WO2021080136A1

WO2021080136A1 - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: WO2021080136A1
Application number: PCT/KR2020/010516
Authority: WO
Inventors: 유수철; 유정우; 윤원재; 김창현; 박경근; 서국정; 이지숙
Original assignee: 삼성전자주식회사
Priority date: 2019-10-21
Filing date: 2020-08-10
Publication date: 2021-04-29
Also published as: KR20210047019A

Abstract

Disclosed is a refrigerator. The disclosed refrigerator comprises: a cabinet; a storage chamber provided inside the cabinet; a door provided on the front surface of the cabinet so as to open and close the storage chamber; a partition vertically formed on the front surface of the cabinet; a machine chamber formed below the cabinet; an outlet which is formed on one side of the machine chamber and discharges high-temperature air present inside the machine chamber; a flow path which is formed between the outlet and the front surface of the partition so that the high-temperature air discharged through the outlet is guided toward the partition; and a fan which is disposed below the cabinet so that the high-temperature air is suctioned and forcibly blown toward the partition.

Description

Refrigerator

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a structure for preventing condensation from forming in front of a cabinet.

In general, in a refrigerator, the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment are arranged in parallel on the left and right sides by a partition arranged vertically on the main body with the front open, and the refrigerating compartment door and the freezing compartment door are installed in the front of the opened main body around both ends of the main body. It has a structure that opens and closes the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment.

On the other hand, moisture contained in the air outside the refrigerator is condensed between the edges of the refrigerator door and the freezer door and the front of the main body due to the temperature difference between the inside of the refrigerator and the freezer with a relatively low temperature and the outside of the refrigerator with a relatively high temperature. Condensation may occur.

In order to prevent such condensation, a hot pipe for circulating by bypassing part of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor may be buried in front of the main body, the partition and the cabinet flange.

In order to reliably prevent condensation between the refrigerating compartment door and the freezing compartment door and the partition, these hot pipes are arranged so as to extend from the top to the bottom of the partition by forming at least two rows to transfer heat to the front of the partition. Avoid condensation on partitions, refrigerator doors, and freezer doors.

However, as described above, when the hot pipe is arranged in a plurality of rows in front of the partition, and the overall length of the hot pipe becomes longer, the front of the partition becomes excessively heated and acts as a heat load that transfers unnecessary heat to the refrigerator and freezer. In order to keep the refrigerator and freezer at a lower temperature, more power consumption is required, and the material cost of the hot pipe increases.

An aspect of the present invention provides a refrigerator that prevents condensation from forming by using waste heat in a machine room.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a refrigerator that reduces heat load and power consumption by preventing unnecessary heat from being supplied to a flange.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a refrigerator that reduces heat load and power consumption by removing a hot pipe.

The refrigerator according to the present invention includes a cabinet, a storage compartment provided inside the cabinet, a door provided on the front side of the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment, a partition formed in a vertical direction on the front side of the cabinet, and formed under the cabinet. A machine room, an outlet formed on one side of the machine room to discharge hot air in the machine room, a flow path formed between the outlet and the front surface of the partition so as to guide the hot air discharged from the outlet toward the partition, and the hot air It may include a fan disposed under the cabinet so as to suck in and blow air forcibly toward the partition.

The fan may be disposed in the flow path to suck the hot air discharged from the discharge port and discharge it toward the partition.

It may further include a bracket provided under the front of the cabinet so that the fan is installed.

The flow path may include a bracket flow path formed on the bracket to guide the hot air discharged from the fan to a lower front surface of the partition.

The bracket may include a first panel portion disposed adjacent to a front surface of the partition, and the first panel portion may include a bracket outlet through which the hot air is discharged from the bracket flow path to the front surface of the partition.

The bracket further includes a second panel portion bent from the first panel portion and extending downward, and a third panel portion bent from the second panel portion to face the first panel portion, and the fan It is installed on the three panel portion, and the third panel portion may include a suction port so that the fan sucks the high-temperature air.

The bracket flow path may include a first portion extending in a left or right direction to guide the hot air discharged from the fan, and a second portion extending from the first portion toward the bracket outlet.

The flow path is a first flow path, and the refrigerator may further include a second flow path for guiding the hot air from a lower portion to an upper portion of the partition.

The second flow path may include a vertical guide extending from a lower portion of the partition to an upper portion of the partition.

The fan may be disposed above the cabinet to suck the hot air through the second flow path.

The flow path may include a duct for guiding the hot air to the fan.

It may further include a flange portion provided at both ends of the cabinet, and an additional fan provided to forcibly blow hot air discharged from the outlet to the flange portion.

The additional fan may be disposed under the flange portion.

In the machine room, a compressor and a condenser for cooling the storage room are disposed, and the high-temperature air may be formed from heat generated by the compressor or condenser.

A refrigerator according to the present invention opens and closes a cabinet, a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment provided inside the cabinet, a partition extending in the vertical direction to partition the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment, and the first storage compartment. The first door is provided on one side of the front of the cabinet to open and close the partition when it is closed, and is provided on the other side of the front of the cabinet to open and close the second storage compartment, and to be spaced apart from the first door when closed. A second door supported on the front side of the partition, a machine room formed under the cabinet, an outlet formed on one side of the machine room to discharge hot air in the machine room, and the hot air discharged from the discharge port with the first door A flow path formed between the outlet and a lower front portion of the partition to guide the second door toward the front side of the partition, and a lower portion of the cabinet to forcibly discharge the hot air toward the front side of the partition. It may include a fan to be placed.

According to the idea of the present invention, by supplying hot air in the machine room to the partition, it is possible to reduce the heat load penetrating into the refrigerator and reduce the flow path resistance of the refrigerant to improve power consumption.

According to the idea of the present invention, manufacturing productivity may be improved by removing a hot pipe having a long length and a complex shape in a refrigerator manufacturing process.

1 is a view showing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lower portion of a cabinet in the refrigerator of FIG. 1.

3 is a view showing the front of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a lower portion of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a fan and a bracket under the cabinet shown in FIG. 1 from the rear.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a fan and a bracket under the cabinet shown in FIG. 1.

7 is a diagram illustrating a flow path duct of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a diagram illustrating a flow path guide of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a view illustrating a lower portion of a refrigerator cabinet according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a diagram illustrating a top surface of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

11 is an enlarged view illustrating a cross section of an upper surface of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

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

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

In addition, terms used herein are used to describe the embodiments, and are not intended to limit and/or limit the disclosed invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features. It does not preclude the presence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

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

Meanwhile, the terms "up-down direction", "lower side", and "front-back direction" used in the following description are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by this term.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a direction in which the partition 20 of the refrigerator 1 is exposed is defined as the front, and based on this, rear, left and right sides, and upper and lower sides are defined.

In general, refrigerators can be classified according to the shape of the storage compartment and the door.

A TMF (Top Mounted Freezer) type refrigerator in which the storage compartment is divided up and down by a horizontal partition to form a freezing compartment on the upper side and a refrigeration compartment on the lower side, and a Bottom Mounted Freezer (BMF) in which a refrigeration compartment is formed on the upper side and a freezer compartment on the lower side. I have a refrigerator.

In addition, there is an SBS (Side By Side) type refrigerator in which the storage compartment is partitioned left and right by a vertical partition, a freezer compartment is formed on one side, and a refrigeration compartment is formed on the other side. There is a French Door Refrigerator (FDR) type refrigerator in which a freezer compartment is formed on the lower side and the refrigerating compartment on the upper side is opened and closed by a pair of doors.

In the present embodiment, an SBS type refrigerator is described for convenience of description, but is not limited thereto.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. Each of the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber is cooled through a refrigeration cycle provided in the refrigerator 1 to lower the temperature of the food and maintain freshness.

The refrigerator 1 may include a storage room 20 inside the cabinet 10, a door 30 provided in the front of the cabinet 10, and a partition 40 formed in a vertical direction on the front of the cabinet 10. have. Although illustrated as a two-door refrigerator in the drawing, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the storage compartment 20 and the door 30 may be formed in at least one or a plurality of pieces. In this case, the freezing chamber may be the first storage chamber 21 and the refrigerating chamber may be the second storage chamber 22.

The storage compartment 20 can be opened and closed by a door. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the first storage compartment 21 may be opened and closed by the first door 31. The first door 31 is a rotating door rotatably coupled to the cabinet 10 to open and close the first storage compartment 21.

The second storage compartment 22 may also be opened and closed by the second door 32. The second door 32 is a rotating door rotatably coupled to the cabinet 10 to open and close the second storage compartment 22.

Referring to FIG. 2, a lower portion of the cabinet 10 may include a machine room, a flow path 70 for guiding hot air toward the partition, and a fan 90 for sucking hot air and blowing it to the partition 40. The machine room may include an outlet 61. The hot air may be discharged from the outlet 61 and flow to the fan through the flow path 70.

3 is a view showing the front of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the machine room may further include a compressor 62 for compressing the refrigerant at high pressure, a condenser 63 for condensing the compressed refrigerant, and a circulation fan 66 for circulating high temperature air in the machine room. . The compressor 62 may compress the refrigerant and move it to the condenser 63.

The cooling cycle may include an expander (not shown) for expanding the refrigerant to a low pressure, an evaporator 64 for supplying cold air, a compressor 62 and a condenser 63.

The high-temperature air in the machine room is generated by the compressor 62 and the condenser 63, and may be discharged from the discharge port 61 toward the flow path 70. The circulation fan 66 may be provided to smooth the flow of air flowing in the condenser 63, the compressor 62, and the machine room.

The evaporator 64 may be configured to produce cold air. The evaporator 64 may include a first evaporator 64a that generates cold air supplied to the first storage chamber 21 and a second evaporator 64b that generates cold air supplied to the second storage chamber 22. .

The cooling cycle allows the refrigerant to flow. The compressor 62 may compress the refrigerant and move it to the condenser 63. The condenser 63 may condense the refrigerant and move it to an expander. The expanded refrigerant may sequentially flow to the first evaporator 64a and the second evaporator 64b. In this case, the hot air generated in the cooling cycle may be supplied to the partition 40.

The first evaporator 64a that generates cold air supplied to the first storage chamber 21 used as a freezing chamber may have a larger capacity than the second evaporator 64b that generates cold air supplied to the second storage chamber 22. .

FIG. 4 is a view showing a lower portion of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, a fan 90 may be provided under the cabinet 10 to blow hot air from the machine room to the partition 40. The fan 90 is connected to the outlet 61 through a flow path and may be formed to be spaced apart from the lower part of the front of the partition 40.

The cabinet 10 may include a partition 40 formed at the center of the front side and flange portions 50 formed at both sides of the front side.

The flange portion 50 may include a left flange portion 51 provided on the left side when viewed from the front of the refrigerator, and a right flange portion 52 provided on the right side when viewed from the front side of the refrigerator.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a fan and a bracket under the cabinet shown in FIG. 1 from the rear. FIG. 6 is a front view of a fan and a bracket under the cabinet shown in FIG. 1.

5 and 6, a bracket on which a fan 90 is disposed is formed under the cabinet 10. The bracket may include a first panel part 110, a second panel part 120, a third panel part 130, and a bracket flow path 131.

The first panel unit 110 may be formed to be adjacent to the front surface of the partition 40 in an upward direction. The second panel unit 120 may be bent from the first panel unit 110 and extend downward. The third panel portion 130 may be formed to face by being bent from the second panel portion 120.

The second panel unit 120 may be disposed to be exposed to the front of the refrigerator. The third panel unit 130 may be formed to be wider than the first panel unit 110 to accommodate the fan 90 and the bracket flow path 131.

The fan 90 may include a suction port 91. The fan 90 may be disposed on the third panel unit 130. The inlet 91 may suck hot air through the fan 90 and blow it to the lower front of the partition 40. The suction port 91 may be provided to see the downward direction of the cabinet.

The bracket may include a coupling portion for coupling the fan 90 and the third panel portion 130. The coupling portion may include a first coupling portion 91 and a second coupling portion 92. The first coupling portion 91 and the second coupling portion 92 may be disposed in a diagonal direction to be stably coupled.

In the drawing, the first coupling portion 91 and the second coupling portion 92 are illustrated as two, but are not limited thereto and may include at least one or a plurality of coupling portions.

Further, in the drawings, the coupling portion is illustrated as a pin coupling, but is not limited thereto and may be coupled in various ways.

The bracket flow path 131 may be formed to guide hot air to the lower front surface of the partition 40. The bracket flow path 131 and the fan 90 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 4 and may be freely provided in the bracket.

The bracket flow path 131 may include a first portion 131a and a second portion 131b. The first portion 131a may extend in a length direction so that hot air flows. The second portion 131b may extend in a curve toward the bracket outlet 111.

In the drawing, the bracket flow path 131 is illustrated as a first part 131a and a second part 131b, but is not limited thereto and is provided in various parts and shapes according to the structure of the bracket and

panel parts

110, 120, 130 Can be.

The first panel unit 110 may include a bracket outlet 111. The bracket outlet 111 is connected to the bracket flow path 131 to discharge hot air to the front surface of the partition 40.

In the drawing, the bracket outlet 111 is illustrated in a square shape, but is not limited thereto and may include various shapes such as a circle and an oval.

Referring to FIG. 7, a flow path 70 is formed under the cabinet 10, and the flow path 70 may include a duct 140 for guiding hot air to the fan 90.

The duct 140 may include a first surface 141 and a second surface 142. The first surface 141 may be formed on both left and right sides of the duct 140 to prevent hot air from flowing out to the side.

The second surface 142 may be formed on the lower surface to guide the hot air to the fan 90. That is, hot air may flow between the lower portion of the cabinet 10 and the second surface 142.

The second surface 142 may be formed wider than the first surface 141 in order to guide the hot air to the fan 90.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flow path 70 is formed under the cabinet 10, and the flow path 70 may include a lower guide 150 for guiding hot air to the fan 90. In the drawing, the lower guide 150 is shown as a pair of different lengths, but is not limited thereto and may be provided as a pair of the same length.

9 is a diagram illustrating a lower portion of a refrigerator cabinet according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, when there are a plurality of fans 90, high-temperature air may be supplied to the flange portion 50 as well, so that dew formation of the flange portion 50 may be prevented. In FIGS. 2 and 9, one or three fans 90 are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the fan 90 and the flow path 70 may be formed as at least one or a plurality of fans.

The fan 90 may be disposed between the left flange portion 51 and the partition 40 or between the right flange portion 52 and the partition 40.

Referring to FIG. 10, the fan 190 may be disposed on the upper surface of the cabinet 10. The partition 40 may include a vertical guide 80 extending in the vertical direction to supply hot air from the bottom to the top. The upper and lower guides 80 are expressed in a linear shape in the drawing, but are not limited thereto and may have various shapes.

The fan 190 may be disposed at a portion adjacent to the upper and lower guides 80. In this case, the fan 190 may suck high-temperature air discharged from the machine room under the cabinet 10 to the upper portion. The fan 190 may be provided between the upper part of the cabinet 10 and the upper part of the

flange

53 and 54. In the drawing, only one fan 190 is illustrated, but at least one or a plurality of fans 190 may be provided. For example, when there are two fans 90, the fans 190 may be provided at a portion adjacent to the upper left flange 53 and a portion adjacent to the upper right flange 54, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 11, the bracket outlet 111 may be disposed between the first door 31 and the second door 32. In this case, the hot air discharged from the bracket outlet may be supplied from the lower portion to the upper portion of the front of the partition 40 through the upper and lower guides 80 between the first door 31 and the second door 32.

The fan 190 may be formed inside so as not to accumulate external dust or the like. In addition, an inlet (not shown) of the fan 190 may be provided to look downward to inhale hot air.

In the above, specific embodiments have been illustrated and described. However, it is not limited only to the above-described embodiments, and those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the invention pertains will be able to perform various changes without departing from the gist of the technical idea of the invention described in the following claims. .

Claims

cabinet;

A storage compartment provided inside the cabinet;

A door provided in the front of the cabinet to open and close the storage compartment;

A partition formed in a vertical direction on the front surface of the cabinet;

A machine room formed under the cabinet;

An outlet formed on one side of the machine room to discharge hot air in the machine room;

A flow path formed between the discharge port and the front surface of the partition to guide the hot air discharged from the discharge port toward the partition; And

And a fan disposed under the cabinet to suck in the hot air and forcibly blow it toward the partition.
The method of claim 1,

The fan is a refrigerator disposed in the flow path to suck in the hot air discharged from the outlet and discharge it toward the partition.
The method of claim 2,

Refrigerator further comprising a bracket provided under the front of the cabinet so that the fan is installed.
The method of claim 3,

The flow path is a refrigerator including a bracket flow path formed in the bracket to guide the hot air discharged from the fan to a lower front portion of the partition.
The method of claim 3,

The bracket includes a first panel portion disposed adjacent to the front surface of the partition,

The refrigerator including a bracket outlet through which the hot air is discharged from the bracket flow path to the front surface of the partition.
The method of claim 5,

The bracket further includes a second panel portion bent from the first panel portion and extending downward, and a third panel portion bent from the second panel portion to face the first panel portion,

The fan is installed on the third panel unit, and the third panel unit includes a suction port through which the fan sucks the high temperature air.
The method of claim 6,

The bracket flow path includes a first portion extending in a left or right direction to guide the hot air discharged from the fan, and a second portion extending from the first portion toward the bracket outlet.
The method of claim 1,

The flow path is a first flow path,

The refrigerator further includes a second flow path for guiding the hot air from a lower portion to an upper portion of the partition.
The method of claim 8,

The second flow path includes a vertical guide extending from a lower portion of the partition to an upper portion of the partition.
The method of claim 8,

The fan is disposed above the cabinet to suck the hot air through the second flow path.
The method of claim 1,

The flow path is a refrigerator including a duct for guiding the hot air to the fan.
The method of claim 11,

A refrigerator further comprising a flange portion provided at both ends of the cabinet and an additional fan provided to forcibly blow hot air discharged from the outlet to the flange portion.
The method of claim 12,

The additional fan is disposed under the flange part.
The method of claim 1,

The machine room is provided with a compressor and a condenser for cooling the storage room,

The high-temperature air is formed from heat generated by a compressor or a condenser.
cabinet;

A first storage room and a second storage room provided inside the cabinet;

A partition extending in a vertical direction to partition the first storage compartment and the second storage compartment;

A first door provided on one side of the front side of the cabinet to open and close the first storage compartment, and supported on the front side of the partition when closed;

A second door provided on the other side of the front of the cabinet to open and close the second storage compartment, and supported on the front of the partition so as to be spaced apart from the first door when closed;

A machine room formed under the cabinet;

An outlet formed on one side of the machine room to discharge hot air in the machine room;

A flow path formed between the discharge port and a lower front portion of the partition to guide the hot air discharged from the discharge port toward the front surface of the partition on which the first door and the second door are supported; And

And a fan disposed under the cabinet to suck in the hot air and forcibly discharge it toward the front of the partition.
The method of claim 15,

The fan is a refrigerator disposed in the flow path to suck in the hot air discharged from the outlet and discharge it toward the partition.
The method of claim 16,

Refrigerator further comprising a bracket provided under the front of the cabinet so that the fan is installed.
The method of claim 17,

The flow path is a refrigerator including a bracket flow path formed in the bracket to guide the hot air discharged from the fan to a lower front portion of the partition.
The method of claim 17,

The bracket includes a first panel portion disposed adjacent to the front surface of the partition,

The refrigerator including a bracket outlet through which the hot air is discharged from the bracket flow path to the front surface of the partition.
The method of claim 19,

The bracket further includes a second panel portion bent from the first panel portion and extending downward, and a third panel portion bent from the second panel portion to face the first panel portion,

The fan is installed on the third panel unit, and the third panel unit includes a suction port through which the fan sucks the high temperature air.