# US 11,079,159 B2 · Refrigeration and freezing device

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- Number: US 11,079,159 B2
- Document ID: US11079159B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/466,287
- Filed: 2017-12-01
- Published: 2020-02-27
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-02
- Assignees: Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Qingdao Haier Joint Stock Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Bo Jiang; Lei Wang; Haoquan Liu; Ruowu Xin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079159B2

## CPC

- F25D 11/02: with cooling compartments at different temperatures
- F25D 17/045: {Air flow control arrangements}
- B01D 53/228: {characterised by specific membranes}
- C01B 13/0251: {by making use of membranes}
- F25D 17/062: {in household refrigerators}
- F25D 17/065: {with compartments at different temperatures}
- F25D 23/066: {Liners}
- F25D 25/025: {Drawers}
- F25D 29/00: Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
- B01D 53/22: by diffusion (manufacturing semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00; form, structure or properties of semi-permeable membranes B01D69/00; material for semi-permeable membranes B01D71/00)
- B01D 2053/221: {Devices}
- B01D 2256/12: Oxygen
- B01D 2257/102: Nitrogen
- F25D 2317/04: Treating air flowing to refrigeration compartments
- F25D 2317/041: by purification
- F25D 2700/12: Sensors measuring the inside temperature
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}

## Abstract

The present invention provides a refrigeration and freezing device, including a case body, a door body, an oxygen-enrichment membrane assembly, an air pump, and a refrigeration system. For the refrigeration and freezing device, temperature within an appropriate storage range and a nitrogen-rich and oxygen-deficient atmosphere cooperate, thereby effectively extending the shelf life of foods.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A refrigeration and freezing device, comprising:
a case body, wherein a storage space and a compressor compartment are defined in the case body, a storage container is disposed in the storage space, and a freshness preservation space is defined inside the storage container;
a door body, disposed on a front surface of the case body to close the storage space;
an oxygen-enrichment membrane assembly disposed at the storage container, a space around the oxygen-enrichment membrane assembly being communicated with the freshness preservation space, wherein the oxygen-enrichment membrane assembly has at least one oxygen-enrichment membrane and an oxygen-rich gas collection cavity, and is configured to enable more oxygen than nitrogen in an airflow in the space around the oxygen-enrichment membrane assembly to enter the oxygen-rich gas collection cavity through the oxygen-enrichment membrane;
an air pump, disposed in the compressor compartment, wherein an inlet end of the air pump is communicated with the oxygen-rich gas collection cavity of the oxygen-enrichment membrane assembly via a pipe, so as to discharge gas that enters the oxygen-rich gas collection cavity from the storage container; and
a refrigeration system, configured to supply cooled air to the storage space, so as to keep an actual temperature in the freshness preservation space within a range between 0° C. and 10° C.;
the oxygen-enrichment membrane assembly further comprises a support frame having a first surface and a second surface parallel to each other, wherein a plurality of airflow channels respectively extending on the first surface, extending on the second surface, and passing through the support frame to communicate the first surface with the second surface is formed on the support frame, and the plurality of airflow channels together forms the oxygen-rich gas collection cavity; and
the at least one oxygen-enrichment membrane is two planar oxygen-enrichment membranes respectively laid on the first surface and the second surface of the support frame, the at least one oxygen-enrichment membrane allows oxygen in air on an outer side of the at least one oxygen-enrichment membrane to enter the oxygen-rich gas collection cavity through the at least one oxygen-enrichment membrane to form oxygen-rich gas, so that the air on the outer side of the at least one oxygen-enrichment membrane is nitrogen-rich gas.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration and freezing device further comprises:
a temperature sensor disposed in the freshness preservation space to monitor the actual temperature in the freshness preservation space.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration system comprises:
a compressor, a condenser, a throttling apparatus, and an evaporator, wherein the compressor is disposed in the compressor compartment.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 3, wherein the case body comprises:
a liner, wherein the storage space is defined in the liner.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 4, wherein the refrigeration and freezing device is a direct-cooling refrigerator, and the evaporator is disposed on an outer side or an inner side of a rear wall surface of the liner.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 5, wherein the refrigeration system is further configured to adjust an operation state of the compressor, so as to keep the actual temperature in the freshness preservation space within the range between 0° C. and 10° C.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 4, wherein the refrigeration and freezing device is an air-cooling refrigerator, an evaporator chamber for accommodating the evaporator is disposed inside the case body, an air duct from the evaporator chamber to the freshness preservation space is defined on the back of the liner, and an air door is disposed on the air duct to adjust a volume of cold air delivered to the freshness preservation space.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 7, wherein the refrigeration system is further configured to adjust an operation state of the compressor and/or the opening or closing of the air door, so as to keep the actual temperature in the freshness preservation space within the range between 0° C. and 10° C.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The refrigeration and freezing device according to claim 4, wherein:
the storage container is a sealed drawer, and the sealed drawer defines the freshness preservation space; and
the sealed drawer comprises: a drawer holder having a front opening and fixed at the liner, wherein the freshness preservation space is defined in the drawer holder; and a drawer body slidably mounted in the drawer holder so as to be operably pulled out or pushed in the drawer holder at the front opening of the drawer holder.