KR20230016934A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a cabinet; a machinery room accommodating a storage room disposed in the cabinet, and a compressor disposed at the lower portion of the cabinet; and an evaporator assembly arranged at one side of the machinery room according to left and right directions such that cold air may be supplied to the storage room. The evaporator assembly may comprise: a case having an inlet formed at the front side; an evaporator disposed in the case to cool the air introduced into the case; a fan which is a fan arranged at the rear side of the evaporator such that the air introduced into the case may flow to the evaporator, and blows the air in the case such that the air introduced at the front side of the fan may flow to the upper side of the fan; and a guide panel which is arranged to be adjacent to the inlet to change the flowing direction of the air introduced into the case. Therefore, energy efficiency may be increased.

Description

Refrigerator {REFRIGERATOR}

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator in which energy efficiency is increased by using an improved cooling cycle.

In general, a refrigerator is a device for keeping food fresh by including a storage compartment and a cold air supply device for supplying cold air to the storage compartment. The temperature of the storage compartment is maintained within a certain range required to keep food fresh.

The storage chamber is supplied with air cooled by a heat exchanger and maintains an internal temperature within a certain range. The heat exchanger can be an evaporator. The air cooled by the evaporator contains moisture, and frost is generated in the evaporator by heat exchange. Since the flow of air passing through the evaporator is restricted as frost is generated and grown, defrosting through a heater may be performed while the refrigerator is operating in order to remove the frost.

However, since the evaporator is not operated during defrosting, the air cannot be cooled and the energy efficiency of the refrigerator may decrease. Therefore, there is a demand to increase the energy efficiency of the refrigerator by lengthening the defrosting cycle of the evaporator.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a refrigerator in which a defrosting cycle of an evaporator is extended.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a refrigerator with increased energy efficiency.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a refrigerator having a compact evaporator assembly.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a cabinet, a storage compartment provided in the cabinet, and a machine room provided under the cabinet and accommodating a compressor; and an evaporator assembly disposed on one side of the machine room in a left-right direction so as to supply cool air to the storage compartment, wherein the evaporator assembly includes a case having an inlet at a front side and cooling air introduced into the case. An evaporator provided in a case, and a fan disposed behind the evaporator so that the air introduced into the case flows into the evaporator, and the air introduced from the front of the fan blows the air in the case so that it flows upward of the fan. It may include a fan for blowing and a guide panel disposed adjacent to the inlet to change the flow direction of the air introduced into the case.

The inlet is formed at a lower front portion of the case so that air introduced into the case from the storage compartment passes through the front portion of the evaporator, and the guide panel is configured to allow air passing through the inlet to flow to the front portion of the evaporator. It is coupled to the lower part of to guide the air to the upper side of the inlet.

Air that does not pass through the front of the evaporator may flow to the lower side of the evaporator.

The case includes a first housing accommodating the evaporator, a front cover coupled to the first housing at the front of the first housing and having the inlet formed therein, and coupled to the first housing at the rear of the first housing. and a second housing accommodating the fan and a guide duct combined with the second housing and coupled with the cabinet to guide the flow of air into the storage compartment.

The front cover may be coupled at an upper portion of the first housing and inclined downward toward the front.

The guide panel may be coupled to a lower portion of the first housing and inclined upward toward the front.

A heater accommodated in the first housing and disposed below the evaporator may be further included.

The evaporator and the fan may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the forward and backward directions.

The guide duct may be coupled to an upper portion of the second housing.

A sealing member sealing between the first housing and the evaporator may be further included.

The guide panel may be coupled to a lower portion of the front cover and inclined upward toward the rear.

The inlet may be provided above the guide panel.

The front cover may include a first cover portion coupled to an upper portion of the first housing and extending forward, and a second cover portion extending downward from one end of the first cover portion.

The front cover may include a first cover portion coupled to an upper portion of the first housing and extending forward, and a second cover portion inclined downward from one end of the first cover portion toward the front.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cabinet, a storage compartment provided in the cabinet, and an evaporator assembly coupled to a lower portion of the cabinet to supply cold air to the storage compartment, wherein the evaporator assembly includes a first storage compartment for accommodating the evaporator. A first housing, coupled to the first housing at the rear of the first housing, and coupled with a second housing accommodating a fan, coupled at the front of the first housing, from the storage chamber to the first housing and the second housing A front cover having an inlet formed at the bottom so that air flows therein, and a guide member for guiding the air upward of the inlet so that the air passing through the inlet flows toward the front of the evaporator, which is positioned adjacent to the inlet and moves left and right. It may include a guide member extending to and a guide duct coupled to an upper side of the second housing to guide air passing through the evaporator and the fan to the storage compartment.

Air that does not pass through the front of the evaporator may flow to the lower side of the evaporator.

The guide member may be coupled to a lower portion of the first housing and inclined upward toward the front.

The guide member may be coupled to a lower portion of the front cover and inclined upward toward the rear.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cabinet, a storage compartment provided in the cabinet, and an evaporator assembly coupled to a bottom of the cabinet to supply cold air to the storage compartment, wherein the evaporator assembly comprises: an evaporator; A fan disposed at the rear of the evaporator, a first housing accommodating the evaporator, a second housing coupled to the first housing and accommodating the fan, and coupled at the front of the first housing, the evaporator assembly A front cover formed with an inlet to communicate with the storage compartment, a guide duct coupled with the second housing and formed with an outlet through which cool air flows into the storage compartment, and a guide duct for changing the direction of air flowing into the evaporator assembly. It may include a guide panel coupled to the lower portion of the first housing and extending obliquely upward toward the front.

According to the spirit of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a refrigerator with increased energy efficiency by lengthening the defrosting cycle of the evaporator.

According to the spirit of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a refrigerator having an evaporator with a longer defrosting cycle by maximizing an area where frost occurs in the evaporator.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 is a side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;
3 is a perspective view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 from another angle;
4 is a perspective view illustrating an evaporator assembly in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;
5 is an exploded perspective view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 4;
6 is a cross-sectional side view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 4;
7 to 9 are side cross-sectional views illustrating a process of forming frost in the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 6 .
10 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
11 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
12 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
13 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
14 is a perspective view illustrating an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
15 is an exploded perspective view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 14;
16 is a cross-sectional side view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 14;

The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one preferred example of the disclosed invention, and there may be various modifications that can replace the embodiments and drawings in this specification at the time of filing of the present application.

In addition, the same reference numerals or numerals presented in each drawing in this specification indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same function.

In addition, terms used in this specification are used to describe embodiments, and are not intended to limit and/or limit the disclosed invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprise" or "having" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It does not preclude in advance the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” used herein may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms, and the terms It is used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term “and/or” includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

Meanwhile, the terms "front", "rear", "left", and "right" used in the following description are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and location of each component are not limited by these terms.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1; 3 is a perspective view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 from another angle;

1 to 3, the refrigerator includes a main body 10 forming an exterior, a storage compartment 20 provided so that the front surface is opened inside the main body 10, and the open front surface of the storage compartment 20 is opened and closed. It includes a door 30 rotatably coupled to the main body 10 and a hinge 40 allowing the door 30 to be rotatably coupled to the main body 10 .

The main body 10 includes an inner case 11 forming a storage compartment 20 and an outer case 13 forming an exterior, and between the inner case 11 and the outer case 13, leakage of cold air from the storage compartment 20 is prevented. The heat insulating material 15 is foamed so as to do so. The main body 10 includes partition walls 17 dividing the storage chamber 20 into left and right refrigerating chambers 21 and freezing chambers 23, and a compressor 51 for compressing refrigerant and a compressor 51 for compressing refrigerant are provided at the lower rear of the main body 10. A machine room 29 is provided in which a condenser (not shown) for condensing the cooled refrigerant is installed. The inner case 11 may be referred to as a cabinet 11 .

The storage compartment 20 is divided into left and right sides by partition walls 17, and a refrigerating compartment 21 is provided on the left side of the main body 10, and a freezing compartment 23 is provided on the right side of the main body 10. A plurality of shelves 25 and storage containers 27 may be provided inside the storage compartment 20 to store food and the like.

The storage compartment 20 is opened and closed by a door 30 rotatably coupled to the main body 10, and the refrigerating compartment 21 and the freezing compartment 23 partitioned left and right by the partition wall 17 are refrigerating compartment doors 31, respectively. and the freezer compartment door 33. A plurality of door shelves 35 are provided on the rear surfaces of the refrigerating compartment door 31 and the freezing compartment door 33 to store food and the like.

The refrigerator may include a cold air supply device 50 that supplies cold air to the storage compartment 20 . The cold air supply device 50 includes a refrigeration cycle composed of an evaporator assembly 100 including an evaporator 130, a compressor 51, a condenser (not shown), and an expansion valve (not shown), and the evaporator 100 generates A circulation fan 53 for flowing cold air into the storage compartment 20 and a duct 70 forming an air flow path may be included.

The cold air supply device 50 includes the evaporator assembly 100, the circulation fan 53, the duct 70, etc., which are directly related to the cold air supply, except for the compressor 51 and the condenser installed in the machine room 29. can be defined as including The evaporator assembly 100 may be disposed under the cabinet 11 . The evaporator assembly 100 may be one wall forming the storage chamber 20 . However, although the cold air supply device 50 is shown to be disposed at the rear or rear surface of the storage chamber 20 in the drawings, it is not limited thereto.

The cold air supply device 50 includes an evaporator assembly 100, a duct 70 forming an air flow passage inside the cold air supply device 50, and a circulation fan forming air flow inside the duct 70. (53) may be included.

The duct 70 may form an air exhaust passage 71 for supplying cold air passing through the evaporator assembly 100 to the storage compartment 20 . The duct 70 may be an exhaust duct 70 . A plurality of outlets 57 may be provided in the exhaust duct 70 so that cold air can be distributed to the storage compartment 20 .

An accommodating space 60 accommodating the evaporator assembly 100 may be provided at one side of the machine room 29 accommodating the compressor 51 . The machine room 29 and the accommodating space 60 may be separated by a partition 63. The machine room 29 and the accommodation space 60 may be covered by a rear cover 61. A communication hole 62 may be formed in the rear cover 61 to allow air in the machine room 29 to communicate with air outside the refrigerator 1 . However, it is not limited thereto, and the rear cover 61 may be integrally formed with the trauma 13 or included in the trauma. In addition, without the rear cover 61, the outer box 13 may cover the machine room 29 and the accommodation space 60.

The evaporator assembly 100 may cool the air by receiving air from the storage compartment 20 . Air cooled by the evaporator assembly 100 may flow into the storage compartment 20 through the exhaust duct 70 and the discharge port 57 .

The evaporator assembly 100 may be disposed under the cabinet 11 . The accommodating space 60 accommodating the evaporator assembly 100 and the machine room 29 accommodating the compressor 51 may be separated from each other along the left and right directions (eg, Y to -Y directions). The receiving space 60 and the machine room 29 may be separated by a partition 63. The machine room 29 may communicate with the outside of the refrigerator. However, the accommodation space 60 may communicate with the storage compartment 20 without communicating with the outside of the refrigerator 60 . The machine room 29 and the accommodation space 60 may not communicate. Although not shown in FIG. 3 , the insulator 15 may be provided on the front and upper sides of the machine room 29 , and may be provided on the rear and lower sides of the evaporator assembly 100 . Therefore, the heat generated by the compressor 51 can be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator, and since the evaporator assembly 100 is insulated from the outside of the refrigerator by the heat insulating material 15, the hot air outside the refrigerator 15 can escape the receiving space. It is possible to minimize the rise in the air temperature of (60).

Also, although not shown, the evaporator assembly 100 may not be visible within the storage compartment 20 through a separate cover (not shown) or the like. For example, since the evaporator assembly 100 is covered with a separate cover even when the user sees the inside of the storage compartment 20, the user may not be aware of the existence and/or location of the evaporator assembly 100.

4 is a perspective view illustrating an evaporator assembly in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1; 5 is an exploded perspective view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 4; 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 4;

4 to 6, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the evaporator assembly 100 includes a case 110, an evaporator 130, a fan 140, a guide panel 150, a heater 160, and a drain. Panel 170 may be included.

The case 110 may form the exterior of the evaporator assembly 100 . The case 110 may form a cooling passage 120 to be described later. At least a portion of the cooling passage 120 may be formed within the case 110 . The case 110 may include a first housing 111 , a second housing 112 , a front cover 113 , and a guide duct 114 .

The first housing 111 may be formed in a substantially quadrangular shape. An evaporator 130 and a heater 160 may be accommodated in the first housing 111 . The evaporator 130 may be located above the heater 160 . The first housing 111 may be coupled to the bottom 11a of the inner case. For example, the first housing 111 may be screwed to the inner case bottom 11a. Through this, the case 110 may be fixed to the inner case 11 . However, the coupling method between the first housing 111 and/or case 110 and the inner case 11 is not limited to the above example and may include various methods.

The first housing 111 may include a bottom 111a, a drainage hole 111b formed in the bottom 111a, and a rear panel 111d. The drainage hole 111b may be formed in the center of the bottom 111a. However, the formation position of the drainage hole (111b) is not limited to the above example. The drain hole 111b may be provided to discharge defrost water generated during defrosting of the evaporator 130 . The defrost water discharged through the drain hole 111b may be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator 1 .

The rear panel 111d may cover the rear of the first housing 111 . The rear panel 111d may be coupled to the second housing 112 . For example, the rear panel 111d may be coupled to the front housing 115 of the second housing 112 . The rear panel 111d may include protrusions 111f protruding forward and backward, respectively. The protrusion 111f of the rear panel 111d protrudes rearward and can be accommodated in the coupling groove 115c of the front housing 115, so that the first housing 111 and the second housing 112 can be coupled. there is.

The rear panel 111d may include an opening 111e corresponding to the opening 115b of the front housing. Specifically, the opening 111e of the rear panel 111d may cover the circumference of the opening 115b of the front housing. Air in the cooling passage 120 may flow from the opening 111e of the rear panel 111d to the opening 115b of the front housing.

The second housing 112 may accommodate the fan 140 . The second housing 112 may have a shape corresponding to the fan 140 to accommodate the fan 140 . The second housing 112 may include a front housing 115 and a rear housing 116 .

The front housing 115 may be coupled to the rear panel 111d of the first housing 111 . The front housing 115 may cover the front of the fan 140 . The front housing 115 may include a front cover portion 115a, an opening 115b, a coupling groove 115c, a coupling protrusion 115d, and a guide portion 115e.

The front cover part 115a may cover the fan 140 from the front of the fan 140 . An opening 115b may be formed in a central portion of the front cover portion 115a. Air introduced into the case 110 through the fan 140 may flow through the opening 115b.

The coupling groove 115c may be coupled with the protrusion 111f provided on the rear panel 111d. The coupling groove 115c may be provided on the rear panel 111d to accommodate the protrusion 111f protruding toward the front housing 115 .

The coupling protrusion 115d may protrude forward from the circumference of the cover portion 115a. The coupling protrusion 115d may be accommodated in the guide duct 114 . For example, the coupling protrusion 115d may be accommodated under the guide duct 114 .

The guide portion 115e may guide air introduced through the opening 115b to flow into the guide duct 114 . The guide part 115e may be provided on top of the cover part 115a. The guide portion 115e may be inclined upward toward the rear.

The rear housing 116 may be coupled with the front housing 115 along the front-back direction. The rear housing 116 may cover the rear of the fan 140 . The rear housing 116 may include a rear cover portion 116a, a seating portion 116b, a coupling protrusion 116c, and a fan coupling portion 116d.

The rear cover part 116a may cover the fan 140 at the rear of the fan 140 . A seating portion 116b on which the fan 140 is seated may be provided at the center of the rear cover portion 116a. The seating portion 116b may be recessed from the rear cover portion 116a. The seating portion 116b may have a step difference with the rear cover portion 116a.

The coupling protrusion 116c of the rear housing may be accommodated in the coupling protrusion 115d at the rear of the front housing 115 . The coupling protrusion 115d of the front housing and the coupling protrusion 115c of the rear housing are coupled so that the front housing 115 and the rear housing 116 are coupled to accommodate the fan 140 . The fan coupling portion 116d of the rear housing 116 may be coupled to the fan coupling portion 142 . The fan 140 may be coupled to the rear housing 116 through the fan coupling part 116d. The second housing 112 may be a fan housing 112 accommodating the fan 140 .

The front cover 113 may cover the front of the case 110 . The front cover 113 may be a front portion of the case 110 . The front cover 113 may be disposed at the frontmost part of the configuration of the case 110 . The front cover 113 may be coupled to the first housing 111 to cover the front of the first housing 111 . The front cover 113 may be coupled to an upper portion of the first housing 111 . The front cover 113 may be inclined downward from the top of the first housing 111 toward the front. The front cover 113 may be formed such that a space between the front cover 113 and the first housing 111 becomes narrower as it goes upward so that the storage container and/or food can be stored in the storage compartment 20 wider. However, the shape of the front cover 113 is not limited to the above example.

The front cover 113 may include a front portion 113a and a side portion 113b. The front portion 113a may be inclined from top to bottom. For example, the front portion 113a may be inclined downward toward the front. The side part 113b may cover both sides of the front part 113a. The side part 113b may form a part of the cooling passage 120 inside the front cover 113 . The side portion 113b may be bent from the front portion 113a. The front part 113a and the side part 113b may be integrally formed. However, the method of forming the front part 113a and the side part 113b is not limited to the above example, and the side part 113b may be formed separately from the front part 113a and combined.

The guide duct 114 may guide the air in the case 110 so that the air introduced into the case 110 is supplied to the storage compartment 20 again. The guide duct 114 may extend in a vertical direction. The guide duct 114 may be coupled to an upper portion of the second housing 112 . The guide duct 114 may accommodate a portion of the second housing 112 . For example, a part of the second housing 112 may be accommodated under the guide duct 114 .

The guide duct 114 may further include a coupling portion 114c. The coupling part 114c may be provided at an upper end of the rear wall of the guide duct 114. The coupling portion 114c may be coupled to the inner case 11 . The rear wall of the guide duct 114 may be coupled to the rear wall 11b of the inner sleeve through a coupling portion 114c. For example, the coupling portion 114c may be screwed to the rear wall 11b of the inner sleeve. The guide duct 114 may be fixed to the inner casing 11 through the coupling portion 114c. However, the manner in which the guide duct 114 is coupled to the inner casing 11 and/or the formation position of the coupling portion 114c are not limited to the above examples.

The evaporator 130 may cool air flowing into the case 110 and/or the cooling passage 120 . The evaporator 130 may be disposed on the cooling passage 120 . The evaporator 130 may be housed in the case 110 . For example, the evaporator 130 may be accommodated in the first housing 111 . Also, the evaporator 130 may be a cube-shaped evaporator. Thus, the evaporator assembly 100 may have a compact structure. However, the type of evaporator 130 is not limited to the above example. Evaporator 130 may have a plurality of fins. A plurality of fins 133 may be uniformly disposed throughout the evaporator 130 . For example, the plurality of fins 133 may be uniformly spaced at the front or rear of the evaporator 130, and the number of the plurality of fins 133 may be the same. However, the spacing and number of the plurality of pins 133 are not limited to the above example.

The fan 140 may blow air in the cooling passage 120 so that air flows into the case 110 and/or the cooling passage 120 . The fan 140 may be disposed on the cooling passage 120 . A fan 140 may be disposed downstream of the evaporator 130 . For example, fan 140 may be disposed behind evaporator 130 . The fan 140 may be housed in the second housing 112 . The fan 140 may be accommodated in the second housing 112 to blow air from the opening 115b of the front housing to the guide duct 114 . The fan 140 may be a centrifugal fan. However, the type of fan 140 is not limited to the above example.

The fan 140 may be separated from the evaporator 130 by a predetermined distance (d). Therefore, the flow is not formed only at the inlet of the fan 140, but the flow can be formed over the entire area flowing into the fan 140.

The fan 140 may include a blade 141 and a coupling part 142 . The blade 141 may be rotated to form an air stream. The coupling portion 142 may be provided around the blade 141 and coupled to the second housing 112 . The coupling part 142 may be coupled with the fan coupling part 116d of the rear housing 116 .

The guide panel 150 may guide a direction of air introduced into the case 110 and/or the cooling passage 120 . The guide panel 150 may guide a direction in which air flows so that air introduced into the cooling passage 120 first flows toward the front portion 131 of the evaporator. The guide panel 150 may be coupled to the first housing 111 through various methods. For example, the guide panel 150 may be coupled to the lower portion of the first housing 111 . The guide panel 150 may be coupled to the lower end of the first housing 111 . For example, one end (151, eg: lower end) of the guide panel 150 is coupled to a position adjacent to the bottom of the first housing 111, and the other end (152, eg: upper end) of the guide panel 150 is an evaporator. It may be disposed at the same and/or similar height as the lower part 132 or lower surface of the part 130. For example, the lower portion 111g of the first housing may have a predetermined height (h), and may be positioned at the upper end 152 of the guide panel 150 at a predetermined height (h). However, it is not limited thereto, and the upper end 152 of the guide panel 150 may be located higher than the height h of the lower part 111g of the first housing.

The guide panel 150 may be coupled to the first housing 111 in various ways. For example, the guide panel 150 may be fixed to the lower end of the first housing 111 or may be rotatably coupled.

The guide panel 150 may be disposed adjacent to the inlet 121 . However, the configuration or position where the guide panel 150 is coupled is not limited to the above example. For example, the guide panel 150 may be coupled to the upper portion of the first housing 111 or may be coupled to the front cover 113 to guide a direction in which air flows. The guide panel 150 may extend along the left and right directions (eg, Y to -Y directions). The guide panel 150 may include various shapes. For example, the guide panel 150 may be formed flat. In addition, at least a portion of the guide panel 150 may include curvature. However, the shape of the guide panel 150 is not limited to the above examples, and may include various shapes such as protrusions. The guide panel 150 may be the guide member 150 .

The heater 160 may remove frost generated when the evaporator 130 operates. For example, the heater 160 may be disposed under the evaporator 130 and used during defrosting. The heater 160 may be accommodated in the first housing 111 and disposed below the evaporator 130 . However, the arrangement position of the heater 160 is not limited to the above example. When the heater 160 operates, frost deposited on the evaporator 130 may melt and generate defrost water. A drain panel 170 is disposed under the heater 160. The drain guide 173 and the drain hole 162 of the drain panel 170 and the drain hole 111b formed in the bottom 111a of the first housing It can be discharged to the outside of the evaporator assembly 100 through. The defrost water discharged to the outside of the evaporator assembly 100 may be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator.

The drain panel 170 may be disposed within the first housing 111 to drain defrost water generated during defrosting. The drain panel 170 may be disposed on the bottom 111a of the first housing. For example, the drain panel 170 may be disposed between the heater 160 and the bottom 111a of the first housing along the vertical direction.

The drain panel 170 may include a base 171 , a drainage hole 172 and a drain guide 173 .

The drain guide 173 may guide the defrost water so that the defrost water flows into the drain hole 172 . The drain guide 173 may be inclined downward toward the center of the base 171 . The drain hole 172 may allow defrost water to be discharged to the outside of the evaporator assembly 100 . The drain hole 172 of the drain panel 170 may communicate with the drain hole 111b of the first housing 111 .

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the evaporator assembly 100 may include a cooling passage 120 provided in the case 110 . The cooling passage 120 may allow air introduced into the case 110 from the storage compartment 20 to be cooled by the evaporator 130 and supplied to the storage compartment 20 again.

The cooling passage 120 may include an inlet 121 , an outlet 122 , a first passage part 123 and a second passage part 124 . The inlet 121 may allow air to flow into the case 110 from the storage compartment 20 . The inlet 121 may be formed on the front cover 113 . For example, the inlet 121 may be formed between the front cover 113 and the bottom 11a of the inner sleeve. The first passage part 123 may be connected to the inlet 121 so that air introduced into the cooling passage 120 from the inlet 121 passes through the evaporator 130 . For example, the first flow path unit 123 may be provided upstream of the evaporator 130 from the inlet 121 . At least a portion of the first flow path 123 may be provided within the front cover 113 . The first passage part 123 may be provided on the front part 131 of the evaporator. Air that has passed through the first passage part 123 may pass through the front part 131 of the evaporator. However, when the front part 131 of the evaporator is blocked due to frost, the air passing through the first passage part 123 may flow to the lower part 132 and the rear part 134 of the evaporator.

The second passage part 124 may be connected to the outlet 122 so that air passing through the evaporator 130 and the fan 140 flows to the outlet 122 through the guide duct 114 . At least a part of the second flow passage 124 may be provided in the guide duct 114 . For example, the second passage part 124 may be formed from the downstream of the fan 140 to the outlet 122 .

7 to 9 are side cross-sectional views illustrating a process of forming frost in the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 6 .

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, air in the storage compartment 20 may flow into the evaporator assembly 100 . For example, air in the storage compartment 20 may flow into the cooling passage 120 formed in the case 110 through the inlet 121 .

Referring to FIG. 7 , air that has sequentially passed through the inlet 121 and the first flow passage 123 may flow to the front part 131 of the evaporator. Air may pass through the evaporator 130 through the front portion 131 of the evaporator. Air flowing from the storage compartment 20 to the cooling passage 120 may be heat exchanged in the evaporator 130 . The air passing through the evaporator 130 may flow through the fan 140 and the second flow passage 124 in order to the outlet 122 . Air flowing through the outlet 122 may flow into the exhaust passage 71 . The air flowing through the exhaust passage 71 may flow back into the storage compartment through the outlet 57 .

Referring to FIG. 8 , air may contain moisture in the air. Accordingly, moisture in the air flowing through the evaporator 130 may be liquefied and/or solidified. For example, moisture in the air may be deposited on the evaporator 130 . Since the air introduced from the storage compartment 20 into the cooling passage 120 first passes through the front part 131 of the evaporator, frost may occur on the front part 131 of the evaporator first. If frost occurs on the front part 131 of the evaporator, since the front part 131 is similar to being closed, air may not flow toward the fan 140. At this time, air may flow toward the lower part 132 of the evaporator. Air may bypass the front 131 of the evaporator. Air flowing to the lower part 132 of the evaporator may pass through the lower part 132 and the rear part 134 of the evaporator without passing through the front part 131 of the evaporator and flow to the fan 140 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , since air passes through the lower part 132 of the evaporator, frost may be formed on the lower part 132 as well. Therefore, if the lower part 132 of the evaporator is generally frosted, air may not be able to pass through the lower part 132 of the evaporator. In this case, defrosting through the heater 160 may be required.

Due to the formation of frost and the flow of air in the evaporator 130, even if the front part 131 of the evaporator blocks the flow of air due to frost, the air passes through the lower part 132 of the evaporator and returns to the fan 140. can flow That is, it may take a long time for frost to occur and block the flow of air. Thus, the cycle between defrosting may be long. Since the defrost cycle becomes longer, the number of times defrost should be executed per unit time may be reduced. Since the number of defrost runs is reduced, more time is available for cooling the air. Accordingly, energy efficiency of the refrigerator for cooling the air supplied to the storage compartment 20 may be increased.

10 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment, and descriptions can be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 10 , according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an evaporator assembly 100 may include a front cover 113, a guide panel 250, and a cooling passage 120.

The cooling passage 120 may include an inlet 221 . The inlet 221 may be formed below the front cover 113 . The inlet 221 may be formed through a lower portion of the front cover 113 . The inlet 221 may receive air from the storage compartment.

The guide panel 250 may be disposed below the inlet 221 . The guide panel 250 may guide a direction in which air flows so that air flowing from the storage compartment to the inlet 221 passes through the front part 131 of the evaporator first.

11 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment, and descriptions can be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 11 , according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an evaporator assembly 100 may include a front cover 213 . The front cover 213 may be coupled to the upper portion of the first housing 111 to cover the front portion of the first housing 111 . For example, the front cover 213 may be the front part and/or the front part of the case 110 . The front cover 213 may include a first cover part 213a and a second cover part 213b.

The first cover part 213a may extend to form the cooling passage 120 . The first cover portion 213a may extend from the top of the first housing 111 forward (eg, in the X direction). The second cover part 213b may extend downward (eg, in the -Z direction) from one end of the first cover part 213a along the X direction to form the cooling passage 120 . An inlet 121 may be formed at one end of the second cover part 213b in the -Z direction.

The first cover part 213a and the second cover part 213b may form the first flow path part 123 . Since the first cover portion 213a extends forward, the evaporator assembly 100 can form a wide first flow path portion 123, and since the first flow path portion 123 is widened, the upper side of the evaporator 130 can be formed. Since the amount of air passing through is increased, heat exchange efficiency may be increased. However, the shape of the front cover 213 is not limited to the above example.

12 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment, and descriptions can be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 12 , according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an evaporator assembly 100 may include a front cover 313 . The front cover 313 may include a first cover part 313a and a second cover part 313b.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the evaporator assembly 100 may include a front cover 313. The front cover 313 may be coupled to the upper portion of the first housing 111 to cover the front portion of the first housing 111 . For example, the front cover 313 may be the front part and/or the front part of the case 110 . The front cover 313 may include a first cover part 313a and a second cover part 313b.

The first cover part 313a may extend to form the cooling passage 120 . The first cover part 313a may extend from the top of the first housing 111 forward (eg, in the X direction). The second cover part 313b may be inclined downward from one end in the X direction of the first cover part 313a toward the front to form the cooling passage 120 . One end of the second cover part 313b may be connected to the first cover part 313a, and an inlet 121 may be formed at the other end of the second cover part 313b. For example, an inlet 121 may be formed at a lower end of the second cover part 313b.

The first cover part 313a and the second cover part 313b may form the first flow path part 123 . Since the first cover portion 313a extends forward, the evaporator assembly 100 can form a wide first flow path portion 123, and since the first flow path portion 123 is widened, the upper side of the evaporator 130 can be formed. Since the amount of air passing through is increased, heat exchange efficiency may be increased. In addition, since the connecting portion 313c of the first cover portion 313a and the second cover portion 313b is rounded, the beauty of the interior of the storage compartment 20 can be increased.

13 is a cross-sectional side view of an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment, and descriptions can be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 13 , according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the evaporator assembly 100 may further include a sealing member 180 . The sealing member 180 may seal between the case 110 and the evaporator 130 .

The sealing member 180 may include a first sealing member 181 and a second sealing member 182 .

The first sealing member 181 may seal between the evaporator 130 and the first housing 111 . For example, the first sealing member 181 may seal between an upper portion of the evaporator 130 and an upper portion of the first housing 111 disposed above the evaporator 130 . The second sealing member 182 may be coupled to the front cover 113 . For example, the second sealing member 182 may be attached to the rear surface of the front cover 113 .

However, the position of the sealing member 180 is not limited to the above example, and may be coupled to the components of the evaporator assembly 100 at various positions.

14 is a perspective view illustrating an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 14; 16 is a cross-sectional side view of the evaporator assembly shown in FIG. 14;

Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16 , an evaporator assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a guide duct 114 .

The guide duct 114 may include a first guide part 114a and a second guide part 114b.

The first guide part 114a may have a curvature. The first guide part 114a is coupled to the second housing 112 to guide air discharged from the second housing 112 to the outside of the second guide part 114b and the case 110 . The first guide portion 114a may be inclined upward toward the rear. The second guide part 114b may be connected to the first guide part 114a. The second guide portion 114b may extend upward. The second guide part 114b may allow air in the case 110 and/or the guide duct 114 to flow into the exhaust passage 71 . The first guide part 114a and the second guide part 114b may be integrally formed. However, the formation method of the guide duct 114 is not limited to the above example.

The coupling protrusion 115d may be accommodated in the first guide portion 114a of the guide duct 114 . The guide part 115e may be accommodated in the first guide part 114a of the guide duct 114 .

In the above, specific embodiments have been illustrated and described. However, it is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art will be able to make various changes without departing from the gist of the technical idea of the invention described in the claims below. .

1: Refrigerator
11: internal injury
20: storage room
70: duct
100: evaporator assembly
110: case
111: first housing
112: second housing
113, 213, 313: front cover
114: guide duct
115: front housing
116: rear housing
120: cooling oil
130: evaporator
140: fan
150, 250: guide panel
160: heater
170: drain panel

Claims (19)

cabinet;
a storage compartment provided within the cabinet;
a machine room provided under the cabinet and accommodating a compressor; and
An evaporator assembly disposed on one side of the machine room along the left and right directions to supply cold air to the storage compartment;
The evaporator assembly,
A case in which an inlet is formed in the front;
an evaporator provided in the case to cool the air introduced into the case;
a fan disposed behind the evaporator so that air introduced into the case flows into the evaporator, and blowing air in the case so that air introduced from the front of the fan flows upward of the fan; and
A refrigerator comprising: a guide panel disposed adjacent to the inlet to change a flow direction of air flowing into the case. According to claim 1,
The inlet is formed at a front lower portion of the case so that air introduced into the case from the storage chamber passes through the front portion of the evaporator,
The guide panel is coupled to the lower part of the case so that the air passing through the inlet flows toward the front of the evaporator, and guides the air toward the upper side of the inlet. According to claim 2,
Air that does not pass through the front of the evaporator flows to the lower side of the evaporator. According to claim 3,
The case is
a first housing accommodating the evaporator;
a front cover coupled to the first housing in front of the first housing and having the inlet formed therein;
a second housing coupled to the first housing at a rear side of the first housing and accommodating the fan; and
A refrigerator comprising: a guide duct coupled to the second housing and coupled to the cabinet to guide an air flow into the storage compartment. According to claim 4,
The front cover is coupled to the top of the first housing and is inclined downward toward the front. According to claim 4,
The guide panel is coupled to the lower portion of the first housing and is inclined upward toward the front of the refrigerator. According to claim 6,
The refrigerator further comprises a heater accommodated in the first housing and disposed below the evaporator. According to claim 7,
The refrigerator and the evaporator and the fan are spaced apart by a predetermined distance along the front and rear directions. According to claim 8,
The refrigerator wherein the guide duct is coupled to an upper portion of the second housing. According to claim 9,
The refrigerator further comprises a sealing member sealing between the first housing and the evaporator. According to claim 4,
The guide panel is coupled to the lower portion of the front cover and is inclined upward toward the rear refrigerator. According to claim 11,
The refrigerator wherein the inlet is provided above the guide panel. According to claim 4,
The front cover,
a first cover portion coupled to an upper portion of the first housing and extending toward the front; and
A refrigerator comprising: a second cover part extending downward from one end of the first cover part. According to claim 4,
The front cover,
a first cover portion coupled to an upper portion of the first housing and extending toward the front; and
A refrigerator comprising: a second cover portion inclined downward from one end of the first cover portion toward the front. cabinet;
a storage compartment provided within the cabinet; and
An evaporator assembly coupled to the lower part of the cabinet to supply cold air to the storage compartment;
The evaporator assembly,
a first housing accommodating the evaporator;
a second housing coupled to the first housing at a rear side of the first housing and accommodating a fan;
a front cover coupled at the front of the first housing and having an inlet at a lower portion to allow air to flow from the storage chamber into the first housing and the second housing;
a guide member for guiding the air upward through the inlet so that the air passing through the inlet flows toward the front of the evaporator, the guide member positioned adjacent to the inlet and extending left and right; and
A refrigerator comprising: a guide duct coupled to an upper side of the second housing to guide air passing through the evaporator and the fan into the storage compartment. According to claim 15,
Air that does not pass through the front of the evaporator flows to the lower side of the evaporator. According to claim 16,
The guide member is coupled to the lower portion of the first housing and is inclined upward toward the front. According to claim 16,
The guide member is coupled to the lower portion of the front cover and is inclined upward toward the rear. cabinet;
a storage compartment provided within the cabinet; and
An evaporator assembly coupled to the bottom of the cabinet to supply cold air to the storage compartment;
The evaporator assembly,
evaporator;
a fan disposed behind the evaporator;
a first housing accommodating the evaporator;
a second housing coupled to the first housing and accommodating the fan;
a front cover coupled to the front of the first housing and having an inlet so that the evaporator assembly communicates with the storage compartment;
a guide duct combined with the second housing and having an outlet through which cool air flows into the storage compartment; and
A refrigerator comprising: a guide panel coupled to a lower portion of the first housing to change a direction of air flowing into the evaporator assembly and extending obliquely upward toward the front.

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