KR101631904B1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, which comprises a main body in which a first cooling chamber and a second cooling chamber are defined by upper and lower partition walls arranged horizontally, an evaporator disposed inside the partition wall, And a second cooling fan disposed on the other side of the evaporator and blowing cool air to the second cooling chamber. Thereby, the space for high durability can be increased without increasing the appearance, and independent cooling and simultaneous cooling of each cooling chamber can be performed with a single evaporator.

A refrigerator body, a first cooling chamber, a second cooling chamber, a partition wall, an evaporator, a first cooling fan,

Description

Refrigerator {REFRIGERATOR}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of increasing indoor space and capable of independent cooling and simultaneous cooling operation of a cooling chamber with one evaporator.

As is well known, a refrigerator is a device that allows food to be stored freshly by refrigeration or freezing. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator body having a plurality of cooling chambers formed therein, doors for opening and closing the respective cooling chambers, and a refrigeration cycle device for providing cool air to the cooling chambers.

The refrigeration cycle apparatus generally includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant by radiating heat, an expansion device for expanding the refrigerant under reduced pressure, and a vapor compression refrigeration Cycle device.

Normally, a cool air circulation channel can be formed on the rear wall of the cooling chamber so that the cool air in the cooling chamber can circulate. The evaporator may be provided in the cool air circulation channel so that the air can be cooled while passing through the air. In addition, a cool air supply passage may be formed in the inside of the cooling chamber so that cool air having passed through the evaporator can be supplied to each of the cooling chambers.

In such a conventional refrigerator, since the evaporator, which is much lower in temperature than the cool air in the cooling chamber, is disposed on the rear wall of the cooling chamber, the loss of cool air through the rear wall can be increased. Considering this, the thickness of the rear wall can be increased.

Further, in a refrigerator in which a single cooling fan is disposed on one side of a single evaporator, the same evaporator and cooling fan operate when cooling the cooling chamber away from the place where the evaporator and the cooling fan are installed. Therefore, Frost loss may occur during the movement. Further, the configuration of the cooling air flow path for supplying cold air to the cooling chamber located farther from the evaporator may be complicated and prolonged. As a result, the flow resistance of the cool air increases, making it difficult to quickly resolve the temperature deviation, and the operation time can be prolonged.

Further, in such a conventional refrigerator, since a plurality of cooling chambers are cooled by a single evaporator, even if one of the cooling chambers already satisfies the warming condition, the operation is performed to satisfy the temperature condition of the other cooling chamber. Subcooling may occur in a cooling chamber that already meets temperature requirements.

On the other hand, in some refrigerators, evaporators may be respectively disposed in the respective cooling chambers in order to independently cool the different cooling chambers. In this case, since each evaporator is arranged close to the rear wall of the corresponding cooling chamber, the thickness of the rear wall of each cooling chamber is increased to suppress leakage of cold air through the rear wall of each evaporator, have.

Further, when the evaporator is disposed in each of the cooling chambers, the flow path of the refrigerant becomes longer, so that the flow resistance of the refrigerant is increased, and the pressure and the heat loss of the refrigerant due to the long pipe are generated, The efficiency may be lowered.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can increase the internal space without increasing the appearance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can increase indoor space without increasing the appearance and can independently cool and co-cool each cooling chamber with a single evaporator.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can vary the cooling capacity of an evaporator according to a cooling chamber for supplying cool air.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising: a refrigerator body having a first cooling chamber and a second cooling chamber which are vertically partitioned by horizontally arranged partitions; An evaporator disposed inside the partition wall; A first cooling fan disposed at one side of the evaporator and blowing cool air to the first cooling chamber; And a second cooling fan disposed on the other side of the evaporator and blowing cool air to the second cooling chamber.

The first and second cold air inlets may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the partition, respectively.

The evaporator may be arranged to be inclined downward from the front to the rear.

The partition wall may be formed so that the thickness of the portion disposed on the upper side of the evaporator gradually increases toward the rear side.

And a grill pan arranged in the second cooling chamber for guiding the flow of air.

The grill pan may be provided with a defrost water passage for guiding the defrost water flowing from the partition wall.

A drain portion may be formed on the bottom of the grill pan.

The first cooling chamber may be a refrigerating chamber, and the second cooling chamber may be a freezing chamber.

A side wall cool air duct for guiding the cool air formed in the evaporator to the ice making chamber, and an ice making fan for blowing cool air to the side wall cool air duct.

The ice making fan may be disposed inside the partition wall.

A first branch passage and a second branch passage formed at the refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator, and first and second capillaries respectively disposed in the first branch passage and the second branch passage.

And an on-off valve for selectively opening and closing the first branch passage and the second branch passage.

Here, the on-off valve may include a first on-off valve and a second on-off valve disposed respectively in the first branch passage and the second branch passage.

The on-off valve may include a flow path switching valve disposed on the upstream side of the first branch flow path and the second branch flow path to switch the flow path.

The evaporator may be disposed in a biased manner on the freezing chamber side such that the thickness of the freezing chamber is smaller than the thickness of the freezing chamber.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the evaporator having a very low temperature compared to the cold air of the cooling chamber is disposed inside the partition wall, the thickness of the rear wall due to the arrangement of the evaporator can be reduced. Thereby, it is possible to increase the space for high-end use, that is, the food storage space without increasing the external appearance (size) of the refrigerator main body.

In addition, since the evaporator is disposed inside the partition wall, the cool air of the evaporator is directly transmitted to the cooling chamber without being leaked to the outside, so that the temperature rise of the cooling chamber can be suppressed. Thus, the cooling operation cycle of the cooling chamber can be extended.

In addition, by providing the first cooling fan and the second cooling fan that are disposed inside the partition wall and blow the cool air to the respective cooling chambers on one side of the evaporator, it is possible to increase the interior space without increasing the appearance In addition to the effect of cooling, the cooling chambers can be cooled at the same time as the cooling chambers can be independently cooled, thereby improving the operation efficiency. Further, according to this, the cooling air supply passage for supplying the cooling air to each of the cooling chambers is shortened, so that the configuration is simplified and the cooling air flow loss can be reduced. As a result, the temperature deviation of each cooling chamber can be eliminated more quickly.

In addition, the first branch passage and the second branch passage are formed on the coolant inlet side of the evaporator, and the first capillary and the second capillary tube are respectively provided in the first branch passage and the second branch passage, Accordingly, the cooling capacity (refrigeration capacity) of the evaporator can be varied. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance the operation efficiency by adjusting the generation and supply of the cold air to the load amount of the cooling chamber, that is, the load amount of each of the freezer compartment and the refrigerating compartment.

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the partition wall taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the evaporator area of FIG. 1 and 2, the present refrigerator includes a refrigerator body (not shown) having a first cooling chamber 150 and a second cooling chamber 160 which are vertically partitioned by partition walls 120 disposed horizontally 110); An evaporator 250 disposed inside the partition 120; A first cooling fan (210) disposed at one side of the evaporator (250) and blowing cool air to the first cooling chamber (150); And a second cooling fan 220 disposed on the other side of the evaporator 250 and blowing cool air to the second cooling chamber 160. Here, any one of the first cooling chamber 150 and the second cooling chamber 160 may be a refrigerating chamber and the other may be a freezing chamber. In addition, the first cooling chamber 150 and the second cooling chamber 160 may be all composed of freezing chambers or all of them may be configured as a freezing chamber. Hereinafter, the case where the first cooling chamber 150 is configured as a refrigerating chamber and the second cooling chamber 160 is configured as a freezing chamber will be described.

In the interior of the refrigerator body 110, a partition 120 may be provided, which is horizontally arranged to partition the internal space, that is, the cooling chamber. A refrigerating chamber 150 may be formed above the partition 120 and a freezing chamber 160 may be formed below the partition 120.

The refrigerator body 110 includes an outer case 111a forming an outer appearance of the refrigerator body 110, an inner case 111b spaced from the inner case 111b of the outer case 111a, And a heat insulating material 111c filled between the inner case 111b and the inner case 111b.

A machine room 170 may be formed in a rear lower region of the refrigerator body 110. The refrigerator body 110 may be provided with a refrigeration cycle to supply cold air to the freezing chamber 160 and the refrigerating chamber 150. The refrigeration cycle may be constituted by a vapor compression refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant is compressed, condensed, expanded and evaporated while being circulated. The vapor compression refrigeration cycle will be described later with reference to the drawings.

The refrigerating chamber 150 may include a pair of refrigerating chamber doors 155 for selectively opening and closing the refrigerating chamber 150. The freezing chamber 160 may include a freezing chamber door 165 for opening and closing the freezing chamber 160. The refrigerator compartment door 155 may be configured to pivot both sides of the refrigerating compartment 150 with a rotation axis. The freezer compartment door 165 may include a drawer-type door sliding in the front-rear direction.

One of the refrigerating chamber doors 155 may be provided with an ice making chamber 180. The ice making chamber 180 may be provided with an ice maker (not shown) for receiving ice from the outside to make ice. An ice bank (not shown) may be provided on the lower side of the ice maker to store ice.

The side wall of the refrigerating chamber 150 may be provided with a side wall cooler duct 190 to supply cold air to the ice making chamber 180. The side wall cool air ducts 190 may be configured as a pair. One of the side wall cool air ducts 190 forms a cool air supply passage and the other one of the side wall coolant ducts 190 forms a cool air return passage through which cool air passing through the ice making chamber 180 returns.

Meanwhile, an evaporator 250 may be installed in the partition 120. Thus, the evaporator 250 having a lower temperature than that of the freezing chamber 160 is not installed on the rear wall of the freezer compartment 160, so that the freezer compartment 160 and / 150 can be increased in size. Also, it is possible to prevent the cold air of the evaporator 250 from leaking to the outside through the rear wall. Further, the thickness of the rear wall formed to be relatively thick can be somewhat reduced to prevent the cold air leakage of the evaporator 250. Accordingly, the size of the freezing chamber 160 and / or the refrigerating chamber 150 can be increased accordingly.

The evaporator 250 may include a heat transfer tube 251 through which the refrigerant flows and a plurality of heat transfer plates 255 coupled to the heat transfer tube 251. The heat transfer tubes 251 may be arranged in one row on the same plane. The heat transfer pipe 251 may include a straight pipe portion disposed along the left and right direction of the partition 120 and a connecting pipe portion connecting the straight pipe portion to communicate with each other.

As shown in FIG. 7, the heat transfer plate 255 may be coupled to the straight pipe portion at a predetermined pitch. The heat transfer plate 255 is disposed such that the pitch P1 of the heat transfer plate 255 disposed on the first suction port and the second suction port side is disposed on the first cooling fan 210 and the second cooling fan 220 side May be configured to be larger than the pitch P2 of the heat transfer plate (255). As the air is introduced into the refrigerating compartment 150 and the freezing compartment 160 having relatively high humidity, the air flow resistance of the upstream heat transfer pipe 251 and the heat transfer plate 255, which have a large congestion amount, are reduced .

The evaporator accommodating portion 122 may be formed in the partition 120 so that the evaporator 250 can be received therein. The evaporator accommodating portion 122 may be formed to open upward. The evaporator cover 125 may be provided on the evaporator receiving portion 122 to block the upper opening of the evaporator receiving portion 122. A discharge port may be formed in a rear central region of the upper surface of the partition 120. A defrost heater (not shown) for defrosting the evaporator 250 may be provided on one side (for example, the lower side) of the evaporator 250.

The bottom surface of the evaporator accommodating portion 122 may be inclined downwardly to the rear. Accordingly, the evaporator 250 can be accommodated in a downward sloping manner. The bottom surface of the evaporator accommodating portion 122 and the evaporator 250 may be inclined at an angle of about 4 to 6 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane. Accordingly, the defrost water can be smoothly moved backward when the evaporator 250 is defrosted.

The first suction port 131 and the second suction port 132 may be formed in the front region of the partition 120 so as to suck cool air from the freezing compartment 150 and the freezing compartment 160. The first suction port 131 may be formed on the upper surface of the partition 120. More specifically, the first suction port 131 may be formed through the evaporator cover 125. The first suction port 131 may be formed in a plurality of holes. The first suction ports 131 may be spaced apart from each other along the left and right direction of the partition 120. Accordingly, the air in the refrigerating chamber (150) can be sucked into both sides of the evaporator (250) to be heat-exchanged. Here, the first suction ports 131 may be formed in a rectangular shape. The first suction port 131 may have a relatively larger width than the length. Accordingly, the contact area (heat exchange area) between the air in the refrigerating chamber 150 and the evaporator 250 can be reduced, and the suction amount of the air in the refrigerating chamber 150 can be increased. According to this, cool air having a relatively high temperature is supplied to the refrigerating chamber 150 in a large quantity, so that the temperature deviation of the refrigerating chamber 150 can be quickly canceled while preventing local over-cooling.

The second suction port 132 may be formed on the bottom surface of the partition 120. The second suction port 132 may include a central region of the partition 120. Accordingly, the air in the freezing chamber 160 can be sucked into the central region of the evaporator 250 and be heat-exchanged in a relatively wide region.

 The second suction port 132 may be formed in a strip shape having a longer length than the width. Accordingly, the contact area (heat exchange area) between the air in the freezing chamber 160 and the evaporator 250 can be increased, and the suction amount of the air in the freezing chamber 160 can be appropriately maintained. Accordingly, since the air in the freezing chamber 160 is heat-exchanged in a relatively large area with the evaporator 250, the freezing chamber 160 can be cooled to a lower temperature, so that the freezing chamber 160 can be cooled more rapidly.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a cold / cold air duct 152 may be provided behind the refrigerating chamber 150 to supply cold air to the refrigerating chamber 150. Here, the cold / cold air duct 152 may have a thin thickness and a long length. The refrigerating and cooling air duct 152 may have a length corresponding to the height of the refrigerating chamber 150 and may have a width at least half the width of the refrigerating chamber 150. Accordingly, the thickness of the cold / cold air duct 152 can be reduced, and the actual use space of the refrigerating chamber 150 can be increased. A plurality of cool air discharge openings 153 may be formed in the upper, middle, and lower regions of the cold / cold air duct 152 so as to discharge cold air.

The first cooling fan 210 may be installed in a lower region of the cold / cold air duct 152. The first cooling fan receiving portion 157 may be formed in a lower region of the cold / cold air duct 152 to receive the first cooling fan 210. Here, the first cooling fan 210 may be a centrifugal fan that sucks the cool air in the axial direction and discharges the cool air in a radial direction. The first cooling fan 210 may be disposed such that the suction port faces forward and the discharge port faces upward. A duct inlet 158 may be formed at a lower side of the first cooling fan receiving portion 157 to open downward to communicate with the discharge port 127 of the partition 120. The first cooling fan receiving part 157 may be formed to have a thick thickness so as to protrude further forward than the peripheral part (upper part) so as to secure a space on the suction port side for sucking cold air of the first cooling fan 210.

6 and 7, the partition 120 may be provided with an ice-making fan 230 for blowing cool air into the ice-making chamber 180. As shown in FIG. The ice making fan 230 may be a centrifugal fan that sucks air in the axial direction and discharges the air in a radial direction. Accordingly, the length in the axial direction can be reduced, and the ice-making fan 230 can be easily accommodated in the partition 120 without increasing the thickness of the partition 120. The ice making fan 230 does not protrude into the freezing chamber 160 or the refrigerating chamber 150 so that the freezing chamber 160 or the freezing chamber 150 does not occupy the space of the freezing chamber 160 or the refrigerating chamber 150, The actual use space can be increased.

The ice-making fan 230 may be disposed such that the suction port faces downward and the discharge port faces the horizontal direction. The partition wall 120 may be provided with an ice-making fan receiving portion 141 to receive the ice-making fan 230. The partition wall 120 may be formed with a cool air flow passage 142 to communicate with the ice-making fan receiving portion 141 so that cold air discharged from the ice-making fan 230 can flow. A discharge port 143 may be formed on one side of the cool air passage 142 so that the cool air passing through the ice making chamber 180 can be returned to the freezing chamber 160. The lower ends of the side wall cool air ducts 190 may be respectively connected to one side (left side in the drawing) of the partition 120. The ice making fan 230 sucks the cold air having passed through the evaporator 250 and discharges the cold air passed through the evaporator 250 to the cool air channel 142. The cold air channel 142 is connected to the cool air channel 142, And is supplied to the ice chamber 180. The cool air supplied to the ice making chamber 180 performs the ice making action and flows downward along the side wall cool air duct 190 and passes through the partition wall 120 and is discharged to the freezing chamber 160.

A second cooling fan 220 may be installed in the rear region of the freezing chamber 160 to blow cool air having passed through the evaporator 250 to the freezing chamber 160. The second cooling fan 220 may be a so-called centrifugal fan that sucks air in an axial direction and discharges the air in a radial direction. The second cooling fan 220 may be configured to suck air into one side and discharge the same in the same direction as the air suction direction from the other side. Here, the second cooling fan 220 may be disposed forward of the first cooling fan 210, as shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cold air having a relatively low temperature from leaking to the outside through the rear wall.

A grill fan 270 for guiding the flow of cool air having passed through the evaporator 250 may be provided around the second cooling fan 220. The grill pan 270 is disposed in a rear upper region of the freezing chamber 160 to define an inner space. That is, the grill pan 270 divides the internal space into a space on the side of the evaporator 250 where the cold air is formed and a food storage space (substantially a freezer compartment) in which actual food is stored.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the grill pan of FIG. 2, and FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the grill pan of FIG.

8 and 9, the grill pan 270 may include an upper plate portion 271 and a fan accommodating portion 281. The upper plate portion 271 may have a length corresponding to the width of the partition wall 120 and may be connected to the rear bottom portion of the partition wall 120. The fan receiving portion 281 may be formed to extend downward from the center of the upper plate portion 271 with a reduced width of the upper plate portion 271. The cool air discharge port 283 may be formed in the fan receiving portion 281 so that the cool air blown by the second cooling fan 220 can be discharged.

Meanwhile, the grill pan 270 may be provided with a defrost water guide passage for guiding the defrost water flowing from the evaporator 250 side. The grill pan 270 may be defined as a flow path forming member in that it forms a cold air flow path and a defrost water flow path therein.

The upper plate portion 271 may be formed to be inclined to collect deionized water. The upper plate portion 271 may have a first inclined portion 272a and a second inclined portion 272b so that the distilled water can be collected and moved to one side of the fan accommodating portion 281. [ Both the first inclined portion 272a and the second inclined portion 272b are formed to be inclined downward to the rear and the dehydrated water joins the boundary region between the first inclined portion 272a and the second inclined portion 272b It can be configured to be inclined in the lateral direction so as to form a low point. The defrost water of the first inclined portion 272a and the second inclined portion 272b merged at the lowest point flows downward along one side wall of the fan accommodating portion 281. [

A flange 273 may be formed at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate 271 so as to be in contact with the bottom surface of the barrier 120. The flange 273 may be provided on the bottom surface of the barrier 120 The insertion hole 275 may be formed so that a fastening member (not shown) such as a screw to be fastened can be inserted.

An overflow prevention rib 285 may be formed in the rear area of the upper plate 271 and the fan housing 281 to prevent overflow of the collected dehydrated water. Each of the overflow prevention ribs 285 may be formed to have a height that does not overflow the defrost water. The overflow prevention ribs 285 formed on the upper plate portion 271 extend along the rear side of the first inclined portion 272a to the boundary region of the second inclined portion 272b via the upper region of the fan accommodating portion 281, Lt; / RTI > Accordingly, the defrost water flowing along the first inclined portion 272a is prevented from falling to the cold air discharge opening 283 of the front portion of the fan accommodating portion 281 in the upper region of the fan accommodating portion 281, It is possible to move to one side region of the portion 281 and fall. This makes it possible to prevent the defrost water from dropping into the cold air discharge port 283 of the fan accommodating portion 281. According to this, since the defrost water does not flow down forward in the fan accommodating portion 281 when the cooling operation resumes, there is a fear that the defrosted water flowing into the cool air discharge opening 283 is frozen to block the cool air discharge opening 283, none.

A drain portion 287 may be formed at the bottom of the fan accommodating portion 281 to discharge dehydrated water. The bottom surface of the fan accommodating portion 281 may be inclined so that the dehydrated water can be collected in the drain portion 287. A drain pipe 289 may be connected to the drain portion 287. The drain pipe 289 may be drawn to the machine room 170 formed at the rear lower portion of the main body 110.

FIG. 10 is a refrigerating cycle configuration diagram of the refrigerator of FIG. 1, and FIG. 11 is a modification of the opening and closing valve of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the present refrigerator may have a refrigeration cycle 240 for supplying cold air to the freezing room 160 and the refrigerating room 150. The refrigeration cycle 240 includes a compressor 241 for compressing the refrigerant, a condenser 243 for condensing the refrigerant by radiating heat, an expansion device 247 for expanding and reducing the refrigerant, And a vapor compression refrigeration cycle including evaporator 250 evaporated by evaporation.

The compressor 241, the condenser 243 and the expansion device 247 may be disposed in the machine room 170 and the evaporator 250 may be disposed in the partition 120 as described above.

The condenser 243 may be provided at one side thereof with a blowing fan 245 for blowing the heat of the condenser 243 so as to promote the heat radiation. A first cooling fan 210 and a second cooling fan 220 are installed on one side of the evaporator 250 so as to blow cool air having passed through the evaporator 250 to the refrigerator compartment 150 and the freezing compartment 160, Respectively. In addition, an ice making fan 230 may be provided on one side of the evaporator 250.

The first branch passage 261 and the second branch passage 262 may be formed at the refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator 250. The inlet side end portions of the first branch passage 261 and the second branch passage 262 may be provided with opening / closing valves 265 so as to selectively open and close them. The on-off valve 265 is a valve for switching the refrigerant transferred from the condenser 243 to the evaporator 250 through the first branch passage 261 or through the second branch passage 262, (265). The open / close valve 265 is configured to move the refrigerant through any one of the first branch passage 261 and the second branch passage 262 or to move the refrigerant through the first branch passage 261 and the second branch passage 262 262, respectively.

11, the on-off valve 265 includes a first on-off valve 266 which is disposed in the first branch passage 261 and opens and closes the first branch passage 261, And a second open / close valve 267 disposed in the second branch passage 262 for opening and closing the second branch passage 262. Here, the first on-off valve 266 and the second on-off valve 267 may be configured to be operated (driven) by an electric force, respectively.

The first branch passage 261 and the second branch passage 262 may include the expansion device 247. The expansion device 247 includes a first capillary tube 248 provided in the first branch passage 261 and a second capillary tube 249 provided in the second branch passage 262 . Here, the first capillary 248 and the second capillary 249 may have different diameters (inner diameters) and / or lengths. For example, the inner diameter of the first capillary tube 248 may be larger than that of the first capillary tube 248. Also, the first capillary 248 may be configured to have a longer length than the second capillary 249. Here, the larger the inner diameter of each capillary 248, 249 is, the larger the passing flow rate is, and the longer the length, the lower the refrigerant temperature. In consideration of this point, the inner diameter and the length of the first capillary 248 and the second capillary 249 can be appropriately adjusted. In this embodiment, the first capillary tube 248 is considered to have a larger refrigerant flow rate (inner diameter) and a lower refrigerant temperature (longer length) than the second capillary tube 249.

12 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator of FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the present refrigerator may include a control unit 290 implemented by a microprocessor or the like having a control program. The controller 290 may be connected to the freezer compartment temperature sensor 291 and the freezer compartment temperature sensor 292 for detecting the temperatures of the refrigerating compartment 150 and the freezing compartment 160 to receive detection signals. The controller 290 controls the first cooling fan 210 and the second cooling fan 210 such that cool air can be supplied to the refrigerating compartment 150 and / or the freezing compartment 160 according to detected temperature conditions of the refrigerating compartment 150 and the freezing compartment 160, And the second cooling fan 220 may be controllably connected to each other. The control unit 290 is also provided with a flow path switching valve 265 (hereinafter referred to as a " flow rate control valve ") for controlling the refrigerant condition (refrigerant flow rate and / or refrigerant temperature) flowing into the evaporator 250 according to the operation of the refrigerating compartment 150 and the freezing compartment 160 Or the first opening / closing valve and the second opening / closing valve) can be controllably connected.

The control unit 290 can control the first cooling fan 210 to rotate when it is desired to supply cool air to the refrigerating chamber 150 based on the detection result of the refrigerating chamber temperature sensor 291. [ have. When the first cooling fan 210 rotates, the air in the refrigerating chamber 150 is sucked into the partition 120 through the first suction port 131. The sucked air passes through the evaporator 250 Exchanged while being cooled. The cooled air flows through the first cooling fan 210 (sucked and discharged) and flows into the cold / cool air duct 152.

The cool air introduced into the cold air cooler duct 152 is discharged into the interior of the refrigerating chamber 150 through the respective cool air discharge openings 153. At this time, the controller 290 controls the flow switching valve 265 to allow the refrigerant to flow along the second branch flow channel 262. That is, the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser 243 flows into the second branch passage 262 through the passage switching valve 265, and is decompressed and expanded while passing through the second capillary tube 249. The refrigerant decompressed and expanded through the second capillary tube 249 flows into the evaporator 250. At this time, the refrigerant absorbs the heat of the air sucked through the first suction port 131 and is evaporated. The evaporated refrigerant is again sucked into the compressor (241) and repeatedly compressed and discharged to perform the cooling operation.

The control unit 290 may control the second cooling fan 220 to rotate when it is desired to supply cool air to the freezing chamber 160 based on the detection result of the freezing room temperature sensor 292. When the second cooling fan 220 is rotated, air in the freezing chamber 160 is sucked into the partition 120 through the second suction port 132. The air sucked into the partition wall 120 is cooled while passing through the evaporator 250 and is sucked by the second cooling fan 220 and discharged into the freezing chamber 160. At this time, the controller 290 controls the flow switching valve 265 to allow the refrigerant to flow along the first branch flow channel 261.

The refrigerant condensed while passing through the condenser 243 flows into the first branch passage 261 through the flow path switching valve 265 and is decompressed and expanded while passing through the first capillary tube 248. At this time, the first capillary tube 248 has a larger inner diameter and a longer length than the second capillary tube 249, so that a larger amount of refrigerant and lower temperature refrigerant can be introduced into the evaporator 250. The refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 250 absorbs heat from the air sucked through the second suction port 132 and is evaporated. The evaporated refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 241 and is compressed and discharged, .

When the controller 290 simultaneously supplies cool air to the refrigerating chamber 150 and the freezing chamber 160 based on the temperature detection results of the refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 291 and the freezing compartment temperature sensor 292, The first cooling fan 210 and the second cooling fan 220 can be simultaneously rotated. When the first cooling fan 210 and the second cooling fan 220 are rotated respectively, the air in the refrigerating chamber 150 is sucked into the partition 120 through the first suction port 131, The air is sucked into the partition 120 through the second suction port 132.

The air sucked into the partition wall 120 is cooled by being brought into contact with the evaporator 250 and is supplied to the refrigerating chamber 150 and the freezing chamber 160 by the first cooling fan 210 and the second cooling fan 220, And is discharged. The control unit 290 may control the flow switching valve 265 so that the refrigerant passed through the condenser 243 can simultaneously flow into the first branch flow channel 261 and the second branch flow channel 262 have. Accordingly, the refrigerant passing through the condenser 243 passes through the first capillary tube 248 and the second capillary tube 249, is reduced in pressure and expanded, and flows into the evaporator 250. As a result, more freezing can be formed, so that the freezing chamber 160 and the refrigerating chamber 150 can be cooled at the same time. As a result, temperature deviations of the refrigerating chamber (150) and the freezing chamber (160) can be quickly eliminated at the same time.

The controller 290 may control the ice-making fan 230 to rotate when it is desired to supply cool air to the ice-making chamber 180. When the ice-making fan 230 is rotated, the cooled air passes through the evaporator 250, is sucked into the ice-making fan 230, and is discharged into the cool-air channel 142. The cool air discharged into the cool air passage 142 flows upwardly along the side wall cool air duct 190 and flows into the ice making chamber 180. The cool air flowing into the ice making chamber 180 cools the ice making chamber 180 and flows downward through the side wall coolant duct 190. The cool air that has flowed downward along the side wall cool air duct 190 passes through a discharge port 143 formed in the partition wall 120 and is discharged to the freezing chamber 160.

On the other hand, when a predetermined time has elapsed, a defrosting operation for removing the gaps formed on the surface of the evaporator 250 may be performed. The controller 290 may control the first cooling fan 210 and the second cooling fan 220 to stop during the defrosting operation. The defrost heater, not shown, generates heat when the power is applied, and heats the surface formed on the surface of the evaporator 250. At this time, the dewatered molten metal is moved to the rear region along the bottom surface of the evaporator accommodating portion 122. The defrost water moved backward is collected by the upper plate 271 of the grill pan 270 and moved along the overflow prevention ribs 285 of the upper plate 271 to fall at the lowest point which is the confluence area, And is moved downward along the one side wall of the fan receiving portion 281 to the bottom portion of the fan receiving portion 281. The defrost water moved to the bottom of the fan storage unit 281 is discharged to the machine room 170 through the drain part 287 and the drain pipe 289.

The foregoing has been shown and described with respect to specific embodiments of the invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, so that the above-described embodiments should not be limited by the details of the detailed description.

Further, even when the embodiments not listed in the detailed description have been described, it should be interpreted broadly within the scope of the technical idea defined in the appended claims. It is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the main part of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a front view of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of Fig. 3,

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the partition wall taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5,

Figure 7 is a top view of the evaporator area of Figure 2,

FIG. 8 is a front view of the grill pan of FIG. 2;

Fig. 9 is a rear perspective view of the grill pan of Fig. 8,

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle configuration of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;

11 is a view showing a modification of the opening and closing valve of Fig. 1,

12 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator of FIG.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

110: refrigerator main body 120: partition wall

122: evaporator accommodating part 125: evaporator cover

131: first inlet port 132: second inlet port

150: first cooling chamber, refrigerating chamber 152: cold refrigerant duct

155: refrigerator compartment door 160: second cooling compartment, freezer compartment

165: Freezer door 170: Machine room

180: ice making chamber 190: side wall freezing duct

210: first cooling fan 220: second cooling fan

230: Ice-making fan 240: Refrigeration cycle

241: compressor 243: condenser

247: expansion device 248: first capillary tube

249: second capillary 250: evaporator

251: heat transfer pipe 255:

261: 1st quarter Euro 262: 2nd quarter Euro

265: opening / closing valve, flow switching valve

270: Grill fan 271: Top plate

281: fan receiving portion 285: overflow prevention rib

287: drain part 290: control part

Claims (15)

A refrigerator main body having a first cooling chamber and a second cooling chamber which are vertically partitioned by horizontally arranged partitions; An evaporator disposed inside the partition wall; A first cooling fan disposed at one side of the evaporator and blowing cool air to the first cooling chamber; A second cooling fan disposed on the other side of the evaporator and blowing cold air to the second cooling chamber; And And a grill pan disposed in the second cooling chamber for guiding the flow of air, The grill pan includes a top plate portion connected to the rear of the partition and collecting defrost water, and a fan housing which is downwardly extended along the left and right direction from the top plate portion and receives the second cooling fan therein, And, The upper plate portion and the fan accommodating portion are formed to be inclined rearward and laterally so as to collect and flow the distilled water, And an overflow preventing rib protruding upward from the rear end of the upper plate portion and the fan receiving portion to prevent overflowing of the defrost water and guiding the defrost water, The upper plate portion includes a first inclined portion and a second inclined portion that are inclined in the left-right direction so as to collect the distilled water to one side of the fan storage portion, Wherein the overflow preventing rib of the first inclined portion extends to the boundary region of the second inclined portion via the upper region of the cold air discharge opening. The method according to claim 1, Wherein a first cold air inlet and a second cold air inlet are formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the partition, respectively. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the evaporator is arranged to be inclined downward from the front to the rear. The method of claim 3, Wherein the partition wall is formed to gradually increase in a thickness of a portion disposed on the upper side of the evaporator toward the rear side. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the upper plate portion is formed with a flange so as to contact the bottom surface of the partition. The method according to claim 1, And the fan receiving portion is disposed in a central region of the upper plate portion. The method according to claim 1, And a drain portion is formed on a bottom portion of the grill pan. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, Wherein the first cooling chamber is a refrigerating chamber and the second cooling chamber is a freezing chamber. 9. The method of claim 8, Further comprising: an ice-making chamber formed in a door of the first cooling chamber; a sidewall cooler duct for guiding cool air formed in the evaporator to the ice-making chamber; and an ice-making fan for blowing cool air to the sidewall cooler duct. 10. The method of claim 9, And the ice-making fan is disposed inside the partition wall. 9. The method of claim 8, Further comprising a first capillary tube and a second capillary tube which are respectively disposed in the first branch conduit and the second branch conduit, respectively, the first branch conduit and the second branch conduit being formed at the refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator, . 12. The method of claim 11, Further comprising an on-off valve for selectively opening and closing the first branch passage and the second branch passage. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the on-off valve includes a first on-off valve and a second on-off valve disposed in the first branch flow passage and the second branch flow passage, respectively. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the on-off valve includes a flow path switching valve disposed on an upstream side of the first branch flow path and the second branch flow path to switch the flow path. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the evaporator is arranged to be biased toward the freezer compartment such that the thickness of the freezer compartment is smaller than the thickness of the refrigerator compartment.

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