KR20070111905A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided to install light emitting diodes and reflecting mirrors in cool air ducts to remove an additional space for installing an illuminating device to increase cavity volume of the refrigerator, and emit a light from both sides of a freezing compartment or a refrigerating compartment to illuminate the inside equally. Cool air ducts(600,700) are made of a material passing a light, to induce cool air generated at an evaporator to a freezing compartment(200) and a refrigerating compartment(300). Light emitting diodes are installed in the cool air ducts to light up the insides of the refrigerating compartment and the refrigerating compartment. Reflecting mirrors are installed in the cool air ducts, and reflect lights of the light emitting diodes.

Description

Refrigerator {REFRIGERATOR}

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a conventional refrigerator,

2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a lighting device of the refrigerator of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a cold air duct of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the cutting line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: refrigerator 110: rear wall

200: freezer 300: cold storage room

400: dividing wall 410: side wall

600,700: Cold air duct 610,710: Cold air outlet

630,730 Reflector 640,740 Light Emitting Diode

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of uniformly illuminating the inside of a refrigerator without requiring a separate space for installing a lighting device.

In general, the refrigerator is partitioned into a freezer compartment and a refrigerating compartment by a partition wall so that the freezer compartment has a very low internal temperature so as to freeze and store a storage such as food, and the refrigerator does not freeze the storage. It is a device configured to maintain a low temperature enough to maintain freshness.

The freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment are provided with an illumination device that provides lighting therein so as to identify the storage items stored in the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying Figures 1 and 2 will be described the internal structure of the conventional refrigerator and the configuration of the lighting apparatus.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a conventional refrigerator, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the lighting apparatus of the refrigerator of FIG.

As shown in Figure 1 and 2, the conventional refrigerator (10) circulates the freezer compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment (30) partitioned by the partition wall 40, the cooling operation after the cooling action and the high-temperature cold air is introduced again The cold air inlet 24 for forming is formed in the lower portion of the freezing chamber (20).

An evaporator 23 is installed at the upper portion of the cold air inlet 24 to exchange heat with the hot air, and a fan 22 is provided at the upper portion of the evaporator 23 to blow the cold air at a lower temperature.

Here, the evaporator 23 and the fan 22 are installed only in the freezer compartment 20, and the evaporator 23 and the fan 22 are not installed in the refrigerating chamber 30.

Meanwhile, a cold air duct 21 for supplying cold air cooled to the freezer compartment 20 is formed at an upper portion of the fan 22, and the cold air duct 21 is supplied to the inside of the freezer compartment 20. A plurality of cold air outlets 21a are formed. Here, the cold air duct 21 is provided in a single number along the rear wall (not shown) of the freezing chamber 20.

In addition, in the refrigerating chamber 30, a single cold air duct 31 formed in communication with the cold air duct 21 installed in the freezing chamber 20 is installed along the rear wall (not shown) of the refrigerating chamber 30, and the refrigerating chamber 30 A plurality of cold air outlet 31a for supplying cold air to the refrigerating chamber 30 is formed in the cold air duct 31 of ().

In addition, as described above, the freezing compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment 30 are provided with an illumination device that provides lighting therein so as to check the state of the stored stock, and the like, as shown in FIG. 2. The lighting apparatus includes a freezer compartment lighting apparatus 28 installed inside the freezing compartment 20 and a refrigerator compartment lighting apparatus 36 installed inside the refrigerating compartment 30. It is configured to provide lighting or block the provision of the door (not shown) installed on the front. In addition, the lighting device 51 may be installed in the control box 50.

In the drawings, reference numeral 25 denotes a freezer compartment grill, 27 denotes a freezer compartment lighting chamber, and 35 denotes a refrigerator compartment lighting chamber. Arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of cold air.

However, the lighting device of the refrigerator 10 having the above configuration, as shown in Figure 2, because the installation position is limited to a part of the freezer compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment 30, the illumination device 28, There is a problem that the light provided from 36, 51 is not uniformly provided throughout the freezer compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment 30.

In addition, since the lighting apparatus is installed to be limited to a part of the freezing compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment 30 as described above, when there are a lot of stores stored in the freezing compartment 20 and the refrigerating compartment 30, the storage is stored. There was a problem in that light is not provided enough to cover the interior of the freezing chamber 20 and the refrigerating chamber 30 to cover the lighting device.

In addition, the lighting devices 28, 36, and 51 provided in the conventional refrigerator 10 have short lifespan and high power consumption due to the use of bulbs such as incandescent lamps. There was a problem that the high content of the refrigerator is reduced.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, First, the present invention is to provide a refrigerator that does not need a separate space for installing the lighting device.

Second, another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator equipped with an illumination device capable of evenly and uniformly lighting the freezer compartment or the refrigerating compartment.

The present invention provides a refrigerator including a cold air duct for inducing cold air generated in an evaporator to a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment, and a light emitting diode for illuminating the inside of the refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment.

In addition, the present invention, the cold air duct formed of a material for passing light to guide the cold air generated in the evaporator to the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment; A light emitting diode installed inside the cold air duct to illuminate the inside of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment; And a reflector installed inside the cold air duct and reflecting light of the light emitting diodes.

By configuring as described above, a separate space for installing the lighting device is not required, and thus the high contents of the refrigerator are increased, and even inside the freezer compartment or the refrigerating compartment, the inside of the freezer compartment or the refrigerator compartment can be uniformly illuminated. .

Here, although another light emitting device may be used instead of the light emitting diode, it is effective to use a light emitting diode. This is because a light emitting diode (LED) is smaller in size and longer in life than a conventional light source, and directly converts electrical energy into light energy, thereby reducing power consumption and improving efficiency.

In addition, since the light emitting diode is a kind of semiconductor, light of various colors can be produced according to the type of impurities to be added. For example, by adding impurities emitting green light, food stored in the freezer compartment or the refrigerating compartment may be made fresher. Various colors may be obtained by applying a fluorescent material to the inner surface of the cold air duct.

On the other hand, a plurality of cold air outlets are formed in the cold air duct, and the light emitting diode is provided in the cold air outlet. In this way, the cold air flowing out of the cold air outlet can exert the visible effect of cold air that is visible to the user due to the light of the light emitting diode.

In addition, a plurality of cold air ducts may be installed in the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment, respectively, along an edge where the rear wall surface and the side wall surface of the freezing compartment or the refrigerating compartment meet each other, and the plurality of light emitting diodes may be provided in a vertical direction on a side wall surface of the inside of the cold air duct. The reflector is installed on the rear wall surface of the cold air duct.

Here, by installing the light emitting diode on the side wall surface of the freezing compartment or the refrigerating compartment, not only the light emitted from the light emitting diode propagates with a constant direction angle, but also can be effectively reflected by the reflector, and the light emitting diode is the side of the freezing compartment or the refrigerating compartment. The light is emitted from both sides of the wall at the same time, making the refrigerator even brighter and more evenly lit.

In addition, by installing a reflector on the rear wall surface of the freezer compartment or the refrigerating compartment, the light generated by the light emitting diode is reflected by the reflector and directed to the front part of the freezer compartment or the refrigerating compartment, thereby providing uniform and brighter light into the freezer compartment or the refrigerating compartment. Can be.

On the other hand, by manufacturing the cold air duct made of a translucent material, it is possible to prevent the glare effect on the eyes of the user by the light emitted from the light emitting diode.

The objects and features of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description. Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the configuration and operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

However, in describing the present invention, a detailed description of known functions or configurations will be omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same and the same components as those described above, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cold air duct of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting apparatus of the refrigerator according to the cutting line IV-IV of FIG.

As shown in Figure 3 and 4, the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, the freezer compartment 200 and the refrigerating compartment 300, partitioned by the partition wall 400, the freezer compartment 200 and the refrigerating compartment ( The freezer compartment cold air duct 600 and the refrigerator compartment cold air duct 700 installed along the edge formed by the side wall surfaces 400 and 410 and the rear wall surface 110 of 300 are formed on the cold air ducts 600 and 700 and are evaporators (not shown). Cold air outlets 610 and 710 formed to discharge cold air generated in the inside of the refrigerator, light emitting diodes 640 and 740 installed vertically in the cold air ducts 600 and 700 along the longitudinal direction, and the light emitting elements 640 and 740. Reflectors (630, 730) for reflecting the light generated by the.

Arrows in FIG. 3 indicate the flow of cold air.

Here, the lighting device on the freezer compartment 200 side and the lighting device on the refrigerating compartment 300 side have the same configuration, and for convenience of description, the following will describe the lighting apparatus on the freezer compartment 200 side in detail.

After the cooling operation by circulating the inside of the freezer compartment 200, an evaporator (not shown) (see FIG. 1) is installed at the lower portion of the freezer compartment 200 to remove heat by exchanging heat with a coldened temperature. A fan (not shown in FIG. 1) and a motor (not shown in FIG. 1) and a motor for blowing cold air into the cold air duct 600 of the freezing chamber 200 are installed at an upper portion of the evaporator.

The cold air duct 600 into which the cold air blown by the fan is introduced is formed along the inner edge of the freezing chamber 200. Specifically, the cold air duct 600 is installed at both sides along an edge formed where the side wall surfaces 400 and 410 and the rear wall surface 110 of the freezing chamber meet. In addition, the cold air duct 600 may be installed along the left and right side edges and the upper edge.

The cold air duct 600 is provided with a plurality of cold air outlets 610 for discharging the introduced cold air into the freezing chamber 200. The cold air outlet 610 may be formed in various numbers and sizes as necessary.

The light emitting diode 640 is installed inside the cold air duct 600. The light emitting diode 640 is installed inside the cold air duct 600 vertically or horizontally along sidewall surfaces 400 and 410 of the freezing chamber 200. In addition, the light emitting diode 640 may be installed inside the cold air duct 600 formed at the upper edge.

By installing the light emitting diodes 640 inside the cold air duct 600, a separate space for installing the light emitting diodes 640 is not required, and the freezing chamber 200 is as much as a space occupied by a lighting device such as a conventional incandescent lamp. The high content of is increased.

On the other hand, even if the light emitting diode 640 is installed inside the freezing chamber 20, not inside the cold air duct 600, since a separate space for installing the light emitting diode 640 is not necessary, the inside of the freezer compartment 20 Can increase the volume.

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are a type of semiconductor, and are devices that make light using electroluminescence or electric field emission, which is a light emission phenomenon generated when a voltage is applied to the semiconductor.

When the LED is forward biased to the junction diode, light is emitted using energy generated when electrons, which are the majority carriers in the N region, move beyond the potential barrier of the junction to the P region.

In addition, the light emitting diode is a device capable of producing light of various colors such as red, green, yellow, orange or infrared light using an element such as gallium (Ga), arsenic (As) or phosphorus (P).

The light emitting diode 640 may be installed at a cold air outlet 610 formed in the cold air duct 600. That is, by installing the light emitting diodes 640 on the side walls (400, 410) of the freezer compartment 20 corresponding to the position of the cold air outlet 610, the cold air flowing into the freezer compartment 200 is visible to the user Visible effect can be obtained, and by varying the kind of impurities added to the light emitting diode 640 emits a variety of light, it can give a visual aesthetic to the user.

In addition, a fluorescent material may be coated on the inner surface of the cold air duct 600 to obtain light of various colors.

The light emitting diodes are smaller and have a longer life than incandescent lamps, which are conventional lighting devices, and can reduce power consumption because they directly convert electrical energy into light energy.

Instead of the light emitting diodes 640, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) may be used.

In order to effectively illuminate the interior of the freezing compartment 20 using the light of the light emitting diode 640, it is preferable to manufacture the cold air duct 600 made of a material through which light passes.

In addition, when the cold air duct 600, in which the light emitting diodes 640 are installed, is made of a translucent material, it is possible to prevent the glare effect of the user's eyes due to the light emitted from the light emitting diodes 640. Can illuminate the light of illumination.

On the other hand, in order to further enhance the lighting effect, the light emitting diodes on the side wall surfaces 400 and 410 of the freezing chamber 20 in the cold air duct 600 installed at the corners formed by the side wall surfaces 400 and 410 and the rear wall surfaces 110 of the freezing chamber 20 meet. 640 may be provided, and a reflecting mirror 630 may be provided on the rear wall surface 110 of the freezing chamber 200 in the cold air duct 600 corresponding thereto.

For this reason, the light emitted from the light emitting diode 640 is not only irradiated into the freezing chamber 200 through the cold air duct 600, but also reflected by the reflector 630 and then into the freezing chamber 200. Since it is irradiated, the inside of the freezer compartment 200 may be uniformly illuminated.

Here, the reflector 630 uses a mirror, the same effect can be obtained by using a material having a property of reflecting light as well as the mirror. By varying the installation angle of the reflector 630, the amount of light irradiated into the freezer compartment 200 may be adjusted.

Under the above configuration, since the entire cold air duct 600 in which the light emitting diode 640 and the reflector 630 are installed becomes one lighting room, the inside of the freezing chamber 200 may be uniformly illuminated at both corners.

In the above description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited only to this specific embodiment, it can be appropriately changed within the scope described in the claims.

As described above, first, the present invention provides a refrigerator capable of increasing the high content of the refrigerator by installing a light emitting diode and a reflector inside the cold air duct, thereby eliminating the need for a separate space for installing the lighting device.

Second, the present invention provides a refrigerator capable of illuminating the interior more brightly, evenly and uniformly because light is emitted from both the freezer compartment or the refrigerating compartment.

Third, the present invention can uniformly illuminate the inside of the refrigerator by installing the light emitting diode and the reflector in the cold air duct in the vertical direction, and provide the visible effect of the cold air by installing the light emitting diode and the reflector in the cold air outlet of the cold air duct. Provide a fridge to get.

Fourth, the present invention provides a refrigerator that can extend the life of the light source and reduce the power consumption by using the light emitting diode as a light source.

Claims (5)

A cold air duct for inducing cold air generated in the evaporator to the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, And a light emitting diode for illuminating the inside of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment. A cold air duct formed of a material through which light passes to guide the cold air generated in the evaporator to the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment; A light emitting diode installed inside the cold air duct to illuminate the inside of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment; And And a reflector installed inside the cold air duct and reflecting light of the light emitting diodes. The method of claim 2, A plurality of cold air outlets are formed in the cold air duct, and the light emitting diode is installed in the cold air outlet. The method of claim 2, The cold air duct is installed along an edge where the rear wall surface and the side wall surface of the freezing compartment or the refrigerating chamber meet. The plurality of light emitting diodes are provided in the vertical direction on the side wall surface of the cold air duct, The reflector is a refrigerator installed on the rear wall inside the cold air duct. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, And a plurality of cold air ducts installed in the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment.

Images