Apparatus and method for preventing dew formation in refrigerator

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for preventing dew formation in a refrigerator, capable of a simple structure and of more effectively preventing dew formation in the front of a main body by installing a hot pipe in the edge areas of the front of the refrigerator, where the main body comes in contact with a door. A refrigerant in the hot pipe for removing dew on a surface of the refrigerator discharges heat from inside the hot pipe, and first moves to the boundary area between a cold storage space and a freezer in the edge areas.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for preventing dew formation in a refrigerator, comprising:
 a compressor configured to change a state of a refrigerant to a high-temperature and high-pressure state;   a condenser configured to change the state of the refrigerant to a middle-temperature and high-pressure state;   a pipe connected to a first end of the condenser, in a front area of a main body of the refrigerator and in edge or peripheral areas of or around a freezer and a cold storage space, and configured to move or circulate the refrigerant first to a boundary between the freezer and the cold storage space in the edge areas;   a capillary tube configured to adiabatically expand the refrigerant and change the state of the refrigerant to a low-temperature and low-pressure state; and   a cooler configured to evaporate the adiabatically expanded refrigerant through a heat exchange with air that circulates within the refrigerator and provide the evaporated refrigerant to the compressor.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the hot pipe comprises a plurality of paths that move the refrigerant to the edge area of the cold storage space and the edge area of the freezer in the boundary. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of paths are combined into one path at or near a location where the hot pipe is connected to the drier, capillary tube or cooler. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a Y-shaped connection pipe at or near a location where the hot pipe is connected to the condenser, configured to separate the refrigerant from the condenser into two paths. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , further comprising a second Y-shaped connection pipe at or near the location where the hot pipe is connected to the drier, capillary tube or cooler, configured to unite the two paths into one path. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the hot pipe has a predetermined diameter, and   the hot pipe has a first end connected to the condenser and a second end connected to the drier, capillary tube or cooler.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant has a predetermined middle temperature range and high-pressure from the condenser, and the hot pipe discharges heat while the refrigerant moves within the hot pipe. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a drier connected to a second end of the hot pipe and configured to filter impurities in the refrigerant from the hot pipe. 
     
     
         9 . A method for preventing dew formation in a refrigerator, comprising:
 installing a hot pipe in edge areas of a freezer and a cold storage space in a front of a main body of the refrigerator;   introducing a refrigerant having a middle-temperature and high-pressure state from a condenser of the refrigerator to the hot pipe;   moving the refrigerant to a boundary between the freezer and the cold storage space in the edge areas through the hot pipe; and   moving the refrigerant from the boundary to remaining edge areas.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 filtering impurities from the refrigerant from the hot pipe after moving the refrigerant through the boundary and the remaining edge areas;   adiabatically expanding the refrigerant from which the impurities have been filtered into a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant;   evaporating the adiabatically expanded refrigerant through a heat exchange with air that circulates within the refrigerator; and   changing the evaporated refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant using a compressor of the refrigerator after the heat exchange.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein moving the refrigerant to the boundary comprises separating the refrigerant into a plurality of paths at or near a location where the hot pipe is connected to the condenser. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the refrigerant is separated into two paths through a Y-shaped connection pipe at or near a location where the hot pipe is connected to the condenser. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising combining the refrigerant separated into the two paths using a second Y-shaped connection pipe at or near a location where the hot pipe is connected to a drier, capillary tube or cooler of the refrigerator. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the hot pipe has a predetermined diameter, and   the hot pipe has a first end connected to the condenser and a second end connected to the drier, capillary tube or cooler of the refrigerator.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising changing the state of the refrigerant into a predetermined middle temperature range and high-pressure using the condenser 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising discharging heat through the hot pipe while the refrigerant having the predetermined middle temperature range and high-pressure moves within the hot pipe. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the middle-temperature is in a predetermined temperature range.