U.S. patent application number 12/662915 was filed with the patent office on 2011-03-03 for kimchi refrigerator.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Hak Gyun Bae, Joo Hee Song.
Application Number | 20110048059 12/662915 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43303257 |
Filed Date | 2011-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110048059 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Song; Joo Hee ; et
al. |
March 3, 2011 |
Kimchi refrigerator
Abstract
A kimchi refrigerator includes an evaporator surrounding a
storage chamber in contact with an outer surface of the storage
chamber; a basket received in the storage chamber to receive at
least one container storing kimchi, and taken in and out of the
storage chamber according to the opening and closing operation of
the door; and an auxiliary cooling member surface-contacting a
front outer surface of the basket, which is adjacent to the
evaporator. The auxiliary cooling member is made of a high
thermal-conductivity material so that high inner temperature of the
storage chamber is efficiently transferred, accordingly reducing
the temperature deviation.
Inventors: |
Song; Joo Hee; (Nam-gu,
KR) ; Bae; Hak Gyun; (Andong-si, KR) |
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
43303257 |
Appl. No.: |
12/662915 |
Filed: |
May 11, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/449 ;
62/515 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 25/025 20130101;
F25D 19/006 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/449 ;
62/515 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/02 20060101
F25D023/02; F25B 39/02 20060101 F25B039/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 27, 2009 |
KR |
10-2009-80107 |
Claims
1. A kimchi refrigerator comprising: a storage chamber having an
opening at a front thereof; a door opening and closing the storage
chamber; an evaporator surrounding the storage chamber in contact
with an outer surface of the storage chamber; a basket received in
the storage chamber to receive at least one container storing
kimchi, and taken in and out of the storage chamber according to
the opening and closing operation of the door; and an auxiliary
cooling member contacting a surface of a front outer surface of the
basket, which is adjacent to the evaporator.
2. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the
evaporator contacts outer surfaces of a side and a bottom of the
storage chamber.
3. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the
auxiliary cooling member contacts surfaces of a side and a bottom
of the basket.
4. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the
auxiliary cooling member is formed of a high thermal-conductivity
material.
5. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 4, further comprising
a mounting member mounted to a rear surface of the door, wherein
the basket is removably mounted to the mounting member.
6. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 5, further
comprising: a plurality of moving rails mounted on sides of the
mounting member; and a plurality of fixed rails formed on sides of
the storage chamber to engage and slide with the moving rails.
7. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the basket
is formed of plastic, and further comprising a bending prevention
member connected to a bottom of the basket to prevent bending of
the basket.
8. A kimchi refrigerator comprising: an outer case; an inner case
disposed in the outer case to form at least one storage chamber
having an opening at a front thereof; a basket received in the
storage chamber to receive at least one container; an evaporator
mounted in contact with an outer surface of the inner case to cool
the storage chamber; and an auxiliary cooling member contacting an
outer surface of the basket, which is adjacent to the
evaporator.
9. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the
evaporator is disposed at a side and a bottom of the inner
case.
10. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 9, wherein the
auxiliary cooling member is disposed at a side and a bottom of the
basket.
11. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the
auxiliary cooling member is made of a high thermal-conductivity
material.
12. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 8, further
comprising: a door opening and closing the front of the storage
chamber; and a mounting member mounted to a rear surface of the
door, wherein the basket is removably mounted to the mounting
member.
13. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 12, further
comprising: a plurality of moving rails mounted on sides of the
mounting member; and a plurality of fixed rails formed on sides of
the storage chamber to engage and slide with the moving rails.
14. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 12, wherein the
auxiliary cooling member is disposed at a front part of the
basket.
15. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the
basket is made of plastic, and further comprising a bending
prevention member connected at a bottom of the basket to prevent
bending of the basket.
16. A kimchi refrigerator comprising: an outer case; an inner case
disposed in the outer case to form at least one storage chamber
having an opening at a front thereof; a door opening and closing
the storage chamber; a basket received in the storage chamber to
receive at least one container, and taken in and out of the storage
chamber according to the opening and closing operation of the door;
an evaporator mounted in contact with an outer surface of the inner
case to cool the storage chamber; an auxiliary cooling member
contacting an outer surface of the basket, which is adjacent to the
evaporator; and a bending prevention member connected to a bottom
of the basket to prevent bending of the basket.
17. The kimchi refrigerator according to claim 16, wherein the
auxiliary cooling member is made of a high thermal-conductivity
material and disposed at a front of the basket.
18. A refrigerator comprising: a storage chamber comprising a
bottom, and first and second sides; and an auxiliary cooling member
comprising a thermally conductive material contacting the first and
second sides and the bottom of the storage chamber.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 2009-0080107, filed on Aug. 27, 2009 in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] Embodiments relate to a kimchi refrigerator having a
drawer-type opening and closing system, capable of reducing a
deviation of the inner temperature thereof.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a refrigerator refers to an apparatus having a
compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator and
thereby preserving freshness of various food through heat transfer
achieved by state change of refrigerant.
[0006] Recently, a kimchi refrigerator has been developed to mature
and freshly store kimchi using the above principle of the
refrigerator. The kimchi refrigerator matures kimchi to a proper
degree according to seasons and users' taste and then maintains a
predetermined temperature so that the properly matured taste of
kimchi can be maintained for a long time.
[0007] The kimchi refrigerator adopts a direct cooling system that
uses natural convection achieved by the evaporator. However,
according to the direct cooling system using the natural
convection, a temperature deviation may be caused between an upper
part and a lower part of a storage chamber of the refrigerator.
[0008] Whereas a general refrigerator has a door opened and closed
in a lateral direction, the kimchi refrigerator, having a
relatively small size, historically has a door hinged on an upper
part of a main body and opened and closed in an up and down
direction. However, kimchi refrigerators having drawer-type storage
chambers are becoming increasingly popular.
[0009] The kimchi refrigerator having a drawer-type storage chamber
is opened at a front part of the storage chamber, which is adjacent
to the door. Therefore, loss of cool air occurs mostly at the front
part.
[0010] Thus, in the conventional kimchi refrigerator using natural
convection of the evaporator and having the drawer-type storage
chamber, a considerable temperature deviation is induced between
the upper and lower front parts of the storage chamber.
SUMMARY
[0011] Therefore, it is an aspect to provide a kimchi refrigerator
capable of reducing a temperature deviation between upper and lower
front parts of a storage chamber thereof.
[0012] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the
description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the
description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
[0013] The foregoing and/or other aspects of are achieved by
providing a kimchi refrigerator including a storage chamber having
an opening at a front thereof; a door opening and closing the
storage chamber; an evaporator surrounding the storage chamber in
contact with an outer surface of the storage chamber; a basket
received in the storage chamber to receive at least one container
storing kimchi, and taken in and out of the storage chamber
according to the opening and closing operation of the door; and an
auxiliary cooling member contacting a surface of a front outer
surface of the basket, which is adjacent to the evaporator.
[0014] The evaporator may be disposed to contact with outer
surfaces of both sides and a bottom side of the storage chamber.
The auxiliary cooling member may surface-contact both sides and a
bottom side of the basket. The auxiliary cooling member is formed
of a high thermal-conductivity material.
[0015] The kimchi refrigerator may further include a mounting
member mounted to a rear surface of the door, and the basket may be
removably mounted to the mounting member.
[0016] The kimchi refrigerator may further include moving rails
mounted on both sides of the mounting member; and fixed rails
formed on both sides of the storage chamber for sliding engagement
with the moving rails.
[0017] The basket may be formed of plastic, and a bending
prevention member may be connected to a bottom side of the basket
to prevent bending of the basket.
[0018] The foregoing and/or other aspects may be achieved by
providing a kimchi refrigerator including an outer case; an inner
case disposed in the outer case to form at least one storage
chamber having an opening at a front thereof; a basket received in
the storage chamber to receive at least one container; an
evaporator mounted in contact with an outer surface of the inner
case to cool the storage chamber; and an auxiliary cooling member
contacting an outer surface of the basket, which is adjacent to the
evaporator.
[0019] The evaporator may be disposed at both sides and a bottom
side of the inner case.
[0020] The auxiliary cooling member may be disposed at both sides
and a bottom side of the basket. The auxiliary cooling member may
be made of a high thermal-conductivity material.
[0021] The kimchi refrigerator may further include a door opening
and closing the front of the storage chamber; and a mounting member
mounted to a rear surface of the door, wherein the basket is
removably mounted to the mounting member.
[0022] The kimchi refrigerator may further include moving rails
mounted on both sides of the mounting member; and fixed rails
formed on both sides of the storage chamber for sliding engagement
with the moving rails.
[0023] The auxiliary cooling member may be disposed at a front part
of the basket.
[0024] The basket may be made of plastic, and a bending prevention
member may be connected at a bottom side of the basket to prevent
bending of the basket.
[0025] The foregoing and/or other aspects are also achieved by
providing a kimchi refrigerator including an outer case; an inner
case disposed in the outer case to form at least one storage
chamber having an opening at a front thereof; a door opening and
closing the storage chamber; a basket received in the storage
chamber to receive at least one container, and taken in and out of
the storage chamber according to the opening and closing operation
of the door; an evaporator mounted in contact with an outer surface
of the inner case to cool the storage chamber; an auxiliary cooling
member contacting an outer surface of the basket, which is adjacent
to the evaporator; and a bending prevention member connected to a
bottom of the basket to prevent bending of the basket.
[0026] The auxiliary cooling member may be made of a high
thermal-conductivity material and disposed at a front part of the
basket.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more
readily appreciated from the following description of the
embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of
which:
[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a kimchi refrigerator
according to an embodiment;
[0029] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of a door of
a storage chamber according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a basket connected with an
auxiliary cooling member of the kimchi refrigerator shown in FIG.
1; and
[0031] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the refrigerator of FIG.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments,
examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements
throughout.
[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a kimchi refrigerator
according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view
of a part of a storage chamber door. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a
basket connected with an auxiliary cooling member of the kimchi
refrigerator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the
refrigerator of FIG. 1.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the kimchi refrigerator
includes a main body 10 having at least one storage chamber 20, and
a door 25 to open and close the storage chamber 25.
[0035] The main body 10 includes an outer case 11 forming the
exterior appearance thereof, an inner case 13 mounted in the outer
case 11 to form the at least one storage chamber 20, and a machine
chamber (not shown) receiving various mechanical parts.
[0036] As aforementioned, the outer case forms the exterior
appearance. An operation panel (not shown) may be formed at one
side of the outer case 11, to select conditions such as maturing
time, temperature and type of food to be stored in the storage
chamber 20.
[0037] At least one storage chamber 20 is formed in the inner case
13. A basket 30 is provided in the storage chamber 20 to receive
containers 40 storing food such as kimchi therein.
[0038] The storage chamber 20 may include a first storage chamber
20a mounted with a door 25a opened and closed in a lateral
direction, and second and third storage chambers 20b and 20c
disposed under the first storage chamber 20a and respectively
mounted with doors 25b and 25c which are opened and closed like a
drawer. The kimchi refrigerator according to the embodiments may
include one storage chamber 20 having the drawer-type door 25, or a
plurality of the storage chambers.
[0039] The machine chamber receives parts including a compressor
(not shown) compressing refrigerant, and a condenser (not shown)
condensing the refrigerant supplied from the compressor. The
machine chamber is partitioned from the storage chamber 20.
[0040] In addition, a foam 15 such as foamed urethane is stuffed in
a space between the outer case 11 and the inner case 13 for heat
insulation.
[0041] An evaporator 50, in which refrigerant flows to maintain a
low inner temperature of the storage chamber 20, is mounted in the
space filled with the foam material 15. As shown in the drawing,
the evaporator 50 takes the form of a general refrigerant pipe. In
case of the storage chamber 20 having the drawer-type doors 25b and
25c, the evaporator 50 is mounted to surround both lateral sides
and a bottom side of the drawer-type storage chambers 20b and 20c.
That is, the evaporator 50 having the refrigerant pipe form is
mounted in contact with an inner wall of the inner case 13 so as to
surround both sides and the bottom side of the storage chambers 20b
and 20c.
[0042] Cold air transferred from the evaporator 50 to both sides
and the bottom side of the storage chambers 20b and 20c is supplied
through natural convection of inner air of the storage chambers 20b
and 20c. In other words, the air cooled by heat exchange at the
evaporator 50 moves down while warm air moves up. The temperature
of the storage chambers 20b and 20c is decreased through such air
convection.
[0043] A heater (not shown) using electric heating wires may be
mounted between the outer case 11 and the inner case 13 to heat the
inside of the storage chamber 20, so as to mature the stored kimchi
by maintaining a predetermined temperature proper for maturing
thereof.
[0044] In addition, a mounting member 60 is mounted at a rear
surface of the drawer-type doors 25b and 25c. The basket 30 is
removably connected to the mounting member 60.
[0045] The basket 30 may be made of plastic in the form of a
cabinet having an opened upper side. As aforementioned, the basket
30 holds a storage space to receive containers 40 storing food such
as kimchi.
[0046] Flanges 31 are integrally extended outward from both upper
ends of the basket 30 so as to be removably mounted to the mounting
member 60.
[0047] Additionally, a bending prevention member 80 is mounted at a
bottom side of the basket 30 so that the basket 30, which is made
of plastic, is not bent due to repeated thermal expansion and
contraction. The bending prevention member 80 may be mounted in a
lateral direction at the bottom side of the basket 30.
[0048] Moving rails 61 are mounted at both sides of the mounting
member 60 in a longitudinal direction so that the doors 25b and 25c
are moved in a drawer system, thereby opening and closing the
storage chambers 20b and 20c.
[0049] Also, fixed rails 63 are formed on both sides of the inner
case 13 for slidable engagement with the moving rails 61 of the
mounting member 60. Specifically, the fixed rails 63 are mounted in
a longitudinal direction on the inner wall of the inner case
13.
[0050] Therefore, the basket 30 mounted to the mounting member 60
may be moved forward and backward according to the sliding movement
of the moving rails 61 engaged with the fixed rails 63.
Accordingly, the user is able to put in and take out food stored in
the containers 40 with respect to the basket 30.
[0051] In the basket 30 disposed in the drawer-type storage
chambers 20b and 20c, a temperature deviation occurs between an
upper part and a lower part of the storage chamber 20 by the
natural convection by the evaporator 50 during the operation of the
kimchi refrigerator. Especially, the temperature deviation is
greater between upper and lower front parts of the storage chambers
20b and 20c, the front parts adjacent to the doors 25b and 25c.
[0052] To this end, an auxiliary cooling member 70 is provided to
reduce the deviation of the inner temperature of the basket 30.
[0053] The auxiliary cooling member 70 may be formed of a high
thermal-conductivity material including metal such as iron and
aluminum, alloys, resins and the like. According to an exemplary
embodiment, an aluminum plate may be used as the auxiliary cooling
member 70.
[0054] The auxiliary cooling member 70 made of the high
thermal-conductivity material is disposed adjacent to the
evaporator 50 contacting both sides and the bottom side of each of
the storage chambers 20b and 20c. Here, the auxiliary cooling
member 70 is brought into surface-contact with both outer sides and
the bottom side of the basket 30 at the front area of the basket
30.
[0055] That is, high temperature at the upper front part in the
basket 30 is transferred to the lower front part in the basket 30.
Specifically, the high temperature of the upper front part inside
the basket 30 is transferred to the auxiliary cooling member 70
having a low temperature and being disposed adjacent to the
evaporator 50, through an upper end of the auxiliary cooling member
70. Accordingly, the temperature deviation between the upper and
the lower front parts of the basket 30 may be reduced.
[0056] Meanwhile, both sides and the bottom side of the basket 30
may be frozen by the cold air from the evaporator 50 since these
elements are adjacent to the evaporator 50. However, such freezing
may be prevented by the high temperature of the upper front part of
the basket 30 transferred through the auxiliary cooling member
70.
[0057] As described above, a kimchi refrigerator according to the
embodiments may reduce the temperature deviation between upper and
lower front parts of a storage chamber, by using an auxiliary
cooling member.
[0058] Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it
would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may
be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles
and spirit of the embodiments, the scope of which is defined in the
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *