KR101946580B1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A body formed with an outer case by an outer case; A heat exchange chamber defined within the body; A freezing chamber disposed inside the main body in front of the heat exchange chamber; A refrigerating chamber disposed inside the body adjacent to the freezing chamber; A deep temperature storage chamber partitioned from the freezing chamber by the heat insulating case 104 in the freezing chamber and forming an independent storage space maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing chamber; The deep cooling storage module may be rapidly cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing room temperature by a rapid cooling module mounted on a rear surface of the drawer.

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Generally, a refrigerator is a household appliance that allows low-temperature storage of food in an internal storage space that is shielded by a door. To this end, the refrigerator is configured to cool the inside of the storage space by using cool air generated through heat exchange with the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle, thereby storing the stored food in an optimum state.

[0002] Recently, refrigerators have become increasingly multifunctional with increasing dietary habits and product trends, and refrigerators having various structures and convenience devices for users' convenience have been introduced.

Particularly, there is an increasing demand from consumers for a separate storage space capable of rapidly freezing food in addition to the freezing room or the freezing room.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator having a space for rapidly freezing food separately from a refrigerator compartment or a freezer compartment.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having an outer casing formed by an outer casing; A heat exchange chamber defined within the body; A freezing chamber disposed inside the main body in front of the heat exchange chamber; A refrigerating chamber disposed inside the body adjacent to the freezing chamber; A deep temperature storage chamber partitioned from the freezing chamber by the heat insulating case 104 in the freezing chamber and forming an independent storage space maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing chamber; A drawer in which a portion for storing food is inserted into the storage space of the deep room storage room; A compartment partitioning the freezing chamber and the heat exchange chamber and having the deep room storage chamber disposed in front thereof; An evaporator placed inside the heat exchange chamber to generate at least cool air for cooling the freezer compartment; A compressor for compressing the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator; A rapid cooling module cooling the temperature of the deep room storage room to a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing room and at least a part of which is accommodated in the partition; And a second fan for supplying cool air in the heat exchange chamber to at least the freezing chamber, wherein the rapid cooling module includes a thermoelectric element including a heat absorbing surface and a heat generating surface defined on the opposite surface of the heat absorbing surface; A heat sink contacting the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element; A first fan disposed adjacent to the heat sink to cause cool air in the deep room to flow to heat-exchange with the heat sink; And a heat conduction unit connected to a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator and having one surface brought into contact with a heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element to cause heat exchange between a heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element and a refrigerant flowing along a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator, Wherein the partition has at least a part of a surface defining the freezing chamber, the first surface being in contact with the freezing chamber cool air; A second surface extending further from the first surface toward the deep room, and the deep room being located forward; A third side defined as an opposite side of the first side and defining at least a portion of the side defining the heat exchange chamber; And a fourth surface extending further from the third surface toward the deep room, wherein the first pan and the heat sink are located forward of the fourth surface, the thermally conductive unit is located behind the second surface And the fourth surface is formed so as to isolate the heat exchange chamber and the deep room storage compartment from each other to block the refrigerant movement, and the second surface is formed with a through hole for allowing cool air to flow between the heat sink and the deep room storage compartment, Wherein the thermoelectric storage cool air is cooled by a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator and the refrigerant is led to the freezing compartment by the second fan, By the endothermic phenomenon occurring on the heat absorption surface in addition to the supplied cold air, the food stored in the drawer is cooled to a temperature higher than the freezer room temperature It is characterized in that such rapid cooling to cryogenic.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator comprising: a main body having an outer tube formed by an outer case; A heat exchange chamber defined within the body; A freezing chamber disposed inside the main body in front of the heat exchange chamber; A refrigerating chamber disposed inside the body adjacent to the freezing chamber; A deep temperature storage chamber partitioned from the freezing chamber by the heat insulating case 104 in the freezing chamber and forming an independent storage space maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing chamber; A drawer in which a portion for storing food is inserted into the storage space of the deep room storage room; A compartment partitioning the freezing chamber and the heat exchange chamber and having the deep room storage chamber disposed in front thereof; An evaporator placed inside the heat exchange chamber to generate at least cool air for cooling the freezer compartment; A compressor for compressing the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator; A rapid cooling module cooling the temperature of the deep room storage room to a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing room and at least a part of which is accommodated in the partition; And a second fan for supplying cool air in the heat exchange chamber to at least the freezing chamber, wherein the rapid cooling module includes a thermoelectric element including a heat absorbing surface and a heat generating surface defined on the opposite surface of the heat absorbing surface; A heat sink contacting the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element; A first fan disposed adjacent to the heat sink for allowing the cool air in the deep room to be heat-exchanged with the heat sink; And a heat conducting plate (46) attached to the heat generating surface to lower the temperature of the heat generating surface through heat exchange with the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element, wherein the dividing portion forms at least a part of a surface defining the freezing chamber A first side in contact with the freezing compartment cool air; A second surface extending further from the first surface toward the deep room, and having the deep room; A third side defined as an opposite side of the first side and defining at least a portion of the side defining the heat exchange chamber; And a fourth surface extending further from the third surface toward the deep room, wherein the first pan and the heat sink are positioned forward of the fourth surface, and the thermally conductive plate is further behind the second surface And a second surface of the thermoelectric conversion element is formed with an opening through which the thermally conductive plate passes and is placed in the partition. The fourth surface isolates the thermo-storage chamber and the thermally conductive plate from the heat exchange chamber, And the heat conduction plate is connected to the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator so as to be heat-exchangeable so that the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator and the heat conduction plate Is cooled by a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator and is supplied to the freezing chamber by the second fan Is characterized in that the food stored in the drawer is quickly cooled to a cryogenic temperature lower than the freezing room temperature by utilizing an endothermic phenomenon occurring on the heat absorption surface in addition to the cold air.

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The refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following effects.

First, the drawer assembly is provided inside the freezer compartment and can be frozen at a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezer compartment. Thus, there is an advantage that the foodstuffs requiring storage at various temperatures can be effectively stored.

Second, since the drawer assembly is communicated with the heat exchange chamber to receive cold air, the temperature of the internal space can be reduced at a high speed.

Third, since the rapid freezing means including a thermoelectric element for rapid freezing is directly mounted on the evaporator, it can also perform the defrosting function of the evaporator. Therefore, there is an advantage that the refrigeration cycle is stopped or the reverse cycle operation is not performed for defrosting operation of the evaporator.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator provided with a rapid cooling module according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a drawer assembly and a rapid cooling module provided in a deep room storage room according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along II of FIG. 1 showing the installation of the rapid cooling module and drawer assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 1 illustrating the installation of a rapid cooling module and drawer assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along II of FIG. 1 showing the installation of the rapid cooling module and drawer assembly according to the third embodiment;
6 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a rapid cooling module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a side cross-sectional view of a drawer in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a drawer in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a side cross-sectional view cut along II-II of Fig.
10 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator showing the configuration of a drawer assembly and a rapid cooling module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a block diagram schematically showing a control configuration of a refrigerator provided with a rapid cooling module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a flowchart illustrating a rapid cooling mode operation control method using a rapid cooling module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings, and that other embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention may be easily devised by adding, .

Although a bottom freezer type refrigerator is described as an example of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is also disclosed that the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a top mount type refrigerator and a side by side type refrigerator .

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having a rapid cooling module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a refrigerator 1 having a rapid cooling module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 having a storage space therein, a door 20 for selectively opening and closing the storage space, And a deep room storage room accommodated in the storage space.

In detail, the inner space of the main body 10 is partitioned into a refrigerating chamber 12 and a freezing chamber 13 by a barrier 103. The refrigerating chamber (12) and the freezing chamber (13) are arranged in the left-right direction or the vertical direction according to the extending direction of the barrier (103). For example, when the barrier 103 is placed in the horizontal direction, a refrigerating chamber 12 is formed on the upper side or the lower side of the freezing chamber 13. In this embodiment, the refrigerating chamber 12 is disposed above the freezing chamber 13 to be. Alternatively, when the barrier 103 is placed vertically, the refrigerating chamber 12 and the freezing chamber 13 may be arranged side by side.

In addition, the deep room storage compartment may be provided at one corner of the freezing compartment 13, and the deep room storage compartment may include a drawer assembly 30 for storing food, a quick cooling module for rapidly freezing the drawer assembly 30 40: see Fig. 2). The rapid cooling module 40 is disposed at the rear end of the drawer assembly 30, which will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

The refrigerator compartment 12 is selectively opened and closed by the refrigerator compartment door 21 and can be opened or closed by a single door or a pair of doors as shown in the figure. The refrigerator compartment door 21 may be rotatably coupled to the main body 10.

The freezer compartment 13 is selectively opened and closed by the freezer compartment door 22, and in the case of the bottom freezer type refrigerator, the freezer compartment door 22 can be provided to be pulled out. That is, the freezer compartment can be provided as a drawer.

On the other hand, the drawer assembly 30 can be received in the deep room storage room so as to be drawn out in the front-rear direction.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a drawer assembly and a rapid cooling module provided in a deep room storage room according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a drawer assembly 30 and a rapid cooling module 40 are provided in a heart storage chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In detail, the rapid cooling module 40 is located at the rear end of the drawer assembly 30, and may be fixedly mounted to the main body 10 or movably together with the drawer assembly 30.

The rapid cooling module 40 includes a heat conduction unit 44 coupled to an evaporator E installed inside the body 10, a thermoelectric element 41 attached to the front surface of the heat conduction unit 44, A heat sink 42 coupled to the front surface of the thermoelectric element 41 and a heat absorbing side blowing fan 43 coupled to the front surface of the heat sink 42.

Specifically, the thermoelectric element 41 includes a device using a Peltier effect in which an endothermic phenomenon occurs on one side and an exothermic phenomenon occurs on the other side due to current supply. The Peltier effect refers to the effect of connecting the two rapid terminals and flowing a current therebetween, causing the endothermic phenomenon at one terminal and the exothermic phenomenon at the other terminal depending on the direction of the current. When the flow direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element 41 is switched, the heat absorption surface and the heat generation surface are also switched, and the heat absorption amount and the heat generation amount can be adjusted according to the amount of the supplied current.

The rapid cooling module 40 according to the present embodiment has a structure in which the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 41 is directed toward the drawer assembly 30 of the deep room storage room and the heat generating surface is directed toward the evaporator E . Therefore, it is possible to rapidly cool the food stored in the drawer assembly 30 to ultra-low temperature by utilizing the heat absorption phenomenon generated in the thermoelectric device 41 in addition to the cool air supplied from the evaporator E.

The drawer assembly 30 includes a drawer 32 and a case 31 in which the drawer 32 can be drawn out. Only the drawer 32 may be stored in the deep room storage compartment according to the structure of the product or both the case 31 and the drawer 32 may be stored in the deep room storage compartment.

Specifically, the rear surface of the drawer assembly 30 abuts against the front surface of the rapid cooling module 40, that is, the heat-absorbing-side blowing fan 43, and a cold air forcibly flowing by the heat- To be supplied into the drawer assembly (30).

Further, it may be a metal plate having a high thermal conductivity such as the heat conduction unit 44 and the aluminum plate. One or a pair of plates of the heat conduction unit 44 are tightly coupled to the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator E. In this embodiment, a pair of thermally conductive plates is provided in the form of enclosing a part of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator (E). In order to maximize the contact area between the refrigerant pipe and the heat conduction unit 44, a groove on which the refrigerant pipe is seated may be formed on the surface of the heat conduction unit 44 contacting the refrigerant pipe.

The drawer 32 may be in the form of a hexahedron having an opened top surface. On both sides of the drawer 32, a sliding guide 321 extends in the front-rear direction. The sliding guide 321 is provided with a plurality of rollers 323. A suction grille 322 is formed on a rear surface of the drawer 32 to transfer the cool air supplied from the heat-absorbing-side blowing fan 43 to the inside of the drawer 32. The suction grill 322 includes a center grill 322a formed at the center of the rear of the drawer 32 and a side grill 322b formed around the center grill 322a. When the drawer 32 is completely drawn in, the center grill 322a is positioned on the front face of the heat-absorbing-side blowing fan 43. As a result, the cooled air passing through the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 41 and / or the air passing through the evaporator (E) is supplied into the drawer (32).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 1 showing the installation of the rapid cooling module and drawer assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, only the drawer 32 is accommodated in the deep room.

In detail, the deep room storage compartment may be formed at one corner of the freezing compartment 13, and an independent storage space defined by the heat insulation case 104 and the freezing compartment 13 is formed.

The drawer 32 may be housed in a storage space formed by the heat insulating case 104.

The main body 10 includes an outer case 102 and an inner case 101 which are provided inside the outer case 102. Between the outer case 102 and the inner case 101, a heat insulating material is foamed and filled. A heat exchange chamber 105 for accommodating the evaporator E is formed between the outer case 102 and the inner case 101.

Alternatively, as in a conventional refrigerator, the heat exchange chamber 105 may be formed by a separate duct member that is installed in front of the inner case 101, and the evaporator (not shown) E) may be accommodated. The heat insulating case 104 will be in close contact with the front surface of the duct member forming the heat exchange chamber.

A cooler sleeve 101a protrudes from a wall surface of the freezer compartment corresponding to a rear surface of the deep room storage compartment and a communication hole 101b formed in the cooler sleeve 101a communicates with the heat exchange chamber 105 do. A wall surface of the freezing chamber protruding from the cooler sleeve 101a may be a front surface of the inner case 101 or the duct member. The rear surface of the drawer 32 is closely attached to the front surface of the cooling sleeve 101a. That is, when the drawer 32 is completely drawn into the deep room storage compartment, the rear surface of the drawer 32 is brought into close contact with the front surface of the refrigerating sleeve 101a.

In detail, the rapid cooling module 40 is accommodated in the inner space of the cooler sleeve 101a, that is, the communication hole 101b. The heat absorbing side blowing fan 43 of the rapid cooling module 40 is in close contact with the center grill 322a formed on the rear surface of the drawer 32. [ The heating surface of the thermoelectric element 41 is brought into close contact with the front surface of the heat conduction unit 44 so that heat emitted from the heating surface is transmitted to the refrigerant conduit of the evaporator E through the heat conduction unit 44 . The heat sink 42 attached to the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 41 is cooled to a low temperature. The cooled air is supplied into the drawer 32 by the heat-absorbing-side blowing fan 43. Here, the air existing in the drawer 32 circulates and flows back to the heat sink 42 through the side grill 322b. Here, a part of the cool air passing through the evaporator (E) through the communication hole (101b) may be supplied into the drawer (32).

With this structure, the food stored in the deep-room storage room can be rapidly frozen to a low temperature in a short time by the cold air generated by the evaporator (E) as well as the cold air generated by the thermoelectric element (41).

Further, the thermoelectric element 41 can be operated only when the evaporator E is operated, thereby maximizing rapid cooling effect. That is, current is applied to the thermoelectric element 41 only while the refrigerant cycle is operated and the refrigerant is circulated to the evaporator E, so that the rapid freezing can be smoothly performed.

In addition, even when the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are sufficiently cooled to a predetermined temperature so that the refrigeration cycle is not operated, that is, the evaporator E is stopped, the rapid cooling module 40 is used to independently There is an advantage in driving. That is, when rapid cooling of the deep room is required in a state where the refrigeration cycle is stopped, when the current is applied to the rapid cooling module 40, the thermoelectric device 41 is operated to generate cool air. The cool air generated from the thermoelectric element 41 can be supplied to the drawer 32 by the operation of the heat absorbing side blowing fan 43.

In addition, since the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 41 is attached to the evaporator E through the heat conduction unit 44 as a medium, when the ice phenomenon occurs in the evaporator E, have. That is, when current is supplied to the thermoelectric element 41 to remove ice adhered to the evaporator E, heat emitted from the heating surface of the thermoelectric element 41 flows through the heat conduction unit 44, (E). As a result, the ice attached to the evaporator E is separated, so that no separate defrosting operation is required.

Further, when the flow direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element 41 is switched, the thermoelectric device 41 functions as a thawing chamber since the front surface of the thermoelectric device 41 serves as a heat generating surface.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 1 illustrating the installation of a rapid cooling module and drawer assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

4, in this embodiment, the drawer 32 and the case 31 are accommodated together in the deep room storage compartment, and a separate refrigerating sleeve 101a is not required on the wall surface of the freezing compartment 13 And is the same as the first embodiment in the remaining configuration. Therefore, overlapping descriptions will be omitted for the same portions as those in the first embodiment.

In detail, the drawer assembly 30 is accommodated in the deep room storage room formed by the heat insulating case 104. The rear surface of the case 31 constituting the drawer assembly 30 is completely in contact with the rear surface of the freezing chamber 13. A communication hole 101b is formed in the rear wall of the freezing compartment 13, that is, the inner case 101, and the rapid cooling module 40 is accommodated in the communication hole 101b. A cool air hole is formed at a rear surface of the case 31, specifically, at a position corresponding to the center grill 322a of the drawer 32, and the heat-absorption-side blowing fan 43 of the rapid cooling module 40, Is located in the cool air hole. The thermoelectric element 41 of the rapid cooling module 40 is fixed to the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator E via the heat conduction unit 44, as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 1 illustrating the installation of a rapid cooling module and drawer assembly according to a third embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, the present embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in the structure in which the heat conduction unit 44 constituting the rapid cooling module 40 is separated from the thermoelectric element 41.

The rapid cooling module 40 according to the present embodiment includes a thermoelectric element 41, a heat sink 42 attached to a heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 41, A heat conduction unit 44 surrounding a part of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator E and a heat transfer unit 44 surrounding the part of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator E, And a heat pipe 45 connecting the heat conductive plate 44 and the heat conductive plate 46 in a heat-transferable manner.

More specifically, the evaporator E to which the heat conduction unit 44 is attached is accommodated in the heat exchange chamber 105, and the heat conduction plate 46 is attached to the rear wall surface of the freezing chamber 13. Heat is transferred from the heat conduction plate (46) to the heat conduction unit (44) by the heat pipe (45). In the structure of the present embodiment, the heat exchange chamber 105 and the deep room storage room are separated from each other, thereby blocking the movement of cold air. That is, the deep room is cooled only by the rapid cooling module 40.

In addition, a part of the structure of the rapid cooling module 40 is placed inside the case 31. Therefore, the length of the drawer 32 in the front-rear direction is shorter than the length of the case 31 in the front-back direction.

According to the present embodiment, heat generated in the thermoelectric element 41 in the rapid freezing process is transferred to the thermally conductive plate 46. The heat transferred to the heat conductive plate 46 is transferred to the heat conductive unit 44 along the heat pipe 45. Here, the heat conduction plate 46 may be a plate material having the same material as the heat conduction unit 44.

The thermoelectric element 41 may be attached directly to the heat pipe 45 rather than the heat conduction plate 46. According to this structure, the heat generated from the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 41 is intrinsically blocked from being re-introduced into the deep room storage chamber. Accordingly, it has been confirmed that the temperature of the cool air supplied to the deep-room storage chamber can be lower than that of the first or second embodiment and can be cooled down to about -45 캜 to -50 캜.

6 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a rapid cooling module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the rapid cooling module according to the present embodiment differs from the rapid cooling module according to the first embodiment in the construction of the heat conduction unit.

In detail, the rapid cooling module 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the same thermoelectric element 41, the heat sink 42, and the heat absorbing side blowing fan 43 as in the first embodiment. In the interior of the heat conduction unit 47 according to the present embodiment, a refrigerant flow path 471 through which refrigerant flows is formed. A part of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator E is disconnected and one end of the disconnected pipe is connected to the inlet side of the refrigerant passage 471 and the other end is connected to the outlet side of the refrigerant passage 471 . Therefore, the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe cools the heat conduction unit 47 while flowing along the refrigerant flow path 471.

The heating surface of the thermoelectric element 41 is attached to the outer surface of the heat conduction unit 47 so that the heat emitted from the heating surface is transferred to the refrigerant through the heat conduction unit 47.

7 is a side cross-sectional view of a drawer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a cold plate 33 having a high thermal conductivity may be disposed on the bottom surface of the drawer 32.

In detail, the cooling plate 33 may be a metal plate of the same material as the heat conduction units 44 and 47 or the heat conduction plate 46 shown in the previous embodiment. The cooling plate 33 is installed on the bottom surface of the drawer 32 to cool the bottom portion of the food stored in the drawer 32 together. Therefore, the surface of the food in contact with the cold air inside the drawer 32 can be cooled, and the surface of food and food adhered to the bottom surface of the drawer 32 can also be cooled. As a result, not only does the entire surface of the food be cooled uniformly, but also the food cooling time is shortened.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a drawer according to still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a side sectional view cut along II-II of FIG.

8 and 9, in the case where the suction grill 322 including the center grill 322a and the side grill 322b is formed on the rear surface of the drawer 32 according to the embodiment of the present invention, Is the same as the structure of the drawer according to Fig.

On the other hand, the cooling protrusions 324 protrude from the bottom surface of the drawer 32 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In detail, the embossed cooling protrusions 342 protrude from the bottom surface of the drawer 32 to promote the transmission of cold air to the food stored in the drawer 32, Thereby forming a cool air flow path at a portion where the bottom surface of the heat exchanger is in contact. Accordingly, since the flow and circulation of the cold air are promoted inside the drawer 32, the refrigerating speed of the food is increased and the refrigerating time is shortened. This is because cooling using convection as well as cooling using heat conduction is performed at the same time.

In some cases, the cooling plate 33 may be placed on the cooling projection 324.

10 is a side cross-sectional view of a refrigerator showing a configuration of a drawer assembly and a rapid cooling module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the rapid cooling module 40 is coupled to the drawer assembly 30 so as to be separated from the deep room storage room when the drawer assembly 30 is taken out.

In detail, the rapid cooling module 40 according to the present embodiment includes a thermoelectric element 41, a heat sink 42 mounted on the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 41, A heat sink 48 mounted on the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 41 and a heat generating side air blowing fan 49 mounted on the rear surface of the heat sink 48 do.

In addition, a partition wall 313 for partitioning the space in which the drawer 32 is accommodated and the space in which the rapid cooling module 40 is accommodated may be formed in the case 31. It goes without saying that a cool air hole is formed on the rear surface of the partition wall 313 and the drawer 32.

A support wall 314 for supporting the rapid cooling module 40 may be formed in the case 31 in which the rapid cooling module 40 is accommodated. The thermoelectric element 41 is mounted on the support wall 314. Therefore, the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 41 is exposed in the front space of the support wall 314, and the heat generating surface is exposed in the rear space. Heat generated from the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 41 can not flow into the drawer 32, thereby improving the cooling efficiency.

A communicating hole 101b communicating with the heat exchange chamber 105 is formed in the inner case 101 or the duct, as described in the first embodiment, Side blowing fan 49 is located in the communication hole 101b. Accordingly, heat emitted from the heat-generating side heat sink 48 is transferred to the heat exchange chamber 105.

Since the rapid cooling module 40 is drawn into or drawn out from the deep room by one body with the case 31, current supply to the ventilation fans 43 and 49 and the thermoelectric module 41 is selectively performed Needs to be. That is, when the case 31 is drawn out, the current supply is interrupted, and in a state where the case 31 is drawn into the deep-room storage room, the current supply must be possible. In the case of using a power transmission system through a wire, there is a difficulty in processing a wire in order to supply electric current to a drawer-type accommodating apparatus. Under these conditions, there is a need for means to make the power supply smooth.

The wireless power transmission means 50 is mounted on the rear surface of the drawer assembly 30 and on the wall surface of the refrigerator body 10.

A wireless power transmission unit 52 is mounted on a wall surface of the refrigerator body 10 and a wireless power reception unit 51 is mounted on a rear wall of the case 31. [ The wireless power transmitting unit 52 and the wireless power receiving unit 51 may be maintained at intervals of 15 mm or less. If the separation distance exceeds 15 mm, the power loss becomes large and energy loss is caused. The wireless power transmission unit 52 is connected to a main controller installed on the upper surface of the main body 10 to receive power. The wireless power receiving unit 51 is electrically connected to the blowing fans 43 and 49 and the thermoelectric device 41.

More specifically, the wireless power transmission means 50 may be one that uses electromagnetic induction. The electromagnetic induction phenomenon refers to a method in which a magnetic field is generated around a current and the electric field is transmitted using the magnetic field. At present, the wireless power transmission means 50 using the electromagnetic induction method is applied to electric toothbrushes for the first time, and recently, it is also applied to household electric appliances such as cellular phones. It is also noted that a wireless power transmission means using resonance may be applied to the present invention.

As described above, when the wireless power transmission means is applied, electricity can be efficiently supplied to the configuration separated from the main body 10, and power supply is automatically shut off when the drawer assembly 30 is disconnected from the main body 10, Can be reduced. Further, since the wire portion connecting the drawer assembly 30 and the main body 10 is removed, there is an advantage that the wire processing problem is eliminated.

11 is a block diagram schematically showing a control structure of a refrigerator provided with a rapid cooling module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the rapid cooling mode using the metal cooling module according to the embodiment of the present invention needs to be selectively performed by a user.

That is, the rapid cooling mode must be performed at the user's option only when the article requiring rapid cooling is stored in the deep-room storage compartment and the user intends to consume or use the rapidly cooled food or other article, You can do it.

For this purpose, the door 20 of the refrigerator or the front part of the drawer assembly 30 may be provided with an input for selecting a rapid cooling mode. For example, an input button may be provided on one side of a display unit (not shown) or a control panel (not shown) provided on the front surface of the door 20 of the refrigerator, 40 can be operated.

In detail, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 600, an input unit 610 including at least a rapid cooling mode selection button or a rapid cooling mode operation time input button, A driving unit 620 that operates when the command is input, and a memory 630 that stores information necessary for at least a rapid cooling mode operation.

More specifically, the driving unit 620 includes the thermoelectric element 41, the heat absorbing side heat generating side blowing fans 43 and 49, and the compressor C constituting a refrigeration cycle for cooling the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment.

Hereinafter, a control method for operation in the rapid cooling mode will be described in detail using a flowchart.

12 is a flowchart showing a rapid cooling mode operation control method using a rapid cooling module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, if it is determined that the user needs to operate in the rapid cooling mode, the rapid cooling mode is selected through the input unit 610 (S110). Then, after selecting the rapid cooling mode, the rapid cooling operation time is inputted (S120). Alternatively, the operating time may be automatically set at the same time as the rapid cooling mode is selected.

The operation condition input for rapid cooling is completed, and an operation command is input through an operation button or the like (S130). Then, the thermoelectric element 43 is activated (S140). The operation of the thermoelectric element 43 means that power is applied to the thermoelectric element 43, whereby one surface is cooled and the other surface is heated.

When the operation of the thermoelectric element 43 is started, the compressor C must be driven together. Accordingly, if the rapid cooling mode is operated, the control unit 600 determines whether a refrigeration cycle in which the current refrigerator compartment and / or the freezer compartment is cooled is operated (S150). If it is determined that the current refrigeration cycle is being driven, it is determined whether the set time for rapid cooling operation has elapsed (S160). On the other hand, if the current refrigeration cycle is not being driven, a control command is sent to drive the compressor (C) (S151) and it is determined whether the set time has elapsed.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the set time has elapsed, the power supply to the thermoelectric element 43 is stopped and the operation of the thermoelectric element 43 is stopped (S170). Then, the control unit 600 determines whether the operation of the refrigeration cycle should be continued (S180). That is, it is determined whether or not the refrigerator compartment or freezer compartment temperature does not reach the set temperature and the compressor C needs to be driven continuously. If it is determined that the refrigeration cycle operation is no longer required, the operation of the compressor is stopped (S181), and then the rapid cooling mode is stopped (S190). On the other hand, if it is determined that the refrigeration cycle needs to be continuously driven, the compressor C is allowed to continue to operate and the rapid cooling mode is stopped.

In this way, the rapid cooling mode is performed by the user's selection, and when the thermoelectric element 43 is operated for the execution of the rapid cooling mode, the compressor C is also simultaneously driven to increase the rapid cooling efficiency Power consumption can be minimized.

Claims (18)

A body formed with an outer case by an outer case;
A heat exchange chamber defined within the body;
A freezing chamber disposed inside the main body in front of the heat exchange chamber;
A refrigerating chamber disposed inside the body adjacent to the freezing chamber;
A deep temperature storage chamber partitioned from the freezing chamber by the heat insulating case 104 in the freezing chamber and forming an independent storage space maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing chamber;
A drawer in which a portion for storing food is inserted into the storage space of the deep room storage room;
A compartment partitioning the freezing chamber and the heat exchange chamber and having the deep room storage chamber disposed in front thereof;
An evaporator placed inside the heat exchange chamber to generate at least cool air for cooling the freezer compartment;
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator;
A rapid cooling module cooling the temperature of the deep room storage room to a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing room and at least a part of which is accommodated in the partition; And
And a second fan for supplying cool air in the heat exchange chamber to at least the freezing chamber,
The rapid cooling module includes:
A thermoelectric element including a heat absorbing surface and a heat generating surface defined on an opposite surface of the heat absorbing surface;
A heat sink contacting the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element;
A first fan disposed adjacent to the heat sink to cause cool air in the deep room to flow to heat-exchange with the heat sink; And
And a heat conduction unit connected to the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator and having one surface brought into contact with the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element to cause heat exchange between the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element and the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator,
[0028]
A first surface forming at least a part of a surface defining the freezing chamber and contacting the freezing chamber cool air;
A second surface extending further from the first surface toward the deep room, and the deep room being located forward;
A third side defined as an opposite side of the first side and defining at least a portion of the side defining the heat exchange chamber; And
And a fourth surface extending further from the third surface toward the deep room,
Wherein the first fan and the heat sink are located in front of the fourth surface,
The heat conduction unit is located behind the second surface,
A through hole is formed in the second surface for allowing cool air to flow between the heat sink and the deep room storage chamber,
Wherein the fourth surface isolates the heat exchange chamber and the deep room storage chamber to block cold movement,
A heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element is directed to the drawer and a heat generating surface is directed to a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator,
Wherein the deep-room lavatory cooler is cooled by a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator, and the heat absorbed by the endothermic surface in addition to the cool air supplied by the second fan to the freezer compartment, So as to be quickly cooled to a low cryogenic temperature. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heat conduction unit includes a pair of heat conduction plates surrounding a part of the refrigerant conduits. The method according to claim 1,
And a part of the refrigerant pipe passes through the heat conduction unit. The method according to claim 1,
And a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe flows is formed inside the heat conduction unit. The method according to claim 1,
And a drawer case accommodated in the storage space, the drawer case accommodating the food storage portion of the drawer. 6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising a cold moving part provided on a back surface of the drawer,
The cold-
A cool air suction hole through which cool air heat-exchanged with the heat sink is supplied into the drawer,
And a cool air discharge hole through which cool air in the drawer is discharged to the heat sink. The method according to claim 6,
The cold air suction hole is formed at the center of the rear surface of the drawer,
Wherein a plurality of cold air discharge holes are formed in the periphery of the cold air suction holes. 6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising a plurality of cooling protrusions projecting from a bottom surface of the drawer. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a cooling plate positioned on top of the plurality of cooling protrusions. The method according to claim 1,
The main body includes:
An inner case provided on the inner side of the outer case, and
And a heat insulating member filled between the outer case and the inner case,
Wherein the partition is defined by the inner case. The method according to claim 1,
The main body includes:
An inner case provided on the inner side of the outer case, and
And a heat insulating member filled between the outer case and the inner case,
Wherein the partition includes a duct member disposed in front of the inner case,
And the heat exchange chamber is formed behind the partition. 12. The method of claim 11,
And the heat insulating case is in close contact with the partition. A body formed with an outer case by an outer case;
A heat exchange chamber defined within the body;
A freezing chamber disposed inside the main body in front of the heat exchange chamber;
A refrigerating chamber disposed inside the body adjacent to the freezing chamber;
A deep temperature storage chamber partitioned from the freezing chamber by the heat insulating case 104 in the freezing chamber and forming an independent storage space maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing chamber;
A drawer in which a portion for storing food is inserted into the storage space of the deep room storage room;
A compartment partitioning the freezing chamber and the heat exchange chamber and having the deep room storage chamber disposed in front thereof;
An evaporator placed inside the heat exchange chamber to generate at least cool air for cooling the freezer compartment;
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator;
A rapid cooling module cooling the temperature of the deep room storage room to a temperature lower than the temperature of the freezing room and at least a part of which is accommodated in the partition; And
And a second fan for supplying cool air in the heat exchange chamber to at least the freezing chamber,
The rapid cooling module includes:
A thermoelectric element including a heat absorbing surface and a heat generating surface defined on an opposite surface of the heat absorbing surface;
A heat sink contacting the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element;
A first fan disposed adjacent to the heat sink for allowing the cool air in the deep room to be heat-exchanged with the heat sink; And
And a heat conductive plate (46) attached to the heat generating surface to lower the temperature of the heat generating surface through heat exchange with the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element,
[0028]
A first surface forming at least a part of a surface defining the freezing chamber and contacting the freezing chamber cool air;
A second surface extending further from the first surface toward the deep room, and having the deep room;
A third side defined as an opposite side of the first side and defining at least a portion of the side defining the heat exchange chamber; And
And a fourth surface extending further from the third surface toward the deep room,
Wherein the first fan and the heat sink are located in front of the fourth surface,
The thermally conductive plate is located rearward of the second surface,
An opening portion through which the thermally conductive plate passes to be placed in the partitioning portion is formed on the second surface,
The fourth surface isolates the deep room storage chamber and the heat conducting plate from the heat exchange chamber,
The heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element is directed to the drawer and the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element is directed to the thermoelectric plate,
The heat conduction plate is connected to the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator so as to be heat-exchangable, and is configured to perform heat exchange by heat conduction with the refrigerant flowing along the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator,
The refrigerant is cooled by the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator and the refrigerant is supplied to the freezing chamber by the second fan, the food stored in the drawer is rapidly cooled to the cryogenic temperature lower than the freezing room temperature So as to be cooled. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the thermally conductive plate is accommodated in a space formed between the second surface and the fourth surface while being rearward of the opening. 15. The method of claim 14,
A heat conduction unit for surrounding a part of the refrigerant pipe of the evaporator,
And a heat pipe connecting the heat conduction plate and the heat conduction unit to transfer heat transferred to the heat conduction plate to the heat conduction unit. delete delete delete

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