Patent Description:
Refrigerators are apparatuses for storing products such as foods received in the refrigerator at a low temperature including sub-zero temperatures. As a result of this action, there is an advantage that user's intake with respect to the products may be improved, or a storage period of the products may be lengthened.

Refrigerators are classified into indoor refrigerators using a commercial power source or outdoor refrigerator using a portable power source. In addition, in recent years, a refrigerator for a vehicle, which is used after fixedly mounted on the vehicle, is increasing in supply. The refrigerator for the vehicle is more increasing in demand due to an increase in supply of vehicles and an increase in premium-class vehicle.

A conventional configuration of the refrigerator for the vehicle will be described.

First, there is an example in which heat in the refrigerator is forcibly discharged to the outside of the refrigerator by using a thermoelement. However, there is a limitation in that a cooling rate is slow due to low thermal efficiency of the thermoelement to deteriorate user's satisfaction.

For another example, there is an example in which a refrigerant or cold air is drawn from an air conditioning system installed for air-conditioning an entire interior of the vehicle and used as a cooling source for the refrigerator for the vehicle.

In this example, there is a disadvantage that a separate flow path of air or refrigerant is required to draw the air or refrigerator from the air conditioning system of the vehicle. Also, there is a limitation that low-temperature energy is lost during the movement of the air or refrigerant through the flow path. Also, there is a limitation that a position at which the refrigerator for the vehicle is installed is limited to a position that is adjacent to the air conditioning system of the vehicle due to the above-described limitations.

For another example, there is an example in which a refrigeration cycle using a refrigerant is applied.

In this example, since a part constituting the refrigeration cycle is large in size, most of the parts are mounted on a trunk, and only a door of a door of the refrigerator is opened to the inside of the vehicle. In this case, there is a limitation that a position for installing the refrigerator for the vehicle is limited. Also, there is a limitation that the trunk is significantly reduced in volume to reduce an amount of cargo that is capable of being loaded in the trunk.

Further configurations of a cooling apparatus are known from <CIT> and <CIT>.

<CIT> describes a cold box for a vehicle which is provided with a pedestal comprising a cooling aggregate and a condenser. A cooling chamber is placed on top of the pedestal on the cooling aggregate. A forced air cooling system is provided for the condenser. Grills for the inlet and exhaust air flow are incorporated in the region of front and/or rear walls of the pedestal. A blower controlled by a drive control of the motor of the refrigeration compressor creates a forced one-directional convection and a cooling effect for the condenser. <CIT> relates to a refrigerator including a body formed to have a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber, a machine room provided on a top of the body to have a front region and a rear region, a vibration isolating member for attenuating vibration in the machine room, and a blocking member for attenuating noise in the machine room. The front region has the compressor mounted thereto, and the rear region has a condenser and the cooling fan mounted thereto. Moreover, the front region has a first guide member for guiding an air flow toward the compressor from the cooling fan, and the rear region has a second guide member for guiding an air flow toward the condenser. The air flow is provided through front holes and side holes in a cover member of the machine room.

Embodiments also provide a refrigerating or warming apparatus to which a driver is directly accessible while using refrigeration cycle, and a vehicle.

Embodiments also provide a refrigerating or warming apparatus that is capable of increasing a capacity of a refrigerator, and a vehicle.

Embodiments provide a refrigerating or warming apparatus that is capable of improving energy efficiency, and a vehicle.

Such a refrigerating or warming apparatus is configured as described in independent claim <NUM>. In one embodiment, to allow a driver to be directly accessible by using a refrigeration cycle, a refrigerating or warming apparatus includes: a cavity of which at least a portion of a wall is provided as a vacuum adiabatic body; a machine room disposed at a side outside the cavity; a compressor accommodated in the machine room to compress a refrigerator; a first heat exchange module accommodated in the machine room to allow the refrigerant to be heat-exchanged; and a second heat exchange module accommodated in the cavity to allow the refrigerant to be heat-exchanged.

To increase a capacity of a refrigerator and realize high integration of the machine room, the refrigerating or warming apparatus may further include a machine room cover which covers the machine room to separate a passage and in which the internal air flow and the external air flow have directions opposite to each other.

To improve energy efficiency and heat dissipation performance, the refrigerating or warming apparatus may further include a passage guide for guiding discharge-side air of the internal air flow to the direction opposite to the cavity.

The refrigerating or warming apparatus may further include a connection passage further provided on a discharge end of the passage guide to suppress recirculation of hot air, thereby more improving the heat dissipation performance.

Inlet-side air of the external air flow may flow to the cavity to more suppress the recirculation of the hot air.

To improve energy efficiency and realize high integration of the machine room, the external air flow may have a width that gradually decreases as the air flow proceeds.

To achieve sufficient heat dissipation performance, the machine room cover may have at least two stepped parts. A controller may be disposed on the stepped part.

To improve integration, a compressor driving circuit and a refrigerating or warming apparatus control circuit may be provided together in the controller.

Moreover, a vehicle comprising a refrigerating or warming apparatus with the features of independent claim <NUM> is provided. To obtain a vehicle on which a refrigerating or warming apparatus having a quick temperature adjustment performance is mounted, a vehicle is provided which includes: a console; a suction port and an exhaust port, which are provided in left and right sides of the console; a cavity and a machine room, which are horizontally provided in an inner space of the console; a compressor and a first heat exchange module, which are provided in the machine room; and a second heat exchange module accommodated in the cavity.

To secure capacity of a refrigerator and realize high integration, the external air flow outside the machine room cover covering the machine room and the internal air flow inside the machine room cover may have directions opposite to each other.

To increase energy efficiency and secure sufficient heat dissipation performance, the vehicle may further include a passage guide provided in the refrigerator bottom frame to guide a flow of air discharged to the outside of the machine room to the exhaust port.

To prevent air discharged from the passage guide from recirculating, the vehicle may further include a connection passage between an inlet end of the exhaust port and a discharge end of the passage guide. The vehicle may further include a blocking wall blocking a space between a bottom of an inner space of the console and the discharge end of the passage guide.

To increase energy efficiency and secure sufficient heat dissipation performance, the passage guide may be vertically aligned with the compressor.

In further another embodiment, to safely control the refrigerating or warming apparatus, the refrigerating or warming apparatus includes: a cavity and a machine room, which are horizontally aligned with each other; a compressor accommodated in the machine room; and a machine room cover which covers the machine room to separate a passage and outside which a controller is disposed.

To realize high integration of the refrigerating or warming apparatus, the controller may include a compressor driving circuit for driving the compressor.

To secure cooling performance of the controller, air heated by cooling the controller may be introduced into the machine room.

To secure high integration of the machine room and the refrigerating or warming apparatus together with heat dissipation performance, air through which the controller and air flowing through the machine room may have directions opposite to each other.

According to the refrigerating or warming apparatus including: a cavity of which at least a portion of the wall is provided as the vacuum adiabatic body; the machine room disposed at a side of the outside of the cavity; the compressor accommodated in the machine room to compressor the refrigerant; the first heat exchange module accommodated in the machine room to allow the refrigerant to be heat-exchanged; and the second heat exchange module accommodated in the cavity to allow the refrigerant to be heat-exchanged, the refrigerating or warming apparatus may be disposed at the position that is close to the driver.

The refrigerating or warming apparatus further includes the machine room cover which covers the machine room to separate the passage and in which the internal air flow and the external air flow have the directions opposite to each other. Thus, the air flow within the machine room may be accurately separated to reduce the machine room, thereby increasing in capacity of the cavity.

The passage guide for guiding the discharge-side air of the internal air flow to the direction opposite to the cavity may be provided. Thus, the hot air may not be applied the cavity to reduce the heat load.

Since the width of the air flow decreases ad the external air flow proceeds, the sufficient space for cooling each of the parts provided inside and outside the machine room and dissipating the heat of the parts may be secured.

The controller may be disposed on the stepped part of the machine room cover, and the compressor driving circuit for driving the compressor and the refrigerating or warming apparatus driving circuit may be provided together in the controller to more improve the integration of the refrigerating or warming apparatus and the operation reliability of the refrigerating or warming apparatus.

The vehicle including: the console; the suction port and the exhaust port, which are provided in the left and right sides of the console; the cavity and the machine room, which are horizontally provided in the inner space of the console; the compressor and the first heat exchange module, which are provided in the machine room; and the second heat exchange module accommodated in the cavity may be provided. Thus, the user of the vehicle may quickly provide the accommodation product at the desired temperature condition.

The external air flow outside the machine room cover covering the machine room and the internal air flow inside the machine room cover may have the directions opposite to each other. Thus, the refrigeration cycle may be sufficiently accommodated in the narrow space.

The high-temperature air may be prevented from influencing the cavity by the passage guide for guiding the passage of the air discharged to the outside of the machine room toward the exhaust port.

The passage guide may be vertically aligned with the compressor to quickly discharge the air and realize the high-integration of the machine room.

The refrigerating or warming apparatus including: the cavity and the machine room, which are horizontally aligned with each other; the compressor accommodated in the machine room; and the machine room cover which covers the machine room to separate the passage and outside which the controller is disposed may be provided. Thus, the controller may be prevented from being broken down in the narrow space to stably drive the refrigerating or warming apparatus.

The compressor driving circuit for driving the compressor may be provided in the controller to more reduce the inner space of the machine room.

The air flowing through the controller may be introduced into the machine room to satisfy the heat dissipation conditions of the controller.

Since the air flowing through the controller and the air flowing through the machine room are provided in opposite directions, the inner and outer spaces of the narrow machine room may be sufficiently utilized to perform the cooling.

In the following description according to embodiments with reference to the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to different drawings in the case of the same constituents.

Also, in the description of each drawing, the description will be made with reference to the direction in which the vehicle is viewed from the front of the vehicle, rather than the front viewed by the driver based on the traveling direction of the vehicle. For example, the driver is on the right, and the assistant driver is on the left.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a vehicle according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, a seat <NUM> on which a user is seated is provided in a vehicle <NUM>. The seat <NUM> may be provided in a pair to be horizontally spaced apart from each other. A console is disposed between the seats <NUM>, and a driver places items that are necessary for driving or components that are necessary for manipulating the vehicle in the console. Front seats on which the driver and the assistant driver are seated may be described as an example of the seats <NUM>.

It should be understood that the vehicle includes various components, which are necessary for driving the vehicle, such as a moving device such as a wheel, a driving device such as an engine, and a steering device such as a steering wheel.

The refrigerator for the vehicle according to an embodiment may be preferably placed in the console. However, an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle refrigerator may be installed in various spaces. For example, the vehicle refrigerator may be installed in a space between rear seats, a door, a globe box, and a center fascia. This is one of factors that the vehicle refrigerator according to an embodiment is capable of being installed only when power is supplied, and a minimum space is secured. However, it is an advantage of the embodiment in that it may be installed in the console between the seats, which is limited in space due to limitations in vehicle design.

<FIG> is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the console of the vehicle.

Referring to <FIG>, a console <NUM> may be provided as a separate part that is made of a material such as a resin. A steel frame <NUM> may be further provided below the console <NUM> to maintain strength of the vehicle, and a sensor part <NUM> such as a sensor may be disposed in a spacing part between the console <NUM> and the steel frame <NUM>. The sensor part <NUM> may be a part that is necessary for accurately sensing an external signal and measuring a signal at a position of the driver. For example, an airbag sensor that is directly connected to the life of the driver may be mounted.

The console <NUM> may have a console space <NUM> therein, and the console space <NUM> may be covered by a console cover <NUM>. The console cover <NUM> may be fixed to the console <NUM> in a fixed type. Thus, it is difficult that external foreign substances are introduced into the console through the console cover <NUM>. A vehicle refrigerator <NUM> is seated in the console space <NUM>.

A suction port <NUM> may be provided in a right surface of the console <NUM> to introduce air within the vehicle into the console space <NUM>. The suction port <NUM> may face the driver. An exhaust port <NUM> may be provided in a left surface of the console <NUM> to exhaust warmed air while the vehicle refrigerator operates from the inside of the console space <NUM>. The exhaust port <NUM> may face the assistant driver. A grill may be provided in each of the suction port <NUM> and the exhaust port <NUM> to prevent user's hand from being inserted and thereby to provide safety, prevent an object, which falls from an upper side, from being introduced, and allow air to be exhausted to flow downward so as not to be directed to the person.

<FIG> is a schematic perspective view illustrating the inside of the vehicle refrigerator. Referring to <FIG>, the vehicle refrigerator <NUM> includes a refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> supporting parts, a machine room <NUM> provided in a left side of the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM>, and a cavity <NUM> provided in a right side of the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM>. The machine room <NUM> may be covered by a machine room cover <NUM>, and an upper side of the cavity <NUM> may be covered by the console cover <NUM> and a door <NUM>.

The machine room cover <NUM> may not only guide a passage of the cooling air, but also prevent foreign substances from being introduced into the machine room <NUM>.

In more detail, air flows (a first flow) into a spacing part between the machine room cover <NUM> and the console cover <NUM> and then flows (a second flow) into the machine room cover <NUM>. Also, the first flow and the second flow are provided in opposite directions. Thus, cooling performance may be maximized in the narrow space.

A controller <NUM> may be disposed on the machine room cover <NUM> to control an overall operation of the vehicle refrigerator <NUM>. Since the controller <NUM> is installed at the above-described position, the vehicle refrigerator <NUM> may operate without problems in a proper temperature range in a narrow space inside the console space <NUM>.

That is to say, the controller <NUM> may be cooled by air flowing through a gap between the machine room cover <NUM> and the console cover <NUM> and separated from an inner space of the machine room <NUM> by the machine room cover <NUM>. Thus, the controller <NUM> may not be affected by heat within the machine room <NUM>.

The console cover <NUM> may not only cover an opened upper portion of the console space <NUM>, but also cover an upper end edge of the cavity <NUM>. A door <NUM> may be further installed on the console cover <NUM> to allow the user to cover an opening through which products are accessible to the cavity <NUM>.

The door <NUM> may be opened by using rear portions of the console cover <NUM> and the cavity <NUM> as hinge points. Here, the opening of the console cover <NUM>, the door <NUM>, and the cavity <NUM> may be performed by conveniently manipulating the door <NUM> by the user because the console cover <NUM>, the door <NUM>, and the cavity <NUM> are horizontally disposed when viewed from the user and also disposed at a rear side of the console.

A condensation module <NUM>, a dryer <NUM>, and a compressor <NUM> may be successively installed in the machine room <NUM> in a flow direction of the cooling air. A refrigerant conduit <NUM> for allowing the refrigerant to smoothly flow is provided in the machine room <NUM>. A portion of the refrigerant conduit <NUM> may extend to the inside of the cavity <NUM> to supply the refrigerant. The refrigerant conduit <NUM> may extend to the outside of the cavity <NUM> through the upper opening through which the products are accessible to the cavity <NUM>.

The cavity <NUM> has an opened top surface and five surfaces that are covered by a vacuum adiabatic body <NUM>. Each of surfaces of the cavity <NUM> may be thermally insulated by an individual vacuum adiabatic body or at least one or more vacuum adiabatic bodies communicating with each other. The cavity <NUM> may be provided by the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM>. Also, the cavity <NUM> through which the products is accessible through one surface opened by the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> may be provided.

The vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> may include a first plate member <NUM> providing a boundary of a low-temperature inner space of the cavity <NUM>, a second plate member <NUM> providing a boundary of a high-temperature outer space, and a conductive resistance sheet <NUM> blocking heat transfer between the plate members <NUM> and <NUM>. Since the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> has a thin adiabatic thickness to maximally obtain adiabatic efficiency, the cavity <NUM> having large capacity may be realized.

An exhaust and getter port for the exhaust of the inner space of the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> and for installing a getter that maintains the vacuum state may be provided on one surface. The exhaust and getter port <NUM> may provide the exhaust and getter together to more contribute to miniaturization of the vehicle refrigerator <NUM>.

Details of the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> will be described later.

An evaporation module <NUM> may be installed in the cavity <NUM> provided as the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM>. The evaporation module <NUM> may forcibly blow the evaporation heat introduced into the cavity <NUM> through the refrigerant conduit <NUM> into the cavity <NUM>. The evaporation module may be disposed at a rear side within the cavity <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view for explaining an air flow outside a machine room of the vehicle refrigerator.

Referring to <FIG>, air introduced into the suction port <NUM> moves to a left side of the vehicle refrigerator through a space between the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> defining a front wall of the cavity <NUM> and an inner front surface of the console space <NUM>. Since a heating source is not provided at a right side of the vehicle refrigerator, the suction air may be maintained at its original temperature.

The air moving to the left side of the vehicle refrigerator may be changed in direction to a rear side to move along a top surface of the machine room <NUM> outside the machine room <NUM>.

To smoothly guide the air flow, the machine room cover <NUM> may have a height that gradually increases backward from the front surface <NUM>. Also, to provide a region in which the controller <NUM> is disposed, and prevent the parts within the machine room from interfering in position with each other, a stepped part may be disposed on the top surface of the machine room <NUM>.

In detail, a first step portion <NUM>, a second stepped part <NUM>, and a third stepped part <NUM> may be successively provided backward from the front surface. A controller placing part <NUM> having the same height as the third stepped part is disposed on the second stepped part <NUM>. According to this structure, the controller <NUM> may be disposed in parallel to the third stepped part <NUM> and the controller placing part <NUM>.

The air moving along the top surface of the machine room cover <NUM> may cool the controller <NUM> on the flow path. Although the air may be slightly heated while cooling the controller, a degree of the temperature rise may be insignificant.

The air moving up to the rear side of the machine room cover <NUM> flows downward. A large cover suction hole (see reference numeral <NUM> of <FIG>) that is opened in the rear surface of the machine room cover <NUM> may be provided. For this, a predetermined space may be provided between the rear surface of the machine room cover <NUM> and the rear surface of the console space <NUM>.

The flow within the machine room <NUM> will be described with reference to the bottom perspective view of the machine room cover in <FIG> and the view of the machine room, from which the machine room cover is removed, in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the cover suction hole <NUM> is provided in the rear surface <NUM> of the machine room cover <NUM>. Air may be introduced forward from the rear surface of the machine room through the cover suction hole <NUM>.

The air introduced through the cover suction hole <NUM> may pass through the condensation module <NUM> to perform a condensation action of the refrigerant and thereby to be heated. Then, heat exchange action with respect to the driver and the expansion valve is performed. Thereafter, the refrigerant cools the compressor <NUM> and is discharged to the bottom surface of the machine room <NUM>.

The refrigerant discharged from the machine room <NUM> is discharged to a left side through a hole defined in the machine room bottom frame <NUM> provided below the compressor and the passage guide <NUM> of the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM>. The passage guide <NUM> is aligned with the exhaust port <NUM> of the console, and the heated air is discharged to the assistant driver. Here, to prevent inconvenience to the assistant driver, a grill of the exhaust port <NUM> is provided to be inclined downward, and hot air may be discharged to the under seat of the assistant driver.

The air flow will be described again with respect to a flow direction.

First, the air is generally suctioned to the driver and generally discharged to the assistant driver, i.e., the left direction.

In detail, there are a path through which the air suctioned from the right side through the suction portion <NUM> moves in the right direction from the cavity <NUM> to the machine room, a path through which the moves from a region of machine room to the outside of the machine room, a path through which the air moves downward from an upper side of the machine room, a path through which the air moves forward from the inside of the machine room, a path through which the air moves downward from a front portion of the machine room, and a path through which the air moves from the machine room to the left side and then exhausted through the exhaust port <NUM>.

The above-described paths are configurations that satisfy the spatial integration for perfectly performing the operation of the vehicle refrigerator while mounting the refrigerant system in the narrow space.

Power for drawing the air flow may be generated by the condensation fan <NUM> provided in the condensation module <NUM>. Thus, in view of the flow path of air, the air to be suctioned into the condensation fan <NUM> may be disposed outside the machine room. The discharged air may be blown to the inside of the machine room with respect to the condensation fan <NUM>.

The air discharged from the condensation fan <NUM> may be discharged only through the passage guide <NUM>.

The reason is for preventing the hot air discharged to the outside of the machine room cover <NUM> does not recirculate to the suction-side of the condensation fan <NUM>. For this, the inside of the machine room surrounded by the machine room cover <NUM> may not communicate with the other sides except for the passage guide <NUM>.

As may be seen, the air discharged from the inside of the machine room <NUM> may not be discharged to the outside of the console space <NUM>, but flow again into the inside of the machine room <NUM> to have great influence on the efficiency reduction of the refrigeration system.

In order to prevent this influence, the air in the machine room may be discharged only through the flow guide <NUM> and not discharged to the other parts, and the air discharged through the flow guide <NUM> may be smoothly discharged to the exhaust port. If the air discharged through the passage guide is stagnated in the console space <NUM> without being discharged through the exhaust port <NUM>, some of the air may eventually flow into the machine room <NUM>. This causes severe cooling efficiency deterioration.

When a fan rate of the condensation fan <NUM> increases, efficiency of the system may be obtained even though the recirculation air exists. However, when a rotation rate of the condensation fan increases, a loud noise is generated, and the noise is inconvenient to the driver. The vehicle refrigerator according to an embodiment is adjacent to the driver since the vehicle refrigerator is installed in the console. Therefore, the noise problem becomes more series. Due to such a background, the maximum rotation rate of the condensing fan <NUM> is preferably limited to about <NUM>,<NUM> rpm.

<FIG> is a front perspective view of the machine room cover.

Referring to <FIG>, the machine room cover <NUM> has a front surface <NUM>, a top surface <NUM>, and a left surface <NUM> as described above. A hole may be defined in a rear surface to allow air to be introduced.

The inner space of the machine room <NUM> may be defined by the machine room cover <NUM>, and the right and bottom surfaces of the machine room cover <NUM> may be provided as empty spaces. The left surface of the machine room <NUM> becomes the right surface of the cavity, and the bottom surface of the machine room <NUM> may be the bottom of the machine room. According to the above-described constituents, the inner space of the machine room may be defined.

The upper surface <NUM> is provided with stepped parts <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to smoothly flow the air and prevent problem in positions of the internal parts disposed inside the machine room and the external parts disposed outside the machine room from occurring.

A controller placing part <NUM> protruding upward from a top surface of the second stepped part <NUM> is provided. A top surface of the controller placing part <NUM> and a bottom surface of the third stepped part <NUM> may have the same height. Thus, the controller <NUM> may be disposed in a horizontal state.

A recess part <NUM> having the same height as the top surface of the second stepped part <NUM> may be defined between the controller placing part <NUM> and the bottom surface of the third stepped part <NUM>. The recess part <NUM> may provide a space through which air below the controller <NUM> flows, and external air may be introduced into or discharged from the space. Thus, cooling of the controller <NUM> may be performed through the upper portion and the lower portion thereof. Thus, the cooling of the controller <NUM> may be more smoothly performed, and an operation temperature of the controller may be satisfied in the narrow space within the console <NUM>.

The machine room cover may be coupled to an outer wall of the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> defining the cavity <NUM>. For this, a cavity coupling part <NUM> may be disposed at the right side of the machine room cover <NUM>, and the machine room cover <NUM> and the cavity <NUM> may be provided as one body.

Since the machine room cover <NUM> completely seals a left surface of the cavity, the air within the machine room may not leak to the outside. Thus, the recirculation of the air may be prevented to improve the cooling efficiency.

The controller <NUM> is installed in the inner spaces between the second stepped part <NUM> and the third stepped part <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is coupled and fixed to the machine room cover <NUM>, and controller coupling parts <NUM> and <NUM> for the coupling of the controller are provided.

A through-hole <NUM> guiding the refrigerant conduit <NUM> that guides the refrigerant into the cavity through the upper opening of the cavity is defined in the right side of the machine room cover <NUM>. The refrigerant conduit <NUM> passing through the through-hole <NUM> may correspond to the regeneration conduit adiabatic member. The regeneration conduit adiabatic member may be a member for thermally insulating a regeneration conduit system that exchanges heat of the first refrigerant conduit, which is introduced into the evaporation module <NUM>, and heat of the second refrigerant conduit, which is discharged from the evaporation module.

The regeneration conduit system may constitute a portion of the refrigerant conduit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a perspective view of the controller, and <FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the controller.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the controller includes a lower case <NUM> and an upper cover <NUM>, which provide an inner space.

Cover coupling parts <NUM> and <NUM>, which are aligned with the control coupling parts <NUM> and <NUM> of the machine room cover <NUM>, may be provided in the lower case <NUM> and be horizontally seated on the top surface of the machine room cover <NUM>. A connection terminal <NUM> may be disposed on one side of the lower case <NUM> to perform electrical connection of a power source and a sensor.

All electrical connection terminals provided in the vehicle refrigerator may use a double lock connection terminals so as not to release the coupling due to the driving of the vehicle and vibration due to the driving.

A control board <NUM> is disposed in an inner space defined by the lower case <NUM> and the upper cover <NUM>.

A plurality of heat generation sources are mounted on the control board <NUM>. Among them, the compressor driving circuit for driving the compressor <NUM> includes a switching circuit, and a large amount of heat is generated because relatively large current flows through the compressor.

The compressor driving circuit is generally coupled to a side surface of the compressor. However, in the case of the embodiment, since the inner space of the machine room is narrow as the vehicle refrigerator, and the position of the compressor is located just before the discharge of the machine room, the temperature of the air flowing is high. Thus, it is inappropriate to install the compressor driving circuit in a space close to the compressor.

As a solution to this problem, if the compressor driving circuit is provided together with the control board <NUM> that controls the whole of the vehicle refrigerator, the space of the vehicle refrigerator may be more compact. However, it is preferable that a heat dissipation structure having high cooling efficiency is provided because a large amount of heat more increases by mounting a plurality of parts on the narrow control board <NUM>, which may affect the operation of the parts.

To solve this problem, a heat sink <NUM> is provided which comes into contact with a heat generation portion of the control board <NUM> to promote the heat radiation of the control board <NUM>. A cover hole <NUM> that is opened to a top surface is provided in the upper cover <NUM>. The heat sink <NUM> is exposed to the outside through the cover hole <NUM>.

The exposed heat sink is cooled by the air passing through the spacing part between the machine room cover <NUM> and the console cover <NUM>. In the spacing part between the machine room cover <NUM> and the console cover <NUM>, relatively cool air in which the air introduced into the console space <NUM> does not cool other parts, flows. Therefore, the cooling action of the heat sink <NUM> may be smoothly performed. Moreover, the control board <NUM> may be smoothly cooled to improve operational reliability.

A configuration of the controller <NUM> will be described in more detail.

<FIG> is a schematic circuit diagram of the control board.

Referring to <FIG>, the control board <NUM> includes a refrigerator control circuit <NUM> for controlling an operation of the vehicle refrigerator and a compressor control circuit <NUM> for controlling an operation of the compressor <NUM>.

The refrigerator control circuit <NUM> may perform functions such as door opening/closing, a fan operation, data storage, state determination, and a command. The compressor control circuit <NUM> is configured to control rotation of a motor of the compressor and has a high heat generation value due to execution of the switching operation and supply of the driving current.

High-temperature heat generated in the compressor control circuit <NUM> affects other circuits of the control board <NUM> and causes a risk of fire. Thus, a temperature sensor <NUM> is provided in the vicinity of the compressor control circuit <NUM> to stop the compressor <NUM> when the temperature sensor <NUM> senses a temperature equal to or higher than a threshold value. Therefore, it is important that the temperature sensor <NUM> should not rise above the threshold value.

Another circuit part having a high heat generation value in the control board is a DC-DC converter <NUM> and a diode <NUM> for boosting a voltage from about <NUM> volts to about <NUM> volts. Although these part are not the same as the compressor control circuit <NUM>, the parts act as large factors of the temperature rise, and if the parts do not operate normally, the parts may lead to malfunction of the vehicle refrigerator.

A region including the compressor control circuit <NUM> and the temperature sensor <NUM> and also including the DC-DC converter <NUM> and the diode <NUM> is referred to as a heat sink corresponding portion <NUM>, and the heat sink <NUM> may come into direct or indirect contact with the region corresponding to the heat sink <NUM>.

As described above, since an installation place of the heat sink <NUM> is a place where relatively cool air flows as the outer space of the machine room cover <NUM>, the cooling operation through the heat sink <NUM> may be performed smoothly. Thus, the cooling of the heat generation parts may be smoothly performed.

<FIG> is a block diagram for explaining control of the vehicle refrigerator.

Referring to <FIG>, the vehicle refrigerator may be divided into a cavity <NUM>, a machine room <NUM>, a door <NUM>, and a control board <NUM> for controlling the cavity, the machine room, and the door according to control functions.

The cavity <NUM> is provided with a temperature sensor <NUM> for measuring a temperature in the cavity, an evaporation fan <NUM> included in the evaporation module <NUM> to cause cold air circulation inside the cavity, and a light source <NUM> that brightens the inside of the cavity. Each of the parts is controlled by a control unit <NUM> of the control board <NUM>.

A condensation fan <NUM> that draws an air flow inside the machine room and a compressor <NUM> that draws a refrigerant flow from the refrigeration system are provided in the machine room <NUM>. The condensation fan <NUM> and the compressor <NUM> are controlled by the control unit <NUM>.

A magnet <NUM> may be installed on the door <NUM>, and a corresponding operation may be performed by the controller <NUM> when the access of the magnet <NUM> is detected by the sensor <NUM>.

A relay switch <NUM> operates under the control of the control unit <NUM>, and voltage regulators <NUM> and <NUM> control an operation of fans <NUM> and <NUM>.

An UART port for inputting data may be provided on the control board <NUM>. Necessary data may be stored by the UART port.

A power switch <NUM> for interrupting power supplied from a <NUM>-volt power source is disposed on the control board <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> may be provided with a refrigerator control unit and a compressor control unit in a single chip.

When the control unit <NUM> is interpreted as a single physical chip, a compressor control circuit for switching the compressor <NUM> and supplying a high voltage to the compressor <NUM> is provided in plurality of chips on the board between the compressor <NUM> and the controller <NUM>. The compressor control circuit <NUM> may operate by a control command of the control unit <NUM> to supply energy to the compressor <NUM>.

An operation of each part will be described sequentially.

When the vehicle refrigerator normally operates, i.e., in a state I which the door is not opened, the compressor <NUM>, the condensing fan <NUM>, and the evaporation fan <NUM> may operate to correspond to a temperature inside the cavity. Of course, an intermittent operation may naturally occur depending on an operation state such as a supercooled state. The intermittent operation is sensed by the temperature sensor <NUM> and then controlled. An on/off operation of the compressor <NUM>, the condensing fan <NUM>, and the evaporation fan <NUM> may not be said to be performed together, and an on/off state may be different depending on a flow of the refrigerant and the current temperature.

When the door <NUM> is opened during the operation of the vehicle refrigerator, the sensor <NUM> senses a change in magnetic field due to disengagement or approach of the magnet, which may be determined as opening of the door <NUM>. Thereafter, the compressor <NUM> may be turned off, or the fans <NUM> and <NUM> may be stopped. When the opening of the door <NUM> is sensed, the evaporation fan <NUM> may be turned off at all times. This is for preventing cold air from being lost.

Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of a passage of air discharged through the passage guide and a method for suppressing the recirculation of machine room discharge air.

<FIG> is a front view of the vehicle refrigerator.

Referring to <FIG>, the vehicle refrigerator is disposed in the console space <NUM>. The air inside the machine room, which passes through a previously set path, is directed to the exhaust port <NUM> through the passage guide <NUM>.

The passage guide <NUM> is provided to be recessed in the refrigerator bottom frame, and at least a portion thereof is provided to be inclined in a direction toward the exhaust port <NUM>.

A connection passage <NUM> may be provided in a path between the passage guide <NUM> and the exhaust port <NUM>. The connection passage <NUM> is a member for connecting the passage guide <NUM> provided in the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> to an inlet end of the exhaust port <NUM>.

According to the connection passage <NUM>, a laminar flow flowing through the passage guide <NUM> may be continuous. Thus, the air flow may be stably guided. However, it is unnecessary to ensure that the connection passage <NUM> comes into contact with the inlet end of the exhaust port <NUM>. The recirculation of the machine room discharge air may be considerably attenuated by making an outlet of the connection passage <NUM> to be placed at a position adjacent to the inlet end of the exhaust port <NUM>. This leads to a great effect in improving heat efficiency.

The exhaust port <NUM> has a height H2 greater than that H1 of the outlet end of the passage guide <NUM>. This is intended to reduce discomfort of the assistant driver by the hot air discharged from the exhaust port <NUM> and to suppress recirculation of the discharged air. According to this, the air discharged from the passage guide <NUM> is diffused, and a flow velocity thereof is slowed down so that an effect of preventing direct contact with the assistant driver is obtained.

<FIG> is a left view of the vehicle refrigerator.

Referring to <FIG>, the exhaust port has a width W2 greater than that of the passage guide <NUM>. According to this, the air discharged from the passage guide <NUM> is diffused, and a flow velocity thereof is slowed down so that an effect of preventing direct contact with the assistant driver is obtained. Also, a smooth exhaust operation may be obtained, and the recirculation of the discharged air may be suppressed.

When comparing a height of a center of the exhaust port with a height of a discharge end of the passage guide <NUM>, the center of the exhaust port has a relatively low height when comparing centers of the members. This is because the air discharged from the passage guide <NUM> is directed downward so that natural air flow is maximized.

<FIG> are diagrams of simulations for explaining various structures of the passage guide.

Referring to <FIG>, the passage guide <NUM> according to this embodiment may have an inclined part that is gradually lowered in the left direction to guide the flow. The passage guide <NUM> is provided by a method such as cutting and drawing of a plate-shaped refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> and has a size and a structure similar to an area of the cut plate.

In this embodiment, it is seen that the air discharged from the machine room <NUM> is recirculated to the console space through the spacing part between the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> and the console space <NUM>. The recirculated air may be reintroduced into the machine room <NUM> to lead to reduction in efficiency of the refrigeration system.

In drawing, a deep blue is a portion without flow, and the thicker the red, the faster the flow. This also applies to other drawings.

Referring to <FIG>, the passage guide <NUM> of this example has the inclined part that is lowered in the left direction to guide the flow and is provided by a method such as cutting and drawing in the plate-like refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> to provide a size and structure similar to those of the area of the cut plate. Also, a blocking wall <NUM> extending downward from a lower end of the discharge end of the passage guide is provided.

The spacing part between the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> and the console space <NUM> is blocked by the blocking wall <NUM>, and the discharged air does not flow therebetween. Thus, hot air recirculated to the machine room <NUM>, i.e., the inlet side of the condensation module <NUM>, may be removed.

The blocking wall <NUM> may be a preferred means for preventing the recirculation of the exhaust air of the machine room.

Referring to <FIG>, the passage guide <NUM> of this example has the inclined part that is lowered in the left direction to guide the flow and is provided by a method such as cutting and drawing in the plate-like refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> to provide a size and structure similar to those of the area of the cut plate. Also, the connection passage <NUM> further extending to the exhaust port <NUM> of the discharge end of the passage guide <NUM> is provided.

The connection passage <NUM> extends to the vicinity of the inlet end of the exhaust port <NUM> and does not come into contact with the exhaust port <NUM>. This is because the discharged air of the connection passage <NUM> is directly discharged through the exhaust port <NUM>, thereby preventing a large flow rate from being generated and causing the user to feel uncomfortable. Also, it is possible to prevent the recirculation of the machine room discharge air by such a structure.

The outlet side of the connection passage <NUM> may have a size greater than that of the inlet side of the connection passage <NUM>. In this case, the connection passage <NUM> may act as a diffuser by itself. The outlet end of the connection passage <NUM> may be aligned with the size of the exhaust port <NUM>, and the outlet end of the connection passage <NUM> may come into contact with the inlet end of the exhaust port <NUM> when the diffuser is employed. In this case, the discomfort of the assistant driver may be eliminated.

Referring to <FIG>, the passage guide <NUM> of this example does not have the inclined part that is lowered in the left direction and is provided by a method such as cutting and drawing in the plate-like refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> to provide a size and structure similar to those of the area of the cut plate.

In this embodiment, a turbulence generation inside the flow guide <NUM> increases, and the turbulence inside the flow guide <NUM> propagates to the outside. Thus, it is confirmed that the flow reaches the spacing part between the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> and the console space <NUM>, and recirculation of the machine room discharge air occurs.

As described above, the recirculation of the machine room discharge air adversely affects the heat exchange performance, the efficiency of the refrigerator deteriorates, and the internal temperature of the cavity becomes worse.

Referring to <FIG>, the passage guide <NUM> according to this embodiment may have an inclined part that is gradually lowered in the left direction to guide the flow. Also, the passage guide <NUM> is provided by a method such as cutting and drawing in the plate-like refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> so as to have the size and structure similar to the area of the cut plate. In addition, the passage guide <NUM> is further downward so as to have a height and an up-and-down width equal to that of the exhaust port <NUM>.

The turbulence region A is generated in the discharge part of the passage guide <NUM> due to the size of the excess flow guide and the influence of the turbulence region A is generated between the refrigerator bottom frame <NUM> and the console space <NUM> so that the flow reaches the spacing part. As a result, it is seen that recirculation of the discharged air occurs.

As a result of the above experiment, it was confirmed that the application of the blocking wall <NUM> and the connection passage <NUM> is a preferable means for preventing the recirculation of the machine room discharge air discharged from the discharge end of the passage guide <NUM>.

The structure and action of the vacuum adiabatic body will be described in more detail.

<FIG> is a view illustrating an internal configuration of a vacuum adiabatic body according to various embodiments.

First, referring to <FIG>, a vacuum space part <NUM> is provided in a third space having a different pressure from first and second spaces, preferably, a vacuum state, thereby reducing adiabatic loss. The third space may be provided at a temperature between the temperature of the first space and the temperature of the second space.

A constituent that resists heat transfer between the first space and the second space may be called a heat resistance unit. Hereinafter, all various constituents may be applied, or the various constituents may be selectively applied.

The third space is provided as a space in the vacuum state Thus, the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM> receive a force contracting in a direction in which they approach each other due to a force corresponding to a pressure difference between the first and second spaces. Therefore, the vacuum space part <NUM> may be deformed in a direction in which it is reduced. In this case, adiabatic loss may be caused due to an increase in amount of heat radiation, caused by the contraction of the vacuum space part <NUM>, and an increase in amount of heat conduction, caused by contact between the plate members <NUM> and <NUM>.

A supporting unit <NUM> may be provided to reduce the deformation of the vacuum space part <NUM>. The supporting unit <NUM> includes bars <NUM>. The bars <NUM> may extend in a direction substantially vertical to the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM> so as to support a distance between the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>. A support plate <NUM> may be additionally provided to at least one end of the bar <NUM>. The support plate <NUM> connects at least two bars <NUM> to each other, and may extend in a direction horizontal to the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>.

The support plate <NUM> may be provided in a plate shape, or may be provided in a lattice shape such that its area contacting the first or second plate member <NUM> or <NUM> is decreased, thereby reducing heat transfer. The bars <NUM> and the support plate <NUM> are fixed to each other at at least one portion, to be inserted together between the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>. The support plate <NUM> contacts at least one of the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>, thereby preventing deformation of the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>. In addition, based on the extending direction of the bars <NUM>, a total sectional area of the support plate <NUM> is provided to be greater than that of the bars <NUM>, so that heat transferred through the bars <NUM> may be diffused through the support plate <NUM>.

A material of the supporting unit <NUM> may include a resin selected from the group consisting of PC, glass fiber PC, low outgassing PC, PPS, and LCP so as to obtain high compressive strength, low outgassing and water absorption, low thermal conductivity, high compressive strength at high temperature, and excellent machinability.

A radiation resistance sheet <NUM> for reducing heat radiation between the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM> through the vacuum space part <NUM> will be described. The first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM> may be made of a stainless material capable of preventing corrosion and providing a sufficient strength. The stainless material has a relatively high emissivity of <NUM>, and hence a large amount of radiation heat may be transferred. In addition, the supporting unit <NUM> made of the resin has a lower emissivity than the plate members, and is not entirely provided to inner surfaces of the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>. Hence, the supporting unit <NUM> does not have great influence on radiation heat. Therefore, the radiation resistance sheet <NUM> may be provided in a plate shape over a majority of the area of the vacuum space part <NUM> so as to concentrate on reduction of radiation heat transferred between the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>.

A product having a low emissivity may be preferably used as the material of the radiation resistance sheet <NUM>. In an embodiment, an aluminum foil having an emissivity of <NUM> may be used as the radiation resistance sheet <NUM>. Also, at least one sheet of radiation resistance sheet <NUM> may be provided at a certain distance so as not to contact each other. At least one radiation resistance sheet may be provided in a state in which it contacts the inner surface of the first or second plate member <NUM> or <NUM>. Even when the vacuum space part <NUM> has a low height, one sheet of radiation resistance sheet may be inserted. In case of the vehicle refrigerator <NUM>, one sheet of radiation resistance sheet may be inserted so that the vacuum adiabatic body <NUM> has a thin thickness, and the inner capacity of the cavity <NUM> is secured.

Referring to <FIG>, the distance between the plate members is maintained by the supporting unit <NUM>, and a porous substance <NUM> may be filled in the vacuum space part <NUM>. The porous substance <NUM> may have a higher emissivity than the stainless material of the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM>. However, since the porous substance <NUM> is filled in the vacuum space part <NUM>, the porous substance <NUM> has a high efficiency for resisting the radiation heat transfer.

In this embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body may be fabricated without using the radiation resistance sheet <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the supporting unit <NUM> maintaining the vacuum space part <NUM> is not provided. Instead of the supporting unit <NUM>, the porous substance <NUM> is provided in a state in which it is surrounded by a film <NUM>. In this case, the porous substance <NUM> may be provided in a state in which it is compressed so as to maintain the gap of the vacuum space part <NUM>. The film <NUM> is made of, for example, a PE material, and may be provided in a state in which holes are formed therein.

In this embodiment, the vacuum adiabatic body may be fabricated without using the supporting unit <NUM>. In other words, the porous substance <NUM> may simultaneously serve as the radiation resistance sheet <NUM> and the supporting unit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view of a conductive resistance sheet and a peripheral portion of the conductive resistance sheet.

Referring to <FIG>, the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM> are to be sealed so as to vacuum the interior of the vacuum adiabatic body. In this case, since the two plate members have different temperatures from each other, heat transfer may occur between the two plate members. A conductive resistance sheet <NUM> is provided to prevent heat conduction between two different kinds of plate members.

The conductive resistance sheet <NUM> may be provided with sealing parts <NUM> at which both ends of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> are sealed to defining at least one portion of the wall for the third space and maintain the vacuum state. The conductive resistance sheet <NUM> may be provided as a thin foil in unit of micrometer so as to reduce the amount of heat conducted along the wall for the third space. The sealing parts <NUM> may be provided as welding parts. That is, the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> and the plate members <NUM> and <NUM> may be fused to each other. In order to cause a fusing action between the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> and the plate members <NUM> and <NUM>, the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> and the plate members <NUM> and <NUM> may be made of the same material, and a stainless material may be used as the material. The sealing parts <NUM> are not limited to the welding parts, and may be provided through a process such as cocking. The conductive resistance sheet <NUM> may be provided in a curved shape. Thus, a heat conduction distance of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> is provided longer than the linear distance of each plate member, so that the amount of heat conduction may be further reduced.

A change in temperature occurs along the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>. Therefore, in order to block heat transfer to the exterior of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>, a shielding part <NUM> may be provided at the exterior of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> such that an adiabatic action occurs. In other words, in the vehicle refrigerator <NUM>, the second plate member <NUM> has a high temperature and the first plate member <NUM> has a low temperature. In addition, heat conduction from high temperature to low temperature occurs in the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>, and hence the temperature of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> is suddenly changed. Therefore, when the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> is opened to the exterior thereof, heat transfer through the opened place may seriously occur.

In order to reduce heat loss, the shielding part <NUM> is provided at the exterior of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>. For example, when the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> is exposed to any one of the low-temperature space and the high-temperature space, the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> does not serve as a conductive resistor as well as the exposed portion thereof, which is not preferable.

The shielding part <NUM> may be provided as a porous substance contacting an outer surface of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>, may be provided as an adiabatic structure, e.g., a separate gasket, which is placed at the exterior of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>, or may be provided as the console cover <NUM> disposed at a position facing the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>.

A heat transfer path between the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM> will be described. Heat passing through the vacuum adiabatic body may be divided into surface conduction heat ① conducted along a surface of the vacuum adiabatic body, more specifically, the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>, supporter conduction heat ② conducted along the supporting unit <NUM> provided inside the vacuum adiabatic body, gas conduction heat ③ conducted through an internal gas in the vacuum space part, and radiation transfer heat④ transferred through the vacuum space part.

The transfer heat may be changed depending on various depending on various design dimensions. For example, the supporting unit may be changed such that the first and second plate members <NUM> and <NUM> may endure a vacuum pressure without being deformed, the vacuum pressure may be changed, the distance between the plate members may be changed, and the length of the conductive resistance sheet may be changed. The transfer heat may be changed depending on a difference in temperature between the spaces (the first and second spaces) respectively provided by the plate members. In the embodiment, a preferred configuration of the vacuum adiabatic body has been found by considering that its total heat transfer amount is smaller than that of a typical adiabatic structure formed by foaming polyurethane. In a typical refrigerator including the adiabatic structure formed by foaming the polyurethane, an effective heat transfer coefficient may be proposed as about <NUM> mW/mK.

By performing a relative analysis on heat transfer amounts of the vacuum adiabatic body of the embodiment, a heat transfer amount by the gas conduction heat ③ may become smallest. For example, the heat transfer amount by the gas conduction heat ③ may be controlled to be equal to or smaller than <NUM>% of the total heat transfer amount. A heat transfer amount by solid conduction heat defined as a sum of the surface conduction heat ① and the supporter conduction heat ② is largest. For example, the heat transfer amount by the solid conduction heat may reach <NUM>% of the total heat transfer amount. A heat transfer amount by the radiation transfer heat ④ is smaller than the heat transfer amount by the solid conduction heat but larger than the heat transfer amount of the gas conduction heat ③. For example, the heat transfer amount by the radiation transfer heat ④ may occupy about <NUM>% of the total heat transfer amount.

According to such a heat transfer distribution, effective heat transfer coefficients (eK: effective K) (W/mK) of the surface conduction heat ①, the supporter conduction heat ②, the gas conduction heat ③, and the radiation transfer heat ④ may have an order of Math <FIG>. [Math <FIG>] Here, the effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that may be measured using a shape and temperature differences of a target product. The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) is a value that may be obtained by measuring a total heat transfer amount eK solid conduction heat > eK radiation transfer heat > eK gas conduction heat and a temperature at least one portion at which heat is transferred. For example, a calorific value (W) is measured using a heating source that may be quantitatively measured in the refrigerator, a temperature distribution (K) of the door is measured using heats respectively transferred through a main body and an edge of the door of the refrigerator, and a path through which heat is transferred is calculated as a conversion value (m), thereby evaluating an effective heat transfer coefficient.

The effective heat transfer coefficient (eK) of the entire vacuum adiabatic body is a value given by k=QL/A△T. Here, Q denotes a calorific value (W) and may be obtained using a calorific value of a heater. A denotes a sectional area (m2) of the vacuum adiabatic body, L denotes a thickness (m) of the vacuum adiabatic body, and △T denotes a temperature difference.

For the surface conduction heat, a conductive calorific value may be obtained through a temperature difference (△T) between an entrance and an exit of the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>, a sectional area (A) of the conductive resistance sheet, a length (L) of the conductive resistance sheet, and a thermal conductivity (k) of the conductive resistance sheet (the thermal conductivity of the conductive resistance sheet is a material property of a material and may be obtained in advance). For the supporter conduction heat, a conductive calorific value may be obtained through a temperature difference (△T) between an entrance and an exit of the supporting unit <NUM>, a sectional area (A) of the supporting unit, a length (L) of the supporting unit, and a thermal conductivity (k) of the supporting unit. Here, the thermal conductivity of the supporting unit is a material property of a material and may be obtained in advance. The sum of the gas conduction heat ③, and the radiation transfer heat ④ may be obtained by subtracting the surface conduction heat and the supporter conduction heat from the heat transfer amount of the entire vacuum adiabatic body. A ratio of the gas conduction heat ③, and the radiation transfer heat ④ may be obtained by evaluating radiation transfer heat when no gas conduction heat exists by remarkably lowering a vacuum degree of the vacuum space part <NUM>.

When a porous substance is provided inside the vacuum space part <NUM>, porous substance conduction heat ⑤ may be a sum of the supporter conduction heat ② and the radiation transfer heat ④. The porous substance conduction heat ⑤ may be changed depending on various variables including a kind, an amount, and the like of the porous substance.

In the second plate member, a temperature difference between an average temperature of the second plate and a temperature at a point at which a heat transfer path passing through the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> meets the second plate may be largest. For example, when the second space is a region hotter than the first space, the temperature at the point at which the heat transfer path passing through the conductive resistance sheet meets the second plate member becomes lowest. Similarly, when the second space is a region colder than the first space, the temperature at the point at which the heat transfer path passing through the conductive resistance sheet meets the second plate member becomes highest.

This means that the amount of heat transferred through other points except the surface conduction heat passing through the conductive resistance sheet should be controlled, and the entire heat transfer amount satisfying the vacuum adiabatic body may be achieved only when the surface conduction heat occupies the largest heat transfer amount. To this end, a temperature variation of the conductive resistance sheet may be controlled to be larger than that of the plate member.

Physical characteristics of the parts constituting the vacuum adiabatic body will be described. In the vacuum adiabatic body, a force by vacuum pressure is applied to all of the parts. Therefore, a material having strength (N/m2) of a certain level may be used.

Referring to <FIG>, this configuration is the same as that of <FIG> except that portions at which the first plate member <NUM>, the second plate member <NUM> are coupled to the conductive resistance sheet <NUM>. Thus, the same part omits the description and only the characteristic changes are described in detail.

Ends of the plate members <NUM> and <NUM> may be bent to the second space having a high temperature to form a flange part <NUM>. A welding part <NUM> may be disposed on a top surface of the flange part <NUM> to couple the conductive resistance sheet <NUM> to the flange part <NUM>. In this embodiment, the worker may perform welding while facing only any one surface. Thus, since it is unnecessary to perform two processes, the process may be convenient.

It is more preferable to apply the case in which welding of the inside and the outside are difficult as illustrated in <FIG> because a space of the vacuum space part <NUM> is narrow like the vehicle refrigerator <NUM>.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating results obtained by observing a time and a pressure in a process of exhausting the inside of the vacuum adiabatic body when a supporting unit is used.

Referring to <FIG>, in order to create the vacuum space part <NUM> to be in the vacuum state, a gas in the vacuum space part <NUM> is exhausted by a vacuum pump while evaporating a latent gas remaining in the parts of the vacuum space part <NUM> through heating. However, if the vacuum pressure reaches a certain level or more, there exists a point at which the level of the vacuum pressure is not increased any more (△t1). After that, the getter is activated by disconnecting the vacuum space part <NUM> from the vacuum pump and applying heat to the vacuum space part <NUM> (△t2). If the getter is activated, the pressure in the vacuum space part <NUM> is decreased for a certain period of time, but then normalized to maintain a vacuum pressure of a certain level. The vacuum pressure that maintains the certain level after the activation of the getter is approximately <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr.

In the embodiment, a point at which the vacuum pressure is not substantially decreased any more even though the gas is exhausted by operating the vacuum pump is set to the lowest limit of the vacuum pressure used in the vacuum adiabatic body, thereby setting the minimum internal pressure of the vacuum space part <NUM> to <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr.

<FIG> is a graph obtained by comparing a vacuum pressure with gas conductivity.

Referring to <FIG>, gas conductivities with respect to vacuum pressures depending on sizes of a gap in the vacuum space part <NUM> are represented as graphs of effective heat transfer coefficients (eK). Effective heat transfer coefficients (eK) were measured when the gap in the vacuum space part <NUM> has three sizes of <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The gap in the vacuum space part <NUM> is defined as follows. When the radiation resistance sheet <NUM> exists inside vacuum space part <NUM>, the gap is a distance between the radiation resistance sheet <NUM> and the plate member adjacent thereto. When the radiation resistance sheet <NUM> does not exist inside vacuum space part <NUM>, the gap is a distance between the first and second plate members.

It may be seen that, since the size of the gap is small at a point corresponding to a typical effective heat transfer coefficient of <NUM> W/mK, which is provided to an adiabatic material formed by foaming polyurethane, the vacuum pressure is <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr even when the size of the gap is <NUM>. Meanwhile, it may be seen that the point at which reduction in adiabatic effect caused by gas conduction heat is saturated even though the vacuum pressure is decreased is a point at which the vacuum pressure is approximately <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr. The vacuum pressure of <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr may be defined as the point at which the reduction in adiabatic effect caused by gas conduction heat is saturated. Also, when the effective heat transfer coefficient is <NUM> W/mK, the vacuum pressure is <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr.

When the vacuum space part <NUM> is not provided with the supporting unit but provided with the porous substance, the size of the gap ranges from a few micrometers to a few hundreds of micrometers. In this case, the amount of radiation heat transfer is small due to the porous substance even when the vacuum pressure is relatively high, i.e., when the vacuum degree is low. Therefore, an appropriate vacuum pump is used to adjust the vacuum pressure. The vacuum pressure appropriate to the corresponding vacuum pump is approximately <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr. Also, the vacuum pressure at the point at which the reduction in adiabatic effect caused by gas conduction heat is saturated is approximately <NUM>×<NUM>-<NUM> Torr. Also, the pressure where the reduction in adiabatic effect caused by gas conduction heat reaches the typical effective heat transfer coefficient of <NUM> W/mK is <NUM> Torr.

When the supporting unit and the porous substance are provided together in the vacuum space part, a vacuum pressure may be created and used, which is middle between the vacuum pressure when only the supporting unit is used and the vacuum pressure when only the porous substance is used.

Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described.

In above-described embodiment, the refrigerator applied to the vehicle has been mainly described. However, the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the ideas of the present disclosure may be applied to a warming apparatus and a refrigerating or warming apparatus.

Particularly, in the case of the warming apparatus, a direction of the refrigerant may be configured to be opposite to that of the refrigerator. In the case of the refrigerating or warming apparatus, four sides that reverse the direction of the refrigerant may be installed on the refrigerant passage according to whether the refrigerant operates as a refrigerator or a warming apparatus.

The condensation module may be referred to as a first heat exchange module, and the evaporation module may be referred to as a second heat exchange module regardless of the change of the refrigerator and the warming apparatus. Here, the first and second meanings denote the division of the heat exchange module and may be exchanged with each other.

According to the embodiments, the vehicle refrigerator that receives only power from the outside and is independent apparatus may be efficiently realized.

Claim 1:
A refrigerating or warming apparatus adapted to be installed in a console space (<NUM>) of a car, said apparatus comprising:
a cavity (<NUM>) of which at least a portion of a wall is provided as a vacuum adiabatic body (<NUM>);
a machine room (<NUM>) provided at a side outside the cavity (<NUM>);
a compressor (<NUM>) provided in the machine room (<NUM>) to compress a refrigerant;
a first heat exchange module (<NUM>) provided in the machine room (<NUM>) to allow the refrigerant to be heat-exchanged;
a second heat exchange module (<NUM>) provided in the cavity (<NUM>) to allow the refrigerant to be heat-exchanged; and
a machine room cover (<NUM>),
wherein the machine room cover (<NUM>) has a height that gradually increases backward from a front surface (<NUM>), and a cover suction hole (<NUM>) is provided in a rear surface (<NUM>) of the machine room cover (<NUM>), and
wherein the machine room cover (<NUM>) is configured to cover the machine room (<NUM>) and to guide a passage of cooling air,
wherein the passage provides an internal air flow inside the machine room cover (<NUM>) and an external air flow outside the machine room cover (<NUM>) along a top surface of the machine room cover (<NUM>), wherein a recess part (<NUM>) is provided defining a space through which external air flow is introduced,
wherein the internal air flow and the external air flow have directions opposite to each other.