KR0182586B1 - Defrosting device of a refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a defrosting apparatus of a refrigerator, wherein a defrost heater is mounted on a predetermined portion of an outer wall of a refrigerant pipe between a capillary tube and an evaporator, and is externally defrosted through a relay based on a switching control signal from a microcomputer during the defrosting operation of the refrigerator. Power is supplied to generate heat from the defrost heater, and this heat is conducted to the evaporator through the refrigerant pipe to remove frost formed on the evaporator, thereby reducing the volume of the defrost structure of the refrigerator, and due to the heat generated from the defrost heater. It is possible to prevent deformation of the surrounding glue pulley or plastic injection molding, and to perform defrosting operation immediately after the cooling operation, which not only prevents waste of power but also effectively removes frost on the evaporator. It is.

Description

Defroster of the refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a dehumidifying apparatus of a refrigerator suitable for suppressing an increase in the internal temperature of the refrigerator during defrosting operation.

The cycle through which the refrigerant in a typical refrigerator circulates is shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerant having a low temperature and low pressure gas state is compressed (insulated and compressed) through the compressor 110 to be converted into a high temperature high pressure gas state, and then, based on the outside air through the condenser 130. Cooling and condensation are converted into a liquid state, and moisture contained in the refrigerant is evaporated through the dryer 140.

Then, the refrigerant provided from the dryer 130 is depressurized through the capillary tube 150 and flows into the evaporator 170 to be evaporated to a low temperature at a low pressure, whereby heat in the refrigerator is absorbed and cooled.

On the other hand, when the door of the refrigerator is opened by the user, when the external air flows into the refrigerator, frost is formed on the surface of the evaporator 170 due to moisture contained in the external air, and the frost of the frost persists Since the cold air from the evaporator 170 is not circulated into the refrigerator, the refrigerator internal temperature may be increased, and food may be damaged. Is generated.

As described above, a circuit diagram of a defroster of a conventional typical refrigerator for removing frost on the evaporator 170 is shown in FIG. 6 with a temperature sensor 40, a timer 50, and a bimetal 60. ), The fuse 70 and the defrost heater (80).

Referring to FIG. 6, a reference temperature (for example, −18 ° C.) set through a temperature control unit (not shown) is set in the temperature sensor 40, and a temperature sensor ( As the 40 is turned on and off, the external power source from the power supply stage provided to the defrost heater 80, the compressor 110, and the fan motor 115 is switched.

On the other hand, in the state in which the temperature sensor 40 is turned on, the switching unit 52 in the timer 50 is switched by the timer motor 52 driving pulse in the timer 50, from the timer motor 52. When the fixed terminal a and the variable terminal b in the switching unit 54 are switched based on the driving pulse, external power provided through the temperature sensor 40 is provided to the compressor 110 and the fan motor 115. When the fixed terminal a and the variable terminal c in the switching unit 54 are switched, the external power provided through the temperature sensor 40 is provided to the defrost heater 80.

Next, the compressor 110 is driven based on the external power provided through the switching unit 54 so that the low temperature low pressure refrigerant flows into the condenser 130, the dryer 140, the capillary tube 150, and the evaporator 170. The cool air is generated from the evaporator 170, the fan is operated by the fan motor 115, and the cool air generated from the evaporator 170 is blown into the refrigerator to cool the inside temperature of the refrigerator.

Then, when the internal temperature of the refrigerator cooled by the operation of the compressor 110 and the fan motor 115 is lower than the reference temperature (-18 ° C.) set in the temperature sensor 40, the temperature sensor 40 is turned off. The external power supplied to the compressor 110 and the fan motor 115 is switched off to increase the internal temperature of the refrigerator.

On the other hand, when the internal temperature of the refrigerator is increased to be higher than the reference temperature (-l8 ° C) set in the temperature sensor 40, the temperature sensor 40 is switched to the on state and the compressor through the switching unit 54 in the timer 50. External power is provided to the 110 and the fan motor 115.

Accordingly, the compressor 110 is driven so that refrigerant of low temperature and low pressure flows into the condenser 130, the dryer 140, the capillary tube 150, and the evaporator 170 to generate cold air from the evaporator 170, and the fan motor 115. The fan is operated to drive cold air generated from the evaporator 170 into the refrigerator, thereby cooling the inside temperature of the refrigerator.

By repeating the operation process as described above, the internal temperature of the refrigerator is maintained at the reference temperature set in the temperature sensor 40.

On the other hand, when the predetermined time (for example, 6 hours to 14 hours) set to remove the frost on the evaporator 170 during the operation process as described above, the timer motor 52 in the timer 50 The fixed terminal a and the variable terminal c in the switching unit 54 are switched on the basis of the driving pulse from the external power supply to the defrost heater 80 through the fuse 70, and the defrost heater 80. The frost formed on the evaporator 170 is removed by the driving.

Here, the defrost heater 80 is mounted to a predetermined portion of the evaporator 170 (for example, below the evaporator 170), as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, or of (b) of FIG. As shown in C, the evaporator 170 is mounted on both sides as a cord heater.

However, since the internal temperature of the refrigerator rises above room temperature (for example, 10 ° C) based on an external power source provided to the defrost heater 80 at the time of defrosting of the refrigerator, food in the refrigerator may be spoiled and 10 ° C. There is a problem in that power is wasted to cool the bet of the refrigerator raised to again. In addition, when the defrost heater 80 is mounted below the evaporator 170 to remove frost formed on the evaporator 170, there is a problem that the stirrpool or plastic injection molding around the evaporator 170 is deformed by heat. . In addition, when the cord heater is mounted on the outer circumference of the evaporator 170, there is a problem that the total volume of the evaporator 170 is increased.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art as described above, and after performing a cooling operation according to the internal temperature of the refrigerator and the temperature of the evaporator, a defrost heater configured in a shape surrounding the refrigerant pipe flowing into the evaporator It is an object of the present invention to provide a defrosting apparatus of a refrigerator capable of driving a defrosting operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, by compressing the low-temperature low-pressure gas refrigerant through a compressor to a high-temperature high-pressure gas state, and then cooled and condensed through a condenser to a liquid state, the liquid state of the dryer In the refrigerator apparatus to remove the moisture contained in the refrigerant to reduce the pressure through a capillary tube, and then evaporate to a low temperature through an evaporator, it is mounted on the capillary tube and a predetermined portion of the outer wall of the refrigerant pipe during the evaporation period, switching control signal from the micro The defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator further comprises a defrost heater for removing frost formed on the surface of the evaporator based on an external power source provided according to the present invention.

1 is a view for explaining a cycle in which a refrigerant of a typical refrigerator is circulated.

2 is a schematic block diagram of a defrosting apparatus of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view for explaining a position in which the defrost heater 270 is mounted in the constituent members of the defrost apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

4 is a timing pulse for driving a compressor, a fan motor, and a defrost heater in a refrigerator according to the present invention, and a diagram illustrating the internal temperature of the refrigerator.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the defrost heater shown in FIG. 3 based on a and a '.

6 is a circuit diagram of a defrosting apparatus of a conventional typical refrigerator.

7 is a view for explaining a defrost structure of a conventional typical refrigerator.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

40: temperature sensor 50: timer

52: timer motor 54: switching unit

60: Bimetal 70: Hughes

80,160 Defrost heater 110 Compressor

115, 250: fan motor 130: condenser

140: dryer 150: capillary tube

170: evaporator 210: air temperature sensor

220: evaporator temperature sensor 230: microcomputer

240: compressor motor 250: relay

The above and other objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a schematic block diagram of a defrosting apparatus of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen from the drawings, the air temperature sensor 210, the evaporator temperature sensor 220, and the microcomputer 230 are shown. , A compressor motor 240, a fan motor 250, a relay 260, and a defrost heater 270.

In FIG. 2, the air temperature sensor 210 senses the air temperature of the refrigerator and provides it to the microcomputer 230, and the evaporator temperature sensor 220 is mounted on a predetermined portion of the evaporator 170, and the evaporator 170. Sensing the temperature is provided to the microcomputer 230.

In addition, the microcomputer 230 may output a control signal for driving the compressor motor 240 when the internal temperature of the refrigerator provided from the internal temperature sensor 210 is higher than a first predetermined reference temperature (eg, −18 ° C.). After generation, when a predetermined time (for example, one minute) elapses, a control signal for driving the fan motor 250 is generated.

In addition, the microcomputer 230 generates a control signal for stopping the driving of the fan motor 250 when the internal temperature of the refrigerator provided from the internal temperature sensor 210 is lower than the preset first reference temperature (−18 ° C.). At the same time, a switching control signal for providing external power to the defrost heater 270 mounted on a predetermined portion of the outer wall of the refrigerant pipe flowing into the evaporator 170 is generated, and the evaporator 170 sensed by the evaporator temperature sensor 220. ) Is greater than the preset second reference temperature (eg, 10 ° C.) to generate a switching control signal for shutting off the external power provided to the defrost heater 270.

In FIG. 2, the compressor motor 240 is driven based on a drive control signal from the microcomputer 230 to condense the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant flowing into the compressor 110 to the condenser 130, the dryer 140, and the capillary tube ( 150 and the evaporator 170, the fan motor 250 is driven based on the drive control signal from the microcomputer 230 to blow the cool air cooled in the evaporator 170 into the refrigerator.

In addition, the relay 260 is switched based on the switching control signal from the microcomputer 230 to provide an external power source to the defrost heater 270, and the defrost heater 270 is shown in FIG. It is mounted on the outer wall of the refrigerant pipe between the 150 and the evaporator 170 and emits heat (approximately, 300 ° C to 500 ° C) based on an external power source provided through the relay 260.

On the other hand, Figure 3 is a view for explaining the position in which the defrost heater 270 is mounted in the component of the defroster of the refrigerator according to the present invention, the compressor 110, the condenser 130, the dryer 140, the capillary ( 150, the defrost heater 270, the evaporator 170, and the evaporator temperature sensor 220.

Here, the compressor 110, the condenser 130, the dryer 140, the capillary tube 150 and the evaporator 170 of the components of the defrosting device of the refrigerator according to the present invention, the refrigerant circulation of the refrigerator shown in FIG. Since the components described in the cycle, that is, the compressor 110, the condenser 130, the dryer 140, the capillary 150 and the evaporator 170, perform substantially the same function, so as to avoid overlapping substrates The description will be omitted.

Therefore, in the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention, the most characteristic component is the defrost heater 270 mounted on a predetermined portion of the outer wall of the refrigerant pipe between the capillary tube 150 and the evaporator 170, which will be described below. The operation process of the following will be described.

In FIG. 3, the defrost heater 270 generates heat based on an external power source (eg, 110V or 220V) provided through the relay 260 based on the switching control signal of the microcomputer 230. As shown in FIG. 3, a cross-sectional view of the refrigerant pipe between the capillary tube 150 and the evaporator 170 is cut based on aa 'of FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. Where A represents a refrigerant pipe and B represents a hot wire of the defrost heater.

An operation process of the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention, which is constituted as described above, will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

First, when the internal temperature of the refrigerator sensed by the internal temperature thermometer 210 exceeds the first predetermined reference temperature (eg, −18 ° C.), the microcomputer 230 controls to drive the compressor motor 240. Generates a signal (FIG. 4A), and the compressor motor 240 is driven based on the drive control signal from the microcomputer 230 to condense the low temperature low pressure refrigerant flowing into the compressor 110. Cold air is generated from the evaporator 170 by being circulated to the dryer 140, the capillary tube 150, and the evaporator 170.

Then, after a predetermined time (for example, one minute) passes, the microcomputer 230 generates a control signal for driving the fan motor 250 ((b) of FIG. 4), and the microcomputer 230 The fan motor 250 is driven based on the driving control signal from the air to blow cool air generated from the evaporator 170 into the refrigerator.

The internal temperature of the refrigerator is cooled based on the operation of the compressor motor 240 and the fan motor 250, and the internal temperature of the refrigerator is cooled from t1 to t2, as shown in FIG. When the internal temperature of the refrigerator detected by the temperature sensor 210 is lower than the preset first reference temperature (-18 ° C.), the microcomputer 230 generates a control signal for stopping driving of the fan motor 250. At the same time, it generates a switching control signal for providing external power to the defrost heater 270 mounted on a predetermined portion of the outer wall of the refrigerant pipe flowing into the evaporator 170 ((c) of FIG. 4).

Accordingly, based on the switching control signal from the microcomputer 230, the relay 260 is turned on so that external power is supplied to the defrost heater 270 through the relay 260, and the heat from the defrost heater 270 is reduced. Approximately 300 ° C. to 500 ° C.) is generated to conduct heat to the evaporator 170 through the refrigerant pipe, and the frost formed on the evaporator 170 is removed by this heat.

Next, if the temperature of the evaporator 170 detected through the evaporator temperature sensor 220 mounted on a predetermined portion of the evaporator 170 exceeds the second preset reference temperature (eg, 10 ° C.), the microcomputer 230 ) Generates a switching control signal for cutting off the external power provided to the defrost heater 270, and the relay 260 is turned off based on the switching control signal from the microcomputer 230 so that the defrost heater 270 is switched on. External power supplied to the system is cut off.

At this time, the internal temperature of the refrigerator is cooled from t2 to t3, as shown in FIG.

Thereafter, a predetermined idle time (for example, 6 to 12 minutes) is set to balance the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator 170 and introduced into the compressor 110 to the equilibrium pressure. The driving of the compressor motor 240 is stopped based on the control signal for stopping the driving from the 230, and the internal temperature of the refrigerator is increased.

On the other hand, when the internal temperature of the refrigerator is continuously increased to be higher than or equal to the first preset reference temperature (−18 ° C.), the compressor motor 240 and the fan motor 250 are based on the driving control signal from the microcomputer 230 again. Is driven to cool the internal temperature of the refrigerator, and the operation process as described above is repeatedly performed.

As described above, the defrost heater 270 is mounted on a predetermined portion of the outer wall of the refrigerant pipe between the capillary tube 150 and the evaporator 170, and the relay is based on a switching control signal from the microcomputer 230 during the defrosting operation of the refrigerator. The external power is provided to the defrost heater 270 through the 260 to generate heat from the defrost heater 270, and the heat is conducted to the evaporator 170 through the refrigerant pipe to form frost formed on the evaporator 170. Removed.

Therefore, by using the present invention, it is possible to reduce the volume of the defrost structure of the refrigerator under the evaporator 170, and to prevent deformation of the surrounding stirrer pool or plastic injection molding due to the heat generated from the defrost heater 270, By performing the defrosting operation immediately after the cooling operation, the power consumption can be prevented and the frost formed on the evaporator 170 can be more efficiently removed.

Claims (1)

Compressor converts gas refrigerant of low temperature and low pressure into gas state of high temperature and high pressure, then converts into liquid state by cooling and condensing through condenser, and removes the water contained in the refrigerant in the liquid state through a dryer. In the refrigerator device to reduce the pressure through the evaporator, and to evaporate to a low temperature through the evaporator, mounted on the outer wall of the refrigerant pipe between the capillary tube and the evaporator, based on an external power source provided based on a switching control signal from the microcomputer The defrost apparatus of the refrigerator, characterized by further comprising a defrost heater for removing frost formed on the surface of the evaporator.