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.

<CIT> describes an air-cooled refrigerator.

<CIT> and <CIT> describe a branched air-feeding device and a refrigerator provided with the branched air-feeding device.

<CIT> describes a refrigerator comprising an airflow control device.

<CIT> describes a refrigerator whose interior is partitioned into a plurality of storage rooms.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a shielding device 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, an embodiment of the present invention is a shielding device according to claim <NUM>.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a refrigerator according to claim <NUM>.

Effects of the present invention are as follows: the miniature of the structure can be achieved by using the rotatable shielding walls around the blower to open and close the air passages, thereby reducing the dimensions of the shielding device as a whole in the thickness direction. In addition, the power is transmitted by the power transmission mechanism from a drive source to the rotatable shielding walls, thereby performing the opening and closing operation of the rotatable shielding walls well.

In addition, in the present invention, the rotatable shielding walls can be made in an upstanding state by gathering the cable radially to shorten its length, and conversely, the rotatable shielding walls can be made in a horizontally-lying state by releasing and extending the cable.

In addition, according to the refrigerator of the present invention, the dimensions of the shielding device as a whole in the thickness direction can be reduced, and the effective volume used as the storage compartments can be increased.

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> 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.

<FIG> is a front view of the refrigerator <NUM> according to the present invention showing a schematic structure of the refrigerator <NUM>. 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. Here, a damper <NUM> as an air passage opening and closing means can be inserted in the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>. The cold air may be supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> via the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> by opening the damper <NUM>. The cold air is not blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> by closing the damper <NUM>.

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> which made of the synthetic resin and assembled in the front of the cooling chamber <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 an example not part of the present invention.

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 configuration 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>.

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 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.

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

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> compromises 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.

Referring to <FIG>, 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, and has a substantially square shape as viewed from the rear. The rotatable shielding wall <NUM> which is capable of rotate is disposed on each side of the support base <NUM>. A plurality of protrusions <NUM> are formed by protruding portions of the support base <NUM> towards the rear side. A cover plate <NUM> is mounted at the rear ends of the protrusions <NUM>.

The cover plate <NUM> is a plate-shaped member having a substantially square shape as viewed from the rear, and is formed with an opening <NUM> at a center. The cold air entering through the opening <NUM> is blown around by the blower <NUM>.

The shield wall driving mechanism <NUM> drives the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> to perform an opening or closing action. The shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> comprises a drive motor <NUM> as a power source, a gear <NUM> as a power transmission device that transmits the power of the drive motor <NUM> to the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, and the like. The specific configuration of the shielding wall driving mechanism <NUM> will be described later with reference to <FIG>.

The drive motor <NUM> is disposed on at a lower left end side of the support base <NUM> and configured to generate a drive force for opening and closing the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>.

The rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is a rectangular plate-shaped member formed of a synthetic resin, and is formed by the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM>. The specific configuration of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> will be described later with reference to <FIG>.

The shielding device <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG> shows an exploded view of the shielding device <NUM>, and <FIG> is an enlarged view showing a portion movably connecting the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> with the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. In <FIG>, the support base <NUM> and the blower <NUM> are covered by the cover plate <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is formed by the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM>. The rotatable shielding wall <NUM> has long sides along the sides of the support base <NUM>. The rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is mounted adjacent to the edges of the support base <NUM> and rotatable about an axis parallel to a plane of the support base <NUM>. The rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is disposed on paths through which the cold air blown by the blower <NUM> circulates, and shields respective air passages. In addition, inner edges of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are mounted via a rotatable connection portion <NUM> and can rotate relative to the support base <NUM>.

The rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are provided with gears such as a gear <NUM> as a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power from the drive motor <NUM>. Specifically, a gear <NUM> and a gear <NUM> are provided at both ends of the inner side of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, and a gear <NUM> and a gear <NUM> are provided at both ends of the inner side of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. In addition, a gear <NUM> and a gear <NUM> are provided at both ends of the inner side of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, and a drive shaft <NUM> and a gear <NUM> are provided at both ends of the inner side of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. The drive shaft <NUM> is a shaft that is rotated by the drive motor <NUM>.

The gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> meshes with the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. The gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> meshes with the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. The gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> meshes with the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> are configured for example as bevel gears. With this configuration, it is possible to transmit power from the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> to the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> in directions that intersect perpendicularly. This configuration is also the same with the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the gear <NUM> of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

Reference is made again to <FIG> to illustrate the opening or closing action of the shielding device <NUM>. When the drive motor <NUM> rotates in one direction, the driving force of the drive motor <NUM> is transmitted to the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> via the gear <NUM> and the gear <NUM>, and to the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> via the gear <NUM> and the gear <NUM>, and to the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> via the gear <NUM> and the gear <NUM>. As a result, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> simultaneously rotate to a upstanding state, namely, a state in which the rotatable shielding walls perpendicularly intersect with the main surface of the support base <NUM>.

When the drive motor <NUM> rotates in a reverse direction, the driving force of the drive motor <NUM> is transmitted to the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM>, and the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> simultaneously rotate to a horizontal state, namely, a state in which the rotatable shielding walls are substantially parallel to the support base <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, and <FIG> is a view of the front cover <NUM> on which the shielding device <NUM> in the fully closed state is mounted, as viewed from the rear. The fully closed state refers to a state in which all the air passages for supplying cold air are shielded by the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the driving force of the drive motor <NUM> is transmitted to the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> through the power transmission mechanism such as the gear <NUM>, so that the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in an upstanding state relative to the main surface of the support base <NUM>, namely, a state that the rotatable shielding walls close the air passages communicated with respective storage compartments. In addition, the blower <NUM> does not rotate in the fully closed state.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> prevents air from flowing from the blower <NUM> to the outside in the fully closed state. That is, in the fully closed state, all of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in the upstanding state, the communication with the air passages for supplying cold air is cut off, and cold air is not supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>. In addition, during a defrosting process of defrosting the cooler <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> is also in the fully closed state so that warm air does not flow from the cooling chamber <NUM> into the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <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 opened state as viewed from the rear, and <FIG> is a view of the front cover <NUM> on which the shielding device <NUM> in the fully opened state is mounted, as viewed from the rear. The fully open state refers to a state in which the communication with the air passages for supplying cold air are not shielded by the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> so that the cold air blown by the blower <NUM> flows by diffusing 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, due to the driving force of the drive motor <NUM>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> are in a horizontally-lying state in which they lie horizontally substantially parallel to the main surface of the support base <NUM>. Therefore, in the shielding device <NUM>, the cold air blown from the blower <NUM> is blown to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> without being interfered by the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the flow resistance can be reduced and the amount of cold air supplied by the blower <NUM> may be increased by making all the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> included in the shielding device <NUM> in the horizontally-laying, open state. Specifically, with the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> being in the open state, cold air is blown to the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and the cold air is blown out to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG> through the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>. In addition, with the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> being in the open state, the cold air is blown to the upper freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and then blown out through the air outlet <NUM> to the upper freezing compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG>. In addition, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is in the open state, cold air can be supplied to the freezing compartment <NUM> (<FIG>) via the lower freezing compartment cold air supply passage <NUM> and the air outlet <NUM>.

Here, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> may also made be in a half-open state. Specifically, it is possible to make the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> in the half-open state by stopping halfway the drive motor <NUM> as a stepping motor upon transition from the fully closed state shown in <FIG> to the fully open state shown in <FIG> as instructed by a control device not shown. The amount of the cold air blown to the freezing compartment <NUM> can be accurately adjusted by making the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>-<NUM> in the half-open state.

In addition, referring to <FIG>, a damper <NUM> can be inserted in the refrigerating compartment cold air supply passage <NUM>, and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> shown in <FIG> may be further omitted. That is, the shielding device <NUM> only comprises the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. In addition, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM>, the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> and the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> can be in the fully closed state, the fully open state, and the half-open state. A degree of freedom of supplying cold air to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> can be freely adjusted through such a setting.

Reference is made to <FIG> to illustrate the configuration of the shielding device <NUM> according to the present invention. <FIG> is a perspective view showing the shielding device <NUM> in a closed state, <FIG> is a perspective view showing the shielding device <NUM> in an open state, and <FIG> is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding device <NUM> in detail. <FIG> is a view showing a method of making the shielding device <NUM> in a fully open state, and <FIG> is a view showing a method of making the shielding device <NUM> in a fully closed state.

Referring to <FIG>, the shielding device <NUM> surrounds the blower <NUM> from around, and comprises a plurality of rotatable shielding walls <NUM> that open and close the air passages. The blower <NUM> is disposed at a center of a rear surface of the support base <NUM> having a substantially circular disc shape. An end side of the rotatable shielding wall <NUM> is rotatably mounted on a periphery of the support base <NUM> via a rotatable connection portion <NUM>. As an example, twelve rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are mounted on the periphery of the support base <NUM>. In the closed state, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are in an upstanding state with respect to a main surface of the support base <NUM>. In other words, an annular wall formed by a plurality of rotatable shielding walls <NUM> is formed on the periphery of the support base <NUM>.

In addition, the shielding device <NUM> comprises a cable <NUM> serving as a power transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force for opening and closing the rotatable shielding walls <NUM>. Specifically, a cable pass-through portion <NUM> is formed at an inside end of each rotatable shielding wall <NUM>. The cable <NUM> passes through the cable pass-through portions <NUM> of the respective rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, and assumes a substantially ring shape as a whole. Therefore, when a diameter of the ring shape of the cable <NUM> is reduced by tightening the cable <NUM>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> each rotate from the rotatable connection portion <NUM> as a starting point until stand up, and are in a upstanding state which the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> intersect substantially perpendicularly with respect to the main surface of the support base <NUM>. Supply of cold air to respective storage compartments can be stopped by making the shielding device <NUM> in the closed state as shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> shows the shielding device <NUM> in the fully open state. Here, the respective rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are in the fully opened state in which they are substantially parallel to the main surface of the support base <NUM>. The rotatable shielding walls <NUM> can be made in the fully open state by loosening the cable <NUM> to enlarge the diameter of the ring shape of the cable <NUM> so that the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> rotate radially outside until lying horizontally. Cold air can be blown into respective storage compartments by making the shielding device <NUM> in the fully open state, as shown in <FIG>.

The specific configuration of the shielding device <NUM> will be described with reference to the exploded perspective view of <FIG>. The shielding device <NUM> comprises a cover <NUM>, a blower <NUM>, a cable cover <NUM>, rotatable shielding walls <NUM>, a support base <NUM>, a cable-rotating body <NUM>, a cover <NUM>, and a drive motor <NUM> in turn starting from a rear side.

The cover <NUM> has a substantially circular shape, and is formed with an opening portion <NUM> through which the cold air blown by the blower <NUM> enters. The cover <NUM> blocks the blower <NUM> from the rear side.

The blower <NUM>, like the above-mentioned blower <NUM>, blows the cold air entering through the opening portion <NUM> towards outside in a circumferential direction. The blower <NUM> is mounted on the support base <NUM> via a blower mounting portion <NUM>.

The cable cover <NUM> is formed of a plate material which is in substantially circular ring shape, and protects the cable <NUM> from the rear, thereby ensuring a space for allowing the cable <NUM> to move.

The plurality of rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are disposed around the blower <NUM>, and rotate to perform actions of opening and closing the air passages distributed around the blower <NUM>.

The support base <NUM> is formed of a plate material that is in a substantially ring shape, and is provided with the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> and the cable <NUM>. The support base <NUM> is circumferentially formed with rotatable connection portions <NUM> corresponding to the rotatable connection portions <NUM> of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> (see <FIG>. The respective rotatable connection portions <NUM> of the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are rotatably connected with the rotatable connection portions <NUM> of the support base <NUM>. In addition, a section of the cable <NUM> is fixed on the support base <NUM>. In addition, a groove <NUM> is formed in an inside portion of the support base <NUM>. The groove <NUM> is formed elongated in the circumferential direction. An end of the cable <NUM> is connected to the cable-rotating body <NUM> via the groove <NUM>.

The cable-rotating body <NUM> is formed of a plate material that is in a substantially disc shape, and is disposed in front of the support base <NUM>. The cable-rotating body <NUM> is connected to the other end of the cable <NUM>. In addition, the cable-rotating body <NUM> is connected to the drive motor <NUM> via a gear not shown here. Therefore, when the drive motor <NUM> rotates in one direction, the cable-rotating body <NUM> also rotates in the same direction. Conversely, when the drive motor <NUM> rotates in a reverse direction, the cable-rotating body <NUM> also rotates in the reverse direction.

The cover <NUM> is made of a plate material having a substantially disc shape and configured to protects the cable-rotating body <NUM> from the front. The drive motor <NUM> is mounted on the cover <NUM>.

The cable <NUM> has a cable end <NUM> on one end side and a cable end <NUM> on the other end side. The cable end <NUM> is fixed to the rotatable connection portion <NUM> via a cable fixing portion <NUM> described later, and the position of the cable end <NUM> does not change even if the cable-rotating body <NUM> rotates. The cable end <NUM> is fixed to the cable-rotating portion <NUM> via a cable fixing portion <NUM> described later, and changes positions in the circumferential direction of the cable-rotating body <NUM> as the cable-rotating body <NUM> rotates.

Reference is made to <FIG> to illustrate a specific method of opening and closing the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> by operating the cable <NUM>. <FIG> shows the shielding device <NUM> in an open state, and <FIG> shows the shielding device <NUM> in a closed state.

Referring to <FIG>, as described above, one end of the cable <NUM> is fixed to the support base <NUM> shown in <FIG> via the cable fixing portion <NUM>. The position of the cable fixing portion <NUM> does not change. On the other hand, the other end of the cable <NUM> is fixed to the cable-rotating body <NUM> shown in <FIG> via the cable fixing portion <NUM>. As the cable-rotating body <NUM> rotates, the position of the cable fixing portion <NUM> moves along the groove <NUM>. Here, when the cable-rotating body <NUM> rotates counterclockwise driven by the driving force of the drive motor <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the cable fixing portion <NUM> also moves counterclockwise in the groove <NUM>. The cable <NUM> is then released in the opposite circumferential direction, so the circular ring-shaped cable <NUM> expands in diameter. In addition, as stated above, the cable <NUM> runs through the cable pass-through portions <NUM> of the respective rotatable shielding walls <NUM>. Therefore, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> rotate simultaneously until they tilt towards outside and get in in the horizontally-lying state. With the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> being in the horizontally-lying state, the cold air blown by the air blower <NUM> by rotating is supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM>, the freezing compartment <NUM> and the vegetable compartment <NUM> shown in <FIG> via 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> shown in <FIG>.

Reference is made to <FIG> to illustrate a method of making the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> in the closed state. First, driven by the driving force of the drive motor <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the cable-rotating body <NUM> rotates in the reverse direction, namely, in the clockwise direction. Upon doing so, the cable fixing portion <NUM> at a point where the cable-rotating body <NUM> is connected with the cable <NUM> also moves clockwise inside the groove <NUM>. As a result, the ring-shaped cable <NUM> is reduced in diameter, and the respective rotatable shielding walls <NUM> rotate simultaneously to stand up with respect to the main surface of the shielding device <NUM>. As a result, the respective rotatable shielding walls <NUM> are in a closed state in which they stand up and surround the blower <NUM> from around. When the shielding device <NUM> is in the closed state, the cold air is not blown to the respective storage compartments shown in <FIG>.

In the shielding device <NUM>, the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> can be made in the open state expanding the diameter of the ring-shaped cable <NUM>, and be made in the closed state by reducing the diameter. Therefore, the opening and closing operation of the shielding device <NUM> can be achieved with a simple configuration. In addition, the shielding device <NUM> performs the opening and closing operation in a diameter direction of the blower <NUM> and does not move in the axial direction of the blower <NUM>, namely, in a depth direction of the refrigerator <NUM>. Therefore, the volume occupied by the shielding device <NUM> can be reduced in the depth direction of the refrigerator <NUM>, and the effective volume used as the storage compartments can be increased.

Here, the rotatable shielding devices <NUM> can also be made in a half-open state. Specifically, it is possible to make the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> in the half-open state by stopping halfway the drive motor <NUM> as a stepping motor upon transition from the fully closed state shown in <FIG> to the fully open state shown in <FIG> as instructed by a control device not shown. The amount of the cold air blown to the freezing compartment <NUM> can be accurately adjusted by making the rotatable shielding walls <NUM> in the half-open state.

Claim 1:
A shielding device (<NUM>) for a blower (<NUM>) for a refrigerator (<NUM>), wherein the shielding device (<NUM>) is configured to close air passages through which cold air is blown, the shielding device (<NUM>) comprising:
a plurality of rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>) disposed from the outside in the radial direction surrounding a support base (<NUM>) for a blower (<NUM>) and configured to rotate to open and close the air passages, and
a shielding wall driving mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) configured to drive the rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>) to rotate,
the shielding wall driving mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprises a drive source (<NUM>), and a power transmission mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>) for transmitting power from the drive source (<NUM>) to the rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>),
the plurality of rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>) are disposed in a ring shape along an outer circumference of the support base (<NUM>),
the power transmission mechanism (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprises a cable (<NUM>) passing through the rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>),
the cable (<NUM>) passes through cable pass-through portions (<NUM>) formed at an inside end of each of the rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>),
when a diameter of the ring shape of the cable (<NUM>) is reduced by tightening the cable (<NUM>), the rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>) each rotate until stand up in relation to the surface of the support base (<NUM>) and make the shielding device (<NUM>) in the closed state,
the rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>) can be made in the fully open state by loosening the cable (<NUM>) to enlarge the diameter of the ring shape of the cable (<NUM>), so that the rotatable shielding walls (<NUM>) rotate towards the outside in the radial direction until lying horizontally, parallel to the surface of the support base (<NUM>).