Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet with a refrigerating chamber and a cooling air passage that extends vertically along an inner wall of the refrigerating chamber. A heat exchanging device is installed at a lower side of the cabinet and generates cooling air. A blowing unit is installed at an upper portion of the cooling air passage, and acts to suck cool air from the heat exchanging device and to blow the cool air into an upper portion of the refrigerating chamber. A temperature within the refrigerating chamber can be uniformly maintained, refrigerating performance can be improved, and power consumption can be reduced.

Description

The present claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2006-0023707, filed on Mar. 14, 2006, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirely.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and, more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of improving refrigerating performance by smoothly circulating cooling air.

2. Background

In general, a refrigerator is a device for storing drinks and food items at a low temperature. As living standards have improved, there has been an increased demand for keeping drinks cold, regardless of environmental conditions. That is, for example, people want to have cold drinking water or beverages in the summer season or want to have wine kept at a certain temperature regardless of the season. In order to meet the demand, refrigerators tailored to store various types of beverages have been developed.

A related art refrigerator typically includes a refrigerating chamber for storing food and beverages, and a heat exchanging device installed at a lower side of the refrigerating chamber. Cooling air generated by the heat exchanging device is introduced into a lower side of the refrigerating chamber using a fan installed underneath the refrigerating chamber at the heat exchanging device.

Because low temperature air tends to flow downward, cool air generated by the heat exchanging device should be quickly transferred to the upper side of the refrigerating chamber so as to uniformly lower the temperature within the refrigerating chamber, and so that the cool air will flow back down to the lower side from the upper side. However, related art bottle coolers have several problems.

The shelves installed within the refrigerating chamber and/or the food and beverages placed on the shelves interfere with the flow of cold air within the refrigerating chamber. Thus, it is not easy to transfer cool air from the heat exchange device located underneath the refrigerating chamber to the upper side of the refrigerating chamber. In order to quickly transfer cool air to the upper side of the refrigerating chamber, an output of the fan must be increased, which results in an increase in power consumption.

In addition, because it is not easy to quickly transfer cool air to the upper side of the refrigerating chamber, a temperature in the upper portion of the refrigerating chamber tends to be higher than a temperature at the lower portion. In other words, it is difficult to maintain a uniform internal temperature of the refrigerating chamber. This is particularly problematic when items such as wine, which require a uniform temperature, is stored in the refrigerator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a refrigerator;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a cabinet of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of an upper portion of the refrigerator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing one example of a heat exchanging device of a refrigerator;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another example of a heat exchanging device of a refrigerator; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing still another example of a heat exchanging device of a refrigerator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator includes a cabinet 210 having a refrigerating chamber 211 with an insulated interior. A door 218 is mounted at a front side thereof. A plurality of shelves 212 are installed within the refrigerating chamber 211. A heat exchanging device 310 may be permanently or detachably mounted to a lower side of the cabinet 210. The heat exchanging device performs a refrigerating cycle of compressing, condensing, expanding and evaporating to generate cooling air.

As shown in FIG. 2, at one side of a lower portion the cabinet 210 there is an outlet 214 for allowing air which has been circulated through the refrigerating chamber 211 to be discharged to the heat exchanging device 300. A cooling air passage 213, extending in a vertical direction, is formed at a rear side of the refrigerating chamber 211 to allow air cooled by the heat exchanging device 310 to be guided to the upper portion of the refrigerating chamber 211.

The cooling air passage 213 can be formed by installing a duct at one side of the refrigerating chamber 211. Preferably, it is formed by dividing the rear side of the refrigerating chamber 211 by using a separation wall 215 to simplify components and facilitate the assembly process. In alternate embodiments, the cooling air passage 213 can be formed at a left and/or right side of the refrigerating chamber 211, without being limited to the formation at the rear side of the refrigerating chamber 211.

As shown in FIG. 3, a blowing unit 216 for sucking cool air from the heat exchanging device 310 and forcibly blowing the cool air into the upper portion of the refrigerating chamber 211 can be formed at an upper side of the cooling air passage 213. A cooling air inflow member 219 having a plurality of holes 217 allows cool air blown by the blowing unit 216 to flow into the refrigerating chamber 211 therethrough.

The blowing unit 216 includes a driving motor 16 fixed on an inner wall of the cooling air passage 213 and a blowing fan 17 connected with the driving motor 16. The fan 17 blows cool air from the cooling air passage 213 into the refrigerating chamber by being rotated according to an operation of the driving motor 16.

In order to simplify the assembly process, and to minimize the number of components, the cooling air inflow member 219 may be integrally formed at an upper portion of the separation wall 215. But the present invention is not limited thereto. The cooling air inflow member 219 can also be formed as a separate member which is then fixed at an upper portion of the separation wall 215.

Preferably, the cooling air inflow member 219 is formed such that it has a convex or domed shape which protrudes into the refrigerating chamber 211. This shape helps to ensure that cool air blown by the blowing unit 216 can be uniformly distributed into the entirety of the refrigerating chamber 211. Alternatively, the cooling air inflow member 219 can be formed in various other shapes so that cooling air can be smoothly circulated in the entire refrigerating chamber.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat exchanging device 310 includes a casing 311 attached to a lower side of the cabinet 210. The heat exchanging device 310 may be permanently attached to the cabinet 210, or it may be designed to be detachable. A mechanical chamber 323 is formed therein. A compressor 317 is installed within the mechanical chamber 323 and acts to compress a refrigerant. A condenser 316 acts to cool and condense the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 317. An expansion valve 324 converts the high temperature high pressure refrigerant from the condenser 316 into a low temperature low pressure refrigerant. An evaporator 315 acts to absorb ambient heat while evaporating the low temperature, low pressure liquid refrigerant which has passed through the expansion valve 324. A condenser fan 322 blows air heated by the condenser 316 out of the device.

At an upper side of the casing 310 is an air circulation hole 318 communicating with the outlet 214 of the cabinet 210 to allow air which has circulated in the interior of the refrigerating chamber 211 to flow into the mechanical chamber 323. A cooling air outflow hole 319 communicates with the cooling air passage 213 and allows cool generated in the mechanical chamber 323 into flow into the cooling air passage 213.

Preferably, the air circulation hole 318 and the cooling air outflow hole 319 are formed at opposite sides of the evaporator 315 so that the air flowing into the air circulation hole 318 can pass across the evaporator 315 and then out the outflow hole 319.

In addition, in an alternate embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a filter 325 can be mounted in the air circulation hole 318 to prevent debris from entering the mechanical chamber 323. Preferably, the filter 325 has a filtering net structure to help air smoothly flow.

At one lower side of the casing 311, an inlet 320 is located to allow external air to be introduced into the mechanical chamber 323. The condenser fan 322 would act to draw external air into the mechanical chamber 323, across the condenser 316, and then out the outlet 321. Thus, air which has been heated by the condenser 331 is discharged to the outside. Preferably, the condenser fan 322 is positioned near the outlet 321.

A separation wall 312 divides the interior of the mechanical chamber 323 to prevent cool air which has passed across the evaporator 315 from mixing with, and being heated by, high temperature air around the condenser 316. Accordingly, the mechanical chamber 323 is divided adiabatically by the separation wall 312. A first chamber 313 contains the compressor 317, the condenser 316 and the expansion valve 324, and the inlet 320 and the outlet 321 open into the first chamber 313. A second chamber 314 contains the evaporator 315, and the air circulation hole 318 and outflow hole 319 open into the second chamber 314.

The second chamber 314 is insulated to prevent cool air cooled by the evaporator 321 from absorbing heat from ambient air, or from the first chamber 313. Accordingly, the casing 311 and the separation wall 312 for forming the second chamber 314 are preferably made of an insulating, adiabatic material.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, in alternate embodiments, a fan can be additionally provided at various positions in the second chamber 314 to make air passing across the evaporator 315 flow more smoothly. Namely, as shown in FIG. 5, in order to enhance heat exchanging efficiency of the evaporator 315, a fan 325 can be mounted near the air circulation hole 318 to blow air toward the evaporator 315. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a fan 327 can be mounted near the cooling air outflow hole 319 to make air which has passed across the evaporator 315 flow smoothly into the cooling air passage 213.

The operation of a refrigerator as described above will now be described. First, the heat exchanging device 310 is installed at the lower side of the cabinet 210 such that the outlet 214 and the cooling air passage 213 of the cabinet 210 communicate with the air circulation hole 318 and the cooling air outflow hole 319 of the heat exchanging device 310. When power is applied to operate the heat exchanging device 310, a refrigerant is compressed in the compressor 317, and is then condensed in the condenser 316. The compressed refrigerant passes through the expansion valve 324, and is then introduced into the evaporator 315. According to the operation of the blowing unit 216, air within the refrigerating chamber 211 flows toward the evaporator 315 through the outlet 214 and the air circulation hole 318. The air is cooled while passing across the evaporator 315. The cool air flows to the upper side of the cabinet 210 through the cooling air passage 213 so as to be introduced into the refrigerating chamber 211 through the plurality of holes 217 formed at the cooling air inflow member 219 to thus cool the interior of the refrigerating chamber 211. According to such processes, an internal temperature of the refrigerating chamber 211 is uniformly maintained.

A refrigerator as described above has many advantages. First, because the cooling air passage 213 guides air which has been cooled by the heat exchanging device 310 to the upper side of the refrigerating chamber 211, cool air can flow directly into to the upper side of the refrigerating chamber 211. The shelves and items stored within the refrigerating chamber do not impede the flow of cool air from the heat exchanging device 310 to the upper portion of the chamber, nor do the stored items act to heat the cool air. As a result, it is easier to maintain a uniform temperature within the refrigerating chamber 211. Therefore, the refrigerating performance can be improved and power consumption can be reduced.

Second, because the blowing unit 216 is installed at the upper portion of the cooling air passage 213, cool air can be uniformly distributed into the entire interior of the refrigerating chamber 211, to thus quickly reduce the interior of the refrigerating chamber 211 to a low temperature.

Third, because the blowing unit 216 is positioned at the upper side of the refrigerating chamber 211, not at or adjacent the mechanical chamber 323, the size of the second chamber 314, which is to be properly insulated with the evaporator 315 therein, can be reduced. Therefore, the overall heat loss can be reduced and the heat exchanging device 310 can be reduced in size.

Fourth, because the heat exchanging device 310 for supplying cooling air into the refrigerating chamber 211 is detachably mounted to the refrigerating chamber 211, maintenance and repairing of the refrigerator can be easily performed.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims. All changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds, are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a cabinet including a refrigerating chamber and a cooling air passage extending in a vertical direction at one side of the refrigerating chamber;

a heat exchanging device installed at a lower side of the cabinet and generating cool air; and

a blowing unit installed at an upper portion of the cooling air passage and configured to suck cool air from the heat exchanging device and to blow the cool air into an upper portion of the refrigerating chamber.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling air passage is formed by mounting a separation wall on one side of an interior wall of the refrigerating chamber.

3. The cooler of claim 2, wherein a cooling air inflow member including a plurality of holes is provided at an upper portion of the separation wall.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the separation wall and the cooling air inflow member are integrally formed.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the cooling air inflow member has a convex shape that protrudes into the refrigerating chamber.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the holes of the cooling air inflow member are formed so that air from the cooling air passage is directed in multiple directions as it passes through the cooling air inflow member and into the refrigerating chamber.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanging device is detachably mounted to the cabinet and includes a casing in which a mechanical chamber is provided, and wherein a separation wall is installed within the casing to divide the mechanical chamber into a first chamber in which a compressor, a condenser and an expansion valve are disposed and a second chamber in which an evaporator is disposed.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the second chamber is insulated.

9. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the casing includes:

a cooling air outflow hole which allows cool air in the second chamber to be supplied to the cooling air passage; and

an air circulation hole which allows air in the refrigerating chamber to flow into the second chamber.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the air circulation hole and the cooling air outflow hole are formed on opposite sides of an evaporator mounted in the second chamber.

11. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein a fan is installed in the second chamber.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the fan is installed near the air circulation hole.

13. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the fan is installed near the cooling air outflow hole.

14. The refrigerator of claim 9, further comprising a filter mounted at the air circulation hole.

15. A refrigerator, comprising:

a cabinet having a refrigerating chamber;

a refrigeration unit mounted within a casing, wherein the casing of the refrigeration unit is detachably coupled to a lower side of the cabinet;

a cooling air passage formed on one side of the refrigerating chamber and configured to conduct cool air from the refrigeration unit to an upper portion of the refrigerating chamber; and

a blowing unit installed in an upper portion of the cooling air passage and configured to cause cool air to circulate between the refrigerating chamber and the refrigeration unit.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein a cooling air inflow member is formed at an upper portion of the cooling air passage, and wherein the cooling air inflow member includes a plurality of apertures that are configured to direct cool air from the cooling air passage into different areas within the refrigerating chamber.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the cooling air inflow member is convex and protrudes into the refrigerating chamber.

18. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the casing of the refrigeration unit is separated into first chamber located at a lower portion of the casing and a second chamber located at an upper portion of the casing adjacent the cabinet, wherein an evaporator is mounted in a second chamber, and wherein only the second chamber is insulated.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein a fan is located in the second chamber, and wherein the fan is configured to assist circulation of cool air between the refrigerating chamber and the refrigeration unit.

20. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the casing of the refrigeration unit is separated into first chamber located at a lower portion of the casing and a second chamber located at an upper portion of the casing adjacent the cabinet, wherein an evaporator is mounted in a second chamber, wherein an inlet hole and an outlet hole are formed in the second chamber on opposite sides, respectively, of the evaporator.