Refrigeration – Automatic control – Of external fluid or means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-18
2001-12-11
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Of external fluid or means
C062S441000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327867
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a cooler mounted in each of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment and, more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of improving the cooling performance and reliability of a cooling system for the independent cooling of a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment.
BACKGROUND ART
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 8-240373 discloses a conventional refrigerator as shown in
FIG. 1
, which includes a refrigerator body
1
having a refrigerator compartment
2
and a freezer compartment
3
both defined therein for storing foods. The refrigerator compartment
2
and the freezer compartment
3
are partitioned by a generally horizontally extending medial wall member
30
and are opened and closed by doors
4
and
5
, respectively, hingedly mounted on a front surface of the refrigerator body
1
.
A freezer cooling unit
8
is disposed on the rear side of the freezer compartment
3
for cooling air drawn from the freezer compartment
3
using the latent heat of evaporation of refrigerant. An air fan
7
connected to a rotary shaft of a fan motor
31
is disposed above the freezer cooling unit
8
for circulating into the freezer compartment
3
cold air heat-exchanged by the freezer cooling unit
8
.
A plurality of shelves
32
, on which foods are placed, are accommodated within the refrigerator compartment
2
to partition it into a plurality of small compartments. A low-temperature storage chamber
33
, in which specific foods are stored at a specific temperature range, is defined at an upper portion of the refrigerator compartment
2
, while a vegetable storage chamber or crisper
6
is defined at a lower portion of the refrigerator compartment
2
. A compressor
11
is disposed in a machine chamber positioned below the vegetable storage chamber
6
.
A cold air discharging means
34
is provided on the rear side of the refrigerator compartment
2
, while a duct member
36
having cold air outlets
35
defined therein is provided on the rear side of the low-temperature storage chamber
33
. A refrigerator cooling unit
10
is disposed on the rear side of the duct member
36
for heat-exchanging air drawn through an air passage
37
, while an air fan
9
connected to a rotary shaft of a fan motor
39
is disposed above the refrigerator cooling unit
10
so that the air drawn through the air passage
37
may be heat-exchanged by the refrigerator cooling unit
10
and introduced into the refrigerator compartment
2
and the low-temperature storage chamber
33
through cold air outlets
38
and through the cold air outlets
35
, respectively.
The cold air discharging means
34
communicates at an upper portion thereof with a lower portion of the duct member
36
and extends downwardly to a rear portion of the vegetable storage chamber
6
.
In the above-described conventional construction, however, the temperature within the low-temperature storage chamber
33
depends on the distribution ratio of air discharged from the cold air outlets
35
and
38
. Accordingly, when the heat load in the refrigerator compartment
2
is low, for example, when the temperature of the open air is low, the working efficiency of the air fan
9
becomes low, making it impossible to cool the low-temperature storage chamber
33
down to a set temperature. Furthermore, if the low-temperature storage chamber
33
is cooled down to the set temperature, the temperature within the refrigerator compartment
2
becomes lower than a set temperature, thus causing a problem of having to heat the refrigerator compartment
2
by the use of, for example, a heater.
In addition, even after the air fan
9
has stopped upon completion of the cooling of the refrigerator compartment
2
, the cooling of the freezer compartment
3
continues and, hence, air in the proximity of the refrigerator cooling unit
10
is cooled by a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerator cooling unit
10
. Because the cooled air flows downwardly from the refrigerator cooling unit
10
by convection, the cold air flows from the cold air outlets
38
into a lower portion of the refrigerator compartment
2
, thus causing a problem of lowering the temperature of the lower portion of the refrigerator compartment
2
below a set temperature.
Japanese Utility Model Publication (examined) No. 58-35979 discloses another conventional refrigerator employing a refrigerating cycle as shown in FIG.
2
.
In
FIG. 2
,
41
is a compressor,
42
a condenser,
43
a first capillary serving as a means to reduce pressure,
44
a first evaporator for cooling a refrigerator compartment,
45
a second evaporator for cooling a freezer compartment, and
46
a channel control valve.
47
is a second (bypass) capillary connecting a flow-dividing portion
48
positioned between the first capillary
43
and the channel control valve
46
with a flow-merging portion
49
positioned between the first evaporator
44
and the second evaporator
45
.
50
is a third capillary provided between the channel control valve
46
and the first evaporator
44
.
Thus, the refrigerating cycle is repeatedly started and stopped in order to cool a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment (not shown) and to maintain them at comparatively low temperatures.
During the operation of the refrigerating cycle, a refrigerant compressed by the compressor
41
is condensed and liquefied in the condenser
42
. When the channel control valve
46
is opened, the condensed refrigerant, whose pressure is lowered by the first capillary
43
, reaches the flow-dividing portion
48
in a medium-pressure state. The refrigerant is then divided at the flow-dividing portion
48
to flow through the second capillary
47
and the third capillary
50
.
Part of the refrigerant is reduced in pressure by the third capillary
50
, vaporized or gasified by the first evaporator
44
and the second evaporator
45
, and reabsorbed by the compressor
41
. The other part is reduced in pressure by the second capillary
47
, merged at the flow-merging portion
49
, and vaporized or gasified by the second evaporator
45
.
The third capillary
50
has a much lower resistance than does the second capillary
47
and, hence, most of the refrigerant passes through the third capillary
50
when the channel control valve
46
is open.
In addition, when the channel control valve
46
is in a closed state, the condensed refrigerant is reduced in pressure by the first capillary
43
and the second capillary
47
, vaporized or gasified by the second evaporator
45
, and absorbed by the compressor
41
.
The interior of the refrigerator is cooled by heat exchange with the evaporators whose temperature is lower in comparison with the temperature inside the refrigerator.
In such a refrigerator, however, the refrigerant whose pressure has been lowered by the first capillary
43
during the opening of the channel control valve
46
is temporarily expanded when divided at the flow-dividing portion
48
, and is then readmitted into the comparatively narrow capillaries.
The refrigerant at the flow-dividing portion
48
is a two-phase refrigerant composed of a gas and a liquid. Because the refrigerator experiences wide-ranging load variations due to changes in the temperature of outside air, the opening and closing of the door, the introduction and removal of food products, and the like, the flow rate in the capillaries also varies, changing the dryness of the refrigerant at the flow-dividing portion
48
.
Because the flow rate in a capillary decreases when the gas phase of the refrigerant enters an inlet portion thereof, the flow rate of the third capillary
50
, which normally allows essentially all of the refrigerant to pass through, sometimes decreases and the flow rate through the second capillary
47
increases when a difference in resistance arises between the second capillary
47
and the third capillary
50
; for example, when one of them is filled with a liquid and the other is in a state in which a gas enters the inlet
Fujihashi Makoto
Hamano Hiroki
Hyodo Akira
Iwai Haruhiko
Kimura Yoshito
Dahbour Fadi H.
Matsushita Refrigeration Company
Walberg Teresa
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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