Refrigerator for kimchi

Details Refrigerator for kimchi Refrigerator for kimchi

2001-03-01

2003-03-04

Tapolcal, William E. (Department: 3744)

Refrigeration

Automatic control

Refrigeration producer

C062S200000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06526769

ABSTRACT:

CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from my application entitled REFRIGERATOR FOR KIMCHI filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Jul. 5, 2000 and there duly assigned Serial No. 2000/38338.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, such as by way of example, for kimchi, and more particularly, to a refrigerator, such as for kimchi, having an improved temperature detection mechanism in a storage chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a refrigerator, such as for kimchi.
FIG. 2
is a side sectional view of FIG.
1
. As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the refrigerator, such as for kimchi, includes a main body
3
having front door openings and doors
5
installed in the front of the main body
3
, for opening and closing the door openings. The main body
3
includes an outer casing
10
defining an external appearance and an inner casing
20
accommodated in the outer casing
10
with a foaming agent space and formed with storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b.
The outer casing
10
has a substantially rectangular vessel shape. On the upper-front portion of the outer casing
10
is provided a manipulation panel
11
for enabling a user to select a ripening time and a temperature condition of foods, such as kimchi, contained in the storage chamber and to control a ripening mode or a cool storage mode. In the lower-rear portion of the outer casing
10
is formed a machine room
13
isolated from the storage chambers of the inner casing
20
.
The pair of upper storage chamber
21
a
and lower storage chamber
21
b
are formed on the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer casing
10
, respectively. Storage containers
25
for containing foods, such as kimchi, are accommodated in the respective storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b.
FIG. 3
is a rear perspective view of a conventional kimchi refrigerator.
FIG. 4
is a diagram showing a freezing cycle of FIG.
3
. As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4
, a single compressor
131
for compressing a refrigerant and a condenser
141
for condensing the refrigerant supplied from the compressor
131
are installed in the machine room
13
of the conventional kimchi refrigerator
101
.
First and second heaters
161
a
and
161
b
which are operated by a supply of power, for maintaining the internal temperature of the respective storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
at predetermined temperatures, and first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
for cooling the storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
using the refrigerant supplied from the condenser
141
, are installed in the foaming agent space between the outer casing
10
and the inner casing
20
. The first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
and the first and second heaters
161
a
and
161
b
are disposed in such a manner that they substantially contact the side walls and the rear wall of the storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b.
The first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
constitute zigzag refrigerant flow paths toward the upper portions from the lower portions of the storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
, respectively. First and second refrigerant valves
145
a
and
145
b
for controlling supply of the refrigerant are respectively installed on branch refrigerant tubes
144
a
and
144
b
extended toward respective lower inlets
183
a
and
183
b
of the first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
from the condenser
141
. Refrigerant discharge tubes
153
a
and
153
b
extended toward the compressor
131
from upper outlets
181
a
and
181
b
of the respective first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
are connected to a refrigerant suction tube
143
connected to a suction port (not shown) of the compressor
131
.
First and second temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b
for sensing the temperatures of storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
are installed in the upper portions of the respective upper and lower storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
in such a manner that the first and second temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b
are adjacent to the upper portions of the first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
, respectively. As described above, the first and second temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b
are installed in the upper portions of the respective storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
to sense the temperatures of each storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
. This is for preventing the respective temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b
from sensing temperatures differing from actual temperatures of the storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
. In the case that the temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b
are located on the lower portions of the respective storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
, the temperatures detected by the sensors
171
a
and
171
b
may differ from the actual temperatures of the storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
since the remaining refrigerant exists in the lower portions of the respective evaporators
151
a
and
151
b.
A controller (not shown) for controlling the operations of the components including the compressor
131
, the first and second refrigerant valves
145
a
and
145
b
is provided in a predetermined portion of the main body
3
on the basis of the running mode selected through the manipulation panel
11
and the temperatures sensed by the respective temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b.
In the above-described kimchi refrigerator, when power is supplied to the kimchi refrigerator and a running condition, e. g., the cool storage mode is input through the manipulation panel
11
, the compressor
131
starts to operate and compresses the refrigerant. The refrigerant compressed in the compressor
131
is supplied to the condenser
141
and via the refrigerant tubes
144
a
and
144
b
the refrigerant condensed in the condenser
141
is supplied to the first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
, to thereby cool the respective storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
. Here, the refrigerant moves to the upper portions of the respective storage chambers from the lower portions thereof along the refrigerant flow paths of the respective evaporators
151
a
and
151
b.
The refrigerant that has been supplied to the first and second evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
and has cooled the respective storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
is discharged along the refrigerant discharge tubes
153
a
and
153
b
connected to the upper outlets
181
a
and
181
b
of the respective evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
, and then returns to the compressor
131
via the suction tube
143
of the compressor
131
.
The controller (not shown) controls the operations of the first and second refrigerant valves
145
a
and
145
b
appropriately on the basis of the temperature values of the upper and lower storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
sensed by the respective first and second temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b
, to thereby independently control the temperatures of the upper and lower storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b.
The first and second temperature sensors
171
a
and
171
b
for sensing the temperatures of the respective storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
are installed adjacent to the respective evaporators
151
a
and
151
b
of the upper portions of the storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
in the conventional kimchi refrigerator. Accordingly, in the case that one of the first and second refrigerant valves
145
a
and
145
b
is opened and thus only one of the storage chambers
21
a
and
21
b
is cooled, for example, in the case that the first refrigerant valve
145
a
is opened and the second refrigerant valve
145
b
is closed, the refrigerant moves into the first evaporator
151
a
, to thus cool the upper storage chamber
21
a
, and the refrigerant is not supplied to the second evaporator
151
b
. Then, the refrigerant remaining in the lower portion of the second evaporator
151
b
moves to the upper portion thereof by a suction force of the compressor
131
, to the

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