KR20020030650A - Power Saving Apparatus and Method for Refrigerator used for Kimchi - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A power saving type kimchi refrigerator and power saving method are provided to limit unneeded supply of cold air. CONSTITUTION: A refrigerator includes a display; a damper; and a control part. The display displays power saving mode of a selected compartment. A damper supplies or intercept cold air flowing into the compartment. The control part controls the damper of the compartment selected for power saving to be closed. A method comprises three steps. The first step(10) is to select the compartment for power saving. The second step(11) is to display power saving operation of the compartment. The third step(13) is to control the damper of the selected compartment to be closed.

Description

Power Saving Apparatus and Method for Refrigerator used for Kimchi}

The present invention relates to a kimchi refrigerator, and more particularly, to a power-saving kimchi refrigerator and a power saving method that can reduce unnecessary power consumption by preventing cold air from flowing into the unused storage.

Since the refrigerator was invented, a kimchi refrigerator that can store only kimchi in recent years has been developed and released.

Kimchi refrigerators, unlike ordinary refrigerators, contain the ability to ripen kimchi, and after aging is configured to keep the taste of kimchi for a long time without any change in temperature.

In order to perform the function as described above, the kimchi refrigerator is equipped with a heater for ripening kimchi and a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator for generating cold air when the aged kimchi is stored.

In general, kimchi refrigerator has a structure that can be conveniently used by the user, including a number of storage that can store kimchi.

Next will be described with a cross-sectional view of the kimchi refrigerator according to the prior art of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inside of the kimchi refrigerator includes a storage compartment for storing kimchi divided into an upper compartment, a middle compartment, and a lower compartment, and includes a cold air generator F10 that generates cold air behind the middle compartment.

The cold air generating device (F10) operates a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator operated by an external power source to circulate the refrigerant, and controls the internal temperature of the kimchi refrigerator using the cold air generated when the refrigerant phase changes.

The cool air generated by the cold air generator F10 is supplied to the cold air outlet of the reservoir through the cold air pipe R10 connected between the cold air generator F10 and the reservoir, and the amount of refrigerant is supplied by a damper attached to the outlet. This is regulated.

In the Kimchi refrigerator according to the related art, cold air generated in the cold air generating device F10 is directly supplied to the upper and middle compartments, and only the cold air tube R10 is formed in the lower compartment so that the cold air supplied to the middle compartment is supplied.

That is, when cold air is supplied to the middle compartment, the cold air supplied to the middle compartment is supplied to the hakan through the cold air pipe R10 formed between the middle compartment and the hakan.

In addition, the outside of the kimchi refrigerator input device for the user to directly select the desired operation to perform, a display device for confirming the operation state of the kimchi refrigerator, and an external temperature sensor for sensing the external temperature (not shown) And not).

Sensors (S1, S2, S3) are attached to the upper compartment, the middle compartment, and the lower compartment of the kimchi refrigerator, and are connected to a control unit so as to detect an internal temperature of the storage compartment.

The cold air generating device F10, the input device, and the display device also operate by being connected to a controller (not shown).

Next, with reference to Figure 1 will be described the operation of the kimchi refrigerator according to the prior art.

The user inputs kimchi into the storage and selects the desired storage state of the kimchi by using the input device.

For example, if the user selects and drives the middle compartment as the low cooling and the upper compartment as the strong cooling, the controller detects an input signal generated from the input device and displays a function selected by the user through the display device.

Then, the cold air generator F10 is driven to generate cold air.

The cold air flows into the cold air discharge port of the reservoir through the cold air pipe R10 connected between the cold air generator F10 and the reservoir and is supplied to the reservoir.

Since the user has set the upper compartment to cold cooling, the control unit sends a signal to supply cold air.

That is, the damper attached to the cold air outlet of the upper compartment is opened so that a large amount of cold air is supplied through the cold air outlet.

In such a control state, the control unit senses the temperature of the upper compartment using the temperature sensor S1 attached to the upper compartment, and closes the damper to block the supply of cold air when the temperature set by the user is reached.

By the same operation control as above, the damper is driven until the temperature of the middle compartment reaches the weak cooling temperature set by the user by using the temperature sensor S2 attached to the middle compartment.

That is, the control unit of the conventional Kimchi refrigerator compares the temperature of the storage and the set temperature in order to maintain the temperature of the storage set by the user, and it is possible to maintain the set temperature because the opening and closing operation of the damper by the temperature difference.

However, the conventional kimchi refrigerator has the following problems.

In the prior art, when the middle chamber operates, the cold air supplied to the middle chamber is unconditionally supplied to the lower chamber.

That is, even if the operation of the hakan is not set, since the cold air supplied to the middle compartment flows into the hakan, electric power is consumed and wasted as much as the cold air supplied to the hakan.

This is because the cold air supply pipe is always open between the middle and Hakan, the cold air is supplied even in the no-load state does not administer kimchi due to this structure.

As a result, the conventional Kimchi refrigerator has a problem in that power is not consumed by supplying cold air even in a no-load state because there is no power saving function to cut off the supply of cold air by dividing the unused storage.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a power-saving kimchi refrigerator and a power saving method that can limit the supply of unnecessary cold air.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a kimchi refrigerator according to the prior art,

2 is a cross-sectional view of the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention,

3 is a structure of a damper according to the present invention,

4 is a configuration diagram according to the present invention;

5 is a flow chart according to the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

Temperature sensor: S1, S2, S3, S10, S20, S30

Damper: DF10, DF20, DF11, DF22, DF33

Heater: H10 Cold air generator: F10, F20

Cold Engine: R10, R20 Cold Air Generator: F100

Temperature sensor part: S100 Heater drive part: H100

Damper drive part: D100 Display part: P100

Input part: I100 Control part: C100

Energy-saving kimchi refrigerator for achieving the above object is a display unit for displaying the power saving state of the storage selected in the kimchi refrigerator having a plurality of storage; A damper for supplying / blocking cold air introduced into the reservoir; It is configured to include a control unit for controlling the damper of the reservoir selected in the peak state in the closed state.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power saving method of a power saving type kimchi refrigerator, comprising: a first step of selecting a storage to perform a power saving operation; A second step of displaying a power saving operation state of the storage; And a third step of controlling to close the damper of the selected reservoir.

In addition, the power saving method of the energy-saving kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a fourth step of detecting a power saving release signal; A fifth step of displaying a power saving state; A sixth step of driving the heater to release the damper; And a seventh step of controlling to open the damper.

Hereinafter, a power saving type kimchi refrigerator and a power saving method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the kimchi refrigerator of the present invention has a storage compartment for storing kimchi divided into upper compartments, middle compartments, and lower compartments, and includes a cold air generator F20 generating cold air at the rear of the middle compartment.

The cold air generator (F20) is provided with a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator operated by an external power source to circulate the refrigerant, and controls the temperature of the storage using the cold air generated when the refrigerant phase changes.

A cold air tube is formed between the upper compartment, the middle compartment, and the cold air generating device, and the cold air discharged from the cold air generating device F20 is supplied to the cold air discharge ports of the two reservoirs through the cold air pipe R20.

The temperature sensor (S10, S20, S30) is attached to the storage unit of the kimchi refrigerator and transmits the detected temperature value to the controller, and the cold air generator is provided with dampers (DF11, DF22, DF33) at the cold air discharge port of the storage unit. Adjust the amount of cold air that flows in.

In addition, in the present invention, by attaching a damper (DF33) to the cold air pipe formed between the middle compartment and the hakan, the cold air supplied to the middle compartment by the drive of the damper (DF33) is configured to be introduced into or blocked the hakan. It was.

Next, a structure of the damper DF33 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the damper DF33 attached to the portion where the cold air is discharged is configured to perform the opening / closing operation by a signal from the controller, and one side of the damper DF33 performing the opening / closing operation. The heater H10 is attached to it.

The heater H10 is a device for preventing the damper DF33 from freezing and malfunctioning when the power saving function, which is a feature of the present invention, is performed for a long time.

When the user selects the power saving cancel function, the heater H10 drives the heater H10 for a predetermined time by operating the heater driver H100 for a predetermined time.

That is, the freezing state is released by the heat generated by the heater H10.

The configuration of the present invention is shown in FIG.

The control unit C100 of the kimchi refrigerator includes a display unit P100 for operating the display device, an input unit I100 for detecting an input signal of the input device, a damper driver D100 for operating the damper, and cold air for generating cold air supplied to the storage. It is connected to the generator F100, the heater driving unit H100 for driving the heater attached to the damper, and the temperature sensor unit S100 for sensing the temperature of the reservoir to determine the operation of the user to control each driving unit.

The outside of the kimchi refrigerator includes an input device for selecting a desired operation to perform the kimchi refrigerator and a display device for displaying the operation or status of the kimchi refrigerator.

In the present invention, the kimchi refrigerator includes an item capable of performing the power saving function in the input device, and is configured to check whether the power saving function is operated through the display device.

The power saving function of the present invention is a function for preventing the user from selecting a storage that is not needed when not using a part of the storage in winter or less frequently used kimchi refrigerator.

When the user selects the power saving function of the input device, the control unit indicates that the power saving state is performed through the display device, and blocks the supply of cold air by driving a damper of an unused reservoir.

Therefore, the cold air generating device of the kimchi refrigerator does not need to supply cold air to the unused storage can save power.

Next, the power saving function according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

The control unit of the kimchi refrigerator detects the signal of the input device and determines what function the user has selected.

If the function selected by the user is a power saving function, the flow proceeds to step 10 to confirm that the input signal is a power saving operation, and the flow proceeds to step 11 to display the function selected by the user on the display device.

In operation 13, the damper is driven to save power of the storage selected by the user so that cold air does not flow into the storage, and the processing proceeds to step 15.

The fifteenth step is a step of checking whether the damper is operated. If the damper is not operated, the process proceeds to the thirteenth step and drives the damper again.

In the fifteenth step, the operation step of the power saving function is terminated, and the user waits for the next operation.

If the user selects a power saving release operation to operate the storage of the kimchi refrigerator that is already in the power saving state in step 10, the process proceeds to step 20.

In step 20, the power saving function is selected.

In the twenty-first step, the display unit P100 indicates that the power saving function selected by the user is in operation, and proceeds to a twenty-third step.

Since the damper may freeze due to the power saving operation, the twenty-third step drives the heater attached to the damper prior to driving the damper, and proceeds to the twenty-fifth step after driving the heater.

The twenty-fifth step is a step of checking the driving time of the heater, and is a step for determining whether the heater generates heat for a predetermined time until the icing of the damper is released.

In the twenty-seventh step, since the damper can be driven by the operation of the heater, the damper is detected by the operation of the storage selected by the user after the power saving release operation.

Next, step 28 is a step of re-checking whether the damper is operated by the controller C100 in step 27. If the damper is not driven, the process proceeds to step 27 to re-drive the damper.

After the 28 th step, the controller C100 detects the next operation signal of the user and waits.

If the user does not select a power saving operation in step 20, step 30 is performed.

The thirtieth step is a step in which the user selects an operation for supplying cold air to the storage of the kimchi refrigerator, and if the user selects the operation, the operation proceeds to the thirty-first step to complete the operation.

If it is not the operation of supplying cold air to the storage in step 30, the process proceeds to step 100 to re-detect the user's signal to select an operation and perform a corresponding operation.

Next, an operation process of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

The user puts kimchi into kimchi refrigerator and sets the desired ripening temperature by using input device.

For example, if the user sets the aging temperature of the upper compartment to cold cooling, the middle compartment to red cooling, and the lower compartment to low cooling using the input device, the control unit first displays the function selected by the user through the display device.

Then, a signal is transmitted to the cold air generating device F20 to drive the compressor to generate cold air.

Therefore, the cold air generated by the cold air generating device F20 is transmitted through the cold air discharge port of each storage unit through the cold air pipe R20.

Since the user sets the upper compartment to cold cooling, the control unit opens the damper DF11 so that a large amount of cold air is supplied to the upper compartment so that the cold air discharge port is opened to the maximum.

Then, the damper DF11 is controlled so that the internal temperature does not deviate from the set temperature through the temperature sensor S10 of the storage.

Since the middle compartment is set by the user to red cooling, the control unit operates the damper DF22 so that the cold air is supplied to the storage through the cold air outlet, and the damper DF22 does not exceed or set the temperature through the temperature sensor S20. ).

Since the hakan is set by the user to low cooling, the controller drives a damper DF33 to supply the cold air introduced into the middle compartment to the hakan.

And, by detecting the temperature of the hakan through the temperature sensor (S30), if the internal temperature is higher or lower than the set temperature, the damper (DF33) is driven to adjust the amount of cold air supplied.

Therefore, the storage unit of the kimchi refrigerator maintains the temperature state set by the user by the control unit.

Next will be described the operation of the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention.

For example, assuming that the user sets the upper compartment to weak cooling and the middle compartment to strong cooling, and the lower compartment selects the power saving function, first, the controller determines the input signal of the user and drives the cold air generating device F20 to cool the air. Ensure that each reservoir is supplied.

Since the setting state of the upper compartment is weak cooling, the control unit drives the damper (F20) to allow cold air to flow from the cold air outlet, and controls the damper so that the temperature of the weak cooling set by the temperature sensor (S10) attached to the reservoir is maintained. .

Since the setting state of the middle compartment is strong cooling, the control unit drives a damper (DF22) to allow a large amount of cold air to flow through the cold air discharge port, and uses a temperature sensor (S10) to control the damper to maintain the set temperature. To control.

Since the user has set the hakan to a power saving state, the control unit closes the damper DF33 to prevent cold air from flowing into the hakan to prevent cold air from entering.

If the user selects the power saving function from the input device to use the hakan in the power saving state as described above, and sets the hakan to weak cooling, the control unit of the kimchi refrigerator first displays the power saving setting set by the user using the display device. Do

In addition, the control unit drives the heater H20 attached to the damper DF33 for a predetermined time to release the freezing state generated in the damper DF33, and drives the damper to control the temperature of the reservoir to maintain a weak cooling.

At the same time as the damper is driven, the display device displays the weak cooling.

Therefore, in the present invention, the damper may be driven to supply or block cold air to the storage, thereby performing a power saving function.

As described above, the kimchi refrigerator according to the present invention installs a damper at a cold air discharge port and drives the cold air to not be introduced when the user selects a reservoir that is not used.

Therefore, since the cold air is not introduced into the unused storage, there is a power saving effect that can prevent unnecessary driving of the compressor to reduce power consumption.

Claims (3)

In Kimchi Refrigerator with Multiple Storage A display unit for displaying a power saving state of the selected store; A damper for supplying / blocking cold air introduced into the reservoir; Energy-saving kimchi refrigerator configured to include a control unit for controlling the damper of the reservoir selected as the power saving state in the closed state. Selecting a reservoir to perform a power saving operation; A second step of displaying a power saving operation state of the storage; And a third step of controlling to close the damper of the selected reservoir. The method of claim 2 wherein: Detecting a power saving wakeup signal; A fifth step of displaying a power saving cancel state; A sixth step of driving the heater to release the damper; And a seventh step of controlling the damper to be opened.