KR20080064551A - Refrigerator with thawing-room and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator with a thawing chamber and a control method thereof are provided to carry out thawing operation without any limitation of place for the sake of convenience by setting or commanding the thawing of food by using a mobile phone. A refrigerator with a thawing chamber includes a main body(100), a thawing unit(400) mounted at a side of the main body for storing food at low temperature or thawing the food, a PCB(Printed Circuit Board) for controlling the operation of the thawing unit, a mobile phone(300) commanding the operation of the thawing unit, and a receiving part(170) for receiving the commands from the mobile phone and transmitting the same to the PCB.

Description

Refrigerator with thawing room and its control method {Refrigerator with thawing-room and control method

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a refrigerator equipped with a thawing room according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a refrigerator equipped with a thawing room according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator equipped with a thawing room according to the present invention.

4 is a flow chart illustrating a control method of a refrigerator equipped with a thawing room according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100. Body 120. Barrier

122. Inflow channel 124. Outflow channel

130. Evaporator Chamber 132. Evaporator

140. Freezer 150. Blowing fan

152. Damper 160. Refrigerator

170. Receiver 180. PC

200. Door 220. Control panel

222. Operation Buttons 224. Display

300. Mobile phone 400. Thawing unit

420. Cases 440. Storage drawers

460. Heating means 470. Temperature sensor

480. Pressure sensor

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having a thawing room capable of performing a thawing operation by instructing thawing operation of a thawing room using a mobile phone and a control method thereof.

In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance for refrigerating or freezing food, driving a refrigeration cycle by electric components provided therein, and using the cold air generated by the refrigeration cycle to directly or indirectly store an internal storage space. It is a home appliance that cools.

Such refrigerators are in the trend of being enlarged and multi-functionalized according to the improvement of dietary life and various user preferences, and various configurations for the convenience of users are continuously developed.

In response to this trend, a thawing room is provided inside the main body of the refrigerator. The thawing chamber accommodates the food in a frozen state, and the food stored by the heating means provided therein to be thawed at room temperature. In general, the defrosting chamber performs work performed in a cooking apparatus such as a microwave oven in the refrigerator. To do it.

Refrigerators provided with the thawing chambers are disclosed in Korean Patent Publication Nos. 10-2006-0067735 and 10-2006-01006968.

Looking at this schematically, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2006-0067735 proposes a thawing apparatus and a thawing method of the refrigerator to keep the food frozen in the freezer in an optimal state before eating, and to maintain freshness even after thawing. In Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2006-01006968, a control method of a refrigerator thawing room unit for thawing a frozen product by receiving a thawing completion time is provided.

However, such a prior art has the following problems.

In order to operate the thawing chamber, the user directly manipulates an operation unit provided on one side of the refrigerator, so that the operation of the thawing chamber can be adjusted, resulting in inconvenience in use.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, the refrigerator having a thawing room capable of performing the thawing operation by instructing the thawing operation of the thawing room using a mobile phone and a control method thereof. To provide.

Refrigerator with a thawing room according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the main body; A thawing chamber unit provided on one side of the main body to store and thaw food at low temperature; A PCB for controlling the operation of the thawing chamber unit; A mobile telephone instructing operation of the thawing chamber unit; And a receiver for receiving an indication signal of the cellular phone and transmitting the signal to the PCB.

One side of the main body is further provided with an operation unit capable of setting and instructing operation conditions of the thawing chamber unit.

The thawing chamber unit includes a case; A storage container which is pulled out / inward of the case; Heating means for heating the inside of the case; Cold air supply means for selectively supplying cold air to the inside of the case is included.

The cold air supply means, a blowing fan which is provided on one side of the case, forcibly blowing cold air of the evaporator; A damper for adjusting the opening degree of the flow path of the cold air flowing by the blowing fan is included.

The heating means is provided inside the case or on one side of the storage container.

A control method of a refrigerator provided with a thawing room according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a storage step of storing food in the refrigerator; An operation instruction step of instructing the operation of the thawing chamber unit to thaw the stored food using a mobile phone is included.

After the storing step, the food is inputted through the operation unit of the main body to set the freezing and thawing conditions.

Before the operation instruction step, the operation of the operation unit provided to the main body to adjust the operation of the thawing chamber unit.

In the operation instructing step, the thawing operation start time or the thawing operation completion time of the thawing chamber unit can be set.

After the operation instruction step, the operation of the thawing chamber unit is programmed by combining the input food information and the data measured by the temperature sensor and the pressure sensor.

In the operation instruction step, the operation of the blower fan, the damper opening degree, and the temperature of the heat generating means are controlled according to the set thawing operation time.

When the thawing is completed, the thawing chamber unit is able to maintain a low temperature storage state by the cooling means.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, it is possible to operate the thawing operation of the thawing room by using a mobile phone, so that the effect of improving convenience in use can be expected.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention may be applied to any refrigerator having a thawing room irrespective of the type and shape of the refrigerator, but for convenience of description, a refrigerator having a side by side type will be described as an example, and the present invention is limited thereto. It does not matter.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a refrigerator equipped with a thawing room according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the refrigerator main body 100 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an approximately front opening, and stores food therein. Space for is formed. The storage space inside the main body 100 is divided by the barrier 120 as a whole to form the freezing chamber 140 and the refrigerating chamber 160.

The opened front surface of the main body 100 is provided with a refrigerator door 200. The door 200 selectively shields the freezing compartment 140 and the refrigerating compartment 160 by rotation, and is mounted on the left and right sides so as to be rotatable, respectively, and has an open front surface of the freezing compartment 140 and the refrigerating compartment 160. It is formed into a shape corresponding to the shape.

The operation unit 220 is provided at one side of the front surface of the door 200. The operation unit 220 controls the overall operation of the refrigerator, and in particular consists of a plurality of operation buttons 222 and a display 224 showing the state so as to control the operation of the thawing room unit 400 to be described below do.

At this time, it is possible to set the operating time and the temperature of the thawing chamber unit 400 through the operation unit 220, as well as to defrost the kind of food being stored in the thawing chamber unit 400 and the desired cooking state. It may be desirable to be configured to be able to enter information for the.

On the other hand, the inside of the main body 100 and the back of the door 200 is provided with a plurality of shelves, drawers, baskets, etc. In particular, the freezer compartment 140 and the refrigerating chamber 160 of the main body is a plurality of shelves and drawers It is partitioned by them to form the respective storage space.

In addition, a thawing chamber unit 400 is formed at an innermost lower side of the refrigerating chamber 160. The thawing chamber unit 400 is for thawing the frozen food, and is configured to thaw the frozen food stored therein according to the setting of the operation unit 220.

The operation of the thawing chamber unit 400 can be controlled by the mobile phone 300 in addition to the operation unit 220, for this purpose, one side of the main body 100 of the refrigerator, preferably a receiver on an upper portion of the main body 100. 170 is provided.

Therefore, the defrosting operation instruction of the thawing chamber unit 400 through the mobile phone 300 is received by the receiving unit 170 and transmitted to the PCB 180 for controlling the thawing chamber unit 400 to defrost the thaw. The thawing operation of the actual unit 400 is possible. In addition, the PCB 180 may be formed in a main PCB (not shown) that controls the overall operation of the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, the thawing chamber unit 400 will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a schematic view showing an internal structure of a refrigerator having a thawing chamber according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, an evaporator chamber having an evaporator 132 installed at a rear of a storage space of the freezing chamber 140 ( 130) is formed.

The evaporator chamber 130 accommodates the evaporator 132, and serves as a passage for guiding the cold air generated in the evaporator 132 to be evenly supplied to the inside of the refrigerator main body 100.

In addition, an inflow passage 122 is formed inside the barrier 120 to communicate with the freezing chamber 140 to guide the cold air of the freezing chamber 140 to the thawing chamber unit 400.

One side of the inflow passage 122 or one side of the evaporator chamber 130 is provided with a blowing fan 150 for selectively operating to force cold air, the operation of the blowing fan 150, the thawing chamber unit ( The cold air supply to 400 is made.

In addition, an outflow passage for communicating the thawing chamber unit 400 and the evaporator chamber 130 to the rear side of the barrier 120 to allow the cold air exchanged in the thawing chamber unit 400 to flow back to the evaporator 132. 124 is formed, and the inflow passage 122 and the outlet passage 124 are further provided with a damper 152 for adjusting the opening degree of the passage.

Meanwhile, the thawing chamber unit 400 is provided at one side of the refrigerating chamber 160. The thawing chamber unit 400 is composed of a case 420 mounted on the inner wall of the refrigerating chamber 160 and a storage drawer 440 inserted into the case 420 and drawn out / rearward.

The case 420 is formed to have a somewhat space with the inner wall of the refrigerating chamber 160, the space formed by the case 420 is in communication with the inflow passage 122 and the outlet passage 124 of the cold air It becomes a flow passage. In this case, one side of the case 420 may be configured such that the cold air is introduced to the inner side of the storage drawer 440.

Then, the heat generating means 460 is provided inside the case 420. The heat generating means 460 is for heating the inside of the case 420, more specifically the inside of the storage drawer 440 is mounted on each side of the case 420, the inside of the case 420 It will be preferable to be formed so as to evenly heat, it may be mounted on each side of the storage drawer 440 as necessary.

The heating means 460 may be a heating wire, a sheath heater, a halogen heater, or the like generally used, and a magnetron for generating microwaves may be used according to the configuration of the thawing chamber unit 400.

On the other hand, the blowing fan 150 and the damper 152 including the heating means 460 is controlled by the PC 180 to control the operation of the thawing chamber unit 400, the user is a mobile phone ( Through 300, it is possible to instruct the operation of the thawing chamber unit 400.

Although not shown in detail, the inside of the thawing chamber unit 400 has a temperature sensor 470 for measuring the internal temperature of the thawing chamber unit 400 and the weight of food stored in the thawing chamber unit 400. Pressure sensor 480 for measuring the is further provided.

Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator having a thawing room according to the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerator provided with a thawing room according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a flow chart showing a control method of the refrigerator provided with a thawing room according to the present invention.

As shown in these figures, the user puts the frozen stored food in the storage drawer 440 to be stored inside the thawing chamber unit 400. [S10] And, in the food stored in the storage drawer 440. Information is inputted through the operation unit 220. [S20]

At this time, the information to be input through the operation unit 220 is input for the thawing of the stored frozen food, such as the type of food and the desired thawing state and thawing time.

In order to immediately thaw the frozen food stored in the thawing chamber unit 400, the operation unit 220 is operated to operate the heat generating means 460, the blowing fan 150, and the damper 152 to perform thawing operation. do.

On the other hand, when the stored frozen food is to be temporarily stored without thawing immediately, the thawing operation is not performed, and only the storage information to be used when the thawing operation is performed later is entered.

Meanwhile, in order to cook food immediately after returning home while the frozen food is stored in the storage drawer 440 of the thawing chamber unit 400, the thawing chamber unit 400 may be The operation must be controlled remotely. [S30]

To this end, the user instructs the operation of the thawing room unit 400 using the mobile phone 300. That is, the mobile phone 300 connects to a specific number or transmits an operation signal of the thawing room unit 400 to the receiving unit 170 using the wireless Internet to instruct the operation of the thawing room unit 400. Done.

In this case, the user sets the time at which the thawing room unit 400 operates by using the mobile phone 300 so that thawing operation can be performed from a desired time or frozen food stored in the thawing room unit 400 is stored. You can also set the time at which the thawing is completed.

On the other hand, when the operation signal of the thawing room unit 400 by the operation of the mobile phone 300, the receiving unit 170 provided in the main body 100 receives the operation signal, the received signal Is modulated into a digital signal and delivered to the PCB 180.

At the same time, the PCB 180 stores the temperature value and weight measured by the temperature sensor 470 and the pressure sensor 480 provided in the thawing chamber unit 400 and the stored information input from the operation unit 220. The optimum thawing operation is programmed with reference to [S40].

Therefore, according to the thawing operation programmed in the PCB 180, the operation of the blower fan 150 is stopped and forced flow of cold air is terminated, and the damper 152 is the inflow passage 122 and the outlet passage 124. ) Will be shielded. At the same time, the heat generating means 460 is heated to increase the internal temperature of the thawing chamber unit 400.

At this time, when the user sets the start time of the thawing operation, the heating means 460 is operated from the set time until the thawing is completed, and when the thawing is completed, the thawing chamber unit 400 is cooled again. The thawed foods are not damaged and the cooking can be maintained easily. [S50]

That is, in the thawed state, the operation of the heat generating means 460 is stopped, and the blower fan 150 is operated again, and at the same time, the damper 152 shielding the inflow passage 122 and the outflow passage 124. Is opened to allow cold air to flow back into the thawing chamber unit 400.

At this time, the temperature inside the thawing chamber unit 400 should be maintained within about -1 ~ 7 ℃ so that the thawed food is not damaged, for this purpose according to the temperature value measured by the temperature sensor 470 Damper 152 is to adjust the opening degree of the inflow passage 122 and the outlet passage 124. [S60]

On the other hand, when the user sets the time to complete the thawing through the mobile phone 300, the optimal driving course based on the stored information input through the temperature sensor 470, the pressure sensor 480 and the operation unit 220 You will program

Accordingly, the internal temperature of the thawing chamber unit 400 until the heat generating means 460 is operated is controlled only by controlling the flow rate of cold air by the operation of the blower fan 150 and the damper 152. To be possible.

When the heat generating means 460 reaches the time when the heating means 460 is started, the heat generating means 460 starts to generate heat, and the heat generating temperature of the heat generating means 460 is different depending on the time condition of the thawing operation. When the heating means 460 is operated for a programmed time, the thawing of the frozen food is completed and immediately ready for cooking.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and many other modifications based on the present invention will be possible to those skilled in the art within the above technical scope.

As described above, the refrigerator having a thawing room according to the present invention and a control method thereof can control the operation of the thawing room unit using a mobile phone, so that the frozen food can be thawed to a desired state at a desired time. Will be.

Therefore, the user can thaw the frozen food even when the user is out or away, thereby eliminating the restriction of the place for the thawing operation, thereby improving convenience of use.

In addition, the thawing completion time can be set even when the user is away using a mobile phone, so that the thawing time can be immediately cooked with the thawed food after returning home, thereby reducing the cooking time.

Claims (12)

main body; A thawing chamber unit provided on one side of the main body to store and thaw food at low temperature; A PCB for controlling the operation of the thawing chamber unit; A mobile telephone instructing operation of the thawing chamber unit; And A refrigerator having a thawing room including a receiving unit for receiving an indication signal of a mobile phone and transmitting the received signal to the PCB. The method of claim 1, One side of the main body of the refrigerator having a thawing room is provided with an operation unit that is further configured to set the operation conditions and operation instructions of the thawing chamber unit. The method of claim 1, In the thawing chamber unit, A case; A storage container which is pulled out / inward of the case; Heating means for heating the inside of the case; And a thawing chamber including cold air supply means for selectively supplying cold air to the inside of the case. The method of claim 3, wherein The cold air supply means, A blowing fan provided at one side of the case and forcibly blowing cold air of the evaporator; And a thawing chamber including a damper for adjusting an opening degree of a flow path of cold air flowing by the blowing fan. The method of claim 3, wherein The heating means is a refrigerator provided with a thawing chamber, characterized in that provided on the inner side of the case or one side of the storage container. A storage step of storing food in the refrigerator; A control method of a refrigerator with a thawing room, characterized in that it comprises an operation instruction step of instructing the operation of the thawing chamber unit to defrost the stored food using a mobile phone. The method of claim 6, After the storing step, the control method of the refrigerator with a thawing chamber, characterized in that the setting of the freezing and thawing conditions by inputting the food information through the operation unit of the main body. The method of claim 6, The control method of the refrigerator with a thawing chamber, characterized in that before the operation instruction step to operate the operation unit provided to the main body to adjust the operation of the thawing chamber unit. The method of claim 6, And in the operation instruction step, a thawing operation start time or a thawing operation completion time of the thawing chamber unit can be set. The method of claim 6, After the operation instruction step, the control method of the refrigerator with a thawing chamber, characterized in that for programming the operation of the thawing chamber unit by combining the input food information and the data measured by the temperature sensor and pressure sensor. The method of claim 9, In the operation instruction step control method of the refrigerator having a thawing chamber, characterized in that the operation of the blowing fan constituting the thawing chamber unit, the damper opening degree, and the temperature of the heat generating means is adjusted according to the set thawing operation time. The method of claim 6, When the thawing is completed, the thawing chamber unit is a control method of a refrigerator with a thawing chamber, characterized in that to maintain a cold storage state by the cooling means.

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