Refrigerator including a deep freezing unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerators with deep freezing compartments face issues of non-uniform temperature distribution and increased power consumption due to flow resistance in cold air circulation, especially when storing large amounts of food or objects, leading to high discharge-side pressure and low suction-side pressure.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerator design incorporating a deep freezing unit with a thermoelectric module, a suction-type cooling fan, and a guide duct to ensure uniform cold air distribution, using a partition wall and discharge grilles to maintain temperature uniformity and reduce flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a blower type cooling fan is used to forcibly circulate cold air in the deep freezing compartment, then cold air can be supplied to the drawer, but when food or objects block the rear surface of the drawer, flow resistance increases causing high discharge-side pressure and low suction-side pressure, leading to excessive fan load and increased power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the fan type from a blower (pushing air) to a suction-type fan (pulling air). The suction-type fan creates negative pressure to draw cold air through the deep freezing compartment, which prevents pressure buildup when the drawer rear surface is blocked by food or objects. This inversion resolves the flow resistance issue and reduces power consumption while maintaining effective cold air circulation.
2Productivity
If a blower type cooling fan is used to forcibly circulate cold air, then cold air flow can be maintained, but temperature distribution in the deep freezing compartment becomes non-uniform with very low temperature at the rear side and high temperature at the front side
Solution Approach 1:
By switching from a blower fan that pushes air forward to a suction-type fan that pulls air, the cold air circulation pattern is reversed. The suction fan draws cold air from the front and pulls it through the entire compartment, creating more uniform temperature distribution. This prevents the temperature stratification problem where the front becomes too warm and the rear too cold.
3Quantity of substance
If the rear surface of the drawer is blocked by food or storage items, then storage capacity is maximized, but cold air discharged from the cooling fan cannot flow into the drawer, reducing the amount of cold air returning to the suction portion
Solution Approach 1:
The suction-type fan design allows the system to work against the blocked drawer rear surface by creating negative pressure that pulls cold air through the compartment. Unlike the blower fan that pushes air and gets blocked, the suction fan draws air through existing gaps and pathways, maintaining effective circulation even when the drawer is fully loaded with food or objects.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves uniform temperature distribution and reduced power consumption by minimizing flow resistance, ensuring consistent cold air supply to the deep freezing compartment regardless of the amount of stored items.
Implementation Method 1
an attempt is made to lower the temperature of the deep freezing compartment to a cryogenic temperature by using a thermoelectric module (TEM)
Implementation Method 2
a suction-type cooling fan, and a guide duct to ensure uniform cold air distribution
Implementation Method 3
a freezing compartment evaporator accommodated in the freezing evaporation compartment to generate the cold air for cooling the freezing compartment
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator includes a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment partitioned from the refrigerating compartment, a freezing unit mounted at one side of an inside of the freezing compartment, and the freezing unit including a cooling case defining a cooling compartment partitioned from the freezing compartment and a cooling drawer insertable into the cooling compartment. A guide duct is mounted on a ceiling of the cooling case and communicates with a grille, and the guide duct includes a bottom portion having a plurality of cold air discharge holes, where at least a portion of the bottom portion is spaced apart from the top portion at a lower side of the top portion to define a passage for guiding the cold air into the cooling compartment.