KR19990033940A - Refrigerator with cold air distributor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a cooling chamber for cooling and storing food, comprising: a cold air duct provided on a wall surface of the cooling chamber to guide the flow of cold air and having a plurality of cold air discharge openings opened toward the cooling chamber; A louver portion rotatably installed with a plurality of partition plates arranged in parallel to each of the cold air discharge ports; And an operation knob for operating the rotation of the louver portion. As a result, it is possible to distribute the cold air discharged into the cooling chamber with a relatively simple configuration and to maintain the inside of the cooling chamber at a uniform temperature distribution.

Description

Refrigerator with cold air distributor

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having a cold air distribution device which distributes the cold air discharged from the cold air duct into the cooling chamber evenly so as to maintain the inside of the cooling chamber in a uniform temperature distribution.

Among the refrigerators, refrigerators have been proposed which have a cold air distribution device for maintaining the inside of the cooling chamber for cooling and storing food at a uniform temperature distribution, and the cold air distribution device is usually installed in a cold air duct to guide the flow of cold air. The cold air discharged to the cold air discharge port is distributed. Such a conventional air distribution apparatus has been proposed in various forms by the present applicant.

7 to 9 are exploded perspective views of the conventional cold air distribution device, respectively. The cold air distribution device 110 shown in FIG. 7 is a cold air distribution device filed by the present applicant with a PCT application, and a drive motor for rotating the drive shaft 121 and the plurality of cold air distribution blades 111 and the drive shaft 121. 131 is comprised. The drive shaft 121 is rotatably installed in the cold air duct, and the drive shaft 121 of the drive motor 131 is coupled to the upper portion of the drive shaft 121. The cold air distribution blades 111 are formed of a plate-shaped body curved in a wave shape with respect to the plane including the axis of the drive shaft 121, and are spaced apart from each other to correspond to the respective cold air discharge ports along the drive shaft 121. At the upper and lower ends of each cold air distributing wing 111, a pair of end plates 113 formed of an upper plate 113a and a lower plate 113b is formed, and an intermediate plate is formed between the upper plate 113a and the lower plate 113b. 115 is provided to divide the cold air distribution blade 111 into the first blade portion 117 and the second blade portion 119. Each wing portion 117, 119 is bent to form an S-shaped cross section, and each wing portion 117, 119 of each cold air distribution wing 111 is bent in the opposite direction to each other.

In the refrigerator having the conventional cold air distribution device 110 having such a configuration, when the driving motor 131 rotates the drive shaft 121 at a low speed, the cold air supplied along the cold air duct may be curved on the curved plates of the cold air distribution blades 111. As a result, the flow path direction is changed and spreads in the cooling chamber from side to side and discharged. On the other hand, when intensive cooling is required at a specific site, the drive shaft 121 is stopped in accordance with the direction of the cold air distribution blade 111 so that cold air is concentrated discharged toward the site. By such a cold air distribution device 110, it is possible to realize uniform cooling and concentrated cooling in the refrigerating chamber.

Meanwhile, the cold air distribution devices 141 and 151, which can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, are cold air distribution devices that have been previously filed by the present applicant and include a plurality of left and right distribution wings 143 attached to each cold air discharge port 161. And the vertically distributing wing 144, and a drive unit 145 for driving the left and right distributing wing 143 and the vertical distributing wing 144 in combination. The vertical distribution blades 144 are installed on the front surface of the cold air discharge port 161 so as to be vertically rotatable with a parallel axis in the horizontal direction. The drive unit 145 is a drive shaft 146 which is rotatably installed in the vertical direction at the rear of the vertically distributing blade 144 and a drive cam 147 which is formed coaxially along the axial direction of the drive shaft 146. , A transmission member 148 for transmitting the rotational force of the driving cam 147 to the vertically distributing blades 144 to rotate up and down, and a driving motor 149 for rotating the driving shaft 146. On the other hand, the left and right distribution wings 143 are provided corresponding to the cold air discharge port 161 along the axial direction of the drive shaft 146.

The cold air distribution devices 141 and 151 of this configuration are operated by driving the drive motor 149 coupled to the drive shaft 146. At this time, the left and right distribution blades 143 are 360 with the rotation of the drive shaft 146. ° rotates, in conjunction with the vertical distribution wing 144 is rotated up and down in front of the cold air outlet 161. Accordingly, the cold air from the cold air duct (not shown) is uniformly distributed in the cooling chamber by the combined operation of the left and right distribution blades 143 and the vertical distribution blades 144. Then, by stopping these left and right distribution blades 143 and the vertical distribution blades 144 in a specific region, it is possible to achieve effective concentrated cooling.

By the way. In the refrigerator having the conventional cold air distributors 110, 141, and 151, there is an advantage that the cold air can be effectively distributed in the cooling chamber. On the other hand, as shown in the drawing, the cold air distributor having a complicated configuration is provided. Since there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is to be increased.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a cold air distribution device that can be manufactured relatively inexpensively and can reduce production costs and achieve uniform cold air distribution in the cooling chamber in view of the conventional problems. To provide.

1 is a front view of a refrigerator having a cold air distribution device according to the present invention;

2 is a side cross-sectional view of FIG.

3 is a partially exploded perspective view of a cold air distribution device according to the present invention;

4 is a side cross-sectional view of the louver portion;

5 and 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 2, showing an operating state of the cold air distribution device according to the present invention,

7 to 9 are exploded perspective views of the cold air distribution apparatus installed in the conventional refrigerator, respectively.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

2, 3: Cooling chamber 5: Intermediate bulkhead

6, 7: door 12a, 12b: evaporator

13a, 13b: cooling chamber fan 15: cold air duct

16: cold air outlet 21: duct member

27: duct cover 30: cold air distribution device

33: through hole 41: louver

45: partition plate 47: operation knob

51: left and right adjustment plate 55: control lever

57: connecting member

According to the present invention, in the refrigerator having a cooling chamber for cooling and storing food, the air is provided on the wall surface of the cooling chamber to guide the flow of cold air and has a plurality of cold air discharge openings opened toward the cooling chamber. Ducts; A louver portion rotatably installed with a plurality of partition plates arranged in parallel to each of the cold air discharge ports; It is achieved by a refrigerator comprising an operation knob for operating the rotation of the louver portion.

Here, the louver portion has a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape, and is installed in the cold air discharge port so as to be rotatable vertically; Preferably, the plurality of partition plates are configured to be parallel to each other in the horizontal direction. At this time, the operation knob includes an operation portion having a substantially disc shape and partly exposed to the wall surface of the cooling chamber; A drive shaft protruding from the operation portion toward the louver portion; If the louver portion is formed with a shaft hole that is integrally rotatable with the drive shaft, the user can simply rotate the louver by operating the operation unit.

In addition, the louver portion may be configured to further include a plurality of left and right adjustment plates having a parallel axis in the vertical direction, wherein the connection to connect integrally flowable when any one of the plurality of left and right adjustment plates flow. Absence; It is preferable to further include an adjustment lever projecting forward from any one side of the plurality of left and right adjustment plate to provide a grip for the left and right adjustment to the operator. At this time, a hinge pin is formed at the upper edge of each of the left and right control plates; In the longitudinal direction of the connecting member, when the hinge rings hinged to each of the hinge pins protrude at predetermined intervals, the left and right complementary plates can be integrally rotated within a predetermined range.

On the other hand, the cooling chamber is partitioned into a plurality of storage zones arranged in the upper and lower layers; Cold air outlets are formed to correspond to the respective storage zones; It is preferable to comprise so that the said louver part may be attached to the said cold air discharge port.

The cold air duct includes: a duct cover in which the cold air discharge port is formed; It may be configured to include a duct member coupled to a predetermined distance to form a cold air flow path between the duct cover.

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

1 is a front view of a refrigerator having a cold air distribution device according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of FIG. As can be seen from these figures, the refrigerator 1 having the present cold air distribution device is a pair of cooling chambers divided into a freezing chamber 2 and a refrigerating chamber 3 by an intermediate partition 5 in a substantially rectangular main body. The opening and closing doors 6 and 7 are provided in the opening front of each cooling chamber 2 and 3, respectively.

The refrigerator compartment 3 is provided with a plurality of shelves 8 for placing food to partition the refrigerator compartment 3 into a plurality of food storage areas in the vertical direction. In the upper side of the refrigerating chamber 3, a special refrigerating chamber 18 for storing food suitable for a specific temperature range is formed, and the lower side of the refrigerating chamber 3 is provided with a vegetable chamber 19 for storing vegetables.

In the main body 4, a compressor 11, a condenser, a freezer compartment evaporator 12a, and a refrigerator compartment evaporator 12b, which are not shown, are installed to perform a refrigeration cycle, and cold air is generated in each of the evaporators 12a and 12b. A freezer compartment fan 13a and a refrigerating compartment fan 13b are installed above the evaporators 12a and 12b to forcibly blow cold air generated in each of the evaporators 12a and 12b to the freezer compartment 2 or the refrigerator compartment 3.

On the rear wall surface of the refrigerating chamber 3, a duct housing 20 is provided which forms a cold air duct 15 that provides a flow path of cold air from the evaporator 12b. The duct housing 20 forms a cold air duct 15 so that the cold air duct 15 can be thermally guided, and the front plate 23 and the duct member 21 attached to the front surface of the duct member 21. It consists of a seal plate 25 adhered to the rear surface and a partial cylindrical duct cover 27 installed in a form surrounding the cold air distribution device 30 in front of the front plate 23. The duct cover 27 and the duct member 21 are coupled at a predetermined distance, and form a cold air duct 15 for guiding the flow of cold air therebetween. The duct cover 27 is provided with cold air discharge ports 16 opened toward the refrigerating chamber 3 at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction thereof.

On the other hand, the cold air distribution device 30 is provided in the cold air duct 15. The cold air blown into the cold air duct 15 by the refrigerating chamber fan 13b is supplied into the refrigerating chamber 3 through the cold air distribution device 30, and at this time, the cold air distribution device 30 operating as described below in detail is Evenly distribute the cold air to the fridge. At the rear of the cold air duct 15, a circulation duct 17 connecting the refrigerating chamber 3 and the refrigerator compartment evaporator 12b is formed to be isolated from the cold air duct 15. The cold air which cooled the refrigerator compartment 3 returns to the refrigerator compartment evaporator 12b through this circulation duct 15. As shown in FIG.

3 is an exploded perspective view of a cold air distribution device according to the present invention. The cold air distribution device 30 includes a duct cover 27 in which the cold air discharge port 16 is formed, and a louver portion rotatably installed at the cold air discharge port 16 to guide cold air from the cold air duct 15 ( 41) and an operation knob 61 for rotating the louver portion 41. As shown in FIG. The duct cover 27 is provided with a plurality of cold air discharging openings 16 opened toward the refrigerating chamber 3 at predetermined intervals along its length direction, and in this embodiment, 3 corresponding to three storage zones provided in the refrigerating chamber. Two cold air discharge ports 16 are formed.

The duct cover 27 having the cold air outlet 16 is installed in the receiving portion of the front plate 23, the front plate 23 is installed to form a substantially same plane as the inner wall surface of the refrigerating chamber 3, the duct cover ( 27 is protruded from the front plate 23 into the refrigerating chamber 3 inside. Accordingly, the duct cover 27 as a whole protrudes somewhat from the rear wall surface of the refrigerating chamber 3, so that the cool air flowing along the cold air duct 15 is distributed in the refrigerating chamber 3 at a large discharge angle range.

The louver portion 41 has an almost rectangular cylindrical shape composed of upper and lower plates 42 and 43 and both side plates 44, as can be seen through FIG. 4 as a side cross-sectional view. The louver portions 41 are integrally formed with a plurality of partition plates 45 arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction to partition the internal space in the vertical direction. These partition plates 45 serve to distribute the cold air from the cold air duct 15 in the vertical direction. In the louver portion, a plurality of left and right adjustment plates 51 having axes parallel to each other in the vertical direction are provided. They have a pivot shaft 53 which is formed substantially in a plate shape and is formed along the longitudinal direction of the rear edge portion, and is rotatably received in the shaft hole 46 formed on the upper and lower plates 42 and 43 of the louver portion 41, respectively. It is. As such, the left and right adjustment plates 51 which can rotate left and right about the rotation shaft 53 serve to distribute cold air from the cold air duct 15 in the left and right directions.

On the other hand, the plurality of left and right adjustment plates 51 are connected so as to be integrally rotatable within a predetermined range by the connecting member 57 arranged in the horizontal direction of the axis. Hinge pins 54 are formed at upper edges of the left and right control plates 51, and hinge members 59 are hinged to the hinge member 54 along the longitudinal direction. . And, the left and right control plate 51 of any one of the plurality of left and right control plate 51 is formed with a control lever 55 protruding forward from the plate surface so that the distal end is exposed to the front of the louver portion 41. As a result, when the corresponding left and right control plate 51 is moved in the left and right direction by operating the control lever 55, the other left and right control plates 51 connected through the connecting member 57 are integrally rotated left and right.

The operation knob 47 has a disk-shaped operation part 48 and drive shafts 49a and 49b protruding in both directions from the center of the plate surface of the operation part 48. One side drive shaft 49a is fixedly coupled to the shaft groove 50 formed to be engaged with the side plate 44 of the louver portion 41, and the other side drive shaft 49b is formed to correspond to one flange portion of the duct cover 27. It is rotatably received and supported by the rotating hole 35. In addition, a through hole 33 is formed at one side of each cold air discharge port 16 on the plate surface of the duct cover 27, and a part of the operation unit 48 of the operation knob 47 is exposed to the through hole 33. It is. The operator can rotate the exposed operation part 48 up and down, and the louver part 41 can be rotated up and down within a predetermined range.

With this configuration, in the refrigerator having the present cold air distribution device 30, when external power is applied and cold air is formed around the evaporator 12b by the operation of the refrigeration cycle therein, the blower fan 13b operates to cool the air. Blowing into the cold air duct (15). Then, the cold air flowing through the cold air duct 15 is guided in accordance with the rotation angle position of the louver portion 41 provided in the cold air discharge port 16 and supplied into the refrigerating chamber. The cold air passing through the louver portion 41 is also guided in the left and right directions according to the rotation angle positions of the left and right control plates 51.

At this time, the user may change the rotation angle of the louver portion 41 by vertically rotating the operation part 48 whose part is exposed on the rear wall surface of the refrigerating chamber 3, that is, the duct cover 27. 5 and 6 illustrate the rotational state of the louver, and on the other hand, by rotating the control lever 55 exposed to the front of the louver portion 41 to rotate the left and right control plate 51 in the left and right directions. Can be. As described above, the inside of the refrigerating chamber may be maintained in a uniform temperature distribution state with the cold discharged according to the rotational positions of the rotatable louver portion 41 and the left and right control plates 51.

As described above, according to the present invention, the refrigerator can be equipped with a cold air distribution device having a relatively simple configuration in the cold air duct, thereby providing a refrigerator that can reduce the production cost. In addition, by uniformly operating the present cold air distribution device, it is possible to achieve uniform cold air distribution in the cooling chamber.

Claims (8)

In the refrigerator having a cooling chamber for cooling and storing food, A cold air duct provided on the wall surface of the cooling chamber to guide the flow of cold air and having a plurality of cold air discharge openings opened toward the cooling chamber; A louver portion rotatably installed with a plurality of partition plates arranged in parallel to each of the cold air discharge ports; And a manipulation knob for manipulating the rotation of the louver. The method of claim 1, The louver portion has a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape and is rotatably installed in the cold air discharge port; And the plurality of partition plates are parallel to each other in a horizontal direction. The method of claim 1, The operation knob, An operation portion having a substantially disk shape and part of which is exposed to a wall surface of the cooling chamber; A drive shaft protruding from the operation portion toward the louver portion; The louver portion is a refrigerator, characterized in that the shaft hole is engaged with the drive shaft to be integrally rotatable. The method of claim 3, The refrigerator further comprises a plurality of left and right control plates having axes parallel to each other in the vertical direction in the louver. The method of claim 4, wherein A connection member for integrally fluidly connecting when the one side of the plurality of left and right adjustment plates flows; And a control lever protruding forward from one side of the plurality of left and right adjustment plates to provide a grip for adjusting left and right to the operator. The method of claim 5, Hinge pins are formed at upper edges of the left and right control plates; And a hinge ring hinged to each of the hinge pins protrudes at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the connection member. The method of claim 1, The cooling chamber is partitioned into a plurality of storage zones arranged in the upper and lower layers; Cold air outlets are formed to correspond to the respective storage zones; And the louver portion is attached to the cold air discharge port. The method of claim 1, The cold air duct, A duct cover having the cold air outlet; And a duct member coupled to the duct cover at a predetermined distance to form a cold air flow path therebetween.