EP2833089B1 - Refrigerator and working method thereof - Google Patents
Refrigerator and working method thereof Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2833089B1 EP2833089B1 EP13767595.5A EP13767595A EP2833089B1 EP 2833089 B1 EP2833089 B1 EP 2833089B1 EP 13767595 A EP13767595 A EP 13767595A EP 2833089 B1 EP2833089 B1 EP 2833089B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- air
- compartment
- air passage
- opening portion
- refrigerator
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title description 7
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 128
- 238000010257 thawing Methods 0.000 claims description 53
- 238000007664 blowing Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 238000011017 operating method Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000003507 refrigerant Substances 0.000 description 13
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 description 10
- 235000013311 vegetables Nutrition 0.000 description 10
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000008020 evaporation Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 5
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 230000006837 decompression Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- NNPPMTNAJDCUHE-UHFFFAOYSA-N isobutane Chemical compound CC(C)C NNPPMTNAJDCUHE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229920006327 polystyrene foam Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 238000005057 refrigeration Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000004793 Polystyrene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920005830 Polyurethane Foam Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 235000013361 beverage Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000009833 condensation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005494 condensation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003111 delayed effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008014 freezing Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007710 freezing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000013611 frozen food Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000001282 iso-butane Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000155 melt Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000011496 polyurethane foam Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004321 preservation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003134 recirculating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000859 sublimation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008022 sublimation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010792 warming Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/042—Air treating means within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/045—Air flow control arrangements
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
- F25D17/062—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators
- F25D17/065—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators with compartments at different temperatures
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
- F25D21/06—Removing frost
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D21/00—Defrosting; Preventing frosting; Removing condensed or defrost water
- F25D21/06—Removing frost
- F25D21/08—Removing frost by electric heating
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
- F25D2317/067—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by air ducts
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a refrigerator that cools and preserves food and the like inside a storage compartment, and more particularly to a refrigerator that can reduce temperature rise inside a storage compartment to be small during defrosting or when cooling starts.
- Such a refrigerator has the following problems: During defrosting on an evaporator in which a defrosting heater is used as a heat source, warm air around the evaporator flows into a storage compartment, resulting in a temperature rise inside the storage compartment. Therefore, as a method for preventing warm air in defrosting from entering a storage compartment, in a known method, a shielding plate is disposed in a cooling air passage and the shielding plate is closed during defrosting, and in another known method, an air gate is disposed for a fan and the air gate is closed (for example known from Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-250476 (pp. 5, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 )).
- FIG. 9(A) shows a structure of an air passage of a refrigerator 100 disclosed in JP 2009-250476 .
- air inlets 105, 106, 107, and 108 are provided in cool-air supply air passages 101, 102, 103, and 104 for conveying air cooled by an evaporator to a storage compartment, respectively.
- air discharges 113, 114, and 115 are provided in cool-air return air passages 109, 110, and 111 for air to return from the storage compartment to the portion of the evaporator, respectively.
- an air discharge 116 is provided in a cool-air return air passage (not shown) of a freezer compartment 112. Moreover, during defrosting, all or a part of the air inlets 105 to 108 and the air discharges 113 to 116 are closed.
- FIG. 9(B) shows the surrounding of a fan 117 of the refrigerator 100.
- an air gate 118 is disposed in the fan 117, and the air gate 118 is closed during defrosting to prevent warm air from flowing into the cool-air supply air passages 101 to 104.
- the refrigerator having an air gate or a regulating plate in the related art has the following problems: during defrosting, warm air for defrosting can be prevented from flowing into a storage compartment; however, after defrosting ends and cooling starts, the temperature inside the storage compartment rises. That is, in the refrigerator in the related art, when defrosting ends and cooling starts, air that becomes warm from defrosting inside the cooling compartment or the air passage flows into the storage compartment, and the temperature inside the storage compartment rises.
- an evaporator starts cooling in a state in which an air supply device stops working.
- the temperature rise inside the storage compartment after the cooling starts may be restricted to a minimum; however, the effect is still insufficient. That is, in a state of stopping the air supply device, the evaporator is enabled to cool air around and below the evaporator; however, because thermal conduction from the evaporator to air takes place in natural convection, it is difficult to cool air that accumulates above the evaporator or inside the air passage. Therefore, when cooling starts, warm air above the cooling compartment or inside the air passage flows inside the storage compartment.
- the method of performing cooling by using the evaporator and stopping the work of the air supply device further has the following problem: on an air side, thermal conduction takes place in a condition of natural convection; therefore, the thermal conduction has low efficiency and cooling time (pre-cooling time) till air supply starts becomes longer. Therefore, in this period of time, cooling cannot be performed inside the storage compartment, and heat intrusion from outside or heat transfer from the side of the evaporator results in a temperature rise inside the storage compartment.
- JP H10 232079 A discloses an electric refrigerator that comprises a cold air passage opening and closing plate which closes a cold air supply passage for supplying cold air from an air supply fan to a refrigerator during defrosting. It further comprises an opening part which closes in a position deviated from a cold air outlet port and a bypass duct opening and closing plate which closes a freezing chamber return passage of cold air from the refrigerator and opens a bypass duct for recirculating air supplied from the air supply fan to the lower part of an evaporator.
- Air heated by a defrosting heater is recirculated to the lower part of the evaporator through the bypass duct by the air supply fan, the evaporator is uniformly heated by forced convection and the leakage of the heated air to the refrigerator is prevented.
- the present invention is accomplished in view of the foregoing problems, and the objective is to provide a refrigerator, which can prevent warm air from flowing into a storage compartment during defrosting or when cooling starts, and prevent heat transfer from a cooling compartment to the storage compartment, thereby restricting a temperature rise inside the storage compartment to a minimum.
- the invention is defined in the independent claims.
- a first aspect of the invention relates to a refrigerator including the features of claim 1.
- a second aspect of the invention refers to an operating method defined in claim 4.
- the freely controllable first opening portion is provided in the separating region between the space portion and the divided supply air passage, the first opening portion can be closed to prevent warm air inside the cooling compartment from flowing into the storage compartment. The result is that the temperature rise inside the storage compartment caused when warm air flows in can be prevented.
- the freely controllable second opening portion is provided in the separating region between the space portion and the return air passage or between the space portion and the cooling compartment, in a case in which the temperature of the air in the space portion or cooling compartment is high, the air is enabled to return to the cooling compartment without flowing into the storage compartment. That is, the first opening portion is set to a closed state, the second opening portion is set to an open state, and the air supply device is enabled to work, so that air that flows out from the air supply opening portion of the cooling compartment flows through the space portion and returns to the cooling compartment through the second opening portion.
- the evaporator performs cooling; in this way, air in the space portion and the cooling compartment can be effectively cooled.
- the result is that, the temperature of the air in the space portion and the cooling compartment can be adjusted without causing the temperature rise inside the storage compartment.
- the first opening portion is set to an open state, and the second opening portion is set to a closed state; as discussed above, the air that is cooled and adjusted to a preset temperature can be provided to the storage compartment.
- the result is that a temperature change inside the storage compartment can be restricted to a minimum.
- the divider related in the present invention is arranged to divide a freezer supply air passage and the space portion. Therefore, for the freezer compartment that has a very low refrigeration temperature and is very susceptible to heat from the cooling compartment, the temperature change in the freezer compartment can be restricted to a minimum, and the freezer supply air passage is used for enabling cool air to flow to the freezer compartment.
- an air passage control device is provided in a refrigerator supply air passage used for enabling cool air to flow to a refrigerator compartment; therefore, the air passage control device can be set to a closed state to prevent warm air from flowing into the refrigerator compartment.
- FIG. 1 shows a general structure of a refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator 1.
- FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing a cooling air passage of the refrigerator 1.
- FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a structure of a periphery of a cooling compartment 13 of the refrigerator 1.
- FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a variation of the refrigerator 1, where (A) shows a periphery of a first opening portion 19, and (B) shows a periphery of a second opening portion 20.
- FIG. 6 is a general control timing diagram representing control of defrosting control of the refrigerator 1.
- the refrigerator 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment is provided with an insulating case 2 serving as a body, and a storage chamber for storing food and the like is formed inside the insulating case 2.
- the storage chamber is divided into a plurality of storage compartments according to the preservation temperature or useage, and the arrangement of the storage compartments is as follows: the uppermost layer is a refrigerator compartment 3, an ice-making compartment 4 is at a left side of a next layer under the refrigerator compartment 3, an upper layer freezer compartment 5 is at a right side of the next layer under the refrigerator compartment 3, a freezer compartment 6 is at a further next layer under the refrigerator compartment 3, and the lowermost layer is a vegetable compartment 7.
- An opening is provided in the front of the insulating case 2, and freely controllable insulating doors 8a, 8b, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are provided at opening portions corresponding to the storage compartments 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, respectively.
- the refrigerator compartment doors 8a and 8b cover the front of the refrigerator compartment 3, upper and lower left portions of the refrigerator compartment door 8a and upper and lower right portions of the refrigerator compartment door 8b are supported on the insulating case 2 in a freely rotatable manner.
- the ice-making compartment door 9, the freezer compartment door 10, the freezer compartment door 11, and the vegetable compartment door 12 are integrally assembled to following storage containers, respectively, and the insulating case 2 is supported at the front of the refrigerator 1 in a freely slidable manner.
- the insulating case 2 serving as the body of the refrigerator 1 is formed by an outer layer 2a, an inner layer 2c, and an insulating layer 2b, where the outer layer 2a is provided with an opening portion in the front and is made of steel plates, the inner layer 2c is arranged inside the outer layer 2a and having a gap from the outer layer 2a, is provided with an opening portion in the front, and is made of synthetic resin, and the insulating layer 2b is filled and foamed in the gap between the outer layer 2a and the inner layer 2c and is made of polyurethane foam.
- a vacuum insulating layer 2d is provided at a back wall part of the insulating case 2.
- the storage chamber is divided into a plurality of storage compartments.
- the refrigerator compartment 3 is separated by an insulating separating wall 34 from the ice-making compartment 4 and the upper layer freezer compartment 5 located at a next layer under the refrigerator compartment 3.
- the ice-making compartment 4 and the upper layer freezer compartment 5 are separated from each other by a separating wall (not shown) formed with an air vent for free circulation of cool air.
- the ice-making compartment 4 and the upper layer freezer compartment 5 are separated by a separating wall 35 formed with an air vent for free circulation of cool air from the freezer compartment 6 disposed at a next layer under the ice-making compartment 4 and the upper layer freezer compartment 5.
- the freezer compartment 6 and the vegetable compartment 7 are separated from each other by an insulating separating wall 36.
- a shelf 42 or a storage container 43 used for storage food and the like is provided inside the refrigerator compartment 3.
- storage shelves 44 and 45 for storing beverage containers and the like are provided at inner sides of the refrigerator compartment doors 8a, 8b.
- storage containers 46, 47a, 47b, 48 that can be integrally drawn with the insulating layer doors 9, 10, 11, and 12 are provided in other storage compartments 4, 5, 6, and 7.
- a storage container disposed in the ice-making compartment 4 is not shown.
- the storage compartments 3 to 7 inside the storage chamber are further provided with other storage shelves and storage containers that are not shown.
- the refrigerator compartment 3 is further arranged with a container for storing water for making ice.
- a mechanical chamber 49 is further provided at a lower portion in the rear of the refrigerator compartment 1.
- the mechanical chamber 49 is arranged with members such as a compressor 31 for compressing refrigerant, a heat sink (not shown), and a heat sink fan (not shown).
- the compressor 31, the heat sink, a capillary that serves as a decompression unit and is not shown, and an evaporator 32 are sequentially connected through refrigerant piping, so as to form a vapor compression refrigeration circuit.
- isobutane (R600a) is used as a refrigerant.
- a decompression unit in another form such as a temperature-type expansion valve, an electronic expansion valve, and a constant pressure expansion valve may also be used in place of capillary to serve as a decompression unit.
- a supply air passage 15 serving as a refrigerator supply air passage is formed at a rear surface and a top surface of the refrigerator compartment 3.
- the supply air passage 15 serving as the refrigerator supply air passage guides air cooled by using the evaporator 32 inside the refrigerator compartment 3.
- the supply air passage 15 is a space sandwiched between an air passage separating wall 38 made of synthetic resin and the inner layer 2c of the insulating case 2.
- a blowing vent 21 used for providing cool air that circulates inside the supply air passage 15 to the refrigerator compartment 3 is formed on the air passage separating wall 38.
- a supply air passage 16 serving as a freezer supply air passage is formed on rear surfaces and top surfaces of the ice-making compartment 4 and the upper layer freezer compartment 5 and a rear surface of the freezer compartment 6.
- the supply air passage 16 is separated from the storage compartments 4 to 6 by an air passage separating wall 39 made of synthetic resin.
- a blowing vent 22 that enables cool air to flow to the ice-making compartment 4 a blowing vent 23 that enables cool air to flow to the upper layer freezer compartment 5, and a blowing vent 24 that enables cool air to flow to the freezer compartment 6 are formed on the air passage separating wall 39.
- the blowing vents 22 to 24 are arranged at positions where cool air can be effectively provided to food and the like received in the storage containers 46, 47a, and 47b.
- a space portion 14 separated from the supply air passage 16 is formed in the back surface, that is, the rear side of the supply air passage 16.
- the supply air passage 16 and the space portion 14 are separated from each other by a separator 40 made of synthetic resin.
- the air passage control device 18 is a motorized shielding plate formed of a plate body of a control cover with one side being axially supported in a freely rotatable manner and a drive motor.
- the air passage control device 18 is not limited to the foregoing manner, and for example, a control apparatus in another form such as an air passage control device using a slide control board may also be used as the air passage control device 18.
- a return air port 27 used for enabling air to return to the cooling compartment 13 is provided in the freezer compartment 6.
- a return air port 28 is provided in the vegetable compartment 7.
- the supply air passage 15 providing cool air to the refrigerator compartment 3 is arranged to convey cool air to the uppermost portion at a central portion of the refrigerator compartment 3 and subsequently enable cool air to drop from two sides. In this way, cool air can be provided entirely and effectively into the refrigerator compartment 3.
- the supply air passage 15 and a blowing vent 21 formed near an upper portion of the storage container 43 are correspondingly provided with branch air passages that are from the central portion to left and right branches. In this way, the interior of the storage container 43 can be effectively cooled.
- the refrigerator 1 is provided with a connecting air passage 17 used for enabling cool air to flow from inside the refrigerator 1 to the vegetable compartment 7.
- a return air port 26 used for cool air in the refrigerator compartment 3 to flow in is formed at a side of the refrigerator compartment 3 of the connecting air passage 17, and a blowing vent 25 for providing cool air to the vegetable compartment 7 is provided at a side of the vegetable compartment 7.
- the cooling compartment 13 is disposed at a rear side of the space portion 14. Moreover, the cooling compartment 13 and the space portion 14 are separated from each other by a cooling compartment separating wall 37 made of synthetic resin.
- the evaporator 32 used for cooling circulated air is arranged inside the cooling compartment 13.
- the evaporator 32 is a so-called fin tube heat exchanger in which the interior of a round tube serving as a heat conduction tube is disposed to be a refrigerant flow path, and the exterior of the tube is disposed to be an air flow path.
- a liquid refrigerant inside the heat conduction tube evaporates. In this way, air outside the tube is cooled; in addition, a heat exchanger in other forms, for example, a heat exchanger in which an elongated porous tube or an irregularly-shaped tube is used may also be used as an evaporator.
- a defrosting heater 33 is provided below the evaporator 32 to serve as a defrosting unit for melting and removing frost attached on the evaporator 32.
- the defrosting heater 33 is a resistance heating-type heater using a glass tube for protection.
- other defrosting manners in which no electrical heater is used for example, warm-air defogging, may also be used for the defrosting unit.
- an air supply opening portion 13a used for sending out cool air obtained through cooling by the evaporator 32 is formed in front above the cooling compartment 13, that is, on a surface of a side of the space portion 14.
- a return air opening portion 13b used for sucking return cool air from the storage compartment into the cooling compartment 13 is formed below the cooling compartment 13.
- the return air opening portion 13b is connected to the return air port 27 of the freezer compartment 6 and the return air port 28 of the vegetable compartment through the return air passage 29 (29a, 29b).
- an air supply device 30 used for enabling circulation of cool air is installed on the air supply opening portion 13a.
- the air supply device 30 is an axial-flow air supply device having rotatable propeller blades, a fan motor (not shown), and a shell (not shown) formed with an air hole.
- other forms of an air supply device such as a combination of a fan in a form without a housing and a motor or a multiple-blade fan may also be used as the air supply device 30.
- the separator 40 divides a part of the supply air passage 16, so as to form the space portion 14 connected to the cooling compartment 13 through the air supply opening portion 13a.
- the separator 40 made of synthetic resin is installed in front of the cooling compartment separating wall 37 such that a circumference portion abuts the cooling compartment separating wall 37, and the separator 40 made of synthetic resin is formed into a preset shape such that a surface opposite the cooling compartment 13 has a concave shape.
- the air passage separating wall 39 that is formed into a preset shape and made of synthetic resin is installed in front of a separator 14 so that the circumference portion abuts the cooling compartment separating wall 37.
- the supply air passage 16 is formed on rear surfaces of the storage compartments 4 to 6 in a manner of being sandwiched between the air passage separating wall 39 and the separator 40.
- the space portion 14 is formed in a manner of being sandwiched between the separator 40 and the cooling compartment separating wall 37.
- the separator 40 there are many variations to the abutting positions or joining methods of the separator 40, the cooling compartment separating wall 37, and the air passage separating wall 39.
- a structure in which the circumference portions of the separating members 37, 39, and 40 abut the inner side the inner layer 2c of the insulating case 2 (as shown in FIG. 2 ) or a lower surface of the insulating separating wall 34 may also be adopted.
- an insulating member such as a polystyrene foam (PS) sheet or a polyethylene foam (PE) sheet may also be added on the separator 40, the cooling compartment separating wall 37, and the air passage separating wall 39.
- PS polystyrene foam
- PE polyethylene foam
- the freely controllable first opening portion 19 is provided on the separator 40 serving as the separating region between the supply air passage 16 and the space portion 14.
- the freely controllable second opening portion 20 is provided in the separating region between the space portion 14 and the return air passage 29.
- the so-called motorized shielding plate is used as the first opening portion 19 and the second opening portion 20.
- a control apparatus in another form may also be used as the first opening portion 19 and the second opening portion 20.
- the refrigerator 1 is provided with the space portion 14, the first opening portion 19, and the second opening portion 20. Therefore, when the first opening portion 19 and the second opening portion 20 are both set to a closed state, the air supply opening portion 13a can be blocked relative to the supply air passage 16, so as to prevent warm air of the cooling compartment 13 from flowing into the storage compartments 4 to 6.
- the air passage control device 18 is provided in the supply air passage 15 connected to the space portion 14. Therefore, when the air passage control device 18 is set to a closed state, the supply air passage 15 can be blocked, so as to prevent warm air of the cooling compartment 13 from flowing into the refrigerator compartment 3.
- first opening portion 19 and the air passage control device 18 are both set to a closed state, and the second opening portion 20 is set to an open state; in this way, air that flows out from the air supply opening portion 13a sequentially flows through the space portion 14, the second opening portion 20, the return air passage 29, and the return air opening portion 13b, so as to form an air path for the return to the cooling compartment 13, that is, the space portion 14 becomes an air path used for enabling circulation of air of the cooling compartment 13 without flowing into the storage compartments.
- the air passage control device 18 can also be disposed at the separating region between the space portion 14 and the supply air passage 15 rather than being disposed inside the supply air passage 15.
- the separator 40 or a part of the cooling compartment separating wall 37 may also be processed and formed into a preset shape to form the separating region.
- a separating member may also be used.
- the second opening portion 20 may also be disposed on the cooling compartment separating wall 37 serving as the separating region between the space portion 14 and the cooling compartment 13.
- the second opening portion 20 may also be set to an open state to enable air to flow from the space portion 14 to the cooling compartment 13.
- the refrigerator 1 is provided with a control apparatus that is programmed to control all components and is not shown in the accompanying drawings, and other various sensors, displays, and lighting that are not shown in the accompanying drawings.
- the actions of the refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment are described.
- cooling a storage compartment is described.
- the first opening portion 19 is set to an open state
- the second opening portion 20 is set to a closed state
- the air passage control device 18 is suitably opened and closed according to a cooling load of the refrigerator compartment.
- the vapor compression freezer circuit is used to cool air that flows through the cooling compartment 13. That is, the compressor 31 as shown in FIG. 2 is used to compress a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant vapor into a high-temperature, high-pressure state, a heat sink (not shown) is used to release heat from the refrigerant vapor, and subsequently, a capillary that serves as a decompression unit (also not shown) is used to perform throttling expansion on a liquid refrigerant that is obtained through heat release and condensation by using the heat sink to enable the liquid refrigerant to flow to the evaporator 32. In the evaporator 32, the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant performs heat exchange with the air to evaporate.
- air cooled by using the evaporator 32 is discharged by the air supply device 30 from the air supply opening portion 13a of the cooling compartment 13 to the space portion 14.
- a part of cool air discharged to the space portion 14 is adjusted by the air passage control device 18 to a suitable flow amount, flows to the supply air passage 15, and is provided from the blowing vent 21 to the refrigerator compartment 3. In this way, food and the like stored inside the refrigerator compartment 3 is cooled and preserved at a suitable temperature.
- Cool air provided inside the refrigerator compartment 3 flows from the return air port 26 to the connecting air passage 17, and is provided from the blowing vent 25 to the vegetable compartment 7. Moreover, cool air circulated in the vegetable compartment 7 returns inside the cooling compartment 13 from the return air port 28 through the return air passage 29b and the return air opening portion 13b of the cooling compartment 13. Here, the evaporator 32 performs cooling again.
- a part of cool air that is discharged to the space portion 14 flows to the supply air passage 16 through the first opening portion 19, and is provided to the ice-making compartment 4 and the upper layer freezer compartment 5 through the blowing vents 22, 23, respectively. Moreover, the cool air flows to the freezer compartment 6 through the opening portion formed on the separating wall 35.
- a part of cool air that flows to the supply air passage 16 through the first opening portion 19 is provided by the blowing vent 24 to the freezer compartment 6.
- air from inside the freezer compartment 6 flows inside the cooling compartment 13 from the return air port 27 through the return air passage 29a and the return air opening portion 13b of the cooling compartment 13.
- food and the like are cooled and preserved through circulation of air cooled by the evaporator 32 inside the storage compartment.
- defrosting is described according to the control timing diagram in FIG. 6 .
- frost accumulates on a heat conduction surface on an air side of the evaporator 32, which hinders thermal conduction and blocks the air flow path. Therefore, the control apparatus not shown determines frosting according to a drop of an evaporation temperature of a refrigerant and the like, or performs determination by using a defrosting timer, so as to start defrosting for removing frost accumulated on the evaporator 32.
- the time T0 in FIG. 6 represents the moment when defrosting starts.
- the control apparatus (not shown) stops the compressor 31, and the air supply device 30, sets both the first opening portion 19 and the second opening portion 20 to a closed state, and sets the supply air passage 15 to a closed state by using the air passage control device 18.
- the defrosting heater 33 is powered.
- frost attached inside the evaporator 32 or the cooling compartment 13 melts.
- Water melted from the frost flows and drops to an evaporation plate that is disposed inside the mechanical chamber 49 and is not shown through a water discharge pipe that is disposed below the cooling compartment 13 and is not shown.
- the water in the evaporation plate evaporates with the heat from the compressor 31 and the like.
- the separator 40 divides a part of the supply air passage 16, the first opening portion 19 and the second opening portion 20 are set to a closed state, and the supply air passage 15 is set to a closed state by using the air passage control device 18; in this way, warm air can be prevented from flowing out to the supply air passages 15, and 16. Therefore, warm air for defrosting can be prevented from warming the interior of the supply air passages 15, and 16.
- the time T1 represents the moment when defrosting stops.
- the control apparatus detects whether a temperature detected by using a temperature sensor (not shown) installed on the piping of the evaporator 32 is at a preset value, so as to determine whether defrosting is complete.
- a timer and the like may also be used to perform defrosting at a preset time interval.
- the control apparatus When defrosting of the evaporator 32 is complete (time T1), the control apparatus (not shown) stops supplying power to the defrosting heater 33, and stays on standby without performing a next action till preset time (till time T2). In this way, standby time is set to reduce residual frost and cool air inside the evaporator.
- the control apparatus starts the compressor 31. In this case, the air supply device 30 is still stopped. In this way, air around the evaporator 32 and whose temperature rises because the defrosting heater 33 becomes warm can be effectively cooled without having the air flow outside the cooling compartment 13 (a first pre-cooling step).
- the control apparatus sets the second opening portion 20 to an open state, and the air supply device 30 starts to supply air.
- the space portion 14 can be used as an air circulation path to enable air circulation inside the cooling compartment 13, and the evaporator 32 performs cooling and adjusts the temperature of air inside the space portion 14 and the cooling compartment 13 (a second pre-cooling step).
- Time T4 represents a moment when the second pre-cooling step ends.
- the control apparatus detects whether a temperature detected by using a temperature sensor (not shown) disposed inside the cooling compartment 13 is at a preset value (a target cooling temperature), and determines whether the adjustment of the temperature of the air is complete, that is, determines whether the second pre-cooling step ends.
- a timer and the like may also be used to perform the second pre-cooling step at a preset time interval.
- the control apparatus sets the first opening portion 19 to an open state, sets the second opening portion 20 to a closed state, sets the air passage control device 18 to an open state, and sends the air that undergoes the adjustment of temperature into the supply air passages 15, 16. Subsequently, cooling is performed.
- a suitable preferred value may be set for the target cooling temperature in the second pre-cooling step according to a cooling load.
- timing of opening and closing the first opening portion 19, the second opening portion 20, and the air passage control device 18 may also be suitably changed in association with the target cooling temperature. For example, after the cooling is performed to a first target cooling temperature that is set to a high temperature, the first opening portion 19 may also be kept in a closed state, the second opening portion 20 is set to a closed state, and the air passage control device 18 is set to an open state; in this way, the supply air passage 15 enables cool air to flow to the refrigerator compartment 3 only.
- the first opening portion 19 may also be set to an open state, and the supply air passage 16 provides cool air to the ice-making compartment 4, the upper layer freezer compartment 5, and the freezer compartment 6. In this way, efficient cooling may be performed.
- FIG. 7 is a side sectional view representing the structure of a periphery of a cooling compartment 13 of the refrigerator 1 according to another embodiment.
- FIG. 8 is a general control timing diagram representing control of defrosting of the refrigerator 1.
- same reference numerals are marked in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , and the description of these structural elements are omitted.
- an air passage control device 50 is provided at an upstream side of a second opening portion 20, that is, at a side of the freezer compartment 6.
- the air passage control device 50 according to this embodiment and an air passage control device 18 disposed in a supply air passage 15 are both a motorized air gate.
- the present invention is not limited thereto, and various other control apparatuses can be used as the air passage control device 50.
- a control apparatus sets the air passage control device 50 to an open state. In this way, air inside the freezer compartment 6 flows through the return air passage 29a and returns to the cooling compartment 13.
- the control apparatus sets the air passage control device 50 to a closed state and blocks the return air passage 29a.
- air inside the cooling compartment 13 in which a defrosting heater is used as a heat source can be prevented or air that is in adjustment of temperature and uses a space portion 14 as an air path from flowing into (flowing back) the freezer compartment 6.
- the result is that a temperature rise in storage compartments 4 to 6 caused by defrosting can be restricted.
- the structure of the air passage control device 18 or the second opening portion 20 may also be implemented as the variation shown in FIG. 5 .
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Description
- The present invention relates to a refrigerator that cools and preserves food and the like inside a storage compartment, and more particularly to a refrigerator that can reduce temperature rise inside a storage compartment to be small during defrosting or when cooling starts.
- Such a refrigerator has the following problems: During defrosting on an evaporator in which a defrosting heater is used as a heat source, warm air around the evaporator flows into a storage compartment, resulting in a temperature rise inside the storage compartment. Therefore, as a method for preventing warm air in defrosting from entering a storage compartment, in a known method, a shielding plate is disposed in a cooling air passage and the shielding plate is closed during defrosting, and in another known method, an air gate is disposed for a fan and the air gate is closed (for example known from Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
2009-250476 FIG. 4 andFIG. 5 )). -
FIG. 9(A) shows a structure of an air passage of arefrigerator 100 disclosed inJP 2009-250476 refrigerator 100 in the related art,air inlets supply air passages air discharges return air passages air discharge 116 is provided in a cool-air return air passage (not shown) of afreezer compartment 112. Moreover, during defrosting, all or a part of theair inlets 105 to 108 and theair discharges 113 to 116 are closed. -
FIG. 9(B) shows the surrounding of afan 117 of therefrigerator 100. In therefrigerator 100, anair gate 118 is disposed in thefan 117, and theair gate 118 is closed during defrosting to prevent warm air from flowing into the cool-airsupply air passages 101 to 104. - In addition, as another example in the related art, it is known that after defrosting ends, an air supply device is delayed to start work after an evaporator starts cooling (for example known from Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
2002-195729 - As disclosed in
JP 2002-195729 - However, as shown in
FIG. 9 , the refrigerator having an air gate or a regulating plate in the related art has the following problems: during defrosting, warm air for defrosting can be prevented from flowing into a storage compartment; however, after defrosting ends and cooling starts, the temperature inside the storage compartment rises. That is, in the refrigerator in the related art, when defrosting ends and cooling starts, air that becomes warm from defrosting inside the cooling compartment or the air passage flows into the storage compartment, and the temperature inside the storage compartment rises. - In addition, after defrosting ends, an evaporator starts cooling in a state in which an air supply device stops working. In a method of cooling air inside the cooling compartment, the temperature rise inside the storage compartment after the cooling starts may be restricted to a minimum; however, the effect is still insufficient. That is, in a state of stopping the air supply device, the evaporator is enabled to cool air around and below the evaporator; however, because thermal conduction from the evaporator to air takes place in natural convection, it is difficult to cool air that accumulates above the evaporator or inside the air passage. Therefore, when cooling starts, warm air above the cooling compartment or inside the air passage flows inside the storage compartment.
- In addition, the method of performing cooling by using the evaporator and stopping the work of the air supply device further has the following problem: on an air side, thermal conduction takes place in a condition of natural convection; therefore, the thermal conduction has low efficiency and cooling time (pre-cooling time) till air supply starts becomes longer. Therefore, in this period of time, cooling cannot be performed inside the storage compartment, and heat intrusion from outside or heat transfer from the side of the evaporator results in a temperature rise inside the storage compartment.
- When the temperature rise inside such a storage compartment causes a large temperature change inside the storage compartment, especially, in the freezer compartment, when a temperature difference is generated between frozen food and the storage compartment, water sublimation occurs because of a vapor pressure difference and results in a problem of drying of food (so-called freezer burn). In addition, when a large temperature change inside the storage compartment causes the food to thaw and to freeze again, ice crystals inside the food become larger, causing damages to cells of food (so-called dryness).
-
WO 2005/052474 A2 andKR 2011 0128715 A JP H10 232079 A - The present invention is accomplished in view of the foregoing problems, and the objective is to provide a refrigerator, which can prevent warm air from flowing into a storage compartment during defrosting or when cooling starts, and prevent heat transfer from a cooling compartment to the storage compartment, thereby restricting a temperature rise inside the storage compartment to a minimum. The invention is defined in the independent claims. A first aspect of the invention relates to a refrigerator including the features of
claim 1. A second aspect of the invention refers to an operating method defined inclaim 4. In the refrigerator, because the freely controllable first opening portion is provided in the separating region between the space portion and the divided supply air passage, the first opening portion can be closed to prevent warm air inside the cooling compartment from flowing into the storage compartment. The result is that the temperature rise inside the storage compartment caused when warm air flows in can be prevented. - In addition, in the refrigerator, because the freely controllable second opening portion is provided in the separating region between the space portion and the return air passage or between the space portion and the cooling compartment, in a case in which the temperature of the air in the space portion or cooling compartment is high, the air is enabled to return to the cooling compartment without flowing into the storage compartment. That is, the first opening portion is set to a closed state, the second opening portion is set to an open state, and the air supply device is enabled to work, so that air that flows out from the air supply opening portion of the cooling compartment flows through the space portion and returns to the cooling compartment through the second opening portion.
- Moreover, as discussed above, in a state of using the space portion as an air path to enable air circulation in the cooling compartment, the evaporator performs cooling; in this way, air in the space portion and the cooling compartment can be effectively cooled. The result is that, the temperature of the air in the space portion and the cooling compartment can be adjusted without causing the temperature rise inside the storage compartment.
- Moreover, subsequently, the first opening portion is set to an open state, and the second opening portion is set to a closed state; as discussed above, the air that is cooled and adjusted to a preset temperature can be provided to the storage compartment. The result is that a temperature change inside the storage compartment can be restricted to a minimum.
- In addition, the divider related in the present invention is arranged to divide a freezer supply air passage and the space portion. Therefore, for the freezer compartment that has a very low refrigeration temperature and is very susceptible to heat from the cooling compartment, the temperature change in the freezer compartment can be restricted to a minimum, and the freezer supply air passage is used for enabling cool air to flow to the freezer compartment.
- In addition, in the refrigerator, an air passage control device is provided in a refrigerator supply air passage used for enabling cool air to flow to a refrigerator compartment; therefore, the air passage control device can be set to a closed state to prevent warm air from flowing into the refrigerator compartment.
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FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a general structure of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 shows a cooling air passage of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the structure of a periphery of a cooling compartment of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a variation of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a side sectional view of a periphery of a first opening portion, and (B) is a side sectional view of a periphery of a second opening portion. -
FIG. 6 is a control timing diagram representing control of defrosting work of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view representing the structure of a periphery of a cooling compartment of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is a control timing diagram representing control of defrosting of the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 9 represents an example of a refrigerator in a related art, where (A) is a main view, and (B) is a view showing a periphery of a fan. - A refrigerator related in a first embodiment of the present invention is described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 1 shows a general structure of arefrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of therefrigerator 1.FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing a cooling air passage of therefrigerator 1.FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a structure of a periphery of acooling compartment 13 of therefrigerator 1.FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a variation of therefrigerator 1, where (A) shows a periphery of afirst opening portion 19, and (B) shows a periphery of asecond opening portion 20.FIG. 6 is a general control timing diagram representing control of defrosting control of therefrigerator 1. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , therefrigerator 1 according to one embodiment is provided with aninsulating case 2 serving as a body, and a storage chamber for storing food and the like is formed inside theinsulating case 2. The storage chamber is divided into a plurality of storage compartments according to the preservation temperature or useage, and the arrangement of the storage compartments is as follows: the uppermost layer is arefrigerator compartment 3, an ice-making compartment 4 is at a left side of a next layer under therefrigerator compartment 3, an upperlayer freezer compartment 5 is at a right side of the next layer under therefrigerator compartment 3, afreezer compartment 6 is at a further next layer under therefrigerator compartment 3, and the lowermost layer is avegetable compartment 7. - An opening is provided in the front of the insulating
case 2, and freely controllable insulatingdoors refrigerator compartment doors refrigerator compartment 3, upper and lower left portions of therefrigerator compartment door 8a and upper and lower right portions of therefrigerator compartment door 8b are supported on the insulatingcase 2 in a freely rotatable manner. In addition, the ice-makingcompartment door 9, thefreezer compartment door 10, thefreezer compartment door 11, and thevegetable compartment door 12 are integrally assembled to following storage containers, respectively, and the insulatingcase 2 is supported at the front of therefrigerator 1 in a freely slidable manner. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , the insulatingcase 2 serving as the body of therefrigerator 1 is formed by anouter layer 2a, aninner layer 2c, and an insulatinglayer 2b, where theouter layer 2a is provided with an opening portion in the front and is made of steel plates, theinner layer 2c is arranged inside theouter layer 2a and having a gap from theouter layer 2a, is provided with an opening portion in the front, and is made of synthetic resin, and the insulatinglayer 2b is filled and foamed in the gap between theouter layer 2a and theinner layer 2c and is made of polyurethane foam. In addition, avacuum insulating layer 2d is provided at a back wall part of the insulatingcase 2. - As discussed above, the storage chamber is divided into a plurality of storage compartments. The
refrigerator compartment 3 is separated by an insulatingseparating wall 34 from the ice-makingcompartment 4 and the upperlayer freezer compartment 5 located at a next layer under therefrigerator compartment 3. In addition, the ice-makingcompartment 4 and the upperlayer freezer compartment 5 are separated from each other by a separating wall (not shown) formed with an air vent for free circulation of cool air. Moreover, the ice-makingcompartment 4 and the upperlayer freezer compartment 5 are separated by a separatingwall 35 formed with an air vent for free circulation of cool air from thefreezer compartment 6 disposed at a next layer under the ice-makingcompartment 4 and the upperlayer freezer compartment 5. Moreover, thefreezer compartment 6 and thevegetable compartment 7 are separated from each other by an insulatingseparating wall 36. - Moreover, a
shelf 42 or astorage container 43 used for storage food and the like is provided inside therefrigerator compartment 3. In addition,storage shelves refrigerator compartment doors storage containers layer doors other storage compartments compartment 4 is not shown. In addition, thestorage compartments 3 to 7 inside the storage chamber are further provided with other storage shelves and storage containers that are not shown. For example, therefrigerator compartment 3 is further arranged with a container for storing water for making ice. - In addition, a
mechanical chamber 49 is further provided at a lower portion in the rear of therefrigerator compartment 1. Themechanical chamber 49 is arranged with members such as acompressor 31 for compressing refrigerant, a heat sink (not shown), and a heat sink fan (not shown). Thecompressor 31, the heat sink, a capillary that serves as a decompression unit and is not shown, and anevaporator 32 are sequentially connected through refrigerant piping, so as to form a vapor compression refrigeration circuit. In addition, in therefrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, isobutane (R600a) is used as a refrigerant. Furthermore, a decompression unit in another form such as a temperature-type expansion valve, an electronic expansion valve, and a constant pressure expansion valve may also be used in place of capillary to serve as a decompression unit. - A
supply air passage 15 serving as a refrigerator supply air passage is formed at a rear surface and a top surface of therefrigerator compartment 3. Thesupply air passage 15 serving as the refrigerator supply air passage guides air cooled by using theevaporator 32 inside therefrigerator compartment 3. Thesupply air passage 15 is a space sandwiched between an airpassage separating wall 38 made of synthetic resin and theinner layer 2c of the insulatingcase 2. In addition, a blowingvent 21 used for providing cool air that circulates inside thesupply air passage 15 to therefrigerator compartment 3 is formed on the airpassage separating wall 38. - Similarly, a
supply air passage 16 serving as a freezer supply air passage is formed on rear surfaces and top surfaces of the ice-makingcompartment 4 and the upperlayer freezer compartment 5 and a rear surface of thefreezer compartment 6. Thesupply air passage 16 is separated from thestorage compartments 4 to 6 by an airpassage separating wall 39 made of synthetic resin. Moreover, a blowingvent 22 that enables cool air to flow to the ice-makingcompartment 4, a blowingvent 23 that enables cool air to flow to the upperlayer freezer compartment 5, and a blowingvent 24 that enables cool air to flow to thefreezer compartment 6 are formed on the airpassage separating wall 39. In addition, the blowing vents 22 to 24 are arranged at positions where cool air can be effectively provided to food and the like received in thestorage containers - In addition, a
space portion 14 separated from thesupply air passage 16 is formed in the back surface, that is, the rear side of thesupply air passage 16. Thesupply air passage 16 and thespace portion 14 are separated from each other by aseparator 40 made of synthetic resin. - In addition, the
supply air passage 15 and thespace portion 14 are connected through an airpassage control device 18. The airpassage control device 18 is a motorized shielding plate formed of a plate body of a control cover with one side being axially supported in a freely rotatable manner and a drive motor. In addition, the airpassage control device 18 is not limited to the foregoing manner, and for example, a control apparatus in another form such as an air passage control device using a slide control board may also be used as the airpassage control device 18. By opening and closing the airpassage control device 18, it can be adjusted whether to enable air to flow from thespace portion 14 to thesupply air passage 15. In addition, through enabling the airpassage control device 18 to perform a suitable open/close action, a flow amount of cool air provided to therefrigerator compartment 3 can be adjusted. - In addition, a
return air port 27 used for enabling air to return to thecooling compartment 13 is provided in thefreezer compartment 6. For a similar objective, areturn air port 28 is provided in thevegetable compartment 7. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , thesupply air passage 15 providing cool air to therefrigerator compartment 3 is arranged to convey cool air to the uppermost portion at a central portion of therefrigerator compartment 3 and subsequently enable cool air to drop from two sides. In this way, cool air can be provided entirely and effectively into therefrigerator compartment 3. - In addition, the
supply air passage 15 and a blowingvent 21 formed near an upper portion of the storage container 43 (referring toFIG. 2 ) are correspondingly provided with branch air passages that are from the central portion to left and right branches. In this way, the interior of thestorage container 43 can be effectively cooled. - In addition, the
refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a connectingair passage 17 used for enabling cool air to flow from inside therefrigerator 1 to thevegetable compartment 7. Areturn air port 26 used for cool air in therefrigerator compartment 3 to flow in is formed at a side of therefrigerator compartment 3 of the connectingair passage 17, and a blowingvent 25 for providing cool air to thevegetable compartment 7 is provided at a side of thevegetable compartment 7. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , inside the insulatingcase 2, thecooling compartment 13 is disposed at a rear side of thespace portion 14. Moreover, thecooling compartment 13 and thespace portion 14 are separated from each other by a coolingcompartment separating wall 37 made of synthetic resin. - The
evaporator 32 used for cooling circulated air is arranged inside thecooling compartment 13. Theevaporator 32 according to this embodiment is a so-called fin tube heat exchanger in which the interior of a round tube serving as a heat conduction tube is disposed to be a refrigerant flow path, and the exterior of the tube is disposed to be an air flow path. In theevaporator 32, a liquid refrigerant inside the heat conduction tube evaporates. In this way, air outside the tube is cooled; in addition, a heat exchanger in other forms, for example, a heat exchanger in which an elongated porous tube or an irregularly-shaped tube is used may also be used as an evaporator. In addition, below theevaporator 32, a defrostingheater 33 is provided to serve as a defrosting unit for melting and removing frost attached on theevaporator 32. The defrostingheater 33 is a resistance heating-type heater using a glass tube for protection. In addition, other defrosting manners in which no electrical heater is used, for example, warm-air defogging, may also be used for the defrosting unit. - In addition, an air
supply opening portion 13a used for sending out cool air obtained through cooling by theevaporator 32 is formed in front above thecooling compartment 13, that is, on a surface of a side of thespace portion 14. In another embodiment, a returnair opening portion 13b used for sucking return cool air from the storage compartment into thecooling compartment 13 is formed below thecooling compartment 13. Moreover, the returnair opening portion 13b is connected to thereturn air port 27 of thefreezer compartment 6 and thereturn air port 28 of the vegetable compartment through the return air passage 29 (29a, 29b). - In addition, an
air supply device 30 used for enabling circulation of cool air is installed on the airsupply opening portion 13a. Theair supply device 30 is an axial-flow air supply device having rotatable propeller blades, a fan motor (not shown), and a shell (not shown) formed with an air hole. In addition, other forms of an air supply device such as a combination of a fan in a form without a housing and a motor or a multiple-blade fan may also be used as theair supply device 30. - Here, as discussed above, the
separator 40 divides a part of thesupply air passage 16, so as to form thespace portion 14 connected to thecooling compartment 13 through the airsupply opening portion 13a. Specifically, theseparator 40 made of synthetic resin is installed in front of the coolingcompartment separating wall 37 such that a circumference portion abuts the coolingcompartment separating wall 37, and theseparator 40 made of synthetic resin is formed into a preset shape such that a surface opposite thecooling compartment 13 has a concave shape. - Moreover, the air
passage separating wall 39 that is formed into a preset shape and made of synthetic resin is installed in front of aseparator 14 so that the circumference portion abuts the coolingcompartment separating wall 37. - In this way, the
supply air passage 16 is formed on rear surfaces of thestorage compartments 4 to 6 in a manner of being sandwiched between the airpassage separating wall 39 and theseparator 40. Moreover, on the rear surfaces of thestorage compartments 4 to 6, thespace portion 14 is formed in a manner of being sandwiched between theseparator 40 and the coolingcompartment separating wall 37. In this way, in therefrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, because the dividesupply air passage 16 andspace portion 14 are provided between thestorage compartments 4 to 6 and thecooling compartment 13, heat transfer from thecooling compartment 13 to thestorage compartments 4 to 6 can be reduced. - In addition, there are many variations to the abutting positions or joining methods of the
separator 40, the coolingcompartment separating wall 37, and the airpassage separating wall 39. For example, a structure in which the circumference portions of the separatingmembers inner layer 2c of the insulating case 2 (as shown inFIG. 2 ) or a lower surface of the insulating separatingwall 34 may also be adopted. - In addition, an insulating member (not shown) such as a polystyrene foam (PS) sheet or a polyethylene foam (PE) sheet may also be added on the
separator 40, the coolingcompartment separating wall 37, and the airpassage separating wall 39. In this way, heat resistance between the coolingcompartment 13 and thestorage compartments 4 to 6 can be increased, and heat transfer from thecooling compartment 13 to thestorage compartments 4 to 6 can further be reduced. - In addition, the freely controllable
first opening portion 19 is provided on theseparator 40 serving as the separating region between thesupply air passage 16 and thespace portion 14. In addition, the freely controllablesecond opening portion 20 is provided in the separating region between thespace portion 14 and thereturn air passage 29. In this embodiment, similar to the airpassage control device 18, the so-called motorized shielding plate is used as thefirst opening portion 19 and thesecond opening portion 20. In addition, definitely, a control apparatus in another form may also be used as thefirst opening portion 19 and thesecond opening portion 20. - In this way, the
refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is provided with thespace portion 14, thefirst opening portion 19, and thesecond opening portion 20. Therefore, when thefirst opening portion 19 and thesecond opening portion 20 are both set to a closed state, the airsupply opening portion 13a can be blocked relative to thesupply air passage 16, so as to prevent warm air of thecooling compartment 13 from flowing into thestorage compartments 4 to 6. - In addition, in the
refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, the airpassage control device 18 is provided in thesupply air passage 15 connected to thespace portion 14. Therefore, when the airpassage control device 18 is set to a closed state, thesupply air passage 15 can be blocked, so as to prevent warm air of thecooling compartment 13 from flowing into therefrigerator compartment 3. - In addition, the
first opening portion 19 and the airpassage control device 18 are both set to a closed state, and thesecond opening portion 20 is set to an open state; in this way, air that flows out from the airsupply opening portion 13a sequentially flows through thespace portion 14, thesecond opening portion 20, thereturn air passage 29, and the returnair opening portion 13b, so as to form an air path for the return to thecooling compartment 13, that is, thespace portion 14 becomes an air path used for enabling circulation of air of thecooling compartment 13 without flowing into the storage compartments. - In addition, as shown in
FIG. 5(A) , the airpassage control device 18 can also be disposed at the separating region between thespace portion 14 and thesupply air passage 15 rather than being disposed inside thesupply air passage 15. In this case, theseparator 40 or a part of the coolingcompartment separating wall 37 may also be processed and formed into a preset shape to form the separating region. In addition, a separating member may also be used. - In addition, as shown in
FIG. 5(B) , thesecond opening portion 20 may also be disposed on the coolingcompartment separating wall 37 serving as the separating region between thespace portion 14 and thecooling compartment 13. By using such a structure, thesecond opening portion 20 may also be set to an open state to enable air to flow from thespace portion 14 to thecooling compartment 13. - In addition, the
refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a control apparatus that is programmed to control all components and is not shown in the accompanying drawings, and other various sensors, displays, and lighting that are not shown in the accompanying drawings. - Next, the actions of the
refrigerator 1 according to this embodiment are described. First, cooling a storage compartment is described. During cooling, thefirst opening portion 19 is set to an open state, thesecond opening portion 20 is set to a closed state, and the airpassage control device 18 is suitably opened and closed according to a cooling load of the refrigerator compartment. - First, the vapor compression freezer circuit is used to cool air that flows through the
cooling compartment 13. That is, thecompressor 31 as shown inFIG. 2 is used to compress a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant vapor into a high-temperature, high-pressure state, a heat sink (not shown) is used to release heat from the refrigerant vapor, and subsequently, a capillary that serves as a decompression unit (also not shown) is used to perform throttling expansion on a liquid refrigerant that is obtained through heat release and condensation by using the heat sink to enable the liquid refrigerant to flow to theevaporator 32. In theevaporator 32, the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant performs heat exchange with the air to evaporate. The result is that air inside thecooling compartment 13 is cooled for latent heat in evaporation of the refrigerant. The vapor refrigerant through evaporation by using theevaporator 32 is sucked into thecompressor 31 again for compression. The described actions are continuously repeated, and theevaporator 32 in the freezer circuit is used to cool the air. - As shown in
FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 , air cooled by using theevaporator 32 is discharged by theair supply device 30 from the airsupply opening portion 13a of thecooling compartment 13 to thespace portion 14. - Moreover, a part of cool air discharged to the
space portion 14 is adjusted by the airpassage control device 18 to a suitable flow amount, flows to thesupply air passage 15, and is provided from the blowingvent 21 to therefrigerator compartment 3. In this way, food and the like stored inside therefrigerator compartment 3 is cooled and preserved at a suitable temperature. - Cool air provided inside the
refrigerator compartment 3 flows from thereturn air port 26 to the connectingair passage 17, and is provided from the blowingvent 25 to thevegetable compartment 7. Moreover, cool air circulated in thevegetable compartment 7 returns inside thecooling compartment 13 from thereturn air port 28 through thereturn air passage 29b and the returnair opening portion 13b of thecooling compartment 13. Here, theevaporator 32 performs cooling again. - In another aspect, a part of cool air that is discharged to the
space portion 14 flows to thesupply air passage 16 through thefirst opening portion 19, and is provided to the ice-makingcompartment 4 and the upperlayer freezer compartment 5 through the blowing vents 22, 23, respectively. Moreover, the cool air flows to thefreezer compartment 6 through the opening portion formed on the separatingwall 35. - Moreover, a part of cool air that flows to the
supply air passage 16 through thefirst opening portion 19 is provided by the blowingvent 24 to thefreezer compartment 6. Moreover, air from inside thefreezer compartment 6 flows inside thecooling compartment 13 from thereturn air port 27 through thereturn air passage 29a and the returnair opening portion 13b of thecooling compartment 13. As described above, food and the like are cooled and preserved through circulation of air cooled by theevaporator 32 inside the storage compartment. - Next, referring to
FIG. 2 andFIG. 4 , defrosting is described according to the control timing diagram inFIG. 6 . When cooling continues, frost accumulates on a heat conduction surface on an air side of theevaporator 32, which hinders thermal conduction and blocks the air flow path. Therefore, the control apparatus not shown determines frosting according to a drop of an evaporation temperature of a refrigerant and the like, or performs determination by using a defrosting timer, so as to start defrosting for removing frost accumulated on theevaporator 32. - The time T0 in
FIG. 6 represents the moment when defrosting starts. In a case of performing defrosting, the control apparatus (not shown) stops thecompressor 31, and theair supply device 30, sets both thefirst opening portion 19 and thesecond opening portion 20 to a closed state, and sets thesupply air passage 15 to a closed state by using the airpassage control device 18. Moreover, the defrostingheater 33 is powered. - In this way, with the heating of the defrosting
heater 33, frost attached inside theevaporator 32 or thecooling compartment 13 melts. Water melted from the frost flows and drops to an evaporation plate that is disposed inside themechanical chamber 49 and is not shown through a water discharge pipe that is disposed below thecooling compartment 13 and is not shown. Subsequently, the water in the evaporation plate evaporates with the heat from thecompressor 31 and the like. - The heat generated by the defrosting
heater 33 warms the air inside thecooling compartment 13. However, in therefrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, as discussed above, theseparator 40 divides a part of thesupply air passage 16, thefirst opening portion 19 and thesecond opening portion 20 are set to a closed state, and thesupply air passage 15 is set to a closed state by using the airpassage control device 18; in this way, warm air can be prevented from flowing out to thesupply air passages supply air passages - The time T1 represents the moment when defrosting stops. The control apparatus detects whether a temperature detected by using a temperature sensor (not shown) installed on the piping of the
evaporator 32 is at a preset value, so as to determine whether defrosting is complete. In addition, a timer and the like may also be used to perform defrosting at a preset time interval. - When defrosting of the
evaporator 32 is complete (time T1), the control apparatus (not shown) stops supplying power to thedefrosting heater 33, and stays on standby without performing a next action till preset time (till time T2). In this way, standby time is set to reduce residual frost and cool air inside the evaporator. Next, at the time T2, the control apparatus starts thecompressor 31. In this case, theair supply device 30 is still stopped. In this way, air around theevaporator 32 and whose temperature rises because thedefrosting heater 33 becomes warm can be effectively cooled without having the air flow outside the cooling compartment 13 (a first pre-cooling step). - Next, at time T3, the control apparatus sets the
second opening portion 20 to an open state, and theair supply device 30 starts to supply air. In this way, thespace portion 14 can be used as an air circulation path to enable air circulation inside thecooling compartment 13, and theevaporator 32 performs cooling and adjusts the temperature of air inside thespace portion 14 and the cooling compartment 13 (a second pre-cooling step). - Here, in the second pre-cooling step, heat exchange between the heat conduction surface on the air side of the
evaporator 32 and air is forced-convection heat transfer. Therefore, efficient heat exchange can be performed, and air inside thespace portion 14 and thecooling compartment 13 can be effectively cooled within a short time. - Time T4 represents a moment when the second pre-cooling step ends. Here, the control apparatus detects whether a temperature detected by using a temperature sensor (not shown) disposed inside the
cooling compartment 13 is at a preset value (a target cooling temperature), and determines whether the adjustment of the temperature of the air is complete, that is, determines whether the second pre-cooling step ends. In addition, a timer and the like may also be used to perform the second pre-cooling step at a preset time interval. - When the second pre-cooling step ends (time T4), the control apparatus sets the
first opening portion 19 to an open state, sets thesecond opening portion 20 to a closed state, sets the airpassage control device 18 to an open state, and sends the air that undergoes the adjustment of temperature into thesupply air passages - In addition, a suitable preferred value may be set for the target cooling temperature in the second pre-cooling step according to a cooling load. Moreover, timing of opening and closing the
first opening portion 19, thesecond opening portion 20, and the airpassage control device 18 may also be suitably changed in association with the target cooling temperature. For example, after the cooling is performed to a first target cooling temperature that is set to a high temperature, thefirst opening portion 19 may also be kept in a closed state, thesecond opening portion 20 is set to a closed state, and the airpassage control device 18 is set to an open state; in this way, thesupply air passage 15 enables cool air to flow to therefrigerator compartment 3 only. - Moreover, when the temperature is further lowered and the cooling is performed to a second target cooling temperature that is lower than the first target cooling temperature, the
first opening portion 19 may also be set to an open state, and thesupply air passage 16 provides cool air to the ice-makingcompartment 4, the upperlayer freezer compartment 5, and thefreezer compartment 6. In this way, efficient cooling may be performed. - Next, a refrigerator related in a second embodiment of the present invention is described in detail according to the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view representing the structure of a periphery of acooling compartment 13 of therefrigerator 1 according to another embodiment.FIG. 8 is a general control timing diagram representing control of defrosting of therefrigerator 1. In addition, for structural elements having the same or similar effects and efficacy as the describedrefrigerator 1 related in the first embodiment, same reference numerals are marked inFIG. 7 andFIG. 8 , and the description of these structural elements are omitted. - As shown in
FIG. 7 , in therefrigerator 1 according to this embodiment, inside areturn air passage 29a of afreezer compartment 6, an airpassage control device 50 is provided at an upstream side of asecond opening portion 20, that is, at a side of thefreezer compartment 6. - The air
passage control device 50 according to this embodiment and an airpassage control device 18 disposed in asupply air passage 15 are both a motorized air gate. In addition, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various other control apparatuses can be used as the airpassage control device 50. - Next, an open/close action of the air
passage control device 50 is described according toFIG. 8 and by properly referring toFIG. 7 . First, during cooling (after time T4), a control apparatus (not shown) sets the airpassage control device 50 to an open state. In this way, air inside thefreezer compartment 6 flows through thereturn air passage 29a and returns to thecooling compartment 13. - In another aspect, from when defrosting starts (the time T0) to when the second pre-cooling step ends (the time T4), the control apparatus sets the air
passage control device 50 to a closed state and blocks thereturn air passage 29a. In this way, air inside thecooling compartment 13 in which a defrosting heater is used as a heat source can be prevented or air that is in adjustment of temperature and uses aspace portion 14 as an air path from flowing into (flowing back) thefreezer compartment 6. The result is that a temperature rise instorage compartments 4 to 6 caused by defrosting can be restricted. - In addition, in the second embodiment described above, the structure of the air
passage control device 18 or thesecond opening portion 20 may also be implemented as the variation shown inFIG. 5 . - As set forth above, the
refrigerator 1 according to the embodiments of the present invention is described.
Claims (7)
- A refrigerator (1), comprising:an insulating case (2);a storage compartment (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) being at least divided into a refrigerator compartment (3) and a freezer compartment (4, 5, 6);a space portion (14);a refrigerator supply air passage (15) for enabling the air to flow to the refrigerator compartment (3);an air passage control device (18) connecting the refrigerator supply air passage (15) and the space portion (14), the air passage control device (18) being provided in the refrigerator supply air passage;a freezer supply air passage (16) adapted for enabling air to flow into the freezer compartment (4, 5, 6); a return air passage (29), adapted for enabling the air from the storage compartment (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) to flow through;a cooling compartment (13), that is inside the insulating case (2) disposed at a rear side of the space portion (14), the cooling compartment (13) and the space portion (14) being separated from each other by a cooling compartment separating wall (37) made of synthetic resin, the cooling compartment (13) having an air supply opening portion (13a) that connects the space portion (14) to the cooling compartment (13) and a return air opening portion (13b) for enabling the air from the return air passage (29) to flow in; an evaporator (32), disposed inside the cooling compartment (13) adapted for cooling the air that flows in from the return air opening portion (13b);a defrosting heater (33), arranged below the evaporator (32); andan air supply device (30), disposed on the air supply opening portion (13a),characterized in that,the space portion (14) is separated from the supply air passage (16) and formed in the rear side of the freezer supply air passage (16), the freezer supply air passage (16) and the space portion (14) being separated from each other by a separator (40) made of synthetic resin, the separator (40) being arranged between the freezer compartment (4, 5, 6) and the cooling compartment (13) and at the same time between the freezer supply air passage (16) and the space portion (14),the freezer supply air passage (16) is separated from the freezer compartment (4, 5, 6) by an air passage separating wall (39) with air permitted to flow from the freezer supply air passage (16) to the freezer compartment (4, 5, 6) via at least one blowing vent (22, 23, 24) and wherein furthera freely controllable first opening portion (19) is disposed in the separator (40) and adjustable so as to control air flow between the space portion (14) and the freezer supply air passage (16) with the first opening portion (19) being adapted to be controlled by a motorized shielding plate or another control apparatus; and a freely controllable second opening portion (20) that is disposed in a separating region between the space portion (14) and the return air passage (29) or between the space portion (14) and the cooling compartment (13), the second opening portion (20) being adapted to be controlled by a motorized shielding plate or another control apparatus.
- The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein
the first opening portion (19) is enabled to be in a closed state, and the second opening portion (20) is enabled to be in an open state, so that the space portion (14) becomes an air path used for the air that flows out from the air supply opening portion (13a) of the cooling compartment (13) to flow from the return air opening portion (29) to the cooling compartment (13). - An operating method of a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein, in operation, the first opening portion (19) is set to a closed state, the second opening portion (20) is set to an open state and the air passage control device (18) is set to a closed state so that the space portion (14) is used as an air path for circulation of the air to the cooling compartment (13), the heat exchanger (32) performs cooling, and the air supply device (30) supplies air, so as to adjust the temperature of the air inside the space portion (14) and the cooling compartment (13).
- The operating method of the refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein after the temperature of the air inside the space portion (14) and the cooling compartment (13) are adjusted, the first opening portion (19) is set to an open state, the second opening portion (20) is set to a closed state and the air passage control device (18) is set to an open state so that the refrigerator supply air passage (15) and the freezer supply air passage (16) provide the air that undergoes the adjustment of temperature to the storage compartment (3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
- The operating method of the refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein
the first opening portion (19) and the second opening portion (20) are both set to a closed state, the defrosting heater (33) performs defrosting and after the defrosting stops, the second opening portion (20) is set to an open state, so as to adjust the temperature of the air inside the space portion (14) and the cooling compartment (13). - The operating method of the refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein after the temperature of the air inside the space portion (14) and the cooling compartment (13) is adjusted, the first opening portion (19) is set to an open state, the second opening portion (20) is set to a closed state, the refrigerator supply air passage (15) is set to an open state by using the air passage control device (18), and the freezer supply air passage (16) or the refrigerator supply air passage (15) provides the air that undergoes the adjustment of temperature to the freezer compartment (4, 5, 6) or the refrigerator compartment (3), respectively.
- The operating method of the refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein
the first opening portion (19) and the second opening portion (20) are both set to a closed state, the refrigerator supply air passage (15) is set to a closed state by using the air passage control device (18), the defrosting heater (33) performs defrosting, and after the defrosting stops, the second opening portion (20) is set to an open state, so as to adjust the temperature of the air inside the space portion (14) and the cooling compartment (13).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2012069008A JP5847626B2 (en) | 2012-03-26 | 2012-03-26 | Refrigerator and operation method thereof |
PCT/CN2013/073215 WO2013143449A1 (en) | 2012-03-26 | 2013-03-26 | Refrigerator and working method thereof |
Publications (3)
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EP2833089A1 EP2833089A1 (en) | 2015-02-04 |
EP2833089A4 EP2833089A4 (en) | 2015-11-18 |
EP2833089B1 true EP2833089B1 (en) | 2018-07-25 |
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EP13767595.5A Active EP2833089B1 (en) | 2012-03-26 | 2013-03-26 | Refrigerator and working method thereof |
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US (1) | US20150033773A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2833089B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5847626B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN104160225B (en) |
AU (1) | AU2013242698B2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2013143449A1 (en) |
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WO2013143449A1 (en) | 2013-10-03 |
CN104160225A (en) | 2014-11-19 |
CN104160225B (en) | 2016-07-06 |
AU2013242698B2 (en) | 2015-11-19 |
US20150033773A1 (en) | 2015-02-05 |
JP5847626B2 (en) | 2016-01-27 |
JP2013200074A (en) | 2013-10-03 |
EP2833089A4 (en) | 2015-11-18 |
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