KR20210129000A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator in which condensed water generated by heat absorbing action by a thermoelectric element can be effectively discharged to the outside of a storage compartment. According to an aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator comprises: a cabinet having an inner case forming a storage compartment; a door connected to the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment; a cooling device, at least a portion of which passes through the inner case and is positioned inside the inner case, for cooling the air in the storage compartment using a thermoelectric element; a guide passage provided in the inner case and configured to guide the condensed water generated in the cooling device downward; a drain pipe communicating with the guide passage and discharging the condensed water to the outside of the inner case; and a storage unit disposed on the outside of the inner case and storing the condensed water discharged from the drain pipe.

Description

Refrigerator {Refrigerator}

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

BACKGROUND ART In general, a refrigerator is a home appliance that can store an object such as food at a low temperature in a storage room provided in a cabinet. Since the storage chamber is surrounded by an insulating wall, the interior of the storage chamber may be maintained at a temperature lower than the external temperature.

According to the temperature range of the storage compartment, the storage compartment may be divided into a refrigerating compartment or a freezing compartment. In addition, the food may be stored in the refrigerator or freezer according to the type or state of the food.

In recent years, a refrigerator capable of storing items such as cosmetics or wine in addition to food has been developed.

In the case of a refrigerator for storing items such as cosmetics or wine, the amount of items for storing is small, and thus the size of the refrigerator for storing food is smaller than that of the refrigerator.

Accordingly, in order to miniaturize the refrigerator, a refrigerator using a thermoelectric element has been developed.

A prior document, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1323876, discloses a cooling packaging having a thermoelectric element and a refrigerator employing the same.

The refrigerator of the prior literature includes: a refrigerator main body in which a refrigerating chamber is formed; a door rotatably installed on the refrigerator body to open and close the refrigerator compartment; a cooling packaging coupled to the body coupling hole and having a thermoelectric element; a heat absorbing unit coupled to the front end of the cooling packaging in the refrigerating compartment; a heat dissipation unit coupled to the rear end of the cooling packaging at the rear side of the refrigerator body; and a drain pipe for draining the condensed water generated in the refrigerating compartment to the heat dissipation unit using a capillary phenomenon.

The drain pipe is for draining the condensed water generated in the refrigerating chamber or the heat absorbing unit to the outside of the refrigerator body. The drain pipe connects between the refrigerating compartment and the heat absorbing unit through a hole formed in the refrigerator body, and is made of an adsorbent that absorbs moisture through capillary action. The adsorbent has a structure wrapped with a hose. Accordingly, the condensed water generated in the refrigerating chamber or the heat absorbing unit flows to the heat dissipation unit through the drain pipe, and the moisture transferred through the drain pipe by the heat generated by the heat dissipation unit is evaporated by heat. make it

However, according to the prior literature, as the drain pipe connects the refrigerating compartment and the heat absorbing unit, it is not possible to drain the condensed water that has fallen to the floor of the refrigerating compartment, but also it is possible to drain the condensed water generated in a part of the suction unit. There is a problem in that the condensed water cannot be drained.

In addition, even if the condensate flows along the drain pipe to the heat dissipation unit, if the amount of condensed water flowing is large, not all of the condensed water is evaporated due to the heat of the heat dissipation unit, and some of the condensed water falls from the heat dissipation unit and the floor outside the refrigerator is wet by the condensed water. will occur

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator in which condensed water generated by heat absorbing action by a thermoelectric element can be effectively discharged to the outside of a storage compartment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of collecting and evaporating condensed water even if the amount of condensed water discharged from a storage room is large.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which a storage unit for storing condensed water is easily assembled.

The refrigerator of the present invention for solving the above problems may include an inner case forming a storage compartment, a cooling device installed in the inner case, and a guide flow path for guiding the condensed water generated in the cooling device downward. have.

The guide passage may be formed as the rear surface of the inner case is depressed toward the rear so that the condensed water moves downward along the guide passage.

A portion or all of the guide passage may be formed to decrease in width toward the lower side so that condensed water may be collected in the lower portion of the guide passage.

In the present invention, so that the condensed water generated by the cooling device can smoothly move to the guide flow path, the inner case may include a receiving part in which the cooling device is accommodated, and the receiving part may include an inclined guide surface.

A drain pipe may be connected to the inner case so that the condensed water flowing downward along the guide passage may be discharged to the outside of the inner case.

A portion of the drain pipe may be drawn out through a lower side of the cabinet.

In the present invention, a storage unit may be coupled to the cabinet so that the condensed water drained through the drain pipe is naturally evaporated.

In a state in which the storage unit is coupled to the cabinet, the storage unit may be disposed to overlap the lower end of the drain pipe in the vertical direction.

The storage unit includes a storage body forming a storage space in which the condensed water is stored, and the lower end of the pipe is accommodated in the storage space so that the condensed water does not protrude to the outside of the storage body while the condensed water is discharged to the storage body. can be

The bottom surface of the storage body may be formed to be inclined downward in a direction away from a portion overlapping with the lower end of the pipe passing through the bottom case, for example, toward the rear side of the cabinet.

In a state in which the storage unit is connected to the cabinet, the storage space in the storage unit may communicate with the outside of the refrigerator.

An anti-slip part placed on the bottom surface and formed of a rubber material may be coupled to the storage part.

According to the proposed invention, as the guide passage is provided in the inner case and the drain pipe communicates with the guide passage, the condensed water generated by the heat absorption action by the thermoelectric element can be effectively discharged to the outside of the storage chamber.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the condensed water drained through the drain pipe is stored in the storage unit, there is an advantage in that the condensed water stored in the storage unit can be evaporated even if the amount of condensed water is large.

In addition, since the bottom surface of the storage unit is inclined downward as it moves away from the portion adjacent to the drain pipe, it is possible to prevent the condensed water from overflowing from the storage unit while the condensed water is stored in the storage unit.

In addition, since a state in which the drain pipe penetrates the bottom case is maintained, the storage unit can be coupled to the cabinet from the outside of the cabinet, so that assembly of the storage unit into the cabinet can be improved. In addition, since the storage part and the drain pipe are arranged to overlap each other in a state in which the storage part is assembled in the cabinet, there is an advantage that a separate operation for aligning the storage part and the drain pipe is unnecessary.

In addition, in the case of the present invention, since the anti-skid unit is coupled to the storage unit, it is not necessary to form a structure for coupling the anti-slip unit to the cabinet, thereby simplifying the structure.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 in an opened state;
3 is a front view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 in an open state;
4 is a view showing a cooling device provided in a refrigerator;
5 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which a drain pipe for draining condensed water is connected to the inner case.
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a state that a drain pipe for draining condensate is connected to the inner case.
7 is a view showing an arrangement relationship of a drain pipe and a storage unit for storing condensed water.
8 is a perspective view of a storage unit for storing condensed water according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view showing a state in which the storage unit of FIG. 8 is coupled to the cabinet;

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 in an opened state, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 in an open state. 4 is a view showing a cooling device provided in a refrigerator.

1 to 4 , a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 forming an external shape and a door 20 connected to the cabinet 10 . have.

The cabinet 10 may include an outer case 101 and an inner case 102 connected to the outer case 101 and forming a storage compartment 104 .

The door 20 may open and close the storage compartment 104 in a rotational manner by hinge mechanisms 22 and 24 .

The storage compartment 104 may be provided with a wine rack 30 for supporting the wine bottle. For example, a plurality of wine racks 30 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction in the storage compartment 104 .

<cooling unit>

The refrigerator 1 of the present invention may further include a cooling device 40 for cooling the storage compartment 104 . The cooling device 40 of the present invention is a cooling device 40 using a thermoelectric element to reduce the size of the refrigerator.

The cooling device 40 includes a thermoelectric element 400 whose first surface is a heat absorbing surface and a heat dissipation surface opposite to the first surface, and a heat absorbing part 410 that is in direct or indirect contact with the first surface; , may include a heat dissipation unit 430 in direct or indirect contact with the second surface.

In addition, the cooling device 40 may further include a heat absorbing fan 420 for flowing air to the heat absorbing unit 410 and a heat dissipating fan 440 for flowing air to the heat dissipating unit 430 . can

Although not limited, the heat absorbing fan 420 , the heat absorbing unit 410 , the thermoelectric element 400 , the heat dissipating unit 430 , and the heat dissipating fan 440 may be sequentially disposed in the front and rear directions.

A receiving part 140 for accommodating a part of the cooling device 40 may be provided on the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 .

The accommodating part 140 may be formed as a portion of the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 is recessed rearward.

At least a portion of the thermoelectric element 400 may be positioned between the outer case 101 and the inner case 102 .

In this case, all of the thermoelectric element 400 may be located outside the inner case 102 . In this case, the refrigerator 1 may further include a middle case 105 having a support part 106 for supporting the thermoelectric element.

The middle case 105 may be positioned between the outer case 101 and the inner case 102 . The support part 106 may surround all or a part of the thermoelectric element 400 . In addition, the support part 106 may protrude from the middle case 105 and contact the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 .

This is to prevent the foam liquid for the insulating material filled between the middle case 105 and the inner case 102 from leaking toward the thermoelectric element 400 .

As another example, a portion of the thermoelectric element 400 may pass through the inner case 102 and be positioned in the accommodating part 140 . In this case, the middle case 105 may be omitted or the middle case 105 may support a part of the thermoelectric element 400 .

The heat absorbing part 410 and the heat absorbing fan 420 may be positioned in the receiving part 140 .

In addition, a cover 450 that covers the accommodating part 140 may be coupled to the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 . The cover 450 may be fastened to the cover coupling part 146 provided in the inner case 102 by a fastening member such as a screw, for example.

The cover 450 prevents the user from accessing the heat absorbing fan 420 , so that the user's safety can be secured.

The cover 450 has an inlet 452 for sucking air in the storage compartment 104 into the accommodating part 140 and an outlet for discharging the air from the accommodating part 140 into the storage compartment 104 ( 454) may be included.

Although not limited, an outlet 454 may be disposed at each of upper and lower sides of the inlet 452 .

The heat dissipation unit 430 and the heat dissipation fan 440 may be positioned between the inner case 102 and the outer case 101 . For example, the heat dissipation unit 430 may be installed in the middle case 105 . In addition, the heat dissipation unit 430 and the heat dissipation fan 440 may be positioned between the middle case 105 and the outer case 101 .

The operation of the cooling device 40 will be described. When current flows to the thermoelectric element 400 , the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 400 absorbs heat, and the heat dissipating surface emits heat.

The suction fan 420 serves to blow the air in the storage chamber 104 toward the heat absorbing part 410 .

When the air in the storage chamber 104 is blown toward the heat absorbing part 410 in contact with the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 400 , the air in contact with the heat absorbing part 410 loses heat to lower the temperature of the air do. Then, the air whose temperature is lowered is discharged to the storage chamber 104 through the discharge port 454 by the suction fan 420 .

Meanwhile, the heat dissipation fan 440 serves to blow the air outside the refrigerator 1 toward the heat dissipation unit 430 . The outer case 101 may include an inlet through which external air is sucked (refer to 101a of FIG. 9 ) and an outlet 101b through which the air heat-exchanged with the heat dissipation unit 430 is discharged.

When external air is sucked in through the suction port 101a and blown toward the heat dissipating unit 430 , the heat dissipating unit 430 is cooled by the outside air. The air cooled by the heat dissipation unit 430 is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator 1 through the discharge port 101b by the heat dissipation fan 440 .

<Guide flow path and drain pipe for condensate drainage>

5 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which a drain pipe for draining condensate is connected to the inner case, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a drain pipe for draining condensate is connected to the inner case. 7 is a view showing an arrangement relationship of a drain pipe and a storage unit for storing condensed water.

First, referring to FIGS. 4 to 6 , condensed water is generated on the surface of the heat absorbing part 410 by the moisture contained in the air during the heat exchange of the air in the storage chamber 104 with the heat absorbing part 410 . can be

In order to easily discharge the generated condensed water, the accommodating part 140 may include an inclined guide surface 142 .

Specifically, the accommodating part 140 includes an installation surface 141 on which the thermoelectric element 140 or the heat absorbing part 410 is installed and is disposed substantially vertically, and downwards forward from the installation surface 141 . It may include a guide surface 142 formed to be inclined.

The inner case 102 may further include a guide flow path 144 for guiding the condensed water flowing along the guide surface 142 to the lower surface 114 of the inner case 102 .

The guide passage 144 may be a groove recessed toward the rear from the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 . A lower side of the accommodating part 140 and an upper side of the guide flow path 144 may communicate with each other so that the condensed water in the accommodating part 140 may flow to the guide flow path 144 .

The guide flow path 144 may extend downwardly from the lower end of the accommodating part 140 . All or part of the guide flow path 144 may be formed such that the left and right widths decrease as it goes downward so that the condensed water introduced into the guide flow path 144 can be gathered to one side. Roughly, the guide flow path 144 may be located at the center of the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 .

The guide passage 144 may communicate with the drain pipe 50 . Accordingly, the condensed water flowing along the guide passage 144 may be discharged to the outside of the storage chamber 104 through the drain pipe 50 .

Specifically, the inner case 102 may be provided with an opening 146 for coupling the drain pipe 50 .

The drain pipe 50 may include a pipe 510 and a coupling part 520 coupled to the opening 146 of the inner case 102 .

In this embodiment, the coupling part 520 may form a part of the lower surface 114 of the inner case 102 . In addition, the coupling part 520 itself may have a rounded shape so as to be convex downward.

In this case, the condensed water flowing down the guide groove 144 may flow along the inside of the pipe 510 in a state where it is collected in the coupling part 520 . In addition, the inlet 511 of the pipe 510 may be located at the same height or lower than the lower surface 114 of the inner case 102 . That is, the coupling part 520 itself serves to guide the condensed water.

In this case, when water exists in the storage chamber 104 , the water in the storage chamber 104 may also be discharged to the outside along the drain pipe 50 .

As another example, the coupling part 520 may not exist, and the guide flow path 144 may be formed to extend from the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 to the lower surface 114 . In addition, the pipe 510 may be connected to a flow path located on the lower surface 114 of the inner case 102 among the guide flow paths 144 . For example, the pipe 510 may pass through the inner case 102 to communicate with the guide passage 144 .

The middle case 105 may further include a rear case 109 extending in a vertical direction and a bottom case 108 extending in a horizontal direction from a lower end of the rear case 109 .

In addition, the rear case 109 is spaced apart from the rear surface 113 of the inner case 102 , and the bottom case 108 is spaced apart from the lower surface 114 of the inner case 102 .

The lower end 512 of the pipe 510 may pass through the bottom case 108 . A hole 108a through which the pipe 510 passes may be formed in the bottom case 108 .

At this time, a seating rib is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the pipe 510 so that the pipe 510 is seated on the bottom case 108 in a state where the lower end 512 of the pipe 510 passes through the bottom case 108 . 514 may be formed.

The seating rib 514 may be formed in a radial direction from the outer circumferential surface of the pipe 510 . For example, the seating ribs 514 may be continuously formed along the circumference of the pipe 510 , or a plurality of seating ribs 514 may be spaced apart from each other along the circumference of the pipe 510 .

According to the present invention, since the lower portion of the drain pipe 50 is seated on the bottom case 108 in a state in which the drain pipe 50 is coupled to the inner case 102, the lower surface of the inner case 102 ( A gap between the 114 and the bottom case 108 may be maintained.

The drain pipe 50 is coupled to the inner case 102 , and the inner case 102 and the bottom case are in a state in which the seating rib 514 of the drain pipe 50 is seated on the bottom case 108 . Between the (108) can be injected into the foaming liquid for the formation of a thermal insulation material.

According to the present invention, since the drain pipe 50 maintains a state in which the seating rib 514 is seated on the bottom case 108, the position of the drain pipe 50 in the process of cooling the foam solution after injection of the foam solution can be prevented from being changed.

In addition, since the injected foam serves to press the seating rib 514 toward the bottom case 108 , the drain pipe 50 from falling out of the bottom case 108 can be prevented.

<Storage unit for storing condensate>

8 is a perspective view of a storage unit for storing condensed water according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a view showing a state in which the storage unit of FIG. 8 is coupled to the cabinet.

7 to 9 , the refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a storage unit 60 for storing condensed water discharged along the drain pipe 50 .

The storage unit 60 may include a storage body 610 that forms a storage space 611 for storing condensed water.

The lower end 512 of the pipe 510 may be disposed to overlap the storage body 610 in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the condensed water falling from the pipe 510 may be accommodated in the storage body 610 .

The lower end 512 of the pipe 510 is spaced apart from the bottom surface 612 of the storage body 610 . In this case, the lower end 512 of the pipe 510 passing through the bottom case 108 may be accommodated in the storage space 611 .

The condensed water stored in the storage body 610 may be naturally evaporated by external heat or external air.

In the present invention, the bottom surface 612 of the storage body 610 may be formed to be inclined downward as it goes away from the portion overlapping the lower end 512 of the pipe 510 . For example, the bottom surface 612 of the storage body 610 may be formed to be inclined downward toward the rear side of the cabinet 10 at a portion overlapping the lower end 512 of the pipe 510 .

Accordingly, the condensed water discharged from the pipe 510 and introduced into the storage body 610 flows down from the storage body 610 to the rear side of the refrigerator 1 and is stored.

According to the present invention, the natural evaporation time of the condensed water stored in the storage body 610 is sufficiently secured, and it can be prevented that the condensed water overflows from the storage body 610 while the condensed water is stored in the storage body 610 . have.

The storage unit 60 may further include coupling ribs 616 and 618 to be coupled to the cabinet 10 .

Specifically, the outer case 101 may further include a rear panel 110 forming a rear exterior of the refrigerator 1 . The rear panel 110 may cover the heat dissipation unit 430 and the heat dissipation fan 440 . In addition, the suction port 101a may be formed in the rear panel 110 .

The coupling ribs 616 and 618 may include a first coupling rib 616 to be coupled to the rear panel 110 . The first coupling rib 616 may extend upwardly from the storage body 610 .

A portion of the first coupling rib 616 may support a lower side of the rear panel 110 , and another portion may contact the rear surface of the rear panel 110 . In addition, a fastening member such as a screw may be fastened to a portion of the first coupling rib 616 in contact with the rear panel 110 . To this end, a first fastening hole 617 may be formed in the first coupling rib 616 .

In this case, the storage unit 60 may further include a support rib 614 for supporting the lower surface of the rear panel 110 so that the storage unit 60 stably supports the rear panel 110 . . The support rib 614 may be bent from the first coupling rib 616 to extend.

The coupling ribs 616 and 618 may further include a second coupling rib 618 to be coupled to the bottom case 108 .

The second coupling rib 618 may extend in a horizontal direction from a lower end of the first coupling rib 616 .

The second fastening rib 618 may be fastened to the bottom case 108 by a fastening member such as a screw while in contact with the lower surface of the bottom case 108 . To this end, a second fastening hole 619 may be formed in the second fastening rib 618 .

The storage unit 60 may further include an anti-slip unit 620 placed on the floor to prevent the refrigerator 1 from sliding on the floor. The anti-slip part 620 may be formed of, for example, a rubber material.

The anti-slip part 620 may be coupled to the second fastening rib 618 , for example. In this case, the thickness of the anti-skid part 620 may be designed to be spaced apart from the bottom surface 612 of the storage body 610 in a state where the anti-slip part 620 is placed on the bottom surface.

According to the present invention, since the storage unit 60 is coupled to the cabinet 10 from the outside of the cabinet 10 , there is an advantage in that the storage unit 60 is easily assembled.

In particular, since the state in which the drain pipe 50 penetrates the bottom case 108 is maintained, when the storage unit 60 is fastened to the bottom case 108 , the drain pipe 50 and the storage unit 60 are immediately connected. Since the overlaps are aligned, there is an advantage that a separate operation for aligning the storage unit 60 and the drain pipe 50 is unnecessary.

In a state in which the storage unit 60 is coupled to the cabinet 10 , the upper surface of the storage body 610 is spaced apart from the lower surface of the rear panel 110 . Accordingly, the storage space 611 communicates with the outside of the refrigerator 1 .

According to this structure, there is an advantage in that the natural evaporation of the condensed water accommodated in the storage space 611 is smooth.

10: cabinet 20: door
40: cooling device 50: drain pipe
60: storage unit 144: guide flow

Claims (13)

a cabinet having an inner case forming a storage room;
a door connected to the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment;
a cooling device, at least a portion of which passes through the inner case and is positioned inside the inner case, for cooling the air in the storage chamber using a thermoelectric element;
a guide passage provided in the inner case and configured to guide the condensed water generated in the cooling device downward;
a drain pipe communicating with the guide passage and discharging condensed water to the outside of the inner case; and
A refrigerator disposed outside the inner case and including a storage unit for storing the condensed water discharged from the drain pipe. The method of claim 1,
The guide passage is formed as the rear surface of the inner case is depressed toward the rear. 3. The method of claim 2,
The inner case is located above the guide flow path and includes a accommodating part in which the cooling device is accommodated,
The accommodating part may include an installation surface on which the cooling device is installed, and a guide surface extending downwardly from the installation surface toward the guide passage. 3. The method of claim 2,
A refrigerator in which a part or all of the guide passage is formed to decrease in width as it goes downward. The method of claim 1,
The drain pipe includes a coupling part coupled to the inner case, and a pipe extending from the coupling part,
The pipe passes through the cabinet and is drawn out of the cabinet. The method of claim 1,
The cabinet further includes a bottom case positioned below the lower surface of the inner case,
The drain pipe includes a pipe passing through the bottom case,
A refrigerator provided with a seating rib for seating on the bottom case around the pipe. 7. The method of claim 6,
The storage unit is coupled to the cabinet from the outside of the cabinet,
The drain pipe includes a pipe for guiding the condensate,
In a state in which the storage unit is coupled to the cabinet, the storage unit is disposed to overlap a lower end of the pipe in a vertical direction. 8. The method of claim 7,
The storage unit includes a storage body forming a storage space in which the condensed water is stored,
The lower end of the pipe is accommodated in the storage space refrigerator. 8. The method of claim 7,
The storage unit includes a storage body forming a storage space in which the condensed water is stored,
The bottom surface of the storage body is formed to be inclined downward in a direction away from a portion overlapping the lower end of the pipe passing through the bottom case. 10. The method of claim 9,
A direction away from the portion overlapping with the lower end of the pipe is a rear direction of the cabinet. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
The cabinet further includes a rear panel that covers the cooling device at a position spaced apart from the rear surface of the inner case,
The storage unit is fastened to the rear panel,
In a state in which the storage unit is fastened to the rear panel, an upper surface of the storage body is spaced apart from a lower surface of the rear panel. 12. The method of claim 11,
The storage unit may further include a fastening rib extending upward from the storage body and supporting a lower surface of the rear panel. The method of claim 1,
A refrigerator to which an anti-slip part placed on a bottom surface and formed of a rubber material is coupled to the storage part.

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