AU2020382671B2 - Refrigerator - Google Patents
Refrigerator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- AU2020382671B2 AU2020382671B2 AU2020382671A AU2020382671A AU2020382671B2 AU 2020382671 B2 AU2020382671 B2 AU 2020382671B2 AU 2020382671 A AU2020382671 A AU 2020382671A AU 2020382671 A AU2020382671 A AU 2020382671A AU 2020382671 B2 AU2020382671 B2 AU 2020382671B2
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- AU
- Australia
- Prior art keywords
- machine room
- refrigerator
- compressor
- heat dissipation
- space
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 230000017525 heat dissipation Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 148
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 145
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 85
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 81
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 claims description 48
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 claims description 47
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000003570 air Substances 0.000 description 199
- 239000003507 refrigerant Substances 0.000 description 52
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 38
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 25
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- 235000013334 alcoholic beverage Nutrition 0.000 description 3
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- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 3
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- 235000014101 wine Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 2
- 235000021109 kimchi Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
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- 238000007665 sagging Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000012080 ambient air Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003796 beauty Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000013361 beverage Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000019993 champagne Nutrition 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/06—Walls
- F25D23/062—Walls defining a cabinet
- F25D23/063—Walls defining a cabinet formed by an assembly of panels
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/006—General constructional features for mounting refrigerating machinery components
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B13/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/003—General constructional features for cooling refrigerating machinery
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention relates to a refrigerator. The present invention may comprise: a cabinet (100) having a storage space (121); and a machine room (201) disposed below the storage space (121). The machine room (201) may include a compressor (610), a condenser (620), and a heat dissipation fan (611) to implement a cooling system, and have an inlet (220a) and an outlet (220b) formed on the front side thereof. In addition, the compressor (610) and the heat dissipation fan (611) are disposed at the rear of the machine room (201), and the compressor (610) may be disposed in a space partitioned from a space in which the condenser (620) is disposed. At this time, the heat dissipation fan (611) may be disposed at the rear of the machine room (201) on the basis of the inlet (220a), and the compressor (610) may be disposed at the rear of the machine room (201) on the basis of the outlet (220b).
Description
Technical Field
[1] The present disclosure relates generally to
refrigerator. More particularly, the present disclosure
relates to a refrigerator in which a machine room module in
which a compressor and a condenser are installed is
installed on a lower part of the refrigerator.
Background
[2] Generally, a refrigerator is a home appliance which
can store food at a low temperature in an internal storage
space which is covered by a door. To this end, the
refrigerator is configured to store food in an optimal state
by cooling the inside of a storage space by using cold air
generated through heat exchange with a refrigerant
circulating in a refrigeration cycle.
[3] Recently, a refrigerator is gradually becoming
multifunctional according to changes in diet and the trend
of product enhancement, and a refrigerator equipped with
various structures and convenience devices for user
convenience and efficient use of internal space has been
released. Particularly, a refrigerator suitable for storage
according to the type of alcoholic beverage due to the increase of consumption and preferences of alcoholic beverages such as wine and champagne, and a refrigerator for storing aged foods such as kimchi for a long time are being developed.
[4] In addition, recently, the exterior of a refrigerator
is designed to harmonize with furniture in the space for
installing the refrigerator. For example, a built-in
refrigerator is attracting attention in terms of interior
design since an exposed part thereof is minimized. This
serves to assist an existing refrigerator such that
frequently used foods can be stored inside kitchen
furniture, thereby improving the convenience of use.
[5] However, in the case of such a built-in refrigerator,
the remaining parts of the refrigerator except for the front
surface of the refrigerator are often blocked, so an
efficient air flow is difficult. Accordingly, various
technologies are being developed to facilitate the flow of
air for cooling a condenser and a compressor installed
inside a machine room of the refrigerator. Among the
various technologies, there are technologies in which an
inlet through which air is introduced into the machine room
and an outlet through which the internal air of the machine
room is discharged to the outside are all disposed on the
front of the refrigerator.
[6] For examples concerning these, there are Japanese
Patent Application Publication No. 2017-141975 (prior art 1)
, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2011-0019076 (prior
art 2), US Patent No. US 5,881,567 (prior art 3), and
Japanese Patent No. 5033563 (prior art 4), etc.
[7] However, in prior art 1, a cooling fan is in close
contact with one side of a condenser and thus the size of
the cooling fan is limited to the height of the surroundings
of the condenser, and a compressor and the condenser are
disposed to partially overlap each other in width directions
thereof, and thus air may not efficiently flow to the
compressor. In addition, in prior art 2, a condenser and a
cooling fan are installed in upright directions and the
entire height of the machine room increases, and in prior
art 3, a cooling fan is disposed behind a condenser and a
compressor and the cooling fan is located far away from an
inlet, so efficient introduction of air is difficult. In
prior art 4, a condenser is installed in an upright
direction, and the height of the machine room increases, and
an air flow path connected to the compressor is not clearly
defined, so an efficient air flow is difficult.
[8] That is, in prior arts 1 to 4, due to the installation
directions or overall height of the condenser and the
cooling fan, the machine room has a limit to be
miniaturized, or an air flow path inside the machine room is not clearly defined, so the flow of air by the cooling fan is not efficient. Particularly, in a small refrigerator having a limited size, the amount of air introduced into or discharged out of the machine room is unavoidably decreased.
[9] Of course, reducing the size of the condenser or a
heat dissipation fan allows the volume of the machine room
to be decreased, but in this case, heat dissipation
performance decreases, and consequently, the efficiency of a
refrigeration cycle decreases.
[10] Particularly, a built-in type refrigerator may be used
even in a kitchen island, which has been widely applied
recently, and island-type kitchen furniture, which is a
workbench independent of a sink, has high convenience but
has a low overall height, so the built-in type refrigerator
is difficult to be applied to the island-type kitchen
furniture.
[11] In addition, a small refrigerator disposed on a floor
has a limited height, and thus increasing the volume of the
machine room of the refrigerator causes the volume of
storage space to be unavoidably decreased.
[12] It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more
disadvantages or limitations associated with the prior art,
provide a refrigerator, or to at least provide the public
with a useful alternative.
Sumary
[13] According to a first aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide a refrigerator in which a condenser, a
compressor, a heat dissipation fan are efficiently disposed
inside a machine room such that the overall volume of the
machine room can be reduced and heat dissipation performance
of the condenser and the compressor can be secured.
[14] According to another aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide a refrigerator in which even without
reducing the size (a diameter) of the heat dissipation fan,
the overall volume of the machine room is reduced such that
a storage space of the refrigerator can be secured
relatively larger.
[15] According to another aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide a refrigerator in which the amount of
air introduced into and discharged from space of the machine
room can be effectively increased even in a small
refrigerator having a low height.
[16] According to another aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide a refrigerator in which condensers are
distributed at various positions inside the refrigerator so
as to increase heat dissipation performance.
[17] According to another aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide a refrigerator in which a control module and a door opening device are installed inside the machine room so as to decrease the overall size of the refrigerator.
[18] According to another aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide refrigerator in which parts constituting
the machine room are arranged to maximize the volume of the
storage space.
[19] According to another aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide a refrigerator comprising a cabinet
having a storage space, and a machine room disposed under
the storage space. The machine room may comprise a
compressor, a condenser, and a heat dissipation fan so as to
implement a cooling system, and may have an inlet and an
outlet formed on a front surface of the machine room.
Furthermore, the compressor and the heat dissipation fan may
be disposed at the rear of the machine room. The compressor
may be disposed in space partitioned from space in which the
condenser is disposed.
[20] According to another aspect, the present disclosure
may broadly provide a refrigerator comprising: a cabinet
having a storage space and a door assembly configured to
open and close the storage space, and a machine room
disposed under the storage space and comprising a
compressor, a condenser, and a heat dissipation fan for
implementing a cooling system, the machine room having an
inlet and an outlet formed on a front surface thereof, wherein the compressor and the condenser are disposed respectively in spaces partitioned from each other, and the heat dissipation fan is disposed in a rear portion of the machine room relative to the inlet, and the compressor is disposed in a rear portion of the machine room relative to the outlet, wherein a defrost water tray is disposed on a bottom of the machine room corresponding to a position between the inlet and the heat dissipation fan, wherein the defrost water tray extends to the opposite side of the compressor with the heat dissipation fan in between, and wherein a portion of the defrost water tray extends to a position facing the heat dissipation fan.
[20a] A lower surface of the cabinet may be constituted by a
cover plate. The cover plate may be disposed on an upper
part of the machine room.
[20b] The cover plate may comprise a first cover part and a
second cover part. The second cover part may be disposed
above the compressor and the heat dissipation fan, and may
be configured to be higher than the first cover part which
may be disposed above the inlet and the outlet.
[20c] The inlet may be configured to have an area larger
than an area of the outlet.
[20d] The machine room may be disposed removably on a lower
part of the cabinet.
[20e] An outer plate constituting a side surface of the
machine room is configured to have the same height from a
front of the machine room to a rear thereof, and the second
cover part is configured to be higher than the outer plate.
[20f] A surface of an outer plate disposed on an outer side
of a side surface of the cabinet and a surface of the outer
plate disposed on an outer side of the side surface of the
machine room are arranged adjacent to each other in the same
notional plane.
[20g] The condenser may be disposed to face the inlet.
[20h] The heat dissipation fan and a side surface of the
machine room may be spaced apart from each other so as to
define an air flow space therebetween. The heat dissipation
fan may be disposed to face the side surface of the machine
room.
[20i] A separation wall may be disposed between an
introduction space of the machine room connected to the
inlet and a discharge space of the machine room connected to
the outlet such that an inside of the machine room is
divided into opposite sides. The separation wall may
comprise a first wall and a second wall connected to each
other.
[20j] The first wall may be disposed between the inlet and
the outlet. The second wall may be connected to the heat
dissipation fan. The heat dissipation fan may be disposed between the second wall and a rear surface of the machine room.
[20k] A cover plate may comprise: a first cover part
extending rearward from a front end of the machine room at a
constant height; a second cover part extending rearward from
a rear end of the first cover part and having a height
higher than the height of the first cover part; and a
vertical connection part which is located between the first
cover part and the second cover part and vertically connects
the first cover part with the second cover part. The first
cover part may have the same height as a height of each of
the separation wall and the condenser.
[201] A cut part open to expose an upper end of the
compressor to the outside may be formed in a rear end of the
cover plate. A compressor cover may be provided in the cover
plate so as to cover the cut part.
[20m] An introduction space of the machine room may be
confined by a bottom plate, a side plate, and a rear plate
constituting the machine room. A discharge space of the
machine room may have an additional outlet formed by
openings at least in a portion of the bottom plate, in the
side plate, and in the rear plate such that the discharge
space communicates with the outside.
[20n] A flow guide surface is formed on the defrost water
tray and inclines toward the heat dissipation fan.
[20o] The discharge space may be provided with a control
module. The additional outlet may be formed at a position
corresponding to at least a portion of areas of the
compressor and the control module.
[20p] The bottom plate may have a reinforcement part
extending in a direction intersecting with a separation
wall. The reinforcement part may be disposed between the
additional outlet and an additional inlet.
[20q] A side condensing tube may be connected to the
condenser and may be disposed along a side surface of the
cabinet. The side condensing tube may be disposed between an
outer casing and an inner casing constituting the cabinet.
[20r] The machine room may be provided with a pair of side
parts coupled to a bottom plate and a side plate
constituting the machine room. Each of the side parts may be
configured to provide an opening in a lower surface thereof
such that a support module supporting the machine room is
provided inside the side part.
[20s] The support module may comprise a power transmission
part extending from a front end of the side part along the
inside of the side part, and a rear leveling part which is
coupled to a rear end of the power transmission part and
adjusts a horizontality of the refrigerator.
[21] The heat dissipation fan may be disposed at the rear
of the machine room relative to the inlet, and the compressor may be disposed at the rear of the machine room relative to the outlet. Accordingly, the compressor and the heat dissipation fan may be installed inside the machine room so as to be located far away from the inlet/outlet.
Accordingly, parts taller than other parts may be clustered
in the rear of the machine room, and remaining parts may be
installed in the front thereof, so the height of the front
of the machine room may be decreased.
[22] Additionally, the condenser may be installed in the
machine room such the condenser is adjacent to the inlet to
face the inlet. In this case, the compressor may be
disposed in space partitioned from space in which the
condenser is installed in the machine room, and may be
installed at a position closer to a rear plate than the
condenser. Accordingly, air introduced through the inlet
may effectively dissipate heat of the condenser, and the
compressor being high in height may be installed to be
spaced apart from the condenser, so the height of the front
of the machine room may be decreased.
[23] In addition, the compressor and the heat dissipation
fan may be disposed side by side along a direction parallel
with the rear plate. When the compressor and the heat
dissipation fan are disposed in parallel with the rear
plate, the heat dissipation fan may be made at least as high as the compressor, and accordingly, an air flow through the heat dissipation fan may be further facilitated.
[24] Furthermore, the heat dissipation fan may be spaced
apart from the side plate of a machine room frame, and an
air flow space connected to the inlet may be defined between
the heat dissipation fan and the side plate, and the heat
dissipation fan may be installed to face the side plate.
Accordingly, the air flow space may be secured from the
inlet to the heat dissipation fan.
[25] Additionally, a separation wall may be installed in
the machine room such that an end of the separation wall
extends between the inlet and the outlet, and may divide the
inside of the machine room into two sides. The opposite end
of the separation wall may be connected to the heat
dissipation fan, and the heat dissipation fan may block
space between the separation wall and the rear plate.
Accordingly, the inside of the machine room may be divided
by the separation wall such that an introduction path
through which outside air is introduced and a discharge path
through which air passing through the inside of the machine
room is discharged are separated from each other. Air may
flow along a predetermined path inside the machine room,
that is, along the sequence of the condenser, the heat
dissipation fan, and the compressor, so air circulation may
be facilitated.
[26] In addition, an introduction space of the machine room
defined between the inlet and the heat dissipation fan may
be blocked by the bottom plate, side plate, and rear plate
of the machine room frame. Simultaneously, in a discharge
space of the machine room defined between the heat
dissipation fan and the outlet, at least a portion of the
bottom plate, side plate, and rear plate may be open, so the
discharge space may communicate with the outside.
Accordingly, the initial introduction of outside air may be
limited to a specific direction (the condenser), but after
the outside air dissipates heat of the condenser and the
compressor, the outside air may be discharged in various
directions, so heat dissipation performance of the machine
room may be increased.
[27] In addition, a defrost water tray may be installed on
the bottom of the machine room between the inlet and the
heat dissipation fan, and a flow guide surface may be formed
on the defrost water tray by inclining toward the heat
dissipation fan. Accordingly, a dead space may be prevented
from being formed between the lower end of the heat
dissipation fan and the defrost water tray, so a flow space
may be sufficiently secured.
[28] Furthermore, a control module may be installed in
space between the compressor and the outlet in the machine
room. The control module may be spaced apart upward from the bottom surface of the machine room, and thus an air flow path may be formed between the lower surface of the control module and the bottom surface of the machine room.
Accordingly, in the machine room, the control module as well
as devices for the implementation of a refrigerant cycle and
may be installed and thus space utilization rate may be
increased. In this case, the control module may be
installed at a position close to the entrance of the machine
room, and thus may be removed from the front of the machine
room.
[29] In addition, the machine room frame may comprise the
bottom plate on which the compressor, the condenser, and the
separation wall are provided, wherein the bottom plate may
comprise an additional inlet through which outside air is
introduced by passing through the introduction space defined
by the separation wall, and an additional outlet through
which air of the machine room is discharged by passing
through the discharge space defined by the separation wall.
Accordingly, even in a small refrigerator having a low
height, in addition to the amount of air
introduced/discharged from a front cover thereof into/out of
the machine room, the amount of air introduced or discharged
additionally may be secured.
[30] Furthermore, a reinforcement part may be formed on the
bottom plate by extending in a direction intersecting with the separation wall. The reinforcement part may be disposed between the additional inlet and the additional outlet.
Such a reinforcement part may prevent the bottom plate from
sagging downward due to the weight of parts installed in the
machine room.
[31] In addition, the machine room frame may be provided
with a pair of side parts coupled to the bottom plate and
the side plate constituting the machine room frame. Each of
the side parts may be configured to be open in a lower
surface thereof such that a support module supporting the
machine room frame is provided inside the side part. Such a
support module may allow the horizontality of the
refrigerator to be adjusted.
[32] Furthermore, the open upper surface of the machine
room may be covered by a cover plate having a plate shape,
and the cover plate may be provided with a compressor cover
receiving the upper end of the compressor. The compressor
cover may be located at a position corresponding to the
upper surface of the compressor and may protrude more than
the upper surface of the cover plate. Accordingly, the
heights of parts other than the compressor may be minimized
to decrease space occupied by the machine room.
[33] In addition, an open cut part may be formed in the
rear end of the cover plate such that the upper end of the compressor is exposed to the outside of the cover plate, and the compressor cover may be disposed to cover the cut part.
[34] Additionally, the compressor cover may be open in a
rear surface thereof, and the open rear surface may be
covered by a rear plate constituting the rear surface of the
machine room. Accordingly, in a state in which the rear
plate is removed from the machine room, the rear surface of
the machine room may be sufficiently exposed to the outside,
so the mounting and service work of the compressor and a
control valve may be facilitated.
[35] The refrigerator of the present disclosure described
above may have the following effects.
[36] Although the refrigerator of the present disclosure
has a sealed structure, the refrigerator may be configured
such that air can be introduced and discharged through the
front surface of the machine room, and thus air circulation
may be facilitated although the refrigerator is installed in
narrow and small space in a built-in method, thereby
improving the cooling performance and efficiency of the
refrigerator.
[37] In addition, according to the present disclosure, the
compressor and the heat dissipation fan may be installed on
the inner side of the machine room located far away from the
inlet/outlet. That is, parts taller than other parts may be
clustered in the rear of the machine room, and remaining parts may be installed in the front thereof, and thus the height of the front of the machine room may be decreased, and the storage space of the refrigerator may be increased by the decreased height of the front of the machine room.
Accordingly, the space utilization rate of the refrigerator
may be improved.
[38] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, the
compressor and the condenser may be disposed in divided
spaces, respectively, and the heat dissipation fan may be
installed to be located between the compressor and the
condenser such that the compressor and the condenser are
blocked from each other. Accordingly, the impact of heat of
high-temperature generated by the compressor on the
condenser may be reduced, and the heat dissipation of the
condenser may be more effectively performed.
[39] Particularly, according to the present disclosure, the
heat dissipation fan installed between the compressor and
the condenser may function as a kind of partitioning wall,
and thus the heat of the compressor may be more effectively
prevented from being transferred to the condenser, thereby
improving the cooling efficiency of the condenser and the
energy efficiency of the refrigerator.
[40] In addition, according to the present disclosure, the
compressor and the heat dissipation fan having high heights
may be disposed side by side to overlap each other in at least a portion thereof in a direction orthogonal to each of the open directions of the inlet and the outlet, that is, along a left-to-right direction in the rear of the machine room. Accordingly, a heat dissipation fan as high as the height of the compressor may be installed, and accordingly, heat dissipation of the inside of the machine room may be more effectively performed.
[41] Particularly, according to the present disclosure, the
heat dissipation fan may face the compressor such that the
extending direction of a rotating shaft thereof is directed
to the compressor, and thus the heat dissipation fan having
a sufficiently large diameter in correspondence to the size
of the compressor may be installed in the machine room,
thereby improving heat dissipation performance of both the
condenser and the compressor.
[42] Additionally, according to the present disclosure, the
inlet of the machine room may be wider than the outlet. The
area of the inlet may be secured as large as possible so as
to more facilitate the cooling of the condenser adjacent to
the inlet, and the side of the outlet after passing through
a section in which the condenser is installed may be formed
to be relatively wide again. Accordingly, without
interfering with the installation of the compressor and the
heat dissipation fan, the heat dissipation function of the
condenser may be performed as effectively as possible.
[43] Particularly, in order to cool the condenser which is
more important in increasing the efficiency of a
refrigeration cycle, the condenser may be installed close to
the inlet, and the left-to-right width of the inlet may be
larger than the left-to-right with of the condenser, so the
condenser may meet a sufficiently large amount of outside
air to dissipate heat.
[44] Meanwhile, according to the present disclosure, the
inside of the machine room may be divided by the separation
wall such that the introduction path through which outside
air is introduced and the discharge path through which air
passing through the inside of the machine room is discharged
are separated from each other. Accordingly, according to
the present disclosure, air may flow along a predetermined
path in the machine room, that is, through the condenser,
the heat dissipation fan, and the compressor, so air
circulation may be facilitated.
[45] In addition, according to the present disclosure, the
heat dissipation fan may be installed to be connected to the
separation wall. Accordingly, the heat dissipation fan may
be a kind of separation wall. Accordingly, air may flow to
the compressor only through the heat dissipation fan.
Particularly, air may be moved to the compressor by the heat
dissipation fan, so high-temperature heat generated by the compressor may be more reliably prevented from affecting the condenser.
[46] In addition, according to the present disclosure, the
inner space of the machine room defined between the inlet
and the heat dissipation fan may be blocked and thus
introduced air may flow through the condenser only toward
the heat dissipation fan, but the inner space of the machine
room defined between the heat dissipation fan and the outlet
may be open in the bottom, side surface, or rear surface
thereof and thus may communicate with the outside.
Accordingly, the initial introduction of outside air may be
limited to a specific direction (toward the condenser), but
after the outside air dissipates heat of the condenser and
the compressor, the outside air may be discharged in various
directions, thereby further improving heat dissipation
performance of the machine room.
[47] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, the
condenser may comprise a main condenser installed inside the
machine room, and a side condensing tube mounted in the side
surface of the cabinet along the side surface. By assisting
the main condenser, the side condensing tube, which assists
the main condenser, and the main condenser may condense
refrigerant, thereby making the size of the main condenser
relatively small and reducing the size of a machine room
module.
[48] In addition, the side condensing tube may be mounted
in the side surface of the cabinet so as to increase
temperature of the side surface of the refrigerator, and
accordingly, it is possible to prevent the formation of dew
on the outer surface of the refrigerator due to temperature
difference between the inside and outside of the
refrigerator.
[49] At the same time, an inclined surface (the flow guide
surface) may be formed on a part of the defrost water tray
adjacent to the lower end of the heat dissipation fan by
inclining downward toward the heat dissipation fan, and thus
a dead space may be prevented from being formed between the
lower end of the heat dissipation fan and the defrost water
tray, and a flow space may be sufficiently secured.
Accordingly, air introduction by the heat dissipation fan
may be efficiently performed even in the side of the lower
end of the heat dissipation fan.
[50] In addition, in the machine room, the control module
as well as devices for implementing a refrigerant cycle may
be installed, and thus space utilization rate may be
increased. In this case, the control module may be
installed at a position close to the entrance of the machine
room and thus may be removed forward from the machine room.
Accordingly, for maintenance of the control module, the rear
of the refrigerator may not be required to be opened, and the control module may be removed from the front of the refrigerator to be repaired or replaced, thereby improving the maintainability of the control module.
[51] In addition, the additional inlet and the additional
outlet may be formed in the bottom plate constituting a
machine room frame, and thus even in a small refrigerator
having low height, in addition to the amount of air
introduced/discharged from the front cover thereof into/out
of the machine room, the amount of air introduced or
discharged additionally may be secured.
[52] The reinforcement part may be provided on the bottom
plate of the refrigerator of the present disclosure by
intersecting with the separation wall dividing the space of
the machine room into an introduction space and a discharge
space. Accordingly, the bottom plate may be prevented from
sagging downward due to parts installed inside the machine
room.
[53] Furthermore, in the refrigerator of the present
disclosure, a rear leveling part provided on a rear of the
refrigerator may be adjusted by a power transmission part,
so an operator may easily level a refrigerator body even
from the front.
[54] In addition, the cover plate may cover the open upper
surface of the machine room and may not interfere with other
parts provided inside the machine room due to a bent structure of the cover plate. Particularly, among parts of the machine room, a part corresponding to the compressor having the highest shape may be covered by the compressor cover formed separately, thereby preventing the defining of unnecessary space inside the machine room and having a dense structure.
[55] The term "comprising" as used in the specification and
claims means "consisting at least in part of." When
interpreting each statement in this specification that
includes the term "comprising," features other than that or
those prefaced by the term may also be present. Related
terms "comprise" and "comprises" are to be interpreted in
the same manner.
[56] The reference in this specification to any prior
publication (or information derived from it), or to any
matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as,
an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion
that that prior publication (or information derived from it)
or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge
in the field of endeavour to which this specification
relates.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[57] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the exterior
of a refrigerator comprising a machine room module according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[58] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in
which a door assembly is opened in the refrigerator of FIG.
1.
[59] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the exploded
state of parts of the refrigerator comprising the machine
room module according to the present disclosure.
[60] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the exploded
state of parts of a cabinet constituting the refrigerator
comprising the machine room module according to the present
disclosure.
[61] FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line I-I' of
FIG. 1.
[62] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating parts for
implementing a refrigeration cycle of the refrigerator
comprising the machine room module according to the
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[63] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the machine
room module according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[64] FIG. 8 is a top plan view illustrating the machine
room module according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[65] FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating the machine room
module according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[66] FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating the machine room
module according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[67] FIG. 11 is a bottom view illustrating the machine room
module according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[68] FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating only a
defrost water tray among parts constituting the machine room
module according to the present disclosure.
[69] FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a state in
which a condenser and a heat dissipation fan are installed
in the defrost water tray of the machine room module
according to the present disclosure.
[70] FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line II-II' of
FIG. 13.
[71] FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating a state in which
the condenser is fixed to a condenser fixing part of the
defrost water tray of the machine room module according to
the present disclosure.
[72] FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating the
exploded state of a machine room module constituting the refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
[73] FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a state of
the refrigerator according to the embodiment of FIG. 16 when
viewed from a lower side thereof.
[74] FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a bottom
plate constituting the refrigerator of the present
disclosure.
[75] FIG. 19 is an enlarged view illustrated by enlarging
an A part of FIG. 17.
[76] FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view of a rear leveling
part of FIG. 19.
[77] FIG. 21 is a vertical sectional view of the rear
leveling part of FIG. 19.
[78] FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view illustrating
the coupling structure of a machine room frame to a cover
plate.
[79] FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating the coupled
state of the machine room frame to the cover plate when
viewed from the rear side.
[80] FIG. 24 is a rear view of the coupled state of the
machine room frame to the cover plate.
[81] FIG. 25 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a
state in which the cover plate, a compressor cover, and a
main control valve are exploded when viewed from below.
[82] FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a
state in which the cover plate, the compressor cover, and
the main control valve are exploded when viewed from above.
[83] FIG. 27 is an exploded perspective view illustrating
the coupling structure of the compressor cover to the main
control valve.
[84] FIG. 28 is a perspective view illustrating a state in
which an evaporator constituting the refrigerator of the
present disclosure is installed on a cooling compartment.
[85] FIG. 29 is a perspective view illustrating the
configuration of the evaporator constituting the
refrigerator of the present disclosure and a grille plate
assembled with the evaporator.
[86] FIG. 30 is a sectional view illustrating the internal
configuration of the cooling compartment comprising the
evaporator constituting the refrigerator of the present
disclosure according to the embodiment.
[87] FIG. 31 is a perspective view illustrating a state in
which a control module is removed from the refrigerator
comprising the machine room module of the present
disclosure.
[88] FIG. 32 is a perspective view illustrating a state in
which the control module is installed in the machine room
module of the present disclosure.
[89] FIG. 33 is a perspective view illustrating a state in
which the control module of FIG. 32 is removed to the
outside.
[90] FIG. 34 is a bottom view illustrating a state in which
a door opening device constituting the refrigerator is
installed on the cover plate according to the embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[91] FIG. 35 is a bottom view illustrated by enlarging the
configuration of the door opening device constituting the
refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[92] FIG. 36 is a perspective view illustrating a state in
which the door opening device constituting the refrigerator
is removed from the cover plate according to the embodiment
of the present disclosure.
[93] FIG. 37 is a conceptual diagram indicating the flow of
refrigerant in the refrigerator of the present disclosure.
[94] FIG. 38 is a sectional view illustrating the flow of
air inside the cooling compartment comprising the evaporator
constituting the refrigerator according to the embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[95] FIG. 39 is a top plan view illustrating the flow of
air inside the machine room module of the present
disclosure.
Detailed Description
[96] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present
disclosure will be described in detail with reference to
exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to parts
in each drawing, it should be noted that the same parts are
assigned the same reference numerals as much as possible
even though they are indicated in different drawings.
Furthermore, in describing the embodiments of the present
disclosure, when it is determined that a detailed
description of a related known configuration or function
interferes with an understanding of the embodiments of the
present disclosure, a detailed description thereof will be
omitted.
[97] An embodiment of a refrigerator of the present
disclosure (hereinafter, referred to as "a refrigerator")
will be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings. For reference, a built-in type refrigerator to
which a machine room module is applied has been described as
an example below, but the machine room module of the present
disclosure may be applied to various devices having a
machine room module to which a refrigeration cycle is
applied such as a general refrigerator, a wine refrigerator,
a kimchi refrigerator, a beverage store device, or a plant
cultivation device.
[98] The refrigerator comprising a machine room assembly of
the present disclosure may largely comprise a cabinet 100,
the machine room module, beds 300a to 300d, a barrier 400,
and grille fan assemblies 500a and 500b. Among these, the
beds 300a to 300d, the barrier 400, and the grille fan
assemblies 500a and 500b may be installed in the cabinet
100, and a door assembly 130 may be assembled with the front
surface of the cabinet 100. Additionally, the machine room
module may be assembled with the lower side of the cabinet
100.
[99] Referring to FIG. 1, the cabinet 100 may constitute
the exterior of the refrigerator, and as illustrated in the
drawing, may be configured to have a low overall height.
The refrigerator according to the embodiment is a built-in
type refrigerator installed inside an island table, etc.,
and has a lower height than a general refrigerator.
Accordingly, the refrigerator may have a small internal
capacity and a small space in which each part can be
installed. Accordingly, in order to utilize a small and low
installation space, parts are required to be effectively
arranged. To this end, in the embodiment, parts comprising
the compressor 610 are effectively disposed, and a control
module 700 is installed inside the machine room module.
Such a structure will be described below.
[100] The cabinet 100 may be configured as a casing having
an open front surface, and may comprise multiple parts. The
cabinet 100 may largely comprise an outer casing 110
constituting an outer wall surface thereof, and an inner
casing 120 constituting an inner wall surface thereof. As
illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front surface of the
cabinet 100 may be open, and may be selectively covered by
the door assembly 130. When the door assembly 130 is
opened, a storage space 121 may be open forward.
[101] In FIG. 4, parts constituting the cabinet 100 are
illustrated by being exploded. As illustrated in the
drawing, the outer casing 110 may have an approximately
hexahedral shape open forward, rearward, and downward, and
the inner casing 120 may be installed inside the outer
casing 110 to be spaced apart from the outer casing 110.
Additionally, a back plate 115 may be assembled with the
rear surface of the outer casing 110, a front frame 118 may
be assembled with the front surface of the outer casing 110,
and a cover plate 250 may be assembled with the lower
surface of the outer casing 110.
[102] While each of the back plate 115, the front frame 118,
and the cover plate 250 is assembled with the outer casing
110 a state in which the inner casing 120 is located inside
the outer casing 110, a foam insulation material (not shown)
may be filled in space between the inner casing 120 and the outer casing 110. In this case, a filling hole 116 may be formed through the back plate 115, and the foam insulation material may be injected into the space through the filling hole 116.
[103] Accordingly, when the foam insulation material is
filled in the space between the outer casing 110 and the
inner casing 120, a portion of a wire harness (not shown) to
be described below, a side condensing tube L4 and L6 (see
FIG. 6), and a front condensing tube L8 may be mounted in a
foam layer. Accordingly, a portion of the wire harness and
a side condenser may be fixed naturally in the process of
filling the foam insulation material.
[104] The storage space 121 may be present in the cabinet
100. The storage space 121 is space in which food is
stored, and the storage space 121 may be divided into
multiple compartments by the beds 300a to 300d. A guide
rail 122 may be provided on the inner wall surface of the
storage space 121, and the beds 300a to 300d may be
configured to move forward/rearward under the guidance of
the guide rail 122 such that the beds can be taken out from
or taken in the storage space 121 in a drawer type.
[105] Referring to FIG. 5, the multiple beds 300 may be
provided in an upper storage space 121b and a lower storage
space 121a partitioned from each other. Each of the beds
300 may be configured to transversely divide the inside of the storage space 121, and may provide a surface on which food can be seated. The bed 300 may be formed of multiple sticks or rods, and thus may have multiple open spaces defined such that cold air can pass through the spaces in a vertical direction. Additionally, the bed 300 may be configured to seat a bottle or a can thereon.
[106] The bed 300 may comprise multiple beds provided in the
upper storage space 121b and the lower storage space 121a,
and the multiple beds may be disposed up and down.
Furthermore, the bed 300 may be configured to be withdrawn
from the inside of the storage space 121. To this end, the
guide rail 122 may be provided on each of the opposite side
surfaces of the inner casing 120. The guide rail 122 may be
connected to each of the opposite side surfaces of the bed
300 and may be mounted such that the bed 300 can be
withdrawn.
[107] In addition, the upper grille fan assembly 500b and
the lower grille fan assembly 500a may be provided in the
upper storage space 121b and the lower storage space 121a,
respectively, so as to cover an upper evaporator 630b and a
lower evaporator 630a, respectively.
[108] The evaporator 630a or 630b may be received into the
recessed rear surface of the inner casing 120, and may
comprise the upper evaporator 630b and the lower evaporator
630a. The upper evaporator 630b and the lower evaporator
630a may be provided in the upper storage space 121b and the
lower storage space 121a, respectively.
[109] An avoidance part 123 may be provided on the bottom
surface of the storage space 121. The avoidance part 123 is
a part protruding upward from the bottom surface of the
storage space 121. The avoidance part 123 is intended to
avoid interference with the compressor 610 of the machine
room module to be described below. Due to the avoidance
part 123, a portion of the bottom of the storage space 121
may have a stepped space.
[110] The door assembly 130 may be provided on the front
surface of the cabinet 100. Such a door assembly 130 is
intended to open and close the storage space 121 of the
cabinet 100. In the embodiment, the door assembly 130 may
be configured to be opened and closed by rotating. More
precisely, the door assembly 130 may be in close contact
with the front frame 118 of the cabinet 100 so as to cover
the storage space 121, or may be moved away from the front
frame 118 by rotating so as to open the storage space 121.
[111] That is, due to the door assembly 130 described above,
the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure may have the sealed storage space 121.
Particularly, the sealed storage space 121 may store food
while maintaining a predetermined temperature without loss
of cold air due to the grille fan assemblies 500a and 500b and an air conditioning module 600. In the embodiment, at least a portion of the door assembly 130 may be made to have the structure of a transparent see-through window 142 such that the storage space 121 can be checked from the outside.
[112] In this case, the see-through window 142 is preferably
made of a material through which the inside of the storage
space can be seen, and for example, may be formed of glass.
When the see-through window 142 is formed of glass, a
protective film (not shown) may be attached to the glass.
In this case, the protective film is preferably made of a
light blocking (partially blocking) film which minimizes
penetrating of light in the storage space 121 into a room.
Of course, instead of the protective fi, the see-through
window 142 may be formed to have a dark color and may be
configured to minimize light penetration into the room.
[113] Next, the machine room module will be described. A
machine room frame 200 constituting the frame of the machine
room module is provided to constitute the lower structure of
the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure. The air conditioning module 600 to be described
below may be installed in the machine room frame 200, and
the cabinet 100 described above may be coupled to the upper
part of the machine room frame 200.
[114] As illustrated in FIG. 1, such a machine room frame
200 may be installed on the lower side of the outer casing
110, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, may have the shape of an
approximately rectangular frame. In the embodiment, the
machine room frame 200 may be open in an upper part thereof
and may have a machine room 201 therein, and at least a
portion of the air conditioning module 600 may be installed
therein. Here, the machine room 201 is space separated from
the storage space 121, and the machine room frame 200 may be
a portion of the cabinet 100, or may be assembled with the
cabinet 100.
[115] Referring to FIG. 7, the machine room frame 200 may
comprise a bottom plate 211 constituting a bottom thereof, a
side plate 212 constituting each of opposite side wall
surfaces thereof, and a rear plate 213 constituting a rear
surface thereof. Furthermore, the cover plate 250 (see FIG.
3) may be coupled to the upper part of the machine room
frame 200 so as to cover the machine room 201 provided
inside the machine room frame. In the embodiment, the cover
plate 250 may be assembled with the lower side of the
cabinet 100 and thus may be considered as a portion of the
cabinet 100. However, the cover plate 250 may constitute
the upper part of the machine room frame 200 and thus may be
considered as a portion of the machine room frame 200.
[116] Heat dissipation holes 211' and 214 may be formed in
the machine room frame 200. The heat dissipation holes 211'
and 214 are parts, except for a front cover 220 of the front surface of the machine room frame to be described below, which connect the inner space of the machine room frame 200 with the outside. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the heat dissipation hole 214 may be formed in the rear plate 213, and as illustrated in FIG. 11 which is a bottom view, the heat dissipation hole 211' may be formed even in the bottom plate 211. Additionally, although not shown, the heat dissipation hole may be formed in the side plate 212.
[117] In this case, there is no heat dissipation hole in the
inner space (an introduction space I) of the machine room
201 defined between the inlet 225a and a heat dissipation
fan 611 to be described below. That is, the introduction
space I defined between the inlet 225a and the heat
dissipation fan 611 is blocked by the bottom plate 211, side
plate 212, and rear plate 213 of the machine room frame 200.
[118] Unlike this, in the inner space (a discharge space 0)
of the machine room 201 defined between the heat dissipation
fan 611 and an outlet 225b, at least a portion of the bottom
plate 211, the side plate 212, and the rear plate 213 of the
discharge space may be open through the heat dissipation
holes 211' and 214 to the outside, so the discharge space
may communicate with the outside. Referring to FIG. 11, it
can be seen that the heat dissipation hole is formed in the
bottom plate 211, and there is no heat dissipation hole
around the introduction space I of the inlet of the front surface of the machine room frame 200, but the heat dissipation holes 211' and 214 are present around the discharge space 0.
[119] According to such a structure, the introduction space
I which is the inner space of the machine room 201 defined
between the inlet 225a and the heat dissipation fan 611 may
be blocked, and thus introduced outside air may be moved
through a main condenser 620 only to the heat dissipation
fan 611, but in the discharge space 0 of the machine room
201 defined between the heat dissipation fan 611 and the
outlet 225b, a portion of the bottom, the side surface, and
rear surface thereof may be open through the heat
dissipation holes 211' and 214 to the outside, so the
discharge space 0 may be connected to the outside.
Accordingly, initial introduction of outside air is limited
to a specific direction, that is, to the main condenser 620,
but after the outside air dissipates heat of the main
condenser 620 and the compressor 610, the outside air may be
discharged in various directions, so heat dissipation
performance of the machine room may be increased.
[120] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in the embodiment, the
inlet 225a may be wider than the outlet 225b. However, the
introduction space I of the machine room 201 connected to
the inlet 225a may be defined to have a narrow width by a
separation wall 230 installed to partition the machine room
201 at an area after an area in which the main condenser 620
is installed.
[121] That is, the inlet 225a may be widened to increase the
amount of initially introduced air, and accordingly, the
main condenser 620 may be effectively cooled. In addition,
an area of the introduction space I after an area for
cooling the main condenser 620 may be decreased such that
remaining space can be used as space for installing the
compressor 610, a heat dissipation fan 611, and the control
module 700.
[122] Referring to FIG. 10, a protection plate 213', a
portion of which protrudes more upward, may be provided on
the rear plate 213. The protection plate 213' may be formed
to be higher than the compressor 610 and may function to
protect the compressor 610.
[123] Meanwhile, the machine room frame 200 and the inner
casing 120 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each
other, and the side plates 212 and the rear plate 213 of the
machine room frame 200 may be configured to be connected to
the opposite side surfaces and rear surface of the outer
casing 110, respectively.
[124] The machine room 201 (see FIG. 7) may be present in
the machine room frame 200. The machine room 201 is an
empty space which is a kind of installation space, and may
have a portion of a device constituting the air conditioning module 600 installed therein. The machine room 201 is a separate space independent of the storage space 121 described above, and provides space in which the air conditioning module 600 is installed and operates.
[125] Although not shown, the inner casing 120 and the
machine room frame 200 may be configured as one part. In
this case, a separate partitioning wall may be provided
between the storage space 121 and the machine room 201 such
that the storage space 121 and the machine room 201 can be
separated from each other.
[126] The front cover 220 may be provided on the open front
surface of the machine room frame 200 which is the front of
the machine room 201. The front cover 220 may function to
guide the flow of air introduced into the machine room 201
from the outside thereof or air discharged to the outside of
the machine room 201 from the inside thereof, and to cover
the open front surface of the machine room 201.
Accordingly, the front cover 220 may be considered as a
front cover of the machine room 201.
[127] In addition, the inlet 225a and the outlet 225b may be
formed in the front cover 220 described above. In this
case, the inlet 225a and the outlet 225b may be provided at
positions separated from each other by the separation wall
230 to be described later. In the embodiment of the present
disclosure, when viewed from the front side, the inlet 225a is provided at the left side and the outlet 225b is provided at the right, but the inlet 225a may be provided at the right side and the outlet 225b may be provided at the left side. For reference, referring to FIG. 6 in which the front cover 220 is removed from the machine room frame 200, the inlet of the introduction space I and the outlet of the discharge space 0 are exposed to the entrance of the front surface of the machine room frame 200.
[128] Referring to FIG. 8, the main condenser 620 and a
defrost water tray 240 are installed in the introduction
space I of the machine room frame 200, and the compressor
610 and the control module 700 are installed in the
discharge space 0. Additionally, the heat dissipation fan
611 is present between the introduction space I and the
discharge space 0. The heat dissipation fan 611 may
function as a kind of partitioning wall, and more precisely,
may divide the inner space of the machine room 201, together
with the separation wall 230.
[129] Looking at the separation wall 230, the separation
wall 230 which divides the machine room 201 into two spaces
is provided in the machine room frame 200. That is, a flow
path through which air is introduced into the machine room
201 and a flow path through which air is discharged may be
separated from each other by the separation wall 230. The
flow path through which air is introduced into the machine room 201 may start from the inlet 225a of the front cover
220, and the flow path through which air is discharged from
the inside of the machine room 201 may end at the outlet
225b of the front cover 220.
[130] In addition, the left and right spaces of the inside
of the machine room 201 separated from each other by the
separation wall 230 may be connected to each other at the
rear of the machine room 201, that is, at a position close
to the rear plate 213. That is, the rear end portion of the
separation wall 230 may be configured to be spaced apart
from the rear plate 213 so as not to reach the rear plate
213, so a part at which the left and right spaces are
connected to each other may be generated. Of course,
although not shown, the rear end portion of the separation
wall 230 may be in contact with the rear plate 213, and may
have an opening (not shown) formed therein such that the
inner opposite sides of the machine room 201 communicate
with each other.
[131] In addition, the rear end portion of the separation
wall 230 may be spaced apart from the rear plate 213 so as
not to reach the rear plate 213, and the heat dissipation
fan 611 may be installed in the part at which the left and
right spaces are connected to each other, so the heat
dissipation fan 611 may be a portion of a kind of separation
wall 230. Of course, the heat dissipation fan 611 may be open, and thus the introduction space I and the discharge space 0 may be connected to each other relative to the heat dissipation fan 611, but when the heat dissipation fan 611 operates, air may flow from the introduction space I to the discharge space 0, so it is difficult that air flows in a direction opposite to the direction of the air flow.
Accordingly, the heat of the compressor 610 may be
effectively prevented from being transmitted to the main
condenser 620, so the cooling efficiency of the main
condenser 620 and the operating efficiency of the
refrigerator may be increased.
[132] The separation wall 230 may be formed in a straight
line, but may be formed to have an inclined or bent
structure. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the
separation wall 230 is configured to have a bent structure.
That is, a portion of the separation wall 230 may be formed
to be bent, so space in which the main condenser 620 to be
described later is installed may be secured as much as
possible.
[133] The separation wall 230 may comprise a first wall 231
extending toward the inside of the machine room 201 between
the inlet 225a and the outlet 225b, and a second wall 232
extending from the first wall 231 in an inclined direction.
In FIGS. 6 to 8, although the first wall 231 is not seen due
to the control module 700, the second wall 232 is illustrated. In FIG. 9, the first wall 231 is illustrated, and as illustrated in FIG. 9, the main condenser 620 is disposed in space divided by the first wall 231.
[134] Referring to FIG. 11 which is the bottom view of the
machine room frame 200, the installation positions of the
first wall 231, the second wall 232 extending from the first
wall 231 in an inclining direction, and the heat dissipation
fan 611 connected to the second wall 232 can be seen. As
illustrated in the drawing, the first wall 231, the second
wall 232, and the heat dissipation fan 611 may be
continuously connected to each other, and may constitute one
separation wall. Of course, the second wall 232 and the
heat dissipation fan 611 may have a predetermined interval
therebetween, but may be disposed very close to each other,
and thus the escaping of air to the interval therebetween
may be minimized.
[135] Referring to FIG. 9, the height H3 of the first wall
231 may be greater than or equal to the height of the main
condenser 620. Additionally, the second wall 232 may be
connected from an end of the first wall 231 to an end of the
heat dissipation fan 611 to be described below.
Accordingly, the second wall 232 may prevent introduced air
from flowing directly toward the compressor 610 without
passing through the heat dissipation fan 611. Such first wall 231 and second wall 232 may be configured as one part or as separate parts.
[136] The defrost water tray 240 may be provided in the
machine room 201 of the machine room frame 200. In this
case, the defrost water tray 240 described above may be
located on the bottom of a side to which air is introduced
through the inlet 225a in the machine room 201, and may
function to collect defrost water falling down from the
evaporator 630 described later and to fix the main condenser
620 in the machine room 201.
[137] Referring to FIG. 13, the main condenser 620 may be
installed on the front of the defrost water tray 240
directed toward the inlet 225a, and an evaporation tube L2
may be installed at the bottom surface 241' of the defrost
water tray 240. The evaporation tube L2 may be disposed
close to the bottom surface 241' of the defrost water tray
240, and thus may function to evaporate defrost water
collected in the defrost water tray 240. The evaporation
tube L2 will be described again below.
[138] In addition, the heat dissipation fan 611 may be
disposed at one side of the defrost water tray 240. The
heat dissipation fan 611 may not installed inside the
defrost water tray 240, but may be installed at the rear of
the defrost water tray 240 to be adjacent to the defrost
water tray 240. The heat dissipation fan 611 may introduce air through the inlet 225a into the machine room 201, and may discharge air passing through the condenser 620 and the compressor 610 to the outlet of the front surface of the machine room, that is, the outlet 225b. The installation structure of the defrost water tray 240 and the heat dissipation fan 611 will be described again below.
[139] Referring to FIG. 12, the frame of the defrost water
tray 240 may be constituted by a tray body 241 having the
shape of an approximately rectangular frame, and a defrost
water space Sa and Sb may be defined inside tray body 241 by
a dividing fence 242 provided along the edge of the tray
body 241. The dividing fence 242 may protrude by a
predetermined length from the bottom surface 241' of the
tray body 241, and defrost water generated and fallen from
the evaporator 630 may be collected in the defrost water
space Sa and Sb.
[140] The defrost water space Sa and Sb may have a width
narrowing gradually rearward, and an inclined fence 242' may
be provided at one side of the dividing fence 242 so as to
decrease the width of the defrost water space Sa and Sb.
The inclined fence 242' may correspond to the second wall
232 extending in an inclined direction in the separation
wall 230 described above. The second wall 232 may be
located to be adjacent to the inclined fence 242'.
Accordingly, the inclined fence 242' may be considered to constitute a part of the separation wall, together with the second wall 232.
[141] Accordingly, the defrost water space Sa and Sb may be
decreased in width, and thus may be divided into a first
defrost water space Sa having a relatively wide width and a
second defrost water space Sb having a relatively narrow
width. Since the heat dissipation fan 611 is installed
beside the second defrost water space Sb, it may be
considered that the second defrost water space Sb is
configured to be relatively narrow so as to provide the
installation space of the heat dissipation fan 611.
However, the first defrost water space Sa may be wide by
having the same width as the width of a condenser seating
plate 246 on which the main condenser 620 is seated, so the
defrost water space Sa and Sb may have a sufficiently large
storage capacity.
[142] Meanwhile, the dividing fence 242 may have a fixing
clip 244. The fixing clip 244 may protrude from the
dividing fence 242 toward the defrost water space Sa and Sb,
and may have the shape of elastic tongs. The fixing clip
244 may be a part which holds and fixes a portion of a
defrost water pipe 590 (see FIG. 30) transmitting defrost
water generated from the evaporator 630. In the embodiment,
the fixing clip 244 may comprise two fixing clips provided
at a side of the second defrost water space Sb, and the position and number thereof may change. In the embodiment, the fixing clip 244 may be provided at the side of the second defrost water space Sb relatively close to the evaporator 630.
[143] The condenser seating plate 246 may be provided at one
side of the tray body 241. The condenser seating plate 246
may be formed to have the shape of a thin plate, and may
extend further from the tray body 241 toward the inlet 225a.
The condenser seating plate 246 may not have the dividing
fence 242 unlike the tray body 241 and may be configured to
have the same height as the height of the bottom surface
241' of the tray body 241.
[144] A flow inclined surface 245' may be formed between the
tray body 241 and the condenser seating plate 246 by
inclining downward toward the condenser seating plate 246.
The flow inclined surface 245' may prevent air introduced
into the inlet 225a from being prevented from naturally
flowing by being blocked by the dividing fence 242. To this
end, the flow inclined surface 245' may be formed on the
front surface of the front surface of the dividing fence 242
directed toward the condenser seating plate 246 in the
dividing fence 242.
[145] The main condenser 620 may be installed on the
condenser seating plate 246. A condenser fixing part 247
may protrude on the condenser seating plate 246 and may hold and fix a portion of the side surface of the main condenser
620. The condenser fixing part 247 may comprise a fixing
body protruding from the condenser seating plate 246, and a
holding part 248 protruding from the fixing body toward the
main condenser 620. The condenser fixing part 247 may
comprise a pair of condenser fixing parts spaced apart at a
predetermined interval from each other, and the main
condenser 620 may be seated between the pair of condenser
fixing parts 247.
[146] Referring to FIG. 15, the main condenser 620 can be
seen to be disposed between the condenser fixing parts 247.
In the embodiment, a distance between the pair of condenser
fixing parts 247 may correspond to the width of the main
condenser 620. Accordingly, the holding part 248 may be in
close contact with the side surface of the main condenser
620, and may not deform the side surface of the main
condenser 620 while the main condenser 620 is fitted between
the pair of condenser fixing parts 247. Particularly, in the
embodiment, the surface of the holding part 248 is covered
with an elastic forming part so as to prevent the surface of
the main condenser 620 from being scratched.
[147] Accordingly, the main condenser 620 may be connected
directly to the defrost water tray 240 by the condenser
fixing parts 247 without a separate fastener. Accordingly,
parts or soldering processes for fixing the main condenser
620 may be omitted, and the condenser fixing parts 247 may
securely fix the side surfaces of the main condenser 620.
Particularly, although it is difficult to install the main
condenser 620 inside the machine room 201 which is narrow,
in the embodiment, the main condenser 620 may be fixed only
by seating the main condenser 620 on the condenser seating
plate 246.
[148] Meanwhile, the defrost water tray 240 may have a flow
guide surface 245. The flow guide surface 245 may be
formed by inclining at least a portion of the dividing fence
242 downward toward the lower end of the heat dissipation
fan 611. Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the dividing fence
242 of the defrost water tray 240 may protrude up to a
position higher than the lower end of the heat dissipation
fan 611, and the heat dissipation fan 611 may be located
very close to the dividing fence 242, and thus a dead space
may be defined in front of the lower end of the heat
dissipation fan 611, so the flow of air may not be
facilitated. However, the flow guide surface 245 may secure
a flow space Sc between the lower end of the heat
dissipation fan 611 and the defrost water tray 240 such that
air introduction to the heat dissipation fan 611 can be more
facilitated.
[149] Referring to FIG. 14, the flow of air on the flow
guide surface 245 can be seen. The flow guide surface 245 may guide the natural flow of introduced air to the heat dissipation fan 611 by using a downward inclined surface.
The end part of such a flow guide surface 245 may extend up
to the lower end of the heat dissipation fan 611, and the
flow guide surface 245 may be formed in a section of the
dividing fence 242 facing the heat dissipation fan 611.
[150] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 3, the rear portion of
the cover plate 250 constituting the upper surface of the
machine room frame 200 may protrude upward from other
portions of the cover plate, and the rear portion of the
inside of the machine room 201 may be configured to be
higher than other portions thereof. That is, in
consideration of the protruding heights of the heat
dissipation fan 611 and the compressor 610 installed in the
machine room 201, the rear portion of the cover plate may be
configured to be higher than the other portions thereof.
Particularly, in the embodiment, since the compressor 610
has the highest height, a compressor cover 280 may be
provided in the cover plate 250 in correspondence to the
height of the compressor 610.
[151] The cover plate 250 may be formed of a metal material
having a plate shape and may be bent to form an overall
shape thereof. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the
cover plate 250 may comprise a first cover part 251 and a second cover part 252. In addition, the cover plate 250 may further comprise a compressor cover 280.
[152] The first cover part 251 may be formed on the front
half part of the cover plate 250. In addition, the first
cover part 251 may constitute the lowest part of the cover
plate 250, and may be formed to have a preset height H1 (see
FIG. 9). The first cover part 251 may be configured to have
height H1 corresponding to the height H1 of each of the
condenser 620 and the separation wall 230. The height of
first cover part 251 may correspond to the height of each of
the side plates 212. That is, the lower surface of the
first cover part 251 may be in contact with the upper
surface of the condenser 620, the upper end of the
separation wall, and the upper end of the side plate 212,
and may constitute the front half part of the upper surface
of the machine room 201.
[153] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first cover part 251 may
comprise the front half part of the upper surface of the
machine room 201 and may further comprise a portion of the
rear half part of the upper surface of the machine room 201.
That is, the first cover part 251 may be formed by extending
from the front end of the machine room 201 to the front end
of the heat dissipation fan 611.
[154] In addition, an auto door installation part 253 in
which the door opening device 900 is installed may be provided on the front end of the first cover part 251. The auto door installation part 253 may be provided on the front side of the first cover part toward the front of the cover plate 250, that is, the door assembly 130, and may be formed by protruding upward. In addition, the lower surface of the auto door installation part 253 may be open, and the center portion of the cover plate 250 corresponding to the auto door installation part 253 may be formed by being cut. In addition, a harness cover 257 of which the harness of the control module 700 is moved in and out may be provided on a side of the first cover part 251 corresponding to the control module 700.
[155] For reference, in FIG. 2, a push rod 950 constituting
a door opening device 900 is illustrated by protruding
therefrom. The push rod 950 may protrude from the door
opening device 900 and may push a contact part B provided on
the inner surface of the door assembly 130.
[156] Meanwhile, a vertical connection part 254 may be
formed on the rear end of the first cover part 251 by
extending vertically, and the upper end of the vertical
connection part 254 may comprise the second cover part 252
extending rearward.
[157] The vertical connection part 254 may be in contact
with the front end of the heat dissipation fan 611, and may
extend from a first side end of the cover plate 250 to a second side end thereof. In addition, the height H2 of the vertical connection part 254 may correspond to the height of the heat dissipation fan 611. In addition, the second cover part 252 extending rearward from the vertical connection part 254 may also be formed to have the same height H2 as the height of the vertical connection part 254.
[158] That is, the second cover part 252 may be configured
to have the height H2 corresponding to the upper end of the
heat dissipation fan 611, and may protrude upward and have a
stepped shape, compared to the first cover part 251.
[159] In this case, the side plate 212 constituting the side
surface of the machine room 201, and an outer plate 212a
coupled to the side plate 212 and constituting the outermost
side surface of the machine room 201 may be configured to
have the same heights from the front of the machine room 201
to a rear thereof. In contrast, the second cover part 252
may be configured to be higher than the side plate 212 or
the outer plate 212a.
[160] In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the side
surface of the outer casing 110 constituting the cabinet
100, and the surface of the outer plate 212a disposed on the
outer side of the side surface of the machine room 201 may
constitute a same plane continuous to each other. Through
this, a unified beauty of the refrigerator may be provided.
[161] Meanwhile, in the machine room 201, the compressor 610
may protrude upward from the discharge space 0, and may have
a preset height H2. In this case, the compressor 610 may be
configured to have height H2 higher than the height H3 of
the second cover part 252 and thus may protrude more upward
than the surface of the second cover part 252.
[162] In this case, one side of the cover plate 250 at which
the compressor 610 is disposed may have an opening, and the
compressor cover 280 for covering the protruding upper
surface of the compressor 610 may be formed on the opening.
[163] The compressor cover 280 may be configured to
effectively receive the upper end of the compressor having a
three-dimensional shape. That is, the compressor cover 280
may be recessed such that a compressor receiving space 281
for receiving the upper end of the compressor 610 is formed
inside the compressor cover, and the internal upper surface
of the compressor receiving space may have a preset height
H4.
[164] Accordingly, in the second cover part 252, the
compressor cover 280 may be provided at a position
corresponding to the upper surface of the compressor 610.
In addition, the compressor cover 280 may protrude more
upward from the second cover part 252.
[165] The cover plate 250 may be provided with the harness
cover 257. The harness cover 257 is a part in which the wire harness extending from the control module 700 to be described below is mounted, and may function to guide the extending direction of the wire harness. Specifically, the harness cover 257 may guide the wire harness extending upward from the control module 700 located thereunder to the rear side, that is, toward the rear plate 213.
[166] Meanwhile, the bottom plate constituting the bottom of
the machine room of the refrigerator of the present
disclosure will be described in detail with reference to
FIGS. 16 to 21 according to the present disclosure. For
reference, the same reference numerals will be given to the
same parts as in the previous embodiment and descriptions
thereof will be omitted.
[167] As illustrated in FIG. 16, unlike the previous
embodiment, the front cover 220 may be configured as a
grille part 225 which is one part. The grille part 225 may
comprise multiple openings passing through the front cover
220, and may allow air to be introduced into the machine
room 201 and allow the internal air of the machine room 201
to be discharged to the outside.
[168] In addition, the front cover 220 may comprise an
introduction part 220a and a discharge part 220b formed
therein. In this case, the introduction part 220a may be
wider than the discharge part 220b. However, after an area
in which the condenser 620 is installed, the introduction space I of the machine room 201 connected to the introduction part 220a may be configured to have a width decreased by the separation wall 230 installed to partition the machine room 201.
[169] The bottom plate 211 may constitute the bottom surface
of the machine room 201. The rear end of the bottom plate
211 and the rear surface of the cover plate 250 may be
spaced apart from each other, and the rear surface of the
machine room 201 may be open. In addition, the rear surface
of the machine room 201 may be covered by the rear plate
213.
[170] The front end of the bottom plate 211 and the front
surface of the cover plate 250 may be spaced apart from each
other, and the front surface of the machine room 201 may be
open. In addition, the front surface of the machine room
201 may be covered by the front cover 220.
[171] In the introduction space I, the bottom plate 211 may
comprise an additional inlet 22 vertically formed
therethrough. That is, together with the amount of air
introduced through the grille part 225 provided in the front
cover 220, the amount of air introduced through the
additional inlet 22 into the machine room 201 may be secured
additionally.
[172] The additional inlet 22 may be located at the front
end of the introduction space I, that is, in front of the condenser 620. That is, the front cover may be located in front of the additional inlet 22, and the condenser 620 may be located behind the additional inlet 22.
[173] The additional inlet 22 may extend horizontally in the
introduction space I relative to the front cover 220 and may
be configured to have a shape of a longitudinal hole, and
may comprise a plurality of additional inlets formed by
being spaced apart from each other in a front-to-rear
direction.
[174] The bottom plate 211 may comprise an additional outlet
20a or 20b formed vertically therethrough in the discharge
space 0. This is intended to secure an additional discharge
area in correspondence to the amount of air additionally
secured through the additional inlet 22.
[175] The additional outlet 20a or 20b may comprise a
plurality of additional outlets formed vertically through
one side of the bottom plate 211. That is, in addition to
the grille part 225 provided in the front cover, even
through the additional outlets 20a and 20b, the internal air
of the machine room 201 may be discharged to the outside,
and thus a discharge area in which the internal air of the
machine room 201 can be discharged to the outside may be
additionally secured.
[176] The additional outlet 20a or 20b may comprise a
plurality of through holes formed vertically, and the through holes may be configured to be arranged in lines within a predetermined area. The additional outlets 20a and
20b may be provided in the rear end of the bottom plate 211.
That is, the additional outlets 20a and 20b may be located
at a side behind the additional inlet 22.
[177] The additional outlet 20a or 20b may comprise a first
outlet 20a provided at a position corresponding to a
position at which the compressor 610 is disposed. The first
outlet 20a may be located under the compressor such that the
internal air of the discharge space 0 is efficiently
discharged to the outside.
[178] In addition, the additional outlet 20a or 20b may
further comprise a second outlet 20b located in front of the
first outlet 20a and formed vertically through the bottom
plate. The second outlet 20b may be formed at the rear end
part of the control module 700. Accordingly, the control
module 700 may be cooled by air flowing along the discharge
space 0, and may be rapidly discharged through the second
outlet 20b.
[179] The second outlet 20b may be formed in front of the
first outlet 20a. In addition, the second outlet 20b may be
located behind a first reinforcement part 24a and a third
reinforcement part 24c to be descried later and may be
located in front of a second reinforcement part 24b.
[180] The bottom plate 211 may comprise a reinforcement part
24 formed by crossing the introduction space I and the
discharge space 0 so as to reinforce the rigidity of the
bottom plate 211. For example, the reinforcement part 24
may be formed by extending from a first end of the bottom
plate 211 to a second end of the bottom plate 211. That is,
the reinforcement part 24 may extend in a horizontal
direction relative to the front cover 220 and may allow the
bottom plate 211 to securely support weights of the
condenser 620 provided in the introduction space I and the
compressor 610 provided in the discharge space 0.
[181] The machine room 201 is configured such that the
condenser 620 is provided in the front side of the
introduction space I, and the compressor 610 is provided in
the rear side of the discharge space 0, so weight applied to
the bottom plate 211 may not evenly be distributed, but be
unavoidably biased.
[182] That is, the compressor 610 provided in an area in
which the additional outlet 20a or 20b is formed is greater
in weight than other parts installed in the machine room 201
such as the condenser 620 and the defrost water tray 240,
and thus weight may be continuously biased to the bottom
plate 211 of the side of the discharge space 0 in which the
compressor 610 is located, so the bottom plate 211 may be
depressed to one side. When the compressor and the condenser 620 are installed in the machine room 201, the reinforcement part may allow the bottom plate 211 to more securely support the associated parts.
[183] The reinforcement part 24 may be depressed from an
upper side to a lower side relative to the bottom plate 211,
and may comprise a plurality of reinforcement parts formed
by being spaced apart from each other. That is, the
reinforcement part 24 may have a depressed structure formed
on the upper surface of the bottom plate 211 and may not
interfere with the compressor 610 and the condenser 620
installed horizontally.
[184] Furthermore, for example, the reinforcement part 24
may comprise the first reinforcement part 24a formed at the
side of the rear end part of the condenser 620 or behind the
condenser. That is, the first reinforcement part 24a may be
formed behind the additional inlet 22 to be spaced apart
therefrom. Additionally, the first reinforcement part 24a
may be formed between the additional inlet 22 and the second
outlet 20b.
[185] In addition, the reinforcement part 24 may comprise
the second reinforcement part 24b formed at the side of the
front end part of the compressor 610 or in front of the
compressor 610. That is, the second reinforcement part 24b
may be formed between the first outlet 20a and the second
outlet 20b.
[186] The first reinforcement part 24a and the second
reinforcement part 24b may be formed in the bottom plate 211
by being spaced apart from the additional inlet 22 or the
first and second outlets 20a and 20b in a front-to-rear
direction so as not to interfere therewith.
[187] Furthermore, the reinforcement part 24 may comprise
the third reinforcement part 24c formed between the first
reinforcement part 24a and the first outlet 20a. The third
reinforcement part 24c may be formed between the first
reinforcement part 24a and the second reinforcement part
24b. That is, the third reinforcement part may be formed
between the first reinforcement part 24a and the second
outlet 20b.
[188] The reinforcement part may allow the bottom plate 211
to more securely support parts installed in the machine room
201.
[189] A side connection part 25 may be formed on each of the
opposite sides of the bottom plate 211 by bending upward and
extending to be coupled to a side part 1251 to be described
later. The side connection part 25 may comprise a plurality
of through holes 25a through which fastening members pass.
[190] A first side surface of the side part 1251 may be
coupled to the bottom plate 211, and a second side surface
thereof may be connected to the side plate 212. That is,
the side end of the bottom plate 211 may be installed to be spaced apart from the side surface of the side plate 212, and the side part 1251 may be installed between the bottom plate 211 and the side plate 212.
[191] The side part 1251 may be formed by bending multiple
times and extending along the side end of the bottom plate
211.
[192] The side part 1251 may be formed by extending along
the side end of the bottom plate 211, and may comprise a
first part 1251a coupled to the bottom plate 211, a second
part 1251b formed by bending and extending from the first
part 1251a to the outside of the machine room 201, and a
third part 1251c bending and extending upward from the
second part 1251b and coupled to the side plate 212.
[193] The first part 1251a may comprise a plurality of
through holes through which fastening members pass such that
the first part can be connected to the bottom plate 211.
[194] The second part 1251b may be formed by bending and
extending to one side from the first part 1251a, and the
lower part of the second part 1251b may be connected to a
support module 1900 to be described later.
[195] In addition, the center portion of the second part
1251b may comprise a side discharge hole 26 through which
the internal air of the machine room 201 can be discharged
to the outside.
[196] It is possible to increase an area in which air can be
discharged to the outside through the side discharge hole 26
in addition to the additional outlet 20a or 20b provided in
the bottom plate 211. Since the introduction part 220a is
formed to be wider than the discharge part 220b in the front
cover 220, the introduction space I may be formed to be
relatively large at the front part, and thus the amount of
air introduced through the front cover 220 may be larger
than the amount of discharged air. Accordingly, the side
discharge hole 26 may be provided to increase the amount of
discharged air.
[197] The side discharge hole 26 may be formed vertically
through the second part 1251b in a left-to-right direction
thereof. Additionally, the side discharge hole 26 may
comprise a plurality of side discharge holes formed by being
spaced apart from each other in a front-to-rear direction of
the second part 1251b.
[198] The side discharge hole 26 may be formed in the side
part 1251 disposed at a position adjacent to the discharge
space of the bottom plate 211.
[199] That is, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the side part 1251
may comprise a first side part 1253 provided at a position
adjacent to the discharge space 0 in the opposite side ends
of the bottom plate 211, and a second side part 1252
provided at a position adjacent to the introduction space I.
Here, the side discharge hole 26 is preferably provided only
in the first side part 1253. This is intended such that air
of the discharge space 0 is efficiently discharged to the
outside and air of the introduction space I is only
introduced into the machine room 201.
[200] The third part 1251c may be formed by bending and
extending upward from a side end of the second part 1251b.
The third part 1251c may be coupled to the side plate 212 by
fastening members passing through the third part.
[201] When the side part 1251 is coupled to the bottom plate
211 and the side plate 212, the third part 1251c may be in
contact with the side plate 212.
[202] In addition, the side part 1251 may further comprise a
fourth part 1251d formed by bending and extending from the
third part 1251c to the inside of the machine room 201. The
fourth part 1251d may be formed to be parallel to the side
end of the bottom plate 211. The fourth part 1251d may be
coupled to the cover plate 250.
[203] Hereinafter, the compressor cover 280 will be
described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 22 to 27.
As illustrated in the drawings, the second cover part 252 of
the cover plate 250 may be provided with the compressor
cover 280. In addition, the compressor cover 280 may secure
space in which the upper end part of the compressor 610 can be received, and at the same time, may provide space in which a control valve 290 is mounted.
[204] A cut part 255 may be formed in the rear end of the
second cover part 252. The cut part 255 may be formed at
the upper side of the compressor 610 by corresponding to the
compressor 610. In addition, the cut part 255 may be formed
to have a shape corresponding to the upper part of the
compressor such that the upper part of the compressor 610
can protrude upward by passing through the cut part 255.
[205] In addition, a coupling part bent vertically to the
outside along the rear end of the second cover part 252 may
be formed. The coupling part 256 may be configured to be
coupled to the rear plate 213, and may be formed along the
remaining rear end of the second cover part 252 except for
an area in which the cut part 255 is formed.
[206] The compressor cover 280 may be injection-formed of a
plastic material. The upper surface of the compressor 610
may be configured to have a shape like a curved surface, and
the compressor cover 280 may be configured to have a three
dimensional shape so as to receive the compressor 610 and
the control valve 290.
[207] That is, the three-dimensional shape of the compressor
cover 280 may not be realized with the cover plate 250
having the shape of a metal plate, and thus the compressor
cover 280 may be formed of a plastic material. At least a portion of the inner side surface of the compressor cover
280 may comprise a curved surface corresponding to the shape
of the curved surface of the upper surface of the compressor
610.
[208] The compressor cover 280 may have open shapes in lower
and rear surfaces as a whole, and may have a recessed inside
shape. In addition, the compressor cover 280 may be mounted
to the upper surface of the second cover part 252 and may
have a shape protruding upward. In this case, the open
lower surface of the compressor cover may match the cut part
255. In addition, the rear surface of the compressor cover
280 may match the rear end of the cut part 255, that is, the
coupling part 256.
[209] In addition, the compressor cover 280 may comprise a
cover body 284 protruding upward, a side edge 282 formed
along the periphery of each of the opposite end surfaces of
the peripheries of the cover body 284, a front edge 285
formed along the front end of the cover body 284, and a rear
edge 283 formed along the rear end of the cover body 284.
[210] A reinforcement rib 284a may be provided to have a
grid shape on the upper surface of the cover body 284 by
protruding upward therefrom. The rigidity of the compressor
cover 280 formed of a plastic material may be reinforced by
the reinforcement rib 284a. That is, foam liquid may be
injected into the cabinet 100 to form an insulation material inside the cabinet 100, so even if pressure is applied to the cabinet 100, the deformation or removal of the compressor cover 280 may be prevented and a mounted state thereof may be maintained.
[211] In addition, a body inclined part 284b which is formed
slantingly may be formed on the front end of the cover body
284. The body inclined part 284b may have inclination
directed upward gradually toward the rear of the cover body
from the front end thereof. Accordingly, pressure applied
to the compressor cover 280 may be distributed and an
insulation material may be prevented from being unfilled.
[212] Meanwhile, the compressor receiving space 281 may be
defined inside the cover body 284, that is, on a lower
surface thereof. The compressor receiving space 281 may be
defined at a position facing the upper surface of the
compressor 610. In a state in which the compressor cover
280 is mounted, the height of the compressor receiving space
281, that is, the height H4 of the cover body may be
slightly higher than the upper end of the compressor 610 as
illustrated in FIG. 24. The compressor receiving space 281
may be defined to have a shape corresponding to the shape of
the exterior of the compressor 610, and may be defined to
have a size to receive the upper surface of the compressor.
[213] In addition, a valve receiving space 281a may be
defined at a side of the compressor receiving space 281 by being further recessed laterally, and a recessed valve mounting part 286 may be formed in the rear end of the valve receiving space 281a, that is, on an edge of the rear end of the cover body 284.
[214] The side edge 282 may be formed along each of the
opposite side surfaces of the compressor cover 280, and may
constitute a surface horizontal to the cover plate 250 to be
in contact with each of the opposite side surfaces of the
cut part 255. The side edge 282 may be in close contact
with the upper surface of the cover plate 250 corresponding
to the opposite sides of the cut part 255. In addition, the
side edge 282 and the cover plate 250 may be securely
coupled to each other by riveting, or the coupling, bonding
or joining of fastening members.
[215] In this case, a guide rib 287 may be formed downward
along the open peripheral surface of the cover body 284.
That is, the guide rib 287 may protrude downward along the
inner side end of each of the side edge 282 and the front
edge 285, and may be in contact with the end part of the cut
part 255.
[216] When the compressor cover 280 is mounted to the cover
plate 250, the guide rib 287 and the cut part 255 may be in
close contact with each other such that the guide rib 287
and the cut part 255 can be moved to precise coupling
positions. Accordingly, the open lower surface of the cover body 284 may be coupled to the cut part 255 such that the cover body 284 and the cut part 255 are accurately maintained to match each other.
[217] The front edge 285 may be connected to the front end
of the side edge 282, and may constitute a surface
horizontal to the cover plate 250 along the front end of the
cover body 284. Meanwhile, the front end of the front edge
285 may bend vertically downward, and may be in close
contact with the front surface of the vertical connection
part 254. That is, the front edge 285 may be seated on a
stepped part between the front end of the second cover part
252 and the vertical connection part 254, and may be fixedly
mounted over the second cover part 252 and the vertical
connection part 254 such that the compressor cover 280 can
be more securely fixed to the cover plate 250.
[218] The rear edge 283 may bend vertically from the rear
surface of the cover body 284. In addition, the rear edge
may be in surface contact with the rear plate 213, and may
be coupled to the rear plate 213 while the rear edge and the
rear plate 213 are in contact with each other. In a state
in which the rear plate 213 is coupled, the rear plate 213
may cover the rear surface of the machine room 201, and may
cover even the open rear surface of the compressor cover
280.
[219] Meanwhile, the valve receiving space 281a and the
valve mounting part 286 may be formed in the cover body 284.
The valve receiving space 281a may be defined by protruding
laterally from a side surface of the cover body 284, and may
be configured as a portion of the compressor receiving space
281. That is, the open lower surface of the cover body 284
may be formed to have a recessed shape as a whole, and a
main portion thereof may constitute the compressor receiving
space 281 and a lateral partial space thereof may constitute
the valve receiving space 281a.
[220] In addition, the valve mounting part 286 which is
stepped may be formed in the open rear end part of the valve
receiving space 281a. The valve mounting part 286 may be
exposed to the open rear surface of the compressor cover
280. Accordingly, in a state in which the rear surface of
the machine room 201 is exposed to the outside after the
removal of the rear plate 213, the valve mounting part 286
may be exposed to the rear side of the machine room, and
access to the valve mounting part 286 and the mounting of
the control valve 290 may be facilitated.
[221] Meanwhile, the control valve 290 may comprise a valve
body 291 connected to a refrigerant tube which connects the
compressor 610 with the condenser 620, and a valve bracket
292 to which the valve body 291 is mounted. While the valve
body 291 of the control valve 290 is first mounted to the valve bracket 292, the valve bracket 292 may be mounted to the valve mounting part 286.
[222] The valve bracket 292 may comprise a bracket
horizontal part 292b to which the valve body 291 is mounted
by passing therethrough, a bracket vertical part 292c
extending upward from the rear end of the bracket horizontal
part 292b, and a bracket fixing part 292a stepped from the
bracket vertical part 292c and fixedly mounted to the valve
mounting part 286.
[223] The bracket fixing part 292a may have a structure
stepped rearward from the bracket vertical part 292c, and
may have a shape to be seated on the stepped valve mounting
part 286. In addition, the bracket horizontal part 292b may
extend toward the inside of the machine room 201 opposite to
the direction of the bracket fixing part 292a.
[224] Accordingly, the bracket fixing part 292a located on
the upper end of the rear of the control valve 290 may be
easily fastened to the valve mounting part 286. In
addition, the control valve 290 may be located inside of the
valve receiving space 281a of the compressor cover 280
rather than the inside of the machine room 201, so even if
the rear plate 213 is closed, the control valve 290 may not
interfere with the rear plate 213.
[225] Accordingly, in the inner space of the machine room
201, a rear half part in which the compressor 610 is provided may secure sufficient space, and particularly, the mounting of the compressor 610, the mounting of the control valve 290, and welding of a tube may be effectively performed even in the compact machine room 201.
[226] Next, the grille plate 270 and the grille fan assembly
500 of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the
present disclosure will be described in detail with
reference to FIGS. 28 to 30. The grille plate 270 may be
installed inside the storage space 121. The grille plate
270 may be configured as a rectangular wall body, and may be
a part on which the grille fan assembly 500 is installed.
[227] A main grille fixing end 271 may be formed on each of
the left and right sides of the center of the rear surface
of the grille plate 270. The main grille fixing end 271 may
be formed to have a hook shape, and may be formed on each of
the left and right sides of the center of the rear surface
of the grille plate 270 by protruding rearward therefrom.
The main grille fixing end 271 may be fixed to the inside of
the storage space 121 such that the grille plate 270 can be
securely fixed in the storage space 121.
[228] Referring to FIG. 30, an air introduction hole 275 and
a discharge part (not shown) may be formed in the front
surface 270a of the grille plate 270. The air introduction
hole 275 is a part through which air of the storage space
121 is introduced into a cooling compartment 125, and contrarily, the discharge part is a part through which air of the cooling compartment 125 is discharged to the storage space 121.
[229] An air introduction part 272 may be formed on the
lower part of the front surface 270a of the grille plate
270. The air introduction part 272 may be configured as a
wall body to be long from side to side, and may protrude in
a direction toward the storage space 121. That is, the air
introduction part 272 may be recessed from the inner casing
120 in a direction away from an inner surface 124 (see FIG.
30) facing the grille plate 270. Accordingly, the air
introduction part 272 may be away from the evaporator 630,
and space may be defined between the air introduction part
272 and the evaporator 630.
[230] In addition, the air introduction hole 275 may be
disposed on the lower side of the air introduction part 272
such that water droplets can be prevented from being
introduced through the front side of the grille plate 270
into the air introduction hole 275 to be described later.
The air introduction part 272 may protrude toward the
storage space 121 and may function to prevent water droplets
generated on the front surface part of the grille plate 270
due to temperature difference from falling downward and
being introduced into the air introduction hole 275.
[231] An evasion recession part 124' may be recessed on the
inner surface 124 of the inner casing 120 constituting the
cabinet 100 facing the grille fan assembly 500 such that a
distance between the inner surface 124 and the grille fan
assembly 500 is increased. The grille fan assembly 500 may
be installed to face the evasion recession part 124', and
thus an air flow space may be sufficiently secured
therebetween. For reference, in FIG. 28, reference numeral
124'' indicates an installation recession part recessed in a
part of the rear side of an accumulator 639 in the inner
surface 124 of the inner casing 120.
[232] A shroud 510 of the grille fan assembly 500 may have a
guide wall body 520, and the guide wall body 520 may have a
shroud fixing part 522, so the grille fan assembly 500 may
be assembled with the rear surface 270b of the grille plate
270. Additionally, a grille fan member 550 may be installed
in the shroud 510. Various grille fans may be applied to
the grille fan member 550, but here, a grille fan of an
axial flow fan type is applied.
[233] Next, the air conditioning module 600 will be
described with reference to FIGS. 6 to. 10. The air
conditioning module 600 is a part which controls temperature
of the inside of the storage space 121 of the inner casing
120. Such an air conditioning module 600 may be configured
as an air conditioning device comprising the compressor 610, the main condenser 620, and the evaporator 630. That is, temperature of air circulating in the storage space 121 may be controlled by the above air conditioning device.
[234] The compressor 610 and the condenser 620 may be
provided in the machine room 201 inside the machine room
frame 200. Here, the condenser 620 may refer to the main
condenser 620. The main condenser 620 may be located at a
side at which air is introduced among opposite sides formed
by the separation wall 230 in the machine room frame 200,
that is, in the introduction space I, and the compressor 610
may be located in the discharge space 0 which is a part
through which air passing through the main condenser 620
passes.
[235] Such a structure is intended such that air introduced
into the machine room 201 of the machine room frame 200 can
first pass through the main condenser 620. That is, when it
is considered that the compressor 610 is a part that
generates a large amount of heat, heat exchange efficiency
may decrease when air exchanges heat with the main condenser
620 after passing through the compressor 610. Accordingly,
it is preferable that air passes through the main condenser
620 before the compressor 610.
[236] In addition, the main condenser 620 may be located to
be adjacent to the inlet 225a provided in the front side of
the inside of the machine room 201, and the compressor 610 may be located in the rear side (a side adjacent to the rear plate 213) of the inside of the machine room 201. Such a structure may allow the compressor 610 and the main condenser 620 to be partitioned from each other as much as possible so as to be spaced apart from each other such that the impact of high-temperature heat of the compressor 610 on the main condenser 620 can be reduced.
[237] More precisely, the compressor 610 and the main
condenser 620 may be disposed in spaces partitioned from
each other, respectively, and the heat dissipation fan 611
may be disposed in the rear of the machine room 201 relative
to the inlet 225a, and the compressor 610 may be disposed in
the rear of the machine room 201 relative to the outlet
225b.
[238] Furthermore, the heat dissipation fan 611 may be
provided in the air introduction side of the compressor 610
so as to allow air to be introduced into and discharged out
of the machine room 201 and to dissipate heat of the
compressor 610. Such a heat dissipation fan 611 may
function to block an air introduction side at which the main
condenser 620 is located from a part in which the compressor
610 is located, so the impact of high-temperature heat of
the compressor 610 on the main condenser 620 may be reduced.
To this end, the heat dissipation fan 611 may be installed to be continuo8usly connected to the separation wall 230 described above.
[239] Accordingly, the compressor 610 and the heat
dissipation fan 611 may be spaced apart from the inner side
of the machine room 201 so as to be installed in front of
the rear plate 213. In this case, parts higher than other
parts may be clustered in the rear side of the machine room
201, and remaining parts may be installed in the front side
thereof, and thus the height of at least the front side of
the machine room 201 may be decreased.
[240] In addition, the storage space 121 of the refrigerator
may be increased by the decreased height of the machine room
201. Referring to FIG. 3, the avoidance part 123 may be
provided on the bottom surface of the storage space 121, and
the compressor 610 and the heat dissipation fan 611 may be
located under the avoidance part 123, and space of the front
side of the avoidance part 123 may be used.
[241] In this case, the compressor 610 and the heat
dissipation fan 611 may be disposed to overlap each other in
at least a portion thereof along a direction orthogonal to
each of the open directions of the inlet 225a and the outlet
225b. Referring to FIG. 8, both the compressor 610 and the
heat dissipation fan 611 are disposed close to the rear
plate 213 and may be installed side by side in left and
right directions.
[242] In the embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the
compressor 610 and the heat dissipation fan 611 may be
installed to face each other in front of the rear plate 213.
Particularly, the extending direction of the rotating shaft
of the heat dissipation fan 611 may be directed to the
compressor 610, so a major part of the heat dissipation fan
611 may be in a section overlapping the compressor 610.
According to such a structure, referring to FIG. 9, the heat
dissipation fan 611 covers a major part of the compressor
610 when viewed from the side. Accordingly, the compressor
610 and the heat dissipation fan 611 which are large in size
may be arranged on the same line inside the machine room
201, and the front side thereof may be used as the storage
space 121 or as space for installing other parts.
[243] In addition, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the heat
dissipation fan 611 may be spaced apart from the side plate
212 of the machine room frame 200 extending along one side
of the inlet 225a, and the air flow space connected to the
inlet 225a may be defined between the heat dissipation fan
611 and the side plate 212. Here, referring to FIG. 8, the
air flow space may be considered as the upper part of the
defrost water tray 240 of the left side of the flow guide
surface 245 described above.
[244] In this case, the extending direction of the rotating
shaft of the heat dissipation fan 611 may be orthogonal to the open direction of the inlet 225a. That is, the heat dissipation fan 611 may directly face the compressor 610.
Accordingly, the air flow space may be relatively wide.
When the heat dissipation fan 611 faces the main condenser
620 or is installed slantingly, the width of the air flow
space may be unavoidably decreased, and air may not
efficiently flow.
[245] In addition, since the heat dissipation fan 611 faces
the compressor 610 directly, the heat dissipation fan 611
may strongly discharge air to the compressor 610 and may
effectively cool the compressor 610.
[246] Due to the air introduction and discharge of the heat
dissipation fan 611, the heat dissipation fan 611 is a very
important part which performs a cooling function, and as the
size of the heat dissipation fan 611 increases, cooling
performance thereof may be improved. Referring to FIG. 9,
in the embodiment, the heat dissipation fan 611 and the
compressor 610 are arranged side by side, so the heat
dissipation fan 611 having height corresponding to the
maximum height of the compressor 610 may be applied. That
is, the height H2 of the heat dissipation fan 611 may be the
same as or smaller than the height H1 of the compressor 610.
[247] Meanwhile, the compressor 610 may be disposed in a
path to which the outlet 225b is open. Accordingly, air
heated through the compressor 610 may flow directly toward the outlet 225b and may be discharged to the outside. The entirety or at least a portion of the compressor 610 may be disposed in the path to which the outlet 225b is open.
[248] While refrigerant continuously flows through the
inside of each part constituting the air conditioning module
600, a refrigeration cycle may operate. In this case, each
part may be connected to multiple refrigerant tubes, and the
evaporation tube L2, the side condensing tube L4 and L6, and
the front condensing tube L8 to be described below may be
included in the refrigerant tubes.
[249] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, first, the evaporation
tube L2 may be installed in the defrost water tray 240, and
may be located close to the bottom surface 241' of the
defrost water tray 240. The evaporation tube L2 may be
installed to be space apart by a predetermined distance from
the bottom surface 241' of the defrost water tray 240, and
may be connected in a zigzag direction to secure length as
long as possible as illustrated in FIG. 6. The evaporation
tube L2 may be a path which is connected through a main
control valve 625 to a refrigerant discharge pipe 610a (see
FIG. 8) of the compressor 610 such that high-pressure/high
temperature refrigerant passes through the path. The
evaporation tube L2 may be disposed close to the bottom
surface 241' of the defrost water tray 240, and thus may
function to evaporate defrost water collected in the defrost water tray 240. Reference numeral Li indicates a first connection tube which connects the main control valve 625 with the evaporation tube L2.
[250] The evaporation tube L2 may be connected to the main
condenser 620, and a first side condensing tube L4 may be
connected to the main condenser 620. The first side
condensing tube L4 may be provided on the left surface of
the cabinet 100 relative to FIG. 6, and may be provided by
bending multiple times. Referring to FIG. 8, a portion of a
second connection tube L3 which connects the main condenser
620 with the first side condensing tube L4 is illustrated.
[251] The first side condensing tube L4 may be connected to
a second side condensing tube L6 by a third connection tube
L5 (see FIG. 6) crossing the machine room 201. The second
side condensing tube L6 and the first side condensing tube
L4 may be paired with each other and may have the same
shapes. Referring to FIG. 6, the second side condensing
tube L6 may be provided on the right surface of the cabinet
100. Of course, the second side condensing tube L6 may not
be required to have the same shape as the first side
condensing tube L4.
[252] The second side condensing tube L6 may be connected to
the front condensing tube L8 by a fourth connection tube L7.
The front condensing tube L8 may be provided on the front
surface of the cabinet 100 and may be a refrigerant tube which is bent multiple times. In FIG. 6, the front condensing tube L8 may have an approximate rectangular shape, which is a shape corresponding to the front frame 118 described above.
[253] Each of the first side condensing tube L4, the second
side condensing tube L6, and the front condensing tube L8
may, together with the main condenser 620, perform the
function of condensing refrigerant, so even if a large main
condenser 620 is not installed in the machine room 201 due
to the small height and width of the machine room 201, this
may be compensated. Accordingly, each of the first side
condensing tube L4, the second side condensing tube L6, and
the front condensing tube L8, together with the main
condenser 620, may be considered as a part of a condenser.
[254] In addition, each of the first side condensing tube
L4, the second side condensing tube L6, and the front
condensing tube L8 may be configured to cover the exterior
of the cabinet 100, and thus may function as a kind of heat
line which prevents the formation of dew on the surface of
the cabinet 100 due to temperature difference between the
inside and outside of the refrigerator.
[255] When a foam insulation material is filled in space
between the inner casing 120 and the outer casing 110 as
described above, the first side condensing tube L4, the
second side condensing tube L6, and the front condensing tube L8 may be inserted and fixed in the insulation material.
[256] Meanwhile, the second side condensing tube L6 may be
connected to the evaporator 630 by a fifth connection tube
L9. The evaporator 630 may be disposed in the rear space of
the grille fan assemblies 500a and 500b in each portion in
the inner casing 120. That is, during circulation of
discharging air to the inner upper side of the storage space
121 after the air is introduced into the storage space 121
from the inner lower side thereof due to the operation of
the grille fan assemblies 500a and 500b, the air may
exchange heat with the evaporator 630 while passing through
the evaporator 630.
[257] Such an evaporator 630 may be configured as an
evaporator 630 having a plate shape, and may be stably
installed in front of a rear wall surface among the inner
wall surfaces of the inner casing 120 and may improve heat
exchange performance in a small space. Reference numeral
L10 indicates an evaporator connection tube which connects
the evaporator 630 with the main control valve 625.
[258] Although not shown, a dryer and a capillary tube may
be installed between the front condensing tube L8 and the
evaporator 630. In this case, a refrigerant may pass
consecutively through the front condensing tube L8, the
dryer, the main control valve 625, the capillary tube, and the evaporator 630. Here, the dryer may function to protect a system by removing moisture and filtering foreign mater, and the capillary tube may function to throttle as an expansion valve.
[259] In addition, finally, a refrigerant passing through
the evaporator 630 may be introduced back to a refrigerant
introduction tube 610b (see FIG. 8) of the compressor 610 so
as to repeat a refrigeration cycle.
[260] Next, the evaporator 630 will be described with
reference to FIGS. 28 to 30. Refrigerant being in the state
of high temperature and high pressure while passing through
the compressor 610 and the main condenser 620 installed in
the machine room 201 may be liquid having pressure and
temperature reduced by the throttling of the capillary tube,
and, in this state, may be delivered to the evaporator 630.
Additionally, the evaporator 630 may receive the refrigerant
of the state of liquid having low temperature and low
pressure and may evaporate the refrigerant into gas, and may
function to lower the internal temperature of the storage
space 121 by using latent heat.
[261] The expansion valve may lower the pressure of
refrigerant gas having high temperature and high pressure
discharged from the main condenser 620 into liquid
refrigerant gas having low temperature and lower pressure
such that the refrigerant gas having high temperature and high pressure can be easily evaporated in the evaporator
630, and may control the flow rate of the refrigerant gas so
as to discharge the refrigerant gas to the evaporator 630.
The expansion valve for a refrigerating compartment may
comprise the capillary tube. The capillary tube may have a
relatively small diameter, and may act as a resistance to
the flow of a refrigerant in a process in which the
refrigerant passes through the capillary tube and may expand
the refrigerant.
[262] In the embodiment, the evaporator 630 may be installed
in the cooling compartment 125, and more precisely, as
illustrated in FIG. 30, may be installed in the lower part
of the cooling compartment 125 formed between the inner
surface 124 of the inner casing 120 and the grille plate
270. Additionally, the grille fan assembly 500 described
above may be located above the evaporator 630, and may
introduce the internal air of the storage space 121 through
the lower side, that is, the air introduction hole 275 into
the cooling compartment, and may allow the air to pass
through the evaporator 630 and be discharged through the
discharge part located at the upper side back into the
storage space 121.
[263] Looking at the configuration of the evaporator 630,
the evaporator 630 may comprise a cooling tube 638 in which
refrigerant flows, and cooling fins 650 through which the cooling tube 638 passes. The cooling tube 638 may be considered as a kind of long pipe, and may be connected to the capillary tube (the expansion valve) described above so as to receive a refrigerant, and may discharge a refrigerant passing through the evaporator 630 again.
[264] To this end, the cooling tube 638 may comprise a pair
of cooling tubes. More precisely, the cooling tube 638 may
comprise a first cooling tube 638a and the second cooling
tube 638b. Here, the first cooling tube 638a may be a part
into which a refrigerant supplied from the capillary tube
(the expansion valve) is introduced, and may continuously
pass through fin holes 653a or 653b of the cooling fins 650
to be described below and may pass through the outermost
cooling fins 650.
[265] In addition, the second cooling tube 638b may be
connected to the first cooling tube 638a and may also
continuously pass through the fin holes 653a or 653b of the
cooling fins 650. The first cooling tube 638a and the
second cooling tube 638b may be connected to each other by
changing directions from the outside of a cooling fin 650
disposed at the outermost position among the multiple
cooling fins 650. That is, the first cooling tube 638a and
the second cooling tube 638b may not be configured as
separate parts, but may be continuously connected to each other as one tube and may be considered to change a direction thereof in the middle of the one tube.
[266] The accumulator 639 may be installed in the center of
the second cooling tube 638b. A refrigerant which has
absorbed surrounding heat by passing through the second
cooling tube 638b may be delivered to the accumulator 639.
The accumulator 639 may separate a liquid refrigerant which
is not vaporized from the delivered refrigerant such that
the liquid refrigerant is not transferred to the compressor
610.
[267] Looking at the configuration of the cooling fins 650,
the cooling fins 650 may be configured in a row in the rear
of the storage space 121, that is, inside the cooling
compartment 125. The multiple cooling fins 650 may be
disposed side by side to constitute the evaporator 630.
These cooling fins 650 may not be configured in multiple
rows by having different heights. In the embodiment, the
multiple cooling fins 650 may be configured only in one row
to enable the miniaturization of the refrigerator.
Furthermore, in the embodiment, since the refrigerator is a
refrigerator for storing alcoholic beverages such as wine,
the refrigerator may not be required to have a freezing
function and may have the narrow range of refrigeration set
temperature, so cooling fins 650 configured in multiple rows may not be required. Of course, unlike this, the cooling fins 650 may be configured in two rows or more.
[268] Each of the cooling fins 650 may be made to have the
shape of thin metal plate. The cooling fin may comprise
multiple cooling fins to facilitate heat exchange with
ambient air. Additionally, the cooling fins 650 may be
spaced apart from each other such that air flows
therebetween.
[269] The fin hole 653a or 653b (see FIG. 30) may be formed
in the cooling fins 650, and the fin hole 653a or 653b may
comprise a pair of fin holes such that the first cooling
tube 638a and the second cooling tube 638b constituting the
cooling tube 638 pass through the fin holes, respectively.
More precisely, the fin holes 653a and 653b may be disposed
on the cooling fins 650 in a vertical direction. As a
result, the cooling tube 638 may be arranged in two rows
while passing through the upper and lower parts of each of
the cooling fins 650, respectively.
[270] Unlike this, at least three fin holes 653a or 653b may
be formed in each of the cooling fins 650, and the cooling
tube 638 may pass through the fin holes 653a or 653b in a
zigzag fashion. Alternatively, only one fin hole 653a or
653b may be formed in each of the cooling fins 650. In this
case, when the cooling tube 638 returns to the opposite
direction after passing through the one fin hole 653a, the cooling tube 638 may not pass through the fin hole. In this case, the cooling fins 650 may be rotated, so it is preferable that at least two fin holes 653a or 653b are provided. Additionally, two fin holes 653a and 653b are generally formed in each of the cooling fins 650, so existing cooling fins 650 may be used.
[271] In the embodiment, each of the cooling fins 650 may be
installed in an upright direction. That is, the cooling fin
650 may be disposed in an upright direction such that a
height thereof is larger than a width thereof. Here, the
width of the cooling fin 650 indicates a left-to-right
length, and the height of the cooling fin 650 indicates a
vertical length relative to FIG. 30. In this case, a left
to-right width occupied by the cooling fins 650 in the
cooling compartment 125 may be small, compared to cooling
fins 650 installed in a lying state. Accordingly, the
entire left-to-right width of the cooling compartment 125
may be decreased, and contrarily, the storage space 121 may
be further increased.
[272] In the embodiment, the cooling fin 650 stands
vertically along the direction of gravity, but is not
necessarily limited thereto. The cooling fin 650 may be
erected to be inclined so as to have a predetermined angle.
Of course, when considering the left-to-right width of the cooling compartment 125, it is more preferable that the cooling fin 650 stands vertically as illustrated in FIG. 30.
[273] The fin hole 653a or 653b may be formed in each of the
cooling fins 650. In the embodiment, the fin holes 653a or
653b may comprise a pair of upper fin holes 653a and lower
fin holes 653b. These upper fin holes 653a and lower fin
holes 653b may be formed in the cooling fins 650 by having
different heights, and the one cooling tube 638 may pass
through the pair of fin holes 653a and 653b.
[274] In this case, in the multiple cooling fins 650, the
fin holes 653a and 653b of one cooling fin and fin holes
653a and 653b of other cooling fins 650 adjacent thereto may
be disposed side by side to have the same heights.
Accordingly, the one cooling tube 638 may continuously pass
through the fin holes 653a and 653b having the same heights,
and the cooling tube 638 passing through the fin hole 653a
or 653b of a cooling fin 650 located at the outermost side
may change a direction thereof and may pass through another
fin hole 653a or 653b located at a different height to
extend.
[275] For example, the first cooling tube 638a of the
cooling tube 638 may continuously pass through the upper fin
holes 653a, and then may change a direction thereof at a
position adjacent to the fin hole 653a or 653b of the
cooling fin 650 located at the outermost side to be the second cooling tube 638b, and may pass through the lower fin holes 653b. In this case, the first cooling tube 638a and the second cooling tube 638b may be connected to each other at a position adjacent to the cooling fin 650 located at the outermost side by a joining part 660 bent in an approximately U shape.
[276] Accordingly, the first cooling tube 638a and the
second cooling tube 638b may be located at different heights
and may pass through the cooling fins 650. Accordingly, the
cooling fins 650 may maintain a stable standing state
without rotating arbitrarily. That is, the cooling tube 638
may constitute a kind of structure of fixing the evaporator
630 together with an evaporator holder 640 to be described
below.
[277] In this case, the first cooling tube 638a may pass
through the upper fin holes 653a, and the second cooling
tube 638b may pass through the lower fin holes 653b. In
this case, the cooling tube 638 may first pass through the
upper side of each of the cooling fins 650 which is relative
low in temperature, and then may pass through the lower side
thereof. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively reduce
the occurrence of frost in the lower part of the cooling fin
650 which is relatively more in contact with high-humidity
air delivered from the storage space 121.
[278] Meanwhile, second cooling fins 652 of a section of the
evaporator 630 may be disposed to have a larger interval
therebetween than an interval between first cooling fins 651
of another section. Referring to FIG. 28, among the
multiple cooling fins 650 constituting the evaporator 630,
the second cooling fins 652 connected to the first part of
the first cooling tube 638a may be disposed to have a wider
interval therebetween. This is intended to widen an
interval between the second cooling fins 652 of a section in
which residual ice or defrost water mainly falls such that
the residual ice or defrost water can flow downward.
[279] Meanwhile, the evaporator holder 640 may be provided
on each of the opposite ends of the evaporator 630. The
evaporator holder 640 may stand in the same direction as the
cooling fin 650 and may fix the evaporator 630 to the inner
surface 124 of the inner casing 120.
[280] Specifically, the frame of the evaporator holder 640
may be constituted by a holder body standing in parallel to
the cooling fin 650. The holder body may have an
approximately thin plate shape and may be made of a metal
material. The holder body may stand side by side with the
cooling fin 650, and may have a larger area than the cooling
fin 650. Accordingly, the evaporator holders 640 may
protect the cooling fins 650 on the left and right side
surfaces of the evaporator 630, respectively.
[281] The holder body may comprise a rigidity reinforcement
rib 642. The rigidity reinforcement rib 642 may be formed
by bending from the holder body. The rigidity reinforcement
rib 642 of the evaporator holder 640 may extend along the
longitudinal direction of the evaporator holder 640. That
is, the rigidity reinforcement rib 642 may be provided along
a relatively long part and may reinforce the rigidity of the
evaporator holder 640. The evaporator holder 640 may be
made of a thin plate and thus may be easily deformed or bent
by an external force. Such a rigidity reinforcement rib 642
may prevent the evaporator holder 640 from being bent.
[282] In this case, the rigidity reinforcement rib 642 of
the evaporator holder 640 may extend on each of the opposite
ends of the evaporator holder 640 along a longitudinal
direction of the evaporator holder 640 in which the
evaporator holder 640 stands. That is, the rigidity
reinforcement ribs 642 may extend in parallel to each other
on the opposite ends of the evaporator holder 640, and may
be formed in the standing direction of the evaporator holder
640. Through such a structure, the durability of the
evaporator holder 640 may be further increased.
[283] The evaporator holder 640 may comprise a pair of
evaporator holders formed on the opposite sides of the
evaporator 630, respectively, and the pair of evaporator
holders may have the same structures. As illustrated in
FIG. 29, the pair of evaporator holders 640 may have the
same heights, and the protruding directions of the rigidity
reinforcement ribs 642 thereof may be the same.
Accordingly, a distance between the pair of rigidity
reinforcement ribs 642 may be larger than the width of the
cooling fin 650, so the evaporator holder 640 and the
cooling fin 650 may not interfere with each other.
Furthermore, the pair of evaporator holders 640 may have the
same shapes, and parts and process for manufacturing the
evaporator holder 640 may be unified.
[284] The holder body may comprise a fixing hook 645. The
fixing hook 645 is a part protruding in a hook shape, and
extends from the holder body and is hooked and fixed to the
inner casing 120 of the cabinet 100. As illustrated in FIG.
28, the inner surface 124 of the inner casing 120 may have a
fixing groove part 129 to which the fixing hook 645 is
hooked, and the fixing hook 645 may be hooked to the fixing
groove part 129.
[285] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 30, the air introduction
part 272 through which air of the storage space 121 is
introduced may be provided in a lower part of the grille
plate 270 on which the grille fan assembly 500 is installed.
The air introduction part 272 may be configured to have a
height to overlap the cooling fin 650 of the evaporator 630
in at least a portion of the air introduction part.
[286] In this case, the air introduction part 272 may
protrude in a direction toward the storage space 121 to be
away from the evaporator 630, that is, in a direction away
from the inner surface 124 of the inner casing 120, so an
empty space may naturally be defined between the air
introduction part 272 and the evaporator 630. Accordingly,
air may be efficiently introduced through the air
introduction hole 275 formed in the air introduction part
272.
[287] Particularly, the air introduction hole 275 of the air
introduction part 272 may be formed slantingly toward the
cooling fins 650. More precisely, the air introduction hole
275 may be inclined upward to face the cooling fins 650, so
air of the storage space 121 may be accurately supplied
toward the evaporator 630.
[288] In addition, in the inner casing 120, the inner
surface 124 facing the grille fan assembly 500 may have the
evasion recession part 124' formed by being recessed
therefrom so as to be away from the grille fan assembly 500,
and the evaporator 630 may be installed under the evasion
recession part 124'. Accordingly, air may efficiently flow
consecutively through the air introduction hole 275, the
evaporator 630, the evasion recession part 124', and the
grille fan assembly 500.
[289] Next, the control module 700 will be described with
reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. The control module 700 may be
installed in the machine room 201. The control module 700
is intended to control various functions of the
refrigerator, and may control various functions such as the
temperature control of the storage space 121, communication,
and the display of information through a display module 800.
Such a control module 700 may be installed inside the
machine room 201 to save the inner space of the cabinet 100.
[290] Looking at the installation structure of the control
module 700 prior to the description of the control module
700, in the embodiment, the control module 700 may be
installed on the lower surface of the cover plate 250. A
casing guide 260 may be provided on the lower surface of the
cover plate 250 in a direction parallel to the open
direction of the outlet 225b such that the control module
700 can be moved inside and outside of the outlet 225b along
the casing guide 260. In FIG. 31, a state in which the
control module 700 is completely removed to the outside of
the machine room 201 is illustrated. Unlike this, the
casing guide 260 may be installed at the side of the inlet
225a in parallel to the open direction of the inlet 225a,
but is preferably installed at the side of the outlet 225b
so as not to prevent the flow of air introduced into the
inlet 225a.
[291] Referring to FIG. 33, the casing guide 260 may
comprise a pair of casing guides provided by being spaced
apart from each other such that the casing guides are
coupled to the opposite side surfaces of the control module
700 and extend in parallel to each other. The control
module 700 may be assembled slidably between the pair of
casing guides 260. Relative to the drawing, in the pair of
casing guides 260, a left casing guide 260 is identified as
a first rail 260a, and a right casing guide 260 is
identified as a second rail 260b.
[292] In this case, the first rail 260a may be installed on
the lower surface of the cover plate 250 covering the upper
part of the machine room frame 200, and the second rail 260b
may be installed on the lower surface of the cover plate 250
in a direction parallel to the first rail 260a. That is, in
FIGS. 32 and 33, the first rail 260a and the second rail
260b are illustrated independently, but in reality, the
first rail 260a and the second rail 260b are installed on
the lower surface of the cover plate 250. However, the
cover plate 250 is omitted from the drawings such that the
first rail 260a and the second rail 260b are seen clearly.
[293] Looking at the structure of the first rail 260a, the
first rail 260a may comprise a first fixed frame 262 and the
first guide frame 264. The first fixed frame 262 is a part
fixed to the lower surface of the cover plate 250 such that the first rail 260a can be securely fixed to the cover plate
250. Additionally, a first guide channel H1 to which a
portion of the side surface of the control module 700 is
fitted may be formed in the first guide frame 264. The
first fixed frame 262 and the first guide frame 264 may be
connected orthogonally to each other to have an approximate
"L" shape. Of course, the first guide frame 264 may also be
fixed to the lower surface of the cover plate 250 by a
fastener.
[294] Looking at an enlarged part of FIG. 33, the first
guide channel H1 is formed in the first guide frame 264.
The first guide channel H1 may be open in a front thereof
such that an edge of a side surface of a receiving casing
710 constituting the control module 700 can be fitted into
the first guide channel H1. In the first guide frame 264,
an upper surface part 264a, a side surface part 264b, and a
lower end fixing part 264c are connected to each other to
have a "U" shape, and the first guide channel H1 is defined
therebetween.
[295] Meanwhile, looking at the structure of the second rail
260b, the second rail 260b may comprise a second fixed frame
265 and a second guide frame 267 like the first rail 260a.
The second fixed frame 265 is a part fixed to the lower
surface of the cover plate 250 such that the second rail
260b can be securely fixed to the cover plate 250.
Additionally, a second guide channel H2 to which a portion
of the side surface of the control module 700 is fitted may
be formed in the second guide frame 267. The second fixed
frame 265 and the second guide frame 267 may be connected
orthogonally to each other to have an approximate "L" shape.
Of course, the second guide frame 267 may also be fixed to
the lower surface of the cover plate 250 by a fastener.
[296] Looking at the enlarged part of FIG. 33, the second
guide channel H2 may be formed in the second guide frame
267. The second guide channel H2 may be formed to face the
first guide channel H1 and may be open in a front thereof
such that an edge of a side surface of the receiving casing
710 constituting the control module 700 can be fitted into
the second guide channel H2. In the second guide frame 267,
an upper surface part 267a, a side surface part 267b, and a
lower end fixing part 267c are connected to each other to
have a "U" shape, and the first guide channel H1 is defined
therebetween.
[297] Accordingly, in the embodiment, the casing guides 260
may be configured as two rails separated from each other,
and may be assembled independently of each other.
Accordingly, errors occurring during the manufacturing
process of the casing guides 260 may be compensated to some
extent during an installation process thereof.
[298] The first fixed frame 262 and the second fixed frame
265 may be located at complementary positions to each other,
so the first rail 260a and the second rail 260b may form a
rectangular shape as a whole. Of course, alternatively, the
first rail 260a and the second rail 260b may be connected to
each other, and the casing guide 260 may be configured as
one part. Alternatively, at least one of the first rail
260a and the second rail 260b of the casing guide 260 may be
made to be integrated with the lower surface of the cover
plate 250.
[299] Looking at the control module 700, the opposite side
surfaces of the control module 700 may be assembled slidably
with the first rail 260a and the second rail 260b,
respectively. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 31, when
the front cover 220 of the machine room frame 200 is removed
from the front surface of the machine room frame 200, the
front part of the control module 700 may be exposed to the
front side of the machine room frame 200. In FIG. 2, S
indicates a part in which the control module 700 is
installed.
[300] Accordingly, in the embodiment, the control module 700
may be installed in the machine room 201, and may be
disposed to be adjacent to the front surface of the machine
room 201 so as to face the inlet 225a or the outlet 225b.
More precisely, the control module 700 may be installed in the upper part of the machine room 201 adjacent to the outlet 225b, and when the control module 700 is installed in the machine room 201, the discharge space 0 may be defined between the lower surface of the control module 700 and the bottom surface of the machine room frame 200. Accordingly, the control module 700 may be installed at a position close to the entrance of the machine room 201 and thus may be removed forward from the machine room 201.
[301] Particularly, for maintenance of the control module
700, the rear of the refrigerator may not be required to be
opened, and the control module 700 may be removed from the
front of the refrigerator to be repaired or replaced, and
when the machine room module of the present disclosure is
applied to a built-in refrigerator, the repair or
replacement work may be performed in front of the
refrigerator without taking the entirety of the refrigerator
out of an installation place thereof.
[302] While the control module 700 faces the upper surface
of the machine room frame 200 corresponding to the ceiling
of the machine room 201, that is, the lower surface of the
cover plate 250, the control module 700 may be installed
parallel to the upper surface of the machine room frame 200.
In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 31, the control
module 700 may be installed inside the machine room 201
while in a lying state. Accordingly, in a horizontal lying state, a main control board constituting the control module
700 may be stored inside the receiving casing 710, which is
a kind of drawer structure, and thus may be stably stored
therein even if the main control board is not fastened with
a separate fastener. Of course, the main control board may
be fastened to the receiving casing 710 by using a separate
fastener such as a bolt.
[303] Accordingly, since the control module 700 is installed
on the cover plate 250 covering the upper part of the
machine room 201, vibration generated by a device such as
the compressor 610 installed on the bottom surface of the
machine room 201 may be prevented from being transmitted
directly to the control module 700. In order to enhance
such a function, separate damper (not shown) may be
installed between the casing guide 260 and the control
module 700, or between the casing guide 260 and the cover
plate 250.
[304] In addition, since the control module 700 is received
in the machine room 201 horizontally by lying in the width
direction of the machine room 201 rather than the height
direction thereof, at least a left-to-right installation
interval of the control module corresponding to the width
direction of the outlet 225b may be secured. Accordingly,
the area of the main control board constituting the control
module 700 may be sufficiently increased. Referring to FIG.
8, it can be seen that the control module 700 occupies most
of a remaining area except for an installed part of the
compressor 610 at the side of the outlet 225b.
[305] As for the detailed structure of such a control module
700, the control module 700 may comprise the receiving
casing 710 and the main control board (not shown). The
receiving casing 710 may be assembled removably with the
upper part of the machine room 201, that is, with the casing
guide 260, and may have a receiving space 701 in the center
of the receiving casing 710. Referring to FIG. 32, the
receiving casing 710 may have an approximately rectangular
frame structure and be open upward such that the receiving
space 701 is exposed.
[306] The receiving casing 710 may have a width smaller than
or equal to the width of the outlet 225b such that the
receiving casing 710 can be moved inside and outside of the
outlet 225b. In addition, to avoid excessively reducing the
height of the outlet 225b, it is preferable that the
receiving casing 710 has height less than a half of the
height of the outlet 225b which is removed.
[307] Referring to FIG. 32, the receiving casing 710 may be
provided with a protection wall 712 and 713. The protection
wall 712 and 713 may protrude along the edge of the
receiving casing 710 so as to cover the receiving space 701, and the height of the protection wall 712 and 713 may be the height of the receiving casing 710.
[308] The protection wall 712 and 713 may comprise a rear
wall 712 directed toward the inside of the machine room 201
and a front wall 713 directed toward the outside of the
machine room, and a guide end 715 may be provided along each
of the side surfaces of the machine room. The guide end 715
may be a part assembled with the casing guide 260 and may
extend long along the side surface of the receiving casing
710 such that the guide end 715 is fitted to each of the
first guide channel H1 and the second guide channel H2 of
the casing guide 260.
[309] Of course, a structure in which the receiving casing
710 is assembled inside the machine room 201 is not
necessarily limited to this structure. For example, the
receiving casing 710 may not be assembled with the machine
room 201 by sliding in a front-to-rear direction relative to
the front surface of the machine room 201, but a fixing
structure in which after the receiving casing 710 is
inserted into the machine room 201, the receiving casing 710
may be pushed in a direction orthogonal to an inserting
direction of the receiving casing 710 to be fixed may be
applied to the machine room 201.
[310] The guide end 715 may be provided on an upper end of
the side surface of the receiving casing 710 closest to the lower surface of the cover plate 250 covering the machine room 201. That is, the guide end 715 may be provided along the upper end of the side surface of the receiving casing
710, and may protrude outward from the upper end of the side
surface. Since the guide end 715 is provided on the upper
end of the side surface, the receiving casing 710 may be
installed to be in close contact with the lower surface of
the cover plate 250. In this case, without a separate
cover, the upper surface of the receiving space 701 may be
covered by the cover plate 250, and introduction of foreign
matter into the receiving space 701 may be prevented.
[311] A partitioning wall 720 may be provided inside the
protection wall 712 and 713 of the receiving casing 710.
The receiving space 701 in which the main control board is
received may be defined in the center of the receiving
casing 710 of the control module 700, and the partitioning
wall 720 may partition the receiving space 701. More
precisely, the partitioning wall 720 may define a wire
connection space 702 outside of the receiving space 701 by
surrounding the receiving space 701. That is, the wire
connection space 702 may be defined between the partitioning
wall 720 and the protection walls 712 and 713.
[312] The wire harness (not shown) connected to the main
control board may be seated on the wire connection space
702. The wire connection space 702 may be space independent of the receiving space 701, and thus the wire harness may be easily organized therein. Particularly, inside the small machine room 201, multiple strands of wire harnesses may be twisted or interfere with peripheral parts comprising a part of the main control board, but may be organized through the wire connection space 702. In the embodiment, the wire connection space 702 may have an approximately "L"-shaped path, and alternatively, the wire connection space 702 may be defined so as to surround the entirety of the outside of the receiving space 701.
[313] Accordingly, the partitioning wall 720, together with
the protection walls 712 and 713, may act as a kind of
double wall. Accordingly, the partitioning wall 720 may
filer out foreign matter being introduced into the main
control board.
[314] A connection hole 712' may be formed through the rear
of the receiving casing 710 of the control module 700
directed toward the inside of the machine room 201. The
connection hole 712' may allow a portion of the wire
harnesses connected to the control module 700 to extend to
the outside of the receiving casing 710. In the embodiment,
the connection hole 712' may be formed through the rear of
the wire connection space 702.
[315] Continuously, the door opening device 900 will be
described with reference to FIGS. 34 to 36. First, the door opening device 900 may be installed in an installation space
253 recessed from the lower side of the cabinet 100 toward
the storage space 121. Here, the installation space 253 may
have a shape formed by recessing a portion of the lower part
of the cabinet 100. In the embodiment, the installation
space 253 may be defined in the cover plate 250.
[316] That is, the cover plate 250 may be installed between
the upper part of the machine room frame and the lower part
of the cabinet 100 so as to cover the machine room 201, and
the door opening device 900 may be received in the
installation space 253 recessed from the lower surface 251
of the cover plate 250 toward the lower part of the cabinet
100.
[317] In this case, the cover plate 250 may be spaced apart
from the inner casing 120 so as to define a foam space
therebetween, so a foam material may be filled on the cover
plate and an insulation part may be formed. Accordingly,
the installation space 253 may be recessed toward the space
of the insulation part, and may not interfere with other
parts. Additionally, the periphery of the cover plate 250
surrounding the door opening device 900 may be filled with
the insulation part, and this insulation part may function
as a sound insulator which blocks the operation noise of a
motor/gear generated by the door opening device 900.
[318] Referring to FIG. 34, the installation space 253 may
be defined inside a part recessed from the cover plate 250
toward the bottom of the inner casing. The installation
space 253 may be located at the center portion of the cover
plate 250. A lower surface of the installation space 253
directed toward the machine room and a front surface thereof
directed toward the door assembly are open.
[319] That is, the installation space 253 may be considered
as a space connected to the machine room 201, and
accordingly, when the machine room module is removed from
the refrigerator, the installation space 253 and the door
opening device 900 installed in the installation space 253
may be exposed to the outside, so the maintenance of the
door opening device 900 may be easily performed. FIG. 34
illustrates the side of the bottom of the refrigerator by
removing the machine room module of the refrigerator, and
the installation space 253 and the door opening device 900
installed in the installation space 253 are exposed to the
outside.
[320] In addition, the front surface of the installation
space 253 directed toward the door assembly 130 may be open,
and referring to FIG. 36, the front entrance 253' of the
installation space 253 is exposed to the outside. In this
case, the front surface of the installation space 253 may be
covered by the front frame 118 constituting the cabinet 100, and the front frame 118 may have a rod entry/exit hole 119 for the push rod 950 which protrudes from the door opening device 900.
[321] Accordingly, the front surface of the installation
space 253 may be covered by the front frame 118, and only a
part of the front frame through which the push rod 950
enters and exits may be drilled in the form of a hole.
Accordingly, in a state in which the push rod 950 of the
door opening device 900 does not protrude yet, a rod cap 952
of the push rod 950 may block the rod entry/exit hole 119
such that foreign matter can be prevented from being
introduced into the installation space.
[322] Now, the structure of the door opening device 900 will
be described with reference to FIG. 36. The door opening
device 900 may be installed in a device casing 901
constituting the exterior of the door opening device. In
the device casing 901, a part close to the door assembly 130
may be narrow in width, but a part located at the inner side
of the cover plate 250 may be relatively wide in width. This
is according to the arrangement of a drive motor 910 and a
gear assembly 920 installed in the device casing 901, which
will be described again below.
[323] The device casing 901 may be installed at the center
of the cover plate 250, and more precisely, the rod
entry/exit hole 119 through which the push rod 950 protrudes is preferably located on the center line of the cover plate
250. For reference, in FIG. 34, A indicates the center line
of the cover plate 250.
[324] Referring to FIG. 36, the device casing 901 may have
height corresponding to the installation space 253, and may
have a thin and wide plate structure. The device casing 901
may be composed of multiple parts. For example, an upper
casing (not shown) and a lower casing may constitute the
exteriors of the upper and lower parts of the door opening
device 900, respectively. In addition, the upper casing and
the lower casing may be coupled to each other to provide
space in which the drive motor 910 and the gear assembly 920
can be arranged. In the drawing, the upper casing is
omitted such that the drive motor 910 and the gear assembly
920 are exposed to the outside. Of course, the upper casing
may be omitted, and only the lower casing may constitute the
device casing 901.
[325] Multiple installation rings 905 may be provided on the
outer side of the device casing 901. Each of the
installation ring 905 may be inserted into a ring mounting
depression 904 depressed on the edge of the device casing
901. The installation ring 905 may support the lower casing
such that the lower casing is seated on the ring mounting
depression 904 of the device casing 901 and may be formed of
a silicon material. Accordingly, vibration generated during the operation of the door opening device 900 may be reduced and thus noise may be prevented.
[326] The drive motor 910 may be installed on the device
casing 901. The drive motor 910 may be mounted to the lower
surface of the device casing 901. The drive motor 910 may
use a BLDC type motor capable of performing both forward and
reverse rotations. The drive motor 910 may count frequency
generating (FG) signals by using a BLDC type motor such that
the speed of the drive motor 910 can be variably controlled.
[327] Accordingly, by controlling the speed of the drive
motor during the operation of the door opening device 900,
the impact of the door assembly 130 may be alleviated when
the door assembly 130 is opened and closed. Furthermore, in
an emergency situation, the push rod 950 may be rapidly
restored. The drive motor 910 may be mounted to the lower
surface of the lower casing, and the rotating shaft of the
drive motor 910 may pass through the inside of the lower
casing.
[328] The drive motor 910 may be installed in the device
casing 901, and a pinion gear 911 of the drive motor 910 may
protrude to be rotated by the drive motor 910. In addition,
the pinion gear 911 may be engaged with the gear assembly
920 to rotate the gear assembly 920. Specifically, multiple
gears may be disposed on the device casing 901 to be engaged
with each other. The multiple gears may comprise reduction gears 921 and 923 and spacer gears 925 and 927. Here, the reduction gears 921 and 923 may function to reduce the rotational speed of the drive motor 910 through gear ratios, and the spacer gears 925 and 927 may be connected to and engaged with the reduction gears 921 and 923 and may function to fill empty space between the push rod 950 and the reduction gears 921 and 923.
[329] A first reduction gear 921 may be connected to a
second reduction gear 923, and the second reduction gear 923
may be connected to the spacer gears 925 and 927. Like
general reduction gears 921 and 923, each of the reduction
gears 921 and 923 may have a structure in which input and
output sides thereof are arranged in two upper and lower
steps, respectively, and the input and output sides thereof
may be in contact with a neighboring gear such that the
speed of the drive motor can be reduced.
[330] Through the combination of these multiple reduction
gears 921 and 923, the number of rotations thereof may be
adjusted, and a force transmitted to the push rod 950 may be
controlled by adjusting the number of rotations. Of course,
the number of the reduction gears 921 and 923 may be
adjusted as needed. In the embodiment, the reduction gears
921 and 923 may comprise a total of two reduction gears, but
may comprise at least three reduction gears. Reference
numerals 921' and 923' indicate the rotating shafts of the first reduction gear 921 and the second reduction gear 923, respectively.
[331] A first spacer gear 925 may be disposed on the second
reduction gear 923, and the first spacer gear 925 and the
push rod 950 may be connected to each other by a second
spacer gear 927. Each of the spacer gears 925 and 927 may
have a shape of a general spur gear and may simply transmit
the force of the second reduction gear 923 to the push rod
950, and may adjust a contact distance with the push rod 950
such that the maximum exiting distance of the push rod 950
can be secured. To this end, the spacer gears 925 and 927
may comprise a plurality of gears having different sizes.
[332] In addition, the position of a contact point between
the spacer gears 925 and 927 for transmitting power to the
push rod 950 and the push rod 950 is preferably arranged in
the exiting direction of the push rod 950 as much as
possible, and is required to be located at a position close
to the rear surface of the door assembly 130. To this end,
the spacer gears 925 and 927 may be disposed between the
second reduction gear 923 and the push rod 950. Reference
numeral 925' and FIG. 927' indicate the rotating shafts of
the first spacer gear 925 and the second spacer gear 927,
respectively.
[333] Specifically, the reduction gears 921 and 923 and the
spacer gears 925 and 927 constituting the gear assembly 920 of the door opening device 900 may be disposed in different directions. Referring to FIGS. 35 and 36, a direction X in which the multiple reduction gears 921 and 923 extend from the drive motor 910 of the door opening device 900 and a direction Y in which the multiple spacer gears 925 and 927 extend from the reduction gears 921 and 923 may be different from each other.
[334] In the embodiment, the direction X in which the
multiple reduction gears 921 and 923 constituting the gear
assembly 920 of the door opening device 900 extend from the
drive motor 910 of the door opening device are approximately
orthogonal to a direction in which the push rod 950 of the
door opening device enters and exits, and the direction Y in
which the multiple spacer gears 925 and 927 extend from the
reduction gears 921 and 923 is parallel to the direction in
which the push rod 950 enters and exits.
[335] Accordingly, when the extending direction Y of the
spacer gears 925 and 927 is parallel to the entering/exiting
direction of the push rod 950, a contact point at which the
second spacer gear 927 is engaged with the push rod 950 may
be close to the rod entry/exit hole 119 as much as possible,
and accordingly, the maximum exiting distance of the push
rod 950 may be secured. Simultaneously, the reduction gears
921 and 923 and the spacer gears 925 and 927 may be arranged
in different directions, and thus the gear assembly 920 may be prevented from extending long only in one direction and excessively increasing the overall length of the door opening device 900.
[336] The push rod 950 may push the rear surface of the door
assembly 130 to open the door assembly 130. In addition,
the push rod 950 may be mounted inside the device casing
901, and may have a rack gear formed on an outer surface
thereof so as to operate in engagement with the second
spacer gear 927. Accordingly, due to the rotation of the
spacer gears 925 and 927, the rack gear may pass through the
rod entry/exit hole 119 and protrude to the outside. Due to
the position of the second spacer gear 927, at least a half
of the rack gear may be moved to the outside of the device
casing 901 when the push rod 950 is operated by the second
spacer gear 927.
[337] In the embodiment, the push rod 950 may have an arc
shape having a predetermined curvature. Accordingly, even
when the door assembly 130 is rotated, the push rod 950 may
be maintained to be in contact with a predetermined point of
the rear surface of the door assembly 130, more precisely,
with the contact jaw B. Accordingly, even when the door
assembly 130 is rotated, the push rod 950 may open the door
assembly 130 by pushing one point of the door assembly 130
without slipping.
[338] The rod cap 952 may be provided in the front end of
the push rod 950. The rod cap 952 may be made of an elastic
material such as silicone or rubber and may be in contact
with the door assembly 130 to prevent noise and improve
traction during the contact of the push rod 950 with the
door assembly 130 such that the pushing force of the push
rod 950 can be effectively transmitted to the door assembly
130.
[339] In the embodiment, the front surface of the rod cap
952 directed toward the rear surface of the door assembly
130 may be wider than the end of the push rod 950, and thus
may more stably push the surface B' of the contact jaw B.
The rod cap 952 may have an approximately rectangular front
surface.
[340] In this case, in the embodiment, such a control module
700 may be located close to the door opening device 900.
The control module 700 may be installed on the lower surface
251 of the cover plate 250 and may be electrically connected
to the door opening device 900. That is, the control module
700 may be installed on the lower surface 251 of the cover
plate 250 and may be located in the machine room when the
cabinet 100 and the machine room frame are coupled to each
other, so the control module 700 may be disposed very close
to the door opening device 900.
[341] More specifically, the control module 700 may be
located toward the side surface of the machine room so as to
be adjacent to the outlet of the machine room, and the door
opening device 900 may be located at a higher position from
the bottom of the machine room than the control module 700.
This is because although the control module 700 is installed
on the lower surface 251 of the cover plate 250, the door
opening device 900 is installed in the installation space
253 recessed from the cover plate 250 toward the lower
surface of the cabinet 100. Of course, due to such a height
difference, the possibility of interference of the control
module 700 with the door opening device 900 may be more
decreased.
[342] Finally, the support module 1900 will be described in
detail. FIG. 19 is an enlarged view illustrated by
enlarging an A part of FIG. 17. In addition, FIG. 20 is a
cross sectional view of a rear leveling part of FIG. 19. In
addition, FIG. 21 is a vertical sectional view of the rear
leveling part of FIG. 19.
[343] The refrigerator according to the embodiment of the
present disclosure may comprise the support module 1900
provided at the lower side of the side part 1251. The
support module 1900 may be provided inside the side part
1251. In addition, the support module 1900 may be
configured to support the refrigerator and may be configured to allow the horizontality of the refrigerator 1 to be adjusted.
[344] For example, the support module 1900 may comprise a
power transmission part 1920 and the rear leveling part
1910. The power transmission part 1920 may be rotated by
manipulation by a user and may be connected to the rear
leveling part 1910 so as to operate in cooperation
therewith. The rear leveling part 1910 may be configured to
be movable in a vertical direction such that the
horizontality of the cabinet can be adjusted. In addition,
the rear leveling part 1910 may be configured to be moved in
a vertical direction by the manipulation of the power
transmission part 1920. In addition, as required, the
support module 1900 may further comprise a front leveling
part 1930.
[345] More specifically, the power transmission part 1920
may be provided inside the side part 1251, and may be formed
in a shaft shape extending in a front-to-rear direction. In
addition, the power transmission part 1920 may comprise a
handle part 1922 mounted rotatably to the side part 1251,
and a first gear part 1924 provided at the rear half part of
the handle part 1922 and rotating together with the handle
part 1922, the first gear part 1924 being geared with the
rear leveling part 1910.
[346] The first gear part 1924 may rotate in engagement with
a second gear part 1914 to be described later. For example,
the first gear part 1924 may be formed in the shape of a
worm gear, and the second gear part 1914 may be formed in
the shape of a spur gear, so the first gear part 1924 and
the second gear part 1914 may be configured to transmit
rotational force therebetween even in a state intersecting
with each other.
[347] That is, the rotating shaft of the first gear part
1924 and the rotating shaft of the second gear part 1914 may
be disposed in directions intersecting with each other, and
thus when a user rotates the handle part 1922 in front of
the refrigerator, the second gear part 1914 may be rotated
to vertically move the rear leveling part 1910.
[348] The rear leveling part 1910 may comprise the support
part 1912 in contact with a floor surface on which the
refrigerator is installed, a leveling part rotating shaft
1918 extending upward from the center part of the support
part 1912, and the second gear part 1914 allowing the
leveling part rotating shaft 1918 to pass therethrough and
configured to rotate together with the leveling part
rotating shaft 1918.
[349] The support part 1912 is a circular plate with a
predetermined thickness, and may be configured to be in
contact with the floor surface on which the refrigerator is installed. In addition, the leveling part rotating shaft
1918 may be disposed on the center of the upper surface of
the support part 1912.
[350] The leveling part rotating shaft 1918 may be the
rotating shaft of the support part 1912, and may be formed
by extending vertically long to pass through a receiving
member 1919 to be described later. In addition, a threaded
part may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of
the leveling part rotating shaft 1918. The threaded part
may be screwed to the inner circumferential surface of the
receiving member 1919. Accordingly, when the leveling part
rotating shaft 1918 rotates, the leveling part rotating
shaft 1918 and the support part 1912 may be moved vertically
along the receiving member 1919.
[351] In addition, the second gear part 1914 may be mounted
to the leveling part rotating shaft 1918 such that the
leveling part rotating shaft 1918 passes through the second
gear part 1914. While the second gear part 1914 is received
inside the receiving member 1919, the second gear part 1914
may rotate, and may be configured to move vertically along
the leveling part rotating shaft 1918. In addition, the
second gear part 1914 and the leveling part rotating shaft
1918 may have flat surfaces in contact with each other such
that a rotational force is transmitted between the second
gear part 1914 and the leveling part rotating shaft 1918, so the second gear part 1914 may transmit a rotational force to the leveling part rotating shaft 1918 while moving vertically along the leveling part rotating shaft 1918.
[352] Accordingly, when the second gear part 1914 is rotated
by the first gear part 1924, the second gear part 1914 may
rotate the leveling part rotating shaft 1918, and may move
vertically along the leveling part rotating shaft 1918.
[353] The receiving member 1919 may comprise a gear
receiving part 1919a and a rotating shaft receiving part
1919b. The gear receiving part 1919a may be configured to
receive the second gear part 1914, and while the second gear
part 1914 is received in the gear receiving part 1919a, the
second gear part 1914 may rotate. In addition, the first
gear part 1924 may be received in a side of the gear
receiving part 1919a. That is, in the gear receiving part
1919a, the first gear part 1924 and the second gear part
1914 may be maintained to be engaged with each other, and
accordingly, a rotational force generated by the
manipulation of the handle part may be effectively
transmitted to the rear leveling part.
[354] In addition, the rotating shaft receiving part 1919b
may extend upward from the upper surface of the gear
receiving part 1919a, and may be configured such that the
leveling part rotating shaft 1918 passes through the
rotating shaft receiving part 1919b. In addition, a thread may be formed on the inner side of the gear receiving part
1919a, and may be screwed to the threaded part of the
leveling part rotating shaft. Accordingly, when the
leveling part rotating shaft rotates, the leveling part
rotating shaft may move vertically along the gear receiving
part.
[355] In addition, the rear leveling part 1910 may further
comprise a fixing bracket 1915 such that the support part
1912 and the receiving member 1919 can be fixed to the side
part. The fixing bracket 1915 may have a rectangular frame
shape having an open upper surface. The upper surface of
the fixing bracket 1915 may comprise an extension surface
bending and extending in a front-to-rear direction. A
connection hole may be formed in each of the opposite sides
of the extension surface such that the extension surface can
be coupled to the side part 1251 by using a fastening
member.
[356] In addition, the lower surface of the fixing bracket
1915 may comprise a through hole such that the support part
1912 can pass downward through the lower surface of the
fixing bracket 1915. One side of the front surface of the
fixing bracket 1915 may comprise a through hole 1915a formed
therethrough in a front-to-rear direction such that the
power transmission part 1920 can pass through the through
hole 1915a. That is, the first gear part 1924 of the power transmission part 1920 may be inserted into the fixing bracket 1915 through the through hole 1915a of the front surface thereof and may be fixed in a state in which the first gear part 1924 is engaged with the second gear part
1914. Additionally, the receiving member 1919 may be
provided inside the fixing bracket 1915.
[357] Accordingly, to adjust the rear leveling part 1910
when leveling the refrigerator, the power transmission part
may be held and rotated by a hand in front of the
refrigerator without lifting the end part of the
refrigerator so as to simply adjust the height and
horizontality of the refrigerator.
[358] Additionally, the support module 1900 may comprise the
front leveling part 1930 which is provided on the front of
the side part 1251 and adjusts the horizontality of the
cabinet by rotating to move vertically.
[359] Referring to FIG. 16, while a refrigerator body is
supported on a floor, the front leveling part 1930 may
adjust the height and horizontality of the refrigerator
body.
[360] For example, the front leveling part 1930 may comprise
a head 1932 supported on the foundation, and a screw bolt
1934 protruding upward from the head 1932 and fastened
height-adjustably to the side part 1251. A threaded part
may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the screw bolt 1934, and as the height of the screw bolt fastened to the side part 1251 changes, the height and horizontality of the refrigerator body may be adjusted.
[361] The front leveling part 1930 may further comprise a
front fixing bracket 1936 such that the front leveling part
1930 is inserted into and fixed to the side part 1251.
[362] Furthermore, the support module 1900 may comprise a
roller assembly 1940 which is provided between the front
leveling part 1930 and the rear leveling part 1910 and
facilitates the movement of the cabinet 100.
[363] The roller assembly 1940 may be provided on the lower
surface of the refrigerator body and may allow the
refrigerator body which is relatively heavy to be moved more
easily and stably.
[364] The roller assembly 1940 may comprise a roller 1942, a
rotating shaft 1944, and a roller bracket 1946. The roller
1942 may roll in contact with the floor surface such that
the refrigerator can be moved, and may use a general wheel.
[365] The center part of the roller 1942 may be penetrated
laterally by the rotating shaft 1944 formed in a round bar
shape, and the rotating shaft 1944 may be the center of
rotation of the roller.
[366] In addition, the roller bracket 1946 may be mounted to
the roller such that the roller can roll, and may be formed
in a shape having an open lower surface so as to cover the roller from the upper side. Accordingly, the roller may be received in the roller bracket 1946, and the rotating shaft
1944 passing through the roller may pass through and mounted
to the opposite side surfaces of the roller bracket 1946.
[367] Next, the operation of the refrigerator according to
the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described
in more detail.
[368] First, when the door assembly 130 is closed with food
stored in the storage space 121, the storage space 121 is a
sealed space. In this state, when the operation of the air
conditioning module 600 starts, the temperature control
function of the refrigerator starts. That is, the heat
dissipation fan 611, the compressor 610, the main condenser
620, and the evaporator 630 constituting the air
conditioning module 600 may operate and perform an air
conditioning operation.
[369] Referring to FIG. 37, a refrigerant of high
temperature and high temperature compressed by the
compressor 610 may pass through the evaporation tube L2.
(the direction of an arrow (1)) The evaporation tube L2 may
be installed in the defrost water tray 240 and may be
connected in a zigzag direction to secure length as long as
possible as illustrated in FIG. 37. The evaporation tube L2
may be connected through the main control valve 625 to the refrigerant discharge pipe 610a (see FIG. 8) of the compressor 610 to be a path through which the refrigerant of high pressure/high temperature passes, and may be disposed close to the bottom surface 241' of the defrost water tray
240, and may function to evaporate defrost water accumulated
in the defrost water tray 240.
[370] Continuously, a refrigerant may be delivered to the
main condenser 620 and condensed. (see @) The main
condenser 620 may be disposed close to the entrance of the
introduction space I, and after the refrigerant is
condensed, the refrigerant may be delivered to the expansion
valve (the capillary tube).
[371] In the embodiment, the first side condensing tube L4
may be connected to the main condenser 620, and thus a
refrigerant may first pass through the first side condensing
tube L4. (the direction of an arrow @) In addition, the
first side condensing tube L4 may be connected to the second
side condensing tube L6 by the third connection tube L5
crossing the machine room 201, and thus a refrigerant may be
condensed while passing through the second side condensing
tube L6.(the direction of an arrow )) Accordingly,
according to the present disclosure, since there are the
side condensing tubes L5 and L6, the side condensing tubes
L5 and L6 may condense a refrigerant by assisting the main
condenser 620, and thus the size of the main condenser 620
may be decreased relatively.
[372] In addition, the side condensing tube L5 and L6 may be
mounted in the side surface of the cabinet 100 so as to
increase the temperature of the side surface of the
refrigerator, and accordingly, it is possible to prevent the
formation of dew on the outer surface of the refrigerator
due to temperature difference between the inside and outside
of the refrigerator.
[373] Meanwhile, the second side condensing tube L6 may be
connected to the front condensing tube L8 by the fourth
connection tube L7, so refrigerant may be condensed even in
the process of passing through the front condensing tube
L8(the direction of arrow @) . Accordingly, in the
embodiment, each of the first side condensing tube L4, the
second side condensing tube L6, and the front condensing
tube L8 may function to condense refrigerant, together with
the main condenser 620, and thus although a large main
condenser 620 is not installed in the machine room 201 due
to low height and narrowness of the machine room 201, this
may be compensated.
[374] Refrigerant passing through the front condensing tube
L8 may be delivered through the fifth connection tube L9 to the expansion valve, and refrigerant having decreased pressure and temperature in the expansion valve may be delivered to the evaporator 630. Although not shown, the dryer and the capillary tube may be installed between the front condensing tube L8 and the evaporator 630, and a refrigerant may pass consecutively through the front condensing tube L8, the dryer, the main control valve 625, the capillary tube, and the evaporator 630. Here, the dryer may function to protect a system by removing moisture and filtering foreign matter, and the capillary tube may function to throttle.
[375] Meanwhile, the evaporator 630 may be disposed in space
behind the grille fan assemblies 500a and 500b in each part
in the inner casing 120. That is, during a circulation in
which air is discharged to the upper side of the associated
storage space 121 after the air is sucked from the internal
lower side of the storage space 121 due to the operation of
the grille fan assemblies 500a and 500b, the air may
exchange heat with the evaporator 630 while passing
therethrough.
[376] FIG. 38 illustrates a heat exchange process by the
evaporator 630. First, the cooling compartment 125
partitioned from the storage space 121 may be provided
behind the storage space 121 (a left space relative to FIG.
38), and the evaporator 630 may be installed in the cooling compartment 125. In addition, the grille fan assembly 500 may be installed inside the cooling compartment 125 located above the evaporator 630 and may introduce air delivered from the storage space 121 through the evaporator 630 and may discharge the air back into the storage space 121.
[377] More specifically, when the grille fan assembly 500
operates, the grille fan assembly 500 may introduce air from
the lower side of the evaporator 630. That is, the internal
air of the storage space 121 may be introduced through the
air introduction hole 275 present in the air introduction
part 272 of the grille plate 270 (the direction of an arrow
D)), and may flow upward through the evaporator 630 (the
direction of an arrow ().
[378] Here, in order to be away from the evaporator 630, the
air introduction part 272 may protrude in a direction toward
the storage space 121, that is, in a direction away from the
inner surface 124 of the inner casing 120, so an empty space
may be naturally defined between the air introduction part
272 and the evaporator 630. Accordingly, air may be
efficiently introduced through the air introduction hole 275
present in the air introduction part 272.
[379] In this case, air having high temperature and high
pressure passing through the cooling tube 638 of the
evaporator 630 may be changed into air having low temperature and low pressure by being cooled by the cooling tube 638. Particularly, air present in the lower portion of the cooling tube 638 may have a flow rate increased while passing through the cooling fins 650, and as the flow rate increases, the pressure of air may be decreased.
Accordingly, air passing through the cooling fins 650 may
have pressure lower than the pressure of air before passing
through the cooling fins 650.
[380] In addition, this cooled air may be discharged into
the storage space 121 by the grille fan assembly 500. (the
direction of an arrow (®)) In this process, to increase a
distance between the inner surface 124 of the inner casing
120 facing the grille fan assembly 500 and the grille fan
assembly 500, the evasion recession part 124' may be
recessed on the inner surface 124, and the evaporator 630
may be installed under the evasion recession part 124'.
Accordingly, air may efficiently flow consecutively through
the air introduction hole 275, the evaporator 630, the
evasion recession part 124', and the grille fan assembly
500.
[381] Meanwhile, in such a cooling process by the evaporator
630, defrost water may be generated, and when the defrost
water freezes, the defrost water may become defrost ice.
The generated defrost water may flow downward along the direction of gravity and flow downward through the defrost water collector 126 located on the lower side of the inner surface 124 of the inner casing 120. Additionally, the defrost water may be collected in the defrost water tray 240 provided in the machine room 201 through the defrost water pipe 590.
[382] Such an evaporator 630 may be configured as a plate
shaped evaporator 630, and may be stably installed on the
front of a rear wall surface of the inner wall surface of
the inner casing 120, and may realize the improvement of
heat exchange performance in a narrow space. For reference,
In FIG. 37, reference numeral L10 indicates the evaporator
connection tube which connects the evaporator 630 with the
main control valve 625.
[383] In addition, finally, a refrigerant passing through
the evaporator 630 may be introduced back into the
refrigerant introduction tube 610b (see FIG. 8) of the
compressor 610 to repeat a refrigeration cycle.
[384] Meanwhile, in FIG. 39, an air flow inside the machine
room 201 is illustrated. In the process of the flow of
refrigerant described above, the temperature of the machine
room 201 may rise. Particularly, the temperatures of the
compressor 610 and the main condenser 620 may greatly rise,
and in the embodiment, this temperature rise may be
suppressed through an air flow inside the machine room 201.
[385] Specifically, first, when the heat dissipation fan 611
operates, the heat dissipation fan 611 may introduce outside
air into the introduction space. Here, when air of the
outside (a place in which the refrigerator is installed) is
introduced through the front cover 220 into the introduction
space I (the direction of arrow C)) , the air may immediately
meet the main condenser 620. Particularly, in the
embodiment, the inlet 225a which is the entrance of the
introduction space I may be wider than the outlet 225b which
is the exit of the discharge space 0. That is, the inlet
225a may be widened to increase the amount of air introduced
initially, and accordingly, the main condenser 620 may be
effectively cooled.
[386] In this case, since the introduction space I is
blocked except for the inlet 225a, introduced air may flow
through the main condenser 620 only toward the heat
dissipation fan 611. Accordingly, the main condenser 620
may be more effectively cooled.
[387] In addition, the introduced air may evaporate a
portion of defrost water while passing over the defrost
water tray 240 (the direction of arrow 0) . In this case,
the introduced air may be guided by the separation wall 230.
That is, the introduced air may not flow to the discharge
space 0 comprising the compressor 610, but may be guided to the heat dissipation fan 611 along the separation wall 230.
In this case, the heat dissipation fan 611 may be installed
on the rear end portion of the separation wall 230, and the
heat dissipation fan 611 may be a part of a kind of
separation wall 230.
[388] After the introduced air passes through the heat
dissipation fan 611 (the direction of arrow ()), the air may
be discharged to the compressor 610 facing the heat
dissipation fan 611 and may cool the compressor 610. Since
the heat dissipation fan 611 is open, the introduction space
I and the discharge space 0 may be connected to each other
relative to the heat dissipation fan 611, but when the heat
dissipation fan 611 operates, air may flow from the
introduction space I to the discharge space 0, so it is
difficult that the air flows in a direction opposite to the
direction of the air flow. Accordingly, the heat of the
compressor 610 may be effectively prevented from being
transferred to the main condenser 620.
[389] In this case, the flow guide surface 245 may be
present between the defrost water tray 240 and the heat
dissipation fan 611, and thus may prevent the heat
dissipation fan 611 from decreasing efficiency by being
covered by the defrost water tray 240. That is, introduced
air may be naturally guided toward the heat dissipation fan
611 through the downward inclined surface of the flow guide
surface 245. Such a flow guide surface 245 may prevent the
formation of dead space, in which the flow of air is
prevented or a vortex is generated, between the defrost
water tray 240 and the heat dissipation fan 611.
[390] Air passing through the compressor 610 may pass
through the discharge space 0 (the direction of arrow @).
In this case, since the control module 700 is located the
upper side of the discharge space 0, the discharge space 0
may be defined between the lower surface of the control
module 700 and the bottom surface of the machine room frame
200, and the air passing through the compressor may pass
through this part. In FIG. 39, a part in which air passes
through the lower side of the control module 700 is
indicated by a dotted line.
[391] Finally, air which completes cooling may be discharged
through the outlet 225b to the outside (the direction of
arrow (5)) . Accordingly, in the embodiment, introduced air
may flow only along a predetermined path, so it is possible
to perform effective cooling. Particularly, since the
introduction space I is blocked except for the inlet 225a,
outside air may flow through the main condenser 620 only
toward the heat dissipation fan 611, but after completing
cooling, may be discharged in various directions.
[392] That is, the bottom of the discharge space 0 of the
machine room 201 defined between the heat dissipation fan
611 and the outlet 225b may be connected to the outside
since a portion of the bottom, side surface, and rear
surface of the discharge space is open to the outside
through the heat dissipation holes 211' or 214, (see FIGS. 7
and 11). Accordingly, the initial introduction of outside
air may be limited to a specific direction, that is, to the
main condenser 620, but after the outside air dissipates
heat of the main condenser 620 and the compressor 610, the
outside air may be discharged in various directions, so the
heat dissipation performance of the machine room may be
improved.
[393] The above description is only to illustrate the
technical idea of the present disclosure, but those skilled
in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will be
able to make various modifications and variations without
departing from the essential characteristics of the present
invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the
present disclosure is not intended to limit the technical
spirit of the present disclosure, but to explain it, and the
scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure is
not limited to the embodiments. The scope of protection of
the present disclosure should be interpreted by the scope of
the claims below, and all technical spirits within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.
[394] Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
[395] Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled
in the art without departing from the scope of the present
invention as herein described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Claims (20)
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet having a storage space and a door assembly
configured to open and close the storage space, and
a machine room disposed under the storage space and
comprising a compressor, a condenser, and a heat dissipation
fan for implementing a cooling system, the machine room
having an inlet and an outlet formed on a front surface
thereof,
wherein the compressor and the condenser are disposed
respectively in spaces partitioned from each other, and the
heat dissipation fan is disposed in a rear portion of the
machine room relative to the inlet, and the compressor is
disposed in a rear portion of the machine room relative to
the outlet,
wherein a defrost water tray is disposed on a bottom of
the machine room corresponding to a position between the
inlet and the heat dissipation fan,
wherein the defrost water tray extends to the opposite
side of the compressor with the heat dissipation fan in
between, and
wherein a portion of the defrost water tray extends to a
position facing the heat dissipation fan.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a lower surface
of the cabinet is constituted by a cover plate, and the cover
plate is disposed on an upper part of the machine room.
3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the cover plate
comprises a first cover part and a second cover part, wherein
the second cover part is disposed above the compressor and
the heat dissipation fan, and is configured to be higher than
the first cover part which is disposed above the inlet and
the outlet.
4. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the inlet is configured to have an area larger than an area
of the outlet.
5. The refrigerator of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein
the machine room is disposed removably on a lower part of the
cabinet.
6. The refrigerator of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein
an outer plate constituting a side surface of the machine
room is configured to have the same height from a front of
the machine room to a rear thereof, and the second cover part
is configured to be higher than the outer plate.
7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein a surface of an
outer plate disposed on an outer side of a side surface of
the cabinet and a surface of the outer plate disposed on an
outer side of the side surface of the machine room are
arranged adjacent to each other in the same notional plane
.
8. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein
the condenser is disposed to face the inlet.
9. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein
the heat dissipation fan and a side surface of the machine
room are spaced apart from each other so as to define an air
flow space therebetween, and the heat dissipation fan is
disposed to face the side surface of the machine room.
10. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 9,
wherein a separation wall is disposed between an introduction
space of the machine room connected to the inlet and a
discharge space of the machine room connected to the outlet
such that an inside of the machine room is divided into
opposite sides, the separation wall comprising a first wall
and a second wall connected to each other.
11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the first wall
is disposed between the inlet and the outlet, the second wall is connected to the heat dissipation fan, and the heat dissipation fan is disposed between the second wall and a rear surface of the machine room.
12. The refrigerator of any one of claims 10 and 11,
wherein a cover plate comprises: a first cover part extending
rearward from a front end of the machine room at a constant
height; a second cover part extending rearward from a rear
end of the first cover part and having a height higher than
the height of the first cover part; and a vertical connection
part which is located between the first cover part and the
second cover part and vertically connects the first cover
part with the second cover part,
wherein the first cover part has the same height as a
height of each of the separation wall and the condenser.
13. The refrigerator of any one of claims 2 to 12,
wherein a cut part open to expose an upper end of the
compressor to the outside is formed in a rear end of the
cover plate, and a compressor cover is provided in the cover
plate so as to cover the cut part.
14. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 13,
wherein an introduction space of the machine room is confined
by a bottom plate, a side plate, and a rear plate constituting the machine room, and a discharge space of the machine room has an additional outlet formed by openings at least in a portion of the bottom plate, in the side plate, and in the rear plate such that the discharge space communicates with the outside.
15. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 14,
wherein a flow guide surface is formed on the defrost water
tray and inclines toward the heat dissipation fan.
16. The refrigerator of any one of claims 14 and 15,
wherein the discharge space is provided with a control
module, and the additional outlet is formed at a position
corresponding to at least a portion of areas of the
compressor and the control module.
17. The refrigerator of any one of claims 14 to 16,
wherein the bottom plate has a reinforcement part extending
in a direction intersecting with a separation wall, wherein
the reinforcement part is disposed between the additional
outlet and an additional inlet.
18. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 17,
wherein a side condensing tube is connected to the condenser
and is disposed along a side surface of the cabinet, the side condensing tube being disposed between an outer casing and an inner casing constituting the cabinet.
19. The refrigerator of any one of claims 1 to 18,
wherein the machine room is provided with a pair of side
parts coupled to a bottom plate and a side plate constituting
the machine room, wherein each of the side parts is
configured to provide an opening in a lower surface thereof
such that a support module supporting the machine room is
provided inside the side part.
20. The refrigerator of claim 19, wherein the support
module comprises a power transmission part extending from a
front end of the side part along the inside of the side part,
and a rear leveling part which is coupled to a rear end of
the power transmission part and adjusts a horizontality of
the refrigerator.
Applications Claiming Priority (7)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR10-2019-0145461 | 2019-11-13 | ||
KR1020190145461A KR20210058238A (en) | 2019-11-13 | 2019-11-13 | Machine room assembly and refrigerator having the same |
KR10-2020-0027416 | 2020-03-04 | ||
KR1020200027422A KR20210112189A (en) | 2020-03-04 | 2020-03-04 | Refrigerator |
KR1020200027416A KR20210112185A (en) | 2020-03-04 | 2020-03-04 | refrigerator |
KR10-2020-0027422 | 2020-03-04 | ||
PCT/KR2020/016012 WO2021096300A1 (en) | 2019-11-13 | 2020-11-13 | Refrigerator |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
AU2024205212 Division | 2020-11-13 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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AU2020382671A1 AU2020382671A1 (en) | 2022-06-30 |
AU2020382671B2 true AU2020382671B2 (en) | 2024-05-16 |
Family
ID=75913105
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
AU2020382671A Active AU2020382671B2 (en) | 2019-11-13 | 2020-11-13 | Refrigerator |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20220397336A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP4060262A4 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2020382671B2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2021096300A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11460235B1 (en) * | 2021-04-01 | 2022-10-04 | Whirlpool Corporation | Support assembly for an insulated structure |
US20230228475A1 (en) * | 2022-01-18 | 2023-07-20 | Whirlpool Corporation | Toe-kick |
Family Cites Families (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS5033563B2 (en) | 1971-10-27 | 1975-10-31 | ||
JPH0517483U (en) * | 1991-08-14 | 1993-03-05 | 株式会社東芝 | refrigerator |
US5881567A (en) | 1997-09-29 | 1999-03-16 | Whirlpool Corporation | Refrigerator condenser air flow |
KR100578403B1 (en) * | 1999-08-30 | 2006-05-11 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Cooling system for machinery room of refrigerator |
KR20030027367A (en) * | 2001-09-28 | 2003-04-07 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
KR20040046106A (en) * | 2002-11-26 | 2004-06-05 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Refrigerator |
JP4218531B2 (en) * | 2004-01-15 | 2009-02-04 | パナソニック株式会社 | refrigerator |
US7228698B2 (en) * | 2005-06-30 | 2007-06-12 | Premark Feg L.L.C. | Refrigeration unit |
JP5367403B2 (en) * | 2009-02-17 | 2013-12-11 | ホシザキ電機株式会社 | Cooling storage |
KR20110019076A (en) | 2009-08-19 | 2011-02-25 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | A refrigerator |
KR101635647B1 (en) * | 2010-03-25 | 2016-07-01 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Refrigerator |
JP2017141975A (en) | 2016-02-08 | 2017-08-17 | パナソニックIpマネジメント株式会社 | refrigerator |
-
2020
- 2020-11-13 AU AU2020382671A patent/AU2020382671B2/en active Active
- 2020-11-13 EP EP20886425.6A patent/EP4060262A4/en active Pending
- 2020-11-13 US US17/776,353 patent/US20220397336A1/en active Pending
- 2020-11-13 WO PCT/KR2020/016012 patent/WO2021096300A1/en unknown
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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EP4060262A1 (en) | 2022-09-21 |
US20220397336A1 (en) | 2022-12-15 |
WO2021096300A1 (en) | 2021-05-20 |
EP4060262A4 (en) | 2024-02-21 |
AU2020382671A1 (en) | 2022-06-30 |
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