Patent Description:
Conventionally, a refrigerator disclosed in patent document D1 (<CIT>) is known in which a plurality of storage compartments are cooled properly by a cooler.

<FIG> illustrates a refrigerator <NUM> disclosed in D1. In the refrigerator <NUM> shown in the figure, a refrigerating compartment <NUM>, a freezing compartment <NUM> and a vegetable compartment <NUM> are formed from top to bottom. A cooling chamber <NUM> accommodating a cooler <NUM> is formed on an inner side of the freezing compartment <NUM>, an opening portion <NUM> is formed in a partition wall <NUM> which partitions the cooling chamber <NUM> from the freezing compartment <NUM>, and the opening portion <NUM> is used to supply cold air to each storage compartment. In addition, a blower fan <NUM> for blowing cold air is disposed at the opening portion <NUM>, and a blower cover <NUM> for covering the blower fan <NUM> is disposed on the side of the freezing compartment <NUM>. A damper <NUM> is disposed in an air passage <NUM> through which the cold air supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> flows.

The blower cover <NUM> is described in detail with reference to <FIG>. The blower cover <NUM> is formed with a recess <NUM> having a substantially rectangular shape, and an opening portion <NUM> is formed by notching an upper portion of the recess <NUM>. Here, when the blower cover <NUM> covers the blower fan <NUM>, the opening portion <NUM> of the blower cover <NUM> communicates with the air passage <NUM> on the side of the main body of the refrigerator.

During operation of the refrigerator <NUM> with the above configuration, when the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> are cooled simultaneously, the blower cover <NUM> is separated from the blower fan <NUM>, the damper <NUM> is opened, and the blower fan <NUM> rotates in this state. As such, part of the cold air cooled by the cooler <NUM> in the cooling chamber <NUM> is blown into the freezing compartment <NUM> by a blowing force of the blower fan <NUM>. In addition, a remaining part of the cold air is blown into the refrigerating compartment <NUM> via the air passage <NUM>, the damper <NUM> and the air passage <NUM>. Thereby, both the freezing compartment <NUM> and the refrigerating compartment <NUM> are cooled.

On the other hand, when only the refrigerating compartment <NUM> needs to be cooled, the blower fan <NUM> is covered by the blower cover <NUM>, the damper <NUM> is opened, and the blower fan <NUM> blows the cold air cooled by the cooler <NUM> in this state. When the blower cover <NUM> is in a closed state, the opening portion <NUM> formed in the upper portion of the blower cover <NUM> communicates with the air passage <NUM>. Therefore, the cold air blown by the blower fan <NUM> is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> via the opening portion <NUM>, the damper <NUM> and the air passage <NUM>.

As described above, a plurality of storage compartments can be cooled with one cooler <NUM> by using the blower cover <NUM> formed with the opening portion <NUM>.

However, the blower cover <NUM> having the abovementioned configuration closes the opening portion <NUM> of the cooling chamber <NUM> by moving backward, and opens the opening portion <NUM> of the cooling chamber <NUM> by moving forward. In addition, a driving mechanism for driving the blower cover <NUM> to move in a front-rear direction needs to be disposed.

The blower cover <NUM> needs a space for opening and closing operations in the front-rear direction. Therefore, in the interior of the refrigerator <NUM>, a large space is required for opening and closing the blower cover <NUM>. As a result, there occurs the following problem: an internal volume of the freezing compartment <NUM> formed in front of the blower cover <NUM> is reduced, and the amount of articles that can be accommodated in the freezing compartment <NUM> is limited. In addition, a driving sound is generated when the blower cover <NUM> is moved in the front-rear direction by a motor, and the driving sound might be uncomfortable to the user when it is loud.

A further example of a refrigerator is shown in <CIT>.

In view of the above situations, an object of the present invention is to provide a shielding that does not occupy the internal volume of the refrigerator and exhibits a small driving sound, and a refrigerator having the shielding device.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a refrigerator according to claim <NUM>. According to preferred embodiments, the refrigerator is according to any one of claims <NUM> to <NUM>.

Effects of the present invention are as follows: in the shielding device according to the present invention, a plurality of shielding wall driving mechanisms can enable the respective rotatable shielding walls to act respectively, and the degree of freedom of the rotatable shielding walls as a whole in performing the opening or closing action can be improved.

In addition, the shielding wall driving mechanisms are disposed corresponding to respective rotatable shielding walls, so that each of the rotatable shielding walls can achieve its own rotation, and the degree of freedom of the rotatable shielding walls in performing the opening or closing action can be further improved.

In addition, in the present invention, the rotatable shielding walls are opened and closed through a simple configuration including the drive motors.

In addition, in the present invention, the rotatable shielding walls are opened and closed through a simple configuration including the solenoids.

In addition, since the rotatable shielding walls of the shielding device of the refrigerator of the present invention are driven by a plurality of shielding wall diving mechanisms, the amount of cold air supplied to the storage compartments can be set more accurately, and the temperatures in the storage compartments in the refrigerator can be controlled more accurately.

The figures are only for illustrative purposes and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention; to better illustrate the embodiments, some parts of the figures may be omitted, enlarged or reduced, and do not represent the dimensions of the actual product; those skilled in the art appreciate that some well-known structures in the figures and depictions thereof may be omitted.

Hereinafter, a shielding device <NUM> and a refrigerator <NUM> according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the figures. In the following depictions, the same component is denoted by the same symbol in principle, and repeated depictions will be omitted. In addition, in the following depictions, directions such as up, down, front, back, left and right are appropriately used, wherein left and right indicate left and right when the refrigerator <NUM> is viewed from the rear. Furthermore, in the following depictions, rotation directions will be expressed by clockwise direction and counter-clockwise direction. These rotation directions indicate directions as viewed from a back side of the refrigerator <NUM>. In addition, in the following depictions, the clockwise direction is sometimes referred to as a forward direction, and the counter-clockwise direction is sometimes referred to as a reverse direction.

<FIG> is a front view showing the appearance of a refrigerator <NUM> according to the present embodiment. As shown in <FIG>, the refrigerator <NUM> comprises a heat-insulating cabinet <NUM> as a main body, and storage compartments for storing foods and the like are formed in the heat-insulating cabinet <NUM>. As for the storage compartments, the uppermost layer is the refrigerating compartment <NUM>, an upper freezing compartment <NUM> is below the refrigerating compartment <NUM>, a lower freezing compartment <NUM> is below the upper freezing compartment <NUM>, and the lowermost layer is a vegetable compartment <NUM>. In addition, the upper freezing compartment <NUM> and the lower freezing compartment <NUM> are both storage compartments within a freezing temperature range, and they may be collectively referred to as a freezing compartment <NUM> in the following depictions. Here, the upper freezing compartment <NUM> may be partitioned in a left-right direction, and one side may be used as an ice making compartment.

The front of the heat-insulating cabinet <NUM> comprises an opening, the openings corresponding to the abovementioned storage compartments are each provided with a heat-insulating door <NUM>, and these heat-insulating doors may be opened and closed freely. The refrigerating compartment <NUM> is divided in the left-right direction and the left and right parts are closed by respective heat-insulating doors <NUM>. Upper and lower ends of the heat-insulating doors <NUM> on outer sides in a widthwise direction are rotatably mounted on the heat-insulating cabinet <NUM>. In addition, the heat-insulating doors <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are integrally assembled with respective storage containers, may be drawn freely along the front of the refrigerator <NUM>, and be supported by the heat-insulating cabinet <NUM>. Specifically, the heat-insulating door <NUM> closes the upper freezing compartment <NUM>, the heat-insulating door <NUM> closes the lower freezing compartment <NUM>, and the heat-insulating door <NUM> closes the vegetable compartment <NUM>.

<FIG> is a side cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of the refrigerator <NUM>. The heat-insulating cabinet <NUM> as the main body of the refrigerator <NUM> comprises a housing <NUM> made of a steel plate with an opening in the front, and a liner <NUM> made of a synthetic resin, disposed within the housing <NUM> with a gap between the liner <NUM> and the housing <NUM> and having an opening in the front. The gap between the housing <NUM> and the liner <NUM> is filled with a heat-insulating material <NUM> made of foamed polyurethane. In addition, each of the above-mentioned heat-insulating doors <NUM> employs the same heat-insulating structure as the heat-insulating cabinet <NUM>.

The refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> located at the layer therebelow are partitioned by a heat-insulating partition wall <NUM>. In addition, the upper freezing compartment <NUM> and the lower freezing compartment <NUM> disposed at the layer therebelow communicate with each other, and the cooled air, namely, the cold air may circulate freely. Furthermore, the freezing compartment <NUM> and the vegetable compartment <NUM> are partitioned by a heat-insulating partition wall <NUM>.

The rear of the refrigerating compartment <NUM> is partitioned by a partition <NUM> made of a synthetic resin to form a refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> for supplying cold air to the refrigerating compartment <NUM>. In the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, air outlets <NUM> through which cold air flows into the refrigerating compartment <NUM> are formed.

A freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is formed on an inner side of the freezing compartment <NUM>, and cold air cooled by a cooler <NUM> flows through the freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> into the freezing compartment <NUM>. A cooling chamber <NUM> is formed on an inner side behind the freezing compartment cold air supply path <NUM>. A cooler <NUM> is disposed in the cooling chamber and is an evaporator for cooling air circulating in the refrigerator. The freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is a space surrounded by a front cover <NUM> in the front and a partition <NUM> in the rear.

The cooler <NUM> is connected to a compressor <NUM>, a heat radiator (not shown), and a capillary tube (not shown) as an expansion means via a refrigerant pipe, and is a member constituting a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle circuit.

<FIG> is a side cross-sectional view showing a structure nearby the cooling chamber <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. The cooling chamber <NUM> is disposed in an interior of the heat-insulating cabinet <NUM> and inside the freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>. The cooling chamber <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> are partitioned by the partition <NUM> made of a synthetic resin.

The freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> formed in the front of the cooling chamber <NUM> is a space formed between the cooling chamber <NUM> and the front cover <NUM> made of the synthetic resin and assembled in the front of the freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and is a passage through which the cold air cooled by the cooler <NUM> flows into the freezing compartment <NUM>. The front cover <NUM> is formed with air outlets <NUM> which are openings through which cold air is blown into the freezing compartment <NUM>.

An air return vent <NUM> for returning air from the freezing compartment <NUM> to the cooling chamber <NUM> is formed on a back side of a lower portion of the lower freezing compartment <NUM>. Furthermore, an air return vent <NUM> is formed below the cooling chamber <NUM> and communicated with the air return vent <NUM>, and sucks return cold air from respective storage compartments into the cooling chamber <NUM>. The cold air returning through an air return vent <NUM> (<FIG>) of the vegetable compartment <NUM> and a vegetable compartment cold air return passage <NUM> also flows into the air return vent <NUM>.

In addition, a defrosting heater <NUM> is disposed below the cooler <NUM> to melt the frost attached to the cooler <NUM>. The defrosting heater <NUM> is a resistive heater.

An air blowing vent <NUM> is formed in an upper portion of the cooling chamber <NUM> and is an opening connected to the respective storage compartments. The air blowing vent <NUM> is an opening into which the cold air cooled by the cooler <NUM> flows, and enables the cooling chamber <NUM>, the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and the freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> to be communicated with one another. The air blowing vent <NUM> is provided with a blower <NUM> that blows cold air to the freezing compartment <NUM> and the like from the front. In addition, a function of a damper is assumed by a rotatable shielding wall <NUM> of a shielding device <NUM> described later, so the damper may be omitted.

A shielding device <NUM> is disposed outside the air blowing vent <NUM> of the cooling chamber <NUM>, to properly close the air passage connected to the air blowing vent <NUM>. The shielding device <NUM> is covered by the front cover <NUM> from the front.

Reference is made to <FIG> to illustrate a configuration in which the shielding device <NUM> for limiting the air passage is assembled. <FIG> is a perspective view of the partition <NUM> with the shielding device <NUM> being assembled, <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of <FIG>, and <FIG> is a view of the construction of the air passage when the front cover <NUM> is viewed from the rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in the partition <NUM>, the air blowing vent <NUM> penetrating in a thickness direction is formed in an upper portion of the partition <NUM>, and the blower <NUM> and the shielding device <NUM> are disposed in front of the air blowing vent <NUM>. Here, the shielding device <NUM> is hidden by the partition <NUM>. In addition, an opening section <NUM> formed on an upper end side of the partition <NUM> is communicated with the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, as described above, the freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is formed in a space surrounded by the partition <NUM> and the front cover <NUM>. As described later, the freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is divided into a plurality of air passages. In addition, the shielding device <NUM> and a shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> are disposed between the partition <NUM> and the front cover <NUM>. The shielding device <NUM> shields the blower <NUM>, and the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> drives the shielding device <NUM>. The configuration of the shielding device <NUM> and the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> will be described below with reference to <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, a plurality of air passages are formed by partitioning an internal space of the front cover <NUM>. Specifically, rib-shaped air passage partition walls <NUM> and <NUM> extending rearward from a rear main surface of the front cover <NUM> are formed. The rear ends of the air passage partition walls <NUM> and <NUM> abut against the partition <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

Here, the air passage through which the cold air is blown and supplied is divided into a refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, an upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and a lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> in turn from top. The cold air blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> circulates in the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, the cold air blown to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> circulates in the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and the cold air blown to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> circulates in the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>. The cold air flowing through the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is blown through the opening section <NUM> to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The cold air flowing through the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is blown through the air outlet <NUM> to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The cold air flowing through the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is blown through the air outlet <NUM> to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Here, the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> spread around with the shielding device <NUM> as a center.

The refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> are partitioned by an air passage partitioning wall <NUM>. Then, the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> are partitioned by an air passage partitioning wall <NUM>.

Reference is made to <FIG> to illustrate the configuration of the shielding device <NUM>. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding device <NUM>, and <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view showing the shielding device <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> comprises a support base <NUM>, a rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and a shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>. The shielding device <NUM> is a device that shields the air passages of the cold air blown by the blower <NUM>. The air passages connecting the cooling chamber <NUM> with respective storage compartments are made communicated by making the shielding device <NUM> in an open state, and, the air passages are cut off by making the shielding device <NUM> in a closed state.

The blower <NUM> is disposed at a center of the support base <NUM> by fastening with screws. Although not shown here, the blower <NUM> has for example a centrifugal fan such as a turbo fan, and a blowing motor that rotates the centrifugal fan, and blows cold air outward in a radial direction.

The support base <NUM> is an integrally-formed member made of a synthetic resin. The rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are rotatably disposed on a rear side of the support base <NUM>.

Side wall portions <NUM> are formed in a peripheral portion of the support base <NUM>. The side wall portions <NUM> are portions extending rearward from the support base <NUM>. A plurality of side wall portions <NUM> are disposed at substantially equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the support base <NUM>. The side wall portions <NUM> are disposed between the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>. The rear ends of the side walls <NUM> are fastened to a partition <NUM> shown in <FIG> in a fastening manner such as screws.

The rotatable shielding walls <NUM> each are a rectangular plate-shaped member formed of a synthetic resin, and have long sides along a line tangential to the outer side of the blower <NUM>. The rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are mounted adjacent to the edges of the support base <NUM> and rotatable about an axis parallel to a plane of the support base <NUM>. A plurality of rotatable shielding walls <NUM> (five in the present embodiment) are disposed. The rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are disposed on paths through which the cold air blown by the blower <NUM> circulates, and shield respective air passages.

The shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> comprises a cam <NUM>, a rotary disk <NUM>, and a drive motor <NUM> that rotates the rotary disk <NUM>. Here, each rotatable shielding wall <NUM> comprises a shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>. That is, five shielding wall driving mechanisms <NUM> are provided for the five rotatable shielding walls <NUM>. By employing this configuration, the respective shielding wall driving mechanisms <NUM> rotate the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> according to an instruction from a control device not shown, so that diversity of the rotation types of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> can be achieved without restriction. The specific shapes and functions of the shielding wall driving mechanisms <NUM> will be described later.

Reference is made to <FIG> to illustrate the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> for driving the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>, and <FIG> is a perspective view of a cam <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> comprises a cam <NUM>, a rotary disk <NUM> that engages with a moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>, and a drive motor <NUM> for rotating the rotary disk <NUM>.

The cam <NUM> is a flat rectangular parallelepiped member formed of a synthetic resin. As shown in <FIG>, a right end of the cam <NUM> is formed with a rotatable connection portion <NUM> in which is formed a hole portion through which a pin <NUM> can run. The cam <NUM> is received in a cam-receiving portion in a slidable state, the cam-receiving portion being formed by recessing a front surface of the support base <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

The rotary disk <NUM> is a substantially tongue-shaped plate-shaped member, with a left end portion being connected to a rotation shaft of the drive motor <NUM> in a way that the left end portion is non-rotatable relative to the rotation shaft. Therefore, the rotary disk <NUM> rotates driven by the drive motor <NUM>. In addition, on a right side of the rotary disk <NUM> is formed a moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> for rotating the moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>. The moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> is in an arcuate curved shape, and the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> is slidably fitted with the moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>.

The rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is formed with a rotatable connection portion <NUM> which protrudes obliquely from a base end of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. The rotatable connection portion <NUM> is formed with a hole portion through which a pin <NUM> can run. Rotational connection portions <NUM> are formed adjacent to both ends of a lateral side of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. The rotatable connection portions <NUM> each are formed with a hole through which a pin <NUM> can run.

As shown in <FIG>, the moving shaft <NUM> is a cylindrical protrusion protruding from the front of the cam <NUM>. A diameter of the moving shaft <NUM> is slightly shorter than a width of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> formed in the rotary disk <NUM>. The moving shaft <NUM> slidably engages with the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> again, the pin <NUM> runs through the hole portion of the rotatable connection portion <NUM> of the cam <NUM> and the hole portion of the rotatable connection portion <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, and the cam <NUM> is connected with the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and rotatable about the pin <NUM>. In addition, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is rotatably connected with the support base <NUM> shown in <FIG> via the pin <NUM> which runs through the rotatable connection portions <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>.

With this configuration, referring to <FIG>, the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> can be rotated by the drive motor <NUM>, thereby performing the opening and closing operations of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. Specifically, when the drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM>, the moving shaft <NUM> moves in a left-right direction along the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM>, i.e., the cam <NUM> moves in the left-right direction. As the cam <NUM> moves, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> rotatably connected with the cam <NUM> rotates with the rotatable connection portion <NUM> as a rotation center, thereby performing the opening and closing operations of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>.

Here, as shown in <FIG>, members constituting the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> are not exposed to the freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> through which cold air flows. Therefore, cold air does not blow on the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>, thereby preventing the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> from freezing.

<FIG> is a view showing the shielding device <NUM> according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein <FIG> is a view of rotatable shielding walls of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view showing the configuration of rotary disks as viewed from front.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> comprises rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> as the above-mentioned rotatable shielding walls <NUM>. The rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> have a rectangular shape having long sides substantially parallel to a line tangential to the outside of the blower <NUM> shown in <FIG>. In addition, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are rotatably mounted on the peripheral portion of the support base <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

A radially inner end of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is rotatably connected to a cam <NUM> on which a moving shaft <NUM> is formed. Similarly, a radially inner end of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is rotatably connected to a cam <NUM> on which a moving shaft <NUM> is formed. A radially inner end of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is rotatably connected to a cam <NUM> on which a moving shaft <NUM> is formed. In addition, a radially inner end of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is rotatably connected to a cam <NUM> on which a moving shaft <NUM> is formed. A radially inner end of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is rotatably connected to a cam <NUM> on which a moving shaft <NUM> is formed.

The cams <NUM>-<NUM> are respectively rotatably connected to inside edges of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM>. In this way, when the cams <NUM> to <NUM> are arranged outside, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in an upstanding state. On the other hand, when the cams <NUM> to <NUM> are arranged inside, and the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in a horizontally-lying state.

Referring to <FIG>, the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM> slidably engages with the moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>. The moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM> slidably engages with the moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>. The moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM> slidably engages with the moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>. The moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM> slidably engages with the moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>. The moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM> slidably engages with the moving shaft <NUM> of the cam <NUM>. With this configuration, the rotary disks <NUM> to <NUM> rotate to cause the cams <NUM>-<NUM> to slide in specified directions, thereby opening and closing the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM>.

<FIG> shows the configuration of the shielding device <NUM> in a fully-closed state. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in the fully-closed state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along a section line B-B of <FIG>, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks <NUM> in the fully-closed state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is an enlarged view of main points of <FIG>. Here, the fully-closed state refers to a state in which the surrounding of the blower <NUM> is shielded by the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> to thereby close the air blowing vent <NUM> shown in <FIG>. In addition, in the fully-closed state, the blower <NUM> does not rotate.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> prevents air from flowing out from the blower <NUM> to the outside in the fully-closed state. That is, in the fully-closed state, all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are in the upstanding state, and the communication with the air passages for supplying cold air is cut off so that cold air is not supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM>. In addition, during the defrosting process of defrosting the cooler <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> is also in the fully-closed state so that ward air does not flow from the cooling chamber <NUM> into the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in the fully-closed state, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in a closed state in which the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> stands substantially perpendicular to the main surface of the support base <NUM>. Here, all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> of the shielding device <NUM> are in a closed state. In this state, the rear end of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> abuts against the partition <NUM> shown in <FIG> or is arranged close to the partition <NUM>. With such a configuration, the airtightness when the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> closes the air passage can be improved.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the fully-closed state, first, the drive motor <NUM> is turned on to rotate the rotary disk <NUM>. Here, the rotary disk <NUM> rotates counterclockwise to cause the moving shaft <NUM> to slide in the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM>, so that the moving shaft <NUM> is disposed at the outside end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM>. As a result, as shown in <FIG>, the cam <NUM> moves radially outward. Then, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> rotatably connected with the cam <NUM> rotates with the vicinity of the rotatable connection portion <NUM> as a rotation center, and is in a closed state in which the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> stands up substantially at a right angle to the main surface of the support base <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the configuration of the shielding device <NUM> in a fully-open state. <FIG> is a view showing the shielding device <NUM> in the fully-open state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the shielding device taken along a section line C-C of <FIG>, <FIG> is a view showing rotary disks <NUM> in the fully-open state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is an enlarged view of main points of <FIG>. Here, the fully-open state refers to a state in which the communication between the blower <NUM> and the air passages for supplying cold air is not shielded by the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, so that the cold air blown by the blower <NUM> diffuses around.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM>, in the fully-open state, does not hinder air from flowing from the blower <NUM> to the outside. That is, in the fully-open state, the cold air blown from the blower <NUM> to the shielding device <NUM> is blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> without being interfered by the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, in the fully-open state, all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> tilt outward in the radial direction and get into a horizontally-lying state.

Referring to <FIG>, in the fully-open state, all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are in the horizontally-lying state in which they are substantially parallel to the main surface of the support base <NUM>. Since all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> of the shielding device <NUM> are in the open state, there are no rotatable shielding walls <NUM> in the air passages through which the blower <NUM> blows cold air, so that the flow resistance of the air passages can be reduced and the amount of the cold air supplied by the blower <NUM> can be increased.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the fully-open state, the drive motor <NUM> is driven to rotate the rotary disk <NUM> clockwise so that the moving shaft <NUM> slides in the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM>. In this way, the moving shaft <NUM> moves to the inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM>. Upon doing so, as shown in <FIG>, the cam <NUM> moves inward in the radial direction. As a result, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> rotatably connected with the end of the cam <NUM> rotates and tilts with the vicinity of the rotatable connection portion <NUM> as a rotation center, and gets into a state in which the main surface of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is substantially parallel to the main surface of the support base <NUM>.

Reference is made to <FIG> to illustrate a method of switching air passages using the shielding device <NUM> with the above configuration.

<FIG> shows a state in which the cold air is supplied to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> only, <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> as viewed from the front. <FIG> is a view showing conditions of the air passage when cold air is supplied to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> only, as viewed from the rear. <FIG> shows a situation when cold air is supplied to the freezing compartment <NUM> only, <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> as viewed from the front. <FIG> is a view of a state of the air passage when cold air is supplied to the freezing compartment <NUM> only, as viewed from the rear. <FIG> shows a state in which the cold air is supplied to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> only, <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> as viewed from the front. <FIG> is a view of conditions of the air passage when cold air is supplied to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> only as viewed from the rear. <FIG> shows a state when cold air is not supplied, <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> as viewed from the front. <FIG> is a view of a state of air passages when cold air is not supplied, as viewed from the rear.

<FIG> shows a state when cold air is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> only. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> as viewed from the front. <FIG> is a view of a state of the air passage when cold air is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> only, as viewed from the rear. <FIG> shows a state when cold air is supplied to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> and the refrigerating compartment <NUM>, <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> as viewed from the front. <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages when cold air is supplied to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> and the refrigerating compartment <NUM> as viewed from the rear. <FIG> shows a state when cold air is supplied to the entire freezing compartment <NUM> and the refrigerating compartment <NUM>. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> as viewed from the front. <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages when cold air is supplied to the entire freezing compartment <NUM> and the refrigerating compartment <NUM> as viewed from the rear.

In the following figures, the clockwise direction when the shielding device <NUM> is viewed from the rear is sometimes referred to as a "forward direction", and the counterclockwise direction when the shielding device <NUM> is viewed from the rear is sometimes referred to as a "reverse direction". Furthermore, in the following depictions, a radial direction and a circumferential direction of the blower <NUM> are briefly referred to as a radial direction and a circumferential direction.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a state in which cold air is supplied to the lower freezing compartment <NUM>. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in this state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> in this state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages in this state as viewed from rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in a case where cold air is supplied to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> only, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> are in the closed state, and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> are in the open state. With the closed state and the open state being set, cold air can be blown by the blower <NUM> to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> only.

Referring to <FIG>, a drive motor <NUM> rotates a rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and a moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of a moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. A rotary disk <NUM> is rotated in the reverse direction by a drive motor <NUM>.

A moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of a moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. A drive motor <NUM> rotates a rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and a moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of a moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. A drive motor <NUM> rotates a rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and a moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of a moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. A drive motor <NUM> rotates a rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and a moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of a moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>.

With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in a closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in a closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in an open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in an open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in a closed state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the state shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> are in the open state, so cold air is blown from the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>. The cold air that has flowed into the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> is blown out through an air outlet <NUM> to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>. On the other hand, when the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are in the closed state, cold air is not blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the upper freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> and <FIG> each show a state in which cold air is supplied to the freezing compartment <NUM> only. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in this state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> in this state as seen from the front, and <FIG> is a view of conditions of the air passage in this state as viewed from rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in a case where cold air is supplied to the freezing compartment <NUM> only, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state, and the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are in the open state. With the open state and closed state being set, cold air can be blown by the blower <NUM> to the freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>.

With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the state shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> are in the open state, so cold air is blown to the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and blown to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG> through the air outlet <NUM>. In addition, when the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> are in the open state, cold air is blown to the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and blown to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG> via the air outlet <NUM>. On the other hand, with the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> being in the closed state, cold air is not blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a state in which the cold air is supplied to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> only. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in this state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> in this state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages in this state as viewed from the rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in the case where cold air is supplied to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> only as shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are in the closed state, and the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> are in the open state. With the open state and the closed state being set, cold air is blown to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> only by the blower <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction.

The moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>.

With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the state shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> are in the open state, and the cold air is blown to the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and blown out through the air outlet <NUM> to the upper freezing compartment <NUM>.

On the other hand, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state, so cold air is not blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM>. In addition, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> and <NUM> are also in the closed state, so cold air is not blown to the lower freezing compartment <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show the fully-closed state in which the shielding device <NUM> closes all the air passages. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in this state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> in this state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages in this state as viewed from the rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in the fully-closed state, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in the closed state. In this state, air can be prevented from flowing into respective air passages.

Referring to <FIG>, the drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>.

With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the state shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in the closed state, and cold air is not supplied to all the storage compartments. In other words, the cooling chamber <NUM> and the air passages can be shielded by the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. Therefore, when the interior of the cooling chamber <NUM> is heated during the defrosting process, the warm air in the interior of the cooling chamber <NUM> can be prevented from leaking to the respective storage compartments via the respective air passages.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a state in which cold air is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> only. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in this state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> in this state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages in this state as viewed from the rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in a case where cold air is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> only, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state, and the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in the closed state. With the open state and the closed state being set, cold air can be blown by the blower <NUM> to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> only, as described later.

Referring to <FIG>, the drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>.

With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the state shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state, cold air is blown to the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and blown via the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> to the refrigerating compartment <NUM>. In addition, part of the cold air blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> can also be blown to the vegetable compartment <NUM>. On the other hand, when the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in the closed state, cold air is not blown to the freezing compartment <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a state in which the shielding device <NUM> supplies cold air to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the upper freezing compartment <NUM>. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in this state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> in this state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages in this state as viewed from the rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in a case where cold air is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the upper freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are in the open state, and the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> are in the closed state. With the open state and the closed state being set, cold air can be blown by the blower <NUM> to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the upper freezing compartment <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the reverse direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially outer end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>.

With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially outside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the closed state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the state shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state, and cold air is blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> via the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>. In addition, with the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> being in the open state, the cold air is blown to the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and blown out via the air outlet <NUM> to the upper freezing compartment <NUM>. On the other hand, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in the closed state, so cold air is not blown to the lower freezing compartment <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a fully-open state in which cold air is supplied to both the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM>. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in this state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a view of rotary disks such as the rotary disk <NUM> in this state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is a view of conditions of air passages in this state as viewed from the rear.

Referring to <FIG>, in a case where cold air is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> are in the open state. With the fully-open state being set, cold air can be blown by the blower <NUM> to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> as described later.

Referring to <NUM>(B), the drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> rotates the rotary disk <NUM> in the forward direction, and the moving shaft <NUM> is arranged at a radially inner end of the moving shaft sliding slot <NUM> of the rotary disk <NUM>.

With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state. With the cam <NUM> together with the moving shaft <NUM> being arranged radially inside, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the state shown in <FIG>, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state, and cold air is blown to the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and blown out to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> via the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>. In addition, with the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, <NUM> being in the open state, the cold air is blown to the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and blown out via the air outlet <NUM> to the upper freezing compartment <NUM>. Then, with the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> being in the open state, cold air can be supplied to the lower freezing compartment <NUM> via the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and the air outlet <NUM>.

As described above, in the shielding device <NUM> according to the present embodiment, the rotary disks <NUM>-<NUM> are rotated by the drive motors <NUM>-<NUM> shown in <FIG>, respectively, so that the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> shown in <FIG> are respectively rotated to open and close. Therefore, the rotation actions of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> can be controlled freely, so the amount of the supplied cold air can be precisely controlled according to temperatures in the refrigerating compartment <NUM>, the freezing compartment <NUM> and vegetable compartment <NUM> in the refrigerator shown in <FIG>.

Then, referring to <FIG>, since the volume occupied by the shielding device <NUM> can be reduced, the internal volume of the freezing compartment <NUM> formed in front of the shielding device <NUM> can be increased so that more articles to be frozen can be stored in the refrigerating compartment <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a shielding device <NUM> according to another embodiment will be described. The configuration of the shielding device <NUM> described with reference to these figures is substantially the same as that of the shielding device <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>, and differs in that a solenoid <NUM> servers as a drive source of the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>. Depictions will be centered on the aspect.

The configuration of the shielding device <NUM> according to the another embodiment will be illustrated with reference to <FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the shielding device <NUM>, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional view showing the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> comprises a blower <NUM>, a rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, a support base <NUM> and a shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> in turn from the rear side. Here, the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> is arranged corresponding to each rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. Except for the configuration of the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>, the shielding device <NUM> shown in <FIG> is the same as the covering device <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> comprises a cam <NUM> formed with an abutting portion <NUM>, and the solenoid <NUM>.

The cam <NUM> is formed of an integrally-molded synthetic resin or the like, and an upper end of the cam <NUM> is rotatably connected with the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. In addition, a lower portion of the cam <NUM> is formed with an abutting portion <NUM> protruding forward. <FIG> shows the configuration in which the cam <NUM> is rotatably connected with the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>.

A lower end of the solenoid <NUM> is downwardly formed with a movable portion <NUM>. The lower end of the movable portion <NUM> of the solenoid <NUM> is connected with the abutting portion <NUM> of the cam <NUM>. When the solenoid <NUM> is energized, the movable part <NUM> is arranged up, and when the solenoid <NUM> is not energized, the movable part <NUM> is arranged down.

According to the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> with such a configuration, by controlling the solenoid <NUM> to be energized or not energized, the cam <NUM> can be moved, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> can be rotated, and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> can be opened and closed.

<FIG> shows the configuration of the shielding device <NUM> in a fully-closed state. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in the fully-closed state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D of <FIG>, <FIG> is a view of the solenoid <NUM> in the fully-closed state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is an enlarged view showing main points of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> prevents air from flowing from the blower <NUM> to the outside in the fully-closed state. In the fully-closed state, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are in the closed state of standing up substantially perpendicular to the main surface of the support base <NUM>. Here, all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> of the shielding device <NUM> are in the closed state.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the fully-closed state, first, the solenoid <NUM> is driven to move the movable portion <NUM> radially outside. As a result, as shown in <FIG>, the cam <NUM> connected to the movable portion <NUM> of the solenoid <NUM> via the abutting portion <NUM> moves radially outward. As viewed from the sheet surface, the cam <NUM> moves upward. Then, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> rotatably connected with the cam <NUM> rotate about the vicinity of the rotatable connection portion <NUM> as a rotation center, and are in the closed state of standing up substantially perpendicular to the main surface of the support base <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the configuration of the shielding device <NUM> in a fully-open state. <FIG> is a view of the shielding device <NUM> in the fully-open state as viewed from the rear, <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along a section line E-E of <FIG>, <FIG> is a view showing parts such as the solenoid <NUM> in the fully-open state as viewed from the front, and <FIG> is an enlarged view showing main points of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> does not hinder air from flowing from the blower <NUM> to the outside in the fully-open state. In the fully-open state, all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are in a horizontally-lying state in which they are substantially parallel to the main surface of the support base <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, when the shielding device <NUM> is in the fully-open state, first, the solenoid <NUM> is driven to make the movable portion <NUM> protrude. As a result, as shown in <FIG>, the movable portion <NUM> presses the abutting portion <NUM> and the cam <NUM> moves radially inside. As a result, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> rotatably connected with ends of the cams <NUM> rotate and tilt about a rotatable connection portion <NUM> as a rotation center, and get into a state in which the main surface of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is substantially parallel to the main surface of the support base <NUM>.

As described above, even though in a case where the solenoid <NUM> is used as the driving source of the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>, an effect equivalent to the case where the drive motor <NUM> is used as the driving source of the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> can be achieved. That is, it is possible to control the respectively rotatable shielding walls <NUM> by opening and closing, improve a degree of freedom of controlling the air passages by opening and closing, and accurately regulate the temperatures of the storage compartments in the refrigerator.

The configuration of the shielding device <NUM> according to a further embodiment will be described with reference to <FIG>. In the shielding device <NUM>, as shown in for example <FIG>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> each are provided with the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>. On the other hand, in the shielding device <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the shielding wall driving mechanisms <NUM>-<NUM> drive the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> to perform the opening or closing action. That is, four rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are driven by two shielding wall driving mechanisms, namely, the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM>-<NUM>, to perform the opening or closing action. Here, inside edges of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> may be mounted in a manner rotatable relative to the support base <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

The shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> comprises a winding portion <NUM>, a drive motor <NUM>, a cable <NUM> and a cable <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> drives the substantially rod-shaped winding portion <NUM> to rotate in a forward rotation direction or a reverse rotation direction. One end of the cable <NUM> is connected to the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the other end of the cable <NUM> is connected to the winding portion <NUM>. One end of the cable <NUM> is connected to the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the other end of the cable <NUM> is connected to the winding portion <NUM>. The shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> drives the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> to perform the opening or closing action.

According to this configuration, the drive motor <NUM> rotates in the forward rotation direction, the winding portion <NUM> rotates, the cable <NUM> and the cable <NUM> are wound, and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> transition from the horizontally-lying state to the upstanding state and get into a closed state of closing the above air passages. On the other hand, the drive motor <NUM> rotates in the reverse direction direction, the winding portion <NUM> rotates, the cable <NUM> and the cable <NUM> are released, and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> transition from the upstanding state to the horizontally-lying state, and get into an open state of opening the above air passages.

According to this configuration, the drive motor <NUM> rotates in the forward rotation direction, the winding portion <NUM> rotates, the cable <NUM> and the cable <NUM> are wound, and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> transition from the horizontally-lying state to the upstanding state and get into a closed state of closing the above air passages. On the other hand, the drive motor <NUM> rotates in the reverse direction, the winding portion <NUM> rotates, the cable <NUM> and the cable <NUM> are released, and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> transition from the upstanding state to the horizontally-lying state, and get into an open state of opening the above air passages.

As described above, the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> and the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> respectively drive the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> to perform the opening or closing action, so that the degree of freedom of the opening or closing action of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> can be ensured, and the structure of the shielding device <NUM> can be simplified.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various variations can be implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention as specified in the following claims.

Claim 1:
A refrigerator (<NUM>), wherein the refrigerator (<NUM>) comprises:
a freezing circuit having a cooler for cooling air to be supplied through air passages to storage compartments,
a cooling chamber formed with an air blowing vent communicated with the storage compartments, the cooler being disposed in the cooling chamber,
a blower configured to blow air supplied through the air blowing vent to the storage compartments, and
a shielding device (<NUM>), wherein the shielding device (<NUM>) is configured to close air passages through which cold air is blown in a refrigerator (<NUM>) , the shielding device (<NUM>) comprising:
a plurality of rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>) disposed surrounding the blower from radially outside, and
a shielding wall driving mechanism (<NUM>) configured to drive the rotatable shielding wall (<NUM>) to rotate,
a plurality of the shielding wall driving mechanisms (<NUM>) are disposed,
wherein the shielding wall driving mechanism (<NUM>) comprises:
a cam (<NUM>) rotatably connected with the rotatable shielding wall (<NUM>) ;
a rotary disk (<NUM>) formed with a slot for moving the cam (<NUM>); and
a drive motor (<NUM>) for driving the rotary disk (<NUM>) to rotate,
characterized in that
a right end of the cam (<NUM>) is formed with a rotatable connection portion (<NUM>) in which is formed a hole portion through which a pin (<NUM>) can run,
wherein the rotatable shielding wall (<NUM>) is formed with a rotatable connection portion (<NUM>) which protrudes obliquely from a base end of the rotatable shielding wall; the rotatable connection portion is formed with a hole portion through which the pin (<NUM>) can run; rotational connection portions (<NUM>) are formed adjacent to both ends of a lateral side of the rotatable shielding wall (<NUM>); and the rotatable connection portions (<NUM>) each are formed with a hole through which a pin (<NUM>) can run.