Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605888-B2
Application number	US-201213995530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2012
Priority date	Feb 15, 2011
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided. In the refrigerator, cool air within the heat exchange chamber is supplied into a drawer assembly disposed inside a storage space, and also the inside of the drawer assembly is cooled using a thermoelectric module to quickly cooling the inside of the drawer assembly. Thus, food storage performance may be improved.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet defining:
a refrigerating compartment;
a freezing compartment that is located below the refrigerating compartment; and
a barrier that extends horizontally and is configured to partition the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment;

a heat exchange chamber that is located behind the freezing compartment and that is configured to receive an evaporator that is configured to generate cool air;
a drawer assembly disposed on the barrier, configured to be received in the refrigerating compartment, and defining a sealed space at a temperature lower than a temperature of the freezing compartment, the drawer assembly including:
a case;
a drawer that is located in the case; and
a thermoelectric module mounting part that is located between a rear surface of the drawer and a rear surface of the case and that defines a hole,
wherein the rear surface of the drawer and the thermoelectric module mounting part define a heat absorbing space, and
wherein the thermoelectric module mounting part and the rear surface of the case define a heat radiating space;

a thermoelectric module that is located in the drawer assembly and that is configured to cool air in the drawer assembly, the thermoelectric module including:
an insulation member that is located in the hole of the thermoelectric module mounting part and that defines an opening;
a thermoelectric device that is located in the opening of the insulation member and that has a heat absorbing surface and a heat radiating surface;
a heat absorbing-side heat sink that contacts the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric device;
a heat absorbing-side blower fan that is configured to cool air inside the drawer assembly by discharging cool air into the drawer;
a heat radiating-side heat sink that contacts the heat radiating surface of the thermoelectric device; and
a heat radiating-side blower fan that is configured to discharge air radiated by the heat radiating-side heat sink into the heat exchange chamber;

a supply duct that connects the heat exchange chamber and the heat absorbing space, that passes through the barrier, and that is configured to supply cool air into the heat absorbing space;
a return duct that connects the heat radiating space and the heat exchange chamber, that passes through the barrier, and that is configured to guide radiated air into the heat exchange chamber; and
a damper that is configured to open or close the supply duct,
wherein the rear surface of the drawer includes:
a center grill that is located in a center of the rear surface of the drawer and that is adjacent to the heat absorbing-side blower fan; and
a side grill that is separated from the center grill,

wherein the heat exchange chamber is configured to supply cool air into the drawer assembly through the side grill and the damper is configured to open the supply duct based on a temperature inside the drawer assembly being below a set temperature,
wherein, based on the temperature inside the drawer being at or above the set temperature:
the damper is configured to close the supply duct,
the heat-absorbing side heat sink is configured to cool air in the heat absorbing space, and
the heat-absorbing side blower fan is configured to circulate air from the drawer, through the side grill, to the heat-absorbing space, through the center grill, and

wherein the drawer assembly is configured to directly return cool air that is supplied from the heat exchange chamber through the supply duct to the heat exchange chamber without mixing with cool air in the refrigerating compartment.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising a cool air inlet that is located in a bottom of the case and that is adjacent to an outlet of the supply duct.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , further comprising a cooling plate that is located between the thermoelectric device and the heat absorbing-side heat sink and that includes:
a contact part that contacts the heat absorbing surface and that extends down to the bottom of the case; and
an extension part that extends forward from a lower end of the contact part.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein the extension part extends along the bottom of the case and is about a same size as the bottom of the case.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , further comprising a cool air inlet that is located in the extension part and that is adjacent to the cool air inlet of the case.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the rear surface of the drawer includes at least two additional side grills that are located around the center grill, and
the heat exchange chamber is configured to supply cool air into the drawer assembly through the at least two additional side grills and the damper is configured to open the supply duct based on a temperature inside the drawer assembly being below a second set temperature, and
based on the temperature inside the drawer being at or above the second set temperature:
the damper is configured to close the supply duct,
the heat-absorbing side heat sink is configured to cool air in the heat absorbing space,
the heat-absorbing side blower fan is configured to circulate air from the drawer, through the at least two additional side grills, to the heat-absorbing space, through the center grill, and to the drawer.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the center grill is circular and the side grill is rectangular.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein:
the drawer is configured to move in and out of the case, and
the thermoelectric module is attached to the case.

Assignees

• Shin Jaehoon
• Kim Yanggyu
• Park Yongjoo
• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Shin Jaehoon
• Kim Yanggyu
• Park Yongjoo

Classifications

• F25D2400/28

  Quick cooling · CPC title

• F25B21/02 Primary

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• F25D25/025

  Drawers · CPC title

• F25D2317/0681

  Details thereof · CPC title

• F25B25/00

  Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00 · CPC title