Refrigeration – Automatic control – Of external fluid or means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-23
2001-01-23
Tanner, Harry B. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Of external fluid or means
C062S180000, C062S089000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176097
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a side by side type refrigerator and a method for controlling a temperature in a vegetable box therein, and more particularly, to a side by side type refrigerator which can cool down a vegetable box to a preset temperature without separate cooling duct, and a method for controlling a temperature in a vegetable box therein.
2. Background of the Related Art
Refrigerators may be sorted as a conventional refrigerator which has a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber arranged in a vertical direction, and a side by side type refrigerator which has the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber arranged side by side.
FIG. 1
illustrates a front view of a related art side by side type refrigerator with doors opened, and
FIG. 2
illustrates a section of refrigerating chamber in the related art side by side type refrigerator, referring to which a structure of the related art side by side type refrigerator will be explained.
The side by side type refrigerator is provided with a barrier
30
stuffed with an insulating material for separating the freezing chamber
10
and the refrigerating chamber
20
in left and right sides. There is an evaporator
12
in rear of the freezing chamber
10
for cooling down air in the refrigerator, and there is a fan
14
over the evaporator for circulation of cooled air within the refrigerator. And, there is a damper assembly
24
having a damper
22
over the refrigerating chamber, and there is a vegetable box
28
under the refrigerating chamber for storage of vegetable and the like. There is a cold air passage
16
in an upper portion of the barrier
30
for supplying a cold air heat exchange in the evaporator
12
to the refrigerating chamber
10
, and there is a return passage
18
in a lower portion of the barrier
30
for return of a cold air having circulated through the refrigerating chamber
20
and heated up to a relatively high temperature toward the evaporator
12
, again. There is the damper
22
at an outlet of the cold air passage
16
for regulating cold air supply to the refrigerating chamber
20
, to an outlet of which damper
22
a cold air discharge opening
25
for supplying the cold air to the refrigerating chamber
18
and a cold air duct
26
for supplying the cold air to the vegetable box
28
are connected. The unexplained numeral
29
denotes a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature in the refrigerating chamber
20
.
A process for circulating cold air through a related art side by side type refrigerator will be explained with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2
.
One portion of the cold air, heat exchanged in the evaporator
12
through which cold refrigerant circulates, is supplied to the freezing chamber
10
by the fan
14
, and the other portion of the cold air is supplied toward the damper
22
in the refrigerating chamber
20
through the cold air passage
16
. A portion of the cold air supplied toward the damper
22
in the refrigerating chamber
20
is discharged to the refrigerating chamber
20
through the cold air discharge opening
25
, and, therefrom, flows down to a lower portion of the refrigerating chamber
20
. And, the other portion of the cold air supplied toward the damper
22
is provided to the vegetable box
28
in a lower portion of the refrigerating chamber
20
through a cold air duct
26
for the vegetable box in a rear wall of the refrigerating chamber
20
. The cold air supplied to the freezing chamber
10
and the refrigerating chamber
20
is heated to a relatively high temperature through heat exchange with the stored food, and the like. The cold air heated to a relatively high temperature in the refrigerating chamber
20
flows toward the evaporator
12
again through the return air passage
18
formed in a lower portion of the barrier
30
. The cold air circulation in the refrigerator repeats the aforementioned process. Cold air circulation in a conventional refrigerator is almost same with the aforementioned cold air circulation in the side by side type refrigerator, except that positions of the cold air passages and the damper are different.
A method for controlling a temperature in the related art side by side type refrigerator will be explained with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 3
.
In order to determine the refrigerator of putting into operation, a freezing chamber temperature Tf, or a refrigerating chamber temperature Tc is compared to a preset temperature Ts (S
10
). If it is found as a result of the comparison that the freezing chamber temperature Tf, or the refrigerating chamber temperature Tc is higher than the preset temperature Ts, the refrigerator is put into operation for supplying cold air to the freezing chamber
10
and the refrigerating chamber
20
(S
11
). That is, the compressor (not shown) and the fan
14
are driven, to supply cold refrigerant to the evaporator
12
, to cool down air around the evaporator
12
by heat exchange with the evaporator. The cold air is supplied to the freezing chamber
10
and the refrigerating chamber
20
. In this instance, the damper
22
is left open for supplying the cold air to the refrigerating chamber
20
(S
12
). Provided the damper
22
is opened, a portion of the cold air is supplied to inside of the refrigerating chamber
20
, and the other portion of the cold air is supplied to the vegetable box
28
through the cold air duct
26
. In the meantime, as the temperature in the refrigerating chamber
20
will drop as the cold air supply to the refrigerating chamber
20
is kept on, it is required to prevent the refrigerating chamber from being subcooled. Therefore, the temperature sensor
29
in the refrigerating chamber senses the refrigerating chamber temperature and compares to the preset refrigerating chamber temperature Tcs (S
13
). If it is found as a result of the comparison that the refrigerating chamber temperature Tc is lower than the preset refrigerating chamber temperature Tcs, the damper
22
is closed to stop cold air supply to the refrigerating chamber (S
14
) as there is a possibility of subcooling of the refrigerating chamber, otherwise the damper
22
is left open. In order to prevent unnecessary operation of the refrigerator, the temperature sensor(not shown) in the freezing chamber
50
senses the freezing chamber temperature Tf, and compares to a preset freezing chamber temperature Tfs (S
15
). If it is found as a result of the comparison that the freezing chamber temperature Tf is lower than the preset freezing chamber temperature Tfs, the operation of the refrigerator is stopped, otherwise the operation of the refrigerator is kept on. (S
16
). The aforementioned control method is in general programmed in a microcomputer, so that the microcomputer controls the compressor, the fan, the damper, and the like, to keep the freezing chamber temperature at approx. −18° C., the refrigerating chamber temperature at approx. 3-4° C., and the vegetable box temperature at approx. 5° C.
However, the related art method for controlling a temperature in a side by side type refrigerator has the following problems.
First, the related art side by side refrigerator shows a case when the vegetable box is subcooled or cooled inadequately because, as has been explained, the damper
22
is closed even if the vegetable box
28
is not cooled down adequately if the refrigerating chamber temperature Tc is lower than the preset refrigerating chamber temperature Tcs, that causes the inadequate cooling. And, if the operation of the refrigerator is stopped and the damper in the refrigerating chamber
20
is closed as the freezing chamber temperature or the refrigerating chamber temperature meets the preset temperature, the cold air in the refrigerating chamber
10
naturally circulates to flow down to a lower portion of the refrigerating chamber, which causes subcooling of the vegetable box
28
provided in a lower portion of the refrigerating chamber
20
. And, in the case of the side by side type refrigerator, the damper
22
in the refrigerat
Fleshner & Kim LLP
LG Electronics Inc.
Tanner Harry B.
LandOfFree
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