阅读说明：本技术 冰箱 (Refrigerator with a door ) 是由 姜冥柱 尹德铉 李将石 于 2019-04-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：根据本发明的冰箱包括：主体侧真空绝热体,具有用于容纳产品的容纳空间；以及门,用于选择性地打开该容纳空间,其中,主体包括穿孔板,该穿孔板提供冷却空气供应间隙部分,冷却空气在构成主体框架的板构件与穿孔板之间的间隙处流过该冷却空气供应间隙部分,并且该穿孔板中设置有至少两个孔,用于向冰箱内部空间排出冷却空气。(The refrigerator according to the present invention includes: a body-side vacuum heat insulator having an accommodating space for accommodating a product; and a door for selectively opening the receiving space, wherein the main body includes a perforated plate providing a cooling air supply gap portion through which cooling air flows at a gap between a plate member constituting the main body frame and the perforated plate, and at least two holes are provided in the perforated plate for discharging the cooling air to the inner space of the refrigerator.)

1. A refrigerator, comprising:

a body-side vacuum heat insulator configured to have a receiving space for receiving a product; and

a door configured to selectively open the accommodating space;

wherein the vacuum heat insulator comprises:

a first plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for an interior space of the refrigerator, the first plate member being made of a material having a high thermal conductivity;

a second plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for an external space of the refrigerator having a different temperature from an internal space of the refrigerator;

A sealing portion configured to seal the first plate member and the second plate member so as to provide a vacuum space portion having a temperature between that of the inner space and that of the outer space, the vacuum space portion being a space in a vacuum state;

a supporting unit configured to hold the vacuum space portion; and

a conductive resistance sheet configured to connect the first plate member and the second plate member to each other so that an amount of heat transfer between the first plate member and the second plate member can be reduced; and wherein the vacuum heat insulator further comprises:

a perforated plate, wherein a cooling air supply gap portion is provided through which cooling air flows at a gap between the first plate member and the perforated plate, the perforated plate providing at least two holes for discharging cooling air into an inner space of the refrigerator.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the perforated plate is provided on at least one of a rear surface and an upper surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the perforated plate is provided on both of a rear surface and an upper surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the perforated plate is provided on the entire rear surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the perforated plate is provided on an entire upper surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the perforated plate installed on the upper surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator is configured to discharge a relatively large amount of cooling air from the front side.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the perforated holes installed on the upper surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator are configured as holes having a larger size at the front side.

8. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the at least two holes are three or more, and the perforated holes installed on the upper surface of the body-side vacuum heat insulator are configured to have more holes at the front side.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the perforated plate installed on the rear surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator is configured to discharge a relatively large amount of cooling air from an upper portion.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein the perforated plate installed on the rear surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator is configured to have a hole with a larger size at an upper portion.

11. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the at least two holes are three or more, and the perforated plate installed on the rear surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator is configured to have more holes at an upper portion.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first plate member is made of stainless steel, and the perforated plate is made of resin.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the perforated panel is provided with a plurality of the at least two holes, the plurality of the at least two holes being provided substantially on an entire surface of the perforated panel.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the plurality of holes are provided in the perforated plate with a non-uniform density.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two holes has 7.065mm²To 19.625mm²The area of (a).

16. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the receiving space is a refrigerating space.

17. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the perforated plate and the first plate member are in contact with cooling air supplied from the outside.

18. A refrigerator, comprising:

a body configured to provide an accommodating space accommodating a product; and

A door configured to selectively open the accommodating space;

wherein the main body includes:

a first plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for an interior space of the refrigerator;

a second plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for an external space of the refrigerator having a different temperature from an internal space of the refrigerator;

a sealing portion configured to seal inner portions of the first and second plate members with a vacuum;

a supporting unit configured to provide a predetermined gap between the first plate member and the second plate member; and

wherein the main body further comprises:

a perforated plate providing a cooling air supply gap portion through which cooling air flows by being spaced a predetermined distance from the first plate member to an inner space of the refrigerator, and on which a plurality of holes discharging the cooling air are processed.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the first plate member is made of metal and the perforated plate is made of resin.

20. A refrigerator, comprising:

a body configured to provide an accommodating space accommodating a product; and

A door configured to selectively open the accommodating space;

wherein the main body includes:

a first plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for an interior space of the refrigerator;

a second plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for an external space of the refrigerator having a different temperature from an internal space of the refrigerator;

a vacuum space portion provided at a gap between the first plate member and the second plate member; and

wherein the main body further comprises:

a perforated plate which provides a cooling air supply gap portion through which cooling air flows by being spaced apart from the first plate member, defines any one of surface walls in the internal space of the refrigerator, and is formed with a plurality of holes for discharging the cooling air.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator.

Background

The vacuum heat insulator is a product that suppresses heat transfer by evacuating the inside of its body. The vacuum insulator can reduce heat transfer caused by convection and conduction, and thus is applied to heating devices and cooling devices. In a conventional heat insulating method applied to a refrigerator, although it is variously applied to refrigeration and freezing, a foamed polyurethane heat insulating wall having a thickness of 30cm or more is generally provided. However, the inner volume of the refrigerator is thus reduced.

In order to increase the internal volume of the refrigerator, application of a vacuum insulator to the refrigerator is attempted.

First, korean patent application No.10-0343719 (reference 1) of the present applicant has been disclosed. According to reference 1, a method is disclosed in which a vacuum insulation panel is prepared, then the vacuum insulation panel is installed in a wall of a refrigerator, and the outside of the vacuum insulation panel is completed with a separate molding (molding) such as polystyrene foam (Styrofoam). According to the method, additional foaming is not required, and the heat insulation performance of the refrigerator is improved. However, the manufacturing cost increases and the manufacturing method is complicated.

As another example, a technique of providing walls using a vacuum insulation material and additionally providing insulation walls using a foam filling material has been disclosed in korean patent application No.10-2015-0012712 (reference 2). According to reference 2, the manufacturing cost increases, and the manufacturing method is complicated.

As another example, attempts have been made to manufacture all the walls of a refrigerator using a single product vacuum insulation. For example, a technique of providing a heat insulating structure of a refrigerator in a vacuum state has been disclosed in U.S. patent publication No. US2040226956a1 (reference 3). However, it is difficult to obtain a practical level (practical level) of heat insulation effect by providing the wall of the refrigerator in a sufficiently vacuum state. In particular, it is difficult to prevent heat transfer from occurring at the contact portion between the outer casing and the inner casing having different temperatures. In addition, this technique is difficult to maintain a stable vacuum state. Also, it is difficult to prevent the deformation of the case due to the sound pressure in the vacuum state. Due to these problems, the technique of reference 3 is limited to a low-temperature refrigeration apparatus, and is not suitable for a refrigeration apparatus used in general households.

As yet another alternative, the applicant of the present invention has filed Korean patent application laid-open publication No.10-2017-0016187, vacuum heat insulator and refrigerator (reference 4). The technique of this application proposes a refrigerator in which both the main body and the door are provided as vacuum insulators. The vacuum heat insulator itself serves only as a heat insulator, and a number of necessary components need to be installed in a product, such as a refrigerator, to which the vacuum heat insulator is applied, but this is not considered.

As yet another alternative, the applicant of the present invention has proposed a cooling air (cool air) flow path in a case of a refrigerator employing a vacuum heat insulator, via the vacuum heat insulator and the refrigerator of korean patent application No.10-2017-0171666 (reference 5).

However, in reference 5, there is a method of dividing the refrigerator inner space into a strong cooled region (strong cooled region) or a weak cooled region (weak cooled region) by applying a method of using forced air flow when supplying cooling air to the refrigerator inner space. At this time, there is a problem in that the product stored in the strong cooling area is frozen, and the food is deteriorated in the weak cooling area. This problem has the problem that the situation gets worse when the stored product blocks the cooling air outlet. Further, in the case where the stored products are excessively loaded inside the refrigerator, there is a problem in that the cooling air cannot reach the products stored at the door side.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to solve the unbalance of the temperature distribution in the inner space of the refrigerator.

The object of the invention is to prevent strong cooling of the stored product (stress cooling) and cooling air distribution imbalances that occur in the case of a blocked cooling air outlet of the stored product.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a fresh storage effect (fresh storage effect) in relation to the product in the door by sufficiently supplying cooling air to one side of the door.

Technical scheme

The refrigerator according to the present invention includes: a body-side vacuum heat insulator having an accommodating space for accommodating a product; and a door configured to selectively open the receiving space, wherein the vacuum heat insulator includes: a first plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for an interior space of a refrigerator, the first plate member being made of a material having a high thermal conductivity; a second plate member configured to define at least a portion of a wall for a refrigerator exterior space having a different temperature than the refrigerator interior space and to provide a vacuum space between the first plate member and the second plate member; and a perforated plate providing a cooling air supply gap portion through which cooling air flows at a gap between the first plate member and the perforated plate, and provided with at least two holes for discharging the cooling air into the refrigerator inner space. According to the present invention, cooling air can be supplied to a wide area through the perforated plate.

The perforated plate may be provided on at least one of a rear surface and an upper surface of the body-side vacuum insulator. Since the cooling air is widely supplied through the surface of the perforated plate, it is possible to improve the cooling uniformity of the product stored in the accommodating space.

The perforated plates are provided on both the rear surface and the upper surface of the body-side vacuum insulator so that the uniformity of the cooling effect over the entire accommodation space can be improved.

The perforated plate may be provided on the entire rear surface of the body-side vacuum insulator so that the cooling air may be supplied to the entire rear surface of the body-side vacuum insulator.

A perforated plate may be provided on the entire upper surface of the body-side vacuum insulator so that cooling air may be supplied to the entire upper surface of the body-side vacuum insulator.

The perforated plate installed on the upper surface of the body-side vacuum insulator may be configured to discharge a larger amount of cooling air from the front side and apply more cooling air to a product provided on the door, thereby improving the usability of the door.

The perforated plate holes installed on the upper surface of the body-side vacuum heat insulator may be configured to have a larger-sized hole at the front side, thereby improving cooling air supply efficiency to the front side.

The at least two holes may be three or more, and the perforated plate installed on the upper surface of the body-side vacuum heat insulator may be configured to have more holes to the front side so that the cooling air may be uniformly supplied through the front-left and front-right gaps.

The perforated plate installed on the rear surface of the main body-side vacuum heat insulator may be configured to be charged with a relatively large amount of cooling air from the upper portion, so that uneven cooling of the product placed under the receiving space may be prevented.

The perforated plate installed on the rear surface of the body-side vacuum heat insulator may be configured to have a larger-sized hole in the upper portion so that more cooling air may be discharged from the upper portion, or the cooling air may be uniformly discharged to at least the upper and lower portions.

The at least two holes may be three or more, and the perforated plate installed on the rear surface of the body-side vacuum heat insulator may be configured to have more holes in the upper portion, so that the cooling air can be uniformly discharged in the left and right directions from the entire upper space.

The first plate member may be made of stainless steel, and the perforated plate may be made of resin, so that the product directly contacting with the resin may be prevented from being frozen by conduction cooling, and the product may be safely stored. The first plate member may be made of stainless steel in order to increase the strength of the vacuum insulator.

The perforated plate may be provided with a plurality of at least two holes, and the at least two holes may be provided substantially on the entire surface of the perforated plate. Therefore, the cooling air may be supplied to the entire area of the perforated plate, so that the cooling air may be uniformly distributed inside the accommodating space. At a minimum, the cooling air may reach substantially all of the product adjacent to the perforated plate.

A plurality of holes may be provided in the perforated plate at a non-uniform density to more closely provide the holes with respect to the flow path in the area of the perforated plate corresponding to the downstream side. Accordingly, the cooling air can be uniformly supplied to the entire inner surface of the refrigerator.

Each of the at least two apertures may have 7.065mm²To 19.625mm²So that the cooling air is not sprayed at a high speed, so that the cooling air discharged to the outside of the door when the door is opened can be reduced, and the flow of the cooling air inside the accommodating space can be stopped. Therefore, by increasing the wind speed, it is possible to prevent problems such as passage loss, supercooling in a high wind speed area, and the like due to the manner in which the cooling air reaches the inside of the accommodating space.

The receiving space may be provided in the refrigerating space, and may be more preferably applied to the case of refrigerated products.

The perforated plate and the first plate member may be in contact with cooling air supplied from the outside, thereby providing a path through which the cooling air directly flows.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a body providing an accommodating space accommodating a product; and a door configured to selectively open the receiving space, wherein the body further includes a perforated plate spaced apart from the plate member forming the wall by a predetermined distance, the perforated plate forming the wall to be spaced apart within the refrigerator, the perforated plate providing a cooling air supply gap portion through which cooling air flows, and a plurality of holes are processed on the perforated plate. Accordingly, the cooling air is discharged through the plurality of holes, so that the product placed in the accommodating space can be uniformly cooled.

The first plate member may be made of a metal material, and the perforated plate may be made of resin, so that the strength of the body is increased, and overcooling of a product in contact with the perforated plate may be prevented.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including: a body providing an accommodating space accommodating a product; a door configured to selectively open the accommodating space; and a perforated plate providing a cooling air supply gap portion through which cooling air flows by being spaced apart from the first plate member, and configured to define any one of surface walls in the inner space of the refrigerator, and on which a plurality of holes are processed. According to the present invention, it is possible to define the wall of any one space within the refrigerator in which products are contained so that the products can be in direct contact with the wall, whereby uniform cooling of the products contained therein can be effectively performed.

Advantageous effects

According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that the temperature distribution in the inner space of the refrigerator becomes uniform.

According to the invention, the following advantages exist: even if any of the stored products blocks any of the cooling air discharge ports, the influence of the cooling air on the stored products is small, and it is also possible to supply sufficient cooling air to the other stored products.

According to the present invention, cooling air is also supplied to the product stored in the door side, so that it is possible to smoothly supply cooling air also to the product stored in the door and the product stored near the door side.

According to the present invention, the internal volume of the refrigerator can be made larger, and the satisfaction of the user can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a view schematically showing a vacuum insulator used in a main body and a door of a refrigerator.

Fig. 3 is a view showing various embodiments of the internal structure of the vacuum space portion.

Fig. 4 is a view showing various embodiments of a conductive resistant sheet and a peripheral portion (peripheral part) thereof.

Fig. 5 shows a plurality of curves showing the variation of the thermal insulation performance with respect to the vacuum pressure and the variation of the gas conductivity (derived by applying the simulation).

Fig. 6 illustrates a plurality of curves of the exhaust process inside the vacuum thermal insulator by observation according to the change of time and pressure when the supporting unit is used.

Fig. 7 shows a plurality of graphs obtained by comparing the vacuum pressure and the gas conductance.

Fig. 8 is a sectional perspective view (partial perspective view) showing a peripheral edge portion of the vacuum heat insulator.

Fig. 9 and 10 schematically show the front surface of the body in a virtual state with the inner surface portion expanded.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing a contact portion shown in a state where a main body is closed by a door.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view illustrating a contact portion of a main body and a door according to another embodiment.

Fig. 13 and 14 are partially cut-away perspective views (partial perspective views) showing the inner surface portion, fig. 13 is a view showing a state in which fastening thereof is completed, and fig. 14 is a view showing a fastening process thereof.

Fig. 15 is a diagram for sequentially explaining fastening of the sealing frame (sealing frame) in the case of an embodiment in which the sealing frame is provided as two members.

Fig. 16 and 17 are views showing any one end portion of the seal frame, fig. 16 is a view showing before the door hinge is mounted, and fig. 17 is a view showing a state where the door hinge is mounted.

Fig. 18 is a view for explaining an effect of the sealing frame according to the present invention compared with the related art, fig. 18(a) is a sectional view showing a contact portion between the main body-side vacuum heat insulator according to the present invention and the door, and fig. 18(b) is a sectional view showing the main body and the door according to the related art.

Fig. 19 to 24 are views showing various embodiments in which a sealing frame is installed.

FIG. 25 is a front view of the upper right side of the vacuum heat insulator on the main body side.

Fig. 26 and 27 are sectional views showing a corner portion (burner port) of the vacuum heat insulator in a state where the lamp is mounted, fig. 26 is a sectional view showing a portion where the lamp wire does not pass, and fig. 27 is a sectional view showing a portion where the lamp wire passes.

Fig. 28 is an exploded perspective view showing a peripheral edge portion of the component.

Fig. 29 and 30 are sectional views taken along lines a-a 'and B-B' in fig. 28.

Fig. 31 is a view of a side portion of an upper side portion of the refrigerator viewed from the front.

Fig. 32 is a front perspective view (front perspective view) showing the vacuum heat insulator on the main body side.

Fig. 33 is a rear perspective view showing the body-side vacuum heat insulator.

FIG. 34 is a rear perspective view showing the mullions viewed individually (segmented and observed).

Fig. 35 is a front view showing the evaporator viewed from the front in a state where the fan module and the freezing chamber flow path guide are removed.

Fig. 36 is a front view showing the evaporator viewed from the front in a state where the fan module and the freezing chamber flow path guide are mounted.

Fig. 37 shows a view of the peripheral edge portion of the evaporator as viewed from the rear.

Fig. 38 is a sectional view taken along line C-C' in fig. 37.

Fig. 39 is a perspective view showing a refrigerating compartment flow path guide portion.

Fig. 40 is a sectional view taken along line D-D' in fig. 39.

Fig. 41 is a rear perspective view showing the refrigerating compartment in a state where the refrigerating compartment flow path cover portion is removed.

Fig. 42 is a sectional view taken along line E-E' in fig. 41.

Fig. 43 is a view for explaining a supporting operation of a shelf.

Fig. 44 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 45 is a view for explaining a cooling air supply gap portion, in which fig. 45(a) is a sectional view in which a multi-duct portion is provided as in fig. 40, and fig. 45(b) is a sectional view taken along a line F-F' in fig. 44.

Fig. 46 is a side sectional view schematically showing the cooling air discharge amount in this embodiment.

Fig. 47 and 48 are front views showing the refrigerator according to the present embodiment to explain a method for distributing cooling air.

FIGS. 49 to 54 are views schematically showing another embodiment of a refrigerator using a single vacuum heat insulator and a mullion for partitioning an inner space of the vacuum heat insulator.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention are proposed with reference to the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the idea of the present invention to those embodiments described below, and those skilled in the art who understand the idea of the present invention can easily suggest other embodiments included in the scope of the same idea by adding, changing, deleting, and the like, but it should be understood that other embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the drawings set forth for illustrating the embodiments may simply show a plurality of parts, which are exaggerated, simplified or detailed differently from the actual products, however, this is for facilitating the understanding of the technical idea of the present invention and should not be construed as being limited to the size, structure or shape shown in the drawings. However, it is preferable that the true shape can be shown as much as possible.

In the following embodiments, the description of any one embodiment may be applied to the description of another embodiment unless the embodiments do not contradict each other, and only in the case where a specific part of the embodiment is modified, some configurations of any one embodiment may be applied to another configuration.

In the following description, the term "vacuum pressure" means a certain pressure state below atmospheric pressure. Further, the expression "the degree of vacuum of A is higher than that of B" means that the vacuum pressure of A is lower than that of B.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Referring to fig. 1, a refrigerator 1 includes: a body 2 provided with a chamber 9 capable of storing articles; and a door 3 provided to open/close the main body 2. The door 3 may be rotatably or movably provided to open/close the chamber 9. The cavity 9 may provide at least one of (both of) a refrigerating chamber R and a freezing chamber F (e.g., as shown in fig. 32).

The plurality of components constitute a freezing cycle in which cooling air is supplied into the cavity 9. Specifically, these components include a compressor 4 for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser 5 for condensing the compressed refrigerant, an expander 6 for expanding the condensed refrigerant, and an evaporator 7 for evaporating the expanded refrigerant to take away heat. As a general construction, a fan may be mounted adjacent to the evaporator 7, and the blown fluid (fluidbulk) from the fan may pass through the evaporator 7 and then blow into the cavity 9. The refrigerating load is controlled by adjusting the blowing amount and blowing direction of the fan, the amount of refrigerant circulated, or the compression ratio of the compressor, so that the refrigerating space or the freezing space can be controlled.

Fig. 2 is a view schematically showing a vacuum insulator used in a main body and a door of a refrigerator. In fig. 2, the body-side vacuum heat insulator in a state where the top wall and the side wall are removed is shown, and the door-side vacuum heat insulator in a state where a part of the front wall is removed is shown. Further, for ease of understanding, the cross-sections of the various portions at the conductive resistant sheet are provided as schematic illustrations.

Referring to fig. 2, the vacuum thermal insulator includes: a first plate member 10 for providing a wall of a low temperature space; a second plate member 20 for providing a wall of the high temperature space; the vacuum space portion 50 is defined as a gap portion between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. Also, the vacuum heat insulator includes conduction resistance sheets 60, 63 for preventing heat conduction between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. The sealing portion 61 for sealing the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 is provided so that the vacuum space portion 50 is in a sealed state. When the vacuum insulation is applied to a cooling or heating cabinet, the first plate member 10 may be referred to as an inner housing, and the second plate member 20 may be referred to as an outer housing. A machine room in which a plurality of components providing a freezing cycle are accommodated is placed at a rear lower side of the main body side vacuum heat insulator, and exhaust ports 40 for forming a vacuum state by exhausting air in the vacuum space portion 50 are provided at either side of the vacuum heat insulator. In addition, a pipe 64 passing through the vacuum space part 50 may be further installed to install a defrost water pipe and an electric power line.

The first plate member 10 may define at least a portion of a wall for the first space provided thereto. The second plate member 20 may define at least a portion of a wall for the second space provided thereto. The first space and the second space may be defined as spaces having different temperatures. Here, the wall for each space may serve not only as a wall in direct contact with the space but also as a wall not in contact with the space. For example, the vacuum heat insulator of this embodiment can also be applied to a product further having a separate wall contacting each space.

The heat transfer factors causing the loss of the heat insulating effect of the vacuum insulator are heat conduction between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20, heat radiation between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20, and gas conduction of the vacuum space portion 50.

Hereinafter, a heat resistance unit (heat resistance unit) configured to reduce an adiabatic loss associated with these heat transfer factors will be provided. Meanwhile, the vacuum heat insulator and the refrigerator of the present embodiment do not exclude that other heat insulating means (adiabatic means) is further provided to at least one side of the vacuum heat insulator. Accordingly, an insulation means using foam or the like may be further provided to the other side of the vacuum insulator.

Fig. 3 is a view showing various embodiments of the internal structure of the vacuum space portion.

First, referring to fig. 3a, a vacuum space portion 50 is provided in a third space having a different pressure from the first space and the second space, preferably in a vacuum state, thereby reducing adiabatic loss. The temperature of the third space may be set to be between the temperature of the first space and the temperature of the second space. Since the third space is provided as a space in a vacuum state, the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 receive a force contracting in a direction in which the first space and the second space approach each other due to a force corresponding to a pressure difference between the two spaces. Therefore, the vacuum space portion 50 can be deformed in a direction in which it is reduced. In this case, there is a possibility that the amount of heat radiation due to the contraction of the vacuum space portion 50 increases and the amount of heat conduction due to the contact between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 increases, resulting in a loss of heat insulation.

The support unit 30 may be provided to reduce deformation of the vacuum space portion 50. The support unit 30 includes a plurality of rods 31. These rods 31 may extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first and second plate members 10 and 20 so as to support the distance between the first and second plate members 10 and 20. A support plate 35 may be additionally provided to at least one end of the rod 31. The support plate 35 connects at least two rods 31 to each other, and may extend in a direction transverse (parallel) to the first and second plate members 10 and 20. The support plate 35 may be provided in a plate shape, or may be provided in a lattice shape such that an area thereof contacting the first plate member 10 or the second plate member 20 is reduced, thereby reducing heat transfer. The rod 31 and the support plate 3 are fixed to each other at least one portion to be inserted together between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. The support plate 35 contacts at least one of the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20, thereby preventing the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 from being deformed. Further, the total sectional area of the support plate 35 is set larger than that of the rod 31 based on the extending direction of the rod 31, so that the heat transferred through the rod 31 can be diffused through the support plate 35.

The material of the supporting unit 30 may include a resin selected from the group consisting of: PC, glass fiber PC, low outgassing PC, PPS, and LCP in order to obtain high compressive strength, low outgassing and water absorption, low thermal conductivity, high compressive strength at high temperature, and excellent machinability.

A radiation resistance sheet 32 for reducing heat radiation between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 through the vacuum space portion 50 will now be described. The first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 may be made of a stainless steel material capable of preventing corrosion and providing sufficient strength. The stainless steel material has a relatively high emissivity (emissivity) of 0.16, and thus can transfer a large amount of radiant heat. Further, the support unit 30 made of resin has a lower emissivity than the plate member, and is not entirely provided to the inner surfaces of the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. Thus, the support unit 30 does not greatly affect the radiant heat. Therefore, the radiation shield 32 may be provided in a plate shape covering most of the area of the vacuum space portion 50 so as to concentrate on reducing the transferred radiant heat between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. It may be preferable to use a product having a low emissivity as the material of the radiation-resistant sheet 32. In one embodiment, an aluminum foil having an emissivity of 0.02 may be used as the radiation-resistant sheet 32. Since the use of one radiation-resistant sheet does not effectively block the transfer of radiant heat, at least two radiation-resistant sheets 32 may be disposed at a distance such that they do not contact each other. Further, at least one radiation resistant sheet may be disposed in a state of being in contact with the inner surface of the first plate member 10 or the second plate member 20.

Referring to fig. 3b, the distance between the plate members is maintained by the support unit 30, and the porous substance 33 may be filled in the vacuum space portion 50. The porous substance 33 may have a higher emissivity than the stainless steel material of the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. However, since the porous substance 33 is filled in the vacuum space part 50, the porous substance 33 efficiently resists radiation heat transfer.

In this embodiment, the vacuum insulator can be manufactured without using the radiation shield sheet 32.

Referring to fig. 3c, the supporting unit 30 holding the vacuum space portion 50 is not provided. Instead of the supporting unit 30, the porous substance 33 is provided in a state such that it is surrounded by the film 34. In this case, the porous substance 33 may be provided in a compressed state so as to maintain the gap of the vacuum space part 50. The film 34 is made of, for example, a PE material, and may be set in a state in which a plurality of holes are formed therein.

In this embodiment, the vacuum heat insulator can be manufactured without using the supporting unit 30. In other words, the porous substance 33 can serve as both the radiation-resistant sheet 32 and the supporting unit 30.

Fig. 4 is a view showing various embodiments of the conductive resistance sheet and the peripheral edge portion thereof. In fig. 2, the structure of the conductive resistance sheet is only schematically shown, but will be understood in detail with reference to fig. 4.

First, the conductive resistance sheet proposed in fig. 4a may be preferably applied to the body-side vacuum thermal insulator. Specifically, the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 are to be sealed so that the inside of the vacuum heat insulator becomes vacuum. In this case, since the two plate members have different temperatures from each other, heat transfer may occur between the two plate members. The conductive resistance sheet 60 is provided to prevent heat conduction between two different plate members.

The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be provided with a plurality of sealing parts 61 where both ends of the conductive resistance sheet 60 are sealed to define at least one portion of a wall for the third space and maintain a vacuum state. The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be provided as a thin foil sheet of a micron unit level in order to reduce the amount of heat conducted along the wall for the third space. These seals may be provided as welds. That is, the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the plate members 10, 20 may be welded to each other. In order to cause a welding effect between the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the plate members 10, 20, the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the plate members 10, 20 may be made of the same material, and a stainless steel material may be used as such a material. The sealing portion 61 is not limited to the welding member, and may be provided by a process such as a tacking (wrapping). The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be provided in a curved shape. Therefore, the heat conduction distance of the conductive resistance sheet 60 is set to be greater than the linear distance of each plate member, so that the amount of heat conduction can be further reduced.

A temperature change occurs along the conductive resistance sheet 60. Therefore, in order to block heat transfer to the outside of the conductive resistance sheet 60, a shielding member 62 may be provided at the outside of the conductive resistance sheet 60 so that a heat insulating effect occurs. In other words, in the refrigerator, the second plate member 20 has a high temperature, and the first plate member 10 has a low temperature. Further, in the conductive resistance sheet 60, heat conduction from a high temperature to a low temperature occurs, and thus the temperature of the conductive resistance sheet 60 abruptly changes. Therefore, when the conductive resistance sheet 60 is opened toward the outside thereof, heat transfer may seriously occur through this opened position. To reduce heat loss, a shielding member 62 is provided outside the conductive resistance sheet 60. For example, when the conductive resistance sheet 60 is exposed to any one of the low temperature space and the refrigerator internal space, the conductive resistance sheet 60 does not act as a conductive resistance and an exposed portion thereof, which is not preferable.

The shielding member 62 may be provided as a porous substance in contact with the outer surface of the conductive resistance sheet 60. The shielding member 62 may be provided as a heat insulating structure, such as a separate gasket (gasket), which is disposed outside the conductive resistance sheet 60. The shielding member 62 may be provided as a part of a vacuum insulator, which is provided at a position: the shielding member faces the corresponding conductive resistance sheet 60 when the main body-side vacuum insulator is closed with respect to the door-side vacuum insulator. In order to reduce heat loss even when the main body and the door are opened, the shielding member 62 may preferably be provided as a porous substance or a separate heat insulating structure.

The conductive resistance sheet proposed in fig. 4b may be preferably applied to the door-side vacuum insulator. In fig. 4b, the parts different from fig. 4a are described in detail, and the same description applies to the parts identical to fig. 4 a. A side frame 70 is further provided at an outer side of the conductive resistance sheet 60. Components for sealing between the door and the main body, an exhaust port necessary for an exhaust process, a getter port (getter port) for maintaining vacuum, etc. may be disposed on the side frame 70. This is because the mounting of components is facilitated in the main body-side vacuum heat insulator, but the mounting position of components is limited in the door-side vacuum heat insulator.

In the door-side vacuum heat insulator, it is difficult to arrange the conduction resistance sheet 60 at the front end portion of the vacuum space part, i.e., the corner side part of the vacuum space part. This is because, unlike the main body, a corner edge portion (corner edge portion) of the door is exposed to the outside. More specifically, if the conductive resistance sheet 60 is disposed at the front end portion of the vacuum space portion, the corner edge portion of the door is exposed to the outside, and thus there is a disadvantage in that a separate heat insulation member needs to be configured in order to insulate the conductive resistance sheet 60.

The conductive resistance sheet proposed in fig. 4c may be preferably installed in a pipe passing through the vacuum space portion. In fig. 4c, the parts different from fig. 4a and 4b are described in detail, and the same description applies to those parts that are the same as fig. 4a and 4 b. A conductive resistance sheet having the same shape as the conductive resistance sheet of fig. 4a, preferably a corrugated (corrugated) conductive resistance sheet 63, may be provided at the peripheral edge portion of the pipe 64. Therefore, the heat transfer path can be extended, and deformation due to the pressure difference can be prevented. In addition, a separate shielding member may be provided to improve the heat insulating property of the conductive resistance sheet.

The heat transfer path between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 will now be described with reference back to fig. 4 a. The heat passing through the vacuum heat insulator may be divided into surface conduction heat transferred along the surface of the vacuum heat insulator (more specifically, the anti-conduction sheet 60), support conduction heat transferred along the support unit 30 provided inside the vacuum heat insulator, gas conduction heat transferred through the internal gas in the vacuum space portion, and radiation transfer heat transferred through the vacuum space portion.

The heat transfer can be varied for different design dimensions. For example, the supporting unit may be changed such that the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 can endure the vacuum pressure without being deformed, and similarly, the vacuum pressure may be changed, the distance between the plate members may be changed, and the length of the conductive resistance sheet may be changed. The heat transfer may be changed according to a temperature difference between spaces (first space and second space) respectively provided by the plate members. In this embodiment, a preferable configuration of the vacuum heat insulator has been found by considering that the total heat transfer amount of the vacuum heat insulator is smaller than that of the general heat insulating structure formed of foamed polyurethane. In a general refrigerator including a heat insulating structure formed by foaming polyurethane, an effective heat transfer coefficient may be suggested to be 19.6 mW/mK.

By performing a correlation analysis of the heat transfer amount of the vacuum heat insulator of the present embodiment, the heat transfer amount by gas conduction c can be minimized. For example, the heat transfer amount by gas conduction heat amount (c) may be controlled to be less than or equal to 4% of the total heat transfer amount. The amount of heat transfer through the solid (which is defined as the sum of the surface heat transfer (r) and the support heat transfer (r)) is greatest. For example, the heat transfer rate to conduct heat through the solid may be up to 75% of the total heat transfer rate. The heat transfer amount of the heat transferred by radiation (r) is less than that of the heat transferred by solid but greater than that of the heat transferred by gas (c). For example, the amount of heat transferred by radiation (r) may be about 20% of the total heat transferred.

According to the heat transfer distribution, the effective heat transfer coefficients (eK: effective K) (W/mK) of the surface heat transfer amount (r), the support heat transfer amount (r), the gas heat transfer amount (r), and the radiation heat transfer amount (r) may have the order of the mathematical diagram 1(Math Figure 1).

Mathematical scheme 1

eK_{Solid heat conduction}>eK_{Heat transfer by radiation}>eK_{Heat transfer from gas}

Here, the effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that can be measured using the shape and temperature difference of the target product. The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that can be obtained by measuring the total heat transfer amount and the temperature of at least one portion at which heat is transferred. For example, a heating value (W) is measured using a heating source that can be quantitatively measured in a refrigerator, a temperature distribution (K) of a door is measured using heat transferred through a main body of the refrigerator and an edge of the door, respectively, and a path through which the heat is transferred is calculated as a conversion value (m), thereby estimating an effective heat transfer coefficient.

The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) of the entire vacuum thermal insulator is a value given by k-QL/a Δ T. Here, Q represents a calorific value (W), andand it can be obtained by using the heating value of the heater. A represents the cross-sectional area (m) of the vacuum thermal insulator²) L represents the thickness (m) of the vacuum thermal insulator, and Δ T represents the temperature difference.

For the surface conduction heat, the conduction calorific value can be obtained by the temperature difference (Δ T) between the inlet and outlet of the conductive resistance sheet 60 or 63, the sectional area (a) of the conductive resistance sheet, the length (L) of the conductive resistance sheet, and the thermal conductivity (k) of the conductive resistance sheet (the thermal conductivity of the conductive resistance sheet is one material property of the material and can be obtained in advance). As for the support member to conduct heat, a conduction calorific value may be obtained by a temperature difference (Δ T) between an inlet and an outlet of the support unit 30, a sectional area (a) of the support unit, a length (L) of the support unit, and a thermal conductivity (k) of the support unit. Here, the thermal conductivity of the supporting unit is one material property of the material, and can be obtained in advance. The sum of the gas conduction heat quantity (c) and the radiation transfer heat quantity (c) can be obtained by subtracting the surface conduction heat quantity and the support conduction heat quantity from the heat transfer quantity of the entire vacuum heat insulator. When there is no gas conduction heat by greatly reducing the degree of vacuum of the vacuum space portion 50, the ratio of the gas conduction heat (c) to the radiation transfer heat (r) can be obtained by estimating the radiation transfer heat.

When the porous substance is disposed inside the vacuum space part 50, the heat transfer amount of the porous substance (c) may be the sum of the heat transfer amount of the supporter (c) and the heat transfer amount of the radiation (c). The heat transfer capacity (c) of the porous material may vary depending on various variables including the kind and amount of the porous material.

According to one embodiment, the temperature difference Δ T between the geometric center formed by the adjacent rods 31 and the point at which each rod 31 is located₁It may be preferably set to less than 0.5 deg.c. Also, the temperature difference Δ T2 between the geometric center formed by the neighboring rods 31 and the edge portion of the vacuum heat insulator may be preferably set to be less than 0.5 ℃. In the second plate member 20, a temperature difference between the average temperature of the second plate and the temperature at a point where the heat transfer path passing through the conductive resistance sheet 60 or 63 meets (meet) the second plate may be the largest. For example, when the second space is hotter than the first spaceIn the region, the temperature at the point where the heat transfer path through the conductive resistance sheet meets the second plate member becomes the lowest. Similarly, when the second space is a cooler region than the first space, the temperature at the point where the heat transfer path through the conductive resistance sheet meets the second plate member becomes highest.

This means that heat transferred through other points should be controlled in addition to heat transfer through the surface of the conductive resistance sheet, and that the overall heat transfer amount satisfying the vacuum insulator can be achieved only when the surface-transferred heat occupies the maximum heat transfer amount. For this purpose, the temperature variation of the conductive resistance sheet may be controlled to be greater than that of the plate member.

The physical properties of those components constituting the vacuum thermal insulator will now be described. In the vacuum heat insulator, a force caused by vacuum pressure is applied to all of these components. Therefore, it may be preferable to use a material having a certain intensity level (N/m)²) The material of (1).

In this condition, the plate members 10, 20 and the side frames 70 may preferably be made of materials having sufficient strength so that they are not damaged even if they are subjected to vacuum pressure. For example, when the number of the rods 31 is reduced to limit the support from conducting heat, the plate member may be deformed by vacuum pressure, which may adversely affect the external appearance of the refrigerator. The radiation-resistant sheet 32 may preferably be made of a material having a low emissivity and capable of being easily processed into a thin film. Also, the radiation-resistant sheet 32 is to ensure sufficient strength not to be deformed by external impact. The supporting unit 30 is provided to have sufficient strength to support a force caused by vacuum pressure and to endure external impact, and should have machinability. The conductive resistance sheet 60 may preferably be made of a material having a thin plate shape and capable of withstanding vacuum pressure.

In one embodiment, the plate member, the side frames, and the conductive resistance sheet may be made of stainless steel materials having the same strength. The radiation-resistant sheet may be made of aluminum having a strength weaker than that of the stainless steel material. The support unit may be made of resin having a strength weaker than that of aluminum.

Unlike strength from a material perspective, analysis from a stiffness perspective is necessary. Stiffness (N/m) is a property that is "not easily deformable". Although the same material is used, the rigidity thereof may be changed according to the shape thereof. The conductive resistance sheet 60 or 63 may be made of a material having a certain strength, but the rigidity of the material is preferably low so that the thermal resistance is increased and the radiation heat is minimized since the conductive resistance sheet is uniformly stretched without any roughness when the vacuum pressure is applied. The radiation-resistant sheet 32 needs to have a certain level of rigidity so that it does not contact another member due to deformation. In particular, the edge portion of the radiation-resistant sheet may generate conductive heat due to sagging caused by self-load (self-load) of the radiation-resistant sheet. Therefore, a certain level of stiffness is required. The support unit 30 needs to have rigidity sufficient to withstand the compressive stress and the external impact from the plate member.

In one embodiment, the plate member and the side frames may preferably have the highest rigidity to prevent deformation due to vacuum pressure. The support unit, in particular the rod, may preferably have a second highest stiffness. Preferably, the radiation resistant sheet may have a lower rigidity than the supporting unit but higher rigidity than the conductive resistant sheet. The conductive resistance sheet may preferably be made of a material that is easily deformed by vacuum pressure and has the lowest rigidity.

Even when the porous substance 33 is filled in the vacuum space part 50, the conductive resistance sheet may preferably have the lowest rigidity, and the plate member and the side frames may preferably have the highest rigidity.

Hereinafter, the vacuum pressure is preferably determined according to the internal state of the vacuum heat insulator. As described above, a vacuum pressure is maintained inside the vacuum insulation in order to reduce heat transfer. At this point, it should be readily appreciated that the vacuum pressure is preferably maintained as low as possible in order to reduce heat transfer.

The vacuum space portion can resist (resist) heat transfer by applying only the supporting unit 30. Alternatively, the porous substance 33 may be filled in the vacuum space part 50 together with the supporting unit to resist heat transfer. Alternatively, the vacuum space portion may be resistant to heat transfer not by applying the supporting unit but by applying the porous substance 33.

A case where only the supporting unit is applied will now be described.

Fig. 5 shows a plurality of curves showing the variation of the thermal insulation performance with respect to the vacuum pressure and the variation of the gas conductivity (derived by applying the simulation).

Referring to fig. 5, it can be seen that as the vacuum pressure is reduced, that is, as the degree of vacuum is increased, the thermal load is reduced in the case of having only the body (curve 1) or the case of combining the body and the door (curve 2) as compared with the case of a general product formed of foamed polyurethane, thereby improving the heat insulating performance. However, it can be seen that the degree of improvement in the heat insulating property is gradually decreased. Furthermore, it can be seen that as the vacuum pressure decreases, the gas conductance (curve 3) decreases. However, it can be seen that the ratio of the thermal insulation performance to the increase in gas conductivity gradually decreases although the vacuum pressure decreases. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the vacuum pressure as low as possible. However, this takes a long time to obtain excessive vacuum pressure and consumes a lot of cost due to excessive use of the aspirator (getter). In this embodiment, the most ideal vacuum pressure is proposed from the viewpoint described above.

Fig. 6 illustrates a plurality of curves of the exhaust process inside the vacuum thermal insulator by observation according to the change of time and pressure when the supporting unit is used.

Referring to fig. 6, in order to generate the vacuum space part 50 in a vacuum state, gas in the vacuum space part 50 is exhausted by a vacuum pump while latent gas remaining in a plurality of parts of the vacuum space part 50 is evaporated by baking. However, if the vacuum pressure reaches a certain level or higher, there is a point at which the vacuum pressure level does not increase any more (Δ T1). Thereafter, the aspirator is activated by disconnecting the vacuum space section 50 from the vacuum pump and heating the vacuum space section 50 (Δ T2). If the aspirator is actuated, the pressure in the vacuum space portion 50 is reduced for a period of time, but is then normalized (normalized) to maintain a certain level of vacuum pressure. Maintaining a certain level of vacuum pressure after aspirator actuation (about 1.8 a)10^-6Torr)。

In this embodiment, the point at which the vacuum pressure is no longer reduced by a large margin even if the gas is exhausted (exhaust) by operating the vacuum pump is set to the minimum of the vacuum pressure used in the vacuum heat insulator, thereby setting the minimum internal pressure of the vacuum space portion 50 to 1.8 × 10 ^-6Torr。

Fig. 7 shows a plurality of curves obtained by comparing the vacuum pressure and the gas conductance.

Referring to fig. 7, the gas conductance with respect to the vacuum pressure (depending on the size of the gap in the vacuum space portion 50) is represented as a curve of the effective heat transfer coefficient (eK). The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) was measured when the gap in the vacuum space part 50 had three dimensions of 2.76mm, 6.5mm and 12.5 mm. The gap in the vacuum space portion 50 is defined in the following manner. When the radiation-resistant sheet 32 exists inside the vacuum space portion 50, the gap is a distance between the radiation-resistant sheet 32 and a plate member adjacent thereto. When the radiation-resistant sheet 32 is not present inside the vacuum space portion 50, the gap is a distance between the first plate member and the second plate member.

It can be seen that since the size of the gap is small at a point corresponding to a typical effective heat transfer coefficient of 0.0196W/mK, the vacuum pressure is 2.65 × 10 even when the size of the gap is 2.76mm, which is provided as the insulation material formed of foamed polyurethane, the vacuum pressure is 2.65 × 10^-1And (5) Torr. Meanwhile, it can be seen that the point at which the decrease in the adiabatic effect due to the heat conduction by the gas even though the vacuum pressure is reduced is saturated is that the vacuum pressure is about 4.5 × 10 ^-3Point of Torr. 4.5X 10^-3The vacuum pressure of the Torr can be defined as the point at which the decrease in the adiabatic effect due to the heat conducted by the gas reaches saturation. Furthermore, when the effective heat transfer coefficient is 0.1W/mK, the vacuum pressure is 1.2X 10^-2Torr。

When the vacuum space portion 50 is not provided with the stay unit but with the porous substance, the size of the gap ranges from several micrometers to several hundred micrometers. In this case, even when the vacuum pressure is relatively high, that is, when the degree of vacuum is low, due to the porous substanceSo that the radiant heat transfer amount is small. Therefore, a suitable vacuum pump is used to regulate the vacuum pressure. The vacuum pressure suitable for the corresponding vacuum pump is about 2.0X 10^-4And (5) Torr. Also, the vacuum pressure at the point where the decrease in the adiabatic effect caused by the gas conduction heat reaches saturation is about 4.7 × 10^-2And (5) Torr. Further, the pressure at which the decrease in the adiabatic effect due to the heat conducted by the gas reaches a typical effective heat transfer coefficient of 0.0196W/mK is 730 Torr.

When the supporting unit and the porous substance are disposed together in the vacuum space part, a vacuum pressure, which is an intermediate value (midle) between the vacuum pressure when only the supporting unit is used and the vacuum pressure when only the porous substance is used, may be generated and used. In the case of using only the porous substance, the lowest vacuum pressure can be generated and used.

Fig. 8 is a sectional perspective view showing a peripheral edge portion of the vacuum heat insulator.

Referring to fig. 8, there are provided a first plate member 10, a second plate member 20, and a conduction resistance sheet 60. The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be provided as a thin plate to resist heat conduction between the plate member 10 and the plate member 20. The conductive resistance sheet 60 is provided as a thin plate and as a flat surface in this figure, but may be drawn inward to have a curved shape when vacuum is applied to the vacuum space portion 50.

Since the conductive resistance sheet 60 is in the form of a thin plate and has low strength, the conductive resistance sheet may be broken even by a small external impact. When the conductive resistance sheet 60 is broken, the vacuum of the vacuum space portion is broken and the vacuum insulator is no longer functional. To solve this problem, a sealing frame 200 may be provided on the outer surface of the conductive resistance sheet 60. According to the sealing frame 200, since the components of the door 3 or other external products indirectly contact the conductive resistance sheet 60 through the sealing frame 200 without directly contacting the conductive resistance sheet 60, the breakage of the conductive resistance sheet 60 can be prevented. In order that the sealing frame 200 does not transmit the impact to the conductive resistance sheet 60, the two members may be spaced apart from each other by a certain gap, and a buffer member may be interposed therebetween.

In order to reinforce the strength of the vacuum heat insulator, the plate members 10 and 20 may be provided with reinforcing members. For example, the reinforcing member may include a first reinforcing member 100 fastened to the peripheral portion of the second plate member 10 and a second reinforcing member 110 fastened to the peripheral portion of the first plate member 10. As the reinforcing member 100 and the reinforcing member 110, members that are thicker or have higher strength than the plate members 10 and 20 may be applied, so that the strength of the vacuum heat insulator may be increased. The first reinforcing member 100 may be disposed in the inner space of the vacuum space part 50, and the second reinforcing member 110 may be disposed on the inner surface part of the main body 2.

It is preferable that the conductive resistance sheet 60 is not in contact with the reinforcing member 100 and the reinforcing member 110. This is because the thermal conductive resistance property 60 generated in the conductive resistance sheet is damaged by the reinforcing member. In other words, this is because the reinforcing member greatly expands the width of the narrow thermal bridge (narrow heat bridge) for resisting heat conduction, so that the narrow thermal bridge characteristic is deteriorated.

Since the width of the inner space of the vacuum space portion 50 is narrow, the cross section of the first reinforcing member 100 may be provided in a flat plate shape. The second reinforcing member 110 provided on the inner surface of the main body 2 may be provided in a shape whose section is curved.

The sealing frame 200 may include: an inner surface portion 230 disposed in the inner space of the main body 2 and supported by the first plate member 10; an outer surface portion 210 disposed in an outer space of the main body 2 and supported by the second plate member 20; and a side surface portion 220 disposed at a side surface of a peripheral portion of the vacuum heat insulator constituting the main body 2, covering the conduction preventing sheet 60, and connecting the inner surface portion 230 and the outer surface portion 210.

The sealing frame 200 may be made of resin that allows slight deformation. The installation position of the sealing frame 200 can be maintained by the interaction between the inner surface part 230 and the outer surface part 210, i.e., by the capturing action therebetween. In other words, the position of the sealing frame does not deviate.

The fixing position of the sealing frame 200 will now be described in detail.

First, the movement of the plate members 10 and 20 in the extension direction (y-axis direction in fig. 8) on the plane may be fixed by the inner surface portion 230 engaged with and supported by the second reinforcing member 110. More specifically, the positional movement of the sealing frame 200 to be released from the vacuum insulator to the outside may cause the inner surface portion 230 to engage with the second reinforcement member 110 and be blocked. Conversely, the displacement of the sealing frame 200 moving toward the inside of the vacuum insulator may be blocked by at least one of: the first is an action (action) by which the inner surface part 230 is to be engaged with and supported by the supporting second reinforcing member 110 (such action can act in two directions including an elastic restoring force of the sealing frame provided as resin); second is an action in which the side surface portion 220 is to be stopped (stop) with respect to the plate member 10 and the plate member 20; and thirdly, an action in which the movement of the inner surface portion 230 in the y-axis direction with respect to the first plate member 10 is to be hindered.

The movement of the plate members 10 and 20 in the direction (x-axis direction in fig. 8) extending in the direction perpendicular to the end surfaces of the plate members 10 and 20 may be fixed by the outer surface portion 210 joined to and supported by the second plate member 20. As the assisting action, the movement of the plate member 10 and the plate member 20 in the x-axis direction may be interrupted by the action of the inner surface portion 230 to hold the second reinforcing member 110 and the action of bringing the inner surface portion 230 into contact with the second reinforcing member 110.

The movement of the seal frame 200 in the extending direction (z-axis direction in fig. 8) can be stopped by at least one of the following first action and second action: a first operation in which the inner surface portion 230 of one of the seal frames 200 is brought into contact with the inner surface portion of the other seal frame 200; and a second operation in which the inner surface portion 230 of any one of the seal frames 200 is brought into contact with the mullion 300.

Fig. 9 and 10 schematically show the front surface of the main body, and in the drawings, it should be noted that the sealing frame 200 is in an actual (virtual) state in which the inner surface portion 230 is expanded in a direction parallel to the side surface portion 220.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the sealing frame 200 may include members 200b, 200e that seal the upper and lower peripheral portions of the main body 2, respectively. The side peripheral portion of the main body 2 can be divided according to a plurality of spaces divided based on the mullion 300 in the refrigerator, each being individually sealed (in the case of fig. 9) or being integrally sealed (in the case of fig. 10).

In the case where the side peripheral portions of the main body 2 are each individually sealed, as shown in fig. 9, it can be divided into four sealing frames 200a, 200c, 200d, and 200 f. In the case where the side peripheral portion of the main body 2 is integrally sealed, as shown in fig. 10, it can be divided into two seal frames 200g, 200 c.

In the case where the side peripheral edge portion of the main body 2 is sealed by the two sealing frames 200g, 200c as shown in fig. 10, it is necessary to perform two fastening operations, and therefore, the manufacturing is simplified, but it is necessary to cope with a fear that heat transfer occurs between a plurality of individual reservoirs (storage chambers) due to heat conduction through the sealing frames, and cooling air loss is caused.

In the case where the side peripheral portion of the main body 2 is sealed by four sealing frames 200a, 200c, 200d, 200f as shown in fig. 9, the manufacturing is inconvenient since it requires four fastening operations, but the heat conduction between the sealing frames is blocked and the heat transfer between the divided reservoirs is reduced, thereby reducing the loss of cooling air.

Meanwhile, the embodiment of the vacuum heat insulator shown in fig. 8 can preferably exemplify a main body-side vacuum heat insulator. However, it does not exclude the case where the sealing frame 200 is provided to the door-side vacuum insulator. However, in general, since the gasket is provided on the door 3, it is more preferable that the sealing frame 200 is provided on the main body side vacuum insulator. In this case, the side surface portion 220 of the sealing frame 200 can have further advantages as follows: the side surface part 220 can provide a width sufficient for the pad to contact.

In detail, the width of the side surface part 220 is set to be wider than the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum heat insulator (i.e., the width of the vacuum heat insulator), so that the adiabatic width of the gasket can be set to be sufficiently wide. For example, in the case where the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum insulator is 10mm, a large storage space can be provided in the refrigerator, thereby increasing the receiving space of the refrigerator. However, there is a problem that: in the case where the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum insulator is 10mm, a gap sufficient for the gasket to contact cannot be provided. In this case, since the side surface part 220 can provide a wide gap corresponding to the contact area of the gasket, it is possible to effectively prevent the loss of cooling air through the contact gap between the main body 2 and the door 3. In other words, in the case where the contact width of the gasket is 20mm, even if the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum thermal insulator is 10mm, the width of the side surface part 220 can be set to 20mm or more corresponding to the contact width of the gasket.

It can be appreciated that the sealing frame 200 performs a sealing function to prevent shielding of the conductive resistance sheet and loss of cooling air.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing a contact portion shown in a state where a main body is closed by a door.

Referring to fig. 11, a gasket 80 is interposed on a boundary surface between the main body 2 and the door 3. The gasket 80 can be fastened to the door 3 and can be provided as a deformable member like a flexible material. The gasket 80 includes a magnet as a part, and when the magnet pulls (pull) and approaches a magnetic body (i.e., a magnetic body of a peripheral portion of the main body), a contact surface between the main body 2 and the door can block cooling air leakage by a sealing surface having a predetermined width by an action of the gasket 80 being compliantly deformed.

Specifically, when the gasket sealing surface 81 of the gasket is in contact with the side surface portion 220, the side surface portion sealing surface 221 having a sufficient width can be provided. The side surface part sealing surface 221 may be defined as a contact surface on the side surface part 220, which is in surface contact with the gasket sealing surface 81 when the gasket 80 is in contact with the side surface part 220, respectively.

Accordingly, it is possible to secure a sufficient area of the sealing surface 81 and the sealing surface 221 regardless of the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum insulator. This is because even if the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum heat insulator is narrow, for example, even if the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum heat insulator is narrower than the gasket sealing surface 81, if the width of the side surface part 220 is increased, the side surface part sealing surface 220 having a sufficient width can be obtained. Further, it is possible to ensure that the sealing surface 81 and the sealing surface 221 have a sufficient area regardless of how the member is deformed (which may affect the deformation of the contact surface between the main body and the door). This is because a predetermined clearance (clearance) into and out of the side surface part sealing surface 221 can be provided when designing the side surface part 220, so that the width and area of the sealing surface can be maintained even if a slight deformation occurs between the sealing surface 81 and the sealing surface 221.

In the seal frame 200, the outer surface portion 210, the side surface portion 220, and the inner surface portion 230 are provided so that the set positions thereof can be maintained. In short, the outer surface portion 210 and the inner surface portion 230 have a bag-like, i.e., concave groove structure, so that a configuration that holds the end portions of the vacuum thermal insulator (more specifically, the plate member 10 and the plate member 20) can be provided. Here, it can be understood that the concave groove has a configuration of a concave groove, which is a configuration in which: in this configuration, the width between the end portion of the outer surface part 210 and the end portion of the inner surface part 230 is smaller than the width of the side surface part 220.

The fastening of the sealing frame 200 will now be briefly described. First, in a state where the inner surface part 230 is engaged with the second reinforcing member 110, the side surface part 220 and the outer surface part 210 are rotated in the direction of the second plate 20. Subsequently, the sealing frame 200 is elastically deformed, and the outer surface portion 210 is moved inward along the outer surface of the second plate member 20, so that fastening can be completed. When the fastening of the sealing frame is completed, the sealing frame 200 can be restored to its designed original shape before the deformation. As described above, when fastening is completed, the mounting position thereof can be maintained.

The detailed configuration and the detailed action of the sealing frame 200 will now be described.

The outer surface part 210 may include: an extension 211 located at an outer side of the refrigerator, the extension extending inward from one end of the second plate member 20; and a contact portion 212 located outside the refrigerator, which is in contact with an outer surface of the second plate member 20 at an end of the extension portion 211 outside the refrigerator.

The extension part 211 of the outside of the refrigerator has a predetermined length so as to prevent the outer surface part 210 from being separated due to a weak force of the outside. In other words, even if the outer surface part 210 is forced to be pulled toward the door by carelessness of the user, the outer surface part 210 is not completely separated from the second plate member 20. However, since the inner disassembly is difficult in the repair and fastening operations if the outer surface part 210 is excessively long, it is preferable that the outer surface part 210 is limited to a predetermined length.

The contact portion 212 of the outside of the refrigerator may be provided with a structure of: in this structure, the end of the extension 211 outside the refrigerator is slightly bent toward the outer side surface of the second plate member 20. Thereby, the sealing by the contact between the outer surface portion 210 and the second plate member 20 becomes perfect, so that the introduction of foreign matter can be prevented.

The side surface part 220 is provided with a width which is bent at an angle of about 90 degrees from the outer surface part 210 toward the opening of the main body 2 and ensures a sufficient width of the side surface part sealing surface 221. The side surface part 220 may be disposed to be thinner than the inner surface part 210 and the outer surface part 230. This may have the following purpose: allowing elastic deformation when the sealing frame 200 is fastened or removed; and the magnetic force between the magnet mounted on the spacer 80 and the magnetic body on the main body side is not weakened by the distance. The side surface part 220 may have a function of protecting the appearance of the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the exposed part disposed as the outside. In the case where the heat insulating member is disposed inside the side surface portion 220, the heat insulating performance of the conductive resistance sheet 60 can be enhanced.

The inner surface part 230 is bent and extends from the side surface part 220 by about 90 degrees in an inner direction of the refrigerator (i.e., a rear surface direction of the main body). The inner surface part 230 performs actions for fixing the sealing frame 200, actions for a plurality of components necessary for an operation for mounting a product of a vacuum heat insulator such as a refrigerator, and actions for preventing external foreign substances from flowing into the inside.

Actions corresponding to each configuration of the inner surface part 230 will now be described.

The inner surface part 230 includes: an extension 231 inside the refrigerator, bent and extended from an inner end portion of the side surface part 220; and a first member fastening portion 232 bent from an inner end portion of the extension 231 inside the refrigerator toward an outer direction (i.e., toward an inner surface of the first plate member 10). The first member fastening portion 232 may contact and engage with the protrusion portion 112 of the second reinforcing member 110. The extension 231 of the inside of the refrigerator may provide a gap extending to the inside of the refrigerator such that the first member fastening part 232 engages the inside of the second reinforcement member 110.

The first member fastening portion 232 may be engaged with the second reinforcement member 110 to perform a supporting action of the (draw) seal frame 200. The second reinforcement member 110 may further include: a base portion 111 fastened to the first plate member 10; and a protrusion 112 bent and extended from the base portion 111. The inertia of the second reinforcing member 110 is increased by the structure of the base portion 111 and the protrusion portion 112, and the resistance to bending strength can be improved.

The second member fastening part 233 may be fastened to the first member fastening part 232. The first member fastening part 232 and the second member fastening part 233 may be provided as separate members to be fastened to each other, and may be provided as a single member at the time of their design.

The second member coupling part 233 may be further provided with a gap forming part 234 further extending from an inner end portion of the second member fastening part 233 to the inside of the refrigerator. The gap forming part 234 may serve as a part: for providing a gap or space in which components necessary for the operation of an electric home appliance such as a refrigerator, such as those provided as vacuum heat insulators, are placed.

An inclined portion 235 inside the refrigerator is further provided inside the gap forming portion 234. The inclined portion 235 of the inside of the refrigerator may be provided to be inclined so as to be close to the first plate member 10 toward an end thereof (i.e., toward the inside of the refrigerator). In the inclined portion 235 inside the refrigerator, the gap between the sealing frame and the first plate member is set to be reduced as it enters inside the gap, so that the volume of the refrigerator internal space occupied by the sealing frame 200 is reduced as much as possible, and one effect that can be expected is to secure a space in which a component such as a lamp is mounted by cooperating with the gap forming portion 234.

The contact portion 236 of the inside of the refrigerator is provided at an inner end portion of the inclined portion 235 of the inside of the refrigerator. The contact portion 236 of the inside of the refrigerator may be provided in a structure in which an end of the inclined portion 235 of the inside of the refrigerator is slightly bent toward the inner surface side of the first plate member 10. Accordingly, the sealing by the contact between the inner surface part 230 and the first plate member 10 becomes perfect, so that inflow of foreign substances or the like can be prevented.

In the case where an accessory such as a lamp is mounted on the inner surface part 230, the inner surface part 230 may be divided into two parts for the purpose of component mounting convenience. For example, the inner surface portion can be divided into: a first member provided with an extension 231 and a first member fastening portion 232 inside the refrigerator; and a second member provided with a second member fastening portion 233, a gap forming portion 234, an inclined portion 235 inside the refrigerator, and a contact portion 236 inside the refrigerator. The first member and the second member are fastened to each other in the following manner: the second member fastening portion 233 is fastened to the first member fastening portion 232 in a state where a product such as a lamp is mounted on the second member. Of course, it is not excluded that the inner surface portion 230 is provided in a more different manner. For example, the inner surface part 230 may be provided as a single member.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a contact portion of a main body with a door according to another embodiment. The present embodiment is different in characteristics in the position of the conductive resistance sheet and the corresponding changes of other portions.

Referring to fig. 12, in this embodiment, the conduction resistance sheet 60 may be provided inside the refrigerator, instead of being provided on the end peripheral portion of the vacuum heat insulator. The second plate member 20 may extend beyond the outside of the refrigerator and the peripheral edge portion of the vacuum insulator. In some cases, the second plate member 20 may extend a certain length toward the inside of the refrigerator. In the case of this embodiment, it can be seen that the conductive resistance sheet can be disposed at a position similar to that of the door-side vacuum insulator shown in fig. 4 b.

In this case, it is preferable that the second reinforcing member 110 is moved to the inside of the refrigerator without contacting the conductive resistance sheet 60 in order to avoid affecting the high heat conduction insulation performance of the conductive resistance sheet 60. This is to achieve the function of a thermal bridge of the conductive resistant sheet. Accordingly, the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the second reinforcing member 110 do not contact each other, and the conductive insulation performance provided by the conductive resistance sheet and the strength reinforcement performance of the vacuum insulation member provided by the reinforcing member can be simultaneously achieved.

This embodiment can be applied to a case where complete thermal protection and physical protection are required for the peripheral portion of the vacuum thermal insulator.

Fig. 13 and 14 are partially cut-away perspective views showing fastening of two members in the embodiment in which the inner surface portion is divided into two members. Fig. 13 is a view showing a state where fastening of two members has been completed, and fig. 14 is a view showing a fastening process of two members.

Referring to fig. 13 and 14, the first member fastening portion 232 is engaged with the protrusion portion 112 of the second reinforcing member 110, and the outer surface portion 210 is supported by the second plate member 20. Therefore, the sealing frame 200 can be fixed to the peripheral edge portion of the vacuum insulator.

Preferably, at least one first member insertion portion 237 bent and extended in an inner direction of the refrigerator may be provided at an end portion of the first member fastening portion 232 for each sealing frame 200 mounted in the refrigerator. The second member insertion recess 238 may be provided at a position corresponding to the first member insertion portion 237. The first member insertion portion 237 and the second member insertion recess 238 are identical to each other in size and shape, so that the first member insertion portion 237 can be inserted, fitted, and fixed to the second member insertion recess 238.

The fastening of the first member and the second member will now be described. In a state where the first member is fastened to the peripheral edge portion of the vacuum thermal insulator, the second member is aligned with respect to the first member so that the second member insertion recess 238 corresponds to the first member insertion portion 237. By inserting the first member insertion portion 237 into the second member insertion recess 238, the two members can be fastened.

Meanwhile, at least a portion of the second member insertion recess 238 may be provided to be smaller than the first member insertion portion 237 so as to prevent the fastened second member from being detached from the first member. Thereby, the two members can be tightly fitted to each other. In order to perform the action of engagement and support at a point after the predetermined depth after the second member insertion recess 238 and the first member insertion portion 237 are inserted to the predetermined depth, a protrusion and a groove may be provided at both members, respectively. In this case, after the two members are inserted to a certain depth, the two members may be further inserted over the plurality of steps, so that the fixation of the two members may be performed more firmly. Of course, the worker feels by a slight feeling that the correct insertion has been performed.

With this arrangement in which the two members are fitted and coupled, the two members constituting the inner surface portion can be fixed in the position and coupled relationship. Alternatively, in the case where a load is large due to the action of the second member fixing the separate components, the first member and the second member are fastened to each other by a separate fastening member (e.g., the fastener 239) inside the refrigerator.

Fig. 15 is a view for sequentially explaining fastening (process) of the seal frame in the case of the embodiment in which the seal frame is provided as two members. Specifically, the case where the member is provided on the inner surface portion is exemplified.

Referring to fig. 15(a), the sealing frame 200 is fastened to the peripheral edge portion of the vacuum thermal insulator. At this time, fastening can be performed by using elastic deformation of the sealing frame 200 and restoring force according to the elastic deformation without a separate member such as a screw.

For example, in a state where the inner surface part 230 is engaged with the second reinforcing member 110, a connection point between the inner surface part 230 and the side surface part 220 may be used as a rotation center, and the side surface part 220 and the outer surface part 210 are rotated in the direction of the second plate member 20. This action can cause elastic deformation of the side surface portion 220.

Subsequently, the outer surface portion 210 is moved inward from the outer surface of the second plate member 20, and the elastic restoring force of the side surface portion 220 acts so that the outer surface portion 210 can be easily fastened to the outer surface of the second plate member 20. When the fastening of the sealing frame 200 is completed, the sealing frame 200 can be seated at its initial position designed to take the initial shape.

Referring to fig. 15(b), a state in which fastening of the first member of the sealing frame 200 is completed is shown. The side surface portion 220 may be formed thinner than the outer surface portion 210 and the inner surface portion 230, thereby enabling the sealing frame 200 to be fastened to the peripheral portion of the vacuum thermal insulator by elastic deformation and elastic restoration action of the sealing frame.

Referring to fig. 15(c), the component seating member 250 is provided as a separate component as a second member providing the inner surface part 230. The component mounting member 250 is a component that: a component 399 is placed on the component placement member, and its setting position can be supported, and additional functions necessary for the action of the component 399 can be further performed. For example, in the present embodiment, in the case where the component 399 is a lamp, the gap forming portion 234 may be provided as a transparent member on the component mounting member 250. Accordingly, this allows light emitted from the lamp to pass through the inner surface portion 230 and to be injected into the refrigerator, allowing a user to identify a product in the refrigerator.

Component placement member 250 may have a predetermined shape that is capable of cooperating with component 399 to fix the position of component 399 to place component 399.

Fig. 15(d) shows a state where the component 399 is arranged on the component mounting member 250.

Referring to fig. 15(e), the component mounting member 250 on which the component 399 is mounted is aligned in a predetermined direction so as to be fastened to the first member providing the inner surface portion. In this embodiment, the first member fastening portion 232 and the second member insertion recess 238 can be aligned with each other in the extending direction so that the first member fastening portion 232 is fitted to the second member insertion recess. Of course, although not limited to this manner, it may be preferable to propose the manner to improve the ease of assembly.

The first member fastening portion 232 is slightly larger than the second member insertion recess 238 so that the first member fastening portion 232 and the second member insertion recess 238 are tightly fitted to each other, and an engagement structure (e.g., a step portion and a protrusion) can be introduced for easy (light) insertion.

Referring to fig. 15(f), the inner surface portion is seen in a state of being assembled.

Fig. 16 and 17 are views showing either end portion of the seal frame, fig. 16 is a view before the door hinge is mounted, and fig. 17 is a view of a state in which the door hinge is mounted.

In the case of a refrigerator, a door hinge is provided at a connection portion so that the door-side vacuum heat insulator is fastened to the main body-side vacuum heat insulator in a state capable of being rotated. The door hinge must have a predetermined strength, be able to prevent the door from drooping due to its own weight in a state where the door is fastened, and prevent the body from being twisted.

Referring to fig. 16, in order to fasten the door hinge 263, a door fastener 260 is provided on the body-side vacuum insulator. Three door fasteners 260 may be provided. The door fastener 260 can be directly or indirectly fixed to the second plate member 20, the reinforcement member 100, the reinforcement member 110, and/or a separate additional reinforcement member (e.g., an additional plate, which is further provided to an outer surface of the second plate member). Here, direct fixation may refer to fixation by a fusion method (e.g., welding), and indirect fixation may refer to a fastening method using an auxiliary fastening tool or the like instead of a method such as fusion or the like.

Since the door fastener 260 is required to have high support strength, the door fastener 260 can be fastened while contacting the second plate member 20. For this, the sealing frame 200 may be cut, and the sealing frame 200 to be cut may be an upper sealing frame 200b located at an upper corner of the body-side vacuum heat insulator. Further, the sealing frame 200 to be cut may be a right sealing frame 200a, 200f, 200g located at a right corner of the body side vacuum insulation and a lower sealing frame 200e located at a lower edge of the body side vacuum insulation. The sealing frame 200 to be cut may be left sealing frames 200a, 200f, 200g located at the left corner of the body-side vacuum insulator if the installation direction of the door is different.

The sealing frame 200 to be cut may have a cutting surface 261, and the second plate member 20 may have a door fastener seating surface 262 to which the door fastener 260 is fastened. Accordingly, the door fastener seating surface 262 can be exposed by cutting the sealing frame 200, and an additional plate member can be further inserted in the door fastener seating surface 262.

The end portion of the sealing frame 200 may not be entirely removed, but a portion of the sealing frame 200 may be removed only at a position where the door fastener 260 is provided. However, it is more preferable to remove all end portions of the sealing frame 200, thereby facilitating the manufacturing, and firmly supporting and fastening the door hinge 263 at one side of the vacuum insulator.

Fig. 18 is a view for explaining an effect of the sealing frame according to the present invention compared to the related art, fig. 18(a) is a sectional view showing a contact portion between the main body-side vacuum heat insulator and the door according to the present invention, and fig. 18(b) is a sectional view showing the main body and the door according to the related art.

Referring to fig. 18, in the refrigerator, a heating wire may be installed at a contact portion between a door and a main body in order to prevent dew condensation due to a sudden temperature change. Since the heater wire is closer to the outer surface and the peripheral edge portion of the main body, dew condensation can be removed even with a small heat capacity.

According to this embodiment, the heating wire 270 may be disposed in an inner space of the gap between the second plate member 20 and the sealing frame 200. A heating wire receiving portion 271, in which the heating wire 270 is disposed, may be further provided in the sealing frame 200. Since the heating wire 270 is disposed at the outer side of the conductive resistance sheet 60, the heat transferred to the inside of the refrigerator is also less. This makes it possible to prevent dew condensation of the main body and the door contact portion even with a small heat capacity. Further, by allowing the heater wire 270 to be oppositely disposed at the outside of the refrigerator, i.e., at a bent portion between the peripheral portion of the main body and the outer surface of the main body, it is possible to prevent heat from entering the refrigerator space.

In this embodiment, the side surface portion 220 of the sealing frame 200 may have: portion w1 aligned with liner 80 and vacuum space section 50; and a portion w2 not aligned with the vacuum space portion 50 but aligned with the refrigerator space. This portion is provided by the side surface portion 220 to ensure sufficient cooling air blocking by the magnet. Therefore, the sealing frame 200 can sufficiently perform the sealing operation of the gasket 80.

In this embodiment, the inclined portion 235 of the inside of the refrigerator is provided to be inclined toward the inner surface of the first plate member 10 by a predetermined angle β. This can increase the volume inside the refrigerator (as shown by the hatched portion) and can provide an effect of enabling the narrow internal space of the refrigerator to be more widely available. In other words, by inclining the inclined portion of the inside of the refrigerator in a direction opposite to the predetermined angle α inclined toward the inner space of the refrigerator (as in the related art), the space near the door can be widely utilized. For example, more food can be accommodated in the door and more space is available to accommodate the various components necessary for the operation of the appliance.

Hereinafter, fig. 19 to 24 show views of various embodiments in which the sealing frame 200 is installed.

Referring to fig. 19, the second reinforcing member 110 may be provided only with the base portion 111, and may not be provided with the protrusion portion 112. In this case, a groove 275 may be provided in the base portion 111. The end portion of the first member fastening part 232 may be inserted into the slot 275. This embodiment can be preferably applied to a case where a product of sufficient strength can be provided without providing the protrusion 112 in the second reinforcing member 110.

In the case of the present embodiment, when the sealing frame 200 is fastened, the sealing frame 200 is fastened to the end portion of the vacuum heat insulator along with the process of fitting and aligning the end portion of the first member fastening portion 232 within the groove 275.

According to the fastening action between the groove 275 and the first member fastening portion 232, the movement of the seal frame 200 in the y-axis direction can be stopped only by the fastening between the inner surface portion 230 of the seal frame 200 and the second reinforcing member 110.

Referring to fig. 20, when comparing this embodiment with the embodiment shown in fig. 19, this embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in fig. 19 in that a reinforcing base portion 276 is further provided to the base portion 111. The reinforcing base portion 276 is further provided with a groove 277 so that the end portion of the first member fastening portion 232 can be inserted. Even if the protrusion 112 cannot be provided to the second reinforcing member 110 due to lack of mounting space or interference or the like, this embodiment can be applied when it is necessary to reinforce the strength to a predetermined level. In other words, this embodiment is preferably applied when it is possible to provide the strength-reinforcing effect of the main body-side vacuum heat insulator to the extent of strength reinforcement (which can be obtained by further installing the reinforcing base 276 at the outer end portion of the base portion 111).

A groove 277 is provided in the reinforcing base portion 276, and an end portion of the first member fastening portion 232 is fitted and aligned within the groove portion 277, so that the sealing frame 200 can be fastened to the end portion of the vacuum heat insulator.

Even in the case of the fastening action of the groove 277 and the first member coupling portion 232, the movement of the seal frame 200 in the y-axis direction can be stopped only by the fastening between the inner surface portion 230 of the seal frame 200 and the second reinforcing member 110.

Referring to fig. 21, when comparing this embodiment with the embodiment shown in fig. 19, this embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in fig. 19 in that the base portion 111 is further provided with a reinforcing protrusion 278. The end portion of the first member fastening portion 232 may be engaged with the reinforcing protrusion 278. Even if the second reinforcing member 110 cannot be provided with the protrusion portion 112 or the reinforcing base portion 276 due to lack of mounting space or interference or the like, the present embodiment can be applied when the strength thereof is reinforced to a predetermined level and it is necessary to ensure that the first member fastening portions 232 are engaged. In other words, by further installing the reinforcing protrusion 278 at the outer end portion of the base portion 111, the effect of reinforcing the strength of the main body side vacuum heat insulator can be obtained. Further, since the reinforcing protrusion can provide the engaging action of the first member fastening portion 232, the reinforcing protrusion 278 can be preferably applied.

The first member fastening portion 232 is engaged and supported to the reinforcing protrusion 278, thereby enabling the sealing frame 200 to be fastened to the end portion of the vacuum heat insulator.

The embodiment shown in fig. 19 to 21 shows a case where the inner surface part 230 is provided as a single product instead of being divided into the first member and the second member, and the inner surface part 230 is fastened to the vacuum heat insulator. However, the inner surface portion may be divided into two members, and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

Although the above-described embodiment proposes the case where the second reinforcement member 110 is provided, the following embodiment will describe the fastening of the seal frame 200 in the case where no additional reinforcement member is provided on the inner side of the first plate member 10.

Referring to fig. 22, the first reinforcing member 100 is provided to reinforce the strength of the vacuum thermal insulator, but the second reinforcing member 110 is not separately provided. In this case, an inner protrusion 281 may be provided on an inner surface of the first plate member 10 so that the sealing frame 200 is fastened. The inner protrusion 281 can be fastened to the first plate member 10 by welding, fitting, or the like. The present embodiment can be applied to the following cases: a case where the main body side vacuum thermal insulator can obtain sufficient strength only by the reinforcing member provided in the first reinforcing member 100 (i.e., the vacuum space portion 50), or a case where the reinforcing member can be mounted on one side of the second plate member 20.

The first member fastening groove 282 may be provided in the first member fastening portion 232 so as to be capable of being fitted and fixed to the inner protrusion 281. The fastening position of the sealing frame 200 can be fixed by inserting the inner protrusion 281 into the first member fastening groove 282.

Referring to fig. 23, when compared with the embodiment shown in fig. 22, fig. 23 is characteristically different from the embodiment shown in fig. 22 in that in fig. 23, the first member fastening groove 282 is not provided. According to the present embodiment, the position of the sealing frame 200 can be supported by one end of the first member fastening portion 232 supported by the inner protrusion 281.

When compared with the embodiment shown in fig. 22, in this embodiment, there is a disadvantage in that the movement of the seal frame 200 in the y-axis direction is stopped only in one direction, rather than the movement of the seal frame 200 in the y-axis direction being stopped in both directions. However, it is expected that the worker can conveniently work when fastening the sealing frame 200.

The embodiment shown in fig. 19 to 23 is arranged in such a configuration that: in this configuration, the first plate member 10 is fixed while allowing movement (e.g., sliding) of one side of the second plate member 20. In other words, the second plate member 20 and the outer surface portion 210 are allowed to be relatively slidable, while the first plate member 10 and the inner surface portion 230 are not allowed to move relatively. Such configurations can also be configured inversely to each other. Such a configuration will be proposed hereinafter.

Referring to fig. 24, the outer protrusion 283 may be provided on the outer surface of the second plate member 20, and the outer engagement portion 213 may be provided on the outer surface portion 210 of the sealing frame 200. The outer engagement portion 213 can be engaged with and supported by the outer protrusion 283.

In the case of the present embodiment, the inner surface portion 230 of the sealing frame 200 may be allowed to move (e.g., slide) relative to the inner surface portion of the first plate member 10. In this embodiment, the installation and fixation of the sealing frame 200 are different only in the direction, and the same description can be applied.

In addition to the embodiment related to fig. 24, various embodiments may be proposed. For example, the reinforcing member 100 and the reinforcing member 110 may be further mounted on the second plate member 20, and various structures of fig. 19 to 21 may be provided with respect to the reinforcing member. Also, the outer joint part 213 may be provided as a groove structure as shown in fig. 22.

According to the present embodiment, one difference in the configuration is that the fastening direction of the sealing frame 200 can be set in the opposite direction to the original embodiment. However, the basic action of the sealing frame can be obtained in the same manner.

Hereinafter, such a configuration will be described: in this configuration, a component is mounted to a home appliance (e.g., a refrigerator) to which a vacuum heat insulator is applied, and wiring is applied to the component.

FIG. 25 is a front view of the upper right side of the vacuum heat insulator on the main body side.

Referring to fig. 25, a reinforcing member 100 (more specifically, a second reinforcing member 110) is provided together with the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20. The second reinforcing member 110 is arranged on the inner surface of the first plate member 10 to reinforce the strength of the body-side vacuum heat insulator. The second reinforcing member 110 is provided in the form of a long rod along the corner of the vacuum heat insulator to reinforce the strength of the vacuum heat insulator.

The protrusion 112 of the second reinforcing member 110 may be provided with a slit (slit). The slit 115 and the slit 116 serve as holes through which the wiring passes, thereby enabling a worker to easily position the wiring. By arranging the wiring in the slit, it is possible to prevent the wiring from being broken due to bending of the wiring.

A slit may be provided as a first slit 115 provided in the second reinforcing member 110 at a corner portion of the upper surface of the vacuum thermal insulator; or as a second slit 116 provided in the second reinforcing member 11 in the side corner portion of the vacuum insulation member. The slit may be provided to correspond to a portion through which the wiring passes, and may be formed at another position of the second reinforcement member 110.

In the case of this embodiment, a lamp illuminating the inside of the refrigerator is exemplified as a component (see 399 in fig. 26), and a slit can be provided at an end portion of each edge to guide wiring of the component.

Since the slits 115 and 116 may act as stress concentration points that weaken the strength of the reinforcing member, it is preferable to remove the protrusion 112 to a height level at which the wiring is detached from the component such as the lamp without removing the entire protrusion 112.

The apex portions of slit 115 and slit 116 may be rounded to provide a smooth rounded apex (vertex). According to this configuration, the wiring passing through the slit can be prevented from being broken.

Fig. 26 and 27 are sectional views showing a corner portion of the vacuum heat insulator in a state where the lamp is mounted, fig. 26 is a partial sectional view showing a state where the lamp wire is not passed, and fig. 27 is a sectional view showing a portion where the lamp wire is passed. Hereinafter, as one component, the lamp will be described as one example, and the component may be referred to as "lamp", but may also be referred to as "component".

Referring to fig. 26 and 27, it may be determined that a state in which the component 399 is mounted is, and the lamp is disposed in the gap forming portion 234 as a component necessary for the refrigerator. The electric wires 402 and 403 of the component 399 extend outward at the gap between the inner surface part 230 and the second reinforcing member 110. Specifically, the electric wires 402 and 403 of the component 399 extend outward at the gap portions between the first member fastening portion 232, the second member fastening portion 233, and the second reinforcing member 110.

The end portion of the second member fastening portion 233 is spaced apart from the base portion 112 by a predetermined gap so as to provide a gap in the second member fastening portion 233 through which the wirings 402, 403 can pass. Of course, the second member fastening portion 233 may also be provided with a slit such as a slit provided in the protrusion portion 112.

Referring to fig. 26, the first member fastening portion 232 and the protrusion portion 112 contact each other to support the sealing frame 200. Referring to fig. 27, the slits 115 and 116 may extend beyond the end of the first member fastening part 232. The wiring can be drawn out from the protrusion 112 through the slit 115 and the gap between the slit 116 and the end portion of the first member fastening portion 232. According to the arrangement of the slit 115 and the slit 116, the wiring 402 and the wiring 403 can be guided to the outside through the slit, and at this time, there is a possibility that the interference structure of the wiring can no longer be broken.

Fig. 28 is an exploded perspective view showing a peripheral edge portion of the member.

Referring to fig. 28, there are shown the component 399, the component fixing frame 400 on which the component 399 is seated, and the sealing frame 200.

The part fixing frame 400 provides a portion of the inner surface portion 230 of the sealing frame 200. Component mounting frame 400 has a plurality of components for mounting component 399 thereon.

The component fixing frame 400 has an elongated shape in one direction when viewed in a cross section thereof, and is a member corresponding to the second member constituting the inner surface portion, which can provide the second member fastening portion 233, the gap forming portion 234, the inclined portion 235 inside the refrigerator, and the contact portion 236 inside the refrigerator. The functions and actions of these configurations that have been described can be applied to each configuration when viewed in cross-section thereof.

In the component fixing frame 400, the second member insertion recess 238 can be provided at a position corresponding to the first member insertion portion 237, the first member insertion portion 237 being bent in the end portion of the first member fastening portion 232 and extending in the inner direction of the refrigerator. The first member insertion portion 237 and the second member insertion recess 238 are similar in shape and size to each other, so that the first member insertion portion 237 can be inserted, fitted, and fixed to the second member insertion recess 238. The first member insertion portion 237 and the second member insertion recess 238 can be fastened by additional fasteners in the refrigerator 239. In other cases, the component fixing frame 400 may be directly fastened to the second reinforcement member 110.

The inner space of the gap forming part 234 and the inclined part 235 of the refrigerator interior may form a space in which the component 399 is seated. The component seating rib 404 may be provided on the gap forming part 234 and the inner surface of the inclined part 235 inside the refrigerator. The component seating rib 404 can fix the lamp seating position to a portion where both end portions of the lamp body are supported.

The wire receiving rib 406 may be formed outside the component seating rib 404. A gap portion between the component seating rib 404 and the wire accommodating rib 406 may provide the wire accommodating portion 405. The electric wire housing 405 provides a space in which electric wires for supplying power to the component 399 are arranged, or a predetermined component necessary for the operation of the component 399 can be housed. The electric wire receiving rib 406 and the electric wire receiving part 405 may be provided at both sides of the component fixing frame 400. Accordingly, inventory costs can be reduced by using commonly used components.

The wiring 402 and the wiring 403 pulled out from the wire housing 405 can pass through the gap portion between the upper end portion of the first member fastening portion 233 and the base portion 111. The electric wires 402 and 403 can enter the gap portion between the side surface portion 220 and the protrusion 112 of the seal frame 200 through the slits 115 and 116, and are guided elsewhere along the gap portion therebetween.

The inclined ribs 407 may be provided at both end portions of the component fixing frame 400. The inclined rib 407 is provided such that it widens rearward from the front end portion of the component fixing frame 400. In the drawing, when referring to the index line extending along the wire accommodating rib 406 and the index line extending along the end portion of the inclined rib 407, the structure of the inclined rib will be more precisely understood with the angle γ therebetween being referred to.

In the inclined rib 407, the component fixing frame 400 contacts the inner surface portion 230 of the sealing frame 200 adjacent to the component fixing frame 400 to eliminate a gap between these members. In the case of a refrigerator, this makes it possible to provide a wider internal space within the refrigerator. For example, according to the inclination angle (set to β in fig. 18) of the inclined portion 235 inside the refrigerator, the component fixing frame 400 and the adjacent sealing frame 200 can be accurately contacted with each other.

Fig. 29 and 30 are cross-sectional views taken along line a-a 'and line B-B' in fig. 28, and are shown in chronological order. Fig. 29 can be understood as a state where the sealing frame and the component fixing frame are fastened, and fig. 30 is a view that can be understood as a state where the sealing frame and the component fixing frame are aligned with each other.

Referring to fig. 29 and 30, in the case where the component 399 is arranged on the component fixing frame 400 and the component located on the lower side of the component 399 is a lamp, the gap forming portion 234 is provided as a transparent member and light can be emitted. This allows the light emitted from the lamp to pass through the inner surface portion 230 and be emitted to the refrigerator, allowing a user to identify products inside the refrigerator.

The component fixing frame 400 on which the components 399 are seated is aligned in a predetermined direction so as to be fastened to the sealing frame 200. In this embodiment, the first member insertion portion 237 and the second member insertion recess 238 are aligned with each other in the extending direction of each member, so that the first member insertion portion 237 can be fitted into the second member insertion recess 238.

The first member insertion portion 237 is slightly larger than the second member insertion recess 238, so that the first member insertion portion 237 and the second member insertion recess 238 can be tightly fitted to each other, and an engagement structure such as a step portion and a projection can be introduced for easy insertion.

A path of the wiring drawn out to the outside of the protrusion 112 of the second reinforcing member 110 through the slit 115 and the slit 116 will now be described.

Fig. 31 is a view of a side portion of an upper side member of the refrigerator as viewed from the front.

Referring to fig. 31, the wiring 402 and the wiring 403 drawn out through the slit 115 can move in any direction along the gap between the protrusion 112 and the side surface portion 220 of the sealing frame 200.

The moving wires 402 and 403 can be drawn out to the outside through a suitable position (e.g., a central portion of the upper surface). The drawn out wire (draw wire) can be connected to the controller.

Hereinafter, the distribution of cooling air through the mullion will be described.

Fig. 32 is a front perspective view showing the body-side vacuum heat insulator, and fig. 33 is a rear perspective view showing the body-side vacuum heat insulator.

Referring to fig. 32 and 33, the vacuum insulator has a first plate member 10 inside the refrigerator and a second plate member 20 outside the refrigerator, and can divide an inner space into a refrigerating chamber R and a freezing chamber F by a mullion 300.

The machine room 8 is provided at an outer lower portion of the vacuum insulator and can accommodate refrigeration system components such as a compressor, a condenser, and an expander as described previously. The shelf 600 is disposed in the refrigerating chamber R and the freezing chamber F to effectively receive the stored goods.

The freezing chamber F is provided with an evaporator 7 to supply cooling air. The cooling air evaporator 7 provided by the evaporation can be smoothly supplied into the freezing chamber F through the freezing chamber flow path guide 700. A portion of the cooling air provided in the evaporator 7 may be supplied to the refrigerating chamber flow path guide 550, thereby enabling the cooling air to be smoothly supplied to the refrigerating chamber R.

The fan module 503 disposed at the upper side of the evaporator 7 provides a negative pressure so that the heat-exchanged air in the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber passes through the evaporator. In other words, the fan module 503 can generate a negative pressure environment at the outlet end of the evaporator 7, so that relatively hot air is introduced into the evaporator 7.

The cooling air supplied from the evaporator is supplied to the refrigerating chamber flow guide 550 through the cooling air discharge duct 502, and the relatively hot air in the refrigerating chamber R sucked through the refrigerating chamber flow guide 550 may flow into the evaporator 7 through the cooling air collection duct 501 again.

The cooling air outlet duct 502 and the cooling air collection duct 501 can pass through the mullion 300. This is because the refrigerator compartment and freezer compartment must be separated by a mullion.

FIG. 34 is a rear perspective view showing the mullion viewed separately.

Referring to fig. 34, the mullion 300 can divide an inner space of a vacuum insulator into a refrigerating chamber R and a freezing chamber F. To this end, the outer surface of the mullion 300 is capable of contacting the inner surface of the first plate member 10, as described above.

The cooling air outlet duct 502 may be aligned with the cooling air supply flow path 311 provided in the mullion 300. Cooling air outlet duct 502 can be aligned with fan module 503 to receive cooling air, and the flow path resistance through cooling air outlet duct 502 caused by the baffle provided in cooling air outlet duct 502 can be adjusted. In some cases, the damper may completely block the cooling air outlet duct 502, or may be completely open. The cooling air supply flow path 311 can supply cooling air to the refrigerating compartment flow path guide 550 side.

The cooling air collecting pipe 501 can be aligned with the cooling air collecting flow pipe 312 provided in the mullion 300, and relatively hot air can flow through the storage compartment by the positive pressure of the cooling air supplied to the refrigerating compartment flow path guide 550 through the cooling air discharge pipe 502.

The circulation path of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber around the evaporator 7 will be described in detail below.

Fig. 35 is a front view showing the evaporator viewed from the front in a state where the fan module and the freezing chamber flow path guide are removed; fig. 36 is a front view showing the evaporator viewed from the front in a state where the fan module and the freezing chamber flow path guide are mounted.

Referring to fig. 35, a cooling air collecting pipe 501 may be disposed on the left side of the evaporator 7. In other words, the evaporator 7 and the cooling air collecting pipe 501 may be arranged in one line. More specifically, the cooling air collecting pipe may be aligned with the extending direction of the refrigerant pipe provided in the evaporator 7. Therefore, the evaporator 7 can be brought into close contact with the inner surface of the rear wall of the vacuum heat insulator as much as possible, and the effect of a wider space inside the refrigerator can be expected.

The collecting pipe discharge port 504 is provided at an end of the cooling air collecting pipe 501, and is cut to be inclined in a direction toward the evaporator 7. Therefore, the air discharged from cooling air collecting pipe 501 can be guided well to the evaporator 7 side.

The refrigerant tubes and fins are mounted on the evaporator 7. The fins may be closely mounted on the side close to the cooling air collection duct 501 to provide a fin dense region 71, and a fin loose region 72 that can be disposed on the side away from the cooling air collection duct 501. Therefore, it is possible to perform more heat exchange actions on air that is collected in the refrigerating chamber and is relatively hotter than air collected in the freezing chamber. More specifically, the heat exchange efficiency of the evaporator 7 can be increased by causing the air collected from the relatively hot refrigerating compartment to be more directed to the fin-dense region 71 (where the fins are dense). This action of increasing the heat exchange efficiency can be further promoted because the cooling air collecting duct 501 is arranged in a line on the left side of the evaporator.

Referring to fig. 36, a freezing chamber suction port 701 and a freezing chamber suction port 702 are provided at a lower left side and a lower right side of the freezing chamber flow path guide 700, respectively. The freezing chamber discharge port 703 and the freezing chamber discharge port 704 are respectively provided on the left upper side and the right upper side of the freezing chamber flow path guide 700. A freezing chamber discharge port 705 is also provided at a central portion of the freezing chamber flow path guide 700.

The freezing chamber flow guide 700 is provided with a plate-shaped structure for guiding the air flow path, so that it is possible to prevent a backflow of the relative air (relative air) sucked into the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber. For example, the ribs 706 provided in the freezing chamber flow path guide 700 may be configured so as to guide the air that has passed through the evaporator 7 and the fan module 503 to the freezing chamber discharge port 703, the freezing chamber discharge port 704, the freezing chamber discharge port 705, and the cooling air discharge duct 502, and prevent a back flow to the evaporator side.

The first and second freezing compartment suction ports 701 and 702 may be asymmetrically disposed. The first freezer suction port 701 is located at a side closer to the cooling air collecting pipe 501, and the second freezer suction port 702 is located at a side farther from the cooling air collecting pipe 501. In this case, the area of the first freezing compartment suction port 701 may be set smaller than the area of the second freezing compartment suction port 702. Here, the area is proportional to the suction amount, and may be inversely proportional to the flow path resistance. According to this configuration, the heat exchange efficiency of the fin dense region 71 can be further increased.

The air passing through the evaporator 7 is discharged through the fan module 503 and then divided into a plurality of portions.

First, the cooling air can be discharged through the freezing chamber discharge port 703 and the freezing chamber discharge port 704 on the upper left and right sides of the freezing chamber flow path guide 700, respectively. Also, the cooling air is also discharged through a discharge port 705 provided at the middle of the freezing chamber flow path guide 700. Therefore, the cooling operation can be reliably performed for the entire region of the freezing chamber F.

Meanwhile, any cooling air discharged from the fan module 503 may be guided to the cooling air discharge duct 502 to flow out of the refrigerating compartment R.

Fig. 37 is a view showing a peripheral portion of the evaporator as viewed from the rear, and fig. 38 is a sectional view taken along line C-C' of fig. 37.

Referring to fig. 37 and 38, a first suction side partition wall 710 is provided between the cooling air collection pipe 501 and one side of the evaporator 7, and a second suction side partition wall 712 is provided on the other side of the evaporator 7. The suction side partition wall 710 and the suction side partition wall 712 prevent the air on the discharge side of the fan module 503 from bypassing to the air flowing into the evaporator side. The suction-side partition wall 710 and the suction-side partition wall 712 may be provided as plate-shaped members provided in the freezing chamber flow path guide 700.

The second suction side partition wall 712 extends downward longer than the first suction side partition wall 710. Therefore, the air that can be bypassed (i.e., the air passing through the evaporator) can be more accurately prevented from being re-sucked to the evaporator side.

The second suction side partition wall 712 and the first suction side partition wall 710 are disposed at the left and right sides of the evaporator 7, respectively, which enables the refrigerator internal space to be provided larger.

Fig. 39 is a perspective view showing a refrigerating compartment flow path guide portion.

Referring to fig. 39, the refrigerating compartment flow path guide part 550 includes a refrigerating compartment flow path covering part 580 having a multi-duct part therein (see 591 in fig. 41). The plurality of shelf brackets 561 may be exposed to the outside of the left and right ends of the refrigerating compartment flow path covering part 580.

The shelf brackets 561 can be fastened to the first plate member 10 by separate fastening members or by a welding method or the like. As an alternative, the shelf brackets 561 can be fastened to the first plate member 10 together with the refrigerating compartment flow path covering part 580 by another fastening member 571. In this case, the first plate member 10 is provided with a fastening auxiliary tool such as a boss, and the fastening member 571 supports the refrigerating compartment flow path covering part 580 together with the shelf bracket 561 to fasten (the same to) thereto.

The refrigerating compartment flow path cover 571 may be provided with a refrigerating compartment suction port 581 and a refrigerating compartment discharge port 582. The refrigerating compartment suction port 581 may be aligned with the cooling air collecting flow path 312 of the mullion 300. The refrigerating compartment discharge port 582 may communicate with the cooling air supply flow path 311 of the mullion 300. The plurality of refrigerating compartment outlets 582 are vertically spaced apart from the refrigerating compartment flow path cover 580 to cool the entire space of the refrigerating compartment in various ways depending on the purpose. It is preferable that the refrigerating compartment discharge opening 582 is disposed from the left and right sides toward a substantially central portion of the refrigerating compartment so that the refrigerating compartment is integrally cooled.

Fig. 40 is a sectional view taken along line D-D' in fig. 39.

Referring to fig. 40, the multi duct part 591 is disposed inside the central portion of the refrigerating compartment flow path covering part 571, and the multi duct part 591 is disposed at a substantially central portion when viewing the left and right sides of the refrigerating compartment as a whole. Therefore, the discharged cooling air can be uniformly distributed over the entire area of the refrigerating compartment.

The fastening member 571 can fasten the refrigerating compartment flow path covering portion 580 and the shelf bracket 561 to the vacuum heat insulator.

Fig. 41 is a rear perspective view showing the refrigerating compartment in a state where the refrigerating compartment cover is removed.

Referring to fig. 41, the multi-duct part 590 is made of a heat insulating material in which resin is foamed to prevent dew condensation.

The multi-conduit portion 590 has a lower curved portion 597 and an extension portion 598 extending upward from the curved portion 597. The cooling air inflow end 592 is provided at a lower end of the bent portion 597 to allow the cooling air to flow. The cooling air of the cooling air supply flow path 311 may cause the cooling air to flow into the inside of the multi-duct portion 590 through the cooling air inflow end 592.

The bent portion 597 allows the cooling air supplied to the cooling air supply flow path 311 to be turned to either side with respect to the left and right of the refrigerating chamber R to move to the central portion with respect to the left and right of the refrigerating chamber. The extension portion 598 distributes the cooling air supplied from the bent portion 597 through the cooling air discharge port 593 and discharges the cooling air. The cooling air discharge port 593 may be aligned with the refrigerating compartment discharge port 582 of the refrigerating compartment flow path cover 580.

An upper end portion of the cooling air collecting duct 501 shown at a lower left portion in the drawing may be aligned with the refrigerating compartment suction port 581 so that air in a relatively hot refrigerating compartment flows out of the refrigerating compartment and may be directed to the evaporator.

Fig. 42 is a sectional view taken along line E-E' in fig. 41, and referring to fig. 42, the multi duct portion 590 may include a housing 596 having a multi-channel portion 591 to which cooling air is supplied. In the housing 596, at least two multichannel portions 591 partitioned by the conduit partition wall 595 are provided in a state of being spaced from each other. These multi-passage portions 591 are spaced from each other in the left-right direction when viewed in the left-right direction, so that the cooling air supplied into the refrigerating chamber can be smoothly distributed throughout the refrigerating chamber.

Fig. 43 is a view for explaining a supporting operation of the shelf, and referring to fig. 43, the shelf brackets 561 may be provided with a plurality of shelf support holes 562 spaced apart from each other in an up-down direction. The shelf bracket end 601 at the rear end of the shelf 600 may be inserted into the shelf support hole 562 to support the weight of the shelf 600.

In order to enable the weight of the shelf 600 to be supported by the shelf supports 561, the shelf supports 561 must be firmly supported at the inner surfaces of the vacuum heat insulators. For this purpose, the number of fastening members 571 for fastening the shelf bracket 561 to the first plate member 10 may be increased.

According to this embodiment, a large amount of cooling air is supplied intensively through the cooling air discharge port 593. The large amount of cooling air rapidly cools the cooling air adjacent to the cooling air discharge port 593, but does not smoothly cool the cooling air distant from the cooling air discharge port 593. Further, when the cooling air discharge port 593 is blocked by the stored product inside the refrigerator, the stored product inside the refrigerator may be supercooled, and other adjacent stored products inside the refrigerator may not be sufficiently cooled. In particular, there is a fear that the cooling air may not reach the storage product inside the refrigerator far from the cooling air discharge port 593 at all, for example, the storage product inside the refrigerator stored completely in the door.

In the above-described background, the inventors of the present invention focused on the following facts: the metallic material constituting the vacuum thermal insulator has high thermal conductivity, resulting in the following examples. In the following embodiments, the portions that have been described are applied as they are to portions that are not directly described, and the description of fig. 36, for example, the structure relating to cooling air discharge duct 502 is also applied to the following embodiments. Fig. 44 to 48 are views showing an embodiment related thereto.

Fig. 44 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. In this figure, the vacuum insulator is represented by phantom lines, so that the internal configuration is more apparent and the door is in a removed state.

Referring to fig. 44, the refrigerator 1 is provided with a perforated plate 810 on an inner surface of a main body side vacuum heat insulator 800. A plurality of small cooling air supply holes 811 are provided on the perforated plate 810 such that a small amount of cooling air is supplied through the plurality of cooling air supply holes 811. The cooling air supply hole 811 may be provided substantially on the entire surface of the perforated plate 810 except for engineering elements for fastening and the like. The perforated plate 810 includes an upper perforated plate 813 and a rear perforated plate 812, and the perforated plate 810 may be substantially entirely disposed on the rear surface and the upper surface of the main body side vacuum heat insulator 800. Accordingly, cooling air may be supplied to the inside of the refrigerator through all of the rear surface of the refrigerator and the upper surface of the refrigerator.

The perforated plate 810 may define a receiving space in which the perforated plate may contact a product within a refrigerating space of the refrigerator.

The gap between perforated plate 810 and first plate member 10 may form a flow space for cooling air supplied through cooling air outlet duct 502. The refrigerant supplied into the refrigerator through the perforated plate 810 may be recovered through the refrigerating compartment suction port 581 and guided to the evaporator side.

The perforated plate 810 may be made of resin having heat insulation property (e.g., EPS). Accordingly, supercooling of the stored product contacting the perforated plate 810 may be prevented.

In this embodiment, the cooling air supplied through cooling air outlet duct 502 flows into cooling air supply gap portion 814 at the gap between perforated plate 810 and first plate member 10, and may directly contact the surfaces of both perforated plate 810 and first plate member 10. The entire cooling air supply gap portions 814 are connected to each other so that the entire cooling air can flow through the cooling air supply gap portions 814.

The cooling air supply gap portion 814 may be defined as a gap between the perforated plate 810 and the first plate member 10. Here, the first plate member 10 may be surface-treated for the purpose of preventing dew condensation or the like, but may be in direct contact with cooling air to receive the cooling air from cooling air supplied from the outside in order to directly receive the influence of the cooling air. The first plate member 10 is made of metal (e.g., stainless steel) and has a high thermal conductivity. Therefore, the cooling air sent to the first plate member 10 in the portion adjacent to the cooling air outlet duct 502 can be quickly sent by the conduction action of the first plate member 10. Table 1 is a graph comparing thermal conductivity.

TABLE 1

Material	Coefficient of thermal conductivity (W/mK)
		ABS resin	0.17
EPS resin	0.038
		SUS430	26

As shown in table 1, the first plate member 10 has a high thermal conductivity. Therefore, the cooling air delivered from the portion near the cooling air outlet duct 502 can be quickly diffused to the entire first plate member 10 by the heat conduction phenomenon. Therefore, the first plate member 10 as a whole can maintain substantially the same level of cooling air. The cooling air held by each position of the first plate member 10 can be transferred to the air by the convection action, in which the air passes through the cooling air supply hole 811 closest to the first plate member 10. Therefore, the cooling air passing through each cooling air supply hole 811 may contain more cooling air.

The cooling air of the first plate member 10 may also be supplied into the refrigerator by heat radiation cooling through the cooling air supply hole 811. The heat sink cooling action may also depend on the size of the cooling air supply hole 811.

Since cooling air supply holes 811 are provided substantially over the entire surface of perforated plate 810, even if any one of cooling air supply holes 811 is shielded, cooling air can be discharged through another adjacent cooling air supply hole 811 without interruption. Thus, there is no problem in supplying cooling air to the stored product. In addition, since the cooling air supply holes 811 are small in size, the amount of cooling air supplied to the shielded cooling air supply holes 811 does not cause overcooling of the corresponding stored product.

Fig. 45 is a view for explaining the cooling air supply gap portion, and is a view described in comparison with the case where the multi-duct portion is provided. Fig. 45(a) shows a case where a multi-duct part is provided as in fig. 40, and fig. 45(b) is a sectional view taken along line F-F' of fig. 44.

Referring to fig. 45, the width of the cooling air supply gap portion 814 may be defined as a gap portion between the first plate member 10 and the perforated plate 810. The width of the cooling air supply gap portion 814 is set to w2 and it can be seen that the width of the cooling air supply gap portion 814 is greatly reduced compared to w2 of the previous embodiment. Therefore, the inner space of the refrigerator where the storage products are placed is not disturbed by the multi-duct portion 59, and the space where the storage products are placed can be made much larger. For example, in the case where the storage product is provided as a right-angled type product, a wider space can be used as the storage space.

Fig. 46 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator schematically showing the cooling air discharge amount in this embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 46, more cooling air is discharged from the upper side to the rear perforated plate 812 than the lower side. Accordingly, since the upper cooling air moves forward and then faces downward, the inside of the refrigerator as a whole can be cooled. In particular, the stored product on the door side can be sufficiently cooled.

A larger amount of cooling air is discharged from the front side to the upper perforated plate 813 compared to the rear side. The door-side cooling air supply area (a) represents a state where a larger amount of cooling air is discharged from the front side to the upper perforated plate 813 than from the rear side. Accordingly, it is possible to supply sufficient cooling air to the front of the interior of the refrigerator or the storage product accommodated in the door, which is weak in cooling air supply. For example, the basket 820 may be adapted thereto, and may include a magic space (magic space) or a door shelf.

The supply of the cooling air may be achieved by adjusting the size, arrangement, number, etc. of the cooling air supply holes 811. This can be achieved, for example, by analyzing: the positive pressure of the cooling air supplied from the cooling air outlet duct 502 is lost through the cooling air supply hole 811 located upstream of the flow path. For example, in the entire air flow of the cooling air supply gap portion 814, the supply of cooling air may be achieved by reducing the size of the cooling air supply holes on the upstream side, increasing the gap between the cooling air supply holes, or reducing the number of the cooling air supply holes.

In the present embodiment, only the rear surface and the upper surface of the inside of the refrigerator are shown, but a perforated plate may be provided on the side surface of the inside of the refrigerator. Further, although a refrigerator is taken as an example, this configuration may be applied to a freezing chamber. However, in the case of the freezing chamber, there is a fear that a phenomenon such as frosting may occur in the freezing chamber, and therefore, it is necessary to prevent the phenomenon such as frosting.

Fig. 47 and 48 are front views illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment for explaining a method of distributing cooling air.

Referring to fig. 47, when the refrigerant supplied from the cooling air discharge pipe 502 is supplied upward, the sizes of the cooling air supply holes 811 are equal, and the number of the cooling air supply holes 811 is increased to adjust the desired supply amount of cooling air.

Referring to fig. 48, fig. 48 shows that the required supply amount of cooling air can be adjusted by gradually increasing the size of cooling air supply holes 811 and increasing the number of cooling air supply holes 811 when the refrigerant supplied from cooling air outlet duct 502 is supplied upward.

The cooling air supply holes 811 are about 3mm to 5mm in size, and each cooling air supply hole has a supply area of 7.065 square mm²And 19.625mm²This is significantly reduced over the other embodiments. Of course, the numerical range is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, the perforated plate is not installed on the entire rear surface, the entire upper surface, and the entire side surface of the inside of the refrigerator, but may be installed on only a portion to secure a specific space. In this case, a rapid cooling region may be provided for the corresponding region.

Fig. 49 to 54 show various embodiments of a refrigerator using a single vacuum heat-insulator and a mullion for partitioning an inner space of the vacuum heat-insulator.

The following description is a simplified illustration of a side view of a refrigerator and thus may be different from an actual product. Unless otherwise specified, the body 3 uses a vacuum insulator. In the case of an indicating line (indicating line) passing through a vacuum insulation, it can be understood that a pipe or a component line passes through the vacuum insulation. In the case where the inner receiving space of the vacuum insulator is partitioned, a first door, a second door, and other doors for isolating, opening, and closing the respective spaces may be provided. When passing through the vacuum heat insulator, members such as welded pipes and corrugated conductive resistance sheets 63 can be applied. It is preferable that the space in which the reinforcing member is installed be avoided when passing through the vacuum heat insulator. The welded pipe and the corrugated conductive resistance sheet 63 may be subjected to a sealing process for the plate member to maintain the sealing of the vacuum space portion. In the case where the indication line passes through the inside of the vacuum heat insulator (i.e., the vacuum space portion), it can be understood that the piping and the component line pass through the inside of the vacuum heat insulator. In the drawings, the mullions are illustrated as vertically dividing the vacuum insulator, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be divided laterally. The mullions are capable of thermally isolating the receiving spaces, which are filled with insulation and are separated, from each other.

Referring to fig. 49, as previously explained, in this embodiment, the cooling air supply flow path 311 and the cooling air collecting flow path 312 are provided in the mullion 300 so that the cooling air in the freezing chamber F is supplied to the refrigerating chamber R.

For convenience of explanation, the power supply path, the supply path of the refrigerant and the cooling air, and the discharge path of the defrost water will be described separately.

First, the power supply path will be described. The external power supplied from the second space is supplied to the controller 450 disposed on the upper surface of the vacuum heat insulator within the second space. The controller 450 supplies necessary power to various components 399 necessary for the operation of the refrigerator. The component 399 may include a lamp and a sensor, and be disposed within the first space. In the case where the component 399 is a sensor, the controller 450 not only supplies power to the sensor, but also receives a sensing signal of the sensor to control the refrigerator using the signal. It should be readily understood that the component 399 also includes a compressor P forming a refrigeration cycle.

To supply power from the second space to the first space via the controller 450, power may pass through the third space as shown, or may pass through a gap portion between the door and the main body.

Power supply lines can extend through the mullion 300 to supply power to components 399 disposed within the freezer compartment F or to components adjacent to the mullion.

The supply paths of the refrigerant and the cooling air will now be described.

The cooling air is described first. The cooling air may be supplied through the integral type evaporator 83 disposed in the main body 2 (i.e., the lower freezing chamber F of the first space), and the cooling air can be first supplied to the inside of the freezing chamber F.

The cooling air of the integral evaporator 83 can be supplied to the refrigerating chamber R and circulated through the cooling air flow path 311, the cooling air flow path 312, and other cooling air communication structures provided in the mullion 300.

The supply of refrigerant to the evaporator 81 and the evaporator 82 will now be described.

The refrigerant can be supplied to each evaporator disposed in the first space through a member including the compressor P disposed in the machine chamber 8 provided in the second space in a state before evaporation. The refrigerant lines may respectively have a flow path disposed in the first space and a flow path disposed in the second space. It is preferably used for heat exchange between the inlet and the outlet of the integral evaporator 83 to improve the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

Referring to fig. 54, it can be seen that two lines of the first refrigerant pipe 901 and the second refrigerant pipe 902 are close to each other, and heat exchange occurs between the two lines of the first refrigerant pipe 901 and the second refrigerant pipe 902. The first refrigerant pipe 901 may extend from the expander inside the machine room 8, and the second refrigerant pipe 902 may be a pipe extending from the integral evaporator 83. The heat exchange lines formed by the contact portions (contacts) of the two refrigerant tubes are provided in a curved shape in order to ensure a sufficient heat exchange length in a narrow space, and thus can be referred to as heat exchange bends or S-shaped tubes.

Referring again to fig. 49, the S-shaped pipe may be disposed in a third space, which is a vacuum space (i.e., a vacuum insulator) of the wall body of each main body. Thus, heat loss can be avoided and space for separately insulating the piping is no longer required.

This is illustrated in more detail using a time series. The refrigerant compressed/condensed/expanded in the machine room and guided to the monolithic evaporator 83 is heat-exchanged through a heat exchange elbow inside the vacuum insulator and supplied to the monolithic evaporator 83. The refrigerant evaporated in the integral evaporator 83 may be heat-exchanged through the heat exchange elbow while being discharged.

The heat exchange elbow is described as passing through a vacuum space section. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the heat exchange bent pipe may pass through the inner space of the mullion 300 in case that the inner space of the vacuum space portion is insufficient. Because mullions 300 are thermally insulated, the advantage of not requiring a separate insulating action for the heat exchange bends is achieved.

The discharge path of the defrost water will now be described.

The defrost water generated by the integral type evaporator 83 disposed in the first space is collected in the drain tray (DT2)801 located in the machine room 3 disposed in the second space through the third space and is appropriately evaporated by the drain heater (DH2)802 to be able to be removed.

Here, a drain pipe (also referred to as DP) for connecting the integral evaporator 83 and the drain tray (DT2)801 may be used to pass through the third space. Through which the defrost water can pass. The drain pipe (DP2) may be passed through the welded piping and the corrugated conductive resistance sheet 63. The drain pipe is shown through the bottom surface of the vacuum insulation in the drawing, but it may be drawn through the rear surface and the side surface.

Although it has been described that the drain pipe passes through the bottom surface of the vacuum insulation, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the drain pipe may pass through the rear surface or the side surface of the vacuum insulation. However, it may be necessary to penetrate the bottom surface for rapid drainage.

Referring to fig. 50, this embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in fig. 49 in the installation position of the integral type heat exchanger 83 and the drain path of the defrosting water. Therefore, the description of fig. 49 will be applied to another description, and the discharge path of the defrosting water and the integral type heat exchanger will now be described.

The integral evaporator 83 may be located further away from the machine room 8, i.e., above the space divided by the mullion 300.

The defrost water generated in the integral evaporator 83 may be guided to the defrost water connection 803 located inside the mullion 300. The defrosting water connection part 803 can preliminarily collect the defrosting water. The drain pipe DP1.1 connecting the integral type evaporator 83 and the defrost water connection 803 is disposed in the first space, and thus a separate sealing structure is not required.

The defrost water in the defrost water connection 803 is collected in the drain tray (DT2)801 located inside the machine chamber 8, and can be appropriately evaporated and removed by the drain heater (DH2) 802.

At this time, a pipe connecting the defrost water connection part 803 and the drain tray (DT2)801 to each other can be guided through the vacuum insulator along the outer surface of the second plate member 20. The pipe connecting the defrosting water connection part 803 and the drain tray 801 may pass through the vacuum insulator by welding the pipe and the corrugated conductive resistance sheet, etc., and thus may be provided in the sealing structure.

In the present embodiment, the drain tray and the drain heater are provided inside the machine room. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a separate drain heater may be installed in the mullion 300 to prevent defrost water from being introduced into the machine room.

In this case, it is expected that the number of pipes passing through the vacuum insulation is reduced, thereby improving the insulation efficiency of the vacuum insulation. However, it may be necessary to provide a configuration for guiding the evaporated defrost water vapor to the outside through the front of the mullion. This embodiment can be preferably applied to the case where the integrated evaporator generates a small amount of defrosting water.

In the case of the present embodiment, it can be applied to an upper-freezing type refrigerator.

Referring to fig. 51, the embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in fig. 50 in the characteristic point that the discharge paths of the defrosting water are different from each other. Therefore, another explanation is assumed that the description of fig. 50 is applied as it is, and the discharge path of the defrosting water will now be described.

The defrost water generated in the integral evaporator 83 may be guided to the defrost water connection 803 located inside the mullion 300. The defrosting water connection part 803 can preliminarily collect the defrosting water.

The defrost water in the defrost water connection 803 is collected in the drain tray (DT2)801 located in the machine room 8, and can be appropriately evaporated and removed by the drain heater (DH2) 802.

A pipe connecting the defrost water connection 803 and the drain tray 801 may be guided to the machine room 8 through the bottom surface of the vacuum insulator. By welding the pipe and the corrugated conductive resistance sheet, a pipe (conduit) connecting the defrost water connection 803 and the drain tray 801 may pass through the vacuum insulator, and thus may be provided in a sealed structure.

In the case of the present embodiment, when in the case of the upper freezing type refrigerator, it is not easy to provide a separate piping on the outer wall portion of the vacuum heat insulator, which can be applied.

Referring to fig. 52, in the case of the present embodiment, evaporators are respectively installed in each of the partitioned spaces of the main body 2 partitioned by the mullions 300, unlike the previous embodiments. Portions different from those of the foregoing embodiment will now be described, and the same configuration will be applied to the same description as previously described.

The supply paths of the refrigerant and the cooling air will now be described.

The cooling air is explained first. The cooling air is supplied by the evaporator 81 and the evaporator 82 disposed in the partitioned inner portions (i.e., the first spaces) of the main bodies 2, respectively, so as to be supplied to each of the partitioned inner portions of each of the main bodies 2.

The refrigerant supplied to the evaporator 81 and the evaporator 82 will now be described. The refrigerant can be supplied to each evaporator disposed in the first space through a member including the compressor P disposed in the machine chamber 8 provided in the second space in a state before evaporation. A plurality of conduit portions corresponding to the respective evaporators may be provided.

The heat exchange elbow can be installed in the same manner as described above, and the heat exchange elbow can be disposed within the vacuum space part, and the heat exchange elbow can be disposed within the mullion in the case where the inner space of the vacuum space part is insufficient or there is interference.

The refrigerant compressed/condensed/expanded in the machine room 8 and guided to the evaporator 81 and the evaporator 82 can be branched and supplied, and the branching point may be disposed inside the machine room 8, inside the vacuum insulator, or inside the vertical frame. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 81 and the evaporator 82 can exchange heat by the respective heat exchange bent pipes.

The defrost water discharge path will now be described.

The defrost water generated in the first evaporator 81 disposed in the first space can be preliminarily collected in the defrost water connection 803 positioned in the mullion 300 located in the first space. Thereafter, the defrost water can be guided to the drain tray 801 in the machine room and removed by the drain heater 802.

The defrost water generated in the second evaporator 81 is collected in the drain tray 801 located in the machinery chamber 8, the machinery chamber 8 passes through the third space and is disposed in the second space, and can be appropriately evaporated and removed by the drain heater (DH2) 502.

In the case of the previously described embodiment, a style of drain (aspect), a position of drain, and a modified embodiment of drain may be applied to the present embodiment.

According to the present embodiment, it is contemplated that the present invention can be applied to a case where it is difficult to provide a cooling air flow path to the mullion, or to a case of a high-grade product where the internal space partitioned by the mullion is actively controlled.

Referring to fig. 53, the embodiment is different from the embodiment of fig. 52 in the feature that a drain pipe is provided.

The defrost water generated in the second evaporator 82 is collected in the drain pan 801 located in the machine room 8 passing through the third space and disposed in the second space, and may be appropriately evaporated and removed by the drain heater (DH2) 502.

A drain pipe is provided through the third space, and through which drain water can pass. The drain pipe DP2 may be threaded through the welded tubing and the corrugated conductive resistance sheet 63. In the drawings, the drain pipe is shown to pass through the bottom surface of the vacuum insulator, but it may be drawn through the rear surface and the side surface.

The defrost water generated in the first evaporator 81 can be guided to the defrost water connection part 803 positioned at the inner side (i.e., the first space) of the mullion 300 through the drain pipe DP 1.1. The defrosting water connection part 803 can preliminarily collect the defrosting water. The defrost water received in the defrost water connection 803 can move along the inner space of the vacuum insulation body, i.e., the first space, to the drain pipe DP1.2, and be combined (merge) at the inlet side of the drain pipe DP2, which drain pipe DP2 removes the defrost water from the second evaporator 82. In other words, the defrost water of each of the evaporator 81 and the evaporator 82 can be combined in the first space and can be guided to the second space together through the third space.

In the case of the present embodiment, in the case of a super refrigerator, when it is not easy to provide a separate piping for the outer wall portion of the vacuum insulator, the present embodiment can be applied.

Industrial applicability

The present invention proposes the utilization of each structure of the refrigerator partitioned by the mullions in the case of using a separate vacuum insulator.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of actively controlling an environment in a refrigerator requiring both cold storage and freezing using a vacuum insulator as needed.

This indicates that the vacuum insulator can be used to a greater extent in the industry.