Patent Publication Number: US-9410733-B1

Title: Refrigerator with adjustable storage space

Description:
CROSSREFERENCE 
     This application claims benefit of and priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0086140, filed on Jun. 17, 2015, the entire content of which is herein incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate to refrigerators, and, more particularly, to storage space configurations in refrigerators. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Refrigerators are electrical appliances capable of maintaining a storage chamber below the room temperature. Food can be stored in a refrigerator in a cold or frozen state. A refrigerator may include a refrigerating compartment maintained at a temperature above zero degrees celsius and a freezing compartment (or a freezer) maintained below zero degrees. 
     The space inside the refrigerator is maintained at a low temperature by cool air circulation. cool air is continuously generated through a refrigeration cycle including compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation. Cool air is distributed to the inner space of the refrigerator by convection. 
     Typically, the main body of a refrigerator has a rectangular parallel-piped shape, with a refrigerating chamber and a freezer. A plurality of storage drawers, shelves and boxes may be provided within a storage space in the refrigerator for containing food or other items. 
     Generally, a top-mount style refrigerator has a freezer located at the upper portion and a refrigerating chamber located at the lower portion; while a bottom-freezer style refrigerator has a freezer located at the lower portion. 
     Conventionally, a partition used to separate the refrigerating chamber and the freezer from each other is formed integrally with the main body of the refrigerator. Thus, the respective volumes of the refrigerating chamber and the freezer are fixed by manufacturing and thus not adjustable regardless of the amount of food stored therein. 
     Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0129496 discloses a refrigerator with a freezing chamber or a refrigerating chamber of a variable volume. A diaphragm is used to as a partition to separate the freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber from each other. The partition is movable along a separation wall. The technical disadvantages of this approach are as follows. 
     First, the above technique is only applicable to refrigerator products that have a freezer located at the upper portion and a refrigerating chamber located at the lower portion of the refrigerator. 
     Second, this technique requires additional components, such as a diaphragm, a partition and the like, to be added to the freezer. It also requires fixing grooves, fixing protrusions and the like to be built in the refrigerator main body. This introduces complex modifications of a refrigerator from the conventional design. Also in this configuration, it is difficult to maintain airtight nature. 
     Third, a user may not easily change the inner volumes of the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It would be advantageous to provide an inner volume adjustment mechanism that can be used in a refrigerator storage chamber without introducing complex structural changes to the conventional refrigerating chamber or freezer, and a control method thereof. 
     It would also be advantageous to provide an inner volume adjustment mechanism which may easily fit in various types of refrigerators, for example, a top-mount style refrigerator, a bottom-freezer style refrigerator, a side-by-side style refrigerator and the like. 
     Embodiments of the present invention employs an inner volume adjustment mechanism on a refrigerator which allows the inner volumes of a refrigerating chamber and a freezer to be adjusted easily while maintaining both compartments airtight. 
     According to embodiments of the present invention, an inner volume adjustment assembly of a refrigerator includes an adjustment panel movable within a storage chamber to adjust a refrigerating volume or a freezing volume of the storage chamber. A sliding unit is coupled to a lower part of the adjustment panel to enable sliding motions of the adjustment panel. The sliding unit includes a rail fixedly mounted on an inner wall of the storage chamber and a connection shaft coupling the adjustment panel to a groove of the rail. 
     In one embodiment, the refrigerator further includes a refrigerating chamber and a freezer other than the storage chamber. 
     A sealing material may be applied to the periphery of the adjustment panel, where the sealing material includes silicone for example. 
     A heat insulating material may be attached to the inner surface of the storage chamber, where the heat insulating material includes urethane for example. 
     The adjustment panel can slide horizontally (leftward/rightward) along the rails. 
     The rails may be inserted into the heat insulating material applied to the inner surface of the storage chamber. 
     The sliding unit may further include a flexible sealing material to seal the upper surface of the rail when the adjustment panel slides. 
     The flexible sealing material may be flexibly adhered to, or separated from, the rail when the adjustment panel slides in opposite directions. 
     The sliding unit may further include a sealing material feed unit. One end of the flexible sealing material is fixed to the sealing material feed unit and the other end of the flexible sealing material is fixed to the adjustment panel. 
     The sealing material feed unit is configured to wind the flexible sealing material into a circular shape or to unwind the flexible sealing material using rotational force. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method is described for adjusting the inner volume of a refrigerator including: sliding an adjustment panel on a rail, the adjustment panel is configured to separate a refrigerating space and a freezing space from each other; and adhering a flexible sealing material to, or separating the flexible sealing material from, the rail when the adjustment panel slides in opposite directions. 
     The method further includes adjusting the amount of cool air supplied to the refrigerating chamber or the freezer so that, as the refrigerating volume or the freezing volume is varied by the adjustment panel, the temperature of the refrigerating chamber or the freezer is individually adjusted. 
     The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the present invention, as defined solely by the claims, will become apparent in the non-limiting detailed description set forth below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which like reference characters designate like elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an exemplary refrigerator which includes an adjustable storage chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view illustrates a door of an adjustable storage chamber of  FIG. 1A  in an open state; 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of another exemplary refrigerator which includes an adjustable storage chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view exemplarily illustrating opening of a door of an inner volume adjustable storage chamber of  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of an exemplary inner volume adjustment assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of an exemplary inner volume adjustment assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of an exemplary inner volume adjustment apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates the configuration of an exemplary sliding unit of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an adjustment panel of an exemplary inner volume adjustment assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a detailed configuration of a rail of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of the sliding unit of  FIGS. 4 and 6 ; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates the arrangement of a second sealing material in the exemplary sliding unit of  FIGS. 4 and 6 ; 
         FIG. 11A  illustrates the door of the exemplary adjustable storage chamber of  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 11B  is a side view of  FIG. 11A ; 
         FIG. 12  is illustrates an exemplary cool air supply mechanism between the adjustable storage chamber and a refrigerating chamber/a freezer in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 13  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for adjusting the temperature (supply of cool air) in an adjustable storage chamber in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of the present invention. The drawings showing embodiments of the invention are semi-diagrammatic and not to scale and, particularly, some of the dimensions are for the clarity of presentation and are shown exaggerated in the drawing Figures. Similarly, although the views in the drawings for the ease of description generally show similar orientations, this depiction in the Figures is arbitrary for the most part. Generally, the invention can be operated in any orientation. 
     Refrigerator with Adjustable Storage Space 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an exemplary refrigerator equipped with an exemplary adjustable storage chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , the refrigerator may include a main body  1  forming the exterior housing of the refrigerator. A refrigerating chamber R is located on the right portion of the main body  1  for storing food. A freezer F is located on the left portion of the main body  1  for storing food and other items. According to the present disclosure, the refrigerator has an adjustable storage chamber A with adjustable volumes. 
     In addition, although not shown, the refrigerator further includes a divider to separate the refrigerating chamber R and the freezer F from each other and a cooling system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion value, an evaporator and the like to generate cool air. 
       FIG. 1A  illustrates a refrigerator with the refrigerating chamber R and the freezer F located in the lower portion of the refrigerator and the adjustable storage chamber A located in the upper portion. But the present disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. 
     In  FIG. 1B , a rotary shaft may be located at the upper edge of the adjustable storage chamber door A 1  so that the door A 1  may be lifted up to open. This is especially convenient to users if the adjustable storage chamber A is disposed approximately at eye level. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are perspective views illustrating another exemplary refrigerator including an adjustable storage chamber in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
     In  FIG. 2A , the refrigerator includes a main body  2 . A refrigerating chamber R is located at the upper portion of the main body  2  for storing food. A freezer F is located at the lower portion of the main body  2 . The refrigerator also includes an inner volume adjustable storage chamber B, the inner volume of which is adjustable. 
     In addition, although not shown, the refrigerator may further include a divider to divide the refrigerating chamber R and the freezer F from each other and a cooling system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion value, an evaporator and the like to generate cool air in the refrigerator. 
     In  FIG. 2A , the refrigerating chamber R is located in the upper region of the refrigerator, the freezer F is located in the lower region, and the adjustable storage chamber B in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is in the middle. 
     In the example shown in  FIG. 2B , a rotary shaft may be located at the lower edge of the adjustable storage chamber door B 1 , so that the adjustable storage chamber door B 1  may be opened when rotated in a downward direction. This is especially convenient to users if the adjustable storage chamber B is disposed approximately at waist height. 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of an exemplary inner volume adjustment assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the inner volume adjustment assembly is coupled to the adjustable storage chamber A of  FIG. 1A . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the inner volume adjustment assembly may include an adjustment panel  100 , a heat insulating material  102 , and a sealing material  104 . 
     The adjustment panel  100  is used to adjust the inner volumes of a refrigerating chamber R′ and a freezer F′ in the adjustable storage chamber A. The adjustment panel  100  may slide (e.g., in the leftward/rightward direction) to adjust the inner volumes of the refrigerating chamber R′ and the inner volume of the freezer F′. The adjustment panel  100  may be slid manually or automatically using a driving motor. 
     The heat insulating material  102  fills the gap between the adjustable storage chamber A and the main body of the refrigerator and serves to enhance heat insulation for the adjustable storage chamber A. The heat insulating material  102  may be made of urethane for example. 
     The first sealing material  104  serves to maintain airtight seals between the adjustment panel  100  and the heat insulating material  102  and may be made of silicone for example. The first sealing material  104  may be applied to the contact region between the adjustment panel  100  and the heat insulating material  102 , e.g., the periphery of the adjustment panel  100 . 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the inner volume adjustment assembly for the inner volume adjustable storage chamber A of  FIG. 3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the heat insulating material  102  may fill the gap between the adjustment panel  100  and the main body of the refrigerator. The first sealing material  104  may be applied to the adjustment panel  100  where it contacts the heat insulating material  102  during sliding motions. 
     That is, the adjustment panel  100  may slide horizontally to vary the inner volumes of the refrigerating chamber R′ or the freezer F′. During a sliding motion, the adjustment panel  100  can maintain both heat insulation and an airtight seal of the adjustable storage chamber A. 
     A sliding unit  106  are used to facilitate sliding of the adjustment panel  100 . For example, the sliding unit is coupled to the bottom of the adjustment panel  100 . 
       FIG. 5  is a top view of an exemplary adjustable storage chamber showing the adjustment panel  100  sliding by use of the sliding unit  106 . 
     A part of the sliding unit  106  is fixedly mounted on the adjustable storage chamber A and the other part is inserted into the adjustment panel  100 . Thereby, the adjustment  100  may slide across the inner volume adjustable storage chamber A. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a configuration of an exemplary sliding unit  106  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  in greater detail. The sliding unit  106  may include a rail  106   a , a coupling shaft  106   b , and a second sealing material  106   c.    
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the rail  106   a  may be fixed on a bottom wall of the adjustable storage chamber, and more particularly, into the heat insulating material  102 . The rail  106   a  provides a sliding path of the adjustment panel  100 . A rail groove  106   a ′ is formed on the rail  106   a . As will be described in greater detail below, the coupling shaft  106   b  is coupled to the rail groove  106   a ′ and can slide thereon. 
     One end of the coupling shaft  106   b  may be inserted into, and fixed to, the adjustment panel  100 . The other end of the coupling shaft  106   b  may be coupled to the rail groove  106   a ′ as shown in  FIG. 8 . In this configuration, through the coupling shaft, the adjustment panel  100  can slide along the rail  106   a.    
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary adjustment panel  100  and the exemplary rails  106   a .  FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a detailed configuration of the rail  106   a  in  FIG. 7 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6  again, the sliding unit  106  may further include a second sealing material  106   c.    
     The second sealing material  106   c  may be disposed on the upper surface of the rail  106   b  and serve to further maintain airtightness of the adjustable storage chamber A in the same manner as the first sealing material  104 . Particularly, the second sealing material  106   c  aids to maintain airtightness of the adjustable storage chamber A when the adjustment panel  100  slides along the rail  106   a.    
       FIG. 9  is a top view of the exemplary sliding unit  106  in  FIGS. 4 and 6 .  FIG. 10  illustrates the second sealing material  106   c  applied on the sliding unit  106  of  FIGS. 4 and 6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the second sealing material  106   c  is disposed on the upper surface of the rail  106   a  and serves to maintain an airtight seal of the adjustable storage chamber A when the adjustment panel  100  slides along the rail. For example, the second sealing material  106   c  may be made of a flexible thin film. 
     One end of the second sealing material  106   c  may be coupled to a sealing material feed unit  106   d  and the other end of the second sealing material  106   c  may be coupled to the adjustment panel  100 . 
     The coupling shaft  106   b  is fixedly mounted on the adjustment panel  100  and the second sealing material  106   c  is disposed on the rail  106   a  on both sides of the coupling shaft  106   b . Therefore, the adjustment panel  100  slides along the rail  106  as the coupling shaft  106   b  moves along the rail grooves  106   a ′. During a sliding motion, the second sealing material  106   c , the other end of which is connected to the adjustment panel  100 , may adhere tightly to the rails  106   a  or be separated from the rails  106   a.    
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the sealing material feed unit  106   d  serves to supply one end of the second flexible sealing material  106   c  to a feed shaft  106   d ′. When the adjustment panel  100  slides toward the feed unit  106   d , and the feed unit  106   d  winds the sealing material  106   c  into a spiral shape; when the adjustment panel slides away from the feed unit  106   d , the feed unit  106   d  unwinds (or extends) the second sealing material  106   c . The winding and unwinding of the sealing material  106   c  are performed using the rotational force of the inner feed shaft  106   d′.    
     Therefore, when the adjustment panel  100  slides back and forth, the second sealing material  106   c  is either wound on the sealing material feed unit  106   d  or unwound from the sealing material feed unit  106   d . As a result, the second sealing material  106   c  either adheres tightly to the rails  106   c  or is lifted up from the rails  106   c , thereby maintaining an airtight seal of the adjustable storage chamber A when the adjustment panel  100  moves. 
     It will be appreciated that without the second sealing material  106   c , an air gap would be formed in the sliding unit  106  which undesirably allows external air to enter the sliding unit  106  or internal air to leak from the sliding unit  106 . Thus, the second sealing material  106   c  used in the sliding unit  106  advantageously ensures an airtight seal when the adjustment panel  100  moves. 
       FIG. 11A  illustrates the adjustable storage chamber door A 1  of  FIG. 1A .  FIG. 11B  is a side view of  FIG. 11A . 
     According to the present disclosure, a sealing pad A 1 ′ may be attached to the inner surface of the adjustable storage chamber door A 1  to enhance heat insulation and the airtight nature of the storage chamber A. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates cool air flow to the adjustable storage chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     The adjustment panel  100  is installed in the adjustable storage chamber A (see  FIG. 3 ). The inner volume of the freezer F′ and the inner volume of the refrigerating chamber R′ can be adjusted by sliding the adjustment panel  100  horizontally (e.g., in the leftward/rightward direction as shown). The motion of the adjustment panel  100  may be driven by a manual force or automatically through a driving motor. 
     Here, the refrigerating chamber R′ and the freezer F′ in the adjustable storage chamber A may respectively receive cool air supplied from the refrigerating chamber R and the freezer F of the refrigerator  1  through respective cool air paths  108   a  and  108   b . That is, cool air in the refrigerating chamber R may be supplied to the refrigerating chamber R′ within the adjustable storage chamber A through the cool air path  108 ; and cool air in the freezer F of the refrigerator  1  may be supplied to the freezer F′ within the adjustable storage chamber A through the cool air path  108   b.    
     A fan (not shown) may be provided in or proximate to each of the cool air paths  108   a  and  108   b . The amount of cool air supplied to the refrigerating chamber R′ or the freezer F′ can vary according to the fan speed. Thereby, the temperatures of the refrigerating chamber R′ and the freezer F′ can be controlled. 
     Sensors may be installed to determine a position of the adjustment panel  100 . The sensors may be disposed around the outlets of the cool air paths  108   a  and  108   b . The fans may be individually controlled based on the determined position of the adjustment panel  100 . 
     Herein, a method of controlling cool air flow to adjust the temperatures of the refrigerating chamber R′ and the freezer F′ is described with reference to  FIG. 13 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , when the adjustment panel  100  slides (at S 100 ), the sensors installed in the inner storage chamber A are used to determine the position of the adjustment panel  100 . The sensing results can detect if the adjustment panel  100  is within the section of the refrigerating chamber R′ or within the section of the freezer F′. 
     If the sensor installed proximate to the outlet of the cool air path  108   a  to the refrigerating chamber R′ senses the presence of the adjustment panel  100  (at S 102 ), the speed (e.g., in the unit of revolution per minute (RPM)) of the fan in the cool air path  108   a  may be adjusted to maintain the temperature of the refrigerating chamber R′ (at S 104 ). For example, sensing of the adjustment panel  100  by the sensor installed around the outlet of the cool air path  108   a  indicates that the volume of the refrigerating chamber R′ is decreased. Accordingly, the speed of the fan is decreased so that the amount of cool air supplied from the refrigerating chamber R is reduced. 
     On the other hand, if the sensor installed around the outlet of the cool air path  108   b  to the freezer F′ senses the presence of the adjustment panel  100  (at S 106 ), the speed of the fan for the cool air path  108   b  may be adjusted to maintain the temperature of the freezer F′ (Operation S 108 ). For example, sensing of the adjustment panel  100  by the sensor located proximate to the outlet of the cool air path  108   b  means that the inner volume of the freezer F′ is decreased. Accordingly, the speed of the fan is decreased to such that that the amount of cool air supplied from the freezer F is reduced to maintain the freezer F′ at a desired temperature. 
     Therefore, an inner volume adjustment assembly of a refrigerator in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may easily vary the inner volumes of a refrigerating space and a freezing space without losing the airtight nature of the compartments. The adjustment assembly can be applied in conventional types of refrigerators to achieve an adjustable storage chamber while requiring no complex product design change. For example, a volume adjustment assembly according to the present disclosure can be used in a top-mount style refrigerator, a bottom-freezer style refrigerator, a side-by-side style refrigerator and the like. 
     Further, the inner volume adjustment assembly in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may dynamically and individually control cool air supply based on the respective inner volumes of the refrigerating chamber and the freezer within the adjustable storage chamber. Thus the temperatures therein can be constantly maintained. 
     Although certain preferred embodiments and methods have been disclosed herein, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodiments and methods may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the invention shall be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the rules and principles of applicable law.