KR100588838B1 - Refrigerator for making soda water using fast cooling system and fast cooling method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rapid carbonated water production refrigerator and a rapid cooling method, and to provide a refrigerator and a method for producing a rapidly cooled carbonated water by reducing the time required for the carbonated water is cooled to become a low temperature carbonated water.

To achieve this purpose, a water tank for water supply and a carbon dioxide gas cylinder for discharging carbon gas are formed in the refrigerator, and carbonated water for supplying water and carbon to generate carbonated water is provided in a cold water tank formed in the right door. The refrigerator is provided such that the fan rotates according to the sensed temperature to maintain a low temperature. In addition, according to the above configuration, if the temperature detector detects the temperature of the carbonated water and cold water tank and transmits temperature information to the microcomputer, the microcomputer adjusts the rotation speed of the fan according to the temperature difference and compares it with the set value to keep the temperature of the carbonated water at low temperature The process is carried out.

 Therefore, according to this invention, since the carbonic acid water producing | generating carbonic acid water is installed in a cold water tank, it can maintain a constant low temperature state, and the efficiency of carbonic acid production | generation is increased.

Refrigerator, Carbonated Water, Dispenser, Carbonated Gas, Soda Water, Solubility

Description

Refrigerator for making soda water using fast cooling system and fast cooling method}             

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a carbonated water production apparatus installed in a refrigerator according to the prior art.

Figure 2 is a front view showing a refrigerator for producing carbonated water using rapid cooling according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a side view showing a cold water tank structure in a refrigerator for producing carbonated water using rapid cooling according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing rapid cooling in the cold water tank structure shown in FIG.

****** Description of the major symbols in FIGS. 2 and 3 ******

200: main body, 201: left door, 202: right door

203: water source, 210: carbonated water, 220: water tank

221: water supply pipe, 222: water supply valve, 230: carbon dioxide gas cylinder

231: carbon dioxide gas pipe, 232: gas valve, 240: cold water tank

250: carbon dioxide gas, 260: carbonated water, 270: carbonated water discharge valve

271: carbonated water discharge pipe, 280: dispenser, 290: opening valve

300: fan, 310: fan motor, 320: temperature detector

The present invention relates to a rapid carbonated water production refrigerator and a rapid cooling method, and more particularly, to a refrigerator for enclosing a carbonated water tank and maintaining a low temperature at a predetermined level by a fan forcing convection of water in the cold water tank. It's about how.

In the general refrigerator, a compressor is provided on the rear wall of the freezer compartment to perform basic refrigeration and freezing functions, and an evaporator is installed at the rear of the refrigerating compartment or the freezer compartment to form cold air by evaporating the condensed refrigerant sent from the compressor. And a cooling fan for forcibly blowing the cold air cooled by the evaporator into the refrigerating and freezing compartment.

Therefore, as described above, the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are formed inside the main body, respectively, and the front and rear sides of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are formed so as to be able to store and withdraw the food stored therein, and the refrigerator doors are coupled to open and close. .

In addition to the basic refrigeration function and the dynamic resistance function, refrigerators are generally introduced with a variety of additional functions. Among these additional functions may be carbonated water producers.

In general, the carbonated water producer needs a separate cooling water tank for cooling the carbonated water in which water and carbonic acid gas are mixed in order to increase the solubility of the carbon dioxide gas and supply a cold beverage. However, when such a cooling device is provided, the volume of the carbonated water maker increases and thus the cost also increases, and thus it is unreasonable to apply it to a general household carbonated water maker. Therefore, the conventional home carbonated water maker has had a low solubility of carbon dioxide due to the absence of a cooling device, and has had to prepare separate cold water in order to enjoy a cool drink.

Therefore, in order to improve this, a carbonated water mixer in which water and carbon dioxide are mixed inside an existing refrigerator is installed, and a device for supplying carbonated water to the dispenser has been developed. FIG. 1 (see Publication No. 1983-0010352, "A device for carbonic acid liquid") shows this, and a carbonated water container and a carbonated gas container, which are mixed containers of water and carbonic acid gas, and related components are located in the refrigerating chamber. The solubility of the gas and the supply of cooled carbonated water make it possible to effectively use the refrigerator's cooling system and dispenser.

As such, there is a method of using a circulating refrigerant of a refrigerator and a method of using a circulating cooler in a refrigerator, as shown in FIG. 1. In other words, when the carbonated water is mounted inside the refrigerator door, the carbonated water is cooled to some extent by the contact with the cold room cold, which is similar to the internal temperature of the refrigerator.

However, when the air has a small thermal conductivity coefficient and convection is not sufficient, the time required for the carbonated water to cool down to become a low temperature carbonated water when the capacity of the carbonated water is large or the user discharges the carbonated water frequently is a problem. have.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator and a method for producing a rapidly cooled carbonated water by reducing the time required for the carbonated water is cooled to become a low temperature carbonated water.

The present invention provides a refrigerator and a method of installing a carbonated water container that generates carbonated water inside a refrigerator and placing a cold water tank surrounding the carbonated water container to drive a fan according to the temperature difference between the carbonated water container and the cold water tank so that the carbonated water container is kept at a low temperature at all times. to provide.

According to the aspect of the present invention according to the above object, a water supply valve and a gas valve for regulating the supply of water and carbon dioxide gas from the water tank and the carbon dioxide gas cylinder formed in the interior, and the opening to discharge the pressure to maintain a constant pressure therein A carbonated water dispenser configured to generate a carbonated water and to discharge the generated carbonated water to the dispenser through a carbonated water discharge valve; A cold water tank accommodating the carbonated water inside and containing water for cooling; A temperature detector receiving temperature information from sensors provided in the carbonated water and cold water tanks, respectively, to sense internal temperatures of the carbonated water and cold water tanks; And a fan motor for driving a fan that convections the water in the cold water tank, and when the temperature detector detects the temperature of the carbonated water and the cold water tank and transmits the detected temperature information to the microcomputer, the microcomputer controls the rotation speed by analyzing the temperature. It sends a signal to the fan motor, and the fan is driven for a predetermined time to provide a rapid carbonated water generating refrigerator, characterized in that for cooling the carbonated water by the forced circulation of the water in the cold water tank.
According to another aspect of the present invention according to the above object, a water supply valve and a gas valve for regulating the supply of water and carbon dioxide gas from the water tank and the carbon dioxide cylinder formed in the chamber, and to discharge the pressure to maintain a constant pressure therein An open valve configured to generate carbonated water and discharge the generated carbonated water to the dispenser through the carbonated water discharge valve; A cold water tank accommodating the carbonated water inside and containing water for cooling; A temperature detector receiving temperature information from sensors provided in the carbonated water and cold water tanks, respectively, to sense internal temperatures of the carbonated water and cold water tanks; And a fan motor for driving a fan to condense the water in the cold water tank, the rapid cooling method of the carbonated water in a refrigerator, comprising: detecting a temperature of the carbonated water and the cold water tank by a temperature detector; Confirming whether a temperature difference due to the detected temperature is within an allowable set value; Rapidly rotating the fan when the fan motor is larger than the set value; Checking whether the temperature difference between the carbonated water and the cold water tank reaches a predetermined temperature as a result of the rapid rotation; And when a certain temperature is reached, the fan motor provides a rapid cooling method of the carbonated water comprising the step of returning the fan to the normal mode.

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

2 is a front view showing a refrigerator for producing carbonated water using rapid cooling according to the present invention, wherein a water tank 220 for supplying water and a carbon dioxide gas container 230 for discharging carbon gas are formed in the refrigerator and therefrom. A carbonated water tank 210 that generates carbonated water by receiving water and carbon is provided in the cold water tank 240 formed in the right door 202 so that the fan 300 rotates according to the sensed temperature to maintain a low temperature. This will be described in more detail as follows.

The water tank 220 is provided inside the refrigerator main body 200. The water tank 220 supplies cold water to the dispenser 280 when the user selects cold water or carbonated water from an operation panel unit (not shown). Water is supplied through 221. In addition, the inside of the main body 200 is provided with a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 230, the carbon dioxide gas stored in the carbon dioxide gas pipe 231 is supplied to the carbonated water tank 210. A diagram showing this is shown in FIG. 3.

That is, the carbon dioxide gas pipe 231 or the water supply pipe 221 serves as a passage for supplying water and carbon dioxide gas for producing carbonated water to the carbonated water 210 formed in the right door 202. Of course, the water is received from the water supply source 203 is stored in the necessary water tank 220. And the water and carbon dioxide gas has a water supply valve 222 and gas valve 232, respectively, to adjust the supply amount.

As water and carbon dioxide are supplied from the carbon dioxide gas pipe 231 and the water supply pipe 221, carbon dioxide gas 250 is dissolved in water, and carbonated water 260 is generated and stored at the bottom of the carbonated water tank 210. Will be. In addition, there is an open valve 290 for discharging the pressure in order to maintain a constant pressure in the carbonated water 210, it is possible to discharge the surplus pressure to the outside.

The carbonated water tank 210 is installed in the cold water tank 240, the cold water tank 240 is filled with water so that the carbonated water tank 210 can be maintained at a constant range of low temperature at all times. That is, for this purpose, a temperature detector 320 is provided, and the temperature detector 320 has sensors for sensing the temperature of the carbonated water 210 and the cold water tank 240. In addition, a fan 300 for convection of water filled in the cold water tank 240 is provided, and a fan motor 310 for driving the fan is also installed in the right door 202.

Therefore, when the temperature detector 320 senses the temperatures of the carbonated water 210 and the cold water tank 240 and transmits the detected temperature information to the microcomputer (not shown), the temperature is analyzed and the fan motor is configured to control the rotation speed of the microcomputer. When the signal is sent to the 310, the fan 300 is driven for a predetermined time to force the circulation of the water in the cold water tank 240, it is possible to cool the carbonated water tank 210. Of course, in the present invention, the method of controlling the driving speed of the microcomputer 300, but the temperature detector 320 is unlikely to detect the temperature to adjust the speed of the fan 300 according to the temperature difference. A process of driving and cooling the fan will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

In the cooling process, since the cold water tank 240 is installed in the right door 202, cold air of the refrigerator is circulated to cool the cold water tank 240. In general, since water has a larger thermal conductivity than air, it is possible to increase the cooling speed by simply cooling the carbonated water 210 with the cooled water rather than directly contacting the cold water circulating in the refrigerator.

Therefore, since the water contained in the cold water tank 240 is cooled, the condensation of water in the cold water tank 240 by rotating the fan 300 also cools the overall temperature of the carbonated water tank 210 so that the temperature can be maintained at all times. Done. Accordingly, the carbonated water 210 may be rapidly cooled by carbon dioxide and water introduced from the outside, and thus carbonated water may be generated. In other words, the solubility of carbonic acid gas in water increases at low temperature, and the carbonic acid production is increased.

The generated carbonated water 260 is discharged to the dispenser 280 installed in the left door 201 through the carbonated water discharge pipe 271. Of course, it is possible to be provided with a flow rate controller to adjust the discharge rate of the carbon dioxide before discharged to the dispenser 280.

2 and 3 described above, a rapid cooling process is implemented in the cold water tank structure, and a flowchart showing this process is shown in FIG. 4. That is, this is a process of performing rapid cooling in the cold water tank structure. When the temperature detector 320 senses the temperature of the carbonated water 210 and the cold water tank 240 and transmits temperature information to the microcomputer, the microcomputer compares with the set value. The process of maintaining the temperature of the carbonated water 210 at a low temperature by adjusting the rotational speed of the fan 300 according to the temperature difference. Referring to the process in which the fan is driven and cooled as follows.

The temperature detector 320 senses the temperatures of the carbonated water 210 and the cold water tank 240 and transmits them to the microcomputer (step S400).

The microcomputer reads the temperature information transmitted from the temperature detector 320 and checks whether the temperature difference between the carbonated water 210 and the cold water tank 240 is within a set value allowed (step S410). That is, the allowable range according to the temperature difference is set in advance in the microcomputer, and as the set value, for example, the temperature difference between the carbonated water 210 and the cold water tank 240 may be set within 2 degrees. Therefore, by subtracting the temperature of the carbonated water 210 from the detected cold water tank 240, it is possible to check whether the subtracted value is within the set value 2.

If the temperature difference is within the set value within the set value checking step, the temperature detector 320 continues to detect the temperature difference in real time.

On the contrary, when the temperature difference is not within the set value, the microcomputer sends a signal to the fan motor 310 to rapidly rotate the fan (step S420).

As the fan rotates rapidly, condensation of the water contained in the cold water tank 240 is accelerated, and the cooling proceeds rapidly, thereby lowering the temperature in the carbonated water 210, and the temperature detector 320 detects it and transmits it to the microcomputer. If so, the microcomputer checks whether the temperature difference falls within a set value (step S430).

If the temperature difference does not fall within the set value, the rapid rotation of the fan 300 is maintained, but if the temperature difference falls within the set value, the microcomputer sends a signal to the fan motor 310 so that the rotation speed of the fan returns to the normal speed (step). S440).

As mentioned above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the accompanying embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art or acquiring general knowledge are provided with the contents of the present invention. It will be understood that numerous modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention will be preferably defined based on the appended claims.

According to the present invention, since the carbonated water producing carbonated water is placed in a cold water tank, it is possible to maintain a constant low temperature state, thereby increasing the efficiency of carbonated water production.

In addition, another effect of the present invention is that it is possible to cool the carbonated water rapidly by causing a convection action by driving the fan installed in the cold water tank according to the temperature difference between the carbonated water and the cold water tank.

Claims (2)

The water tank and the gas valve for regulating the supply of water and carbon dioxide gas from the water tank and the carbon dioxide cylinder formed in the inside of the chamber, and the open valve for discharging the pressure to maintain a constant pressure therein is generated to generate the carbonated water, A carbonated water group for discharging carbonated water to the dispenser through a carbonated water discharge valve; A cold water tank accommodating the carbonated water inside and containing water for cooling; A temperature detector receiving temperature information from sensors provided in the carbonated water and cold water tanks, respectively, to sense internal temperatures of the carbonated water and cold water tanks; And It includes a fan motor for driving a fan for convection the water of the cold water tank, When the temperature detector detects the temperature of the carbonated water and cold water tank and transmits the detected temperature information to the microcomputer, it analyzes the temperature and sends a signal to the fan motor so that the microcomputer adjusts the rotation speed. A rapid carbonated water production refrigerator, characterized in that for cooling the carbonated water by forced circulation of the water present. The water tank and the gas valve for regulating the supply of water and carbon dioxide gas from the water tank and the carbon dioxide cylinder formed in the inside of the chamber, and the open valve for discharging the pressure to maintain a constant pressure therein is generated to generate the carbonated water, A carbonated water group for discharging carbonated water to the dispenser through a carbonated water discharge valve; A cold water tank accommodating the carbonated water inside and containing water for cooling; A temperature detector receiving temperature information from sensors provided in the carbonated water and cold water tanks, respectively, to sense internal temperatures of the carbonated water and cold water tanks; And a fan motor for driving a fan for convection the water of the cold water tank, the rapid cooling method of carbonated water in a rapid carbonated water generating refrigerator, Detecting a temperature of the carbonated water and the cold water tank by the temperature detector; Confirming whether a temperature difference due to the detected temperature is within an allowable set value; Rapidly rotating the fan when the fan motor is larger than the set value; Checking whether the temperature difference between the carbonated water and the cold water tank reaches a predetermined temperature as a result of the rapid rotation; And And a fan motor returning the fan to the normal mode when the predetermined temperature is reached.

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