US20070163289A1 - Refrigerator and method for producing supercooled liquid - Google Patents
Refrigerator and method for producing supercooled liquid Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20070163289A1 US20070163289A1 US11/482,039 US48203906A US2007163289A1 US 20070163289 A1 US20070163289 A1 US 20070163289A1 US 48203906 A US48203906 A US 48203906A US 2007163289 A1 US2007163289 A1 US 2007163289A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- compartment
- chilled air
- refrigerator
- supercooling
- mixing room
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D31/00—Other cooling or freezing apparatus
- F25D31/006—Other cooling or freezing apparatus specially adapted for cooling receptacles, e.g. tanks
- F25D31/007—Bottles or cans
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/042—Air treating means within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/045—Air flow control arrangements
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
- F25D17/062—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators
- F25D17/065—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators with compartments at different temperatures
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/12—Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D29/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
- F25D2317/061—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation through special compartments
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
- F25D2317/066—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air supply
- F25D2317/0665—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air supply from the top
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
- F25D2317/068—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the fans
- F25D2317/0682—Two or more fans
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
- F25D2400/28—Quick cooling
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2700/00—Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor
- F25D2700/12—Sensors measuring the inside temperature
- F25D2700/121—Sensors measuring the inside temperature of particular compartments
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator for supercooling beverage and a method of producing a supercooled liquid using the same.
- a beverage is generally changed to a solid phase when its temperature is under its freezing point temperature at standard atmospheric pressure, occasionally, the beverage is not changed into the solid phase but is maintained in the supercooled state.
- liquid is not frozen even when it is below the freezing point and remains in the supercooled state it is in what is known in thermodynamics as a metastable state. Since the supercooled liquid in the metastable state is neither unstable nor stable, when there is ambient perturbation, the supercooled beverage undergoes a phase transition to the solid state.
- the beverage that is not completely frozen and not completely melted can be provided to a consumer.
- the beverage whose phase is changed into the solid phase by applying an external force to the supercooled beverage is referred to slush.
- Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-214753 discloses a supercooling apparatus installed in a main body of a refrigerator such that temperature of a compartment for accommodating food is uniform and food is refrigerated.
- the conventional supercooling apparatus includes a chilled air supply duct and a chilled air suction duct, respectively installed to sidewalls of the compartment, and a connection duct installed to an upper wall of the compartment to connect the chilled air supply duct to the chilled air suction duct.
- the conventional supercooling apparatus since the chilled air is continuously circulated through a path formed by the chilled air supply duct, the compartment, the chilled air suction duct, and the connection duct, temperature distribution of the compartment is uniformly maintained.
- a conventional refrigerator includes a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment.
- the installation of the additional evaporator for supercooling the beverage is not effective in view of structure and costs.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an aspect of the invention is to provide a refrigerator for properly mixing chilled air supplied from a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment to generate chilled air suitable for supercooling a beverage and a method of producing a supercooled liquid using the refrigerator.
- the present invention provides a refrigerator including a main body having a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, a mixing room provided in the main body to suction and mix chilled air from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment with each other, a supercooling compartment provided in the main body to be refrigerated by the chilled air mixed in the mixing room, and a controller for controlling suction quantities of freezer compartment chilled air and refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room.
- the mixing room may include a first suction port communicating with the freezer compartment to suction the freezer compartment chilled air, a second suction port communicating with the refrigerator compartment to suction the refrigerator compartment chilled air, and a chilled air supply port through which the chilled air mixed in the mixing room is supplied into the supercooling compartment.
- blower fans are installed to suction the chilled air.
- the mixing room further includes a mixing device by which the chilled air suctioned through the first suction port and the second suction port is mixed with each other when traveling to the chilled air supply port and attains an equilibrium state.
- the mixing device includes a mixing passage formed between the suction ports and the chilled air supply port, and the mixing passage is formed in the serpentine shape by at least one passage forming plate.
- the mixing device may further include a fan rotated in the mixing room to accelerate the mixing of the chilled air.
- the supercooling compartment includes a temperature sensor installed therein, and the controller compares a temperature measured by the temperature sensor with a set temperature of the supercooling compartment to control the blower fans such that a suction quantity of the freezer compartment chilled air and a suction quantity of the refrigerator compartment chilled air are adjusted.
- the mixing room and the supercooling compartment may be provided in the freezer compartment or in the refrigerator compartment.
- the main body further includes an independent refrigerator compartment separated from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment and having a separate refrigerating room, and the mixing room and the supercooling compartment are provided in the independent refrigerator compartment.
- the mixing room and the supercooling compartment may be disposed adjacent to each other. Moreover, the mixing room is spaced apart from the supercooling compartment and further includes a connector duct provided between the mixing room and the supercooling compartment to connect the mixing room to the supercooling compartment.
- the supercooling compartment is disposed in the mixing room.
- the supercooling compartment further includes a chilled air introducing port communicating with the mixing room to receive the chilled air mixed in the mixing room, and the chilled air introducing port is installed with a damper for opening and closing the chilled air introducing port.
- the refrigerator further includes a casing for separating the mixing room from the supercooling compartment, wherein the casing is made of material of a high heat capacity.
- the mixing room and the supercooling compartment may further include insulators for preventing temperature variation affects due to the temperature of the refrigerator compartment and of the freezer compartment.
- the present invention provides a refrigerator including a main body having a refrigerator compartment and an evaporator for generating chilled air, a mixing room provided in the main body to suction and mix the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment and the evaporator with each other, a supercooling compartment provided in the main body to be refrigerated by the chilled air mixed in the mixing room, and a controller for controlling suction quantities of refrigerator compartment chilled air and evaporator chilled air suctioned into the mixing room.
- the present invention provides a method of producing a supercooled liquid utilizing a refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, including suctioning chilled air from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment and mixing the chilled air in a mixing room, and blowing the chilled air mixed in the mixing room into a supercooling compartment.
- the method further includes adjusting a suction quantity of freezer compartment chilled air and a suction quantity of refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room such that a temperature of the supercooling compartment is maintained at a set temperature.
- the supercooling compartment may include a chilled air supply port through which the chilled air mixed in the mixing room is supplied and a damper for opening and closing the chilled air supply port, and the method may further include closing the damper and indirectly refrigerating the supercooling compartment using the chilled air in the mixing room.
- the present invention provides a method of producing a supercooled liquid utilizing a refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, including suctioning the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment and the evaporator and mixing the chilled air with each other in a mixing room, and blowing the chilled air mixed in the mixing room into a supercooling compartment.
- FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according a first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the refrigerator in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. 1 ;
- FIGS. 4A and 4B are views illustrating a mixing device provided in a mixing room as shown in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according a first preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the refrigerator in FIG. 1
- FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. 1 .
- the refrigerator includes a main body 10 having an open front side.
- the main body 10 includes an outer shell 11 for forming an outer appearance and an inner shell 12 spaced apart from the outer shell 11 to form a compartment for accommodating food. Between the outer and the inner shells 11 and 12 , an insulator 13 is formed to prevent chilled air from being dissipated.
- the compartment 20 is divided into right and left sides by an intermediate partition 14 , wherein the right side serves as a refrigerator compartment 21 for refrigerating food and the left side serves as a freezer compartment 22 for freezing food.
- a chilled air generating room 15 is provided to generate chilled air to be supplied to the compartment 20 .
- the chilled air generating room 15 includes an evaporator (not shown) for performing heat-exchange between the evaporator and ambient air to generate the chilled air.
- a circulation fan (not shown) is installed to supply the chilled air into the compartment 20 .
- a refrigerator compartment door 21 a and a freezer compartment door 22 a are hinged to open and close the refrigerator compartment 21 and the freezer compartment 22 , respectively.
- Each of the doors 21 a and 22 a is provided with shelves 16 for accommodating food.
- the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a supercooling compartment 30 provided in the refrigerator compartment 21 to refrigerate a beverage below a freezing point and to produce a supercooled liquid.
- the lowest temperature in which the beverage can be supercooled (hereinafter referred to a ‘limit supercooling temperature’) is determined by various variables such as type of the beverage, material or a size of a container for containing the beverage, and the like.
- a limit supercooling temperature is determined by various variables such as type of the beverage, material or a size of a container for containing the beverage, and the like.
- material, size and other variables with minimal effect for example, refrigerating speed
- an average limit supercooling temperature is ⁇ (minus) 9 degrees centigrade
- a temperature equal to or slightly higher than the same as a set temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 if an average limit supercooling temperature is ⁇ (minus) 9 degrees centigrade, it is possible to define a temperature equal to or slightly higher than the same as a set temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 .
- the experiments are performed while changing the types of the beverages as described above, the set temperature T of the supercooling compartment 30 is about ⁇ (minus) 5 degrees centigrade to ⁇ (minus) 12 degrees centigrade.
- the temperature range is between the temperature ( ⁇ (minus) 18 degrees centigrade to ⁇ (minus) 21 degrees centigrade) of the freezer compartment 22 and temperature (3 degrees centigrade to 5 degrees centigrade) of the refrigerator compartment 21 , chilled air in the freezer compartment and chilled air in the refrigerator compartment are properly mixed with each other to make chilled air used to supercool the beverage.
- the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a mixing room 40 provided in the refrigerator compartment 21 to suction chilled air respectively from the freezer compartment 22 and the refrigerator compartment 21 and to mix the same to make chilled air to be supplied into the supercooling compartment 30 , and a controller 50 for controlling the suction quantity of the chilled air suctioned from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment into the mixing room 40 to maintain the temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 at the set temperature.
- the mixing room 40 includes first and second suction ports 41 and 42 for suctioning the freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air from the freezer compartment 22 and the refrigerator compartment 21 , respectively.
- first suction port 41 penetrates the intermediate partition 14 to communicate with the freezer compartment 22
- second suction port 42 penetrates a side of a partition 43 for separating the mixing room 40 from the refrigerator compartment 21 to communicate with the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- blower fans 44 a and 44 b for supplying suction force necessary for suctioning the freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air
- flaps 45 for opening and closing the first and the second suction ports 41 and 42 according to whether the blower fans 44 a and 44 b are driven or not.
- the mixing room 40 is disposed adjacent to the supercooling compartment 30 and is separated by a partition 46 a .
- the chilled air mixed in the mixing room 40 is directly blown into the supercooling compartment 30 .
- the mixing room 40 includes a chilled air supply port 46 formed in the partition 46 a.
- the mixing room 40 may include a mixing device 47 for mixing the chilled air suctioned through the first and the second suction ports 41 and 42 while traveling in an equilibrium state.
- the mixing device 47 may include the first suction port 41 and a mixing passage 47 a formed between the second suction port 42 and the chilled air supply port 46 .
- FIG. 4A is a plan view illustrating the mixing passage formed in the mixing room as shown in FIG. 3 .
- the mixing passage 47 a is formed in a serpentine shape by at least one passage forming plate 47 b .
- the mixing device as shown in FIG. 4B , may include a fan 47 c installed to rotate in the mixing room 40 to accelerate the mixing of the chilled air.
- the fan 47 c is installed in the mixing room 40 without a driving device such as a motor and is rotated by receiving a force from a stream of the chilled air suctioned into the mixing room 40 , causing the acceleration of the mixing of the chilled air.
- the supercooling compartment 30 includes a supercooling temperature sensor 31 installed to measure temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 , and the controller 50 compares the temperature measured by the supercooling temperature sensor 31 with the set temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 and controls the blower fans 44 a and 44 b according to the compared result to adjust the suctioning quantity of the freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air.
- the controller 50 controls the blower fans 44 a and 44 b to increase a suction ratio of the freezer compartment chilled air such that temperature of the mixture of the chilled air lowers to ⁇ (minus) 7 degrees centigrade.
- a mixing temperature sensor 48 may be installed in the mixing room 40 , and in this case, the mixing temperature sensor 48 is installed around the chilled air supply port 46 to measure the temperature of the mixture of the chilled air being supplied into the supercooling compartment 30 .
- the mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment 30 include insulators 49 and 32 for separating the refrigerator compartment 21 from the mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment 30 to prevent heat transfer therebetween and the internal temperature of the freezer compartment 22 from being affected by the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- the blower fans 44 a and 44 b are driven such that the freezer compartment chilled air is introduced into the mixing room 40 through the first suction port 41 from the freezer compartment 22 and the refrigerator compartment chilled air is introduced into the mixing room 40 through the second suction port 42 from the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- the freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room 40 undergo heat exchange while passing through the mixing passage 47 a to be in the equilibrium state, and are supplied into the supercooling compartment 30 through the chilled air supply port 46 to supercool the beverage in the supercooling compartment 30 .
- the supercooling temperature sensor 31 installed in the supercooling compartment 30 measures the temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 .
- Data on the measured temperature are transmitted to the controller 50 , and the controller 50 compares the temperature measured by the supercooling temperature sensor 31 with the set temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 and controls the blower fans 44 a and 44 b according to the result of the comparison. Then, the suction quantities of the freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air are adjusted so that temperature of the chilled air mixed in the mixing room 40 approaches the set temperature, and as a result the supercooling compartment 30 can be maintained at the set temperature.
- FIG. 3 shows an example that the mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment 30 are installed in the refrigerator compartment 21
- the mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment 30 may be disposed in the freezer compartment 22 .
- the second suction port for suctioning the refrigerator compartment chilled air penetrates the intermediate partition and communicates with the refrigerator compartment.
- FIG. 5 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- the supercooling compartment 30 is disposed adjacent to the mixing room 40
- a supercooling compartment 60 is disposed in a mixing room 70 .
- a case of disposing the supercooling compartment 60 and the mixing room 70 in the freezer compartment 22 will be described.
- the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the mixing room 70 , disposed in the freezer compartment 22 , to suction the chilled air from the freezer compartment 22 and the refrigerator compartment 21 respectively and to mix them, and the supercooling compartment 60 disposed in the mixing room 70 and separated from the mixing room 70 by a casing 61 .
- the mixing room 70 includes a first and a second suction ports 71 and 72 communicated with the freezer compartment 22 and the refrigerator compartment 21 , wherein blower fans 73 a and 73 b and flaps are installed in the first and the second suction ports 71 and 72 , respectively.
- the supercooling compartment 60 includes a chilled air introducing port 63 communicating with the mixing room 70 to directly receive the chilled air from the mixing room 70 , and a damper 64 for opening and closing the chilled air introducing port 63 .
- a damper 64 for opening and closing the chilled air introducing port 63 .
- the supercooling compartment 60 can maintain a stable temperature more precisely.
- the casing 61 of the supercooling compartment 60 is made of material of large heat capacity the casing 61 serves a buffer against the temperature change, the rapid temperature change of the supercooling compartment 60 , from the effect of ambient temperature around the supercooling compartment 60 , is further mitigated.
- a supercooling temperature sensor 62 is installed in the supercooling compartment 60 .
- the controller 50 may adjust the suction quantities of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment such that the temperature t measured by the supercooling temperature sensor 62 satisfies the following formula with respect to the set temperature T of the supercooling compartment 60 .
- the controller 50 controls the blower fans 73 a and 73 b and adjusts a mixing ratio of the chilled air such that difference between the temperature t measured in the supercooling compartment 60 and the set temperature T is maintained within 2 degrees centigrade. For example, when the temperature of the supercooling compartment 60 measured by the supercooling temperature sensor 62 is ⁇ (minus) 4 degrees centigrade and the set temperature is ⁇ (minus) 7 degrees centigrade, the controller 50 increases the suction quantity of the freezer compartment chilled air to further refrigerate the supercooling compartment 60 .
- the mixing room 70 includes an insulator 75 for separating the mixing room 70 from the freezer compartment 22 to preventing heat transfer between the freezer compartment 22 and the mixing room 70 .
- the mixing room 70 further includes a chilled air discharge port 76 for circulating the chilled air therein toward the chilled air generating room 15 .
- the chilled air discharge port 76 may be installed with a damper 77 for opening and closing the chilled air discharge port 76 .
- the blower fans 73 a and 73 b are driven so that the freezer compartment chilled air is introduced into the mixing room 70 through the first suction port 71 from the freezer compartment 22 , and the refrigerator compartment chilled air is introduced into the mixing room 70 through the second suction port 42 from the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- the freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room 70 undergo heat exchange in the mixing room 70 to be in the equilibrium state, and are supplied into the supercooling compartment 60 through the chilled air supply port 63 .
- the temperature control when the damper 64 is opened is identical to that of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 .
- the controller 50 controls the blower fans 73 a and 73 b such that the temperature of the supercooling compartment 60 measured by the supercooling temperature sensor 62 can be maintained at the set temperature T.
- the damper 64 After supply of the mixture of the chilled air to the supercooling compartment 60 for a predetermined time, the damper 64 is closed to indirectly refrigerate the supercooling compartment 60 .
- the supercooling temperature sensor 62 installed in the supercooling compartment 60 measures the temperature of the supercooling compartment 60 . Data on the measured temperature is transmitted to the controller 50 , and the controller 50 compares the temperature measured by the supercooling temperature sensor 62 with the set temperature of the supercooling compartment 60 and controls the blower fans 44 a and 44 b , when the difference between the supercooling compartment temperature t and the set temperature T is greater than 2 degrees centigrade, such that the mixing ratio of the chilled air can be changed. Then, the temperature of the mixing room 70 is changed so that the temperature of the supercooling compartment 60 can be maintained at a temperature required to maintain the beverage in the supercooled state.
- FIG. 5 shows an example that the mixing room 70 and the supercooling compartment 60 are installed in the freezer compartment 22
- the mixing room 70 and the supercooling compartment 60 may be disposed in the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- FIG. 6 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
- the embodiment in FIG. 6 is basically similar to the embodiment in FIG. 3 , but it is different from the embodiment in FIG. 3 in that the mixing room 40 is spaced apart from the supercooling compartment 30 .
- the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components and only aspects peculiar to this embodiment will be described.
- the mixing room 40 having the first suction port 41 and the second suction port 42 is spaced apart from the supercooling compartment 30 and is disposed in the rear side 21 b of the refrigerator compartment.
- the mixing room 40 may be disposed higher than the supercooling compartment 30 such that the chilled air mixed in the mixing room 40 can be smoothly supplied into the supercooling compartment 30 .
- the mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment 30 are connected to each other by a connector duct 80 provided therebetween such that the chilled air in the mixing room 40 can be supplied into the supercooling compartment 30 .
- An end of the connector duct 80 communicates with the mixing room 40 via a chilled air discharge port 81 formed in the lower side of the mixing room 40 and the opposite end thereof communicates with the supercooling compartment 30 via a chilled air introducing port 82 formed in the upper side of the supercooling compartment 30 .
- the connector duct 80 may be disposed along the sidewall 21 c (See FIG. 1 ) of the refrigerator compartment 21 oriented toward the intermediate partition 14 .
- FIG. 7 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- the supercooling compartment 30 and the mixing room 40 are provided not in the freezer compartment 22 or the refrigerator compartment 21 , but independently provided in an independent refrigerator compartment 90 .
- similar components to those in the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 will not be described.
- the same components as those of the embodiment in FIG. 3 are assigned with the same reference numerals and only aspects peculiar to this embodiment will be described.
- the refrigerator includes the independent refrigerator compartment 90 separated from the freezer compartment 22 (See FIG. 2 ) and the refrigerator compartment 21 and having a separate accommodating room.
- the independent refrigerator compartment 90 is provided in the lower refrigerator compartment 21 and includes a door 90 a for opening and closing the independent refrigerator compartment 90 .
- the independent refrigerator compartment 90 is partitioned into an upper side and a lower side by a horizontal partition 91 and is independent from the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- the independent refrigerator compartment 90 is partitioned into a left side and a right side by the intermediate partition 14 (See FIG. 2 ) and is separated from the freezer compartment 22 .
- FIG. 7 does not illustrate the freezer compartment and the intermediate partition, the position of the independent refrigerator compartment 90 can be understood by referring FIGS. 1 and 2 .
- the independent refrigerator compartment 90 includes the mixing room 40 having the first suction port 41 penetrating the intermediate partition 14 and communicating with the freezer compartment 22 and the second suction port 42 penetrating the horizontal partition 91 and communicating with the refrigerator compartment 21 , and the supercooling compartment 30 for directly receiving the chilled air from the mixing room 40 to supercool the beverage.
- the independent refrigerator compartment 90 disposed in the lower side of the refrigerator compartment 21 has been described, the independent refrigerator compartment 90 can be disposed in the lower side of the freezer compartment 22 .
- the mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment are provided in the independent refrigerator compartment 90 , since the mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment 30 are less affected from the temperature of the freezer compartment 22 or the refrigerator compartment 21 , the temperature of the supercooling compartment 30 is more easily controlled.
- FIG. 8 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
- a refrigerator for mixing the refrigerator compartment chilled air with the chilled air from the chilled air generating room 15 is described, not the refrigerator compartment chilled air with the freezer compartment chilled air.
- the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3 are assigned to the same components, and only aspects peculiar to of this preferred embodiment will be described.
- a mixing room 40 ′ is provided in the main body 10 to suction and mix the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment 21 and an evaporator 15 a in the chilled air generating room 15 with each other.
- the mixing room 40 ′ includes a first suction port 41 ′ provided in the rear side 21 b of the refrigerator compartment to suction the chilled air generated by the evaporator 15 a and to communicate with the chilled air generating room 15 , and a second suction port 42 ′ communicated with the refrigerator compartment 21 to suction the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- the first suction port 41 ′ may be disposed in the upper side of the evaporator 15 a .
- the first and the second suction ports 41 ′ and 42 ′ are installed with blower fans 44 a ′ and 44 b ′ for supplying suction force required to suction the chilled air from the chilled air generating room 15 and the refrigerator compartment 21 .
- FIGS. 3 to 7 for example, the mixing passage, positions of the mixing room and the supercooling compartment, the relation between the mixing room and the supercooling compartment, and the damper
- the aspects as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7 can all be applied to this embodiment.
- the refrigerator according to the present invention generates suitable chilled air for supercooling beverage by properly mixing freezer compartment chilled air with the refrigerator chilled air so that the supercooling compartment can be implemented without seriously changing the structure of the conventional refrigerator.
- the supercooling compartment is refrigerated by the chilled air having temperature approximately the same as the set temperature of the supercooling compartment, the temperature of the supercooling compartment does not change rapidly and the beverage can be stably supercooled.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
- Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
- Non-Alcoholic Beverages (AREA)
Abstract
A refrigerator for supercooling beverage into supercooled liquid and a method of producing the supercooled liquid using the same. The refrigerator includes a mixing room provided in a main body to mix chilled air from a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment with each other and having a first suction port for suctioning the freezer compartment chilled air and a second suction port for suction the refrigerator compartment chilled air, and a supercooling compartment provided in the main body to be directly or indirectly refrigerated by the chilled air mixed in the mixing room. The mixing room and the supercooling compartment may be provided either in the refrigerator compartment or in the freezer compartment, or in an independent refrigerator compartment to form an independent refrigerating room separated from the freezer compartment.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2006-4207, filed on Jan. 14, 2006, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator for supercooling beverage and a method of producing a supercooled liquid using the same.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Although a beverage is generally changed to a solid phase when its temperature is under its freezing point temperature at standard atmospheric pressure, occasionally, the beverage is not changed into the solid phase but is maintained in the supercooled state. As such, if liquid is not frozen even when it is below the freezing point and remains in the supercooled state it is in what is known in thermodynamics as a metastable state. Since the supercooled liquid in the metastable state is neither unstable nor stable, when there is ambient perturbation, the supercooled beverage undergoes a phase transition to the solid state. Thus, when either a supercooled beverage is poured into a cool cup or a shock or vibration is applied to the supercooled beverage, the beverage that is not completely frozen and not completely melted can be provided to a consumer. Hereinafter, the beverage whose phase is changed into the solid phase by applying an external force to the supercooled beverage is referred to slush.
- In connection with this, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-214753 discloses a supercooling apparatus installed in a main body of a refrigerator such that temperature of a compartment for accommodating food is uniform and food is refrigerated. The conventional supercooling apparatus includes a chilled air supply duct and a chilled air suction duct, respectively installed to sidewalls of the compartment, and a connection duct installed to an upper wall of the compartment to connect the chilled air supply duct to the chilled air suction duct. In the conventional supercooling apparatus, since the chilled air is continuously circulated through a path formed by the chilled air supply duct, the compartment, the chilled air suction duct, and the connection duct, temperature distribution of the compartment is uniformly maintained.
- Although it is important to maintain a uniform temperature distribution of the compartment for the supercooling of the beverage, like the conventional supercooling apparatus, it is more important that, in order to maintain a beverage in a supercooled state and to provide a good slush to customers, temperature distribution with respect to time of the compartment for accommodating the beverage must be maintained as uniform as possible. In other words, if, although average temperature of the compartment is uniformly maintained, the temperature of the compartment varies over a large range as time passes, when the temperature of the compartment is at the lowest point, since the beverage in the supercooled state is frozen, the slush cannot be made.
- As a method of controlling a range of temperature variation with respect to time of the compartment using the conventional supercooling apparatus, there is a method of adjusting temperature of the chilled air generated by an evaporator. In other words, when a temperature required to supercool the beverage is − (minus) 5 degrees centigrade, the temperature of the chilled air generated by the evaporator is slightly lower.
- However, the method of refrigerating the compartment by generating the chilled air for supercooling the beverage is not effective for the following reason. A conventional refrigerator includes a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. When providing a compartment for supercooling to the conventional refrigerator, the installation of the additional evaporator for supercooling the beverage is not effective in view of structure and costs.
- Thus, a solution is required that is capable of generating and supplying chilled air suitable for supercooling a beverage utilizing the structure and features of the conventional refrigerator as they are.
- The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an aspect of the invention is to provide a refrigerator for properly mixing chilled air supplied from a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment to generate chilled air suitable for supercooling a beverage and a method of producing a supercooled liquid using the refrigerator.
- In accordance with the aspect, the present invention provides a refrigerator including a main body having a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, a mixing room provided in the main body to suction and mix chilled air from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment with each other, a supercooling compartment provided in the main body to be refrigerated by the chilled air mixed in the mixing room, and a controller for controlling suction quantities of freezer compartment chilled air and refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room.
- The mixing room may include a first suction port communicating with the freezer compartment to suction the freezer compartment chilled air, a second suction port communicating with the refrigerator compartment to suction the refrigerator compartment chilled air, and a chilled air supply port through which the chilled air mixed in the mixing room is supplied into the supercooling compartment.
- In the first suction port and the second suction port, blower fans are installed to suction the chilled air.
- The mixing room further includes a mixing device by which the chilled air suctioned through the first suction port and the second suction port is mixed with each other when traveling to the chilled air supply port and attains an equilibrium state.
- The mixing device includes a mixing passage formed between the suction ports and the chilled air supply port, and the mixing passage is formed in the serpentine shape by at least one passage forming plate.
- The mixing device may further include a fan rotated in the mixing room to accelerate the mixing of the chilled air.
- The supercooling compartment includes a temperature sensor installed therein, and the controller compares a temperature measured by the temperature sensor with a set temperature of the supercooling compartment to control the blower fans such that a suction quantity of the freezer compartment chilled air and a suction quantity of the refrigerator compartment chilled air are adjusted.
- The mixing room and the supercooling compartment may be provided in the freezer compartment or in the refrigerator compartment.
- Moreover, the main body further includes an independent refrigerator compartment separated from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment and having a separate refrigerating room, and the mixing room and the supercooling compartment are provided in the independent refrigerator compartment.
- The mixing room and the supercooling compartment may be disposed adjacent to each other. Moreover, the mixing room is spaced apart from the supercooling compartment and further includes a connector duct provided between the mixing room and the supercooling compartment to connect the mixing room to the supercooling compartment.
- The supercooling compartment is disposed in the mixing room. In this case, the supercooling compartment further includes a chilled air introducing port communicating with the mixing room to receive the chilled air mixed in the mixing room, and the chilled air introducing port is installed with a damper for opening and closing the chilled air introducing port.
- The refrigerator further includes a casing for separating the mixing room from the supercooling compartment, wherein the casing is made of material of a high heat capacity.
- The mixing room and the supercooling compartment may further include insulators for preventing temperature variation affects due to the temperature of the refrigerator compartment and of the freezer compartment.
- In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a refrigerator including a main body having a refrigerator compartment and an evaporator for generating chilled air, a mixing room provided in the main body to suction and mix the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment and the evaporator with each other, a supercooling compartment provided in the main body to be refrigerated by the chilled air mixed in the mixing room, and a controller for controlling suction quantities of refrigerator compartment chilled air and evaporator chilled air suctioned into the mixing room.
- In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a method of producing a supercooled liquid utilizing a refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, including suctioning chilled air from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment and mixing the chilled air in a mixing room, and blowing the chilled air mixed in the mixing room into a supercooling compartment.
- The method further includes adjusting a suction quantity of freezer compartment chilled air and a suction quantity of refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room such that a temperature of the supercooling compartment is maintained at a set temperature.
- The supercooling compartment may include a chilled air supply port through which the chilled air mixed in the mixing room is supplied and a damper for opening and closing the chilled air supply port, and the method may further include closing the damper and indirectly refrigerating the supercooling compartment using the chilled air in the mixing room.
- In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a method of producing a supercooled liquid utilizing a refrigerator including a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, including suctioning the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment and the evaporator and mixing the chilled air with each other in a mixing room, and blowing the chilled air mixed in the mixing room into a supercooling compartment.
- Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
- These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according a first embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the refrigerator inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I inFIG. 1 ; -
FIGS. 4A and 4B are views illustrating a mixing device provided in a mixing room as shown inFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according a first preferred embodiment of the present invention,FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the refrigerator inFIG. 1 , andFIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I inFIG. 1 . - As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a
main body 10 having an open front side. Themain body 10 includes anouter shell 11 for forming an outer appearance and aninner shell 12 spaced apart from theouter shell 11 to form a compartment for accommodating food. Between the outer and theinner shells insulator 13 is formed to prevent chilled air from being dissipated. - The
compartment 20 is divided into right and left sides by anintermediate partition 14, wherein the right side serves as arefrigerator compartment 21 for refrigerating food and the left side serves as afreezer compartment 22 for freezing food. In the rear side of thecompartment 20, a chilledair generating room 15 is provided to generate chilled air to be supplied to thecompartment 20. The chilledair generating room 15 includes an evaporator (not shown) for performing heat-exchange between the evaporator and ambient air to generate the chilled air. In the vicinity of the evaporator, a circulation fan (not shown) is installed to supply the chilled air into thecompartment 20. - In the front sides of the
refrigerator compartment 21 and thefreezer compartment 22, arefrigerator compartment door 21 a and afreezer compartment door 22 a are hinged to open and close therefrigerator compartment 21 and thefreezer compartment 22, respectively. Each of thedoors shelves 16 for accommodating food. - The refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a
supercooling compartment 30 provided in therefrigerator compartment 21 to refrigerate a beverage below a freezing point and to produce a supercooled liquid. - The lowest temperature in which the beverage can be supercooled (hereinafter referred to a ‘limit supercooling temperature’) is determined by various variables such as type of the beverage, material or a size of a container for containing the beverage, and the like. However, when the types of the containers usually used are restricted to only a few, then material, size and other variables with minimal effect (for example, refrigerating speed) are neglected, experimental data are statistically processed so that supercooling temperatures suitable for the types of the beverages can be determined. For example, as a result of repetitive experiments with 200 ml of water contained in a glass container, if an average limit supercooling temperature is − (minus) 9 degrees centigrade, it is possible to define a temperature equal to or slightly higher than the same as a set temperature of the
supercooling compartment 30. The experiments are performed while changing the types of the beverages as described above, the set temperature T of thesupercooling compartment 30 is about − (minus) 5 degrees centigrade to − (minus) 12 degrees centigrade. Since the temperature range is between the temperature (− (minus) 18 degrees centigrade to − (minus) 21 degrees centigrade) of thefreezer compartment 22 and temperature (3 degrees centigrade to 5 degrees centigrade) of therefrigerator compartment 21, chilled air in the freezer compartment and chilled air in the refrigerator compartment are properly mixed with each other to make chilled air used to supercool the beverage. - Thus, the refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a
mixing room 40 provided in therefrigerator compartment 21 to suction chilled air respectively from thefreezer compartment 22 and therefrigerator compartment 21 and to mix the same to make chilled air to be supplied into thesupercooling compartment 30, and acontroller 50 for controlling the suction quantity of the chilled air suctioned from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment into themixing room 40 to maintain the temperature of thesupercooling compartment 30 at the set temperature. - The
mixing room 40 includes first andsecond suction ports freezer compartment 22 and therefrigerator compartment 21, respectively. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 , in a case of providing themixing room 40 and thesupercooling compartment 30 in therefrigerator compartment 21, thefirst suction port 41 penetrates theintermediate partition 14 to communicate with thefreezer compartment 22, and thesecond suction port 42 penetrates a side of apartition 43 for separating themixing room 40 from therefrigerator compartment 21 to communicate with therefrigerator compartment 21. In the first and thesecond suction ports blower fans second suction ports blower fans - The
mixing room 40 is disposed adjacent to thesupercooling compartment 30 and is separated by apartition 46 a. The chilled air mixed in themixing room 40 is directly blown into thesupercooling compartment 30. To this end, themixing room 40 includes a chilledair supply port 46 formed in thepartition 46 a. - The
mixing room 40 may include amixing device 47 for mixing the chilled air suctioned through the first and thesecond suction ports device 47, as shown inFIG. 4A , may include thefirst suction port 41 and amixing passage 47 a formed between thesecond suction port 42 and the chilledair supply port 46.FIG. 4A is a plan view illustrating the mixing passage formed in the mixing room as shown inFIG. 3 . The mixingpassage 47 a is formed in a serpentine shape by at least onepassage forming plate 47 b. Moreover, the mixing device, as shown inFIG. 4B , may include afan 47 c installed to rotate in themixing room 40 to accelerate the mixing of the chilled air. Thefan 47 c is installed in themixing room 40 without a driving device such as a motor and is rotated by receiving a force from a stream of the chilled air suctioned into themixing room 40, causing the acceleration of the mixing of the chilled air. - The
supercooling compartment 30 includes asupercooling temperature sensor 31 installed to measure temperature of thesupercooling compartment 30, and thecontroller 50 compares the temperature measured by the supercoolingtemperature sensor 31 with the set temperature of thesupercooling compartment 30 and controls theblower fans supercooling compartment 30 is − (minus) 7 degrees centigrade and the measured temperature of thesupercooling temperature sensor 31 is − (minus) 5 degrees centigrade, thecontroller 50 controls theblower fans FIGS. 4A and 4B , a mixingtemperature sensor 48 may be installed in themixing room 40, and in this case, the mixingtemperature sensor 48 is installed around the chilledair supply port 46 to measure the temperature of the mixture of the chilled air being supplied into thesupercooling compartment 30. - Meanwhile, the
mixing room 40 and thesupercooling compartment 30 includeinsulators refrigerator compartment 21 from themixing room 40 and thesupercooling compartment 30 to prevent heat transfer therebetween and the internal temperature of thefreezer compartment 22 from being affected by the temperature of therefrigerator compartment 21. - In relation to the aspect of the present invention, operation of the refrigerator according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. When a set temperature of the
supercooling compartment 30 is determined according to types of food to be supercooled, theblower fans mixing room 40 through thefirst suction port 41 from thefreezer compartment 22 and the refrigerator compartment chilled air is introduced into themixing room 40 through thesecond suction port 42 from therefrigerator compartment 21. The freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into themixing room 40 undergo heat exchange while passing through the mixingpassage 47 a to be in the equilibrium state, and are supplied into thesupercooling compartment 30 through the chilledair supply port 46 to supercool the beverage in thesupercooling compartment 30. - At that time, the supercooling
temperature sensor 31 installed in thesupercooling compartment 30 measures the temperature of thesupercooling compartment 30. Data on the measured temperature are transmitted to thecontroller 50, and thecontroller 50 compares the temperature measured by the supercoolingtemperature sensor 31 with the set temperature of thesupercooling compartment 30 and controls theblower fans mixing room 40 approaches the set temperature, and as a result thesupercooling compartment 30 can be maintained at the set temperature. - Although
FIG. 3 shows an example that themixing room 40 and thesupercooling compartment 30 are installed in therefrigerator compartment 21, themixing room 40 and thesupercooling compartment 30 may be disposed in thefreezer compartment 22. However, in this case, the second suction port for suctioning the refrigerator compartment chilled air penetrates the intermediate partition and communicates with the refrigerator compartment. -
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Although in the embodiment ofFIG. 3 thesupercooling compartment 30 is disposed adjacent to themixing room 40, in this embodiment, asupercooling compartment 60 is disposed in amixing room 70. Hereinafter, a case of disposing thesupercooling compartment 60 and themixing room 70 in thefreezer compartment 22 will be described. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes themixing room 70, disposed in thefreezer compartment 22, to suction the chilled air from thefreezer compartment 22 and therefrigerator compartment 21 respectively and to mix them, and thesupercooling compartment 60 disposed in themixing room 70 and separated from themixing room 70 by acasing 61. - Like the embodiment of
FIG. 3 , themixing room 70 includes a first and asecond suction ports freezer compartment 22 and therefrigerator compartment 21, whereinblower fans second suction ports - The
supercooling compartment 60 includes a chilledair introducing port 63 communicating with themixing room 70 to directly receive the chilled air from themixing room 70, and adamper 64 for opening and closing the chilledair introducing port 63. When opening thedamper 64, the chilled air is directly supplied into thesupercooling compartment 60 from themixing room 70, and when closing thedamper 64, the chilled air in themixing room 70 around thesupercooling compartment 60 refrigerates thesupercooling compartment 60 via indirect heat transfer such as conduction, radiation, or the like. When refrigerating thesupercooling compartment 60 through the indirect heat transfer, it is possible to prevent local or rapid temperature change of thesupercooling compartment 60 that would occur when the chilled air is directly supplied into thesupercooling compartment 60. Moreover, since the chilled air in themixing room 70 surrounding thesupercooling compartment 60 mitigates thesupercooling compartment 70 being affected from thefreezer compartment 22 with low temperature, thesupercooling compartment 60 can maintain a stable temperature more precisely. At that time, since when thecasing 61 of thesupercooling compartment 60 is made of material of large heat capacity thecasing 61 serves a buffer against the temperature change, the rapid temperature change of thesupercooling compartment 60, from the effect of ambient temperature around thesupercooling compartment 60, is further mitigated. - A supercooling
temperature sensor 62 is installed in thesupercooling compartment 60. When thedamper 64 is closed, thecontroller 50 may adjust the suction quantities of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment such that the temperature t measured by the supercoolingtemperature sensor 62 satisfies the following formula with respect to the set temperature T of thesupercooling compartment 60.
T−2≦t≦T+2 - When the
damper 64 is closed and thesupercooling compartment 60 is indirectly refrigerated, it is difficult to maintain the temperature t of thesupercooling compartment 60 at the set temperature T However, when the temperature measured in thesupercooling compartment 60 is too low in comparison to the set temperature, the beverage in thesupercooling compartment 60 may possibly be frozen, and to the contrary, when the temperature measured in thesupercooling compartment 60 is too high, the supercooling of the beverage is hard to achieve so that it is also difficult to change the supercooled beverage into slush when a user makes slush from the supercooled beverage. Thus, by taking this point into consideration, thecontroller 50 controls theblower fans supercooling compartment 60 and the set temperature T is maintained within 2 degrees centigrade. For example, when the temperature of thesupercooling compartment 60 measured by the supercoolingtemperature sensor 62 is − (minus) 4 degrees centigrade and the set temperature is − (minus) 7 degrees centigrade, thecontroller 50 increases the suction quantity of the freezer compartment chilled air to further refrigerate thesupercooling compartment 60. - Meanwhile, in order to prevent the
mixing room 70 from being affected from the temperature of thefreezer compartment 22, themixing room 70 includes aninsulator 75 for separating themixing room 70 from thefreezer compartment 22 to preventing heat transfer between thefreezer compartment 22 and themixing room 70. Themixing room 70 further includes a chilledair discharge port 76 for circulating the chilled air therein toward the chilledair generating room 15. The chilledair discharge port 76 may be installed with adamper 77 for opening and closing the chilledair discharge port 76. - Operation of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. When the set temperature T is determined according to types of beverage to be supercooled, the
blower fans mixing room 70 through thefirst suction port 71 from thefreezer compartment 22, and the refrigerator compartment chilled air is introduced into themixing room 70 through thesecond suction port 42 from therefrigerator compartment 21. The freezer compartment chilled air and the refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into themixing room 70 undergo heat exchange in themixing room 70 to be in the equilibrium state, and are supplied into thesupercooling compartment 60 through the chilledair supply port 63. The temperature control when thedamper 64 is opened is identical to that of the embodiment as shown inFIG. 2 . In other words, thecontroller 50 controls theblower fans supercooling compartment 60 measured by the supercoolingtemperature sensor 62 can be maintained at the set temperature T. - After supply of the mixture of the chilled air to the
supercooling compartment 60 for a predetermined time, thedamper 64 is closed to indirectly refrigerate thesupercooling compartment 60. At that time, the supercoolingtemperature sensor 62 installed in thesupercooling compartment 60 measures the temperature of thesupercooling compartment 60. Data on the measured temperature is transmitted to thecontroller 50, and thecontroller 50 compares the temperature measured by the supercoolingtemperature sensor 62 with the set temperature of thesupercooling compartment 60 and controls theblower fans mixing room 70 is changed so that the temperature of thesupercooling compartment 60 can be maintained at a temperature required to maintain the beverage in the supercooled state. - Although
FIG. 5 shows an example that themixing room 70 and thesupercooling compartment 60 are installed in thefreezer compartment 22, themixing room 70 and thesupercooling compartment 60 may be disposed in therefrigerator compartment 21. -
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment inFIG. 6 is basically similar to the embodiment inFIG. 3 , but it is different from the embodiment inFIG. 3 in that themixing room 40 is spaced apart from thesupercooling compartment 30. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components and only aspects peculiar to this embodiment will be described. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , themixing room 40 having thefirst suction port 41 and thesecond suction port 42 is spaced apart from thesupercooling compartment 30 and is disposed in therear side 21 b of the refrigerator compartment. Themixing room 40 may be disposed higher than thesupercooling compartment 30 such that the chilled air mixed in themixing room 40 can be smoothly supplied into thesupercooling compartment 30. - The
mixing room 40 and thesupercooling compartment 30 are connected to each other by aconnector duct 80 provided therebetween such that the chilled air in themixing room 40 can be supplied into thesupercooling compartment 30. An end of theconnector duct 80 communicates with themixing room 40 via a chilledair discharge port 81 formed in the lower side of themixing room 40 and the opposite end thereof communicates with thesupercooling compartment 30 via a chilledair introducing port 82 formed in the upper side of thesupercooling compartment 30. Theconnector duct 80 may be disposed along thesidewall 21 c (SeeFIG. 1 ) of therefrigerator compartment 21 oriented toward theintermediate partition 14. - Since operation of the refrigerator according to this preferred embodiment is similar to that of the refrigerator as shown in
FIG. 2 , its description is omitted. -
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, thesupercooling compartment 30 and themixing room 40 are provided not in thefreezer compartment 22 or therefrigerator compartment 21, but independently provided in anindependent refrigerator compartment 90. Hereinafter, similar components to those in the embodiment as shown inFIG. 3 will not be described. The same components as those of the embodiment inFIG. 3 are assigned with the same reference numerals and only aspects peculiar to this embodiment will be described. - As shown in
FIG. 7 , the refrigerator according to this embodiment of the present invention includes theindependent refrigerator compartment 90 separated from the freezer compartment 22 (SeeFIG. 2 ) and therefrigerator compartment 21 and having a separate accommodating room. Theindependent refrigerator compartment 90 is provided in thelower refrigerator compartment 21 and includes adoor 90 a for opening and closing theindependent refrigerator compartment 90. - The
independent refrigerator compartment 90 is partitioned into an upper side and a lower side by ahorizontal partition 91 and is independent from therefrigerator compartment 21. Theindependent refrigerator compartment 90 is partitioned into a left side and a right side by the intermediate partition 14 (SeeFIG. 2 ) and is separated from thefreezer compartment 22. AlthoughFIG. 7 does not illustrate the freezer compartment and the intermediate partition, the position of theindependent refrigerator compartment 90 can be understood by referringFIGS. 1 and 2 . - The
independent refrigerator compartment 90 includes themixing room 40 having thefirst suction port 41 penetrating theintermediate partition 14 and communicating with thefreezer compartment 22 and thesecond suction port 42 penetrating thehorizontal partition 91 and communicating with therefrigerator compartment 21, and thesupercooling compartment 30 for directly receiving the chilled air from themixing room 40 to supercool the beverage. - Since the above structure and operation are identical to those of the refrigerator in
FIG. 3 , its description is omitted. In this embodiment, although theindependent refrigerator compartment 90 disposed in the lower side of therefrigerator compartment 21 has been described, theindependent refrigerator compartment 90 can be disposed in the lower side of thefreezer compartment 22. - As such, when the
mixing room 40 and the supercooling compartment are provided in theindependent refrigerator compartment 90, since themixing room 40 and thesupercooling compartment 30 are less affected from the temperature of thefreezer compartment 22 or therefrigerator compartment 21, the temperature of thesupercooling compartment 30 is more easily controlled. -
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a refrigerator for mixing the refrigerator compartment chilled air with the chilled air from the chilledair generating room 15 is described, not the refrigerator compartment chilled air with the freezer compartment chilled air. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals as those inFIG. 3 are assigned to the same components, and only aspects peculiar to of this preferred embodiment will be described. - As shown in
FIG. 8 , amixing room 40′ is provided in themain body 10 to suction and mix the chilled air from therefrigerator compartment 21 and an evaporator 15 a in the chilledair generating room 15 with each other. Themixing room 40′ includes afirst suction port 41′ provided in therear side 21 b of the refrigerator compartment to suction the chilled air generated by the evaporator 15 a and to communicate with the chilledair generating room 15, and asecond suction port 42′ communicated with therefrigerator compartment 21 to suction the chilled air from therefrigerator compartment 21. Thefirst suction port 41′ may be disposed in the upper side of the evaporator 15 a. The first and thesecond suction ports 41′ and 42′ are installed withblower fans 44 a′ and 44 b′ for supplying suction force required to suction the chilled air from the chilledair generating room 15 and therefrigerator compartment 21. - Since operation of the refrigerator according to this embodiment is similar to that of the refrigerator as shown in
FIG. 2 except for using the chilled air from the evaporator instead of the freezer compartment chilled air, its description is omitted. - Meanwhile, the aspects as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7 (for example, the mixing passage, positions of the mixing room and the supercooling compartment, the relation between the mixing room and the supercooling compartment, and the damper) can all be applied to this embodiment.
- As described above, the refrigerator according to the present invention generates suitable chilled air for supercooling beverage by properly mixing freezer compartment chilled air with the refrigerator chilled air so that the supercooling compartment can be implemented without seriously changing the structure of the conventional refrigerator.
- Moreover, since the supercooling compartment is refrigerated by the chilled air having temperature approximately the same as the set temperature of the supercooling compartment, the temperature of the supercooling compartment does not change rapidly and the beverage can be stably supercooled.
- Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
Claims (22)
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body having a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment;
a mixing room provided in the main body to suction and mix chilled air from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment with each other;
a supercooling compartment provided in the main body to be refrigerated by the chilled air mixed in the mixing room; and
a controller for controlling a quantity of a freezer compartment chilled air and a refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing room comprises:
a first suction port communicated with the freezer compartment to suction the freezer compartment chilled air;
a second suction port communicated with the refrigerator compartment to suction the refrigerator compartment chilled air; and
a chilled air supply port through which the chilled air mixed in the mixing room is supplied into the supercooling compartment.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein in the first suction port and the second suction port, blower fans are installed to suction the chilled air.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the mixing room further comprises a mixing device by which the chilled air suctioned through the first suction port and the second suction port is mixed with each other when traveling to the chilled air supply port and attains an equilibrium state.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the mixing device comprises a mixing passage formed between the suction ports and the chilled air supply port.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the mixing passage is formed in a serpentine shape by at least one passage forming plate.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the mixing device further includes a fan rotated in the mixing room to accelerate the mixing of the chilled air.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the supercooling compartment includes a temperature sensor installed therein, and the controller compares a temperature measured by the temperature sensor with a set temperature of the supercooling compartment to control the blower fans such that a suction quantity of the freezer compartment chilled air and a suction quantity of the refrigerator compartment chilled air are adjusted.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing room and the supercooling compartment are provided in the freezer compartment or in the refrigerator compartment.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the main body further comprises an independent refrigerator compartment separated from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment and having a separate refrigerating room, and the mixing room and the supercooling compartment are provided in the independent refrigerator compartment.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing room and the supercooling compartment are disposed adjacent to each other.
12. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing room is spaced apart from the supercooling compartment and further comprises a connector duct provided between the mixing room and the supercooling compartment to connect the mixing room to the supercooling compartment.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the supercooling compartment is disposed in the mixing room.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the supercooling compartment further comprises a chilled air introducing port communicated with the mixing room to receive the chilled air mixed in the mixing room, and the chilled air introducing port is installed with a damper for opening and closing the chilled air introducing port.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a casing for separating the mixing room from the supercooling compartment, wherein the casing is made of material of a high heat capacity.
16. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing room and the supercooling compartment further comprise insulators for preventing affect due to temperature of the refrigerator compartment and of the freezer compartment.
17. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body having a refrigerator compartment and an evaporator for generating chilled air;
a mixing room provided in the main body to suction and mix the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment and the evaporator with each other;
a supercooling compartment provided in the main body to be refrigerated by the chilled air mixed in the mixing room; and
a controller for controlling suction quantities of a refrigerator compartment chilled air and an evaporator chilled air suctioned into the mixing room.
18. A method of producing a supercooled liquid utilizing a refrigerator comprising a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, the method comprising:
suctioning chilled air from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment and mixing the chilled air in a mixing room; and
blowing the chilled air mixed in the mixing room into a supercooling compartment.
19. The method of producing a supercooled liquid according to claim 18 , further comprising adjusting a suction quantity of a freezer compartment chilled air and a suction quantity of a refrigerator compartment chilled air suctioned into the mixing room such that a temperature of the supercooling compartment is maintained at a set temperature.
20. The method of producing a supercooled liquid according to claim 18 , wherein the supercooling compartment comprises:
a chilled air supply port through which the chilled air mixed in the mixing room is supplied; and
a damper for opening and closing the chilled air supply port.
21. The method of producing a supercooled liquid according to claim 20 , further comprising closing the damper and indirectly refrigerating the supercooling compartment using the chilled air in the mixing room.
22. A method of producing a supercooled liquid utilizing a refrigerator comprising a refrigerator compartment and an evaporator for generating chilled air, the method comprising:
suctioning the chilled air from the refrigerator compartment and the evaporator and mixing the chilled air with each other in a mixing room; and
blowing the chilled air mixed in the mixing room into a supercooling compartment.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020060004207A KR20070075677A (en) | 2006-01-14 | 2006-01-14 | Refrigerator and method for making supercooling liquid using the same |
KR2006-4207 | 2006-01-14 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20070163289A1 true US20070163289A1 (en) | 2007-07-19 |
Family
ID=37963569
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/482,039 Abandoned US20070163289A1 (en) | 2006-01-14 | 2006-07-07 | Refrigerator and method for producing supercooled liquid |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20070163289A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1813894A3 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20070075677A (en) |
CN (1) | CN101000199A (en) |
RU (1) | RU2324124C1 (en) |
Cited By (26)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20070163275A1 (en) * | 2006-01-14 | 2007-07-19 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Supercooling apparatus and control method thereof |
US20080168792A1 (en) * | 2007-01-17 | 2008-07-17 | Sub-Zero Freezer Company, Inc. | Chilled food storage area for refrigerated appliance |
US20080256964A1 (en) * | 2007-03-31 | 2008-10-23 | Soo Kwan Lee | Refrigerator and controlling method of the same |
JP2010230224A (en) * | 2009-03-26 | 2010-10-14 | Haier Sanyo Electric Co Ltd | Refrigerator-freezer |
US20120230661A1 (en) * | 2008-11-11 | 2012-09-13 | Emerson Electric Co. | Apparatus and Method for Control of a Thermostat |
WO2012128208A1 (en) * | 2011-03-18 | 2012-09-27 | 株式会社MARS Company | Refrigeration storage unit |
US20120304667A1 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2012-12-06 | Jaehoon Shin | Refrigerator |
US20120305570A1 (en) * | 2010-02-12 | 2012-12-06 | Angelantoni Life Science S.R.L | Fast freezer for bags with detection of the bag temperature |
US20130160467A1 (en) * | 2011-12-22 | 2013-06-27 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Refrigeration device with a region for storing food items in a generated field |
US20140083129A1 (en) * | 2012-04-04 | 2014-03-27 | Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation | Refrigerator having temperature changing room |
EP2677256A3 (en) * | 2012-06-22 | 2016-09-07 | LG Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US9989300B1 (en) | 2013-10-28 | 2018-06-05 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Modular refrigeration device |
US10149487B2 (en) | 2014-02-18 | 2018-12-11 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Supercooled beverage crystallization slush device with illumination |
CN109737684A (en) * | 2018-12-11 | 2019-05-10 | 青岛海尔股份有限公司 | The control method of side by side combination refrigerator |
US10302354B2 (en) | 2013-10-28 | 2019-05-28 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Precision supercooling refrigeration device |
USD854890S1 (en) | 2015-05-28 | 2019-07-30 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Supercooled beverage crystallization slush device with illumination |
US10378812B2 (en) * | 2016-12-21 | 2019-08-13 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator including quick-chilling chamber |
EP3286507B1 (en) * | 2015-04-21 | 2020-08-19 | BSH Hausgeräte GmbH | A domestic cooling device with shock freezing |
WO2020205877A1 (en) * | 2019-04-05 | 2020-10-08 | Pepsico, Inc. | Cooler for beverage containers |
US11346591B2 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2022-05-31 | Electrolux Do Brasil S.A. | Single air passageway and damper assembly in a variable climate zone compartment |
US11512888B2 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2022-11-29 | Electrolux Do Brasil S.A. | Air passageways in a variable climate zone compartment |
US11640741B2 (en) | 2019-03-25 | 2023-05-02 | Pepsico, Inc. | Beverage container dispenser and method for dispensing beverage containers |
US11680742B2 (en) | 2017-09-22 | 2023-06-20 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator including a drawer supporter having a cold air discharge port |
US11747074B2 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2023-09-05 | Electrolux Do Brasil S.A. | Heater in a variable climate zone compartment |
DE102022117539A1 (en) | 2022-07-13 | 2024-01-18 | Liebherr-Hausgeräte Lienz Gmbh | Refrigerator and/or freezer |
US11910815B2 (en) | 2019-12-02 | 2024-02-27 | Pepsico, Inc. | Device and method for nucleation of a supercooled beverage |
Families Citing this family (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR101143975B1 (en) | 2008-12-16 | 2012-05-09 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
WO2010071326A2 (en) * | 2008-12-16 | 2010-06-24 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
WO2010071323A2 (en) * | 2008-12-16 | 2010-06-24 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
KR101040804B1 (en) * | 2009-01-21 | 2011-06-13 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Slush maker |
CN108397960A (en) * | 2011-07-31 | 2018-08-14 | 博西华家用电器有限公司 | Refrigerator |
CN102519208B (en) * | 2011-12-08 | 2014-03-12 | 南通大学 | Supercooling room at bar door of refrigerator for manufacturing supercooling liquid |
CN102506538A (en) * | 2011-12-08 | 2012-06-20 | 南通大学 | Direct cooling type super-cooling refrigerator |
CN102519207B (en) * | 2011-12-08 | 2013-11-27 | 南通大学 | Device capable of providing cool air for overcooling chamber of refrigerator bar door |
KR101902582B1 (en) | 2012-06-12 | 2018-09-28 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
KR101902583B1 (en) | 2012-06-12 | 2018-11-13 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
WO2014010771A1 (en) * | 2012-07-13 | 2014-01-16 | 수퍼쿨러 주식회사 | Supercooling freezer |
CN103175375A (en) * | 2013-03-19 | 2013-06-26 | 合肥晶弘电器有限公司 | Refrigerating and freshness retaining storage method of refrigerator |
US11105549B2 (en) * | 2018-10-15 | 2021-08-31 | Haier Us Appliance Solutions, Inc. | Refrigerator appliance with a convertible compartment |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5228499A (en) * | 1990-10-15 | 1993-07-20 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator including a fermentation and ensilage compartment, and the control method thereof |
US5896748A (en) * | 1996-10-30 | 1999-04-27 | Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd. | Control method and cook-chill system of a refrigerator/freezer combination |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR0117183Y1 (en) * | 1994-01-26 | 1998-06-15 | 김광호 | Kimchi chamber air circuit structure for a refrigerator |
JPH11211319A (en) * | 1998-01-28 | 1999-08-06 | Matsushita Refrig Co Ltd | Refrigerator |
JP2003065622A (en) * | 2001-08-22 | 2003-03-05 | Sharp Corp | Stirling refrigerator |
US7032407B2 (en) * | 2003-06-27 | 2006-04-25 | General Electric Company | Methods and apparatus for refrigerator compartment |
-
2006
- 2006-01-14 KR KR1020060004207A patent/KR20070075677A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2006-07-07 US US11/482,039 patent/US20070163289A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2006-07-18 EP EP06014948A patent/EP1813894A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2006-07-27 CN CNA200610108087XA patent/CN101000199A/en active Pending
- 2006-07-27 RU RU2006127370/12A patent/RU2324124C1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5228499A (en) * | 1990-10-15 | 1993-07-20 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator including a fermentation and ensilage compartment, and the control method thereof |
US5896748A (en) * | 1996-10-30 | 1999-04-27 | Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd. | Control method and cook-chill system of a refrigerator/freezer combination |
Cited By (40)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7621139B2 (en) * | 2006-01-14 | 2009-11-24 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Supercooling apparatus and control method thereof |
US20070163275A1 (en) * | 2006-01-14 | 2007-07-19 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Supercooling apparatus and control method thereof |
US20080168792A1 (en) * | 2007-01-17 | 2008-07-17 | Sub-Zero Freezer Company, Inc. | Chilled food storage area for refrigerated appliance |
US7665327B2 (en) | 2007-01-17 | 2010-02-23 | Sub-Zero, Inc. | Chilled food storage area for refrigerated appliance |
US20080256964A1 (en) * | 2007-03-31 | 2008-10-23 | Soo Kwan Lee | Refrigerator and controlling method of the same |
US20120230661A1 (en) * | 2008-11-11 | 2012-09-13 | Emerson Electric Co. | Apparatus and Method for Control of a Thermostat |
JP2010230224A (en) * | 2009-03-26 | 2010-10-14 | Haier Sanyo Electric Co Ltd | Refrigerator-freezer |
US20120305570A1 (en) * | 2010-02-12 | 2012-12-06 | Angelantoni Life Science S.R.L | Fast freezer for bags with detection of the bag temperature |
WO2012128208A1 (en) * | 2011-03-18 | 2012-09-27 | 株式会社MARS Company | Refrigeration storage unit |
US20120304667A1 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2012-12-06 | Jaehoon Shin | Refrigerator |
US10309696B2 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2019-06-04 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US9464825B2 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2016-10-11 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US9845976B2 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2017-12-19 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US9109819B2 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2015-08-18 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US20150308721A1 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2015-10-29 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US20160377329A1 (en) * | 2011-05-31 | 2016-12-29 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US20130160467A1 (en) * | 2011-12-22 | 2013-06-27 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Refrigeration device with a region for storing food items in a generated field |
CN104204696A (en) * | 2012-04-04 | 2014-12-10 | 东部大宇电子株式会社 | Refrigerator having temperature transition room |
US20140083129A1 (en) * | 2012-04-04 | 2014-03-27 | Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation | Refrigerator having temperature changing room |
EP2677256A3 (en) * | 2012-06-22 | 2016-09-07 | LG Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US9677801B2 (en) | 2012-06-22 | 2017-06-13 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator |
US9989300B1 (en) | 2013-10-28 | 2018-06-05 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Modular refrigeration device |
US10302354B2 (en) | 2013-10-28 | 2019-05-28 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Precision supercooling refrigeration device |
US10149487B2 (en) | 2014-02-18 | 2018-12-11 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Supercooled beverage crystallization slush device with illumination |
US10959446B2 (en) | 2014-02-18 | 2021-03-30 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Supercooled beverage crystallization slush device with illumination |
EP3286507B1 (en) * | 2015-04-21 | 2020-08-19 | BSH Hausgeräte GmbH | A domestic cooling device with shock freezing |
USD854890S1 (en) | 2015-05-28 | 2019-07-30 | Supercooler Technologies, Inc. | Supercooled beverage crystallization slush device with illumination |
US10378812B2 (en) * | 2016-12-21 | 2019-08-13 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator including quick-chilling chamber |
US11680742B2 (en) | 2017-09-22 | 2023-06-20 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Refrigerator including a drawer supporter having a cold air discharge port |
US11346591B2 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2022-05-31 | Electrolux Do Brasil S.A. | Single air passageway and damper assembly in a variable climate zone compartment |
US11512888B2 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2022-11-29 | Electrolux Do Brasil S.A. | Air passageways in a variable climate zone compartment |
US11747074B2 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2023-09-05 | Electrolux Do Brasil S.A. | Heater in a variable climate zone compartment |
US11828517B2 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2023-11-28 | Electrolux Do Brasil S.A. | Single air passageway and damper assembly in a variable climate zone compartment |
CN109737684A (en) * | 2018-12-11 | 2019-05-10 | 青岛海尔股份有限公司 | The control method of side by side combination refrigerator |
US11640741B2 (en) | 2019-03-25 | 2023-05-02 | Pepsico, Inc. | Beverage container dispenser and method for dispensing beverage containers |
US11837059B2 (en) | 2019-03-25 | 2023-12-05 | Pepsico, Inc. | Beverage container dispenser and method for dispensing beverage containers |
WO2020205877A1 (en) * | 2019-04-05 | 2020-10-08 | Pepsico, Inc. | Cooler for beverage containers |
US20200315373A1 (en) * | 2019-04-05 | 2020-10-08 | Pepsico, Inc. | Cooler for beverage containers |
US11910815B2 (en) | 2019-12-02 | 2024-02-27 | Pepsico, Inc. | Device and method for nucleation of a supercooled beverage |
DE102022117539A1 (en) | 2022-07-13 | 2024-01-18 | Liebherr-Hausgeräte Lienz Gmbh | Refrigerator and/or freezer |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1813894A3 (en) | 2009-12-30 |
KR20070075677A (en) | 2007-07-24 |
CN101000199A (en) | 2007-07-18 |
RU2324124C1 (en) | 2008-05-10 |
EP1813894A2 (en) | 2007-08-01 |
RU2006127370A (en) | 2008-02-10 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20070163289A1 (en) | Refrigerator and method for producing supercooled liquid | |
US7856832B2 (en) | Refrigerator with supercooled beverage dispenser and method for controlling the same | |
JP5043938B2 (en) | Refrigerator having cold air circulation device and control method of cold air circulation | |
US20080245079A1 (en) | Method and apparatus maintaining liquid beverages in a supercooled state | |
JP2002174480A (en) | Chill passage device of refrigerator | |
JPH07218091A (en) | Refrigerator in which cold-air guide path is mounted | |
KR100828046B1 (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP2001330361A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JPH0719700A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP2002098465A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JPH11270956A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JPH10332241A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP3322495B2 (en) | Freezer refrigerator | |
JP2002107041A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JPH10332242A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP2004053091A (en) | Refrigerator, method for cooling inside of refrigerator, and exclusive compartment of refrigerator | |
JP2001174131A (en) | Electric refrigerator | |
KR100479493B1 (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP2001215075A (en) | One box type multicell refrigerator car | |
JP2003090665A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP2021089107A (en) | refrigerator | |
KR100414288B1 (en) | Refrigerator having apparatus of cooling air supply | |
JPH10332240A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JPH03241275A (en) | Cold accumulating-type thermal insulating container | |
JPH0571851A (en) | Freezing refrigerator |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HAHM, KYUNG HEE;LEE, JAE SEUNG;LEE, HYE RAN;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:018093/0447 Effective date: 20060629 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |