KR101658234B1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator. A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body in which a storage space is formed; An evaporation chamber formed in the main body and having an evaporator for generating cold air; A suction duct for allowing air in the storage space to flow into the evaporator; And a moisture absorption member which is provided at the inlet side of the evaporation chamber and absorbs moisture contained in the air introduced from the suction duct.

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the moisture introduced into the evaporation chamber is blocked and the evaporation of the evaporator is not performed.

Refrigerator

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

To a refrigerator of the present invention.

BACKGROUND ART A refrigerator is a device for keeping various foods fresh for a long time by using cold air generated in a refrigeration cycle. The refrigerator generally includes a freezing room for storing frozen foods below the freezing temperature, a freezing room for storing refrigerated foods having a temperature higher than the freezing temperature, And a cooling system for cooling the refrigerating compartment.

The interior of the refrigerator is cooled by the continuously supplied cold air, which is continuously generated by the heat exchange action of the refrigerant which repeatedly performs the cooling cycle of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation.

The cold air is supplied by the evaporator provided inside the refrigerator. The cold air generated by the evaporator is uniformly transferred to the inside of the refrigerator by the convection, so that the food inside the refrigerator can be stored at a desired temperature.

The cool air convected inside the refrigerator returns to the space in which the evaporator is provided, exchanges heat with the evaporator again, and is discharged to the storage space.

In this process, moisture adhering to the evaporator is frozen and frosted, and the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator is lowered due to the frost.

In order to solve such a problem, a method has been used in which a heater mounted on an evaporator is heated to dissolve frozen ice on the evaporator when the cooling time has elapsed and the cooling time has elapsed.

However, such a defrosting method has a problem that the internal temperature rises and the power consumption increases during the heating process of the heater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator in which moisture is removed from air flowing into an evaporation chamber so that the evaporator is not frozen.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having a storage space; An evaporation chamber formed in the main body and having an evaporator for generating cold air; A suction duct for allowing air in the storage space to flow into the evaporator; And a moisture absorption member which is provided at the inlet side of the evaporation chamber and absorbs moisture contained in the air introduced from the suction duct.

According to the refrigerator having the above-described structure, the defrost heater is eliminated, thereby preventing an increase in the load of the refrigerator due to defrosting and an increase in the temperature of the refrigerator.

Further, there is an advantage that the defrost heater is eliminated, the humidity of the refrigerating compartment due to heating is prevented from being lowered, the power consumption is reduced, and the cost is reduced.

In addition, there is an advantage that freshness of vegetables stored in the storage space can be maintained by supplying moisture separated from the air introduced into the evaporation chamber to the storage space.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment, and that other embodiments which fall within the scope of the present invention or that are degenerative by way of addition, .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 2 having a storage space 10 therein, a door (not shown) for selectively opening and closing the storage space 10, 21) 31 are included. The main body 2 includes a side surface 3 forming a side surface of the refrigerator 1 and a rear surface 4 forming a rear surface of the refrigerator 1. [

The main body 2 is divided into right and left by the intermediate wall 11 and is provided with a refrigerating chamber 20 for refrigerating and storing food on one side and a freezing chamber 30 for refrigerating and storing food on the other side.

The doors 21 and 31 include a refrigerating compartment door 21 for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment 20 and a freezing compartment door 31 for opening and closing the freezing compartment 30. The refrigerator compartment door (21) and the freezer compartment door (31) can be hinged to the main body (2).

The refrigerator compartment door 21 may be provided with a home bar 22 capable of storing food and a dispenser 32 capable of extracting water or ice from the freezer compartment door 31 may be provided.

A plurality of door baskets 23 and 33 are provided on the rear surface of the doors 21 and 31 to store various kinds of foods.

The refrigerating compartment 20 and the freezing compartment 30 are divided into a plurality of layers by a plurality of shelves 14 and a plurality of storage containers 15 for storing foods are separately provided in the divided layers. The storage container 15 may be installed in the freezing compartment 20 and the freezing compartment 30 in such a manner that the storage compartment 15 can be slid forward and forward and the storage container 15 may include a vegetable box for storing vegetables.

A plurality of cool air discharge openings 42 are formed in the rear wall 41 of the freezing chamber 30 so that the cool air generated in the evaporation chamber 40 to be described later is discharged into the freezing chamber 30.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a flow of cool air in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view cut along AA of FIG.

3 to 5, a compressor 70 for compressing the refrigerant at a high temperature and a high pressure is provided at the rear lower side of the main body 2, and an evaporation chamber 40 is formed at the rear side of the freezing chamber 30.

The evaporator chamber 40 is provided with an evaporator 43 for exchanging the refrigerant with the air in the evaporator chamber 40 to generate cool air and a cooler for cooling the cool air generated by the evaporator 43 And a cooling fan (402) for discharging the refrigerant into the freezing chamber (30). The evaporation chamber 40 may include a control unit 80 for controlling the driving unit 52 and the feed pump 62, which will be described later.

Both side surfaces of the evaporation chamber 40 can be defined by the side surface portion 3 and the intermediate wall 11.

The evaporator 43 is connected to the compressor 70 by a pipe (not shown) and may be installed on one side of the evaporator chamber 40 by an evaporator support 431.

The cool air circulating in the freezing chamber 30 flows into the evaporation chamber 40 through a suction duct 44 formed on one side of the main body 2. [ One side of the suction duct 44 is defined by the side portion 3 of the refrigerator 1 and the other side is defined by the middle wall 11. Since the suction duct 44 is formed between the side wall 3 and the intermediate wall 11, the flow cross-section of the air flowing through the suction duct 44 can be formed into a flat rectangular shape having a wide width.

The cooling air sucked through the suction duct 44 is further heat-exchanged in the evaporator 43 and is discharged to the freezing chamber 30 by the cooling fan 402. The circulation process is repeatedly performed, (30) maintains a predetermined temperature.

A moisture absorption unit (50) is installed at the inlet side of the evaporation chamber (40) into which the cold air of the suction duct (44) flows. The moisture absorption unit (50) serves to remove moisture contained in the air sucked through the suction duct (44).

The moisture absorption unit (50) is provided with a moisture absorption member (51) capable of separating moisture from the air sucked through the suction duct (44) and containing separated moisture, A supporting portion 54 for supporting the moisture absorbing member 51,

The moisture absorbing member 51 is installed between the side wall 3 and the intermediate wall 11 so as to cover a discharge port through which the air flowing in the suction duct 44 is discharged.

The moisture absorbing member 51 may be formed of a material having excellent hygroscopicity so that moisture contained in the air flowing through the suction duct 44 can be absorbed. Therefore, the moisture absorption member 51 can absorb moisture contained in the air flowing into the evaporation chamber 40 through the suction duct 44. Accordingly, the moisture flowing into the evaporation chamber (40) is removed and the evaporation of the evaporator (43) is prevented.

The moisture absorbing member 51 may be formed of a material having elasticity so that the moisture absorbing member 51 can be easily deformed by the driving unit 51. For example, a sponge may be used as the moisture absorption member 51.

A first engaging portion 51a for providing a deformation force to the moisture absorbing member 51 from the driving unit 52 is provided at one end of the moisture absorbing member 51 and a second engaging portion 51b is provided at the other end of the moisture absorbing member 51 A second engaging portion 51b is provided.

One side of the first engaging part 51a is fixed to the driving part 52 and the other side is fixed to the moisture absorbing member 51. For example, one side of the first engaging portion 51a may be fitted to the driving portion 52.

One side of the second engagement portion 51b is fixed to the support portion 54 and the other side is fixed to the moisture absorption member 51. [ For example, a portion of the second engagement portion 51b may be fitted to the support portion 54. [

The driving unit 52 is provided with a motor 521 for generating a deformation force for deforming the moisture absorbing member 51 and a motor shaft 522 for transmitting the power generated by the motor 521 to the moisture absorbing member 522 . The motor 521 may be referred to as a power generating portion, and the motor shaft 522 may be referred to as a power transmitting portion.

The motor 521 may be installed on the intermediate wall 11 and the motor shaft 522 may protrude from the intermediate wall 11 toward the evaporation chamber 40. 4, the motor 521 is mounted on the intermediate wall 11, but the mounting position of the motor 521 is not limited thereto and may be provided on the side portion 3. [

The motor shaft 522 is coupled to one end of the moisture absorption member 51. Specifically, the motor shaft 522 is fixed to the first engaging portion 51a. Accordingly, when the motor shaft 522 is rotated, the first engaging portion 51a is also rotated together with the motor shaft 522, thereby providing a deformation force to the moisture absorbing member 51.

The other end of the moisture absorption member (51) is coupled to the support portion (54). The support portion (54) is fixed to the side portion (3).

A fixing protrusion 541 may protrude from the support portion 54. The fixing protrusion 541 prevents the support portion 54 from being rotated with respect to the inner wall of the evaporator chamber 40. [ The second engagement portion 51b is fixed to the support portion 54 and the moisture absorption member 51 is fixed to the second engagement portion 51b so that when the motor shaft 522 is rotated, (51) is generated.

The operation of the driving unit 52 may be controlled by the control unit 80. [ The control unit 80 is connected to the motor 521 so as to transmit a driving signal. The control unit 80 may set a time in advance and input a signal to the motor 521 to periodically transmit the signal to the motor 521 at the predetermined time interval.

Accordingly, the motor 521 is driven at a predetermined time interval, and the moisture contained in the moisture absorbing member 51 can be separated from the moisture absorbing member 51 at the set time intervals. The controller 80 may be connected to the water pump 62 and the water level sensor 65 to transmit signals.

A water collecting part (60) is provided below the moisture absorbing member (51). The water contained in the moisture absorbing member (51) of the moisture absorbing member (51) is collected in the water collecting unit (60). The bottom portion 40a of the evaporator chamber 40 may be recessed.

The water collecting part (60) is provided with a connecting pipe (61) for connecting the water collecting part (60) and the storage space (10).

One end of the connection pipe 61 is connected to the water collecting part 60 as an absorption end for sucking water and the other end is connected to the storage space 10 as a discharge end for supplying moisture to the storage space 10. [ As shown in FIG.

A nozzle 64 may be provided at the discharge end of the connection pipe 61. The water flowing through the connection pipe 61 by the nozzle 64 can be discharged into the storage space 10 in an atomized state. For example, the discharge end can be exposed to the storage space 10 in which vegetables, fruits and the like are stored, and freshness can be maintained by spraying water on the vegetables and fruits.

A water supply pump 62 is provided at an inlet side of the connection pipe 61 to supply moisture of the water collection unit 60 to the storage space. When the operation signal is received from the control unit 80, the feed pump 62 may supply the collected water to the storage unit 10.

The connection pipe 61 may be provided with a filter 63 for purifying the water supplied from the water collecting part 60. The moisture discharged through the connection pipe 61 is sprayed onto the food stored in the storage space 10 and needs to be purified by the filter 63 before being discharged to the storage space 10. The filter 63 may be a water filter commonly used in a water purifier.

The water collecting part 60 may be provided with a water level sensor 65 for measuring the level of condensed water accumulated in the water collecting part 60. The water level sensor 65 may be spaced apart from the bottom surface of the water collecting part 60 in a vertical direction and installed at one side of the water collecting part 60.

When it is detected by the water level sensor 65 that the condensed water that has been accumulated in the water collecting unit 60 has reached the predetermined water level, the water level sensor 64 outputs a signal indicating that the condensed water has reached the set water level, . Then, the control unit 80 transmits an operation signal to the water supply pump 62.

Hereinafter, the flow of cold air in the refrigerator and the action of the moisture absorption unit will be described in detail.

6 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 to 6, the cool air, which has been heat-exchanged by the evaporator 43 in the evaporation chamber 40, is discharged to the freezing chamber 30 through the cool air discharge port 42.

The cool air circulates through the freezing chamber 30 and flows toward the evaporation chamber 40 through the suction duct 44.

The cool air that has flowed through the suction duct 44 is brought into contact with the moisture absorbing member 51 provided on the inlet side of the evaporating chamber 40. When the cool air comes into contact with the moisture absorbing member 51, moisture contained in the cool air is absorbed by the moisture absorbing member 51. Accordingly, dry air from which moisture has been removed can be introduced into the evaporation chamber (40). Moisture is not included in the air flowing into the evaporation chamber 40, so that the evaporation of the evaporator 43 is prevented.

The moisture absorbing member 51 may be deformed by the motor 521. The motor 521 may be periodically driven at a time interval set by the controller 80. [ Therefore, the moisture absorbing member 51 may be periodically deformed at a predetermined time interval, so that moisture contained in the moisture absorbing member 51 can be concentrated in the water collecting unit 60.

When the condensed water accumulated in the water collecting part 60 reaches the predetermined water level, the controller 80 senses the condensed water in the water collecting part 60 by the water level sensor 65, .

When the control unit 80 receives the signal from the water level sensor 65, it transmits an operation signal to the water supply pump 62. Then, the water feed pump 62 pumps the water in the water collecting part 60 toward the storage space 10 side. The water pumped by the water supply pump 62 flows along the connection pipe 61 and is sprayed into the storage space 10 through the nozzle 64 provided at the discharge end of the connection pipe 61.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that the air introduced into the evaporation chamber does not contain moisture, and thus the evaporator is not impregnated with frost without a defrost heater.

Further, there is an advantage that the humidity in the refrigerating compartment is lowered due to heating by the defrost heater, and the inside temperature is prevented from rising.

In addition, there is an advantage that freshness of food stored in the refrigerator can be maintained by supplying moisture separated from the air introduced into the evaporation chamber to a storage space such as a vegetable room again.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the flow of cool air in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3 when the moisture absorbing member of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention is deformed.

6 is a control block diagram of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Claims (10)

A body in which a storage space is formed; An evaporation chamber formed in the main body and having an evaporator for generating cold air; A suction duct for allowing air in the storage space to flow into the evaporator; A moisture absorption member provided at an inlet side of the evaporation chamber and absorbing moisture contained in air introduced from the suction duct; A first engaging part connected to one end of the moisture absorbing member and providing a deformation force to the moisture absorbing member; A second engaging part connected to the other end of the moisture absorbing member and fixing the moisture absorbing member; And And a driving unit for rotating the first coupling unit, And the moisture absorbing member can be twisted by rotation of the driving unit. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising a support portion for fixing the second engagement portion, Wherein the supporting portion and the driving portion are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the evaporation chamber. 3. The method of claim 2, In the driving unit, A motor for generating a driving force; And And a motor shaft coupled to one end of the first coupling unit to transmit the driving force to the first coupling unit. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the moisture absorbing member discharges moisture absorbed by the twisting. The method of claim 3, Wherein the motor is periodically driven at predetermined time intervals. The method according to claim 1, And a collecting part for collecting moisture discharged from the moisture absorption member is provided on the bottom of the evaporation chamber. The method according to claim 6, A connecting pipe for connecting the collecting part and the storage space, Further comprising a water supply pump provided at an inlet side of the connection pipe for supplying water to the storage space. 8. The method of claim 7, The discharge end of the connection pipe is exposed inside the storage space, A nozzle is provided at an end of the connection pipe, And the water in the water collecting part is discharged into the storage space in an atomized state. 8. The method of claim 7, And a water level sensor for measuring a water level of the condensed water accumulated in the water collecting part, And the pump operates when the water level of the condensed water reaches a predetermined water level. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the connection pipe is provided with a filter for purifying the water supplied from the water collecting part.

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