KR20130136202A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and, specifically, to a refrigerator which comprises a refrigerator body; a plurality of storage chambers inside the refrigerator body; doors to separately open or close the storage chambers; and a cooling device to cool the storage chambers. The cooling device comprises a compressor; a first refrigerant passage connected to the compressor; and first and second evaporators branched from the first refrigerant passage. By this, the refrigerator effectively maintains the temperature of the storage chambers by supplying refrigerants to the storage chambers in the similar storage temperature group in parallel and simplifies the structure of the refrigerant passages. [Reference numerals] (600) Compressor;(700) Condenser

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

The refrigerator includes a refrigerator body, a plurality of storage compartments formed in the refrigerator body, a door for opening and closing the plurality of storage compartments, and a cooling device for cooling the storage compartment, The apparatus includes a compressor, a first refrigerant flow path connected to the compressor, a first evaporator branched from the first refrigerant flow path, and a second evaporator.

The conventional refrigerator according to Korean Patent No. 10-0678777 includes a refrigerator body 1, a freezing chamber 7, a first refrigerating chamber 8 and a second refrigerating chamber 9.

A first refrigerator compartment door 3 for opening and closing the first refrigerator compartment 8 and a second refrigerator compartment door 4 for opening and closing the second refrigerator compartment 4 are provided for opening and closing the freezing compartment 7, ).

A first blowing fan 10 is provided at an upper portion of the freezing chamber 7 to send cool air introduced from an evaporator to a first refrigerating chamber 8, A first duct 12 serving as a flow path for introducing cool air into the first refrigerating chamber 8 by the first blowing fan 10 is formed between the first duct 12 and the first duct 12, A first cool air discharge port 19 serving as a flow path is formed so that the cool air circulated in the refrigerating chamber 8 is directed to the freezing chamber 7. [

A second blowing fan 11 is provided in the lower part of the freezing chamber 7 to send the cool air introduced from the evaporator to the second refrigerating chamber 9. The freezing chamber 7, A second duct 13 serving as a flow path for introducing cool air into the second refrigerating chamber 9 is formed between the first duct 9 and the second duct 13 by means of the second blowing fan 11, And a second cool air discharge opening (20) serving as a flow path is formed so that the cool air circulated in the second refrigerator compartment (9) is directed to the freezing compartment (7).

A first temperature sensor 23, a second temperature sensor 24 and a third temperature sensor 25 are attached to one side of the freezing chamber 7, the first refrigerating chamber 8 and the second refrigerating chamber 9, respectively And the temperatures of the freezing compartment 7, the first refrigerating compartment 8 and the second refrigerating compartment 9 are separately measured to maintain a predetermined temperature, a maximum temperature and a minimum temperature.

However, in the conventional refrigerator, the refrigerant flow path becomes complicated when the number of the storage rooms increases, and accordingly, a large number of valves for switching the flow path must be installed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can efficiently maintain a storage temperature by supplying refrigerants in parallel to each other in rooms having similar storage temperatures, and simplify the structure of the flow path.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including a refrigerator body, a plurality of storage compartments formed in the refrigerator body, a door for opening and closing the plurality of storage compartments, and a cooling device for cooling the storage compartment, The cooling device includes a compressor, a first refrigerant passage connected to the compressor, a first evaporator branching from the first refrigerant passage, and a second evaporator.

The storage room includes a first storage room formed in the refrigerator body, a second storage room, a third storage room, and a fourth storage room, the door including a first door for opening and closing the first storage room, A third door for opening and closing the third storage chamber, and a fourth door for opening and closing the fourth storage chamber, wherein the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are freezing chambers, Wherein the storage room is a refrigerating compartment and the fourth storage compartment is a fresh compartment, and the first evaporator and the second evaporator cools the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment, or the first evaporator and the second evaporator, The third storage room and the fourth storage room can be cooled.

According to the refrigerator of the present invention as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

A refrigerator comprising: a refrigerator body; a plurality of storage chambers formed in the refrigerator body; a door for opening and closing the plurality of storage chambers, respectively; and a cooling device for cooling the storage chamber, wherein the cooling device includes a compressor, One refrigerant flow path, a first evaporator branching from the first refrigerant flow path, and a second evaporator, wherein the refrigerant is supplied in parallel to each other in a room having a similar storage temperature, thereby effectively maintaining the storage temperature and simplifying the flow path structure.

The storage room includes a first storage room formed in the refrigerator body, a second storage room, a third storage room, and a fourth storage room, the door including a first door for opening and closing the first storage room, A third door for opening and closing the third storage chamber, and a fourth door for opening and closing the fourth storage chamber, wherein the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are freezing chambers, Wherein the storage room is a refrigerating compartment and the fourth storage compartment is a fresh compartment, and the first evaporator and the second evaporator cools the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment, or the first evaporator and the second evaporator, The third storage room and the fourth storage room can be cooled to effectively control the temperature of two storage rooms having similar storage temperatures.

1 is a perspective view of a conventional refrigerator;
2 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 4 to 6 are schematic views of a refrigerator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 7 to 11 are schematic views illustrating a structure of a refrigerator cooling unit flow path according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a flow path structure of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

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

For reference, the same components as those of the conventional art will be described with reference to the above-described prior art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

≪ Embodiment 1 >

2 to 11, the refrigerator of the present embodiment includes a refrigerator body 100, a first storage room 110 formed in the refrigerator body 100, a second storage room 120, A first door 210 for opening and closing the first storage chamber 110 and a second door 210 for opening and closing the second storage chamber 120. [ A third door 230 for opening and closing the third storage chamber 130 and a fourth door 240 for opening and closing the fourth storage chamber 140.

As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator main body 100 includes a housing surrounding the storage compartment, and the door is installed on the front surface.

The storage room includes a first storage room 110 formed in the refrigerator body 100, a second storage room 120, a third storage room 130, and a fourth storage room 140. The storage compartments are each partitioned and formed.

The first storage chamber 110, the second storage chamber 120, the third storage chamber 130, and the fourth storage chamber 140 are formed to have openings.

The first storage room 110 and the second storage room 120 are respectively a freezing room formed at the upper portion and the lower portion of either the left or the right side and the third storage room 130 is a refrigerating room formed at the upper portion of the remaining one, The storage room 140 is a fresh room formed in the lower one.

In the present embodiment, the first storage chamber 110 and the second storage chamber 120 are formed on the left upper and lower portions, respectively, and the third storage chamber 130 and the fourth storage chamber 140 are formed on the upper right portion and the right side, respectively.

Thus, each storage room can be arranged and stored according to the storage temperature of each food, so that each food can be stored more effectively and freshly for a long time, and the smell of food in each storage room is prevented from being mixed. In addition, the food which is frequently taken out and used can be stored in the upper part, so that the convenience of the user is improved, and the storage room having a low storage temperature is disposed at the lower part, so that the outflow of cold air can be minimized.

The first storage room 110 and the second storage room 120 are freezing compartments and the third storage compartment 130 and the fourth storage compartment 140 serve as refrigerating compartments to provide two freezing compartments and a refrigerating compartment, The food to be stored can be distinguished and stored, so that the storage property can be further improved.

The freezing chamber includes a first freezing chamber 110 and a second freezing chamber 120 having a temperature lower than that of the first freezing chamber 110.

Accordingly, the second freezer compartment 120 can store frozen foods to be stored for a long period of time, so that the frozen food can be stored more effectively for a long time.

The storage chamber serving as a refrigerating chamber includes a refrigerating chamber 130 and a fresh compartment 140 having a temperature lower than that of the refrigerating compartment 130 so that the fresh compartment 140 can store kimchi and vegetables more effectively for a long time.

Accordingly, the temperature of the second freezing chamber 120 is lower than that of the first freezing chamber 110, the temperature of the first freezing chamber 110 is lower than that of the freshting chamber 140, The temperature is low. This allows various foods to be stored in storage rooms at various storage temperatures, effectively storing them.

The second freezing chamber 120 is provided with a drawer 121 therein to easily store the frozen food to be stored for a long period of time and to prevent the freezing of the frozen food from flowing out. Even the stored food can be easily taken out by the user.

A plurality of drawers 121 may be provided, and a plurality of drawers 121 are arranged in a vertical direction. The drawer 121 disposed at the upper portion may have a small internal space and the drawer 121 disposed at the lower portion may have a large internal space.

The shelf 111 is horizontally installed in the first freezer compartment 110 so that the user can easily insert the frozen food stored for a short period of time.

A plurality of shelves 111 may be provided, and a plurality of shelves 111 may be arranged in a vertical direction.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the fresh room 140 is partitioned from the first space part 141 and the first space part 141 and is disposed below the first space part 141. The two space part 142 is included.

The second space portion 142 is cooled by the evaporator as described below, and the cool air in the second space portion 142 is supplied to the first space portion 141.

The first space portion 141 is formed to have a narrower inner space than the second space portion 142.

The temperature of the first space 141 and the space of the second space 142 of the fresh room 140 are different from each other and the food having different storage temperatures is stored in the first space 141 and the second space 142 It is possible to store foods more effectively and for a long time. For example, the first space 141 may effectively store vegetables and fruits, and the second space 142 may effectively store kimchi for a long time.

4 and 5, a communication hole 143 for communicating the first space portion 141 and the second space portion 142 is formed so that the cool air in the second space portion 142 is divided into the first And can be supplied to the space portion 141 through the communication hole 143.

The communication hole 143 is provided with a fan 410 so that cool air is supplied smoothly.

Further, a damper (not shown) for controlling the inflow of cool air may be installed in the communication hole 143

A plurality of communication holes 143 may be formed, and a fan 410 may be installed in each communication hole 143. Alternatively, the fan 410 may be installed only in the communication hole 143 through which cool air flows.

The cool air having a relatively high temperature is moved to the first space portion 141 through the plurality of communication holes 143 and the cool air having a relatively low temperature can be moved to the second space portion 142. [ That is, the cool air can flow in and out (circulate the cool air) through the plurality of communication holes 143, and the cool air can be supplied more smoothly.

In this way, the structure for supplying cool air through the communication hole 143 to supply cool air can be simplified, and the space of the storage chamber can be maximized.

6, a cool air duct 144 for supplying cool air in the second space portion 142 to the first space portion 141 may be provided to supply the cool air at various positions.

The fan (410) may be installed in the cool air duct (144) so that cool air is supplied smoothly.

The structure for supplying cool air through the cool air duct 144 is a technique applied to a refrigerator as disclosed in Korean Patent No. 210471, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

3, the door includes a first door 210 for opening and closing the first storage room 110, a second door 220 for opening and closing the second storage room 120, A third door 230 for opening and closing the storage chamber 130 and a fourth door 240 for opening and closing the fourth storage chamber 140.

At least one of the first door 210, the second door 220, the third door 230 and the fourth door 240 is formed with a left and right opening type home bar 231.

The home bar 231 is formed in the third door 230 that opens and closes the third storage chamber 130 and is similar to the storage temperature of the beverage and the like stored in the home bar 231 and the refrigerating chamber 130, The food stored in the home bar 231 can be taken out in a standing posture that is effective for the user to maintain and improve the user's convenience.

The home bar door 232 that opens and closes the home bar 231 is a left-right opening-and-closing type in which doors that open and close in a left-and-right pivoting manner are disposed on both sides.

As described above, the home bar 231 is formed to improve the convenience of the user while minimizing the loss of cool air due to frequent door opening and closing.

The third door 230, which is a door in which the home bar 231 is formed, is connected to the refrigerator main body 100 through a hinge at one side thereof so as to be opened / closed in a left / right rotational manner to stably maintain the position of the food stored in the home bar 231 .

The home bar 231 is formed to correspond to the size of the third door 230, which is the door in which the home bar 231 is formed, so that the appearance of the refrigerator is good and the space of the home bar 231 can be maximized.

The first door 210, the second door 220, and the fourth door 240, which are the remaining doors without the home bar 231, are also connected to the refrigerator body 100 through the hinge, do. As described above, the door is opened / closed in a left-and-right rotating manner, so that user convenience is improved and the food can be stored in each storage room in accordance with the storage temperature, so that the outflow of cold air can be minimized.

And a cooling device for cooling the storage chamber.

7-11, the cooling apparatus includes a compressor 600, a condenser 700 connected to the compressor 600, a capillary connected to the condenser 700, and an evaporator .

The evaporator includes a first evaporator 310 for cooling the first storage chamber 110, a second evaporator 320 for cooling the second storage chamber 120, a third evaporator for cooling the third storage chamber 130, And a fourth evaporator 340 for cooling the fourth storage chamber 140.

The first capillary tube 510, the second capillary tube 520, the third capillary tube 530, and the third capillary tube 530 are connected to the first evaporator 310, the second evaporator 320, the third evaporator 330, 4 As the capillary tube (540) is connected, each evaporator is connected to a capillary tube.

As described above, the evaporator is provided for each storage room, and each storage room can be maintained at a different temperature, so that various foods can be effectively stored according to the storage temperature.

The first evaporator 310, the second evaporator 320, the third evaporator 330 and the fourth evaporator 340 cool the storage chamber by the direct cooling method or the intermediate cooling method or the indirect cooling method, .

In the present embodiment, the first storage chamber 110, the second storage chamber 120, and the third storage chamber 130 are cooled by an indirect cooling method, and the fourth storage chamber 140 is cooled by direct cooling.

Accordingly, the first storage room 110 is provided with a first duct and a first fan installed in the first duct, and the second storage room 120 is provided with a second duct and a second fan installed in the second duct. And the third storage chamber 130 is provided with a third duct and a third fan installed in the third duct.

Each of the ducts is provided with a respective evaporator, and air (cool air) cooled through the evaporator is supplied to each storage chamber by a fan installed in each duct.

The method of cooling the storage compartment by the indirect cooling method is a technology used in a refrigerator, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The fourth duct is installed in the second space 142 of the fourth storage chamber 140 and the fourth fan installed in the fourth duct is installed in the fourth storage chamber 140 and the fourth evaporator 340 is installed in the fourth storage chamber 140 2 to cool the space portion 142. 4, the outlet 341 of the fourth evaporator 340 surrounds the outer surface of the second space portion 142 of the fourth storage chamber 140 and is cooled by direct cooling so that the fourth storage chamber 140 can be cooled by two methods, direct cooling method and indirect cooling method.

That is, the fourth evaporator 340 cools the second space 142 by the direct cooling method.

5, two evaporators (a fourth evaporator 340 and a fifth evaporator 350) for cooling the fresh room may be included.

The fourth evaporator 340 as an evaporator of one of the two evaporators cools the fresh room 140 by a cold cooling method and the fifth evaporator 350 as the other evaporator is installed to surround the outside of the new room 140 Thereby cooling the fresh room 140 by direct cooling.

The fourth evaporator 340 cools the second space 142 of the fresh compartment 140 by means of an indirect cooling method and the fifth evaporator 350 cools the second space 142 of the fresh compartment 140. [ So that the second space portion 142 of the fresh room 140 can be cooled by direct cooling.

As described above, each storage chamber is cooled, and each storage chamber can be cooled more effectively. In other words, the fourth storage chamber 140 can have both advantages of cooling by direct cooling and cooling by direct cooling, and advantages of cooling by indirect cooling.

The first storage room 110 serving as a freezing compartment and the second storage compartment 120 and the third storage compartment 130 serving as a refrigerating compartment are cooled by an indirect cooling method and the fourth storage compartment 140 serving as a fresh compartment is cooled by direct cooling, Can be effectively stored for a longer period of time.

The first evaporator 310, the second evaporator 320, the third evaporator 330, and the fourth evaporator 340 are separately controlled, so that the storage temperature of each storage compartment can be maintained more precisely.

That is, a flow path switching valve is provided between the condenser 700 and each of the capillaries and the evaporator, and the refrigerant is separately distributed to the respective evaporators and individually controlled.

7, the flow path switching valve is provided in five directions in which the refrigerant is separately distributed to the first evaporator 310, the second evaporator 320, the third evaporator 330 and the fourth evaporator 340, Valve < / RTI >

8, the refrigerant is supplied to the first evaporator 310, the second evaporator 320, the third evaporator 330, and the fourth evaporator 340, respectively, as shown in FIG. 8, Way valve 820. The three-way valve 820 may be a two-way valve.

9, the flow path switching valve is provided with four flow paths for distributing the refrigerant to the first evaporator 310, the second evaporator 320, and the third evaporator 330 and the fourth evaporator 340, respectively Including the solenoid valve 830, each evaporator can be effectively controlled individually.

10, the cooling device includes a first refrigerant passage 910 connected to the compressor 600, a first evaporator 310 and a second evaporator 320 branched from the first refrigerant passage 910, .

Specifically, the first refrigerant flow path 910 is disposed between the flow path switching valve 800 and the capillary tube and the evaporator. As in the present embodiment, in the case of four storage rooms having three or more storage compartments, the flow path switching valve 800 is provided. However, when there are two storage compartments, two evaporators can be connected in parallel without a flow path switching valve.

The first refrigerant flow path 910 branches to two flow paths 911 and 912 and is connected to the first capillary 510 and the second capillary 520. [

Accordingly, the first evaporator 310 and the second evaporator 320, which are directly connected to the first capillary tube 510 and the second capillary tube 520, are connected in parallel.

That is, the refrigerant is simultaneously supplied to the two evaporators connected to the first refrigerant passage 910 through one pipe of the first refrigerant passage 910.

In this manner, refrigerant is supplied in parallel to each other in rooms having similar storage temperatures, whereby the storage temperature can be effectively maintained and the flow path structure is simplified.

11, a third evaporator 330 for cooling the third storage chamber 130 and a fourth evaporator 340 for cooling the fourth storage chamber 140 are connected to the first refrigerant passage (not shown) 910. < / RTI >

The second refrigerant passage 920 branches to the two flow paths 921 and 922 and is connected to the third capillary 530 and the fourth capillary 540. The second refrigerant flow path 920 performs the same role and functions as the first refrigerant flow path 910.

Therefore, the third evaporator 330 and the fourth evaporator 340, which are directly connected to the third capillary 530 and the fourth capillary 540, are connected in parallel.

≪ Embodiment 2 >

The description of the same configuration and function as those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

12, the cooling apparatus of the present embodiment includes a second evaporator 320 connected to the compressor 600 and a first evaporator 310 connected in series to the downstream of the second evaporator 320 .

The second evaporator 320 is connected to the first capillary tube 501 connected to the downstream of the flow path switching valve 800 and the inlet of the first evaporator 310 is connected to the outlet of the second evaporator 320 And the second evaporator 320 and the first evaporator 310 are connected in series.

The fourth evaporator 340 is connected to the second capillary tube 502 connected to the downstream of the flow path switching valve 800 and the inlet of the third evaporator 330 is connected to the outlet of the fourth evaporator 340, A fourth evaporator (340) and a third evaporator (330) are connected in series.

Therefore, the refrigerant supplied through the flow path switching valve 800 passes through the first capillary tube 501 and then passes through the second evaporator 320, passes through the first evaporator 310, 1 < / RTI > storage room 110 and then supplied to the compressor 600. [

The refrigerant supplied through the flow path switching valve 800 passes through the second capillary tube 502 and then passes through the fourth evaporator 340 and then passes through the third evaporator 330 and flows into the fourth storage chamber 140, 3 storage room 130 and then supplied to the compressor 600. [

That is, the storage temperature of the storage chamber cooled by the evaporator disposed upstream of the two serially connected evaporators is lower than that of the storage chamber cooled by the evaporator disposed downstream.

Accordingly, when the second evaporator 320 is connected to the first capillary tube 501, a third evaporator 330 or a fourth evaporator 340 may be selectively connected in series to the downstream of the first evaporator 310 instead of the first evaporator 310.

In this case, the first capillary tube 502 is connected to the first evaporator 310, and the remaining evaporators connected to the second capillary tube 502 downstream of the second evaporator 320 are connected in series.

In this way, the refrigerant is supplied in series to the rooms having the same storage temperature, so that the storage temperature can be maintained effectively, and the flow path structure is simplified.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100: refrigerator main body 110: first storage room, first freezer room
111: shelf 120: second storage room, second freezer room
121: drawer 130: third storage room, refrigerated room
140: fourth storage room, fresh room 141: first space part
142: second space part 210: first door
220: second door 230: third door
231: home bar 232: home bar door
240: fourth door 310: first evaporator
320: second evaporator 330: third evaporator
340: fourth evaporator 341: fourth evaporator outlet

Claims (3)

Refrigerator body;
A plurality of storage compartments formed in the refrigerator body;
A door that opens and closes the plurality of storage rooms;
And a cooling device for cooling the storage chamber,
Wherein the cooling device includes a compressor, a first refrigerant flow path connected to the compressor, a first evaporator branched from the first refrigerant flow path, and a second evaporator. The method of claim 1,
The storage room includes a first storage room formed in the refrigerator body, a second storage room, a third storage room, and a fourth storage room,
The door includes a first door that opens and closes the first storage chamber, a second door that opens and closes the second storage chamber, a third door that opens and closes the third storage chamber, and a fourth door that opens and closes the fourth storage chamber Including,
Wherein the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are freezing chambers, the third storage chamber is a refrigerating chamber, the fourth storage chamber is a fresh chamber,
Wherein the first evaporator and the second evaporator cools the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber. The method of claim 1,
The storage room includes a first storage room formed in the refrigerator body, a second storage room, a third storage room, and a fourth storage room,
The door includes a first door that opens and closes the first storage chamber, a second door that opens and closes the second storage chamber, a third door that opens and closes the third storage chamber, and a fourth door that opens and closes the fourth storage chamber Including,
Wherein the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber are freezing chambers, the third storage chamber is a refrigerating chamber, the fourth storage chamber is a fresh chamber,
Wherein the first evaporator and the second evaporator cools the third storage compartment and the fourth storage compartment.

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