Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10718562-B2
Application number	US-201815946137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2018
Priority date	Apr 11, 2017
Publication date	Jul 21, 2020
Grant date	Jul 21, 2020

Abstract

A refrigerator a duct arranged to partition an inner space of a storage chamber body into a storage chamber and an air flow channel, wherein the duct has an ejection hole defined therein; a roll-bond evaporator disposed in the air flow channel, wherein the roll-bond evaporator has a top and a bottom, a left end and a right end; a blowing fan configured to draw air from the storage chamber to blow the air into the air flow channel; and a defrost sensor closer to one of the top and bottom than the other of the top and the bottom, wherein said one is closer to the blowing fan than the other, wherein the sensor is closer to one of the left end and the right end than the other of the left end and the right end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a duct arranged to separate a storage chamber body into a storage chamber and an air flow channel, wherein the duct includes an ejection hole;
a roll-bond evaporator disposed in the air flow channel, wherein the roll-bond evaporator has a top, a bottom, a left end and a right end;
an inflow tube fluidly connected to the roll-bond evaporator and in which refrigerant being introduced into the roll-bond evaporator flows;
an outflow tube fluidly connected to the roll-bond evaporator and in which the refrigerant discharged from the roll-bond evaporator flows;
a blowing fan configured to draw air from the storage chamber and to provide the air into the air flow channel;
a defrost sensor disposed on the outflow tube of the roll-bond evaporator or is disposed on the inflow tube of the roll-bond evaporator, the defrost sensor being closer to a first one of the top and the bottom of the roll-bond evaporator than a second one of the top and the bottom of the roll-bond evaporator, wherein the first one is closer to the blowing fan than the second one, wherein the defrost sensor is closer to a third one of the left end and the right end of the roll-bond evaporator than a fourth one of the left end and the right end of the roll-bond evaporator; and
a controller configured to sequentially perform a first defrost mode, a storage chamber cooling mode, and a second defrost mode,
wherein in the first defrost mode, a compressor is provided in an off state and the blowing fan is to rotate,
wherein in the storage chamber cooling mode, the compressor is provided in an on state, and the blowing fan is to rotate,
wherein in the second defrost mode, the compressor is provided in an off state and the blowing fan is to rotate.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the blowing fan includes a fan motor and a fan housing that receives the fan motor, wherein the fan housing includes:
an air intake guide configured for sucking the air;
a fan flow channel body that surrounds an outer portion of the fan motor; and
an ejection guide configured for guiding the air from the fan motor,
wherein the fan flow channel body includes first and second guide portions, wherein the first and second guide portions extend away from each other toward the roll-bond evaporator,
wherein the defrost sensor is closer to the first guide portion than the second guide portion.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the fan motor is provided at a center axis of the duct, wherein the defrost sensor is provided outside the center axis of the duct.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the roll-bond evaporator includes:
a front roll-bond evaporator portion spaced apart from the duct; and
a rear roll-bond evaporator portion spaced apart from the front roll-bond evaporator portion and the storage chamber body.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the defrost sensor is disposed on the front roll-bond evaporator portion or the rear roll-bond evaporator portion.

6. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein each of the front roll-bond evaporator portion and the rear roll-bond evaporator portion includes the inflow tube and the outflow tube.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the defrost sensor is disposed on the outflow tube of the front roll-bond evaporator portion or is disposed on the inflow tube of the front roll-bond evaporator portion.

8. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the defrost sensor is disposed on a front face of the rear roll-bond evaporator portion.

9. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein a thickness of the defrost sensor is less than a gap between the front roll-bond evaporator portion and the rear roll-bond evaporator portion.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the blowing fan such that, in the storage chamber cooling mode, a blowing fan rotation speed is faster than a blowing fan rotation speed in the first defrost mode.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the blowing fan such that, in the storage chamber cooling mode, a blowing fan rotation speed is faster than a blowing fan rotation speed in the second defrost mode.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a termination temperature of the first defrost mode is lower than a termination temperature of the second defrost mode.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a termination temperature of the first defrost mode is lower than a termination temperature of the second defrost mode by 1° C. to 4° C.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to rotate the blowing fan until a temperature sensed by the defrost sensor in the first defrost mode reaches a termination temperature of the first defrost mode,
wherein the controller is configured to maintain rotating the blowing fan until a temperature sensed by the defrost sensor in the second defrost mode reaches a termination temperature of the second defrost mode, wherein the termination temperature of the second defrost mode is higher than the termination temperature of the first defrost mode.

15. A refrigerator comprising:
a duct arranged to separate a storage chamber body into a storage chamber and an air flow channel, wherein the duct includes an ejection hole;
a roll-bond evaporator disposed in the air flow channel, wherein the roll-bond evaporator has a top, a bottom, a left end and a right end;
a compressor configured to compress refrigerant that flows from the evaporator;
a blowing fan configured to draw air from the storage chamber and to provide the air into the air flow channel;
a defrost sensor closer to a first one of the top and the bottom of the roll-bond evaporator than a second one of the top and the bottom of the roll-bond evaporator, wherein the first one is closer to the blowing fan than the second one, wherein the defrost sensor is closer to a third one of the left end and the right end than a fourth one of the left end and the right end; and
a controller configured to sequentially perform a first defrost mode, a storage chamber cooling mode, and a second defrost mode,
wherein in the first defrost mode, the compressor is provided in an off state and the blowing fan is to rotate,
wherein in the storage chamber cooling mode, the compressor is provided in an on state, and the blowing fan is to rotate,
wherein in the second defrost mode, the compressor is provided in an off state and the blowing fan is to rotate,
wherein the roll-bond evaporator includes:
a front roll-bond evaporator portion spaced apart from the duct; and
a rear roll-bond evaporator portion spaced apart from the front roll-bond evaporator portion and the storage chamber body,
wherein the defrost sensor is disposed on the front roll-bond evaporator portion or is disposed on the rear roll-bond evaporator portion.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15 , wherein the blowing fan includes a fan motor and a fan housing that receives the fan motor, wherein the fan housing includes:
an air intake guide configured for sucking the air;
a fan flow channel body that surrounds an outer portion of the fan motor; and
an ejection guide configured for guiding the air from the fan motor,
wherein the fan flow channel body includes first and second guide portions, wherein the first and second guide portions extend away from each other toward the roll-bond evaporator,
wherein each of the first and second guide portions is closer to the bottom of the roll-bond evaporator than the top of the first and second guide portions,
wherein the defrost sensor is closer

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Soyoon
• Cha Kyunghun
• Kim Kyungseok

Classifications

• F25D2700/10

  Sensors measuring the temperature of the evaporator · CPC title

• F25D2317/063

  with air guides · CPC title

• F25D21/004 Primary

  Control mechanisms (F25D21/006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25D17/08

  using ducts · CPC title

• F25D17/067

  Evaporator fan units · CPC title