Refrigerator

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/KR2024/015202, filed Oct. 7, 2024, and claims foreign priority to Japanese Application No. 2024-062054, filed Apr. 8, 2024, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The disclosure relates to a refrigerator.

Refrigerators that cool air in a storage compartment by using a Peltier device have been manufactured. A Peltier device is a plate-shaped semiconductor, and when a current flows therethrough, one surface thereof becomes a cooling surface and an opposite surface thereof becomes a radiation surface. According to Japanese Patent No. 7105816, in order to increase the cooling performance on a cooling surface of a Peltier device and the radiation efficiency on a radiation surface thereof, a heat sink and a fan are respectively arranged on the cooling surface and the radiation surface.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a refrigerator may include a main body, a cooling unit, and a radiation unit. The main body may have a storage compartment therein. The cooling unit may include a Peltier device having a cooling surface facing the storage compartment, and a radiation surface. The cooling unit may be configured to transfer heat from the cooling surface to the radiation surface to cool the storage compartment when a current is supplied to the Peltier device. The radiation unit may include a water jacket, a radiator, and a coolant flow path. The water jacket may contact the radiation surface to absorb heat radiated from the radiation surface into a coolant in the water jacket. The radiator may be in the main body and spaced apart from the cooling unit. The radiator may be configured to radiate heat absorbed by the coolant to an outside of the main body. The coolant flow path may be configured to circulate the coolant between the water jacket and the radiator.

Various embodiments of the disclosure and terms used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described herein to particular embodiments, and the disclosure should be understood as including various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiments of the disclosure.

Throughout the disclosure and drawings, like reference numerals may be used to denote like or relevant elements.

The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include the item or a plurality of items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

As used herein, each of the phrases “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, “at least one of A or B”, “A, B, or C”, “at least one of A, B, and C”, and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together in the phrase or any combinations thereof.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any one or any combination of the associated listed items.

Terms such as “first” and “second” may be merely used to distinguish an element from another element and are not intended to limit the elements in other aspects (e.g., importance or order).

Also, herein, terms such as “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom”, “side”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, and “lower” are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.

It will be understood that terms such as “comprise”, “include”, and “have”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

When an element is referred to as being “connected”, “coupled”, “supported”, or “contacted” with another element, it may include not only a case where the elements are directly connected, coupled, supported, or contacted with each other but also a case where the elements are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or contacted with each other through a third element.

When an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it may include not only a case where the element contacts the other element but also a case where one or more other elements are between the two elements.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a main body.

The “main body” may include an inner case, an outer case arranged outside the inner case, and an insulator arranged between the inner case and the outer case.

The “inner case” may include at least one of a case, a plate, a panel, or a liner forming a storage compartment. The inner case may be formed as a single body or may be formed by assembling a plurality of plates. The “outer case” may form the appearance of the main body and may be coupled outside the inner case such that the insulator is arranged between the inner case and the outer case.

The “insulator” may insulate the inside of the storage compartment from the outside of the storage compartment such that the temperature in the storage compartment may be maintained at a set suitable temperature without being affected by the environment outside the storage compartment. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the insulator may include a foam insulator. The foam insulator may be formed by injecting and foaming a urethane foam obtained by mixing polyurethane and a foam agent, between the inner case and the outer case.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the insulator may further include a vacuum insulator in addition to the foam insulator, or the insulator may include only the vacuum insulator instead of the foam insulator. The vacuum insulator may include a core and a shell that accommodates the core and seals the inside thereof at a vacuum or near-vacuum pressure. However, the insulator is not limited to the foam insulator or the vacuum insulator described above and may include various materials that may be used for insulation.

The “storage compartment” may include a space defined by the inner case. The storage compartment may further include an inner case defining a space corresponding to the storage compartment. Various articles such as foods, medicines, and cosmetics may be stored in the storage compartment, and the storage compartment may be formed such that at least one side thereof is opened for taking articles in and out.

The refrigerator may include one or more storage compartments. When two or more storage compartments are included in the refrigerator, the respective storage compartments may have different purposes and may be maintained at different temperatures. For this purpose, the respective storage compartments may be partitioned from each other by a partition wall including an insulator.

The storage compartment may be arranged to be maintained in a suitable temperature range according to the purpose thereof and may include a “refrigeration compartment”, a “freezing compartment”, or a “variable-temperature compartment” that is distinguished according to the purpose and/or temperature range thereof. The refrigeration compartment may be maintained at a suitable temperature for refrigerating articles, and the freezing compartment may be maintained at a suitable temperature for freezing articles. “Refrigeration” may mean cooling an article to a temperature at which it is not frozen, and for example, the refrigeration compartment may be maintained in a range of about 0 degrees Celsius to about +7 degrees Celsius. “Freezing” may mean cooling an article to freeze it or keep it frozen, and for example, the freezing compartment may be maintained in a range of about-20 degrees Celsius to about-1 degree Celsius. The variable-temperature compartment may be used as either a refrigeration compartment or a freezing compartment, at the user's selection or regardless thereof.

In addition to the names “refrigeration compartment”, “freezing compartment”, and “variable-temperature compartment”, the storage compartment may also be referred to as various names such as “vegetable compartment”, “fresh compartment”, “cooling compartment”, and “ice making compartment”, and the terms “refrigeration compartment”, “freezing compartment”, and “variable-temperature compartment” used hereinafter should be construed as including storage compartments having corresponding purposes and temperature ranges respectively.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include at least one door configured to open/close an open side of the storage compartment. The door may be provided to open/close each of one or more storage compartments, or one door may be provided to open/close a plurality of storage compartments. The door may be installed on the front surface of the may body in a rotatable or slidable manner.

The “door” may be configured to seal the storage compartment when the door is closed. Like the may body, the door may include an insulator to insulate the storage compartment when the door is closed.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may include a door outer plate forming the front surface of the door, a door inner plate forming the back surface of the door and facing the storage compartment, an upper cap, a lower cap, and a door insulator arranged therein.

A gasket may be arranged at the edge of the door inner plate to seal the storage compartment by tightly contacting the front surface of the main body when the door is closed. The door inner plate may include a dyke protruding backward to mount a door basket capable of storing articles.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the door may include a door body and a front panel that is detachably coupled to the front side of the door body and forms the front surface of the door. The door body may include a door outer plate forming the front surface of the door body, a door inner plate forming the back surface of the door body and facing the storage compartment, an upper cap, a lower cap, and a door insulator arranged therein.

Depending on the arrangement of the door and the storage compartment, the refrigerator may be classified as a French door type, a side-by-side Type, a bottom mounted freezer (BMF), a top mounted freezer (TMF), or a 1-door refrigerator.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a cold air supply device arranged to supply cold air to the storage compartment.

The “cold air supply device” may include a machine, a mechanism, an electronic device, and/or a system as a combination thereof that may generate cold air and guide the cold air to cool the storage compartment.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cold air supply device may generate cold air through a refrigeration cycle including compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation processes of a refrigerant. For this purpose, the cold air supply device may include a refrigeration cycle device including a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator that may drive the refrigeration cycle. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cold air supply device may include a semiconductor such as a thermoelectric device. The thermoelectric device may cool the storage compartment by heat generation and cooling through the Peltier effect.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a machine compartment arranged such that at least some components belonging to the cold air supply device are arranged therein.

The “machine compartment” may be configured to be partitioned and insulated from the storage compartment to prevent the heat generated from the components arranged in the machine compartment from being transferred to the storage compartment. The inside of the machine compartment may be configured to communicate with the outside of the main body to radiate heat from the components arranged in the machine compartment.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a dispenser arranged at the door to provide water and/or ice. The dispenser may be arranged at the door so as to be accessible by the user without opening the door.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include an ice making device arranged to generate ice. The ice making device may include an ice making tray for storing water, an ice separating device for separating the ice from the ice making tray, and an ice bucket for storing the ice generated in the ice making tray.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a control unit for controlling the refrigerator.

The “control unit” may include a memory for storing or memorizing a program and/or data for controlling the refrigerator, and a processor for outputting a control signal for controlling the cold air supply device or the like according to the program and/or data stored in the memory.

The memory may store or record various information, data, instructions, programs, and the like necessary for the operation of the refrigerator. The memory may store temporary data generated while generating a control signal for controlling the components included in the refrigerator. The memory may include at least one of a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or a combination thereof.

The processor may control an overall operation of the refrigerator. The processor may control the components of the refrigerator by executing the program stored in the memory. The processor may include a separate neural processing unit (NPU) for performing an operation of an artificial intelligence model. Also, the processor may include a central processing unit (CPU), a dedicated graphic processor (a graphic processing unit (GPU)), and the like. The processor may generate a control signal for controlling an operation of the cold air supply device. For example, the processor may receive temperature information of the storage compartment from a temperature sensor and generate a cooling control signal for controlling an operation of the cold air supply device based on the temperature information of the storage compartment.

Also, according to the program and/or data memorized/stored in the memory, the processor may process a user input of a user interface and control an operation of the user interface. The user interface may be provided by using an input interface and an output interface. The processor may receive a user input from the user interface. Also, in response to the user input, the processor may transmit, to the user interface, a display control signal and image data for displaying an image on the user interface.

The processor and the memory may be arranged integrally or separately. The processor may include one or more processors. For example, the processor may include a main processor and at least one subprocessor. The memory may include one or more memories.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the refrigerator may include a processor and a memory for controlling all of the components included in the refrigerator or may include a plurality of processors and a plurality of memories for separately controlling the components of the refrigerator. For example, the refrigerator may include a processor and a memory for controlling an operation of the cold air supply device according to an output of the temperature sensor. Also, the refrigerator may separately include a processor and a memory for controlling an operation of the user interface according to a user input.

A communication module may communicate with an external device such as a server, a mobile device, or other home appliances through an access point (AP) therearound. The AP may connect a local area network (LAN) to which the refrigerator or a user device is connected, to a wide area network (WAN) to which the server is connected. The refrigerator or the user device may be connected to the server through the WAN.

The input interface may include a key, a touch screen, a microphone, and the like. The input interface may receive a user input and transmit the same to the processor.

The output interface may include a display, a speaker, and the like. The output interface may output various notifications, messages, information, and the like generated by the processor.

In addition to a refrigerant-based cooling method described above, the refrigerator may use a thermoelectric cooling method using a thermoelectric device. The refrigerator using a thermoelectric cooling method may be different in that it uses a Peltier device as a thermoelectric device instead of components performing a cooling cycle of compressing, expanding, evaporating, and condensing a refrigerant. Thus, the above description of the refrigerator using a refrigerant-based cooling method except for a structure related to refrigerant circulation may also be similarly applied to the refrigerator using a thermoelectric cooling method. In the refrigerator using a thermoelectric cooling method, according to a structure in which a Peltier device, heat sinks respectively mounted on the cooling surface and the radiation surface of the Peltier device, and a fan are arranged as a single assembly in a refrigerator body, the degree of freedom of the arrangement of each component in the refrigerator body may be reduced.

The disclosure provides a refrigerator that uses a Peltier device and may increase the degree of freedom of the arrangement of each component in a refrigerator body. The disclosure provides a refrigerator that uses a Peltier device and may secure the cooling performance in a storage compartment.

However, technical objects to be achieved by the disclosure are not limited to the technical objects mentioned above, and other technical objects not mentioned above may be clearly understood from the following description by those of ordinary skill in the art.

Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art may easily implement the disclosure. However, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Also, portions irrelevant to the description of the disclosure will be omitted in the drawings for a clear description of the disclosure, and like reference numerals will denote like elements throughout the specification.