Refrigerator and control method thereof

Abstract

 A refrigerator, the temperature of the inside of which is uniformly controlled, and a control method thereof. The direction of an air flow in a storage chamber is periodically changed so as to uniformly distribute cool air in the storage chamber by interchanging roles of suction and discharge holes in various manners under various conditions, thereby preventing local supercooling and thus uniformly maintaining the internal temperature of the storage chamber.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field

[0001] Embodiments relate to a refrigerator, the temperature of the inside of which is uniformly controlled, and a control method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus which supplies cool air generated through a refrigerating cycle of a refrigerant to food storage chambers, such as a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber, so as to store food in a fresh state for a long time. Recently, a kimchi refrigerator to ferment and store kimchi using such a refrigerator principle has been developed.

[0003] Kimchi is fermented food using fermentation of microorganisms as well as salted food having increased preservation using salt, and a rate at which fermentation of kimchi proceeds is varied according to salinity and temperature of kimchi. Ripening and storing temperatures of kimchi stored in a storage chamber are set based on standard kimchi. A salinity value of the standard kimchi is generally in the range of about 2.2%.

[0004] A salinity value of kimchi deviates from the salinity value range of the standard kimchi according to regions in which kimchi is consumed, seasons and kinds of kimchi and respective family tastes. If the salinity of kimchi is lower than that of the standard kimchi, moisture or juice in kimchi tissue is frozen. That is, when a kimchi container is stored in the storage chamber, local supercooling in which kimchi located close to a discharge hole to discharge cool air is frozen occurs due to a narrow channel space within the storage chamber, and kimchi located close to a suction hole to suck air is more rapidly ripened and preservation of the taste of well-ripened kimchi is difficult. Since roles of the suction hole and the discharge hole to form an air flow are fixed, the air flow in the storage chamber is not uniformly distributed.

SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, it is an aspect to provide a refrigerator, in which a flow of cool air in a storage chamber is uniformly distributed so as to prevent local supercooling and to uniformly maintain internal temperature of the storage chamber by interchanging roles of suction and discharge holes in various manners under various conditions, and a control method thereof.

[0006] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

[0007] In accordance with one aspect, a refrigerator includes a storage chamber, an evaporator to cool air in the storage chamber, a first opening to suck the air in the storage chamber, a second opening to discharge the air cooled by the evaporator to the inside of the storage chamber, a fan provided with blades, which are driven at a first angle and a second angle, and a control unit to adjust the direction of a flow of the air by driving the fan at the first angle so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening and by driving the fan at the second angle so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening.

[0008] The first angle and the second angle may be blade angles having reverse delta values.

[0009] The control unit may drive the fan at the first angle or the second angle so as to periodically change the direction of the air flow.

[0010] In accordance with another aspect, a refrigerator includes a storage chamber, an evaporator to cool air in the storage chamber, a first opening to suck the air in the storage chamber, a second opening to discharge the air cooled by the evaporator to the inside of the storage chamber, first and second fans to respectively generate flows of the air in opposite directions, and a control unit to adjust the direction of the air flow by driving the first fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening and by driving the second fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening.

[0011] The first fan and the second fan may have blade angles having reverse values.

[0012] The control unit may drive the first and second fans so as to periodically change the direction of the air flow.

[0013] In accordance with another aspect, a refrigerator includes a storage chamber, an evaporator to cool air in the storage chamber, a pair of first openings to suck the air in the storage chamber, a pair of second openings to discharge the air cooled by the evaporator to the inside of the storage chamber, first and second ducts respectively connecting the pair of first openings and the pair of second openings to form air channels in the storage chamber, first and second dampers installed in the first and second ducts to permit or block the air flow toward one of the first and second ducts, and a control unit to adjust the direction of the air flow by controlling the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward one of the first and second ducts.

[0014] The first and second dampers may be installed at an intersection between the first and second ducts.

[0015] The control unit may drive the first and second dampers so as to periodically change the direction of the air flow.

[0016] The refrigerator may further include a third duct at which the first duct and the second duct meet, and the evaporator and a fan may be installed in the third duct.

[0017] The pair of first openings and the pair of second openings may be respectively installed at upper and lower portions of the rear surface of the storage chamber.

[0018] The pair of first openings and the pair of second openings may be respectively installed at both side surfaces of the storage chamber.

[0019] In accordance with another aspect, a control method of a refrigerator, which has a storage chamber, a first opening to suck the air in the storage chamber, a second opening to discharge the air to the inside of the storage chamber, and a fan provided with blades, the angle of which is varied, to generate a flow of the air, includes driving the fan at a first angle of the blades so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening, judging whether or not a designated time has elapsed, and driving the fan at a second angle of the blades so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening, upon judging that the designated time has elapsed.

[0020] The driving of the fan at the first angle of the blades and the driving of the fan at the second angle of the blades may be periodically alternated so as to uniformly distribute the air flow throughout the overall space of the storage chamber.

[0021] In accordance with another aspect, a control method of a refrigerator, which has a storage chamber, a first opening to suck the air in the storage chamber, a second opening to discharge the air to the inside of the storage chamber, and first and second fans to respectively generate flows of the air in opposite directions, includes driving the first fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening, judging whether or not a designated time has elapsed, and driving the second fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening, upon judging that the designated time has elapsed.

[0022] The driving of the first fan and the driving of the second fan may be periodically alternated so as to uniformly distribute the air flow throughout the overall space of the storage chamber.

[0023] In accordance with a further aspect, a control method of a refrigerator, which has a storage chamber, a pair of first openings to suck the air in the storage chamber, a pair of second openings to discharge the air to the inside of the storage chamber, first and second ducts respectively connecting the pair of first openings and the pair of second openings to form air channels in the storage chamber, and first and second dampers installed in the first and second ducts to permit or block the air flow toward one of the first and second ducts, includes driving the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward one of the first and second ducts, judging whether or not a designated time has elapsed, and driving the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward the other one of the first and second ducts, upon judging that the designated time has elapsed.

[0024] The driving of the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward one of the first and second ducts and the driving of the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward the other one of the first and second ducts may be periodically alternated so as to uniformly distribute the air flow throughout the overall space of the storage chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] These and/or other aspects of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a refrigerator applied to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first storage chamber of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an algorithm to control an air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an upward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a downward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views illustrating a structure of a fan with a varied blade angle to change the direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first storage chamber of a refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an algorithm to control an air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an upward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a downward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first storage chamber of a refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an algorithm to control an air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an upward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment; and

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a downward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a refrigerator applied to one embodiment.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 in accordance with this embodiment includes a box-shaped main body 10 forming the external appearance of the refrigerator 1, a plurality of storage chambers 21, 22 and 23 formed in the main body 10 to store food, and doors 31, 32 and 33 connected to the main body 10 to open and close the plurality of storage chambers 21, 22 and 23.

[0029] The plurality of storage chambers 21, 22 and 23 is vertically divided into a first storage chamber 21, a second storage chamber 22 and a third storage chamber 23 by diaphragms. The first storage chamber 21, the second storage chamber 22 and the third storage chamber 23 respectively form independent storage spaces, and storage temperatures of the storage chambers 21, 22 and 23 are independently controlled according to amounts of cool air supplied to the respective storage chambers 21, 22 and 23.

[0030] Further, the first storage chamber 21 is divided into plural spaces by plural shelves such that food may be put on the respective shelves. A first opening (hereinafter, referred to as a 'suction hole') 24 and a second opening (hereinafter, referred to as a 'discharge hole') 25 to form an air flow at the inside of the first storage chamber 21 are formed through the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0031] The suction hole 24 is provided at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 so as to suck air in the first storage chamber 21, and the discharge hole 25 is provided at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 so as to discharge cool air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21.

[0032] Further, a temperature sensor 26 to sense a temperature in the first storage chamber 21 is installed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0033] The doors 31, 32 and 33 include a rotating door 31 rotatably connected to the main body 10 so as to open and close the first storage chamber 21, and drawer-type doors 32 and 33 slidably connected to the main body 10 so as to open and close the second storage chamber 22 and the third storage chamber 23.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the first storage chamber of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, an evaporator 27 to cool air of the first storage chamber 21 is installed at the rear portion of the inside of the first storage chamber 21, and a fan 28 to circulate air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 is installed above the evaporator 27.

[0036] The fan 28 is a blade fan having a delta angle. Roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 may be interchanged by varying the angle of blades of the fan 28.

[0037] For example, if the fan 28 is driven at the current delta angle of the blades (hereinafter, referred to as a first angle), the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to suck air, as it is, and the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to discharge cool air, as it is.

[0038] On the other hand, if the fan 28 is driven at the reverse delta angle of the blades (hereinafter, referred to as a second angle), the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to suck air and the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to discharge cool air. That is, roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 formed at the lower and upper portions of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 are not fixed, but may be interchanged by varying the blade angle of the fan 28.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator in accordance with the embodiment. The refrigerator includes the temperature sensor 26, an input unit 50, a control unit 52, a fan drive unit 54 and a display unit 58.

[0040] The input unit 50 serves to input user's control command to the control unit 52, and is provided with plural buttons including a start button to start temperature control of food and a temperature set button to set a temperature at which the food is to be stored.

[0041] The control unit 52 is a microcomputer to control the overall operation of the refrigerator 1, and controls driving of the fan 28 so that roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 are interchanged in various manners under various conditions.

[0042] Conditions to interchange the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 include change of the direction of an air flow by varying the blade angle of the fan 28, as shown in FIG. 2, change of the direction of an air flow using two fans having reverse blade angles, and change of the direction or an air flow using dampers.

[0043] Hereinafter, interchange of the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 by changing the direction of an air flow by varying the blade angle of the fan 28 will be described first. Further, change of the direction of an air flow using two fans having reverse blade angles and change of the direction of an air flow using dampers will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 to 17.

[0044] First, if the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 are interchanged by changing the direction of the air flow by varying the blade angle of the fan 28, the control unit 52 first drives the fan 28 at the first angle.

[0045] As the fan 28 is driven at the first angle, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the upward direction.

[0046] Thereafter, when a designated time has elapsed (for example, 2 hours), the control unit 52 drives the fan 28 at the second angle.

[0047] As the fan 28 is driven at the second angle, air in the first storage chamber 21 sucked through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the downward direction.

[0048] Through the above method in which the control unit 52 alternately drives the fan 28 at different angles, i.e., the first angle and the second angle, every designated time (for example, every 2 hours), air flows in the upward direction and then flows in the downward direction and thus the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 are periodically interchanged. Thereby, the air flow within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly distributed and thus the temperature within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly maintained.

[0049] The fan drive unit 54 controls driving of the fan 28 according to a control signal from the control unit 52, thereby varying the blade angle of the fan 28.

[0050] The display unit 58 displays an operating state (for example, a kind, a ripening time or a temperature condition of food stored in the storage chamber) of the refrigerator 1 or various set values according to a control signal from the control unit 52.

[0051] Hereinafter, the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention, a control method thereof and an operating process, functions and effects thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7B.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an algorithm to control an air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an upward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a downward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are views illustrating a structure of the fan with a varied blade angle to change the direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment.

[0053] With reference to FIG. 4, after a user places food to be stored at the inside of the first storage chamber 21, the user inputs a set temperature through the temperature set button provided on the input unit 50 and then operates the start button, cool air generated by the general refrigerating cycle is supplied to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 and then starts lowering of the internal temperature of the storage chamber 21.

[0054] Then, in order to uniformly control an air flow (specifically, a cool air flow) in the first storage chamber 21, the control unit 52 drives the fan 28 at the first angle, as shown in FIG. 7A, through the fan drive unit 54 (Operation 100).

[0055] The fan 28 is driven under the condition that the angle of respective blades 30 is set to the first angle, as shown in FIG. 7A, by connecting inner parts of the respective blades 30 to a motor (not shown) of the fan drive unit 54, specifically a motor rotating shaft 30a provided to convert the angle of the blades 30 separately from a fan rotating motor, and then rotating the motor by a desired degree.

[0056] The fan drive unit 54 controls driving of the fan 28 according to the control signal from the control unit 52, thereby setting the blade angle of the fan 28 to the first angle, as shown in FIG. 7A.

[0057] When the fan 28 is driven at the first angle, air flows in the upward direction, as shown in FIG. 5. Thereby, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0058] Then, the control unit 52 counts time for which the fan 28 is driven at the first angle (Operation 102), and judges whether or not a designated time (for example, 2 hours) has elapsed (Operation 104).

[0059] As a result of the judgment of Operation 104, if the designated time has not elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 102 and the control unit 52 counts time until the designated time has elapsed.

[0060] On the other hand, as the result of the judgment of Operation 104, if the designated time has elapsed, the control unit 52 drives the fan 28 at the second angle, as shown in FIG. 7B, through the fan drive unit 54 (Operation 106).

[0061] Here, the fan 28 is driven under the condition that the angle of the respective blades 30 is set to the second angle, as shown in FIG. 7B, by connecting the inner parts of respective blades 30 to the motor rotating shaft 30a of the motor (not shown) of the fan drive unit 54 and then rotating the motor by a desired degree.

[0062] When the fan 28 is driven at the second angle, air flows in the downward direction, as shown in FIG. 6. Thereby, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0063] Then, the control unit 52 counts time for which the fan 28 is driven at the second angle (Operation 108), and judges whether or not a designated time has elapsed (Operation 110).

[0064] As a result of the judgment of Operation 110, if the designated time has not elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 108 and the control unit 52 counts time until the designated time has elapsed.

[0065] On the other hand, as the result of the judgment of Operation 110, if the designated time has elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 100 and the control unit 52 drives the fan 28 at the first angle through the fan drive unit 54.

[0066] Through the above method, air flows in the upward direction, flows in the downward direction and then flows in the upward direction and thus the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 are periodically interchanged. Thereby, cool air in the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly distributed and thus the temperature within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly maintained.

[0067] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first storage chamber of a refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment. Some parts in this embodiment shown in FIG. 8, which are substantially the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings, and a detailed description thereof will thus be omitted because it is considered to be unnecessary.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 8, an evaporator 27 to cool air of the first storage chamber 21 is installed at the rear portion of the inside of the first storage chamber 21, and first and second fans 29a and 29b to circulate air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 are installed above the evaporator 27.

[0069] The first and second fans 29a and 29b are blade fans having reverse delta angles. Roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 may be interchanged by respectively driving the first and second fans 29a and 29b.

[0070] For example, if the first fan 29a is driven, the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to suck air in the first storage chamber 21, as it is, and the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to discharge cool air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21, as it is.

[0071] On the other hand, if the second fan 29b is driven, the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to suck air in the first storage chamber 21 and the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to discharge cool air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21.

[0072] That is, the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 formed at the lower and upper portions of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 are not fixed, but may be interchanged according to whether or not the first and second fans 29a and 29b are driven.

[0073] FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment. Some parts in this embodiment shown in FIG. 9, which are substantially the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings, and a detailed description thereof will thus be omitted because it is considered to be unnecessary.

[0074] The control unit 52 is a microcomputer to control the overall operation of the refrigerator 1, and controls driving of the first and second fans 29a and 29b so that the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 are interchanged in various manners under various conditions. Here, a condition to interchange the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 is change of the direction of an air flow using the first and second fans 29a and 29b having reverse blade angles.

[0075] First, the control unit 52 drives the first fan 29a.

[0076] As the first fan 29a is driven, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the upward direction.

[0077] Thereafter, if a designated time (for example, 2 hours) has elapsed, the control unit 52 drives the second fan 29b.

[0078] As the second fan 29b is driven, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the downward direction.

[0079] Through the above method in which the control unit 52 alternately drives the first and second fans 29a and 29b every designated time (for example, every 2 hours), air flows in the upward direction and then flows in the downward direction and thus the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 are periodically interchanged. Thereby, the air flow within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly distributed and thus the temperature within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly maintained.

[0080] The fan drive unit 54 controls driving of the first and second fans 29a and 29b according to a control signal from the control unit 52, thereby alternately driving the first and second fans 29a and 29b.

[0081] Hereinafter, the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention, a control method thereof and an operating process, functions and effects thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12.

[0082] FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an algorithm to control an air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an upward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a downward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment.

[0083] With reference to FIG. 10, in order to uniformly control an air flow (specifically, a cool air flow) in the first storage chamber 21, the control unit 52 drives the first fan 29a through the fan drive unit 54 (Operation 200).

[0084] When the first fan 29a is driven, air flows in the upward direction, as shown in FIG. 11. Thereby, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0085] Then, the control unit 52 counts time for which the first fan 29a is driven (Operation 202), and judges whether or not a designated time has elapsed (Operation 204).

[0086] As a result of the judgment of Operation 204, if the designated time has not elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 202 and the control unit 52 counts time until the designated time has elapsed.

[0087] On the other hand, as the result of the judgment of Operation 204, if the designated time has elapsed, the control unit 52 drives the second fan 29b through the fan drive unit 54 (Operation 206).

[0088] When the second fan 29b is driven, air flows in the downward direction, as shown in FIG. 12. Thereby, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the discharge hole 25 formed at the upper portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the suction hole 24 formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0089] Then, the control unit 52 counts time for which the second fan 29b is driven (Operation 208), and judges whether or not a designated time has elapsed (Operation 210).

[0090] As a result of the judgment of Operation 210, if the designated time has not elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 208 and the control unit 52 counts time until the designated time has elapsed.

[0091] On the other hand, as the result of the judgment of Operation 210, if the designated time has elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 200 and the control unit 52 drives the first fan 29a through the fan drive unit 54.

[0092] Through the above method, air flows in the upward direction, flows in the downward direction and then flows in the upward direction and thus the roles of the suction hole 24 and the discharge hole 25 are periodically interchanged. Thereby, cool air in the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly distributed and thus the temperature within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly maintained.

[0093] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first storage chamber of a refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment. Some parts in this embodiment shown in FIG. 13, which are substantially the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings, and a detailed description thereof will thus be omitted because it is considered to be unnecessary.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 13, two suction holes 24a and 24b and two discharge holes 25a and 25b to induce an air flow in the first storage chamber 21 are formed on the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0095] The suction holes 24a and 24b are provided at the upper and lower portions of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 so as to suck air in the first storage chamber 21, and the discharge holes 25a and 25b are provided at the upper and lower portions of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 so as to discharge cool air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21.

[0096] Further, two ducts, i.e., first and second ducts 41 and 42, which are extended in the vertical direction to uniformly distribute air throughout the overall space of the first storage chamber 21 are installed at the rear portion of the inside of the first storage chamber 21, and a third duct 43 to change the direction of the air flow is installed at an intersection between the first and second ducts 41 and 42.

[0097] An evaporator 27 to cool air of the first storage chamber 21 and a fan 28 to circulate the air of the first storage chamber 21 are installed within the third duct 43.

[0098] First and second dampers 45 and 46 to adjust the direction of the air flow so as to allow air circulated by the fan 28 to move toward the first duct 41 or the second duct 42 are installed at both ends of the third duct 43 connected with the first and second ducts 41 and 42.

[0099] The first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven by damper motors (not shown), thereby changing the direction of the air flow and thus interchanging roles of the suction holes 24a and 24b and the discharge holes 25a and 25b.

[0100] For example, if the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven so that an air channel connected with the first duct 41 is completely closed and an air channel connected with the second duct 42 is completely opened, the suction hole 24a formed at the lower portion of the left side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to suck air in the first storage chamber 21 and the discharge hole 25a formed at the upper portion of the right side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to discharge cool air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the upward direction.

[0101] On the other hand, if the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven so that the air channel connected with the first duct 41 is completely opened and the air channel connected with the second duct 42 is completely closed, the suction hole 24b formed at the upper portion of the left side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to suck air in the first storage chamber 21 and the discharge hole 25b formed at the lower portion of the right side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 serves to discharge cool air to the inside of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the downward direction.

[0102] That is, the roles of the suction holes 24a and 24b and the discharge holes 25a and 15b respectively formed at the upper and lower portions of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21 are not fixed, but may be interchanged according to whether or not the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven.

[0103] Although this embodiment illustrates that a pair of suction holes 24a and 24b and a pair of discharge holes 25a and 25b are installed at the upper and lower portions of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, the positions of the suction holes 24a and 24 and the discharge holes 25a and 25b are not limited thereto. For example, a pair of suction holes 24a and 24b and a pair of discharge holes 25a and 25b may be installed at both side surfaces of the first storage chamber 21 in the same manner.

[0104] FIG. 14 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment. Some parts in this embodiment shown in FIG. 14, which are substantially the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings, and a detailed description thereof will thus be omitted because it is considered to be unnecessary.

[0105] The control unit 52 is a microcomputer to control the overall operation of the refrigerator 1, and controls driving of the first and second dampers 45 and 46 so that the roles of the suction holes 24a and 24b and the discharge holes 25a and 25b are interchanged in various manners under various conditions.

[0106] Here, a condition to interchange the roles of the suction holes 24a and 24b and the discharge holes 25a and 25b is change of the direction of the air flow using the first and second dampers 45 and 46 to open and close the air channels of the first and second ducts 41 and 42.

[0107] First, the control unit 52 drives the first and second dampers 45 and 46 so that the air channel connected with the first duct 41 is completely closed and the air channel connected with the second duct 42 is completely opened.

[0108] As the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24a formed at the lower portion of the left side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25a formed at the upper portion of the right side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the upward direction.

[0109] Thereafter, if a designated time (for example, 2 hours) has elapsed, the control unit 52 drives the first and second dampers 45 and 46 so that the air channel connected with the first duct 41 is completely opened and the air channel connected with the second duct 42 is completely closed.

[0110] As the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24a formed at the upper portion of the left side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25a formed at the lower portion of the right side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21. Thereby, air flows in the downward direction.

[0111] As described above, through the above method in which the control unit 52 sequentially drives the first and second dampers 45 and 46 every designated time (for example, every 2 hours), air flows in the upward direction and then flows in the downward direction and thus the roles of the suction holes 24a and 24b and the discharge holes 25a and 25b are periodically interchanged. Thereby, the air flow within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly distributed and thus the temperature within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly maintained.

[0112] A damper drive unit 56 controls driving of the first and second dampers 45 and 46 according to a control signal from the control unit 52, thereby changing the direction of the air flow.

[0113] Hereinafter, the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, a control method thereof and an operating process, functions and effects thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17.

[0114] FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an algorithm to control an air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an upward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment, and FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a downward direction of the air flow of the refrigerator in accordance with this embodiment.

[0115] With reference to FIG. 15, in order to uniformly control an air flow (specifically, a cool air flow) in the first storage chamber 21, the control unit 52 drives the fan 28 through the fan drive unit 54 (Operation 300).

[0116] Then, the control unit 52 drives the first and second dampers 45 and 46 through the damper drive unit 56 so that the air channel connected with the first duct 41 is completely closed and the air channel connected with the second duct 42 is completely opened (Operation 302).

[0117] When the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven, air flows in the upward direction, as shown in FIG. 16. Thereby, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24a formed at the lower portion of the left side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25a formed at the upper portion of the right side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0118] Then, the control unit 52 counts time for which the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven so that the air channel of the second duct 42 is opened (Operation 304), and judges whether or not a designated time has elapsed (Operation 306).

[0119] As a result of the judgment of Operation 306, if the designated time has not elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 304 and the control unit 52 counts time until the designated time has elapsed.

[0120] On the other hand, as the result of the judgment of Operation 306, if the designated time has elapsed, the control unit 52 drives the first and second dampers 45 and 46 through the damper drive unit 56 so that the air channel connected with the first duct 41 is completely opened and the air channel connected with the second duct 42 is completely closed (Operation 308).

[0121] When the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven, air flows in the downward direction, as shown in FIG. 17. Thereby, air in the first storage chamber 21 is sucked through the suction hole 24b formed at the upper portion of the left side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21, and the sucked air is cooled into low-humidity and low-temperature air through the evaporator 27 and is discharged to the inside of the first storage chamber 21 through the discharge hole 25b formed at the lower portion of the right side of the rear surface of the first storage chamber 21.

[0122] Then, the control unit 52 counts time for which the first and second dampers 45 and 46 are driven so that the air channel of the first duct 41 is opened (Operation 310), and judges whether or not a designated time has elapsed (Operation 312).

[0123] As a result of the judgment of Operation 312, if the designated time has not elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 310, the control unit 52 counts time until the designated time has elapsed.

[0124] On the other hand, as the result of the judgment of Operation 312, if the designated time has elapsed, the process is fed back to Operation 302 and the control unit 52 drives the first and second dampers 45 and 46 through the damper drive unit 56 so that the air channel of the second duct 41 is opened.

[0125] Through the above method, air flows in the upward direction, flows in the downward direction and then flows in the upward direction and thus the roles of the suction holes 24a and 24b and the discharge holes 25a and 25b are periodically interchanged. Thereby, cool air in the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly distributed and thus the temperature within the first storage chamber 21 is uniformly maintained.

[0126] As is apparent from the above description, in a refrigerator and a control method thereof in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, roles of suction and discharge holes are interchanged in various manners under various conditions so as to uniformly distribute a cool air flow in a storage chamber, thereby preventing local supercooling and uniformly maintaining the internal temperature of the storage chamber.

[0127] Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a storage chamber;

an evaporator to cool air in the storage chamber;

a first opening to suck the air in the storage chamber;

a second opening to discharge the air cooled by the evaporator to the inside of the storage chamber;

a fan; and

a control unit to adjust the direction of a flow of the air so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening and so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the fan is provided with blades, which are driven at a first angle and a second angle, and
the control unit adjusts the direction of a flow of the air by driving the fan at the first angle so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening and by driving the fan at the second angle so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first angle and the second angle are blade angles having reverse delta values, and
the control unit drives the fan at the first angle or the second angle so as to periodically change the direction of the air flow.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the fan comprises first and second fans to respectively generate flows of the air in opposite directions, and
the control unit adjusts the direction of the air flow by driving the first fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening and by driving the second fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the first fan and the second fan have blade angles having reverse values, and
the control unit drives the first and second fans so as to periodically change the direction of the air flow.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first opening comprises a pair of first openings to suck the air in the storage chamber,
the second opening comprises a pair of second openings to discharge the air cooled by the evaporator to the inside of the storage chamber,
the refrigerator further comprises: first and second ducts respectively connecting the pair of first openings and the pair of second openings to form air channels in the storage chamber, and first and second dampers installed in the first and second ducts to permit or block the air flow toward one of the first and second ducts,
the control unit adjusts the direction of the air flow by controlling the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward one of the first and second ducts.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the first and second dampers are installed at an intersection between the first and second ducts, and
the control unit drives the first and second dampers so as to periodically change the direction of the air flow.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6, further comprising a third duct at which the first duct and the second duct meet,
wherein the evaporator and a fan are installed in the third duct.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the pair of first openings and the pair of second openings are respectively installed at upper and lower portions of the rear surface of the storage chamber.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 6, wherein the pair of first openings and the pair of second openings are respectively installed at both side surfaces of the storage chamber.

11. A control method of a refrigerator, which has a storage chamber, a first opening to suck the air in the storage chamber, a second opening to discharge the air to the inside of the storage chamber, and a fan provided with blades, to generate a flow of the air, comprising:

manipulating the flow of the air so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening;

judging whether or not a designated time has elapsed; and

manipulating the flow of the airso that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening, upon judging that the designated time has elapsed.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the angle of the blades of the fan is variable,
manipulating the flow of the air comprises
driving the fan at a first angle of the blades so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening, and
driving the fan at a second angle of the blades so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening, upon judging that the designated time has elapsed.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the fan comprises first and second fans to respectively generate flows of the air in opposite directions, and
manipulating the flow of the air comprises
driving the first fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the first opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the second opening, and
driving the second fan so that the air in the storage chamber is sucked through the second opening and is then discharged to the inside of the storage chamber through the first opening, upon judging that the designated time has elapsed.

14. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the first opening comprises a pair of first openings to suck the air in the storage chamber, the second opening comprises a pair of second openings to discharge the air to the inside of the storage chamber, the refrigerator further includes first and second ducts respectively connecting the pair of first openings and the pair of second openings to form air channels in the storage chamber, and first and second dampers installed in the first and second ducts to permit or block the air flow toward one of the first and second ducts, and
manipulating the flow of the air comprises
driving the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward one of the first and second ducts, and
driving the first and second dampers so that the air flows toward the other one of the first and second ducts, upon judging that the designated time has elapsed.

Drawing