KR100597305B1 - Defroster for refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a defroster of a refrigerator that removes frost condensed on the surface of the evaporator by means of a defrost heater, and in particular, a pair of evaporators and a pair of evaporators, each of which includes a defrost heater. The defrosting is performed, and a flow path for guiding air in and around the pair of evaporators is provided with a variable stage so that the defrosting action is performed by preventing air from entering the evaporator in which defrosting is performed. As the air enters and performs the cooling operation, not only the defrosting is effectively performed, but also the temperature of the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment can be prevented from rapidly rising, so that food can be kept fresh for a long time.

Refrigerator, freezer, refrigerating chamber, evaporator, defrost heater, blower, refrigerant distribution means, flow path variable stage, damper

Description

Refrigerator Defroster {DEFROSTER FOR REFRIGERATOR}             

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a defrosting device of a refrigerator according to the prior art,

2 is a graph showing a high internal temperature during operation of the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the prior art;

3 is a front view showing a part of the refrigerator body to which the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention is cut;

4 is a configuration diagram showing a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator to which the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention is applied;

5 is a block diagram showing a control flow in the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention;

6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating refrigerant flow and air flow during defrosting in the refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator in which the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention is shown.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

52: refrigerator body 54: bulkhead

62 compressor 64 condenser

65: Three-way valve 66a, 66b: 1st, 2nd capillary

68a, 68b: first, second evaporator 70: blowing fan

72a, 72b: 1st, 2nd defrost heater 82: partition wall

84a, 84b: First and second dampers

The present invention relates to a defroster of a refrigerator that removes frost condensed on the surface of the evaporator by means of a defrost heater, and in particular, a pair of evaporators and a pair of evaporators, each of which includes a defrost heater. The defrosting is performed, and a flow path for guiding air in and around the pair of evaporators is provided with a variable stage so that the defrosting action is performed by preventing air from entering the evaporator in which defrosting is performed. It relates to a defrosting device of a refrigerator to allow air to enter and perform a cooling operation.

Generally, a refrigerator is divided into a direct cooling method and an indirect cooling method according to a cooling method. A direct cooling refrigerator is configured such that an evaporator is installed on the inner wall of a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment. And the refrigerator while cooling the refrigerator compartment, the refrigerator of the indirect cooling method is configured such that the evaporator is installed on the inner wall of the freezer compartment and at the same time the fan is installed on the cold air circulation flow path, the cold air generated around the evaporator is forced by the fan and the freezer compartment And to cool the refrigerating compartment.

In this case, in the refrigerator of the indirect cooling method, as the fan is operated, the air in the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment passes through the evaporator and then circulates, so that water in the freezer compartment and the inside of the refrigerating compartment is condensed with frost, Due to this, there is a problem that the heat exchange performance is reduced, in order to solve this problem by installing an electric heater on the lower side of the evaporator to operate directly to remove the frost formed on the surface of the evaporator.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a defrosting apparatus of a refrigerator according to the prior art, Figure 2 is a graph showing the internal temperature of the operation of the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the prior art.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator according to the related art includes a freezer compartment door 4a and a refrigerator compartment door 4b respectively on the front of the refrigerator bodies 2a and 2b in which the freezer compartment F and the refrigerator compartment R are formed on the upper and lower sides, respectively. It is installed to be opened and closed, the evaporator 10 is installed in a space formed on the inner wall of the freezer compartment (F) and a refrigeration cycle connected thereto is installed on one side of the refrigerator main bodies (2a, 2b), the upper side of the evaporator (10) A blowing fan 12 and a motor 14 are installed to blow cold air into the freezing chamber F and the refrigerating chamber R.

At this time, the refrigerator main body (2a, 2b) is configured to include a heat insulating material (not shown) between the outer case (2a) and the inner case (2b), the machine chamber formed under the refrigerator main body (2a, 2b) in the evaporator Compressor 6, a condenser 8, and a capillary tube (not shown) connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe 10 and 10 are installed to be built in, and the evaporator 10 is built in an inner case 2b of the freezer compartment. A drain pipe (not shown) for guiding the condensed water formed on the surface of the evaporator 10 and a drain pan (not shown) are installed below the condenser 8.

In addition, a cold air circulation passage is formed inside the inner case 2b of the refrigerating compartment so that the cold air heat-exchanged in the evaporator 10 can be circulated not only in the freezing compartment F but also in the refrigerating compartment R, and the inner case of the refrigerating compartment. A plurality of cold air distribution holes 2b are formed in 2b.

Meanwhile, a temperature sensor (not shown) and a defrost heater 20 are installed at one side of the evaporator 10 so that the temperature sensor may form moisture in the air passing through the evaporator 10 as frost on the surface of the evaporator 10. Detects frost condensation by, and operates the defrost heater 20 to perform the defrost operation.

Of course, components such as the compressor 6 and the motor 14 are connected to the control unit (not shown) and adjusted.

Thus, when the control unit operates the compressor 6 and the motor 14, the refrigerant circulates along the compressor 6, the condenser 8, the capillary tube, and the evaporator 10 as the compressor 6 is operated. While the air around the evaporator 10 generates cold air through a heat exchange action, as the blower fan 12 is rotated, cold air is blown to the freezing compartment F and the refrigerating compartment R to perform freezing and refrigeration operation. To lose.

On the other hand, when the control unit detects frost on the surface of the evaporator 10 by the temperature sensor, by operating the defrost heater 20 in a state in which the operation of the compressor 6 and the blowing fan 12 is stopped. After the defrosting operation is performed, if frost is removed from the surface of the evaporator 10, the freezing and refrigerating operation is performed again.

However, since the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator operates with the defrost heater 20 at a position close to the evaporator 10 in order to remove frost on the surface of the evaporator 10, the defrost heater as shown in FIG. While the 20 is operated, the heated air circulates along the open cold air circulation path, causing the freezer temperature to rise rapidly (Heat shock), thereby making it difficult to keep food fresh.

Of course, in order to prevent this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-33157 is configured such that an evaporator is divided on both sides by a central partition plate, and a thermostat and a heater corresponding to each evaporator are installed on the upper and lower sides, respectively. The heater operates alone to partially defrost the evaporator.

However, the conventional defrosting apparatus as described above has a flow path through which air flows on the front / rear side of the evaporator even if a partition is installed to partition the two heaters and each area of the evaporator while the two heaters are installed in each region of the evaporator. Since it is configured to communicate with each other, the air passing through each part of the evaporator defrosting and the part of the evaporator not defrosting is mixed with each other and supplied to the freezing chamber to increase the temperature of the freezing chamber.

In addition, in the conventional defrosting apparatus, since an evaporator configured to have a plurality of fins installed in one refrigerant pipe is partitioned by partitions, even if heat is applied to one evaporator based on the partitions, heat is transferred along the refrigerant pipes to the other evaporator. Defrost is made all at once, and thus the heat delivered to the entire evaporator is heated to supply the ambient air to the freezer again, thereby increasing the temperature of the freezer, and there is a problem that it is difficult to keep food fresh for a long time.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems of the prior art, even if the two evaporators installed on the inner wall of the freezer compartment defrost with a heater corresponding to each of the configuration of the flow path for guiding the air selectively to the temperature of the freezer compartment It is an object of the present invention to provide a defroster of a refrigerator that can prevent the increase.

The defroster of the refrigerator according to the present invention for solving the above problems is a refrigerator main body formed with a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment at the same time the partition for partitioning the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment is formed with a refrigerator main body, and a cold air circulation formed on the inner wall of the freezer compartment A first and second evaporators installed on the flow path to cool the air through a heat exchange action with the refrigerant, and a refrigerating cycle including a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion means built in one side of the refrigerator main body to circulate the refrigerant to be connected thereto; A blower installed at one side of the first and second evaporators to blow the cold air passing through the first and second evaporators to the freezer compartment, and installed at the first and second evaporators to detect temperature changes of the first and second evaporators, respectively. Installed in the temperature sensor and the first and second evaporators, respectively, the operation is adjusted according to the detected value of the temperature sensor to remove the frost of the first and second evaporators. First and second defrost heaters, refrigerant distribution means for introducing all or selectively the refrigerant into the first and second evaporators, and installed between the first and second evaporators to enter and exit the cold air to the first and second evaporators. And a flow path for adjusting the flow rate, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the blower, the first and second defrost heaters, the refrigerant distribution means, and the flow path according to the detected value of the temperature sensor.

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

3 is a front view showing a cut portion of the refrigerator main body to which the defroster of the refrigerator according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator to which the defroster of the refrigerator according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. In the defroster of the refrigerator according to the present invention is a block diagram showing the control flow.

In the refrigerator according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the freezer compartment F and the refrigerating compartment R are formed at both sides of the inside of the refrigerator body 52 with the front open, and cold air is formed on the inner wall of the freezer compartment F. A circulation passage A is formed, and first and second evaporators 68a and 68b and a blower are installed on the cold air circulation passage A of the freezer compartment, and other than the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. The other refrigeration cycle is also installed in a space formed at one side of the freezing compartment (F) and / or the refrigerating compartment (R) so that the cold air is supplied to the freezing compartment (F) and the refrigerating compartment (R) as the refrigeration cycle and the blower is driven, First and second temperature sensors 69a and 69b above and on the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b to quickly detect and defrost even when frost forms on the surfaces of the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. First and second defrost heaters 72a and 72b are installed, and around the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b according to the operation of the first and second defrost heaters 72a and 72b. Configured such that flow path changing means further comprises to guide the flow of air is, the operation of the various components, including these flow varying means is controlled by the control unit 90.

Here, the refrigerator body 52 is formed so that the front surface is open, and the partition wall 54 is installed in the longitudinal direction in the vertical direction inside the refrigerator body 52 and the freezer compartment F and the refrigerating compartment R are formed on both sides side by side, The first and second evaporators 68a and 68b are installed side by side on the cold air circulation path A, and the cold air discharge ports 52h may discharge the cold air generated around the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. ) Is formed.

In this case, the partition wall 54 has the inflow passage 54a for supplying the cold air of the freezing chamber F to the refrigerating chamber and the cold air of the refrigerating chamber R to be recovered back into the cold air circulation channel A of the freezing chamber. It is formed as a recovery passage 54b, the cold air supplied to the refrigerating chamber (R) through the inflow passage (54a) circulates the refrigerating chamber (R), and then the inflow passage (54a) and the recovery passage so that can be recovered It is preferable that 54b be formed above and below the partition 54, respectively.

Next, the refrigeration cycle is a compressor 62, a condenser 64, expansion means (66a, 66b), the refrigerant connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe so as to perform a cooling action while the refrigerant is circulated compression, condensation, evaporation, expansion The first and second evaporators (68a, 68b), but the expansion means (66a, 66b) may be configured as a first, second electromagnetic expansion valve that can control the degree of pressure reduction of the refrigerant, the first commonly used And two capillary tubes 66a and 66b, and the first and second capillary tubes 66a and 66b are installed to be connected to the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b, respectively.

Of course, the first and second capillary tubes 66a and 66b have a degree of decompression determined in proportion to the capacities of the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b, and the diameter and length of the first and second capillary tubes 66a and 66b are determined according to the degree of reduced pressure. .

In addition, the refrigerant distribution between the condenser 64 and the first and second capillary tubes 66a and 66b to control the inflow direction of the refrigerant to allow the refrigerant to flow into the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b or selectively. Means are installed, but the three-way valve 65 is preferably applied to the refrigerant distribution means, the three-way valve 65 is a refrigerant pipe between the condenser 64 and the first and second capillary tubes (66a, 66b) Be installed at a branch point.

Next, the blower is fixedly installed to be positioned above the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b on the cold air circulation passage A, and is made of a blower fan 70 and a motor to blow cold air. As the blower fan 70 is operated, cold air passing through the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b is forcedly blown to be discharged through the cold air discharge port 52h.

Next, the first and second temperature sensors 69a and 69b are installed above the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b, respectively, to sense the temperature of the surfaces of the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. The temperature and the temperature change are input to the control unit 90, and accordingly, the control unit 90 controls the operation of each component.

Next, the first and second defrost heaters 72a and 72b are electric heaters, which are installed under the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b, respectively, and frost on the surfaces of the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. Is operated to remove, but by determining the value input from the first and second temperature sensors (69a, 69b) to control the operation of the control unit (90).

Of course, the first and second defrost heaters 72a and 72b are configured not to operate all at once but to selectively operate only one, and the capacity thereof is also determined in proportion to the capacity of the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. It is preferable.

Next, the flow path variable stage is divided into a partition wall 82 for partitioning the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b side by side on the cold air circulation path A, and a line and a rear end of the partition wall 82. The first and second dampers (84a, 84b) is installed rotatably to selectively control the entry and exit of cold air to the first and second evaporators (68a, 68b), the first and second dampers (84a, 84b) The operation is also controlled by the control unit 90.

In this case, more components may be included by the controller 90 to control the operation of the first and second dampers 84a and 84b, but a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the control unit 90 senses the temperatures of the freezing compartment F and the refrigerating compartment R during the freezing and refrigerating operations, and adjusts the operation of various components accordingly, but the first and second operations during the defrosting operation. The operation of the first and second defrost heaters 72a and 72b and the first and second dampers 84a and 84b and the three-way valve 65 is controlled according to the temperature values of the temperature sensors 69a and 69b.

Here, the control unit 90 operates the compressor 62 and the blowing fan 70 in a state in which the three-way valve 65 is opened while refrigeration and refrigerating operations are performed. Passed through the condenser 64, the first and second capillary tubes 66a and 66b, the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b, and generated through heat exchange around the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. Allow cold air to be supplied to the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment.

In this case, the first and second dampers 84a and 84b may be positioned in neutral to maximize the heat exchange area by allowing all air to enter and exit the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b.

Meanwhile, while the defrosting operation is performed, the controller 90 determines whether the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b are defrosted according to the measured temperature values of the first and second temperature sensors 69a and 69b and blows the air. Defrost is sequentially performed one by one of the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b while the fan 70 continues to operate, which will be described in detail below.

6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating refrigerant flow and air flow during defrosting in the refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator in which the defrosting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the present invention is shown.

First, when the controller 90 detects frost condensation on the surface of the first evaporator 68a by determining the measured temperature values of the first and second temperature sensors 69a and 69b, as shown in FIG. 6A. While operating the first defrost heater 72a, the three-way valve 65 is adjusted so that refrigerant flows only into the second capillary tube 66b and the second evaporator 68b, and the first and second dampers 84a, 84b) is controlled to block the entry and exit of air to the first evaporator 68a and at the same time to open and exit the air to the second evaporator 68b, and the blower fan 70 is continuously operated.

Accordingly, as the first defrost heater 72a is operated, frost on the surface of the first evaporator 68a is melted, and refrigerant is stored in the compressor 62, the condenser 64, the second capillary tube 66b, and the second. As the air is circulated through the evaporator 68b, the air around the second evaporator 68b is cooled, and as the blower fan 70 is operated, the air flows in and out of the second evaporator 68b. While cold air around the two evaporators 68b is supplied to the freezing compartment F again and circulated, it is possible to prevent the warm air around the first evaporator 68a from being directly supplied to the freezing compartment F.

On the other hand, when the controller 70 detects frost condensation on the surface of the second evaporator 68b by determining the measured temperature values of the first and second temperature sensors 69a and 69b, as shown in FIG. 6B. While operating the second defrost heater 72b, the three-way valve 65 is adjusted so that refrigerant flows only into the first capillary tube 66a and the first evaporator 68a, and the first and second dampers 84a, 84b) is controlled to block the entry and exit of air to the second evaporator 68b and at the same time open the entrance and exit of air to the first evaporator 68a, and continue to operate the blower fan 70.

Accordingly, as the second defrost heater 72b is operated, frost on the surface of the second evaporator 68b is melted, and the refrigerant is stored in the compressor 62, the condenser 64, the first capillary tube 66a, and the first capillary tube 66a. As the air is circulated while passing through the first evaporator 68a, the air around the first evaporator 68a is cooled, and as the blower fan 70 is operated, air flows in and out of the first evaporator 68a. While cold air around the first evaporator 68a is supplied to the freezing compartment 68a and circulated again, it is possible to prevent the warm air around the second evaporator 68b from being directly supplied to the freezing compartment F.

Of course, the controller 90 determines the measured temperature values of the first and second temperature sensors 69a and 69b to detect frost on the surfaces of the first and second evaporators 68a and 68b. The first and second evaporators 68a and 68b are defrosted sequentially.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail based on the embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the above embodiments and drawings, and the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the contents described in the claims below.

The defroster of the refrigerator according to the present invention configured as described above is provided with first and second defrost heaters so as to separately defrost the first and second evaporators, and three-way to guide the flow of the refrigerant flowing to the first and second evaporators. Since the first and second dampers are provided to separately guide the flow of air entering and exiting the valve and the first and second evaporators, the defrost heater is selectively operated and the refrigerant is not introduced into the evaporator where the defrost heater is operated. The defrosting operation is effective, and the warm air around the evaporator where the defrost heater is operated is not circulated to the freezer compartment, and the cold air around the evaporator where the defrost heater is not operated is circulated to the freezer compartment to effectively prevent the freezer temperature from rising. There is an advantage to this.

Claims (7)

A refrigerator body having a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment formed therein and a cold air circulation hole formed in a partition wall partitioning the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment; A freezer comprising a first and second evaporators installed on a cold air circulation passage formed on an inner wall of the freezer compartment and cooling the air through a heat exchange action with a refrigerant, and a compressor, a condenser, and expansion means provided in the refrigerator body to circulate the refrigerant; Cycle, A blower installed at one side of the first and second evaporators to blow cold air passing through the first and second evaporators to the freezing chamber; A temperature sensor installed at each of the first and second evaporators to detect a temperature change of the first and second evaporators, First and second defrost heaters installed in the first and second evaporators, respectively, to adjust the operation according to the detection value of the temperature sensor to defrost the first and second evaporators; Refrigerant distribution means for introducing all or selectively the refrigerant to the first and second evaporators, A flow path variable stage provided between the first and second evaporators to control the entry and exit of cold air to the first and second evaporators, And a control unit for controlling the operation of the blower, the first and second defrost heater, the refrigerant distribution means and the flow path variable stage in accordance with the detected value of the temperature sensor, The flow path variable stage is partitioned on the cold air circulation passage so as to partition the first and second evaporators from each other, and is installed on the line / rear end of the partition wall so as to allow entry and exit of cold air to the first and second evaporators. Defroster of the refrigerator comprising a first and a second damper to selectively adjust. The method of claim 1, The expansion means is connected to the first and second evaporators, respectively, the first and second capillary to decompress the refrigerant, The refrigerant distribution means is a defrost apparatus of the refrigerator, characterized in that the three-way valve is installed between the condenser and the first and second capillary tube. delete The method of claim 2, The control unit is a defroster of the refrigerator, characterized in that the first and second defrost heater is selectively operated or stopped according to the detected value of the temperature sensor, the blower continues to operate. The method of claim 4, wherein The control unit controls the three-way valve so that the refrigerant flows only into the second capillary tube and the second evaporator when the first defrost heater is operated, and adjusts the first and second dampers so that cold air enters and exits only the second evaporator. Defroster of refrigerator. The method of claim 5, The control unit controls the three-way valve so that the refrigerant flows only into the first capillary tube and the first evaporator when the second defrost heater is operated, and adjusts the first and second dampers so that cool air enters and exits only the first evaporator. Defroster of the refrigerator characterized in that. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, If the first and second defrost heaters are not operated, the control unit adjusts the three-way valve so that refrigerant flows into the first and second capillaries and the first and second evaporators, and all the cold air enters and exits the first and second evaporators. The defroster of the refrigerator, characterized in that for adjusting the first and second dampers to be.

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