KR20130036858A

KR20130036858A - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: KR20130036858A
Application number: KR1020110101048A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김경윤; 김서중; 엄용환
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2011-10-05
Filing date: 2011-10-05
Publication date: 2013-04-15

Abstract

PURPOSE: A refrigerator is provided to increase the freezing and refrigerating efficiency of a refrigerator by properly controlling a defrost operation. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator comprises a main body, a cold air generating chamber(300), an evaporator(320), an infrared sensor, a control part, and a defrost heater(340). The main body has a storage space for storing food at low temperature. The cold air generating chamber is formed in one side of the main body. The evaporator is arranged in the cold air generating chamber. The infrared sensor detects the amount of frost in the evaporator. The control part transmits a starting or finishing command for a defrost operation. The defrost heater is driven by the command of the control part.

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

The refrigerator is a device for storing food at a low temperature in an internal storage space that is shielded by a door. Cold air may be continuously supplied to the inside of the refrigerator to maintain a low temperature. The cold air is produced by the heat exchange action of the refrigerant by a refrigeration cycle undergoing compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation. The cold air supplied to the inside of the refrigerator may be evenly delivered to the inside of the refrigerator by convection to store food in the refrigerator at a desired temperature.

The evaporator constituting the cycle is provided to a cold air generating chamber, so that the air circulating in the furnace and the refrigerant exchange heat. Since the surface temperature of the evaporator is lower than the room temperature, condensed water is generated on the surface of the evaporator during heat exchange with air circulating in the refrigerator. The condensed water freezes on the surface of the evaporator or cold air generating chamber and becomes frost. If frost accumulates on the surface of the evaporator, a problem arises in that heat exchange efficiency between the evaporator and the air in the air drops.

In order to prevent frost from occurring on the surface of the evaporator, a defrost heater is mounted on one side of the evaporator and operated, or the cycle is reversed for a predetermined time so that frost formed on the surface of the evaporator is melted. It became. As described above, the condensate formed on the surface of the evaporator or the defrost water generated by melting the frost is collected in a drain pan attached to the bottom of the evaporator, and the water collected in the drain pan falls to the bottom of the machine room through the drain hose.

In order to prevent frost on the evaporator or the cold air generating chamber, the conventional refrigerator starts a defrosting operation according to a predetermined period, and is detected by a temperature sensor mounted at a specific position of the evaporator or the cold air generating chamber. The defrosting operation is terminated when the amount of frost in the evaporator or cold air generating chamber is equal to or less than a reference value.

When the defrosting operation is automatically started according to the predetermined period as described above, since the actual use condition of the refrigerator is not reflected, the defrosting operation is performed when the defrosting operation is not necessary, or when the defrosting operation is performed as in the summer. At the time of many times, the defrosting operation is not performed in a timely manner, and thus the refrigeration and refrigeration efficiency are lowered, resulting in waste of power consumption. In addition, at the end of the defrosting operation, the shape of the implantation may be different according to the environment such as an object stored in the refrigerator, and the defrosting operation is terminated at an appropriate time because the temperature sensor mounted at a specific position is difficult to detect the entire evaporator or the cold air generating chamber. There is a problem that it is difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which a sensor capable of accurately detecting an amount of implantation of an evaporator is mounted so that defrosting operation can be properly started or terminated according to a result detected by the sensor.

Refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the body is provided with a storage space for storing food at low temperature; A cold air generating chamber formed at one side of the main body; An evaporator accommodated in the cold air generating chamber; An infrared sensor accommodated in the cold air generating chamber and provided with a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit to detect an amount of implantation in the castle of the evaporator; A control unit which transmits a start or end command of a defrosting operation by comparing a signal value detected by the infrared sensor with a preset reference value; And a defrost heater driven under the command of the controller.

According to the present invention, since the defrosting operation can be properly started or terminated, the freezing and refrigerating efficiency of the refrigerator can be increased, and the waste of power consumption can be reduced.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a cold air generating chamber of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing a sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 3.
9 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments for implementing the spirit of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 to which a control method of a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied includes a main body 10 having a freezing compartment 100 and a refrigerating compartment therein, and a front surface of the main body 10. It is possible to include a freezer compartment door 20 and a refrigerating compartment door which are provided to selectively open and close the freezer compartment 100 and the refrigerating compartment. The freezing compartment 100 and the refrigerating compartment are partitioned by a barrier (not shown).

In the freezer compartment 100 and the refrigerating compartment, a drawer 12 for storing food and a shelf 14 for placing food may be provided. The rear surface of the freezer compartment door 20 may be equipped with a door basket 22 for storing food, and an ice maker 24 is mounted on the rear side of the freezer compartment door 20 according to the type of product. Ice iced in 24 may be taken out from the outside when a freezer door 20 is provided with a dispenser (not shown). By the food storage means 12, 14, 22 as described above, the user can conveniently store and withdraw food, and the internal space of the refrigerator can be efficiently used.

In the rear of the freezing chamber 100 is formed a cold air generating chamber 300 that accommodates the evaporator 320 for generating cold air by heat exchange between the refrigerant and air. The cold air generating chamber 300 is shielded by the evaporator cover 120. In addition, the upper side of the evaporator cover 120, the cold air duct 110 for guiding the cold air generated in the evaporator 320 extends in the vertical direction. In addition, a blower fan 330 is provided above the evaporator 320, and the freezing chamber 100 is provided through a plurality of cold air outlets 111 formed in the cold air duct 110 through the cold air generated in the evaporator 320. Discharge inside.

The evaporator 320 may be provided with a sensor assembly 350 for sensing the temperature of the evaporator 320 to the evaporator 320. The defrost heater 340 is provided below the evaporator 320 to melt frost generated on the surface of the evaporator 320 or the cold air generating chamber 300.

In addition, a cold air inlet 311 is provided below the cold air duct 110 to allow the cold air circulating in the freezing compartment 100 to flow back to the evaporator 320. A suction fan may be provided inside the cold air suction port 311 to smoothly suck cold air into the cold air generating chamber 300, and the cold air suction port 311 may be provided in a grill shape having a plurality of perforations formed therein. Can be.

The lower side of the refrigerator 1 is located in the machine room 19 is provided with a compressor 191, a condenser (not shown) constituting a refrigeration cycle.

2 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a controller 500 for controlling components. The control unit 500 includes a memory 510 for storing information necessary for the operation of the refrigerator 1, a power supply unit 520 for supplying power to each component of the refrigerator 1, and the evaporator 320. The sensor assembly 350 capable of sensing the amount of implantation of the implanted frost and the defrost heater driver 550 for driving the defrost heater 340 are controlled.

The sensor assembly 350 detects the amount of frost formed on the evaporator 320, and the controller 500 compares the amount of frost detected from the sensor assembly 350 with a reference value input to the defrost heater. The 340 may be driven to defrost the frost formed on the cold air generator 300 or the evaporator 320 or to terminate the defrosting operation by the defrost heater 340. The sensor assembly 350 may be an infrared sensor assembly or a temperature sensor assembly, but the type of the sensor assembly 350 is not limited to the infrared sensor assembly or the temperature sensor assembly.

The defrost heater driver 550 is connected to the defrost heater 340, and when receiving a driving signal from the control unit 500, drives the defrost heater 340 to melt frost formed in the evaporator 320.

The sensing period of the sensor assembly 350 may be stored in the memory 510, and a defrost start value for starting a defrosting operation by the defrost heater 340 may be stored.

The controller 500 controls a sensing operation of the sensor assembly 350 according to a sensing period stored in the memory 510, and a value detected by the sensor assembly 350 and a defrost operation stored in the memory 510. The start value may be compared to drive a defrost heater driving unit 550.

3 is a view showing a cold air generating chamber of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the evaporator 320 may be provided inside the cold air generating chamber 300, and the defrost heater 340 may be provided under the evaporator 320. Above the fryer evaporator 320, a dryer 310 may be provided to remove moisture and impurities of the refrigerant. The evaporator 320 may be formed in a structure in which the refrigerant is introduced from the upper side.

The evaporator 320 includes a coolant pipe 322 which becomes a flow path of the coolant, and an evaporator pin (not shown) that facilitates heat exchange between the coolant and the air passing through the cold air generating chamber 300. The coolant pipe 322 is formed in a continuous 'S' shape is continuous, the overall shape of the meandering (蛇行狀) is formed. The coolant flows along the coolant pipe 322, and may be arranged in a double or multiple spaced space forward and backward as shown in the drawing. The inlet of the dryer 310 or the refrigerant pipe 322 may be equipped with a refrigerant temperature sensing device (not shown) capable of measuring the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 320.

Mounting members 324 may be provided at both left and right sides of the evaporator 320, that is, the portion where the refrigerant pipe 322 is bent. Both sides of the plurality of refrigerant pipes 322 are inserted into and fixed to the mounting member 324, and are formed vertically long to correspond to the vertical length of the evaporator 320, and the inside of the cold air generating chamber 300. Is mounted on the side is configured such that the evaporator 320 can be fixedly mounted inside the cold air generating chamber (300).

The evaporator 320 may be equipped with a sensor assembly 350. The sensor assembly 350 detects an amount of frost formed on the evaporator 320 and transmits the amount of frost to the controller 350. The sensor assembly 350 may be an infrared sensor assembly or the like. The sensor module 350 is mounted to the sensor assembly 350.

4 is a perspective view showing a sensor module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the sensor module 400 includes a base 401, a sensor 410, a support 420, and a sensor defrosting device 430.

The sensor 410 and the support 420 may be mounted on the base 401.

The support 420 supports the sensor 410 to be installed on the base 401. For example, the support 420 may be provided with a hole corresponding to the shape of the sensor 410, and the sensor 410 may be inserted through the hole. The support 420 may be integrally formed with the base 401 or may be manufactured separately from the support 420.

The sensor 410 is mounted to the base 401 by being coupled to the support 420. The sensor 410 may be provided in plurality. For example, the sensor 410 may be an infrared sensor provided with a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The infrared sensor may detect the amount of implantation of the evaporator 320 or the cold air generating chamber 300 by measuring the reflection amount of the infrared light of the evaporator 320 or the cold air generating chamber 300. When the sensor 410 is an infrared sensor, the light emitted from the light emitting unit of the infrared sensor is reflected by the frost formed on the evaporator 320 or the cold air generating chamber 300 to determine the electrical signal value detected by the light receiving unit. The defrosting operation is started or terminated according to the difference. For example, the controller 500 may compare a signal value detected by the light receiving unit with a preset reference value and transmit a command to start a defrosting operation when the signal value is higher than the reference value, and the signal value is less than or equal to the reference value. When the command to end the defrost operation can be transmitted. While the power supply of the refrigerator 1 is in an ON state, the sensor 410 may continuously detect the amount of implantation in the evaporator 320 or the cold air generating chamber 300.

5 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the sensor assembly 350 includes a body 351 and a leg 352.

The sensor module 400 is mounted to the body 351. The structure in which the sensor module 400 is mounted on the body 351 will be described later.

According to the first embodiment, the leg 352 may be connected to the body 351 and the evaporator 320. That is, the leg 352 is connected to the body 351 and is mounted on the refrigerant pipe 322 of the evaporator 320, thereby mounting the body 351 to the evaporator 320. The leg 352 is provided with a protrusion 353. The protrusion 353 is formed to protrude from the leg 352, the protrusion 353 is provided with a hole into which the refrigerant pipe 322 can be inserted, and through the one side of the protrusion 353 It may be provided in a shape capable of inserting the refrigerant pipe 322 into the hole. For example, the protrusion 353 may have a plurality of hook shapes on one side of the leg 352, and the refrigerant pipe 322 may be inserted into and fixed to an inner space formed by the plurality of hooks. .

6 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, one or more grooves 355 may be formed at one side of the leg 352. One side of the leg 352 is provided with a bracket 354, the bracket 354 is provided with a groove corresponding to the groove 355. When the bracket 354 is coupled to the leg 352, the refrigerant pipe 322 may be inserted into a space formed by the groove 355 formed in the leg 352 and the groove formed in the bracket 354. . When the sensor assembly 350 is mounted on the coolant pipe 322, one side of the coolant pipe 322 is inserted into a groove 355 formed in the leg 351, and the other side of the coolant pipe 322 is provided. A groove formed in the bracket 354 is positioned to couple the bracket 354 and the leg 352 to a fastening member (not shown). As a result, the sensor assembly 350 may be coupled to the refrigerant pipe 322.

7 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a hole 356 into which the refrigerant pipe 322 may be inserted may be formed in the leg 352. The coolant pipe 322 is inserted into a hole 356 formed in the leg 352, whereby the sensor assembly 350 may be mounted to the coolant pipe 322. In this case, the sensor assembly 350 may be inserted into the refrigerant pipe 322 to be expanded and fixed.

In the case of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when the sensor module 400 fails and requires repair or replacement, the sensor assembly 350 can be easily separated from the refrigerant pipe 322. have. In the third embodiment, the sensor assembly 350 may be reliably coupled to the refrigerant pipe 322. The body 351 of the sensor assembly 350 may be located above the refrigerant pipe 322 of the evaporator 320.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 8, the sensor module 400 is inserted into the sensor assembly 350. The body 351 of the sensor assembly 350 is provided with a groove into which the sensor module 400 can be inserted, and the sensor module 400 is inserted into the groove. For example, the groove may be formed under the body 351. When the sensor module 400 is inserted into the groove, molding is performed so that the sensor module 400 can be fixed in the groove. For example, after the base 401 of the sensor module 400 is placed on the bottom of the groove formed in the body 351, the molding liquid 357 is injected into the groove. At this time, the molding liquid 357 is injected to the extent that the sensor 410 can be exposed to the outside. When the groove is formed in the lower portion of the body 351, the height (B) of the molding liquid 357 from the upper surface of the body 351 from the upper surface of the body 351 when the molding is completed It is formed lower than the height of the lower edge of the node 351. As a result, when the defrosting operation is performed, the defrost water may be prevented from flowing into the sensor 410 along the lower edge of the body 351 and the molding liquid 357.

9 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the sensor assembly 350 may be connected to the mounting member 324. The mounting member 324 may be mounted on both left and right sides of the refrigerant pipe 322, and the bracket 500 may connect the mounting member 324 mounted on both left and right sides thereof. The sensor assembly 350 is mounted to the bracket 500. In this case, the sensor assembly 350 and the bracket 500 may be located above the refrigerant pipe 322, and the sensor 410 may be disposed to face downward. As such, the sensor assembly 350 is coupled to the evaporator 320.

10 is a view showing a sensor assembly according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the sensor assembly 350 may be located under the blowing fan 330. The bracket 500 may be coupled to the lower wall surface of the blower fan 330 of the cold air generating chamber 300, and the sensor assembly 350 may be coupled to the bracket 500. As a result, the sensor assembly 350 may be mounted on a wall surface of the cold air generating chamber 300 positioned below the blowing fan 330.

The sensor assembly 350 is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be mounted at another position, such as mounted on an inner case of the refrigerator 1.

Claims

A body having a storage space in which food is stored at a low temperature;
A cold air generating chamber formed at one side of the main body;
An evaporator accommodated in the cold air generating chamber;
An infrared sensor accommodated in the cold air generating chamber and provided with a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit to detect an amount of implantation in the castle of the evaporator;
A control unit which transmits a start or end command of a defrosting operation by comparing a signal value detected by the infrared sensor with a preset reference value;
And a defrost heater driven by the command of the controller.

The method of claim 1,
The infrared sensor is a refrigerator, characterized in that for detecting the reflection amount of the infrared rays according to the amount of frost on the evaporator and transmitting the detected signal value to the controller.

The method of claim 1,
The sensor assembly is further provided with the infrared sensor,
The sensor assembly may include a body having a groove into which the infrared sensor can be inserted and a leg to mount the body to the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator.

The method of claim 3,
The leg is a refrigerator, characterized in that provided with a protrusion formed with a hole into which the refrigerant pipe can be inserted.

5. The method of claim 4,
The protrusion is formed in a plurality of hook shapes, the refrigerator characterized in that the refrigerant pipe is inserted into the space formed by the plurality of hooks.

The method of claim 3,
A groove is formed at one side of the leg, and a bracket having a groove corresponding to the groove formed at the leg is coupled to the front side of the leg, and the coolant pipe is formed in a space formed by the groove formed at the leg and the groove formed at the bracket. Refrigerator, characterized in that inserted.

The method of claim 3,
And a hole is formed in the leg, and a refrigerant pipe is inserted into the hole.

The method of claim 3,
The infrared sensor is inserted into the groove formed in the body, a molding liquid is inserted to the extent that the infrared sensor can be exposed to the outside, the refrigerator characterized in that the infrared sensor is fixed to the body.

9. The method of claim 8,
And the opening of the groove faces downward, and the height of the molding liquid from the upper surface of the body is lower than the height of the lower edge of the body from the upper surface of the body.

The method of claim 1,
The left and right sides of the refrigerant pipe is provided with a mounting member connected to the refrigerant pipe, a bracket for connecting the mounting members on both the left and right sides is provided, the refrigerator characterized in that the bracket is mounted with the infrared sensor.

The method of claim 1,
The cold air generating chamber is further provided with a blowing fan for blowing cold air into the storage space, wherein the infrared sensor is a refrigerator, characterized in that mounted on the wall surface of the cold air generating chamber located on the lower part of the blowing fan and the upper part of the evaporator. .