U.S. patent application number 14/835459 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-22 for ice making duct for refrigerator and ice making method of using the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation. Invention is credited to Min Bon KOO.
Application Number | 20160370048 14/835459 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54199104 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160370048 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KOO; Min Bon |
December 22, 2016 |
ICE MAKING DUCT FOR REFRIGERATOR AND ICE MAKING METHOD OF USING THE
SAME
Abstract
An ice making duct for a refrigerator and an ice making method
using the same are disclosed. The ice making duct for a
refrigerator comprises a cooling duct configured to allow cooling
air to flow in a longitudinal direction therein, and to have both
ends connected to the ice making compartment such that the cooling
air circulates to the ice making compartment, an evaporation coil
installed to be wound around the cooling duct and configured to
cool air by heat exchange with a refrigerant, and a heat transfer
fin provided within the cooling duct.
Inventors: |
KOO; Min Bon; (Seoul,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation |
Seoul |
|
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
54199104 |
Appl. No.: |
14/835459 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 17/065 20130101;
F25D 2317/061 20130101; F25C 1/00 20130101; F25C 2400/10 20130101;
F25B 39/02 20130101; F25C 5/22 20180101; F25D 2400/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F25C 1/00 20060101
F25C001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 16, 2015 |
KR |
10-2015-0085324 |
Claims
1. An ice making duct for a refrigerator, comprising: a cooling
duct configured to allow cooling air to flow in a longitudinal
direction therein, and to have both ends connected to the ice
making compartment such that the cooling air circulates to the ice
making compartment; an evaporation coil installed to be wound
around the cooling duct and configured to cool air by heat exchange
with a refrigerant; and a heat transfer fin provided within the
cooling duct.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a plurality of heat
transfer fins are arranged to be spaced apart within the cooling
duct.
3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein a first duct hole is
connected to an upper portion of the ice making compartment and a
second duct hole is connected to a lower portion of the ice making
compartment.
4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling duct comprises:
a cooling channel configured to extend in a longitudinal direction
within the cooling duct such that the cooling air can flow; a first
duct hole provided at one end of the cooling channel to supply the
cooling air to the ice making compartment; and a second duct hole
provided at another end of the cooling channel to receive the
cooling air from the ice making compartment; and
5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling duct is
configured to extend to be bent in a vertical direction of the main
body such that the cooling duct is sloped in a forward direction of
the main body of the refrigerator within a main body of a
refrigerating compartment.
6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling duct is
installed in the main body of the refrigerator and the ice making
compartment is installed in a refrigerating compartment door of the
refrigerator, and wherein one end portion and the other end portion
of the cooling duct are selectively connected to the ice making
compartment depending on the opened or closed status of the
refrigerating compartment door.
7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporation coil is
configured to serve as an evaporator of a refrigerating cycle and
to cool the cooling duct through conduction.
8. An ice making method using an ice making duct of a refrigerator,
the method comprising: supplying a refrigerant to an evaporation
coil; supplying air to a cooling duct with the evaporation coil
wound therearound; cooling the air via heat transfer fins provided
within the evaporation coil such that heat is exchanged between the
air and the refrigerant; supplying the cooling air to an ice making
compartment for making ice; discharging the cooling air within the
ice making compartment to the cooling duct; and re-cooling the
discharged cooling air in the cooling duct.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein, in the cooling of the air by
heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant, the cooling air
is moved along a cooling channel of the cooling duct for a
predetermined period of time so as to be cooled to a temperature
lower than a predetermined temperature.
10. An ice making duct means for a refrigerator, comprising: a
cooling duct configured to allow cooling air to flow in a
longitudinal direction therein, and to have both ends connected to
the ice making compartment such that the cooling air circulates to
the ice making compartment; an evaporation coil means installed to
be wound around the cooling duct and configured to cool air by heat
exchange with a refrigerant; and a heat transfer fin means provided
within the cooling duct.
11. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein a plurality of heat
transfer fin means are arranged to be spaced apart within the
cooling duct means.
12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein a first duct hole is
connected to an upper portion of the ice making compartment and a
second duct hole is connected to a lower portion of the ice making
compartment.
13. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the cooling duct
comprises: a cooling channel configured to extend in a longitudinal
direction within the cooling duct such that the cooling air can
flow; a first duct hole provided at one end of the cooling channel
to supply the cooling air to the ice making compartment; and a
second duct hole provided at another end of the cooling channel to
receive the cooling air from the ice making compartment; and
14. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the cooling duct is
configured to extend to be bent in a vertical direction of the main
body such that the cooling duct is sloped in a forward direction of
the main body of the refrigerator within a main body of a
refrigerating compartment.
15. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the cooling duct is
installed in the main body of the refrigerator and the ice making
compartment is installed in a refrigerating compartment door of the
refrigerator, and wherein one end portion and the other end portion
of the cooling duct are selectively connected to the ice making
compartment depending on the opened or closed status of the
refrigerating compartment door.
16. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the evaporation coil
means is configured to serve as an evaporator of a refrigerating
cycle and to cool the cooling duct through conduction.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to Korean
Patent Application No. 10-2015-0085324, filed on Jun. 16, 2015 for
inventor Min Bon Koo. The disclosure of this application is
incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an ice making duct for a
refrigerator and an ice making method using the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A refrigerator is an appliance that serves to store food at
low temperatures; it may be configured to store food at
temperatures below freezing or at low but above freezing
temperatures.
[0004] The temperature inside the refrigerator is maintained at the
desired level by cool air that is continuously supplied to the
refrigerator. The cool air is continuously produced by a heat
exchange operation between air and a refrigerant performed in a
refrigeration cycle comprising four sequential phases: compression,
condensation, expansion, and evaporation. Cool air is channeled to
the inside of the refrigerator and is evenly distributed inside the
refrigerator by convection.
[0005] The body of a refrigerator typically has a rectangular
hexahedral shape that opens frontward, with a refrigerator
compartment and a freezer compartment defined and isolated from one
another within the refrigerator body. The open front of the
refrigerator body may comprise both a refrigerator compartment door
and a freezer compartment door that can open or close the
refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment, respectively.
The storage space defined inside the refrigerator may comprise a
plurality of drawers, shelves, and boxes designed to store various
kinds of food in various optimal states.
[0006] In the related art, a top mount type refrigerator in which
the freezer compartment is provided in the upper part of the
refrigerator body and the refrigerator compartment is provided in
the lower part of the refrigerator body is well known. However, in
recent years, for greater convenience to users, a bottom freezer
type refrigerator in which the freezer compartment is provided in
the lower part of the refrigerator body has been proposed and used.
The bottom freezer type refrigerator may be preferable since the
more frequently used refrigerator compartment is located in the
upper part of the refrigerator body and the less frequently used
freezer compartment is located in the lower part of the
refrigerator body. However, the bottom freezer type refrigerator is
problematic in that to take ice cubes from the freezer compartment,
a user must open the freezer compartment door and collect ice cubes
while bending.
[0007] In an effort to solve the problem, in recent years, a
refrigerator in which an ice dispenser for dispensing ice cubes is
provided in a refrigerator compartment door placed in the upper
part of a bottom freezer type refrigerator has been proposed and
used. In such a refrigerator, an ice making device for making ice
cubes may be provided in the refrigerator compartment door or
inside the refrigerator compartment.
[0008] For example, in the bottom freeze type refrigerator in which
the ice making device is installed in the refrigerating compartment
door, air (cooling air) cooled by an evaporator is separately
discharged to the freezing compartment and the refrigerating
compartment. The cooling air discharged to the freezing compartment
side flows to the ice making device along a cooling air supply duct
embedded in a sidewall of a main body of the refrigerator and
subsequently freezes water, while flowing within the ice making
device. Thereafter, the cooling air within the ice making device is
discharged to the refrigerating compartment through a cooling air
reducing duct embedded in the sidewall of the main body of the
refrigerator, lowering an internal temperature of the refrigerating
compartment.
[0009] However, since the cooling air of the freezing compartment
is channeled to the ice making device via the cooling air supply
duct and the cooling air reducing duct, the supply efficiency of
the cooling air may be suboptimal.
[0010] In addition, since the cooling air of the freezing
compartment side should be moved to the ice making device of the
refrigerating compartment door, when the refrigerator is
continuously operated, power consumption may increase
significantly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In view of the above, embodiments of the present invention
provide an ice making duct for a refrigerator in which air cooled
in a cooling air duct can be directly used to generate ice.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above and other aspects and features of the present
invention will become apparent from the following description of
embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a configuration of an ice
making duct of a refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of
FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a refrigerating cycle
of the ice making duct of the refrigerator in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the refrigerator
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a state of connection between
an ice making compartment and a cooling duct in the refrigerator in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an internal configuration of
the ice making compartment of the refrigerator in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an ice making method
using an ice making duct of a refrigerator in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be
described in detail with the accompanying drawings.
[0021] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, an ice making duct 200 of
the refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention may generate ice using air cooled in a cooling duct
210.
[0022] The refrigerator 1 may include a main body 10, a barrier 20
that separates the inside of the main body 10 into a refrigerating
compartment and a freezing compartment, a refrigerating compartment
door 30 for selectively closing the refrigerating compartment on
both edges of a front surface of the main body 10, and a freezing
compartment door 40 for closing a front opening of the freezing
compartment.
[0023] The refrigerator 1 in accordance with this embodiment is a
bottom freeze type refrigerator in which the freezing compartment
is positioned in a lower portion thereof, but the present invention
is not limited thereto and may be applied to various types of
refrigerators.
[0024] The ice making duct 200 may include a cooling duct 210 in
which cooling air can flow in a longitudinal direction, an
evaporation coil 220 for cooling the cooling duct 210 through
conduction, and heat transfer fins provided within the cooling duct
210.
[0025] The cooling duct 210 may include a cooling channel 211, a
first duct hole 212, and a second duct hole 213.
[0026] The cooling channel 211, a passage in which cooling air
flows, may extend in a longitudinal direction within the cooling
duct 210. In particular, the cooling channel 211 has a length
sufficient for cooling air; thus, the air, while moving in the
cooling channel 211 for a predetermined period of time, may be
cooled to a temperature suitable to make ice.
[0027] Further, the first duct hole 212 may be provided at one end
of the cooling channel 211 to supply the cooling air to the ice
making compartment 110, and the second duct hole 213 may be
provided at the other end of the cooling channel 211 to receive the
cooling air from the ice making compartment 110. For example, the
first duct hole 212 may be connected to an upper portion of the ice
making compartment 110 and the second duct hole 213 to a lower
portion of the ice making compartment 110, and the cooling air
within the cooling duct 210 may move from a lower end of the
cooling duct 210 to an upper end thereof.
[0028] The cooling duct 210 may extend to be bent in a vertical
direction of the main body 10 such that the cooling duct 210 is
sloped in a forward direction of the main body 10 within the main
body 10. For example, the cooling duct 210 may be bent to have a
"C" shape in a forward direction of the main body 10.
[0029] In this manner, since the cooling duct 210 is bent to have a
"C" shape, when defrosted water is generated within the cooling
duct 210, the defrosted water may move to the lowermost portion of
the cooling duct 210 and may be subsequently discharged to the
outside through a separate draining device (not shown).
[0030] The cooling duct 210 is installed in the main body 10 of the
refrigerator 1, and the ice making compartment 110 is provided
within the refrigerating compartment door 30 of the refrigerator 1.
The first duct hole 212 and the second duct hole 213 of the cooling
duct 210 may be selectively connected to an inlet 310 and an outlet
320 of the ice making compartment 110, respectively, depending on
the open or closed state of the refrigerating compartment door
30.
[0031] That is, when the refrigerating compartment door 30 is
closed, cooling air within the cooling duct 210 may be introduced
to the inlet 310 of the ice making compartment 110 through the
first duct hole 212, and the cooling air introduced to the ice
making compartment 110 may circulate within the ice making
compartment 110 to freeze water within the ice making compartment
110 to make ice. Thereafter, the cooling air within the ice making
compartment 110 may be discharged to the second duct hole 213 of
the cooling duct 210 through the outlet 320, and the cooling air
discharged from the ice making compartment 110 may be re-cooled in
the cooling duct 210 and then introduced again to the inlet 310 of
the ice making compartment 110.
[0032] The evaporation coil 220 may cool air within the cooling
duct 210 by heat exchange with a refrigerant. To this end, the
evaporation coil 220 is installed to be wound around the cooling
duct 210, and thus, when the refrigerant circulates, depending on
the refrigerating cycle, the evaporation coil 220 may cool the
cooling duct 210 through conduction.
[0033] The evaporation coil 220 may serve as an evaporator of the
refrigerating cycle. For example, the evaporation coil 220 may
implement the refrigerating cycle including a process of
compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation, together with a
compressor 11, a condenser 12, and an expansion valve 13.
[0034] In this embodiment, the configuration of the compressor 11,
the condenser 12, the expansion valve 13, and the evaporation coil
220 are provided as a refrigerating cycle for providing cooling air
to the ice making compartment 110, but the configuration may also
provide the cooling air to the refrigerating compartment and the
freezing compartment of the refrigerator as well. In addition, the
configuration of the compressor 11, the condenser 12, and the
expansion valve 13 may also share a refrigerant with an evaporator
(not shown) for providing cooling air to the refrigerating
compartment and the freezing compartment.
[0035] The heat transfer fins may be formed of a plurality of
radiating fins that protrude inside the cooling duct 210. The
plurality of radiating fins may be arranged to be spaced apart at
predetermined intervals within the cooling duct 210. The heat
transfer fins serve to increase an area in which heat is exchanged
between air moving in the cooling channel 211 within the cooling
duct 210 and a refrigerant moving in the evaporation coil 220,
thereby effectively transferring cold and heat from the refrigerant
to the air.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a state of connection between
the ice making compartment and the cooling duct in the refrigerator
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6
is a view illustrating an internal configuration of the ice making
compartment of the refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention.
[0037] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ice making compartment
110 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment door 30 of the
refrigerator 1. In this embodiment, a case in which the ice making
compartment 110 is provided in an upper portion of the
refrigerating compartment door 30 is presented as an example, but
this is merely illustrative and the ice making compartment 110 may
be installed in other position of the refrigerating compartment
door 30.
[0038] The ice making compartment 110 may provide an ice making
space 111 in which ice is generated. In addition, an ice maker 120,
an ice bank 130, and a circulation fan 330 may be provided within
the ice making compartment 110.
[0039] The ice maker 120 may freeze water using cooling air
channeled to the ice making space 111 and dispense the ice to the
ice bank 130. The ice bank 130 may be positioned below the ice
maker 120 from which it is dispensed, and the ice bank 130 may
store the dispensed ice and provide the ice to a user through a
dispenser unit (not shown). The circulation fan 330 may move the
cooling air from the inlet 310 to the outlet 320.
[0040] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an ice making method
using an ice making duct of a refrigerator in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the ice making method of the
refrigerator in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention may include the steps of supplying a refrigerant to an
evaporation coil (step S100), supplying air to a cooling duct with
the evaporation coil wound therearound (step S200), cooling the air
by heat transfer fins provided within the evaporation coil (step
S300), supplying the cooling air to an ice making compartment for
generating ice (step S400), discharging the cooling air within the
ice making compartment to the cooling duct (step S500), and
re-cooling the discharged cooling air in the cooling duct (step
S600).
[0042] In step S100 of supplying a refrigerant to the evaporation
coil, a refrigerant of a refrigerating cycle may be supplied to the
evaporation coil. Here, the evaporation coil may form a
refrigerating cycle including a process of
compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation, together with a
compressor, a condenser, and an expansion valve.
[0043] In step S200 of supplying air to the cooling duct with the
evaporation coil wound therearound, air may be supplied to the
cooling duct to cool the air. The air supplied to the interior of
the cooling duct may move from a lower end to an upper end of the
cooling duct.
[0044] In step S300 of cooling air by heat transfer fins provided
within the evaporation coil, air is moved within the cooling duct
around which an evaporation coil is wound so as to be cooled.
[0045] Air within the cooling duct may move along a cooling
channel, in which the heat transfer fins protrude, while being
exchanged with the refrigerant of the evaporation coil for a
predetermined period of time. As a result, the air discharged from
the cooling duct may be cooled to a temperature (e.g., 14 degrees
or lower below zero) suitable to make ice.
[0046] In step S400 of supplying cooling air to the ice making
compartment to generate ice, the air cooled in the cooling duct may
be supplied to an ice making space of the ice making compartment
through an inlet of the ice making compartment. The cooling air
introduced into the ice making space may circulate in the ice
making space through the operation of a circulation fan, freezing
water within the ice making space.
[0047] In step S500 of discharging cooling air from the ice making
compartment to the cooling duct, the cooling air within the ice
making space may be discharged to the cooling duct through an
outlet of the ice making compartment.
[0048] In step S600 of re-cooling the discharged cooling air in the
cooling duct, the cooling air introduced to the cooling duct is
moved again along the cooling channel of the cooling duct for a
predetermined period of time so as to be re-cooled to a temperature
lower than necessary for making ice.
[0049] In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention,
since ice is generated using cooling air directly cooled in a
cooling duct, the cooling efficiency can be enhanced and the supply
efficiency of cooling air can be increased.
[0050] In addition, in accordance with the embodiments of the
present invention, since cooling air circulates between the cooling
duct and an ice making space of the refrigerator door for a short
period of time, the loss of cooling air can be effectively reduced
and power consumption can also be reduced.
[0051] While the invention has been shown and described with
respect to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited
thereto. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various changes and modifications may be made without departing
from the scope of the invention as defined in the following
claims.
* * * * *