US 12,313,305 B2
Refrigerator
Seokjun Yun, Seoul (KR); Hyoungkeun Lim, Seoul (KR); Seongmin Song, Seoul (KR); Junghun Lee, Seoul (KR); and Hoyoun Lee, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
Appl. No. 17/434,714
Filed by LG ELECTRONICS INC., Seoul (KR)
PCT Filed Feb. 13, 2020, PCT No. PCT/KR2020/002078
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 15, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/175832, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 3, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2019-0024360 (KR), filed on Feb. 28, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0235976 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. F25B 21/02 (2006.01); F25D 11/02 (2006.01)
CPC F25B 21/02 (2013.01) [F25D 11/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerating compartment;
a freezing compartment partitioned from the refrigerating compartment;
a cooling compartment accommodated in the freezing compartment and partitioned from the freezing compartment;
a freezing evaporation compartment;
a partition wall comprising a grille pan to partition the freezing evaporation compartment and the freezing compartment from each other, and a shroud disposed at a rear surface of the grille pan to define a passage through which cold air of the freezing evaporation compartment is supplied to the freezing compartment;
a freezing compartment evaporator accommodated in the freezing evaporation compartment to generate the cold air for cooling the freezing compartment;
a freezing compartment fan mounted on the shroud to supply the cold air of the freezing evaporation compartment to the freezing compartment;
a thermoelectric module comprising: a thermoelectric element comprising a heat absorption surface facing the cooling compartment and a heat generation surface that is an opposite surface of the heat absorption surface; a cold sink in communication with the heat absorption surface and disposed behind the cooling compartment; a heat sink in communication with the heat generation surface; and a housing to accommodate the heat sink and having a rear surface exposed to the cold air of the freezing evaporation compartment;
a cooling compartment fan disposed in front of the heat absorption surface to cause air within the cooling compartment to forcibly flow;
a cold sink heater disposed at the cold sink; and
a back heater disposed at one side of the shroud,
wherein the back heater is disposed at a rear side of the shroud and disposed outside the passage.
 
11. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerating compartment;
a freezing compartment partitioned from the refrigerating compartment;
a freezing compartment evaporator to cool the freezing compartment;
a freezing compartment defrost heater disposed at the freezing compartment evaporator;
a cooling compartment accommodated in the freezing compartment and partitioned from the freezing compartment;
a freezing evaporation compartment to accommodate the freezing compartment evaporator;
a partition wall to partition the freezing evaporation compartment and the freezing compartment from each other, the partition wall to constitute at least a portion of a wall defining the freezing evaporation compartment;
a freezing compartment fan disposed at the freezing evaporation compartment to supply cold air of the freezing evaporation compartment to the freezing compartment;
a thermoelectric module to cool the cooling compartment to a temperature lower than that of the freezing compartment and comprising:
a thermoelectric element comprising a heat absorption surface facing the cooling compartment and a heat generation surface that is an opposite surface of the heat absorption surface;
a cold sink in communication with the heat absorption surface and disposed at one side of the cooling compartment; and
a heat sink in communication with the heat generation surface;
a cooling compartment fan disposed at one side of the heat absorption surface to cause air within the cooling compartment to forcibly flow;
a cold sink heater disposed at the cold sink;
a back heater disposed at one side of a wall of the freezing evaporation compartment; and
a controller configured to control the refrigerator so that, when a cooling operation for cooling the cooling compartment and a cooling compartment defrost operation for removing frost or ice generated on the thermoelectric module conflict with each other, the cooling compartment defrost operation is performed by priority, and the cooling operation is stopped,
wherein, when an input condition for the cooling compartment defrost operation is satisfied, the controller is configured to perform the cooling operation,
the cooling operation is an operation performed to apply a constant voltage to the thermoelectric element and drive the cooling compartment fan so that a temperature of the cooling compartment drops, and
when the cooling compartment defrost operation is performed after the cooling operation is ended, the controller is configured to:
perform a first operation in which a reverse voltage is applied to the thermoelectric element to melt the frost or ice deposited on the cold sink, and
apply a voltage to the back heater after the deep-cooling operation is ended, in order to reduce deposition of vapor, which is generated during the first operation.
 
19. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerating compartment;
a freezing compartment partitioned from the refrigerating compartment;
a cooling compartment accommodated in the freezing compartment and partitioned from the freezing compartment;
a freezing evaporation compartment;
a partition wall comprising a grille pan to partition the freezing evaporation compartment and the freezing compartment from each other, and a shroud disposed at a rear surface of the grille pan to define a first passage through which cold air of the freezing evaporation compartment is supplied to the freezing compartment;
a freezing compartment evaporator accommodated in the freezing evaporation compartment to generate the cold air for cooling the freezing compartment;
a freezing compartment fan mounted on the shroud to supply the cold air of the freezing evaporation compartment to the freezing compartment;
a thermoelectric module comprising: a thermoelectric element comprising a heat absorption surface facing the cooling compartment and a heat generation surface that is an opposite surface of the heat absorption surface; a cold sink in communication with the heat absorption surface and disposed behind the cooling compartment; a heat sink in communication with the heat generation surface; and a housing to accommodate the heat sink and having a rear surface exposed to the cold air of the freezing evaporation compartment;
a cooling compartment fan disposed in front of the heat absorption surface to cause air within the cooling compartment to forcibly flow;
a cold sink heater disposed at the cold sink; and
a back heater disposed at one side of the shroud,
wherein the grill pan is configured to define a second passage through which cold air supplied to the cooling compartment flows, and
wherein at least a portion of the cold sink heater is disposed in the second passage and at least a portion of the back heater is disposed outside the second passage.