Refrigerator, thermosyphon, and solenoid valve and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9897365-B2
Application number	US-201213625353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2012
Priority date	Dec 14, 2011
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A refrigerator may include a body having a freezing chamber and a refrigeration chamber, a cooling circuit for cooling the freezing chamber and the refrigeration chamber, and a power source for supplying power to the cooling circuit. The refrigerator may further include a thermosyphon provided between the freezing chamber and refrigerating chamber. A control circuit may be connected to the thermosyphon to control a flow of refrigerant in the thermosyphon. The control circuit may include a valve provided on a circulation path of the thermosyphon, a electrical power storage device connected between the power source and the valve, and a switching circuit provided between the valve and the electrical power storage device. When the power source does not supply power to the cooling circuit, the control circuit may operate the thermosyphon using power stored in the electrical power storage device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a body having a freezing chamber and a refrigeration chamber, wherein the refrigeration chamber is below the freezing chamber;
a cooling circuit for cooling the freezing chamber and the refrigeration chamber when power is received;
a power source for supplying power to the cooling circuit;
a thermosyphon provided between the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber to circulate refrigerant between the freezing chamber and the refrigeration chamber when power is not received;
the thermosyphon having a condensing portion located in the freezing chamber, an evaporating portion located in the refrigeration chamber, and connecting pipes connecting the condensing portion with the evaporating portion, wherein the condensing portion has an inlet and an outlet connected to the connecting pipes and the evaporating portion has an inlet and an outlet connected to the connecting pipes such that the condensing portion, the connecting pipes and the evaporating portion are connected to each other to form a loop that extends from the freezing chamber to the refrigerating chamber;
a valve provided on a circulation path of the thermosyphon; and
a control circuit connected to the valve to control a flow of refrigerant in the thermosyphon, the control circuit including an electrical power storage device connected between the power source and the valve, the electrical power storage device having a capacitor charged with the external power, and a power direction switching circuit provided between the valve and the electrical power storage device,
wherein the power direction switching circuit is configured to change a direction of power to be input to the valve to open or close the valve,
wherein the control circuit opens the valve and the refrigerant circulates in the thermosyphon when the external power is not supplied,
wherein the control circuit closes the valve and the refrigerant does not circulate in the thermosyphon when the external power is supplied,
wherein the capacitor is configured to store a prescribed energy to open the valve, and in a case the control circuit opens the valve and the refrigerant circulates in the thermosyphon when the external power is not supplied, the valve is maintained to be open after the capacitor has completed discharge of the prescribed energy, and
wherein the valve for the thermosyphon includes:
a body having a space formed inside the body;
an inlet port provided on a first side of the body and in communication with the space for receiving the refrigerant into the valve;
an outlet port provided on a second side of the body and in communication with the space for discharging the refrigerant from the valve;
a core movably provided in the space to open or close the outlet port, the core having a case to accommodate an elastic member coupled to a protruding piece that mates with the outlet port to stop flow of refrigerant of the thermosyphon,
wherein when the core is positioned at a first position, the protruding piece is moved away from the outlet port to allow refrigerant in the thermosyphon to flow from the inlet port to the outlet port, and when the core is positioned at a second position, the protruding piece is coupled with the outlet port to stop flow of refrigerant in the thermosyphon; and

a solenoid coil to move the core, wherein when the prescribed energy is applied to the solenoid coil to move the core, the core is moved and maintained at the first position or the second position by magnetic force without additional power.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the valve is configured to close the circulation path when the power direction switch circuit outputs the power in the first direction of power and to open the circulation path when the power direction switch circuit outputs the power in the second direction of power.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the valve includes an injection port to receive the refrigerant into the thermosyphon.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the power direction switching circuit is connected to the power source to receive power from the power source when the power source is operational and connected to the power storage device to receive power from the power storage device when the power source is not operational, and
wherein the power direction switching circuit outputs the power in a first direction of power when the power source is operational and outputs the power in a second direction of power when the power source is not operational.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the control circuit includes a power cutoff circuit to electrically disconnect the power source and/or the power storage device from the valve and to electrically connect the power source and/or the power storage device to the valve.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the connection or the disconnection is determined based on whether or not a control signal is input to a signal input part of the power cutoff circuit, and
wherein the power cutoff circuit interrupts the power such that the power is no longer supplied after a closed or open state of valve has been changed.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the power cutoff circuit is interposed between the power direction switching circuit and the valve.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the control circuit includes a time delay circuit configured to sense that the power source is available and unavailable, and generate a control signal after an amount of time after sensing, thereby switching on the power cutoff circuit to interrupts the power to the valve.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the control circuit includes a time delay circuit configured to generate a control signal in an amount of time after the state of valve has been changed, thereby switching on the power cutoff circuit to interrupts the power to the valve.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein the control circuit includes:
a time delay circuit configured to receive power from the power source and to outputs the power after an amount of time for the valve to fully close or open; and
a power cutoff circuit to receive the output from the time delay circuit, the power cutoff circuit configured to electrically disconnect the power source and/or the power storage device and the valve from each other in response to the output from the time delay circuit.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , further comprising a power application device that controls an electrical connection between the power direction switching circuit and the valve.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the valve holds a current open or closed state when an output of the power application device stops.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , further comprising a microcomputer to control the direction of power output from the power direction switching based on whether or not the power source is available.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the control circuit includes a power cutoff circuit to disconnect the power direction switching circuit and the valve from each other after the valve has been operated, and wherein the power cutoff is controlled by the microcomputer.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the microcomputer controls the power direction switching circuit to provide a voltage having a first polarity to the valve from the power source if the power source is operational, and wherein the microcomputer controls the switching circu

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Sangbong
• Yun Younghoon
• Gangwar Chandra Sheker
• Lee Taehee
• Kim Sangoh

Classifications

• F25D2400/40

  Refrigerating devices characterised by electrical wiring · CPC title

• F25D11/025 Primary

  using primary and secondary refrigeration systems · CPC title

• F25B2600/2519

  On-off valves · CPC title

• F25D19/006

  Thermal coupling structure or interface · CPC title

• F25B27/00

  Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy (F25B30/06 takes precedence) · CPC title