US20080314066A1

US20080314066A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: US20080314066A1
Application number: US11/795,735
Authority: US
Inventors: Zhichun Zhang; Dongning Wang; Binhou Wang; Guihong Sun
Original assignee: Haier Group Corp; Qingdao Haier Co Ltd
Current assignee: Haier Group Corp; Qingdao Haier Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-01-21
Filing date: 2005-07-18
Publication date: 2008-12-25
Also published as: WO2006076837A1

Abstract

The present invention discloses a refrigerator including a refrigeration chamber which comprises an upper wall, a lower wall, two side walls and a rear wall connected to the upper wall, the lower wall and two side walls to form a receiving container surroundingly. The refrigeration chamber is provided therein with a baffle which has a distance of 0 to 10 mm from the rear wall of the refrigeration chamber. As the refrigerating chamber is provided with the baffle, vegetable and fruit etc. can be prevented from frostbiting due to directly contacting with the rear wall of the refrigeration chamber, and the temperature in the refrigeration chamber can be kept even.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and particularly to a refrigerator comprising a refrigerating chamber that is capable of effectively preserve fruits and vegetables.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator is attached with an evaporator, the rear wall may have a temperature as low as 10 Celsius degrees below zero. Moreover, since the evaporator is directly attached to the rear wall, cooling progresses from the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber; meanwhile, warmer air will inevitably enter into the refrigerating chamber when opening and then closing the door of the refrigerator. Therefore, the temperature at the place near the door is usually relatively high, and there is a relatively large temperature gradient in the refrigerating chamber. Thus, vegetables or fruits are usually pushed towards the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber so as to be kept near the rear wall. However, these vegetables or fruits will suffer from frostbite or even be frozen together with the rear wall, if they get too close to or directly contact the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber, which is disadvantageous to preserve nutrition within the kept vegetables or fruits, and tends to blemish the interior of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator. Besides, if too much food is put inside, the temperature gradient in the refrigerating chamber will be further developed, which is again disadvantageous for a good preserve of these vegetables or fruits.
To solve the above problems, a protective grating with a certain height is arranged in front of the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber of the refrigerator, so as to space vegetables or fruits from the rear wall by a certain distance. However, since this protective grating takes the form of fencing, it may only prevent fruits from contact the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber. With respect to vegetables with leaves, since leaves or stems thereof may easily go through the openings of the grating and directly contact the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber, thus they will suffer from frostbite or even getting stuck on the rear wall, and the effect of the protective grating is not as good as desired. Besides, the provision of the protective grating within the refrigerating chamber is not helpful to reduce the temperature gradient in the refrigerating chamber, and the temperature at the place near the door of the refrigerator remains higher than that around the rear wall. To be specific, when the evaporator attached to the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber is operating, the cool caused by the evaporator will spread to the storage chamber freely and quickly. In this case, the temperature of the region near the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber will drop quickly, while the temperature of the region of the refrigerating chamber away from the rear wall (for example, the region near the door of the refrigerator) will drop slowly due to convection. Therefore, a relatively great temperature gradient will occur in the refrigerating chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with a refrigerating chamber in which fruits and vegetables may be effectively preserved.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator with a refrigerating chamber with a relatively uniform temperature distribution.
For achieving such objects, the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a refrigerating chamber comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall, said rear wall connecting with the top wall, the bottom wall and the side walls to define a storage chamber, wherein the refrigerating chamber is further provided with a baffle spaced from the rear wall by a distance of 0 to 10 mm.
Preferably, the distance is 4 to 6 mm.
Preferably, each of the two side walls of the refrigerating chamber is provided with a groove, the baffle being fitted in the grooves, and sealing strips being provided at those locations where the baffle engages with the grooves.
Preferably, the baffle is mounted on a bracket secured to the interior of the refrigerating chamber.
Preferably, screw-posts are provided on the side walls of the refrigerating chamber, the baffle is secured to the interior of the refrigerating chamber by screws fastened to the screw-posts.
Preferably, the baffle is provided with openings for diffusing cool air into the refrigerating chamber.
Preferably, a blower spaced from the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber is provided in the refrigerating chamber for improving the uniformity of temperature distribution within the refrigerating chamber.
Preferably, a recess for accommodating at least a part of the blower is correspondingly provided in the baffle at a location where the blower is arranged.
The present invention is advantageous over the prior art in that: the refrigerating chamber of the present invention is further provided with a baffle spaced from the rear wall by a certain distance, such that vegetables or fruits are prevented from frostbite or even being stuck on the rear wall due to directly contacting the rear wall. Furthermore, the baffle may function as a buffer between the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber and the storage chamber. When the evaporator attached to the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber is operating and thus the temperature of the rear wall and the air near the rear wall drop quickly, the cool caused by the evaporator will spread from the rear wall to the storage chamber through the baffle slowly and evenly, rather than freely and directly. In this situation, the temperature of the whole storage chamber will drop slowly and evenly, and it is possible to get a uniform temperature distribution in the storage chamber. This avoids the large temperature gradient in the refrigerating chamber, which is usually occurred in a conventional refrigerator. Besides, since the distance between the baffle and the rear wall is relatively small, the capacity of the refrigerating chamber will not be affected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a refrigerating chamber according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a refrigerating chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a refrigerating chamber according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a refrigerating chamber according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a refrigerating chamber provided with a blower of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a refrigerating chamber according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerating chamber 1 of the refrigerator according to the present invention is essentially rectangular, and comprises a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12, two side walls (not shown) and a rear wall 15 connecting to the top wall 11, the bottom wall 12 and two side walls to form a storage chamber 19 with an opening (not labeled), The storage chamber 19 is provided with shelves 16 and a crisper 17 for keeping vegetables and fruits. An evaporator (not shown) for refrigeration, which is placed close to the rear wall, is arranged between a rear wall (not shown) of the refrigerator and the rear wall 15 of the refrigerating chamber. The rear wall 15 at its lower end is provided with a water outlet 151 of the refrigeration chamber.
The storage chamber 19 of the refrigerating chamber 1 is provided with a baffle 18, which is close to the rear wall 15 and is spaced from the rear wall 15 by a certain distance. The height of the baffle 18 is equal to or less than that of the rear wall 15. Due to the distance between the baffle 18 and the rear wall 15, items such as vegetables or fruits kept in the storage chamber 19 will not directly contact the rear wall 15, therefore will not suffer from frostbiting or get stuck on the rear wall 15 for freezing. The distance between the baffle and the rear wall may range from 0 to 10 mm. Since the space occupied by the baffle and cooling air passageway is relatively small, the effective capacity of the storage chamber 19 will not be substantially reduced. Preferably, the distance between the baffle and the rear wall ranges from 4 to 6 mm.
Grooves (not shown) are respectively provided in the side walls of the refrigerating chamber 1, one groove for each side wall, such that two sides of the baffle 18 may be correspondingly secured in the grooves. After the baffle 18 is secured in the grooves, sealing strips (not shown) are provided at those locations where the baffle engages with the grooves to achieve a good sealing therebetween.
Of course, the baffle 18 may be secured in the refrigerating chamber 1 in another manner. That is to say, screw-posts (not shown) are provided on the side walls of the refrigerating chamber 1, such that the baffle 18 may be fastened to the screw-post by screws, therefore secured to the refrigerating chamber.
The baffle 18 may be made from a conventional PS plate or other plastic plates. At the same time, the baffle 18 is protected from deformation. The temperature within the refrigerating chamber 1 is adjustable, and is usually controlled within the range of 0 to 10 Celsius degree. The temperature distribution in the refrigerating chamber 1 may become more uniform because of the presence of the baffle, therefore the temperature near the door is less likely to get substantially higher than the temperature near the rear wall 15.
Referring to FIG. 2, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the baffle 18 may be provided with openings 183 which allowing the cool air near the rear wall 15 to flow into the refrigerating chamber 1 through the baffle 18, thus ensuring a uniform temperature distribution in the refrigerating chamber 1. Of course, a baffle 18 with a grating configuration may similarly achieve the same effect.
Referring to FIG. 3, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the baffle 18 may be provided with a heat insulating layer 182 on its back side. Preferably, the height of the heat insulating layer 182 is less than that of the rear wall 15. Therefore, the cooling air near the rear wall 15 is further insulated to ensure a satisfactory refrigeration effect. Thus, the temperature of the baffle 18 will not get too low or too high. Even if the refrigeration function of the evaporator is very powerful and the temperature of the rear wall 15 is very low, the temperature in the refrigerating chamber 1 will not vary dramatically or drop quickly.
Referring to FIG. 4, in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a blower 188 may be further arranged between the rear wall 15 of the refrigerating chamber 1 and the rear wall of the refrigerator. The blower 188 is installed beyond the plane of the baffle 18. By appropriate sealing, the blower 188 is connected with the space behind the baffle 18. The blower 188 is spaced from the rear wall 15. When operating, the blower 188 enhances a diffusion of cool air from the rear wall 15 into the storage chamber 19 of the refrigerating chamber 1 through the baffle 18, thus realizing a uniform temperature distribution in the refrigerating chamber 1. The blower 188 is supported by a supporting frame, and is fastened to one of the walls of the refrigerating chamber 1 by fastening members such as screws.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in the refrigerating chamber 1 provided with a blower 188, the top edge of the baffle 18 may be not lower than the attachment point of the blower 188. A recess 189 to accommodate blades of the blower 188 is correspondingly provided in the baffle 18 at a location where the blower 188 is arranged. Since the blower 188 is arranged at the upper portion of the baffle 18, it will not excessively affect the capacity of the storage space 19.
Referring to FIG. 7, in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the baffle 18 may be secured within the storage chamber 19 via a bracket 181.
It may be easily understood that these technical solutions for a uniform temperature distribution within the refrigerating chamber and a good preserving of vegetables and fruits may be separately applied to different refrigerating chambers 1 or simultaneously applied to a single refrigerating chamber 1 of a refrigerator.
The above description is merely illustrative of preferred embodiments of the present invention, and it should be pointed out that variations and modifications can be envisaged by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the present invention, and these variations and modifications should come within the scope claimed by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A refrigerator including a refrigerating chamber which comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall, said rear wall connecting with the top wall, the bottom wall and the side walls to define a storage chamber, wherein the refrigerating chamber is further provided with a baffle spaced from the rear wall by a distance of 0 to 10 mm.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the distance is 4 to 6 mm.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the two side walls of the refrigerating chamber is provided with a groove, the baffle being fitted in the grooves, and sealing strips being provided at those locations where the baffle engages with the grooves.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the baffle is mounted on a bracket secured to the interior of the refrigerating chamber.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein screw-posts are provided on the side walls of the refrigerating chamber, the baffle is secured to the interior of the refrigerating chamber by screws fastened to the screw-posts.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the baffle is provided with openings for diffusing cool air into the refrigerating chamber.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein a blower spaced from the rear wall of the refrigerating chamber is provided in the refrigerating chamber for improving the uniformity of temperature distribution within the refrigerating chamber.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein a recess for accommodating at least a part of the blower is correspondingly provided in the baffle at a location where the blower is arranged.