Patent Grant
12152828
The present disclosure relates to a vacuum adiabatic body and a refrigerator.
A vacuum adiabatic body is a product for suppressing heat transfer by vacuuming the inside of a main body thereof. The vacuum adiabatic body may reduce heat transfer by convection and conduction, and hence is applied to heating apparatuses and refrigerating apparatuses. In a typical adiabatic method applied to a refrigerator, although it is differently applied in refrigeration and freezing, a foam urethane adiabatic wall having a thickness of about 30 cm or more is generally provided. However, the internal volume of the refrigerator is therefore reduced.
In order to increase the internal volume of a refrigerator, there is an attempt to apply a vacuum adiabatic body to the refrigerator.
First, Korean Patent No. 10-0343719 (Reference Document 1) of the present applicant has been disclosed. According to Reference Document 1, there is disclosed a method in which a vacuum adiabatic panel is prepared and then built in walls of a refrigerator, and the outside of the vacuum adiabatic panel is finished with a separate molding as Styrofoam. According to the method, additional foaming is not required, and the adiabatic performance of the refrigerator is improved. However, fabrication cost increases, and a fabrication method is complicated.
As another example, a technique of providing walls using a vacuum adiabatic material and additionally providing adiabatic walls using a foam filling material has been disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0012712 (Reference Document 2). Also, fabrication cost increases, and a fabrication method is complicated.
As further another example, there is an attempt to fabricate all walls of a refrigerator using a vacuum adiabatic body that is a single product. For example, a technique of providing an adiabatic structure of a refrigerator to be in a vacuum state has been disclosed in U.S. Patent Laid-Open Publication No. US2004/0226956A1 (Reference Document 3). However, it is difficult to obtain a practical level of an adiabatic effect by providing a wall of the refrigerator with sufficient vacuum. In detail, there are limitations that it is difficult to prevent a heat transfer phenomenon at a contact portion between an outer case and an inner case having different temperatures, it is difficult to maintain a stable vacuum state, and it is difficult to prevent deformation of a case due to a negative pressure of the vacuum state. Due to these limitations, the technology disclosed in Reference Document 3 is limited to a cryogenic refrigerator, and does not provide a level of technology applicable to general households.
Alternatively, the present applicant has applied for Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0016187 that discloses a vacuum adiabatic body and a refrigerator. According to the present disclosure, both the door and the main body of the refrigerator are provided as a vacuum adiabatic body, and a large adiabatic material is added to the edge of the door to prevent cool air from leaking from the edge of the main body and the door. However, there is a limitation in that the fabrication is complicated, and an internal volume of the refrigerator is greatly reduced.
Also, since the inner space of the vacuum adiabatic body is empty in a vacuum state, there is a limitation that deformation such as bending or buckling occurs due to weak strength when compared to an article filled with a resin material such as polyurethane according to the related art.
Embodiments provide a refrigerator in which cool air is prevented from leaking through a contact portion between a main body and a door.
Embodiments also provide a refrigerator in which a sealing interval is secured to be narrowed by a vacuum adiabatic body.
Embodiments also provide a refrigerator in which an internal volume increases.
Embodiments also provide a refrigerator in which a weakness of a conductive resistance sheet that is vulnerable to an external impact by being thinly provided to resist to external conduction heat transfer is reinforced.
Embodiments also provide a refrigerator in which various components required for a natural operation of a device are installed without affecting adiabatic performance of a vacuum adiabatic body.
In one embodiment, a vacuum adiabatic body includes: a conductive resistance sheet connected to one end of a plate; and a cover assembly configured to protect the conductive resistance sheet, wherein a cover assembly includes an inner cover configured to protect an inside, an outer cover configured to protect an outside, and a front cover configured to a front side, and at least one of the inner cover or the outer cover extends toward the other end of at least one of the first plate or the second plate. Accordingly, the cover assembly may protect the inside and outside of the vacuum adiabatic body.
At least one of the inner cover or the outer cover may extend up to the other ends of the first plate and the second plate to perform protection and installation operations on an entire surface of the plate.
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include at least one of: an inner protection cover made of a resin material, which is provided in the inner cover; or an outer protection cover made of a resin material, which is provided in the outer cover. In this case, an external impact may be prevented from being directly applied to the plate to improve reliability of the product and realize an elegant outer appearance of the cover made of the resin material.
At least one of the inner protection cover or the outer protection cover and the plate may be spaced a predetermined distance from each other to block an effect of deformation such as an unevenness of the plate.
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include a support plate provided on the support and a rib provided at a position that is not aligned with the support plate. Accordingly, thermal conductivity may be reduced.
At least one of the outer protection cover or the inner protection cover may have a thickness thicker than that of the plate to reduce a direct effect of the inner and outer spaces to the plate and improve reliability of the product.
The inner protection cover may include a shoulder and an inner protection cover extension to perform a protection operation on an inner edge of the vacuum adiabatic body, which is vulnerable to an impact.
The outer protection cover may include a shoulder and an outer protection cover extension to perform a protection operation on an outer edge of the vacuum adiabatic body, which is vulnerable to an impact.
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include at least one of: an inner arm made of a metal material, which is provided in the inner cover; or an outer arm made of a metal material, which is provided in the outer cover to perform stable coupling of the cover assembly.
In another embodiment, a refrigerator includes: a main body having an opening with respect to an accommodation space of a product; and a door configured to open and close the opening of the main body, wherein the main body is fabricated using the vacuum adiabatic body and further includes: an inner cover connected to the inner plate of the vacuum adiabatic body; and an outer cover extending toward the rear surface of the main body to cover an outer surface of the outer plate. Accordingly, the refrigerator may be protected against an external impact.
The outer cover may extend up to a side surface of the main body to protect an entire outer surface of the main body and prevent a surface unevenness of the vacuum adiabatic body from being observed.
The outer cover may be provided together with an outer cover and an outer arm, which are configured to cover the outer surface of the main body, to perform the coupling and protection operations together.
The outer cover may have a thickness greater than that of the outer plate to perform a reinforcement operation of strength, a protection operation, and an adiabatic operation together.
The outer cover and the outer plate may be spaced a predetermined distance from each other, and at least one of a rib or an elastic portion may be interposed in the gap. Accordingly, the outer plate and the outer cover may be spaced apart from each other to block impact transfer and heat transfer between the portions.
A printing layer may be provided on an outer surface of the outer cover to additionally process a wall of the vacuum adiabatic body, which is impossible to be processed.
A front cover by which the outer cover and the inner cover are provided in one body and which covers and protects the conductive resistance sheet may be provided. Accordingly, the inner cover and the outer cover may be provided together to improve workability of a worker.
In further another embodiment, a refrigerator includes: a main body having an opening with respect to an accommodation space of a product; and a door configured to open and close the opening of the main body, wherein the main body is fabricated using a vacuum adiabatic body and further include: an outer cover connected to the outer plate of the vacuum adiabatic body; and an inner cover connected to the inner plate of the vacuum adiabatic body, the inner cover extending toward a rear surface of the accommodation space to cover the inner plate. Accordingly, the inside of the refrigerator may be protected against an impact, and a plurality of portions required for an operation of the refrigerator may be coupled, seated, and accommodated in the inner cover.
The inner cover may extend up to the rear surface of the accommodation space to protect an inner surface of the refrigerator, to which the impact is frequently applied while the product is accommodated.
An inner cover configured to cover the inner surface of the main body and an inner arm may be provided together to perform coupling and protection operations at the same time.
A component may be mounted on the inner cover so that a plurality of components required for an operation of the refrigerator are conveniently mounted.
According to the embodiment, in the apparatus such as the refrigerator that is capable of being freely opened and closed by applying the vacuum adiabatic body, the leakage of the cool air through the contact portion between the main body and the door may be prevented to improve the energy use efficiency of the apparatus.
According to the embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body may be applied to increase in internal capacity of the apparatus, and the sealing interval between the main body and the door may increase to achieve the operations.
According to the embodiment, the external access of the conductive resistance sheet may be prevented to improve the reliability of the apparatus using the vacuum adiabatic body.
According to the embodiment, the space for installing the components required for the operation of the apparatus such as the refrigerator may be secured, regardless of the adiabatic performance of the vacuum adiabatic body.
According to the embodiment, the worker may conveniently fabricate the refrigerator using the vacuum adiabatic body to improve the productivity of the product.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein, and a person of ordinary skill in the art, who understands the spirit of the present invention, may readily implement other embodiments included within the scope of the same concept by adding, changing, deleting, and adding components; rather, it will be understood that they are also included within the scope of the present invention.
Hereinafter, for description of embodiments, the drawings shown below may be displayed differently from the actual product, or exaggerated or simple or detailed parts may be deleted, but this is intended to facilitate understanding of the technical idea of the present invention. It should not be construed as limited. However, it will try to show the actual shape as much as possible.
The following embodiments may be applied to the description of another embodiment unless the other embodiment does not collide with each other, and some configurations of any one of the embodiments may be modified in a state in which only a specific portion is modified in another configuration may be applied.
In the following description, the vacuum pressure means any pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure. In addition, the expression that a vacuum degree of A is higher than that of B means that a vacuum pressure of A is lower than that of B.
Referring to
Components constituting a refrigeration cycle in which cool air is supplied into the cavity 9. In detail, the 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 heat. As a typical structure, a fan may be installed at a position adjacent to the evaporator 7, and a fluid blown from the fan may pass through the evaporator 7 and then be blown into the cavity 9. A freezing load is controlled by adjusting the blowing amount and blowing direction by the fan, adjusting the amount of a circulated refrigerant, or adjusting the compression rate of the compressor, so that it is possible to control a refrigerating space or a freezing space.
Referring to
The first plate 10 may define at least a portion of a wall for a first space provided thereto. The second plate 20 may define at least a portion of a wall for a 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 as not only a wall directly contacting the space but also a wall not contacting the space. For example, the vacuum adiabatic body of the embodiment may also be applied to a product further having a separate wall contacting each space.
Factors of heat transfer, which cause loss of the adiabatic effect of the vacuum adiabatic body, are thermal conduction between the first and second plates 10 and 20, heat radiation between the first and second plates 10 and 20, and gas conduction of the vacuum space 50.
Hereinafter, a heat resistance unit provided to reduce adiabatic loss related to the factors of the heat transfer will be provided. Meanwhile, the vacuum adiabatic body and the refrigerator of the embodiment do not exclude that another adiabatic means is further provided to at least one side of the vacuum adiabatic body. Therefore, an adiabatic means using foaming or the like may be further provided to another side of the vacuum adiabatic body.
First, referring to
The support 30 may be provided to reduce the deformation of the vacuum space 50. The support 30 includes a bar 31. The bar 31 may extend in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the plates to support a distance between the first plate and the second plate. A support plate 35 may be additionally provided on at least any one end of the bar 31. The support plate 35 may connect at least two or more bars 31 to each other to extend in a horizontal direction with respect to the first and second plates 10 and 20. The support plate 35 may be provided in a plate shape or may be provided in a lattice shape so that an area of the support plate contacting the first or second plate 10 or 20 decreases, thereby reducing heat transfer. The bars 31 and the support plate 35 are fixed to each other at at least a portion so as to be inserted together between the first and second plates 10 and 20. The support plate 35 contacts at least one of the first and second plates 10 and 20, thereby preventing the deformation of the first and second plates 10 and 20. In addition, based on the extension direction of the bars 31, a total sectional area of the support plate 35 is provided to be greater than that of the bars 31, so that heat transferred through the bars 31 may be diffused through the support plate 35.
The support 30 may be made of a resin selected from PC, glass fiber PC, low outgassing PC, PPS, and LCP to obtain high compressive strength, a low outgassing and water absorption rate, low thermal conductivity, high compressive strength at a high temperature, and superior processability.
A radiation resistance sheet 32 for reducing heat radiation between the first and second plates 10 and 20 through the vacuum space 50 will be described. The first and second plates 10 and 20 may be made of a stainless material capable of preventing corrosion and providing a sufficient strength. Since the stainless material has a relatively high emissivity of 0.16, a large amount of radiation heat may be transferred. In addition, the support 30 made of the resin has a lower emissivity than the plates, and is not entirely provided to inner surfaces of the first and second plates 10 and 20. Thus, the support 30 does not have great influence on the radiation heat. Therefore, the radiation resistance sheet 32 may be provided in a plate shape over a majority of the area of the vacuum space 50 so as to concentrate on reduction of radiation heat transferred between the first and second plates 10 and 20. A product having a low emissivity may be used as the material of the radiation resistance sheet 32. In an embodiment, an aluminum foil having an emissivity of 0.02 may be used as the radiation resistance sheet 32. Also, since the transfer of radiation heat may not be sufficiently blocked using one radiation resistance sheet, at least two radiation resistance sheets 32 may be provided at a certain distance so as not to contact each other. Also, at least one radiation resistance sheet may be provided in a state of contacting the inner surface of the first or second plate 10 or 20.
Referring back
In this embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body may be fabricated without the radiation resistance sheet 32.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body may be fabricated without the support 30. That is to say, the porous material 33 may perform the function of the radiation resistance sheet 32 and the function of the support 30 together.
First, a conductive resistance sheet proposed in
The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be provided with the seal 61 at which both ends of the conductive resistance sheet 60 are sealed to define at least a portion of the wall for the third space and maintain the vacuum state. The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be provided as a thin foil in unit of micrometer so as to reduce the amount of heat conducted along the wall for the third space. The seals 610 may be provided as a weld. That is, the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the plates 10 and 20 may be fused to each other. To cause a fusing operation between the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the plates 10 and 20, the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the plates 10 and 20 may be made of the same material, and a stainless material may be used as the material. The seal 610 may not be limited to the weld and may be provided through a process such as cocking. The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be provided in a curved shape. Thus, a thermal conduction distance of the conductive resistance sheet 60 is provided longer than a linear distance of each of the plates so that an amount of thermal conduction is further reduced.
A change in temperature occurs along the conductive resistance sheet 60. Therefore, to block the heat transfer to the outside of the conductive resistance sheet 60, a shield 62 may be provided at the outside of the conductive resistance sheet 60 so that an adiabatic operation occurs. In other words, in case of the refrigerator, the second plate 20 has a high temperature, and the first plate 10 has a low temperature. In addition, thermal conduction from high temperature to low temperature occurs in the conductive resistance sheet 60, and thus the temperature of the conductive resistance sheet 60 is suddenly changed. Therefore, when the conductive resistance sheet 60 is opened with respect to the outside thereof, the heat transfer through the opened place may seriously occur. To reduce the heat loss, the shield 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 high-temperature space, the conductive resistance sheet 60 does not serve as a conductive resistor as well as the exposed portion thereof, which is not preferable.
The shield 62 may be provided as a porous material contacting an outer surface of the conductive resistance sheet 60. The shield 62 may be provided as an adiabatic structure, e.g., a separate gasket, which is placed at the outside of the conductive resistance sheet 60. The shield 62 may be provided as a portion of the vacuum adiabatic body, which is provided at a position facing a corresponding conductive resistance sheet 60 when the main body-side vacuum adiabatic body is closed with respect to the door-side vacuum adiabatic body. To reduce the heat loss even when the main body and the door are opened, the shield 62 may be provided as a porous material or a separate adiabatic structure.
A conductive resistance sheet proposed in
In the door-side vacuum adiabatic body, it is difficult to place the conductive resistance sheet 60 on a front end of the vacuum space, i.e., an edge side surface of the vacuum space. This is because, unlike the main body, a corner edge of the door is exposed to the outside. In more detail, if the conductive resistance sheet 60 is placed on the front end of the vacuum space, the corner edge of the door is exposed to the outside, and hence there is a disadvantage in that a separate adiabatic portion has to be configured so as to thermally insulate the conductive resistance sheet 60.
A conductive resistance sheet proposed in
A heat transfer path between the first and second plates 10 and 20 will be described with reference back to
The transfer heat may be changed depending on various depending on various design dimensions. For example, the support may be changed so that the first and second plates 10 and 20 may endure a vacuum pressure without being deformed, the vacuum pressure may be changed, the distance between the plates may be changed, and the length of the conductive resistance sheet may be changed. The transfer heat may be changed depending on a difference in temperature between the spaces (the first and second spaces) respectively provided by the plates. In the embodiment, a preferred configuration of the vacuum adiabatic body has been found by considering that its total heat transfer amount is smaller than that of a typical adiabatic structure formed by foaming polyurethane. In a typical refrigerator including the adiabatic structure formed by foaming the polyurethane, an effective heat transfer coefficient may be proposed as 19.6 mW/mK.
By performing a relative analysis on heat transfer amounts of the vacuum adiabatic body of the embodiment, a heat transfer amount by the gas conduction heat {circle around (3)} may become the smallest. For example, the heat transfer amount by the gas conduction heat {circle around (3)} may be controlled to be equal to or smaller than 4% of the total heat transfer amount. A heat transfer amount by solid conduction heat defined as a sum of the surface conduction heat and the support conduction heat {circle around (3)} is the largest. For example, the heat transfer amount by the solid conduction heat may reach 75% of the total heat transfer amount. A heat transfer amount by the radiation transfer heat {circle around (3)} is smaller than the heat transfer amount by the solid conduction heat but larger than the heat transfer amount of the gas conduction heat. For example, the heat transfer amount by the radiation transfer heat {circle around (3)} may occupy about 20% of the total heat transfer amount.
According to the heat transfer distribution, effective heat transfer coefficients (eK: effective K) (W/mK) of the surface conduction heat {circle around (1)}, the support conduction heat {circle around (2)}, the gas conduction heat {circle around (3)}, and the radiation transfer heat {circle around (4)} may have an order of Math Equation 1 when comparing the transfer heat {circle around (1)}, {circle around (2)}, {circle around (3)}, and {circle around (4)}.
eKsolid conduction heat>eKradiation conduction heat>eKgas conduction heat [Equation 1]
Here, the effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that may be measured using a shape and temperature differences of a target product. The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that may be obtained by measuring a total heat transfer amount and a temperature at least one portion at which heat is transferred. For example, a calorific value (W) is measured using a heating source that may be quantitatively measured in the refrigerator, a temperature distribution (K) of the door is measured using heats respectively transferred through a main body and an edge of the door of the refrigerator, and a path through which heat is transferred is calculated as a conversion value (m), thereby evaluating an effective heat transfer coefficient.
The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) of the entire vacuum adiabatic body is a value given by k=QL/AΔT. Here, Q denotes a calorific value (W) and may be obtained using a calorific value of a heater. A denotes a sectional area (m2) of the vacuum adiabatic body, L denotes a thickness (m) of the vacuum adiabatic body, and ΔT denotes a temperature difference.
For the surface conduction heat, a conductive calorific value may be obtained through a temperature difference ΔT between an entrance and an exit of the conductive resistance sheet 60 or 63, a sectional area A of the conductive resistance sheet, a length L of the conductive resistance sheet, and a thermal conductivity (k) of the conductive resistance sheet (the thermal conductivity of the conductive resistance sheet is a material property of a material and may be obtained in advance). For the support conduction heat, a conductive calorific value may be obtained through a temperature difference ΔT between an entrance and an exit of the support 30, a sectional area A of the support, a length L of the support, and a thermal conductivity (k) of the support. Here, the thermal conductivity of the support may be a material property of a material and may be obtained in advance. The sum of the gas conduction heat {circle around (3)}, and the radiation transfer heat {circle around (4)} may be obtained by subtracting the surface conduction heat and the support conduction heat from the heat transfer amount of the entire vacuum adiabatic body. A ratio of the gas conduction heat {circle around (3)}, and the radiation transfer heat {circle around (4)} may be obtained by evaluating radiation transfer heat when no gas conduction heat exists by remarkably lowering a vacuum degree of the vacuum space 50.
When a porous material is provided inside the vacuum space 50, porous material conduction heat {circle around (5)} may be a sum of the support conduction heat {circle around (2)} and the radiation transfer heat {circle around (4)}. The porous material conduction heat may be changed depending on various variables including a kind, an amount, and the like of the porous material.
According to an embodiment, a temperature difference ΔT1 between a geometric center formed by adjacent bars 31 and a point at which each of the bars 31 is located may be provided to be less than 0.5° C. Also, a temperature difference ΔT2 between the geometric center formed by the adjacent bars 31 and an edge of the vacuum adiabatic body may be provided to be less than 0.5° C. In the second plate 20, a temperature difference between an average temperature of the second plate and a temperature at a point at which a heat transfer path passing through the conductive resistance sheet 60 or 63 meets the second plate may be the largest. For example, when the second space is a region hotter than the first space, the temperature at the point at which the heat transfer path passing through the conductive resistance sheet meets the second plate becomes lowest. Similarly, when the second space is a region colder than the first space, the temperature at the point at which the heat transfer path passing through the conductive resistance sheet meets the second plate becomes highest.
This means that the amount of heat transferred through other points except the surface conduction heat passing through the conductive resistance sheet should be controlled, and the entire heat transfer amount satisfying the vacuum adiabatic body may be achieved only when the surface conduction heat occupies the largest heat transfer amount. For this, a temperature variation of the conductive resistance sheet may be controlled to be larger than that of the plate.
Physical characteristics of the components constituting the vacuum adiabatic body will be described. In the vacuum adiabatic body, force due to a vacuum pressure is applied to all of the components. Therefore, a material having a strength (N/m2) of a certain level may be used.
Under such circumferences, the plates 10 and 20 and the side frame 70 may be made of a material having sufficient strength with which the plates 10 and 20 are not damaged by even the vacuum pressure. For example, when the number of bars 31 decreases to limit the support conduction heat, the deformation of each of the plates occurs due to the vacuum pressure, which may bad influence on an outer appearance of the refrigerator. The radiation resistance sheet 32 may be made of a material that has a low emissivity and may be easily subjected to thin film processing. Also, the radiation resistance sheet 32 has to ensure strength enough without being deformed by an external impact. The support 30 is provided to strength that is enough to support the force by the vacuum pressure and endure the external impact, and is to have processability. The conductive resistance sheet 60 may be made of a material that has a thin plate shape and may endure the vacuum pressure.
In an embodiment, the plate, the side frame, and the conductive resistance sheet may be made of stainless materials having the same strength. The radiation resistance sheet may be made of aluminum having weaker strength than that of each of the stainless materials. The support may be made of a resin having weaker strength than that of the aluminum.
Unlike the strength from the point of view of the materials, an analysis from the point of view of stiffness is required. The stiffness (N/m) may be a property that is not be easily deformed. Thus, although the same material is used, its stiffness may vary depending on its shape. The conductive resistance sheets 60 or 63 may be made of a material having strength, but the stiffness of the material may be low so as to increase in heat resistance and minimize the radiation heat as the conductive resistance sheet is uniformly spread without any roughness when the vacuum pressure is applied. The radiation resistance sheet 32 requires stiffness having a certain level so as not to contact another component due to deformation. Particularly, an edge of the radiation resistance sheet may generate the conduction heat due to drooping caused by the self-load of the radiation resistance sheet. Therefore, the stiffness having the certain level is required. The support 30 requires a stiffness enough to endure compressive stress from the plate and the external impact.
In an embodiment, the plate and the side frame may have the highest stiffness so as to prevent the deformation caused by the vacuum pressure. The support, particularly, the bar may have the second highest stiffness. The radiation resistance sheet may have stiffness that is lower than that of the support but higher than that of the conductive resistance sheet. Lastly, the conductive resistance sheet may be made of a material that is easily deformed by the vacuum pressure and has the lowest stiffness.
Even when the porous material 33 is filled in the vacuum space 50, the conductive resistance sheet may have the lowest stiffness, and each of the plate and the side frame may have the highest stiffness.
Hereinafter, the vacuum pressure may be determined depending on internal states of the vacuum adiabatic body. As already described above, a vacuum pressure is to be maintained inside the vacuum adiabatic body so as to reduce heat transfer. Here, it will be easily expected that the vacuum pressure is maintained as low as possible so as to reduce the heat transfer.
The vacuum space may resist to heat transfer by only the support 30. Here, a porous material 33 may be filled with the support inside the vacuum space 50 to resist to the heat transfer. The heat transfer to the porous material may resist without applying the support.
The case in which only the support is applied will be described.
Referring to
Referring to
In the embodiment, a point at which the vacuum pressure does not substantially decrease any more even though the gas is exhausted by operating the vacuum pump is set to the lowest limit of the vacuum pressure used in the vacuum adiabatic body, thereby setting the minimum internal pressure of the vacuum space 50 to 1.8×10−6 Torr.
Referring to
It was seen that, since the size of the gap is small at a point corresponding to a typical effective heat transfer coefficient of 0.0196 W/mK, which is provided to an adiabatic material formed by foaming polyurethane, the vacuum pressure is 2.65×10−1 Torr even when the size of the gap is 2.76 mm. Meanwhile, it was seen that the point at which reduction in adiabatic effect caused by the gas conduction heat is saturated even though the vacuum pressure decreases is a point at which the vacuum pressure is approximately 4.5×10−3 Torr. The vacuum pressure of 4.5×10−3 Torr may be defined as the point at which the reduction in adiabatic effect caused by the gas conduction heat is saturated. Also, when the effective heat transfer coefficient is 0.1 W/mK, the vacuum pressure is 1.2×10−2 Torr.
When the vacuum space 50 is not provided with the support but provided with the porous material, the size of the gap ranges from a few micrometers to a few hundreds of micrometers. In this case, the amount of radiation heat transfer is small due to the porous material even when the vacuum pressure is relatively high, i.e., when the vacuum degree is low. Therefore, an appropriate vacuum pump is used to adjust the vacuum pressure. The vacuum pressure appropriate to the corresponding vacuum pump is approximately 2.0×10−4 Torr. Also, the vacuum pressure at the point at which the reduction in adiabatic effect caused by the gas conduction heat is saturated is approximately 4.7×10−2 Torr. Also, the pressure where the reduction in adiabatic effect caused by gas conduction heat reaches the typical effective heat transfer coefficient of 0.0196 W/mK is 730 Torr.
When the support and the porous material are provided together in the vacuum space, a vacuum pressure may be created and used, which is middle between the vacuum pressure when only the support is used and the vacuum pressure when only the porous material is used. When only the porous material is used, the lowest vacuum pressure may be used.
The vacuum adiabatic body includes a first plate defining at least a portion of a wall for the first space and a second plate defining at least a portion of a wall for the second space and having a temperature different from the first space. The first plate may include a plurality of layers. The second plate may include a plurality of layers
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include a seal configured to seal the first plate and the second plate so as to provide a third space that is in a vacuum state and has a temperature between a temperature of the first space and a temperature of the second space.
When one of the first plate and the second plate is disposed in an inner space of the third space, the plate may be represented as an inner plate. When the other one of the first plate and the second plate is disposed in an outer space of the third space, the plate may be represented as an outer plate. For example, the inner space of the third space may be a storage room of the refrigerator. The outer space of the third space may be an outer space of the refrigerator.
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include a support that maintains the third space.
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include a conductive resistance sheet connecting the first plate to the second plate to reduce an amount of heat transferred between the first plate and the second plate.
At least a portion of the conductive resistance sheet may be disposed to face the third space. The conductive resistance sheet may be disposed between an edge of the first plate and an edge of the second plate. The conductive resistance sheet may be disposed between a surface on which the first plate faces the first space and a surface on which the second plate faces the second space. The conductive resistance sheet may be disposed between a side surface of the first plate and a side surface of the second plate.
At least a portion of the conductive resistance sheet may extend in a direction that is substantially the same as the direction in which the first plate extends.
A thickness of the conductive resistance sheet may be thinner than at least one of the first plate or the second plate. The more the conductive resistance sheet decreases in thickness, the more heat transfer may decrease between the first plate and the second plate.
The more the conductive resistance sheet decreases in thickness, the more it may be difficult to couple the conductive resistance sheet between the first plate and the second plate.
One end of the conductive resistance sheet may be disposed to overlap at least a portion of the first plate. This is to provide a space for coupling one end of the conductive resistance sheet to the first plate. Here, the coupling method may include welding.
The other end of the conductive resistance sheet may be arranged to overlap at least a portion of the second plate. This is to provide a space for coupling the other end of the conductive resistance sheet to the second plate. Here, the coupling method may include welding.
As another embodiment of replacing the conductive resistance sheet, the conductive resistance sheet may be deleted, and one of the first plate and the second plate may be thinner than the other. In this case, any thickness may be greater than that of the conductive resistance sheet. In this case, any length may be greater than that of the conductive resistance sheet. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the increase in heat transfer by deleting the conductive resistance sheet. Also, this configuration may reduce difficulty in coupling the first plate to the second plate.
At least a portion of the first plate and at least a portion of the second plate may be disposed to overlap each other. This is to provide a space for coupling the first plate to the second plate. An additional cover may be disposed on any one of the first plate and the second plate, which has a thin thickness. This is to protect the thin plate.
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include an exhaust port for discharging a gas in the vacuum space.
The vacuum adiabatic body may further include a decor disposed outside the conductive resistance sheet.
Here, the decor may be represented as a sealing frame 200 in
Referring to
Since the conductive resistance sheet 60 has the thin plate shape and low strength, the conductive resistance sheet 60 may be damaged by even an external small impact. As a result, when the conductive resistance sheet 60 is damaged, the vacuum of the vacuum space may be broken, and thus, performance of the vacuum adiabatic body may not be properly exerted. To solve this limitation, a sealing frame 200 may be disposed on an outer surface of the conductive resistance sheet 60. According to the sealing frame 200, components of the door 3 or other components may not directly contact the conductive resistance sheet 60 but indirectly contact the conductive resistance sheet 60 through the sealing frame 200 to prevent the conductive resistance sheet 60 from being damaged. To allow the sealing frame 200 to prevent an impact from being applied to the conductive resistance sheet 60, the two portions may be spaced apart from each other, and a buffer may be interposed between the two portions.
To reinforce the strength of the vacuum adiabatic body, a reinforcement may be provided on each of the plates 10 and 20. For example, the reinforcement may include a first reinforcement 100 coupled to an edge of the second plate 10 and a second reinforcement 110 coupled to an edge of the first plate 10. To improve the strength of the vacuum adiabatic body, a portion having a thickness and strength greater than that of the plate 10 may be applied to the reinforcements 100 and 110. The first reinforcement 100 may be provided in an inner space of the vacuum space 50, and the second reinforcement 110 may be provided on an inner surface of the main body 2.
The conductive resistance sheet 60 may not contact the reinforcements 100 and 110. This is done because thermal conductive resistance characteristics generated in the conductive resistance sheet 60 is destroyed by the reinforcements. That is to say, a width of a narrow heat bridge (heat bridge) that resists to the thermal conduction is greatly expanded by the reinforcement, and the narrow heat bridge characteristics are destroyed.
Since the width of the inner space of the vacuum space 50 is narrow, the first reinforcement 100 may be provided in a flat plate shape in cross-section. The second reinforcement 110 provided on the inner surface of the main body 2 may be provided in a shape of which a cross-section is bent.
The sealing frame 200 may include an inner surface 230 disposed in the inner space of the main body 2 and supported by the first plate 10, an outer surface 210 disposed in the external space of the main body 2 and supported by the second plate 20, and a side surface 220 disposed on a side surface of the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body constituting the main body 2 to cover the conductive resistance sheet 60 and connect the inner surface 230 to the outer surface 210.
The sealing frame 200 may be made of a resin material that is slightly deformable. A mounted position of the sealing frame 200 may be maintained by an interaction between the inner surface 230 and the outer surface 210, i.e., by a holding operation. That is to say, the set position may not be separated.
The position fixing of the sealing frame 200 will be described in detail.
First, movement of the plates 10 and 20 in the extension direction (a y-axis direction in
The movement of the sealing frame 200 in the vertical extension direction (an x-axis direction in
The movement of the sealing frame 200 in the extension direction (a z-axis direction in
Referring to
When the side edge of the main body 2 is separated as illustrated in
When the side edge of the main body 2 is sealed with the two sealing frames 200g and 200c as illustrated in
In the case of sealing the side edge of the main body 2 with the four sealing frames 200a, 200c, 200d and 200f as illustrated in
The embodiment of the vacuum adiabatic body illustrated in
In more detail, since the width of the side surface 220 is greater than the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum adiabatic body, that is, the width of the vacuum adiabatic body, an adiabatic width of the gasket may be provided at a sufficiently wide width. For example, when the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum adiabatic body is about 10 mm, there is an advantage that the storage space of the refrigerator is enlarged by providing a large storage space in the cavity. However, there is a problem that the gap of about 10 mm does not provide a sufficient gap for the contact of the gasket. In this case, since the side surface 220 provides a wide gap corresponding to the contact area of the gasket, it is possible to effectively prevent the cool air from being lost through the contact interval between the main body 2 and the door 3. That is, when the contact width of the gasket is about 20 mm, even though the width of the side surface 220 may be about 20 mm or more, the side surface 220 may have a width about 20 mm or more to corresponding to the contact width of the gasket.
It may be understood that the sealing frame 200 performs the shielding of the conductive resistance sheet and the sealing function to prevent the cool air from being lost.
Referring to
In detail, when a gasket sealing surface 81 of the gasket contacts the side surface 220, a sealing surface 221 of the side surface having a sufficient width may be provided. The sealing surface 221 of the side surface may be defined as a contact surface on the side surface 220 which is in contact with the gasket sealing surface 81 when the gasket 80 contacts the side surface 220.
Thus, it is possible to secure the sealing surfaces 81 and 221 having a sufficient area irrespective of the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum adiabatic body. This is because even if the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum adiabatic body is narrow, and the adiabatic thickness of the vacuum adiabatic body is narrower than the gasket sealing surface 81, if the width of the side surface 220 increases, the sealing surface 221 of the side surface having the sufficient width may be obtained. In addition, the sealing surfaces 81 and 221 having the sufficient area may be ensured irrespective of the deformation of the portion, which may affect the deformation of the contact surface between the main body and the door. This is because it is possible to provide a predetermined clearance in and out of the side surface sealing surface 221 in designing the side surface 220 so that even if the slight deformation occurs between the sealing surfaces 81 and 221, the width and area may be maintained.
In the sealing frame 200, the outer surface 210, the side surface 220, and the inner surface 230 may be provided, and their set positions may be maintained. Briefly, the outer surface 210 and the inner surface 230 may be provided in a shape, i.e., a recessed groove shape that is capable of holding end of the vacuum adiabatic body, more particularly, the plates 10 and 20. Here, it may be understood that the recessed groove has a configuration of a recessed groove as a constitution in which a width between the ends of the outer surface 210 and the inner surface 230 is less than the width of the side surface 220.
The coupling of the sealing frame 200 will be briefly described. First, the side surface 220 and the outer surface 210 rotate in the direction of the second plate 20 in a state in which the inner surface 230 is hooked with the second reinforcement 110. Thus, the sealing frame 200 is elastically deformed, and the outer surface 210 may move inward along the outer surface of the second plate 20 to complete the coupling. When the coupling of the sealing frame is completed, the sealing frame may return to its original shape before being deformed. When the coupling is completed, the installation position may be maintained as described above.
Detailed configuration and operation of the sealing frame 200 will be described.
The outer surface 210 is provided with an extension 211 that extends to the outside of the refrigerator (hereinafter, referred to as an outward extension), which extends inward from an end of the second plate 20 and a contact portion 212 outside the refrigerator (hereinafter, referred to as an outside contact portion), which contacts the outer surface of the second plate 20 at an end of the outside extension 211.
The outward extension 211 may have a predetermined length to prevent the outer surface 210 from being separated by external weak force. That is to say, even though the outer surface 210 is forced to be pulled toward the door due to carelessness of the user, the outer surface 210 may not be completely separated from the second plate 20. However, if it is excessively long, there is difficulty in intentional removal at the time of repair, and it is preferable that the length is limited to a predetermined length because the coupling operation becomes difficult.
The outside contact portion 212 may be provided with a structure in which an end of the outside extension 211 is slightly bent toward the outer surface of the second plate 20. Thus, the sealing due to the contact between the outer surface 210 and the second plate 20 may be completed to prevent foreign substances from being introduced.
The side surface 220 is bent at an angle of about 90 degrees from the outer surface 210 toward the opening of the main body 2 and is provided with a width enough to secure the sufficient width of the side surface sealing surface 221. The side surface 220 may be provided thinner than the inner surface 210 and the outer surface 230. This is for the purpose of permitting the elastic deformation at the time of coupling or removing the sealing frame 200 and the purpose of not permitting a distance to cause magnetic force between the magnet disposed on the gasket 80 and the magnetic body on the side of the main body so that the magnetic force is weakened. The side surface 220 may have a purpose of protecting the conductive resistance sheet 60 and arranging an outer appearance as an exposed portion of the outside. When the adiabatic portion is provided inside the side surface 220, the adiabatic performance of the conductive resistance sheet 60 may be reinforced.
The inner surface 230 extends from the side surface 220 in the direction of the inside of the refrigerator, that is, in the rear surface direction of the main body, at about 90 degrees. The inner surface 230 may perform an operation for fixing the sealing frame 200, an operation for installing components that are necessary for operation of a product to which the vacuum adiabatic body is installed, such as a refrigerator, and an operation for preventing an external inflow of foreign substances.
The operation corresponding to each constituent of the inner surface 230 will be described.
The inner surface 230 is provided with an extension 231 that extends to inside of the refrigerator (hereinafter, referred to as an inward extension), which is bent from an inner end of the side surface 220 to extend and a first portion coupling portion 232 bent from an inner end of the inward extension 231, i.e., toward the inner surface of the first plate 10. The first portion coupling portion 232 may contact a protrusion 112 of the second reinforcement 110 so as to be hooked. The inward extension 231 may provide an interval extending toward the inside of the refrigerator so that the first portion coupling portion 232 is hooked with the inside of the second reinforcement 110.
Since the first portion coupling portion 232 is hooked with the second reinforcement 110, the supporting operation of the sealing frame 200 may be realized. The second reinforcement 110 may further include a base 111 coupled to the first plate 10 and a protrusion 112 bent and extending from the base 111. An inertia moment of the second reinforcement 110 may increase by a structure of the base 111 and the protrusion 112 so that ability to resist the bending strength increases.
The first portion coupling portion 232 and the second portion coupling portion 233 may be coupled to each other. The first and second portion coupling portions 232 and 233 may be provided as separate portions to be coupled to each other or may be provided as a single portion from the design stage.
A gas formation portion 234 that further extends from the inner end of the second portion coupling portion 233 to the inside of the refrigerator may be further provided. The gap formation portion 234 may serve as a portion for providing an interval or space in which components necessary for operation of the appliance such as the refrigerator provided with the vacuum adiabatic body are disposed.
An inclined portion 235 that is inclined to the inside of the refrigerator (hereinafter, referred to as an inward inclined portion) is further provided. The inward inclined portion 235 may be provided so as to be inclined toward the end, that is, toward the first plate 10 toward the inside of the refrigerator. The inward inclined portion 235 may be provided so that a gap between the sealing frame and the first plate becomes smaller inward. Thus, it is possible to secure a space for mounting a component such as a lamp by cooperation with the gap forming portion 234 while minimizing the volume occupying the inner space of the sealing frame 200 as much as possible.
A contact portion 236 within the refrigerator (hereinafter, referred to as an inside contact portion) is disposed on an inner end of the inward inclined portion 235. The inside contact portion 236 may be provided with a structure in which an end of the inward inclined portion 235 is slightly bent toward the inner surface of the second plate 10. Thus, the sealing due to the contact between the inner surface 230 and the second plate 10 may be completed to prevent foreign substances from being introduced.
When an accessory component such as a lamp is installed on the inner surface 230, the inner surface 230 may be divided into two parts to achieve the purpose of the installation convenience of the component. For example, the inner surface 230 may be divided into a first portion for providing the inward extension 231 and the first portion coupling portion 232 and a second portion providing the second portion coupling portion 233, the gap formation portion 234, the inward inclined portion 235, and inside contact portion 236. In a state in which a product such as the lamp is mounted on the second portion, the first portion and the second portion may be coupled to each other in such a manner that the second portion coupling portion 233 is coupled to the first portion coupling portion 232. Alternatively, it does not exclude that the inner surface 230 is provided in more various manners. For example, the inner surface 230 may be provided as a single portion.
Referring to
In this case, the second reinforcement 110 may move to the inside of the refrigerator without contacting the conductive resistance sheet 60 in order not to affect the high thermal conductive adiabatic performance of the conductive resistance sheet 60. This is done for achieving a function of a heat bridge of the conductive resistance sheet. Thus, the conductive resistance sheet 60 and the second reinforcement 110 do not contact each other so that the conductive adiabatic performance by the conductive resistance sheet and the strength reinforcement performance of the vacuum adiabatic body by the reinforcement are achieved at the same time.
In this embodiment, it may be applied to the case in which perfect thermal protection and physical protection for the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body are required.
Referring to
At least one or more first portion insertion portions 237 that is bent to extend to the inside of the refrigerator may be provided at ends of the first portion coupling portion 232. For example, at least one or more first portion insertion portions 237 may be provided for each sealing frame 200 installed in the refrigerator. A second portion insertion recess 238 may be provided in a position corresponding to the first portion insertion portion 237. The first portion insertion portion 237 and the second portion insertion recess 238 may be similar in size and shape to each other. Thus, the first portion insertion portion 237 may be inserted into the second portion insertion recess 238 and then be fitted and fixed.
The coupling of the first portion and the second portion will be described. In the state in which the first portion is coupled to the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body, the second portion may be aligned with respect to the first portion so that the second portion insertion recess 238 corresponds to the first portion insertion portion 237. When the first portion insertion portion 237 is inserted into the second portion insertion recess 238, the two portions may be coupled to each other.
To prevent the coupled second portion from being separated from the first portion, at least a portion of the second portion insertion recess 238 may have a size less than that of the first portion insertion portion 237. Thus, the two portions may be forcibly fitted. To perform an operation of being hooked and supported after the second portion insertion recess 238 and the first portion insertion portion 237 are inserted by a predetermined depth, a protrusion and a groove may be respectively provided on/in any point after the predetermined depth. Here, after the two portions are inserted at a certain depth, the two portions may be inserted further beyond the jaws to allow the two portions to be more firmly fixed. Here, the worker may feel that he/she is correctly inserted through the feeling.
The two portions constituting the inner surface may be fixed at the position and the coupling relation by the structure in which the two portion are inserted and coupled to each other. Alternatively, when a load is large due to the operation of the second portion that fixes a separator component, the first portion and the second portion may be coupled to each other by a separate coupling portion such as an inner coupling tool 239.
Referring to
For example, in the state in which the inner surface 230 is hooked with the second reinforcement 110, the side surface 220 and the outer surface 210 rotate in the direction of the second plate 20 by using a connection point between the inner surface 230 and the side surface 220 as a rotation center. This operation may cause elastic deformation of the side surface 220.
Thereafter, the outer surface 210 may move inward from the outer surface of the second plate 20 so that the elastic force of the side surface 220 acts on the outer surface 210 and thus lightly coupled. When the coupling of the sealing frame is completed, the sealing frame may be seated in its original position designed in its original shape designed.
Referring to
Referring to
The component seating portion 250 may have a predetermined shape that is capable of being fitted with the component 399 to fix a position of the component 399.
Referring to
To allow the first portion coupling portion 232 and the second portion insertion recess 238 to be forcibly fitted with respect to each other, the first portion coupling portion 232 may be slightly larger than the second portion insertion recess 238 and have a hook structure such as a protrusion and a projection so as to realize easy insertion.
Referring to
In the case of the refrigerator, a door hinge is provided at the connection so that the door-side vacuum adiabatic body is rotatably coupled to the main body-side vacuum adiabatic body. The door hinge has to have predetermined strength and also be capable of preventing drooping of the door due to its own weight in a state in which the door is coupled and preventing the main body from being twisted.
Referring to
Since the door coupling tool 260 requires high supporting strength, the door coupling tool 260 may be coupled to the second plate 20. For this, the sealing frame 200 may be cut, and the sealing frame 200 to be cut may be the upper sealing frame 200b at an upper edge of the main body-side vacuum adiabatic body. Also, the sealing frame 200 may include right sealing frames 200a, 200f, and 200g on a right edge of the main body-side vacuum adiabatic body, and a lower side sealing frame 200e on a lower edge of the main body-side vacuum adiabatic body. If the door installation direction is different, the left sealing frames 200a, 200f, and 200g at the left edge of the main body-side vacuum adiabatic body may be used.
The sealing frame 200 to be cut may have a cutoff surface 261, and the second plate may have a door coupling tool seating surface 262 to which the door coupling tool 260 is coupled. Thus, the sealing frame 220 may be cut to be exposed to the outside of the door coupling tool seating surface 262, and an additional plate may be further inserted into the door coupling tool seating surface 262.
As described in the drawings, the end of the sealing frame 200 may not be entirely removed, but a portion of the sealing frame 200 may be removed only at a portion at which the door coupling tool 260 is provided. However, it may be more preferable that all the ends of the sealing frame 200 are removed to facilitate the fabrication and to allow the door hinge 263 to contact the vacuum adiabatic body so as to be firmly coupled to the vacuum adiabatic body.
Referring to
According to an embodiment, the hot line 270 may be disposed in an inner space of a gap between the second plate 20 and the sealing frame 200. A hot line accommodation portion 271 in which the hot line 270 is disposed may be further provided in the sealing frame 200. Since the hot line 270 is placed outside the conductive resistance sheet 60, an amount of heat transferred to the inside of the refrigerator is small. Thus, the dew condensation on the main body and the door contact portion may be prevented by using smaller heat capacity. In addition, the hot line 270 may be disposed on a relative outside of the refrigerator, i.e., a bent portion between the edge of the main body and the outer surface of the main body to prevent heat from being introduced into the inner space of the refrigerator.
In this embodiment, the side surface 220 of the sealing frame 200 may have a portion w1 that is aligned with the gasket 80 and the vacuum space 50 and a portion w2 that is not aligned with the vacuum space 50 but aligned with the gasket 80 and the inner space of the refrigerator. This is a portion provided by the side surface 220 to ensure sufficient cool air interruption by the magnet. Thus, the sealing effect by the gasket 80 may be sufficiently achieved by the sealing frame 200.
In this embodiment, the inward inclined portion 235 is provided to be inclined toward the inner surface of the first plate 10 at a predetermined angle β. This makes it possible to give the effect in which the capacity within the refrigerator increases so that the narrow space within the refrigerator is more widely used. That is to say, like the related art, the inward inclined portion may be inclined to a direction opposite to the predetermined angle β toward the inner space of the refrigerator to widely utilize a space that is close to the door. For example, more foods may be accommodated in the door, and more space for accommodating various components that are necessary for operation of the device may be defined.
Hereinafter, various examples in which the sealing frame 200 is installed will be described with reference to
Referring to
In this embodiment, the sealing frame 200 may be coupled to the end of the vacuum adiabatic body by aligning the first portion coupling portion 232 to be inserted into the groove 275 when the sealing frame 200 is coupled.
According to the coupling operation of the groove 275 and the first portion coupling portion 232, the movement of the sealing frame 200 in the y-axis direction may be stopped through only the coupling of the inner surface 230 of the sealing frame 200 and the second reinforcement 110.
Referring to
A groove 277 is provided in the reinforcement base 276, and an end of the first portion coupling portion 232 is inserted into the groove 277 to align the sealing frame 200 with the vacuum adiabatic body. Thus, the sealing frame 200 may be coupled to the end of the vacuum adiabatic body.
According to the coupling operation of the groove 277 and the first portion coupling portion 232, the movement of the sealing frame 200 in the y-axis direction may be stopped through only the coupling of the inner surface 230 of the sealing frame 200 and the second reinforcement 110.
Referring to
The first portion coupling portion 232 may be hooked to be supported by the reinforcement protrusion 278 so that the sealing frame 200 is coupled to the end of the vacuum adiabatic body.
The embodiment proposed in
Although the second reinforcement 110 is provided in the above embodiment, a case in which the sealing frame 200 is coupled when a separate reinforcement is not provided inside the first plate 10 will be described in the following embodiment.
Referring to
The first portion coupling groove 282 may be provided in the first portion coupling portion 232 so as to be inserted and fixed to the inner protrusion 281. The inner protrusion 281 may be inserted into the first portion coupling groove 282 so that a coupled position of the sealing frame 200 is fixed.
Referring to
When compared to the embodiment proposed in
In the embodiment proposed in
Referring to
In case of this embodiment, the inner surface 230 of the sealing frame 200 may be allowed to move with respect to the inner surface of the first plate 10 such as the sliding or the like. In this embodiment, mounting and fixing of the sealing frame 200 are different only in the direction, and the same description may be applied.
Various embodiments may be further proposed in addition to the embodiment related to
In the above embodiment, the sealing frame 200 is made of a resin and is provided to be coupled to the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body. When the sealing frame has sufficient strength and thickness, the sealing frame may act for sufficient strength reinforcement. However, due to the nature of the resin material, deterioration of the product due to a long period of use, damage during handling, and interference with the resin material may cause a decrease in adhesion between the door magnet and the refrigerator body.
Examples for solving these limitations are described below.
In the following embodiment, since a portion corresponding to the sealing frame 200 is provided in a form in which at least two separate components are coupled, it may be referred to as a cover assembly.
Referring to
A cover assembly 400 is provided on an edge of the vacuum adiabatic body to obtain larger magnetism. The cover assembly may include a cover adiabatic material 401 provided at a position corresponding to a side surface of the sealing frame and made of a resin that is a nonmetal and arms 402 and 403 provided at positions corresponding to inner and outer surfaces of the sealing frame and made of a magnetic material such as iron.
Since the gap between the magnetic body disposed on the main body and the magnet 83 decreases, adhesion between the door and the main body may more increase. In this case, even if strength of the vibration adiabatic body increases by increasing in thickness of the cover adiabatic material 401, a decrease in adhesion may not occur.
The cover adiabatic material 401 may increase in thickness to sufficiently protect the conductive resistance sheet 60 and perform an adiabatic operation to reduce a heat loss.
Since the arms 402 and 403 are made of a metal, there is no limitation such as breakage even if elastic deformation occurs when the cover adiabatic material 401 is mounted. When stainless is used as the material, even if it is used for a long time, damage and deterioration may not occur.
The arms 402 and 403 may protect an edge of the main body due to a thin and elastic configuration thereof when compared to other examples in which the arms are made of a resin.
The first reinforcement 100 and the second reinforcement 110 for reinforcing strength of the vacuum adiabatic body, the radiation resistance sheet 32 for reducing heat transfer, and the support 30 may be provided as the same as the original embodiment. Needless to say, other portions may be applied together between embodiments within a range in which the portions are not contradicted with each other.
The configuration and operation of the cover assembly will be described in more detail with reference to
The inner arm 402 and the outer arm 402 may include coupling portions 4021 and 4031 coupled to the cover heat adiabatic material 401, shoulders extending along an outer surface of at least a portion of the cover heat adiabatic material 401, and arms 4023 and 4033 further extending along the plates 10 and 20.
Even if at least one of the inner arm or the outer arm is made of the resin material, it may be able to provide adhesion force to the magnet 83.
The coupling portions 4021 and 4031 and the cover adiabatic material 401 may be coupled to each other by various methods such as bonding, mechanical bonding, insert injection, and press-fitting. In the drawings, the insert injection method may be applied.
A length of each of the first shoulders 4022 and 4032 may be provided below about 25% of the total length of the cover adiabatic material so as not to affect an adiabatic effect of the cover adiabatic material. Each of the second shoulders 4024 and 4034 may be provided to about 20 mm or less for convenience of installation. The cover adiabatic material may have a thickness of about 3 mm or less.
When the cover assembly 400 is mounted on the vacuum adiabatic body, the arms 4023 and 4033 may perform an unfolding operation to a predetermined rotation angle. The arms 4023 and 4033 may hold the plates 10 and 20 to fix the position of the cover assembly 400.
The shoulders 4022, 4024, 4032, and 4034 are interposed between the arms 4023 and 4033 and the coupling portions 4021 and 4031 to assist the gripping of the arm and protect and reinforce the cover assembly 400. Particularly, portions to which the first shoulders 4022 and 4032 and the second shoulders 4024 and 4034 are connected may be portions that are vulnerable to an external impact, and thus a reinforcement effect by the protection of the metal material may be obtained. The connection portions 4021 and 4031, and the shoulders 4022, 4024, 4032, and 4034 may extend by bending their connection portions.
The constituents of the cover assembly may be divided for each portion.
Particularly, the cover assembly 400 may be divided into a front cover that further extends from the ends of the plates 10 and 20 to protect a front side of the vacuum adiabatic body 410 and inner and outer covers 420 and 430 that protect inner and outer sides at the end of the vacuum adiabatic body, respectively.
The front cover 410 may be disposed outside the conductive resistance sheet and be provided to have a thickness greater than the thickness of each of the plates 10 and 20. Accordingly, dew generated on the periphery of the conductive resistance sheet may be reduced.
When the heat transfer amount of the cover assembly is observed, the heat transfer amount of the inner and outer covers 420 and 430 is greater than an amount of the heat transfer passing through the front cover 410. The reason is that the arms 402 and 403 with high conductivity are spaced apart from each other by the resin of the cover adiabatic material. Thus, the front cover 410 may perform an operation of reducing the heat transfer through the cover assembly.
To further reduce an amount of thermal conduction through the front cover 410 and increase in the structural stability of the mechanism structure, the thickness of each portion of the cover assembly may be proposed as follows.
Accordingly, the amount of thermal conduction through the front cover 410 may be more reduced. As a result, the amount of heat transfer through the cover assembly together with structural reinforcement, that is, the amount of heat passing through the inside and outside may be further reduced.
On the other hand, to reinforce the structural strength of the vacuum adiabatic body and to further block the vacuum leakage, the ends of the inner and outer arms 4023 and 4033 and the ends of the plates 10 and 20 are mutually welded to each other. The welded portion may be provided in a closed curve structure for sealing. Of course, if sealing is possible, other coupling methods may be applied in addition to the welding. Also, various methods such as the coupling and the like may be applied if the sealing is not strictly requested.
As described above, the door and the main body providing the refrigerator may be conveniently attached to each other by the magnet. For this, the front cover 410 may be placed on a position at which at least a portion of the magnet 83 overlaps, and a magnetic body may be disposed on at least a portion or a rear side of the front cover 410 of the front cover 410.
Although the magnetic body is disposed at the front side in this embodiment, it is not limited thereto. For example, a portion of the arm that is the magnetic body may be disposed inside the front cover, a portion of the arm that is the magnetic body may be disposed on at least one surface of a front surface and a rear surface of the front cover, at least a portion of the plate that is the magnetic body may be disposed behind the front cover, or at least a portion of the conductive resistance sheet that is made of a magnetic material may be disposed behind the front cover.
The front cover 410 and the inner and outer covers 420 and 430 may be provided to have conditions of strength, yield strength, and elastic modulus as follows so that the edge of the cover assembly and the vacuum adiabatic body are conveniently coupled and is reinforced in strength.
First condition: the front cover 410 has an elastic modulus (N/m) greater than that of each of the inner and outer covers 420 and 430.
Second condition: the front cover 410 has yield strength (N/m2) less than that of each of the inner and outer covers 420, 430.
Third condition: the front cover 410 has a thickness greater than that of each of the inner and outer covers 420 and 430.
According to the above conditions, the coupling of the cover assembly may be facilitated, and the edge and corner of the vacuum adiabatic body may be protected and increase in strength. The inner and outer covers 420 and 430 may be provided in a lattice structure to decrease in elastic modulus of each of the inner and outer covers 420 and 430.
The cover assembly 400 may reduce damage of the conductive resistance sheet 60.
The cover assembly may include an inner cover 420 connected to the inner plate to extend toward a rear surface of the main body so as to cover an outer surface of the inner plate.
The cover assembly may include an outer cover 430 connected to the outer plate to extend toward the rear surface of the main body so as to cover an outer surface of the outer plate.
The cover assembly may further include a front cover 410 positioned in front of the conductive resistance sheet to prevent the conductive resistance sheet from being damaged. The front cover may include a nonmetal material to thermally insulate the conductive resistance sheet.
A door that opens and closes a first space defined by the vacuum adiabatic body may be provided at one side of the vacuum adiabatic body.
The inner cover may further include a first shoulder 4022 extending along the outer surface of the front cover so as to be coupled to a magnet provided on one side of the door.
The outer cover may further include a second shoulder 4032 extending along the outer surface of the front cover so as to be coupled to the magnet provided on one side of the door. Each of the first shoulder 4020 and the second shoulder 4032 may include a metal material.
The first shoulder 4022 and the second shoulder 4032 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other. Such the constituents may block a heat transfer path between the inner plate and the outer plate. As a result, the heat transfer between the inner plate and the outer plate may be reduced to reduce dew generated around the vacuum adiabatic body.
A heater 270 may be further provided in the cover assembly 400. The heater 270 may be disposed closer to the outer cover than the inner cover. As a result, dew that may be generated on the front cover 410 or the outer cover 430 may be reduced.
The shoulder of the outer cover may extend toward the conductive resistance sheet. Such the constituent may allow heat supplied by the heater to be transferred to the conductive resistance sheet.
The shoulder of the outer cover may extend adjacent to the edge of the conductive resistance sheet.
The outer cover may be disposed to cover the conductive resistance sheet or overlap the conductive resistance sheet. Such the constituent may allow heat supplied by the heater to be transferred to the conductive resistance sheet.
The outer cover 430 may further extend from a portion toward the rear surface of the main body so that a point at which the outer cover 430 has the lowest surface temperature becomes a point that is spaced a predetermined distance from a point, at which the outer cover and the conductive resistance sheet 60 meet or overlap each other, toward the rear surface of the main body.
The heater may be a heating element including at least one of a heater or a hot line. The hot line is referred to as a pipeline through which a hot coolant flows.
The heater may be applied to the case in which the cover assembly is provided. In
Another embodiment is proposed in which various conditions described above are satisfied in various aspects. In the following description of another embodiments, the portions that are different based on
First,
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Although not shown, an embodiment in which only the first shoulder is not provided, and only the second shoulder is provided may be considered.
Referring to
Referring to
In
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
That is, modified ideas of
An embodiment of
Referring to
An embodiment of
Referring to
An embodiment of
Referring to
An embodiment of
Referring to
An embodiment of
It is seen that the cover assembly is implemented in various ways according to the various embodiments and the modified examples described above.
Hereinafter, further another embodiment in which a cover adiabatic material 401 is divided into two portions will be described. When the cover adiabatic material is separated, components are unified according to the structure of the vacuum adiabatic body, and thus, a stock may be reduced.
Referring to
The cover coupling portion 4013 is illustrated as a structure of a groove and hook, but is not limited thereto. The cover coupling portion 4013 may be coupled in various ways such as attachment, screw coupling, and fitting.
Inner and outer arms 402 and 403 may be fitted between the first cover adiabatic material 4011 and the second cover adiabatic material 4012.
Although not shown, an opening is provided in each of the inner and outer arms 402 and 403, and the cover coupling portion 4013 may be inserted into the opening. According to this structure, a structure in which the cover coupling portion 4013 holds the inner and outer arms 402 and 403 is possible, and thus, an advantage, in which coupling force between the inner and outer arms 402 and 403 becomes stronger and is firmed, may be expected.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the stock of components and implement the cover assembly in various ways so as to correspond to an edge of the vacuum adiabatic body having various structures.
The following examples are not only for the purpose of close contact between the main body and the door, reinforcement of the edge, and protection of the conductive resistance sheet, but also for solving limitations caused by the metal material of the vacuum adiabatic body using the plate and the surface of the metal material.
In the following embodiments, the front cover, the inner cover, and the outer cover are divided according to the position of the cover assembly, and it is the same that the function according to the position is performed.
The following limitations may be mentioned in that the plate is made of a metal. There are limitations related to an unevenness caused by uneven supporting of a vacuum pressure of the plate, difficulty in mounting components on a surface of the metal, and vacuum destruction when a sharp impact is applied to the metal.
Referring to
The outer cover 501 may include a shoulder 5011 and an outer cover extension 5012. A function of the outer cover 501 may be understood similarly to the case of the outer arm 403. It may be expected that an operation of the outer cover 430 is performed on a portion of the outer cover 501, which is placed on the outer cover 430. This may be also applied to the front cover 410.
The outer cover 501 may lengthily extend backward from the outer surface of the refrigerator body to protect the outer surface of the main body. According to this configuration, it is possible to protect not only the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body, but also the outer surface of the vacuum adiabatic body as a whole.
The outer cover may be made of a resin to provide a flat surface, thereby improving aesthetics. The outer cover may block a sharp impact applied to the surface of the plate, thereby prevent the surface of the plate from being damaged. This is because the damage of the plate is a big limitation that leads to the disposal of the entire refrigerator. For this, the outer cover may be provided to be thicker than each of the outer arm and plate.
The outer cover may remove a curvature generated in the plate due to the vacuum pressure and the lattice-type support to increase in product satisfaction of a consumer.
The outer cover may extend to a rear edge of the side surface of the main body and may be faithful to the protection of the entire side surface exposed to the outside.
The outer cover may extend beyond the rear edge of the side surface of the main body to the rear surface of the main body to protect the entire outer surface exposed to the outside.
A painting layer may be provided on the outer surface of the outer cover. The outer cover may be made of a material that is capable of being painted or may be subjected to suitable processing. As a result, the service life of the product may increase.
Referring to
The outer arm 403 and the outer cover 501 may perform the function of each of the portions as described above.
The outer arm 403 may protect the side surface of the main body from which the outer cover extends along the outer cover 501. In other words, the outer cover may protect the outer surface of the main body, and in addition, the outer arm 403 may also protect the outer surface of the main body.
As described above, the outer arm 403 may use a metal material, and the outer cover 501 may use a nonmetal resin as materials.
The outer arm 403 and the outer cover 501 may be coupled to each other, and a method of coupling may include screw coupling, fitting, insert injection, and press-fitting.
Referring to
The inner cover 601 includes a shoulder 6011 and an inner cover extension 6012. A function of the inner cover 601 may be understood similarly to the case of the inner arm 402. It is understood that a portion of the inner cover 601 placed on the inner cover 420 is performed by the inner cover 420. This may be also applied to the front cover 410.
The inner cover 601 may lengthily extend backward from the inner surface of the refrigerator body to protect the inner surface of the main body. The inner cover 601 may extend from the inside of the main body of the refrigerator to the rear surface to protect the inner surface of the main body. According to this configuration, it is possible to protect not only the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body, but also the inner surface of the vacuum adiabatic body as a whole.
The inner cover may be made of a resin to provide a flat surface, thereby improving aesthetics. The inner cover may block a sharp impact applied to the surface of the plate, thereby prevent the surface of the plate from being damaged. This is because the damage of the plate is a big limitation that leads to the disposal of the entire refrigerator. For this, the inner cover may be provided to be thicker than each of the inner arm and plate.
The inner cover removes a curvature generated on the plate and may not only faithfully protect the inner surface of the main body, but also a plurality of components that are necessary for the operation of the main body may be supported on the inner cover 601. For example, a shelf supporting foods or a storage container in the refrigerator may be mounted, a drawer may be supported, a duct may be installed, an electric wire is mounted, or an operation as a panel on which the components such as lightings are mounted may be performed.
Each of the inner cover and the outer cover may be mounted as a portion of the cover assembly, but not only a portion of the cover assembly for reinforcing the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body, other functions may be performed.
Particularly, there is no need to provide a separate mounting structure, as a simple component extending from the cover assembly, the inner cover and the outer cover may be mounted together while the cover assembly is mounted. Due to the simple mounting, a plurality of components that are required for performing the function of the refrigerator may be mounted on the inner cover 601 in the refrigerator. In addition, the outer cover 501 may be placed outside the refrigerator to achieve a function of improving strength, preventing damage to the plate, and improving the curved surface shape. Of course, the protection against the edge of the vacuum adiabatic body may be achieved.
It is possible to obtain the advantage that many necessary components are mounted to the refrigerator at one time in one mounting operation.
In the case of the inner cover 601, like the outer cover 501, the inner arm 402 may be provided together. The inner arm 402 may be installed along the surface of the inner cover 601.
In an embodiment, the inner arm 402 is illustrated to extend along the inner surface of the inner cover 601. Without being limited thereto, the inner arm 402 may extend along the inside of the inner cover 601 or the outside of the inner cover 601. In some cases, the inner arm 402 may be provided in a lattice shape having a predetermined shape to the inner cover 601, not a continuous flat body. That is, it may be provided in a structure having a mesh.
In addition, a relationship between the outer arm 403 and the outer cover 501 may be applied to a relation between the inner arm 402 and the inner cover 601 as well.
The inner cover 610 and the outer cover 501 may be provided together. Even in this case, various functions and configurations provided for each position of the cover assembly may be implemented in the same way.
Referring to
The gap provided by the rib 510 may prevent deformation such as bending, which occurs on the plate, from being propagated to the outer cover. It is preferable that the place at which the rib 510 is provided and the place at which the support 30 is placed may not overlap each other. This is done for a reason is which the conduction heat transfer between the support and the rib 510 is promoted to increase in heat loss.
As a configuration in place of the rib 510, a method such as an elastic portion such as rubber is provided on the inner surface of the outer cover 501 may be performed.
In the modified example of the present invention, the examples of the sealing frame 200 and the cover assembly 400 are mixed may be provided.
For example, in
As another example, in
As further another example, the inner cover 420 and the outer cover 430 of the cover assembly 400 of
As further another example, the inner cover 420 of
As further another example, in
According to the embodiments, the protection of the sealed portion between the main body and the door of the apparatus to which the vacuum adiabatic body is applied, and the stability of the adiabatic operation may be improved to be contributed to the commercialization using the vacuum adiabatic body.
According to the embodiments, the vulnerability of conductive resistance sheet, which occurs when the vacuum adiabatic body is applied to the apparatus, may be supplemented in various aspects such as strength, external interference, and installation of accessories. Therefore, in the aspect of the maintenance in vacuum required for the apparatus to which the vacuum adiabatic body is applied, the operational reliability of the apparatus such as the refrigerator may be secured without causing the side effects.
It may be said that industrial application is greatly expected due to the above advantages.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2019-0082630 | Jul 2019 | KR | national |
This application is a Continuation Application of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/619,906 filed on Dec. 16, 2021, which a U.S. National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT Application No. PCT/KR2020/008972 filed on Jul. 9, 2020, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Application No. 10-2019-0082630 filed on Jul. 9, 2019, whose entire disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 17619906 | US | |
| Child | 18242367 | US |
