KR101946606B1 - refrigerator improving energy efficiency - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator with improved energy efficiency and, more specifically, to a refrigerator in which a cold storage pack is between an inner case and an outer case of the refrigerator having an insulation layer to store a portion of chilled air discharged to the insulation layer, and thus electric energy can be reduced. According to the present invention, the refrigerator with improved energy efficiency comprises: a body provided with a freezing compartment or a refrigerating compartment; a door installed in the body to open and close the freezing compartment or the refrigerating compartment; a freezing cycle installed in the body to supply chilled air to the freezing compartment or the refrigerating compartment; and a cold storage pack installed in the body or door to store the chilled air delivered from the freezing compartment or the refrigerating compartment.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator having improved energy efficiency,

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having improved energy efficiency. More particularly, the present invention relates to a refrigerator having a heat insulating layer formed between an inner case and an outer case of a refrigerator, The present invention relates to a refrigerator which can save energy.

Background Art [2] Generally, a refrigerator is a home appliance having a main body, a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber formed inside the main body, and a refrigeration cycle for supplying cold air to the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and storing food freshly.

The refrigerator can cool the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment by using cool air generated through heat exchange with the refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration cycle, so that the stored food items can be stored in a fresh state.

The main body of the refrigerator includes an inner surface (inner case) forming a storage chamber, a trauma (outer case) provided on the outer side of the inner surface to form an outer appearance, and a heat insulating material provided between the inner and outer traces.

Generally, a urethane foam is used as a heat insulating material.

Urethane foam insulation provides sufficient rigidity after foaming and fixes inner and outer surfaces by self-adhesive force, so most of the refrigerators in the market use urethane foam insulation.

However, in recent years, in order to improve the heat insulation performance, a vacuum insulation material composed of a sheathing material whose inside is sealed with a vacuum and a core material provided inside the sheathing material is used. However, even in the case of using a vacuum insulation material, the urethane foam insulation and the vacuum insulation material are used together to maintain the rigidity and the assemblability.

Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-1995-026998: Insulating Structure of Refrigerator

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can save electric energy by attaching a shaft cooling pack to an outer surface of an inner case of a refrigerator and storing a part of cool air, The purpose is to do.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an improved energy efficiency refrigerator comprising: a main body having a freezing chamber or a refrigerating chamber; A door installed in the main body and opening / closing the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber; A refrigeration cycle installed in the main body and supplying cool air to the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber; And a shaft cooling pack installed in the main body or the door to store cool air transferred from the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber, wherein the main body or the door includes an inner case, an outer case surrounding the inner case, And a heat insulating layer formed between the outer case, wherein the axial cooling pack is attached to an outer surface of the inner case, wherein the axial cooling pack is formed by separating a plurality of storage cells from each other, and one surface contacting with the heat insulating layer is formed to be bent And a phase change material filled in the storage cells to discharge or absorb heat energy by phase change.

Wherein the housing comprises a cover part formed to protrude in the direction of the outer case so that the storage cells are buried in the heat insulating layer and a sealing part coupled to the cover part to seal the storage cells and to contact the inner case, Be equipped.

The sealing sheet is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the cover portion.

And a heat transfer facilitating means for promoting heat transfer between the axial cooling pack and the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber.

The heat transfer facilitating means includes a plurality of communication holes formed at predetermined intervals in an attachment region of the inner case to which the shaft cooling pack is attached and communicating the inner and outer sides of the inner case through the inner case.

Wherein the heat transfer facilitating means comprises a main groove formed at an outer surface of the inner case at a predetermined depth and forming a passage through which the cool air moves by connecting the communication holes, Grooves connecting the main grooves and having a width smaller than the width of the main grooves.

The main groove and the sub-groove are provided with a heat conduction member for improving conduction of heat.

As described above, according to the present invention, a shaft cooling pack is attached to the outer surface of an inner case of a refrigerator, and a part of cool air discharged to the heat insulating layer is stored in the shaft cooling pack. Thus, compared with the conventional method using foamed heat insulating material or vacuum insulating material, can do.

In addition, since the cold air stored in the axial cooling pack is supplied to the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber during the power failure of the refrigerator, the temperature rise of the refrigerator can be suppressed and the food can be prevented from being deteriorated.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a shaft cooling pack applied to the refrigerator of FIG. 1,
FIGS. 4 to 7 are plan views showing various axial cooling packs,
8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a refrigerator according to another example of the present invention,
FIG. 9 is a side view of a main part applied to a refrigerator according to another example of the present invention,
10 is a perspective view showing a part of FIG. 9,
FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a recess applied to a refrigerator according to another example of the present invention. FIG.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator having improved energy efficiency according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The refrigerator having improved energy efficiency of the present invention is intended to store food freshly. The refrigerator may be provided with only a refrigerating chamber for storing food at a temperature of 0 ° C or higher, or a freezing chamber for refrigerating and storing food at a temperature of 0 ° C or lower, And the freezing chamber may be provided. Accordingly, the present invention means that the refrigerator includes various kinds of refrigerators such as a freezer, a kimchi refrigerator, etc., as well as a refrigerator having both a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber.

1 to 3, a refrigerator having improved energy efficiency according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 provided with a freezing chamber 11 or a refrigerating chamber 15, A door 13 or 17 for opening or closing the refrigerating compartment 15 or a refrigeration cycle for supplying cold air to the freezing compartment 11 or the refrigerating compartment 15 provided in the main body 10, 13) 17 for storing cold air transferred from the freezing chamber 11 or the refrigerating chamber 15.

In the main body 10, the freezing chamber 11 and the refrigerating chamber 15 are partitioned upward or downward by the barrier 12. In the illustrated example, the freezing chamber 11 and the freezing chamber 15 are both provided in the main body 10, but it is needless to say that the main body 10 may be provided with only the freezing chamber or only the freezing chamber.

The main body 10 includes an inner case 21, an outer case 23 surrounding the inner case 21 and a heat insulating layer 25 formed between the inner case 21 and the outer case 23.

The freezing chamber (11) and the refrigerating chamber (15) are provided inside the inner case (21). The inner case 21 can be formed in various shapes according to the shape of the freezing chamber 11 and the refrigerating chamber 15. [

The outer case 23 is formed to enclose the inner case 21 as an outer appearance of the refrigerator.

The heat insulating layer 25 is formed by filling the space between the inner case 21 and the outer case 23 with the heat insulating material. A foamed urethane foam or a vacuum insulation material can be used as a heat insulating material.

The doors 13 and 17 are provided in the main body 10 to open and close the freezing chamber 11 and the refrigerating chamber 15, respectively. As shown in the drawing, when both the freezing compartment 11 and the refrigerating compartment 15 are provided, doors 13 and 17 are installed in the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment, respectively.

 Like the main body 10, the doors 13 and 17 are made up of an inner case, an outer case, and a heat insulating layer formed between the inner case and the outer case.

The refrigeration cycle includes a compressor 21 and a condenser (not shown), an expansion valve (not shown) and an evaporator 22 to generate cool air required for cooling the freezing chamber 12 and the refrigerating chamber 13. The cool air supply duct 25 and the cool air discharge ports 26 are formed on the rear surface of the freezer compartment 11 and the refrigerating compartment 15 such that the cool air generated through the evaporator 22 can be discharged to the freezer compartment 11 and the refrigerating compartment 15 .

The above-described main body 10, doors 13 and 17, and the refrigeration cycle are the same as those applied to a conventional refrigerator.

The axial cooling pack 30 is installed in the main body 10 or the doors 13 and 17. The illustrated example shows that the axial cooling pack 30 is installed on both the main body 10 and the doors 13, In addition, unlike the illustrated embodiment, the axial cooling pack 30 may be installed only on the main body 10, or the axial cooling pack 30 may be installed on only the doors 13 and 17.

The axial cooling pack 30 can be installed on the upper, left, right, rear, and bottom surfaces of the main body 10. The axial cooling pack (30) is installed between the inner case (21) and the outer case (23). Preferably, the axial cooling pack 30 is attached to the outer surface of the inner case 21 so that heat transfer with the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber is smooth. One or more of the shaft cooling packs 30 may be attached to the upper surface of the inner case 21 and one or more of them may be attached to the left, right, rear, and bottom surfaces of the inner case 21.

A heat insulating layer 25 is formed between the inner case 21 and the outer case 23 so that the remaining portion of the shaft cooling pack 30 except for the contact surface contacting the inner case 21 is in contact with the heat insulating layer 25.

The attachment region 5 to which the shaft cooling pack 30 is to be attached is selected in advance on the outer surface of the inner case 21 and then the shaft cooling package 30 is attached to the attachment region The heat insulating layer 25 may be formed by foaming the heat insulating material in the empty space between the inner case 21 and the outer case 23. [ In this process, the axial cooling pack 30 is tightly adhered to the inner case 21 by the expansion force of the heat insulating material. In Fig. 2, the attachment region 5 is indicated by a dotted line.

The shaft cooling pack 30 is attached to the outer surface of the inner case of the door as in the case of the main body 10 when the shaft cooling pack 30 is installed in the doors 13 and 17.

The axial cooling pack 30 is cooled by receiving cold air from the freezing chamber 11 or the refrigerating chamber 15 during normal operation of the refrigeration cycle.

The conventional heat insulating material blocks the movement of the cold air discharged to the outside of the freezing chamber 11 or the refrigerating chamber 15. [ Therefore, there is a problem that the heat insulating material can not utilize the cold air discharged to the outside.

However, the shaft cooling pack 30 according to the present invention may store cool air discharged to the outside of the freezing chamber 11 or the refrigerating chamber 15, and then transfer the stored cool air to the freezing chamber 11 or the refrigerating chamber 15. Therefore, the present invention can reduce the driving time of the refrigeration cycle by utilizing part of the abandoned cool air for maintaining the temperature of the freezing chamber (11) or the refrigerating chamber (15). Accordingly, the electric energy required to drive the refrigeration cycle can be greatly reduced.

In addition, since the cold air stored in the shaft cooling pack 30 is supplied to the freezing chamber 11 or the refrigerating chamber 15 during the power failure of the refrigerator, the temperature rise of the refrigerator can be suppressed and the food can be prevented from being deteriorated.

The axial cooling pack 30 has a housing 31 in which a plurality of storage cells 35 are formed and a phase change material 39 filled in the storage cells 35 to emit or absorb thermal energy by phase change .

One side of the housing 31 contacting the heat insulating layer 25 is formed to be bent and the other side of the housing 31 contacting the inner case 21 is formed flat. By the structure of the housing 31, the bonding force with the heat insulating layer 25 can be increased.

The housing 31 includes a cover portion 33 that contacts the heat insulating layer 25 and a sealing sheet 37 that is coupled to the cover portion 33 and contacts the inner case 21.

A plurality of storage cells 35 are formed in the cover portion 33. Each of the storage cells 35 is independently formed and separated from each other. The storage cells 35 are formed in the cover portion 33 so as to protrude toward the outer case 23. Therefore, the storage cells 35 are embedded in the insulating layer 25. [ Since the storage cell 35 filled with the phase change material is buried in the insulating layer 25, the cold air discharged from the phase change material can move only in the direction of the inner case 21. [

The cover portion 33 can be manufactured by molding a synthetic resin material.

In the illustrated example, ten storage cells 35 are formed in one cover portion 33. [ The storage cells 35 are all formed in the same shape and size. Alternatively, the storage cells 35 formed in one cover portion 33 may have different shapes and sizes.

The storage cells 35 formed in the cover portion 33 are opened in the direction of the inner case 21. [ Thus, the phase change material 39 can be injected into the storage cell 35 in the open direction to charge it. The sealing sheet 37 is coupled to the cover portion 33 to seal the storage cell 35 after filling the phase change material.

A thin film formed of a synthetic resin material can be used as the sealing sheet 37. [ Preferably, the sealing sheet 37 is formed of a thermally conductive synthetic resin material. This is to increase heat transfer efficiency with phase change material.

The sealing sheet 37 can be bonded to the cover portion 33 using an adhesive. Further, the sealing sheet 37 can be joined to the cover portion 33 using a heat fusion bonding method.

On the other hand, the sealing sheet 37 may be formed thin and the cover portion 33 may be formed thick. That is, it is preferable that the thickness of the sealing sheet 37 is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the cover portion 33. When the heat insulating material is injected between the inner case 21 and the outer case 23 and is foamed, the axial cooling pack 30 attached to the inner case 21 is tightly adhered in the direction of the inner case 21 while the thermal insulating material expands . At this time, the thick cover portion 33 has a high strength to prevent deformation of the storage cell 35. And the thin sealing sheet 37 is flexible and is advantageous for enhancing the adhesion with the inner case 21. [

Each storage cell 35 is filled with a phase change material 39.

Phase change material (PCM) refers to a material that absorbs or releases energy without a change in temperature during a phase change to a solid or liquid. The phase change material absorbs or releases latent heat in an isothermal state during a phase change between a solid state and a liquid state. Phase change materials that store heat energy by this phase change absorb or release latent heat, so they can store more heat energy than ordinary heat storage materials. The phase change material absorbs and stores heat when it reaches a phase change temperature, that is, a temperature higher than the melting point, and when the temperature falls below the melting point, the stored heat is released to maintain a constant temperature.

The phase change material can be used as a cooling and shrinking material when it has a phase change temperature below room temperature of 20 ° C. For example, when a phase change material having a phase change temperature at 4 캜 is used, as the ambient temperature rises to 4 캜 or more, the phase change material absorbs heat from the surroundings as the phase change progresses from a solid state to a liquid state. That is, it emits cool air to the surroundings. Therefore, the phase change material can inhibit the ambient temperature from rising.

Known materials can be used as the phase change material. Examples of the organic acid include, for example, tetradecane, pentadecane, hexadecane, heptadecane, octadecane, eicosane, fatty acid lauric acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, Calcium hydrate, sodium phosphate hydrate, and sodium sulfonate hydrate may be used.

As described above, according to the present invention, the axial cooling pack 30 is attached to the outer surface of the inner case 21 of the refrigerator, and a part of the cold air discharged to the heat insulating layer 25 is stored in the shaft cooling pack 30, The electric energy can be greatly reduced in comparison with the conventional refrigerator structure used.

Figures 4-8 illustrate various axial cooling packs. 4 shows a shaft cooling pack 40 in which two storage cells 41 are formed and FIG. 5 shows a shaft cooling pack 42 in which five storage cells 43 are formed. FIG. Fig. 7 shows a shaft cooling pack 46 in which ten storage cells 47 are formed. Fig.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the axial cooling pack is formed to have a number of storage cells of 2 or more. Also, the sizes of the storage cells may be different from each other. Also, a plurality of storage cells may be arranged in one column or two or more columns.

As described above, the shape and size of the axial cooling pack can be variously adjusted according to the size, number, and arrangement of the storage cells. Accordingly, the shape and size of the shaft cooling pack can be freely changed according to the shape of the attachment region of the inner case to which the shaft cooling pack is attached, thereby enhancing the convenience of the construction.

In addition, since a plurality of storage cells are formed in a shape separated from each other in one axial cooling pack, bending is easy. Therefore, since the axial cooling pack can be attached not only to the flat portion of the outer side surface of the inner case but also to the bent portion, the axial cooling pack can be easily attached even if the shape of the inner case is complicated. In addition, according to the size of the attachment region to which the axial cooling pack is attached, it is possible to cut the space between the storage cells to adjust the axial cooling pack to various sizes.

Meanwhile, the refrigerator improved in energy efficiency according to another embodiment of the present invention further includes a heat transfer facilitating unit.

The heat transfer facilitating means promotes the heat transfer between the shaft cooling pack and the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber.

Since the inner case is disposed between the axial cooling pack and the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber, the cold air is transmitted through the inner casing, which is a synthetic resin. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a heat transfer promoting means in order to increase the heat transfer efficiency.

8, the heat transfer facilitating means includes a plurality of communication holes 50 formed in the attachment region 5 of the inner case 21 to which the shaft cooling pack 30 is attached.

The communication hole (50) is formed through the inner case (21). Although the communication hole 50 is formed in a circular shape, the communication hole 50 may be formed in various shapes. The inside and outside of the inner case 21 communicate with each other through the communication hole 50. A number of communication holes 50 are formed for each attachment region 5. The number of communication holes 50 can be appropriately adjusted depending on the position and size of each attachment region 5. [

The cool air is moved from the freezing chamber 11 or the freezing chamber 15 to the freezing chamber 11 or the freezing chamber 15 through the communication hole 50 or from the freezing chamber 11 or the freezing chamber 15, .

9 and 10 show another example of the heat transfer promoting means.

9 and 10, the illustrated heat transfer facilitating means includes a main groove 51 connecting between the communication holes 50 and a sub groove 53 connecting the main grooves 51 Respectively.

The main groove 51 is formed by being drawn into the outer surface of the inner case 21 at a predetermined depth. The main groove 51 connects between adjacent communication holes 50 in the transverse direction and connects the adjacent communication holes 50 in the longitudinal direction. The communication holes 50 are all interconnected by the main grooves 51. Therefore, the main groove 51 serves as a heat transfer path between the communication holes 50.

The sub-grooves 53 connect the main grooves 51. In particular, the main grooves 51 formed in the transverse direction among the main grooves are connected. Thus, the sub-grooves 53 are formed in the longitudinal direction. The sub-groove 53 is formed by being drawn into the outer surface of the inner case 21 at a predetermined depth.

The sub groove 53 serves to guide the cool air moving along the main groove 51 downward. The sub grooves 53 are preferably formed to have a width smaller than the width of the main grooves 51. [ This is to induce the diffusion of uniform heat in the attachment region 5 so that the amount of cold air moving in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the amount of cold air moving in the transverse direction.

11, the heat transfer facilitating means may further include heat conductive members 60 and 65 provided in the main grooves 51 and the sub grooves 53. [

The heat conduction members 60 and 65 are formed in bar shapes corresponding to the shapes of the main grooves 51 and the sub grooves 53. The heat conduction member 60 provided in the main groove 51 and the heat conduction member 65 provided in the sub-groove 53 have different widths.

The heat conduction members 60 and 65 improve the moving speed of the heat moving along the main groove 51 and the sub groove 53. [ Therefore, a material having a higher thermal conductivity than air can be used as the material of the heat conduction members 60 and 65. [ Preferably, a square bar of a metal material can be used as the heat conduction member. In particular, metals such as silver, copper, gold, aluminum, and tungsten can be used.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be determined only by the appended claims.

10: main body 11: freezer compartment
15: refrigerator compartment 21: inner case
23: outer case 25: insulating layer
30: Axial cooling pack 31: Housing
33: cover part 35: storage cell
37: sealing sheet 39: phase change material

Claims (7)

A freezing chamber or a freezing chamber;
A door installed in the main body and opening / closing the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber;
A refrigeration cycle installed in the main body and supplying cool air to the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber;
And a shaft cooling pack installed in the main body or the door to store cool air transferred from the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber,
The main body or the door includes an inner case, an outer case surrounding the inner case, and a heat insulating layer formed between the inner case and the outer case,
Wherein the axial cooling pack is attached to an outer surface of the inner case,
The axial cooling pack is divided into a plurality of storage cells to be independent from one another, a housing having a side contacting the heat insulating layer formed to be bent and another side contacting the inner casing being formed flat, A phase change material that emits or absorbs heat energy by a change,
Wherein the housing comprises a cover portion formed to protrude toward the outer case in the direction of the storage cells and in contact with the heat insulating layer, and a sealing sheet which is connected to the cover portion and hermetically closes the storage cells and contacts the inner case,
The cover portion is thicker than the sealing sheet so as to increase the strength of the cover portion to prevent deformation of the storage cell due to expansion of the heat insulating material when the heat insulating material is injected between the inner case and the outer case, Lt; / RTI &
Further comprising: heat transfer facilitating means for promoting heat transfer between the axial cooling pack and the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber,
The heat transfer facilitating means includes a plurality of communication holes formed at predetermined intervals in an attachment region of the inner case to which the axial cooling pack is attached and communicating the inner and outer of the inner case through the inner case, A main groove formed at a predetermined depth on the side surface and connected to the communication holes in a lateral direction and a vertical direction to form a passage through which cool air travels; Grooves formed in the longitudinal direction to connect the main grooves formed in the transverse direction among the main grooves so as to guide downward the cool air moving along the main grooves,
Wherein the sub-groove is formed to have a width smaller than the width of the main groove. delete delete delete delete delete The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the main groove and the sub-groove are provided with a heat conduction member for improving conduction of heat.

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