counterclockwise direction. The number of the shielding portions 41 is two. The two shielding portions 41 are a first shielding portion and a second shielding portion, respectively. The first obstruction can be configured to allow it to completely obscure an air outlet. The second obstruction can be configured to allow it to completely obscure the two air outlets. The small spacing between the first shielding portion and the second shielding portion may be configured to allow it to completely expose an air outlet, and the large spacing between the first shielding portion and the second shielding portion may be configured to allow it to completely expose the three air outlets . The first shielding portion, the small interval, the second shielding portion, and the large interval may be sequentially disposed in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 22 and may be sequentially spaced in the counterclockwise direction.

When the first shielding portion and the second shielding portion do not cover the air outlet, the first air outlet 221, the second air outlet 222, and the third air outlet 223 are all in an open state, that is, a large interval between the two shielding portions 41. The three air outlets can be opened. When the second shielding portion completely shields the second air outlet 222 And the third air outlet 223, the small interval between the two shielding portions can make the first air outlet 221 in a fully exposed state. When the first shielding portion can completely shield the first air outlet 221, the second shielding portion can completely shield the third air outlet 223, and the small interval between the two shielding portions can make the second air outlet 222 completely exposed. When the second shielding portion can completely shield the first air outlet 221 and the second air outlet 222, the large interval between the two shielding portions can make the third air outlet 223 completely exposed. When the first shielding portion can completely shield the third air outlet 223, the large interval between the two shielding portions, the first air outlet 221 and the second air outlet 222 are in a completely exposed state. When the second shielding portion can only completely shield the first air outlet 221, the large interval between the two shielding portions, the second air outlet 222 and the third air outlet 223 are in a completely exposed state. When the first shielding portion can completely shield the second air outlet 222, the large interval between the two shielding portions can make the first air outlet 221 completely exposed, and the small interval between the two shielding portions can make the third out The tuyere 223 is in a fully exposed state.

12 is a schematic structural view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 13 is a schematic structural view of a duct assembly 300 in which a centrifugal fan 100 is installed in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a refrigerator having one or more storage compartments 200, each of which can also be separated by a shelf/shelf. Multiple storage spaces. Further, the refrigerator is also provided with a duct assembly 300 and the centrifugal fan 100 of any of the above embodiments disposed in the duct assembly 300. The duct assembly 300 can have a cold air inlet and a plurality of cold air outlets 301. The cold air inlet may be in communication with a cooling chamber of the refrigerator to receive the cooled airflow through the cooler in the cooling chamber. The air inlet of the centrifugal fan 100 is in communication with the cold air inlet, and each air outlet of the centrifugal fan 100 communicates with at least one of the plurality of cold air outlets 301, respectively, so that the airflow from the cooling chamber is controlled/distributably into the corresponding cold air outlet. 301.

In some embodiments, the centrifugal fan 100 may have three air outlets, three cold air outlets 301, and three or more storage compartments 200, such as a refrigerator compartment 210, a greenhouse 220, and a freezer compartment. 230 and/or a quick freezing compartment, each of which delivers a cold volume to a storage compartment 200 via a cold air outlet 301. When one storage compartment 200 requires cold air and the other two storage compartments 200 do not require cold air, the two air outlets of the centrifugal fan 100 can be completely shielded, and the other air outlets are fully exposed. Specifically, the refrigerator can control the rotation of the adjusting member 40 according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor in the refrigerator to achieve corresponding control, so that the cold air can be reasonably distributed to the plurality of storage compartments 200, thereby enhancing the fresh-keeping performance of the refrigerator. And operational efficiency.

In other embodiments, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the solid arrows in Figure 12 indicate the flow of airflow within one or more of the storage compartments 200, and the dashed arrows indicate the flow of airflow within the airways. to. The plurality of cold air outlets 301 may communicate with communication holes provided at a plurality of locations of the rear wall of one of the storage compartments 200 (eg, the refrigerating compartments 210) to cause the cold airflow to flow to various locations of the storage compartment 200. For example, the storage compartment 200 includes an upper storage space, a middle storage space, and a lower storage space which are sequentially divided in the vertical direction. The plurality of cold air outlets 301 are divided into an upper cold air outlet, a middle cold air outlet, and a lower cold air outlet. The upper cold air outlet has four cold air outlets 301 (shown in FIG. 13) or two cold air outlets 301 (shown in FIG. 12), and communicates with the upper storage space through respective communication holes. The middle cold air outlet may have two cold air outlets 301 (shown in Figure 13) or one cold air outlet 301 (shown in Figure 12) and communicate with the central storage space through respective communication holes. The lower cold air outlet has a cold air outlet 301 and communicates with the lower storage space through corresponding communication holes. A blower duct is defined within the duct assembly 300.

The air outlets of the centrifugal fan 100 may be three, such as a first air outlet 221, a second air outlet 222, and a third air outlet 223; the first air outlet 221 may pass through a corresponding air supply duct and a middle layer in the air duct assembly 300. Each of the cold air outlets 301 of the cold air outlet communicates to deliver the airflow to the central storage space. The second air outlets 222 may communicate with respective cold air outlets 301 of the upper cold air outlets via respective ones of the air duct assemblies 300 to deliver airflow to the upper storage space. The third air outlet 223 may communicate with each of the cold air outlets 301 of the lower cold air outlet via respective air supply ducts in the air duct assembly 300 to deliver the air flow to the upper storage space.

The refrigerator in this embodiment can control the cold air to flow from the corresponding air outlet duct to the position according to whether the cooling capacity at each position of the refrigerator storage compartment 200 is sufficient, so that the cold air can be reasonably distributed to the storage compartment. 200 different positions enhance the freshness preservation performance and operating efficiency of the refrigerator. The centrifugal fan 100 can adjust the wind direction and the air volume of the air outlet duct, and the cold air outlet 301 where the cold air is needed in the storage compartment 200 of the refrigerator can be closed without cold air. Thereby controlling the constant temperature in the refrigerator, providing an optimal storage environment for the food in the refrigerator, reducing the nutrient loss of the food, and reducing the power consumption of the refrigerator and saving energy.

In this regard, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the <RTIgt;the</RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; The content directly determines or derives many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be understood and construed as covering all such other modifications or modifications.

Claims

A centrifugal fan, comprising:

a housing having a bottom shell portion, a peripheral wall portion and a cover portion, the cover portion is provided with an air inlet opening, and the peripheral wall portion is provided with a plurality of air outlets;

a centrifugal impeller disposed in the housing, configured to cause airflow from the air inlet to the housing and out of the housing via one or more of the plurality of air outlets;

An adjustment member having one or more shielding portions rotatably disposed in the housing to cause the one or more shielding portions to each of the air outlets at different rotational positions Performing full shielding, partial shielding or full exposure to adjust the respective outlet areas of the plurality of air outlets;

a motor disposed within the housing; and

A transmission mechanism is disposed in the housing and configured to transmit a rotational motion of the output of the motor to the adjustment member.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 1, wherein

The adjusting member further includes a rotating portion, the rotating portion is annular or arc-shaped, and the rotating portion is rotatably mounted to the housing, and the one or more shielding portions are The slewing portion extends along the axis of the slewing portion.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 2, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises:

a gear mounted on an output shaft of the motor; and

The rack meshing with the gear has an annular shape or an arc shape, and the upper teeth are located inside thereof and are disposed coaxially with the slewing portion.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 3, characterized in that

The slewing portion includes a turntable, and a rib extending from a surface of the turntable facing away from the shielding portion;

The inner surface of the bottom shell portion has a groove, and an outer peripheral surface of the rib contacts or abuts against a side wall of the groove;

The rack includes the ribs of the slewing portion, and a plurality of teeth extending from an inner circumferential surface of the ribs and spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the ribs; or The rack is independent, Mounted on the rib;

The motor is mounted to the cover.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 1, further comprising:

a collecting plate disposed in the housing;

The centrifugal impeller and the plurality of air outlets are located on the same side of the collecting plate, and the collecting plate is configured to cause an airflow flowing out of the centrifugal impeller to flow to the plurality of air outlets;

The centrifugal impeller and the electric machine are located on both sides of the collecting plate.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 5, further comprising:

A flow dividing device disposed in the housing is configured to guide an air flow out of the centrifugal impeller and to cause a flow of air flowing out of the centrifugal impeller to flow to each of the air outlets at a predetermined ratio.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 6, wherein

The flow dividing device includes a plurality of baffles, each of which is configured to flow an airflow flowing out of the centrifugal impeller from two sides of the baffle to two adjacent ones of the air outlets.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 7, wherein

The centrifugal impeller is mounted to the bottom casing portion;

Each of the baffle and the collecting plate extends from the cover portion toward the bottom case portion.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 7, wherein

Each of the shielding portions is a shielding plate;

One end of each of the baffles adjacent to the peripheral wall portion is spaced apart from the peripheral wall portion to define a yielding passage that allows the adjustment member to rotate;

Both ends of the collecting plate are spaced apart from the peripheral wall portion to define a retaining passage that allows the adjusting member to rotate.
The centrifugal fan according to claim 1, wherein

The adjusting member further includes at least one circulation portion, the shielding plate and the circulation portion are sequentially disposed along a circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion, and the one or more shielding plates are enclosed with the at least one circulation portion a tubular structure, one or more flow holes are formed in each of the circulation portions;

The adjustment member is further configured to cause airflow into the partially shielded or fully exposed air outlet via the flow aperture in the at least one flow portion as it rotates to a different rotational position.
A centrifugal fan according to claim 5, wherein

The peripheral wall portion has a cylindrical shape;

The axis of rotation of the centrifugal impeller is parallel and spaced apart from the axis of the peripheral wall portion to bias the centrifugal impeller within the housing;

The collecting plate is a curved plate that is arched away from the centrifugal impeller.
A refrigerator, comprising:

a duct assembly comprising a cold air inlet and a plurality of cold air outlets;

The centrifugal fan of claim 1 is disposed in the air duct assembly, and an air inlet of the centrifugal fan is connected to the cold air inlet, and each air outlet of the centrifugal fan is respectively connected to the plurality of cold air outlets. At least one of them.