JP4833337B2 - Refrigerator with temperature control room - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a temperature control chamber, and more particularly to a refrigerator having a temperature control chamber capable of changing the temperature in the temperature control chamber from the refrigeration temperature to the refrigeration temperature or from the refrigeration temperature to the refrigeration temperature. Relates to a refrigerator having a temperature control room provided separately from a freezer room and a refrigerator room, which can improve the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.

  Generally, a refrigerator is equipped with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator, so that the freshness of the food product can be maintained for a long time by the cold air generated using these components. is there. In such a refrigerator, a freezer room for storing foods in a frozen state and a refrigerator room for storing foods in a refrigerated store are defined inside the main body that forms the exterior of the refrigerator, and the food items are stored in accordance with the storage temperature. It can be stored in either a refrigerator or freezer.

  However, such a refrigerator is configured to have only two storage spaces including a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, and in order to store food products at a desired predetermined temperature, the temperature of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment is It is fixed. Therefore, when storing various food products, there is a problem that it is difficult to store the food products at different storage temperatures.

  In recent years, in order to solve such a problem, a separate storage space is provided in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator, and by controlling the amount of cold air flowing from the refrigerator compartment, the food products are stored separately at different storage temperatures. I was able to do it.

  FIG.1 and FIG.2 is a figure which shows the structure of a refrigerator provided with the conventional temperature control room. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional refrigerator 10 is divided into a freezer compartment 20 and a refrigerator compartment 30 for storing food products, and the refrigerator compartment 30 is partitioned at the lower part thereof. A temperature control chamber 40 is provided as a separate storage space. The temperature control chamber 40 is configured to have a drawer-type storage, or a separate door provided therein.

  In the refrigerator 10, the cold air generated by the evaporator 50 is supplied to the freezer compartment 20 by the freezer fan 60, and a part of the cold air supplied to the freezer compartment 20 is supplied via the cold air inlet 70. It flows into the refrigerator compartment 30. Further, the cold air flowing into the refrigerating room 30 is circulated by the refrigerating room blower fan 61 to cool the refrigerating room 30. Thereafter, a part of the cold air in the refrigerator compartment 30 flows into the temperature control chamber 40 through the cold air inlet 71 formed in the lower part of the refrigerator compartment 30.

  However, in the case of the refrigerator 10 having the above-described conventional temperature control chamber 40, the temperature control chamber 40 is used to take out the food stored in the temperature control chamber 40 or store the food in the temperature control chamber 40. Since it is necessary to open the door 32 of the refrigerator compartment 30 first, it is very inconvenient.

  Moreover, when using the temperature control room 40, since the refrigerator compartment 30 must be opened, the cold air in a refrigerator compartment escapes. As a result, in order to cool a refrigerator compartment, there exists a problem that the total power consumption of a refrigerator will increase.

  Further, since the entire cooling cycle of the refrigerator must be executed in order to control the temperature of the temperature control chamber 40 to be the set temperature after use of the temperature control chamber 40, the total efficiency of the refrigerator is reduced. There is a problem of end.

  Moreover, since the set temperature of the temperature control chamber 40 is adjusted by the amount of cold air supplied from the freezer compartment 20 or the refrigerator compartment 30, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately maintain the set temperature of the temperature control chamber 40. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to refrigerate foodstuffs at different storage temperatures by forming a separate storage space provided separately from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment. Or it is providing the refrigerator which has a temperature control room which can change storage temperature so that it can be frozen.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator having a temperature control chamber in which the storage temperature for storing food products can be accurately controlled, and to improve the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.

  According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a refrigerator including a freezing room and a refrigeration room for storing foods includes a temperature control room provided separately from the freezing room and the refrigeration room, A temperature control chamber door, a cooling unit disposed in the temperature control chamber and supplying cool air to the temperature control chamber, and a cool air formed in the temperature control chamber and supplied from the cooling unit in the temperature control chamber. A duct that defines a flow path for circulation, a blower fan that blows the cool air supplied from the cooling unit via the duct, and the temperature of the temperature control chamber is maintained at a set temperature. A control unit that generates a control signal for operating the cooling unit and the blower fan.

  As described above, the present invention uses a separate storage space provided separately from the conventional refrigeration room and freezer room, thereby allowing food items to be refrigerated or frozen according to the user's selection. There is an effect that can be done. Further, the temperature of the temperature control chamber can be accurately controlled using the main cooling unit or the auxiliary cooling unit. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the power consumption consumed to supply the cold air is reduced by separately operating the cooling unit that supplies the cold air based on the magnitude of the temperature difference between the current temperature and the set temperature. There is an advantage that it can be improved efficiently.

It is a perspective view which shows the refrigerator which has the conventional temperature control room. It is a schematic front sectional view along the AA line of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the refrigerator which has the temperature control room by embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front sectional view along the BB line of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional side view along CC line of the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of another Example of the temperature control chamber by embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of another Example of the temperature control chamber by embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the operation state of the temperature control chamber shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure for controlling the temperature of the temperature control room of the refrigerator by embodiment of this invention.

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

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator having a temperature control chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic front sectional view showing a cross section taken along line BB of the refrigerator shown in FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the refrigerator of the present invention includes a main body 100, a freezer compartment 200 and a refrigeration compartment 300 for storing food products, which are partitioned by the upper part of the main body 100, and a lower part of the main body 100. A separate temperature control chamber 400 for storing foods provided separately from the freezer compartment 200 and the refrigerator compartment 300, an evaporator 220 for supplying cold air to the refrigerator, and the user can enter the freezer compartment 200 and the refrigerator compartment 300. And an operation panel 110 that can select a set temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 as desired.

  The freezing chamber 200 is a blower fan that blows and circulates cold air generated by a freezing chamber door 210 attached to one side of the main body 100, for example, the upper right side of the main body 100, and the evaporator 220 to the freezing chamber 200. 230.

  The refrigerator compartment 300 and the freezer compartment 200 are partitioned by a vertical partition 130. The refrigerating room 300 includes a refrigerating room door 310 attached to one side of the main body 100, for example, the left side of the main body 100. The refrigerating room 300 includes a blower fan 320 for blowing and circulating a part of the cold air generated by the evaporator 220 to the refrigerating room 300. However, the cold air is supplied through a cold air flow inlet 120 formed by a vertical partition wall 130.

  On the other hand, the temperature control chamber 400 is partitioned by a horizontal partition 140 at the lower part of the main body 100, and is provided separately from the freezer compartment 200 and the refrigerator compartment 300. A temperature control chamber door 410 is attached to the front surface of the temperature control chamber 400. Although not shown in detail in the drawings, the temperature control chamber 400 uses the door 410 to push and pull the temperature control chamber 400 horizontally to open and close the temperature control chamber 400. It should be understood that this is a drawer type chamber designed to be able to.

  The temperature control chamber 400 includes a main cooling unit 420 and an auxiliary cooling unit 430 for supplying cold air to the temperature control chamber 400. The main cooling unit 420 and the auxiliary cooling unit 430 are separate devices from the evaporator 220 for supplying cold air to the freezer compartment 200 and the refrigerator compartment 300.

  Furthermore, the temperature control room 400 supplies the cool air to the temperature control room 400 and circulates the temperature of the freezing room and the refrigerating room according to the set temperature selected using the blower fan 440 and the operation panel 110. A control unit 500 (see FIG. 8) that controls the temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 is included separately from the control.

  The temperature control room 400 having the above-described configuration may be used as a separate freezer or refrigeration room according to the user's selection. For this reason, foodstuffs can be stored over a long period of time at different storage temperatures selected by the user, improving usability.

  The main cooling unit 420 is disposed behind the temperature control chamber 400 and supplies the temperature control chamber 400 with cold air generated by the evaporation heat of the refrigerant in the same manner as the evaporator 220. On the other hand, the auxiliary cooling unit 320 is disposed in proximity to the main cooling unit 420 behind the temperature control chamber 400 and plays an auxiliary role of the main cooling unit 420. Specifically, when the temperature difference between the current temperature of the temperature control room 400 and the set temperature selected by the user is large, for example, the door 410 is open so that warm air outside flows into the temperature control room 400. In this case, the main cooling unit 420 may operate so that the temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 is quickly cooled to the set temperature.

  On the other hand, when the temperature difference is small, or after the temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 reaches the set temperature, the auxiliary cooling unit 430 naturally has a slight temperature difference between the temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 and the set temperature. When this occurs, the temperature control chamber 400 operates to always maintain the temperature at the set temperature.

  The auxiliary cooling unit 430 includes a thermoelectric element. A thermoelectric element is a Peltier element that is an element that utilizes the Peltier effect, which is a phenomenon in which heat is absorbed (or generated) by an electric current. The Peltier effect is a phenomenon in which when two metal ends are joined together and a current is passed through them, one end absorbs heat and heat is generated at the opposite end depending on the direction of current flow. It is. Such a thermoelectric element can control the amount of heat absorption, the amount of heat generation, and the direction thereof based on the magnitude and direction of the current. Further, since the thermoelectric element does not operate mechanically, there is an advantage that the mounting position and the mounting direction do not affect the operation. Moreover, since it is not necessary to operate a compressor in order to compress a refrigerant | coolant, power consumption efficiency can be improved.

  The blower fan 440 is disposed in front of the main cooling unit 420 and the auxiliary cooling unit 430, and blows cool air so that the cold air generated by the main cooling unit 420 or the auxiliary cooling unit 430 is supplied to the temperature control chamber 400. To do. As the blower fan 440, a sirocco fan or a cross flow fan is preferably used.

  Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional side view along line CC of a refrigerator having a temperature control chamber according to the present invention is shown.

  In the refrigerator compartment, the cool air generated by the evaporator 220 flows into the refrigerating room 200 through the cool air discharge port 331 formed in the refrigerator louver 330 by the blower fan 320 and circulates in the refrigerating room 200. The cool air is circulated in the refrigerator compartment 300 by the blower fan 320, and then passes through the evaporator 220 through the suction hole 332 formed in the lower part of the refrigerator louver 330, thereby being cooled again. The above-described refrigerator cooling cycle is repeated.

  Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the temperature control chamber 400 further includes a duct 450, a temperature sensor 460, and a door opening / closing detector 470.

  The duct 450 defines a flow path of cool air from the main cooling unit 420 or the auxiliary cooling unit 430 in the temperature control chamber 400. The duct 450 has a certain distance from the upper wall of the temperature control chamber 400, that is, the first flat plate portion 454 disposed at a certain distance from the bottom surface of the lateral partition wall 140 and the rear wall of the temperature control chamber 400. And a second flat plate portion 455 that is spaced apart from each other. The first flat plate portion 454 extends in the horizontal direction from the rear portion of the temperature control chamber 400 toward the door 410, so that a slit 457 is formed between the door 410 and the front end of the first flat plate portion 454. To. The second flat plate portion 455 is bent in the downward direction from the rear end of the first flat plate portion 454 and extends in the downward direction. The 1st flat plate part 454 and the 2nd flat plate part 455 can be made from a plastic material, and can also be made to form integrally.

  The cold air generated by the main cooling unit 420 or the auxiliary cooling unit 430 passes through the flow path defined by the duct 450 and is discharged in the vertical direction to the temperature control chamber 400 through the slit 457. The cool air discharged into the temperature control chamber 400 in the vertical direction forms an air curtain so that the cool air in the temperature control chamber 400 does not escape to the outside, or at the front of the temperature control chamber 400, the cool air is external. Avoid mixing with warm air.

  Thereafter, the cold air flowing into the temperature control chamber 400 circulates in the temperature control chamber, passes through the main cooling unit 420 and the auxiliary cooling unit 430 through the cold air discharge port 452 at the rear of the temperature control chamber 400, and is thereby cooled again. The

  In this connection, the blower fan 440 is preferably disposed at a position close to the door 410, that is, a position close to the slit 457 in order to release cool air toward the door 410.

  The temperature sensor 460 is disposed in the vicinity of the cold air outlet 452 of the temperature control chamber 400, and thereby detects the current temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 from the cold air discharged through the cold air outlet 452.

  The door opening / closing detector 470 is disposed near the door 410, for example, at the bottom of the temperature control chamber 400, and detects the opening / closing of the door 410. A door opening / closing signal indicating opening / closing of the door 410 detected by the door opening / closing detector 470 is provided to the control unit 500 shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 6, a cross-sectional side view of a second example of a temperature control chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated.

  The second embodiment of the temperature control chamber 400 shown in FIG. 6 is substantially the same as that of FIG. 5 except that the duct 450 has a plurality of cold air inlet holes 451 in the first flat plate portion 454. It has the same configuration as that of the temperature control chamber. Therefore, the description about the same component is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the second embodiment of the temperature control chamber 400, a plurality of cold air inflow holes 451 are formed at the front end portion of the first flat plate portion 454.

  The cool air supplied through the duct 450 flows into the temperature control chamber 400 from above via the cool air inflow hole 451, and supplies cool air to the food items stored in the temperature control chamber 400.

  Further, a part of the cool air passing through the duct 450 is discharged in the vertical direction to the temperature control chamber 400 through the slit 457. The cool air discharged in the vertical direction to the temperature control chamber 400 forms an air curtain so that the cool air in the temperature control chamber 400 does not escape to the outside, or the cool air is externally provided at the front of the temperature control chamber 400. Avoid mixing with warm air.

  Thereafter, the cold air flowing into the temperature control chamber 400 circulates in the temperature control chamber and passes through the main cooling unit 420 and the auxiliary cooling unit 430 through the cold air discharge port 452 at the rear of the temperature control chamber 400, thereby cooling again. Is done.

  In this connection, the blower fan 440 is preferably disposed in front of the main cooling unit 420 and the auxiliary cooling unit 430 in order to release the cool air through the duct 450. Unlike this, the blower fan 440 may be disposed above the cold air inflow hole 451.

  Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the temperature control chamber 400 of the present invention.

  7 and 8, the duct 450 has one or more air slots instead of the cold air inlet shown in FIG. Except for the use of a damper, it has substantially the same configuration as the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6 described above. Therefore, the description about the same component is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the third embodiment of the temperature control chamber, one or a plurality of air slots 461 are formed at the front end portion of the first flat plate portion 454. Further, the damper 453 is disposed on the upstream side of the air slot 461.

  The damper 453 controls the flow of the cold air passing through the duct 450 so that a part of the cold air is discharged in the vertical direction toward the front surface of the door. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the damper 453 is normally closed so as to block the cold air passing through the duct 450 on the upstream side of the air slot 461, and the cold air is slit 457. So that the cool air flows into the temperature control chamber 400 through the slot 461. However, when the damper 453 is opened, a part of the cool air passing through the duct 450 is discharged toward the front of the door through the slit 461 so that the cool air in the temperature control chamber 400 does not escape. An air curtain is formed.

  Thereafter, the cold air flowing into the temperature control chamber 400 circulates in the temperature control chamber 400 and passes through the main cooling unit 420 and the auxiliary cooling unit 430 through the cold air outlet 452 of the duct 450 at the rear part of the temperature control chamber 400. And thereby cooled again.

  In this regard, the blower fan 440 is preferably disposed above the cold air inflow hole 451. In contrast, the blower fan 440 may be disposed in front of the main cooling unit 420 and the auxiliary cooling unit 430 in order to discharge cool air through the duct 450.

  Referring to FIG. 9, a block diagram of a controller 500 for controlling the temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 according to the present invention is shown.

  The controller 500 compares the set temperature selected via the operation panel 110 with the current temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 detected by the temperature sensor 460. As a result of the comparison, if the current temperature is higher than the set temperature, the control unit 500 generates a control signal for operating the main cooling unit 420 and the blower fan 440, and the main cooling unit until the current temperature reaches the set temperature. 420 and the blower fan 440 are operated.

  Thereafter, when it is determined that the current temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 has reached the set temperature, the control unit 500 generates a control signal for stopping the operations of the main cooling unit 420 and the blower fan 440.

  When a slight temperature difference occurs between the current temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 and the set temperature after the current temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 reaches the set temperature, the control unit 500 includes the auxiliary cooling unit 430 and A control signal for operating the blower fan 440 is generated, so that the temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 is always maintained at the set temperature.

  On the other hand, when the door opening / closing detector 470 detects that the door is open and the control unit 500 receives a signal transmitted from the door opening / closing detector 470 indicating that the door is open, the control unit 500 A control signal for opening the damper 453 can be generated so that an air curtain is formed at the front portion of the temperature control chamber 400.

  When the door opening / closing detector 470 detects that the door is closed and the control unit 500 receives that the door 410 transmitted from the door opening / closing detector 470 is closed, the control unit 500 A control signal for returning the damper 454 to the original position, that is, for returning the damper 454 to the closed position is generated.

  Thereafter, as described above, the control unit 500 generates a control signal for operating the main cooling unit 420 and the blower fan 440, and the main cooling unit 420 and the current temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 reach the set temperature. The blower fan 440 is operated.

  When the temperature of the temperature control chamber 400 reaches the set temperature, the operation of the main cooling unit 420 is stopped, and the auxiliary cooler 420 and the blower fan 440 are operated. It can be maintained at a set temperature. Therefore, power consumption can be improved efficiently.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention defined in the claims. .

Claims (11)

A refrigerator comprising a freezer room for storing food and a refrigerator room,
A temperature control chamber provided separately from the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment;
A door of the temperature control chamber;
A cooling unit disposed in the temperature control chamber and supplying cold air to the temperature control chamber;
A duct formed in the temperature control chamber and defining a flow path for circulating the cold air supplied from the cooling unit in the temperature control chamber;
A blower fan for blowing the cool air supplied from the cooling unit through the duct;
The so that the temperature of the temperature control chamber is maintained at a certain set temperature, see contains a control unit for generating a control signal for operating the cooling unit and the blower fan,
The cooling part is
A main cooling unit for generating the cool air in order to make the temperature of the temperature control chamber reach the set temperature;
A refrigerator comprising: an auxiliary cooling unit for constantly maintaining the temperature of the temperature control chamber after the temperature of the temperature control chamber reaches the set temperature . The duct is
A first flat plate portion extending in a horizontal direction so as to form a slit between the door and the front end of the front plate, and spaced apart from the upper wall of the temperature control chamber by a certain distance;
A second flat plate portion bent in a downward direction from the rear end of the first flat plate portion and extending in a downward direction, and disposed at a certain distance from the rear wall of the temperature control chamber; Including
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cold air passes through the flow path and is discharged to the temperature control chamber in a vertical direction. The first flat plate portion has a plurality of cold air inflow holes formed at the front end thereof,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the cold air supplied from the cooling unit is discharged from above the temperature control chamber to the temperature control chamber. 3. The blower fan is disposed in the vicinity of the slit so that a part of the cool air passing through the duct is discharged vertically to the temperature control chamber through the slit. Refrigerator. The first flat plate portion has one or more cold air slots formed at the front end thereof,
The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the cold air supplied from the cooling unit is discharged to the temperature control room through the cold air slot. The duct is arranged at the lower stream side of the cold air slot, including a damper for controlling the flow of the cool air,
The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein a part of the cold air is discharged into the temperature control chamber in a vertical direction. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the blower fan is disposed above the cold air slot . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the main cooling unit is an evaporator using a refrigerant, and the auxiliary cooling unit is a thermoelectric element. The controller is
When it is determined that the current temperature of the temperature control chamber detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the set temperature, the main cooling unit and the blower fan are turned on until the temperature of the temperature control chamber reaches the set temperature. Generate a control signal to operate,
When it is determined that the current temperature of the temperature control chamber has reached the set temperature, the operations of the main cooling unit and the blower fan are stopped, and the temperature of the temperature control chamber is maintained at the set temperature. the refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein generating a control signal for operating said auxiliary cooling unit and the blower fan. A door opening / closing detector for detecting opening / closing of the door of the temperature control chamber;
The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit generates a control signal for opening the damper when receiving a signal indicating that the door is open from the door open / close detector. When the control unit receives a signal indicating that the door is closed from the door opening / closing detector, the control unit operates the main cooling unit and the blower fan until the temperature of the temperature control chamber reaches the set temperature. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein a control signal for generating the control signal is generated.

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