KR200416379Y1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator that maintains the freshness of food for a long time to extend the storage period of the food. To this end, the present invention is a refrigerator body having a storage room for storing food; A water supply unit supplying water into the refrigerator main body; And it is connected to the water supply, and provides a refrigerator comprising a water supply device for supplying water in the storage compartment.

Therefore, according to the present invention, food stored in the refrigerator can be kept fresh for a long time.

Refrigerator, Humidity, Humidity Sensor, Water Supply Device, Storage Tank

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional refrigerator;

2 is a block diagram showing a water supply structure of the refrigerator according to the present invention;

3 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

4 is a bottom perspective view showing the water collecting device of FIG. 3;

5 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

6 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention;

7 is a configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention;

8 is a configuration diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention;

9 is a flow chart illustrating a control method of a refrigerator according to the present invention.

<Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

11: freezer 13: freezer

20: water supply part 30: filter

40: valve 50: ice maker

60: cold water extraction unit 70: cold water storage tank

80: ice extraction unit 110: humidity sensor

130: water supply device 133: supply nozzle

135: check valve 137: connector

150: control unit 170: water collecting device

171: base 173: rib

175: catchment space 200: storage room

270: sump W: water

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a control method thereof, and to a refrigerator and a control method thereof for improving a structure to maintain a freshness of food for a long time.

Referring to Figure 1, the refrigerator according to the prior art will be described.

In general, the refrigerator 10 is divided into a refrigerating chamber 11 and a freezing chamber 13 and configured to perform heat exchange by refrigerant circulation. The refrigerating chamber 11 keeps food fresh for a long time at a temperature of about 3 to 4 ° C., and the freezing chamber 13 keeps food such as meat and fish frozen at subzero temperatures.

On the other hand, vegetables and fruits (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "vegetables") continue to perform breathing and transpiration, so in order to maintain the freshness of vegetables, suppression of respiration and transpiration is essential. Specifically, most vegetables except for some of the vegetables that cause the disturbance at low temperatures can be suppressed breathing at low temperatures, can be prevented from evaporating at high humidity.

For this reason, in order to keep vegetables fresh for a long time, a general household refrigerator is provided with a vegetable room 20 which is a space for storing vegetables as an independent space from the refrigerator's refrigeration room. The vegetable chamber 20 is controlled to maintain the proper low temperature of the vegetables and to maintain the humidity by the moisture evaporated from the vegetables. 1 illustrates a form in which the vegetable compartment 20 is provided below the refrigerating compartment.

In the refrigerator provided with the vegetable compartment as shown in Figure 1, the cold air supplied into the refrigerating chamber is relatively high temperature by heat exchange with the food stored therein and then returned to the place where the evaporator, the cold air is returned by the heat exchanger with the evaporator The cycle is repeated. In this process, since the surface of the evaporator is relatively very low temperature, the moisture contained in the circulating air grows on the surface of the evaporator and grows into sexuality. By this action, the air circulating in the refrigerator is dried.

However, in order to prevent such a drying phenomenon, even if the vegetable compartment which is a storage space for storing vegetables as an independent space, the inside of the vegetable compartment is also dried because the vegetable compartment does not maintain a completely closed state inside the refrigerating compartment. For this reason, the freshness of the food stored in the vegetable room was not maintained for a long time, and as a result, there was a problem that the storage period of the stored food is shortened.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that can maintain the freshness of food for a long time.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, a refrigerator body having a storage room for storing food; A water supply unit supplying water into the refrigerator main body; And it is connected to the water supply, and provides a refrigerator comprising a water supply device for supplying water in the storage compartment.

The water supply device may include: a storage tank provided on a flow path connecting the water supply unit and the storage chamber to store water introduced by the water supply unit; And it may be configured to include a guide tube for communicating the storage tank and the storage compartment. In addition, the storage tank may be provided with a water collecting unit made of a porous material having a predetermined volume.

On the other hand, the inside of the storage tank may be provided with a piezoelectric element for atomizing the water stored in the storage tank. And the water supply device, the supply nozzle for supplying water to the storage chamber by spraying water in the form of fine droplets; And it may be configured to include a connecting pipe for supplying water to the supply nozzle by connecting the water supply and the supply nozzle.

In addition, it is preferable that the refrigerator according to the present invention includes a water collecting device provided in the storage room to collect moisture in the storage room. And it is more preferable that the water supply device supplies at least some of the water supplied into the storage chamber to the water collecting device.

And the refrigerator according to the present invention is a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity in the storage room; And in response to the humidity in the storage room measured by the humidity sensor, it is preferable to further include a control unit for controlling the operation of the water supply device.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention that can be specifically realized the object of the present invention. In the description of this embodiment, the same name and the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration and additional description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to Figure 2, when explaining the water supply structure of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

The refrigerator according to the present invention also includes a refrigerating chamber 11 and a freezing chamber 13 as in the prior art. Recently, various functions for user convenience have been added to the refrigerator, and the cold water or ice supply function is one of these additional functions.

In order to supply cold water or ice, the refrigerator is provided with a water supply unit 20 for supplying water from the water supply source to the refrigerator and a filter 30 for filtering impurities.

Water supplied from the water supply unit 20 and passed through the filter 30 is sent to the cold water storage tank 70 and the ice maker 50, respectively. The water supplied to the cold water storage tank 70 is configured to provide cold water when the user desires through the cold water extraction unit 60. The water supplied to the ice maker 50 is converted into ice by the ice maker 50, and the ice can be drunk by the user through the ice extraction unit 80. In addition, a valve 40 may be installed at an inlet side of the ice maker 150 to adjust a flow rate of water supplied into the ice maker 50.

On the other hand, the cold water storage tank 70 is connected to the water supply device 130, the water stored in the cold water storage tank is supplied to the water supply device, the water supply device 130 to supply water to the storage room do. The detailed configuration of the moisture supply device 130 will be described below.

3 and 4, the configuration of the first embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described.

3 is a configuration diagram showing a refrigerator according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view showing the water collecting device of FIG. 3.

The refrigerator according to the present invention basically includes a refrigerator main body having a storage compartment 200, a water supply unit 20 (see FIG. 2), and a water supply device 130.

The storage compartment 200 provided in the refrigerator main body is a storage space for storing food. In this embodiment, the storage compartment 200 is a vegetable compartment located at the bottom of the refrigerating compartment.

The storage room 200 is generally configured to be opened and closed in a sliding manner so that the user can easily put or take out food. However, the opening and closing method of the storage room 200 is not limited to the present embodiment, and may be configured to be open and close at the top by having a door having a hinge structure on the upper part of the storage room 200. It is possible to change the shape.

The water supply unit 20 serves to supply water to the refrigerator main body, particularly the moisture supply device 130.

The water supply device 130 is a device for supplying water in the storage chamber 200, in this embodiment specifically comprises a supply nozzle 133, a check valve 135 and a connection pipe 137.

The supply nozzle 133 sprays water supplied through the connection pipe 137 into the storage chamber 200 in the form of fine droplets, and the check valve 135 is provided on the connection pipe 137 to It serves to selectively block the water supplied to the supply nozzle 133.

And this embodiment is connected to connect between the cold water storage tank 70 and the supply nozzle 133 for storing the water supplied from the water supply unit 20 to supply water to the water supply device (130) The tube 137 is provided.

On the other hand, the refrigerator according to the present invention is preferably further provided with a humidity sensor 110 and the controller 150.

The humidity sensor 110 is a device for measuring the humidity in the storage chamber 200, it is preferably provided in the storage chamber 200. The humidity sensor 110 may be implemented in various forms, and largely divided into electric resistance and capacitive type. Since the detailed configuration of the humidity sensor 110 is well known to those skilled in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The controller 150 controls the operation of the water supply device 130 in response to the humidity in the storage chamber 200 measured by the humidity sensor 110. More specifically, in contrast to the humidity in the storage room 200 measured by the humidity sensor 110 and a predetermined target humidity, the control unit to operate the water supply device 130 when the measured humidity is less than the target humidity. do.

Control of the water supply device 130 may be made in various forms. This embodiment illustrates a form of controlling the check valve 135 provided on the connection pipe 137 for supplying water to the supply nozzle 133 as shown in FIG. 3, but is not limited thereto. It is also possible to configure the nozzle 133 to control itself.

In addition, the supply nozzle may be configured to operate when the storage chamber is opened and closed separately from the control of the humidity sensor 110 and the controller 150 as described above, and the control of the check valve 135 by the controller 150 is performed. It is also possible to configure such an operation to be performed.

In addition, the refrigerator according to the present embodiment is preferably provided with a water collecting device 170 for collecting water in the storage chamber 200.

The water collecting device 170 is provided in the storage chamber 200 to collect water in the storage chamber 200. The embodiment includes a plurality of ribs 173 intersecting with each other as shown in FIG. 4. do.

Specifically, the water collecting device 170 of the present embodiment includes a plate-shaped base 171 provided on the upper part of the storage chamber 200 and a plurality of ribs 173 formed on the lower part of the base 171. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the ribs 173 have a predetermined height and width and cross each other to protrude downward toward the storage chamber 200. As the water collecting device 170 crosses the plurality of ribs 173 as described above, the upper part is blocked by the base 171, the side part is blocked by each of the ribs 173 intersecting, and only the lower part is opened. A plurality of catchment spaces 175 are formed.

The catchment space 175 may be implemented as a polygon having various shapes depending on the shape of the ribs 173 intersecting. In this embodiment, the catchment space 175 has a rectangular shape.

On the other hand, unlike the present embodiment, the water collecting device 170 may form a water collecting space by a plurality of circular or polygonal ribs 173 having a predetermined shape without being configured to intersect the ribs 173.

Referring to the operation of the collecting device 170 is as follows.

A temperature difference occurs between the storage compartment 200 and the refrigerating compartment, which causes water droplets to form on the upper portion of the storage compartment 200. As a result of this dew condensation, the water droplets formed on the upper portion of the storage compartment 200 are plural. The plurality of ribs 173 are formed in the plurality of collecting spaces 175 formed while crossing.

Initially small droplets grow as the condensation continues and the adjacent droplets merge together. And the water droplets continue to grow eventually, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, the difference in the water collecting space 175 forms a single water droplet (W).

At this time, the water droplets grow large in the water collecting space 175 but do not fall into the storage compartment 200. Because it increases.

That is, as the surface area of water droplets increases, the surface tension of the water droplets is increased, and the water droplets formed in the water collecting space 175 do not fall because the surface tension of the water droplets is larger than the own weight of the water droplets. Therefore, it is possible to store water droplets in the plurality of collection spaces 175 formed on the storage chamber 200.

On the other hand, the water supply device 130 preferably supplies at least a portion of the water supplied in the storage chamber 200 to the water collecting device 170.

As water is supplied to the water collecting space 175 formed in the water collecting device 170, when the inside of the storage chamber 200 is dried, water droplets stored in the water collecting space 175 evaporate to appropriate humidity inside the storage chamber 200. Will be maintained.

As such, when water is first supplied to the water collecting device 170 without directly supplying water to the food stored in the water supply device 130, the water is collected in the water collecting device 170. In addition, the moisture stored in the water collecting device 170 is evaporated when the water stored in the water collecting space 175 evaporates when the inside of the storage chamber 200 is dried, so that the inside of the storage chamber 200 maintains an appropriate humidity so as not to dry. Keep it fresher and longer.

Accordingly, the moisture supply device 130 may prevent the vegetable crushing phenomenon that may occur when the water supply device 130 directly supplies water to the food, and may continuously supply water to the inside of the storage chamber 200.

Referring to Figure 5, a second embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described.

This embodiment basically includes a refrigerator body having a storage compartment 200, a water supply unit 20 (see FIG. 1), a water supply device 130, and a water collecting device 270, as in the first embodiment. Humidity sensor 110 and the controller 150 is provided for the humidity control in the interior. However, in the present embodiment, the water collecting device 270 is made of a porous material having a predetermined volume.

As described above, the water collecting device 270 is a device for collecting water in the storage chamber 200, and serves to continuously supply water to the storage chamber 200.

The present embodiment is another form of the water collecting device 270, and the water collecting device 270 is made of a porous material instead of a plurality of ribs. The porous material may be, for example, a sponge, and the like, and may be implemented in various forms in which moisture may be stored therein.

In the present embodiment, the water collecting device 270 made of the porous material collects moisture in the storage chamber 200 with a simpler structure and maintains the humidity inside the storage chamber 200 properly.

On the other hand, as in the first embodiment described above, it is preferable that the water supply device 130 supplies at least a portion of the water supplied into the storage chamber 200 to the water collecting device 270.

As water is supplied to the water collecting device 270, when the inside of the storage room 200 is dried, water droplets stored in the water collecting device 270 evaporate to maintain an appropriate humidity in the storage room 200.

Meanwhile, FIG. 5 illustrates a form in which the water collecting device 270 is provided above the storage chamber 200.

Referring to FIG. 6, a third embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described.

This embodiment also includes a refrigerator main body having a storage compartment 200, a water supply unit 20 (see FIG. 1), and a water supply device 330 as in the first embodiment described above, and controls humidity in the storage compartment 200. Humidity sensor 110 and the control unit 150 is provided for. However, this embodiment shows a difference in the specific configuration of the water supply device 330.

That is, the water supply device 330 according to the present embodiment, the storage tank 331, the storage tank 331 and the storage chamber 200 provided on the flow path connecting the water supply unit 20 and the storage chamber 200. It is configured to include a guide tube 335 for communicating.

The storage tank 331 is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator main body, and is connected to the water supply unit 20, more specifically, the cold water storage tank 331 to receive water introduced by the water supply unit 20. It acts as a store.

The piezoelectric element 333 serves to atomize the water stored in the storage tank 331.

Here, 'atomization' refers to converting water into a state such as smoke, and the piezoelectric element 333 generates vibration by converting electrical energy into mechanical energy and atomizes water by such vibration. (霧化) On the other hand, this feature of the piezoelectric element 333 is also applied to the ultrasonic humidifier.

Through this configuration, the present embodiment atomizes the water by the operation of the piezoelectric element 333 provided in the storage tank 331, and thus the water in the atomized state is stored in the storage chamber ( It is supplied to the storage room 200 through the guide pipe 335 in communication with 200.

However, unlike the present embodiment, a piezoelectric element is provided in the cold water storage tank 70 (see FIG. 2) for storing cold water, without having a separate storage tank 331 in the refrigerator, and the cold water storage tank 70. It is also possible to configure the storage chamber 200 to supply water to the storage chamber 200 by communicating through a predetermined guide tube.

On the other hand, the controller 150 controls the operation of at least one of the check valve 135 and the piezoelectric element 333 corresponding to the humidity in the storage chamber 200 measured by the humidity sensor 110.

Therefore, when the measured humidity is lower than the predetermined target humidity, the controller 150 opens the check valve 135 or operates the piezoelectric element 333 to convert water into a smoke-like state, and as a result, The guide tube 335 communicating with the storage chamber 200 provides moisture to the storage chamber 200.

Referring to FIG. 7, the fourth embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, the water supply device 430 is connected to the cold water storage tank 431 to store the water introduced by the water supply unit 20, the storage tank 431, the storage tank 431 and the storage chamber 200 It is configured to include a guide tube (435) for communicating.

In addition, the water supply device 430 according to the present embodiment is further provided with a water collecting unit 433 having a predetermined volume inside the storage tank 431.

The water collecting unit 433 collects moisture in the storage tank 431 and continuously supplies water to the storage chamber 200 through a guide tube 435 communicating with the storage chamber 200.

The water collecting unit 433 is preferably made of a porous material, such a porous material may be a sponge (sponge), for example, can be implemented in various forms that have a predetermined volume and can store moisture therein. Do.

In this embodiment, by providing the water collecting unit 433 of the porous material in the storage tank 431, it is possible to properly maintain the humidity inside the storage chamber 200.

Referring to FIG. 8, the fifth embodiment of the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modification of the above-described fourth embodiment, wherein the water collecting unit 533 constituting the water supply device 530 is not filled in the storage tank 531, the guide tube 535 It illustrates the shape of the wick formed long in the vertical direction at the) side.

The present embodiment is provided with the water collecting unit 533 as described above, the water stored in the storage tank 531 is moved upward along the water collecting unit 533, the water stored in the storage tank 531 is guided Guided to the pipe (535) side to allow for smooth supply of moisture into the storage room (200).

Referring to Figure 9, when describing the control method of the refrigerator according to the present invention.

First, the food is put into the storage chamber 200 to store the food (S1), and the humidity in the storage chamber 200 is measured by the humidity sensor 110.

Then, by comparing the humidity in the storage room 200 measured by the humidity sensor 110 with a predetermined target humidity continuously (S5), when the measured humidity is lower than the target humidity, by the controller 150 The water supply device 130, 330, 430, 530 is controlled to operate (S7).

The present invention continuously measures the humidity in the storage chamber 200 and controls the humidity in the storage chamber 200 according to the measured value, thereby maintaining the humidity in the storage chamber 200 in an optimal state.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains as can be seen in the appended claims, and such modifications fall within the scope of the present invention.

The refrigerator according to the present invention described above has the following effects.

First, by providing a device for supplying moisture in the storage chamber, by maintaining the storage chamber at an appropriate humidity has the advantage of maintaining the freshness of the food stored in the vegetable room for a long time, and extend the storage period of the food.

Second, by providing a water collecting device for collecting water and supplying the water supplied to the water supply device to the water collecting device, there is an advantage that the water can be continuously supplied to the storage room to maintain the optimum humidity of the food.

Third, by measuring the humidity in the storage room and supplying moisture in the storage room corresponding to the measured humidity, it is possible to maintain the humidity in the storage room more accurately, there is an advantage that can maintain the humidity of the storage room in an optimal state.

Claims (8)

A refrigerator body having a storage room for storing food; A water supply unit supplying water into the refrigerator main body; And A refrigerator connected to the water supply unit and including a water supply device supplying water into the storage compartment. The method of claim 1, The water supply device, A storage tank provided on a flow path connecting the water supply unit and the storage chamber to store water introduced by the water supply unit; And And a guide tube communicating the storage tank with the storage compartment. The method of claim 2, And a water collecting unit made of a porous material having a predetermined volume inside the storage tank. The method of claim 2, And a piezoelectric element for atomizing water stored in the storage tank is provided in the storage tank. The method of claim 1, The water supply device, A supply nozzle for supplying water to the storage chamber by spraying water into fine droplets; And And a connection pipe connecting the water supply unit and the supply nozzle to supply water to the supply nozzle. The method of claim 5, And a water collecting device provided in the storage room and collecting water in the storage room. The method according to claim 6, The water supply device, A refrigerator, characterized in that at least part of the water supplied into the storage compartment is supplied to the water collecting device. The method of claim 1, A humidity sensor for measuring humidity in the storage room; And And a control unit for controlling the operation of the water supply device in response to the humidity in the storage room measured by the humidity sensor.

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