US20080034779A1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents
Refrigerator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080034779A1 US20080034779A1 US11/878,602 US87860207A US2008034779A1 US 20080034779 A1 US20080034779 A1 US 20080034779A1 US 87860207 A US87860207 A US 87860207A US 2008034779 A1 US2008034779 A1 US 2008034779A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- ice making
- compartment
- making compartment
- cold air
- inlet
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C1/00—Producing ice
- F25C1/22—Construction of moulds; Filling devices for moulds
- F25C1/24—Construction of moulds; Filling devices for moulds for refrigerators, e.g. freezing trays
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
- F25D17/062—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators
- F25D17/065—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators with compartments at different temperatures
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C1/00—Producing ice
- F25C1/04—Producing ice by using stationary moulds
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
- F25D17/08—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation using ducts
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C2400/00—Auxiliary features or devices for producing, working or handling ice
- F25C2400/10—Refrigerator units
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
- F25D2317/061—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation through special compartments
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
- F25D2317/065—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air return
- F25D2317/0654—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air return through the side
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
- F25D2317/067—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by air ducts
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, to a refrigerator having an ice making device.
- a conventional refrigerator includes a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, into which cold air heat-exchanged at an evaporator is introduced, and a machinery compartment arranged at a rear side of the freezing compartment or refrigerating compartment beneath the freezing compartment or refrigerating compartment, to install a compressor and a condenser.
- the refrigerating compartment stores food in a fresh state at a temperature of about 3 to 5° C.
- the freezing compartment can store food in a frozen state at a sub-zero temperature for a prolonged period of time.
- Another refrigerator includes an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment, to store beverage or foods to be stored for a short period of time, and a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment.
- a refrigerator also includes an ice making device provided with a dispenser arranged at a front side of a door of the ice making device, in order to allow the user to conveniently take ice out of the ice making device.
- the disclosed refrigerator includes a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment and an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment.
- An ice making region is defined at an upper or lower corner of the refrigerating compartment.
- an opening for introducing cold air into the ice making region is formed directly through a partition wall for partitioning the refrigerating and freezing compartments.
- the opening formed not only functions to introduce cold air from the freezing compartment into the ice making region, but also functions to discharge cold air from the ice making region into the freezing compartment, thereby causing the flow direction of cold air to be non-uniform.
- an air duct for guiding cold air to the ice making region is connected to a rear side of the ice making region.
- cold air is introduced into and discharged from the ice making region through the rear side of the ice making region.
- there is interference between the introduced cold air flow and the discharged cold air flow Due to such interference, it is impossible to achieve smooth circulation of cold air for an ice making operation.
- a refrigerator including a body having a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment, and an ice making compartment, the refrigerator further including an ice making device arranged in the ice making compartment, to produce and store ice, an outlet formed through the ice making compartment, to introduce cold air into the ice making compartment, and at least one inlet formed through the ice making compartment, to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment, wherein the outlet is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment, and the at least one inlet is arranged at a front side of the ice making compartment.
- the at least one inlet includes a plurality of inlets, and one of the inlets is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment.
- the body includes a supply passage connected with the outlet, to guide cold air to the ice making compartment, and a return passage connected with the inlet, to discharge the cold air out of the ice making compartment.
- the supply passage and the return passage communicate with the freezing compartment.
- the return passage includes a first return passage buried in one side wall of the body, and a second return passage buried in a rear wall of the body.
- the first and second return passages are joined at an upper portion of the rear wall of the body, and then extend to the freezing compartment.
- the outlet is arranged at a rear surface of the ice making compartment.
- the inlet is arranged at one side of a front surface of the ice making compartment.
- the inlet includes a plurality of inlets, and one of the inlets is arranged at the rear surface of the ice making compartment.
- the body includes a first return passage buried in one side wall of the body.
- the first return passage communicates with the inlet arranged at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment, to discharge cold air out of the ice making compartment.
- the body also includes a second return passage buried in a rear wall of the body. The second return passage communicates with the inlet formed at the rear surface of the ice making compartment.
- the first and second return passages are joined at an upper portion of the rear wall of the body, and then extend to the freezing compartment.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in an opened state of a refrigerating compartment door;
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A′ in FIG. 1 in a closed state of the refrigerating compartment door of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B′ of FIG. 1 in the closed state of the refrigerating compartment door of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in an opened state of a refrigerating compartment door.
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A′ in FIG. 1 in a closed state of the refrigerating compartment door of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B′ of FIG. 1 in the closed state of the refrigerating compartment door of FIG. 1 .
- the refrigerator comprises a body 10 .
- the body 10 comprises a refrigerating compartment 20 defined at an upper portion of the body 10 , a freezing compartment 30 defined beneath the refrigerating compartment 20 , and an ice making compartment 40 defined above the refrigerating compartment 20 by insulating walls 41 .
- the refrigerator also comprises doors 21 and 31 respectively arranged at front sides of the refrigerating and freezing compartments 20 and 30 , and an ice making device 50 arranged in the ice making compartment 40 , to produce and store ice.
- the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention also comprises elements for constituting a refrigerant cycle, for example, a compressor 12 , a condenser (not shown), an expander (not shown), and evaporators 23 and 33 .
- Electric or mechanical elements are arranged in a machinery compartment 11 defined in a lower portion of the body 10 at a rear side of the body 10 .
- the compressor 12 is installed in the machinery compartment 11 .
- the freezing compartment 30 is arranged above the machinery compartment 11 .
- the refrigerating compartment 20 is arranged above the freezing compartment 30 .
- the refrigerating compartment 20 and freezing compartment 30 are partitioned by a horizontal partition wall 13 .
- a foam 14 is filled in a space defined between inner and outer cases 10 a and 10 b of the body 10 , in order to achieve thermal insulation.
- a freezing compartment door 31 which is of a sliding type, is provided at a front side of the freezing compartment 30 .
- a pair of refrigerating compartment doors 21 which are of a side-by-side type, are provided at a front side of the refrigerating compartment 20 .
- the doors 21 and 31 comprise door handles 21 a or 31 a, respectively.
- Receiving spaces 21 b are provided at an inner side of each refrigerating compartment door 21 .
- a dispenser 22 is mounted to an outer surface of the left refrigerating compartment door 21 , to dispense ice made by the ice making device 50 .
- a cup lever 22 c is provided at the dispenser 22 , to open a damper 22 b provided at an outer end of an ice discharge passage 22 a.
- the refrigerating compartment 20 which is defined at the upper portion of the body 10 , includes a first evaporator 23 arranged at the rear side of the refrigerating compartment 20 , to generate cold air to be supplied to the interior of the refrigerating compartment 20 , a refrigerating space 24 for storing food, etc., a refrigerating duct 25 partitioning the refrigerating space 24 from the first evaporator 23 , and circulating cold air heat-exchanged at the first evaporator 23 into the refrigerating space 24 , and a first blowing fan 26 arranged in the refrigerating duct 25 , to forcibly circulate the cold air.
- a first inlet 25 a is formed at a lower portion of the refrigerating duct 25 , to guide cold air from the refrigerating space 24 toward the first evaporator 23 .
- a first blowing port 25 b is provided at an upper portion of the refrigerating duct 25 , to discharge cold air introduced through the first inlet 25 a into the refrigerating space 24 after being subjected to heat exchange while passing the first evaporator 23 .
- the first blowing fan 26 is arranged at the first blowing port 25 b, in order to forcibly supply the heat-exchanged cold air to the refrigerating space 24 .
- An appropriate number of spaced first outlets 25 c are formed at a front side of the refrigerating duct 25 such that the cold air emerging from the first blowing port 25 b by the first blowing fan 26 is discharged into the refrigerating space 24 in a uniformly-distributed manner.
- a refrigerating flow passage 25 d is defined in the refrigerating duct 25 , to guide the cold air introduced through the first blowing port 25 b to the first outlets 25 c.
- the cold air present in the refrigerating space 24 flows toward the first evaporator 23 through the first inlet 25 a .
- the cold air is introduced into the refrigerating flow passage 25 d via the first blowing fan 26 .
- the cold air introduced into the refrigerating flow passage 25 d is discharged into the refrigerating space 24 through the first outlets 25 c .
- the circulation of cold air in the refrigerating compartment 20 is carried out in a closed circulation manner. Accordingly, the cold air present in the refrigerating compartment 20 is introduced into neither the freezing compartment 30 nor the ice making compartment 40 . Similarly, the cold air present in the freezing compartment 30 or ice making compartment 40 is not introduced into the refrigerating compartment 20 .
- the freezing compartment 30 which is arranged beneath the refrigerating compartment 20 , comprises a second evaporator 33 arranged at the rear side of the freezing compartment 30 , to generate cold air to be supplied to the interior of the freezing compartment 30 , a freezing space 34 for storing food, etc. in a frozen state, a freezing duct 35 partitioning the freezing space 34 from the second evaporator 33 , and circulating cold air generated in accordance with heat exchange carried out by the second evaporator 33 into the freezing space 34 , and a second blowing fan 36 arranged in the freezing duct 35 , to forcibly circulate the cold air.
- a second inlet 35 a is formed at a lower portion of the freezing duct 35 , to guide cold air from the freezing space 34 toward the second evaporator 33 .
- a second blowing port 35 b is provided at an upper portion of the freezing duct 35 , to discharge cold air introduced through the second inlet 35 a into the freezing space 34 after being subjected to heat exchange while passing the second evaporator 33 .
- the second blowing fan 36 is arranged at the second blowing port 35 b, in order to forcibly supply the heat-exchanged cold air to the freezing space 34 .
- An predetermined number of spaced second outlets 35 c are formed at a front side of the freezing duct 35 such that the cold air emerging from the second blowing port 35 b by the second blowing fan 36 is discharged into the freezing space 34 in a uniformly-distributed manner.
- a freezing flow passage 35 d is defined in the freezing duct 35 , to guide the cold air introduced through the second blowing port 35 b to the second outlets 35 c.
- the ice making compartment 40 is defined above the refrigerating compartment 20 by the insulating walls 41 .
- the ice making device 50 which produces and stores ice, is arranged.
- the ice making compartment 40 are arranged at one side of an upper or lower portion of the refrigerating compartment 20 . The following description will be given in conjunction with an embodiment in which the ice making compartment 40 is arranged at an upper corner of the refrigerating compartment 20 .
- the ice making compartment 40 is arranged at the upper corner of the refrigerating compartment 20 .
- the ice making compartment 40 comprises an upper surface defined by an upper surface 20 a of the refrigerating compartment 20 , and a lower surface defined by the insulating wall 41 , which is horizontally protruded from one side surface of the refrigerating compartment 20 in the form of a structure integral with the side surface of the refrigerating compartment 20 .
- one side surface of the ice making compartment 40 is defined by the side surface of the refrigerating compartment 20 .
- the other side surface of the ice making compartment 40 is defined by the insulating wall 41 which is downwardly protruded from the upper surface 20 a of the refrigerating compartment 20 .
- An outlet 42 is formed at a rear surface 44 of the ice making compartment 40 , to introduce cold air into the ice making compartment 40 .
- An inlet 43 is formed at one side of a front surface of the ice making compartment 40 , to discharge the cold air introduced into the ice making compartment 40 toward the second evaporator 33 .
- the inlet 43 is open in a flow direction of the cold air discharged from the outlet 42 . That is, the main stream of the cold air discharged from the outlet 42 reaches the inlet 43 after flowing in a specified direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent cold air flows from interfering with each other, and thus to achieve a smooth circulation of cold air.
- the inlet 43 is not arranged near a front end of the tray 51 c, but is arranged at one side surface 45 of the ice making compartment 40 in a front region of the ice making compartment 40 .
- the tray 51 c will be described in detail later.
- an ice making flow duct 60 is provided at the body 10 of the refrigerator, to circulate cold air through the ice making compartment 40 and second evaporator 33 .
- the ice making flow duct 60 is arranged in the rear wall of the body 10 between the inner case 10 a and the outer case 10 b.
- the ice making flow duct 60 is fixed to the rear wall of the body 10 by filling a foam 14 into a space defined between the ice making flow duct 60 and the rear wall of the body 10 .
- the ice making flow duct 60 comprises a supply duct 61 for guiding, to the ice making compartment 40 , cold air subjected to heat exchange while passing the second evaporator 33 , and a return duct 62 for guiding the cold air present in the ice making compartment 40 to an inlet side 33 a of the second evaporator 33 .
- the supply duct 61 comprises a first end connected with the outlet 42 open to the ice making compartment 40 .
- a third blowing fan 63 is arranged at a second end of the supply duct 61 arranged above the second evaporator 22 , to forcibly supply, to the ice making compartment 40 , cold air subjected to heat exchange while passing the second evaporator 33 .
- the third blowing fan 63 is arranged adjacent to the second evaporator 33 .
- the third blowing fan 63 comprises any one of a cross-flow fan and an axial flow fan.
- a cross-flow fan 63 a is used for the third blowing fan 63 .
- the third blowing fan 63 comprises a fan casing 63 b for guiding cold air.
- Cold air emerging from the second evaporator 33 after being heat-exchanged is introduced into the ice making compartment 40 via the supply duct 61 and outlet 42 by the third blowing fan 63 .
- cold air is supplied to the ice making device 50 arranged in the ice making compartment 40 .
- the cold air supplied to the ice making compartment 40 as described above, is sucked into the inlet 43 formed at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment 40 , and is subsequently guided to the inlet side 33 a of the second evaporator 33 via the return duct 62 .
- the cold air is circulated after being heat exchanged.
- a smooth circulation of cold air is achieved. Accordingly, cold air heat-exchanged at the second evaporator 33 is rapidly supplied to the ice making compartment 40 .
- the ice making device 50 included in the refrigerator further comprises an ice bank 52 arranged beneath the ice maker 51 , to store ice separated from the ice maker 51 , an auger 53 arranged in the ice bank 52 , to move the ice stored in the ice bank 52 to the dispenser 22 , and an ice crusher 54 arranged at an end of the auger 53 , to selectively crush ice in accordance with a user's desire.
- the ice maker 51 comprises a water supply pipe 51 a for supplying water.
- the tray 51 c which is also included in the ice maker 51 , is formed with a plurality of ice receiving spaces 51 b in which water is stored and frozen.
- the ice maker 51 further comprises an ice separating member 51 d for separating ice from the ice receiving spaces 51 b, and a drive motor 51 e for driving the ice separating member 51 d.
- the ice maker 51 extends considerably in a depth direction of the ice making compartment 40 . Also, the tray 51 c of the ice maker 51 is fixed to the upper surface of the ice making compartment 40 . Thus, it is possible to reduce the volume of the ice making device 50 installed in the ice making compartment 40 .
- the ice bank 52 which is arranged beneath the ice maker 51 , stores ice separated from the tray 51 c of the ice maker 51 .
- the auger 53 which is arranged in the ice bank 52 , comprises a spiral shape. Accordingly, as the auger 53 rotates, the ice stored in the ice bank 52 is moved to the dispenser 22 .
- the ice crusher 54 which is mounted to the outer end of the auger 53 to crush ice, comprises a fixed blade 54 a and rotating blades 54 b . Accordingly, the ice crusher 54 can feed ice cubes or ice particles to the dispenser 22 through the ice discharge passage 22 a in accordance with a user's selection.
- the ice making compartment 40 comprises an outlet 42 formed at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment 40 and connected to the supply duct 61 , to supply cold air to the ice making compartment 40 , and an inlet 43 formed at a rear surface of the ice making compartment 40 and connected to the return duct 62 , to guide cold air from the ice making compartment 40 to the inlet side 33 a of the second evaporator 33 .
- an ice making device 50 is arranged in the ice making compartment 40 , as shown in FIG. 6 .
- An outlet 42 is formed at an upper side of the rear surface of the ice making compartment 40 .
- a first inlet 43 ′ is formed at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment 40 .
- a second inlet 43 ′′ is also formed at a lower side of the rear surface of the ice making compartment 40 .
- the outlet 42 communicates with the supply duct 61 connected to the freezing compartment 30 at one side of the supply duct 61 , to supply cold air from the freezing compartment 30 to the ice making compartment 40 .
- the inlets 43 ′ and 43 ′′ communicate with a return duct 62 ′ connected to the freezing compartment 30 at one side of the return duct 62 ′, to discharge, to the freezing compartment 30 , cold air passing a lower portion of the ice maker 51 .
- the return duct 62 ′ comprises a first return duct 62 a ′ buried in one side wall of the body 10 and directly connected to the first inlet 43 ′ formed at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment 40 , and a second return duct 62 b ′ buried in the rear wall of the body 10 and directly connected to the second inlet 43 ′′ formed at the lower side of the rear surface of the ice making compartment 40 .
- the first return duct 62 a ′ extends to the rear wall of the body 10 along one side wall of the body 10 , and then extends toward the freezing compartment 30 after being joined with the second return duct 62 b ′ at an upper portion of the rear wall of the body 10 .
- the insulation thickness at regions, where the supply duct 61 and return duct 62 ′ are arranged, may be reduced.
- the supply duct 61 and return duct 62 ′ have a reduced lateral length, namely, a reduced width, and an increased vertical length, namely, an increased height.
- the return duct 62 which is connected with the inlet 43 provided at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment 40 , extends downwardly in a state of being buried in one side wall of the body 10 .
- the present invention is also applicable to a refrigerator comprises a single evaporator installed in a refrigerating compartment or freezing compartment. Also, the present invention is applicable not only to a bottom freezer type refrigerator including an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment and a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment, but also to a top freezer type refrigerator including an upper compartment functioning as a freezing compartment and a lower compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment and a side-by-side type refrigerator including freezing and refrigerating compartments respectively defined at opposite sides of a refrigerator body.
- an inlet and an outlet which function to introduce cold air into an ice making compartment and to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment, respectively, are open in a flow direction of the cold air. Accordingly, there is an effect capable of achieving a smooth circulation of cold air in the ice making compartment.
Abstract
A refrigerator having an ice making device. The refrigerator includes a body having a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment, and an ice making compartment, an ice making device arranged in the ice making compartment, to produce and store ice, an outlet formed through the ice making compartment, to introduce cold air into the ice making compartment, and at least one inlet formed through the ice making compartment, to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment. The outlet is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment, and the inlet is arranged at a front side of the ice making compartment, so that it is possible to achieve a smooth circulation of cold air in the ice making compartment.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. P2006-76461 filed on Aug. 11, 2006 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field
- The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, to a refrigerator having an ice making device.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- A conventional refrigerator includes a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, into which cold air heat-exchanged at an evaporator is introduced, and a machinery compartment arranged at a rear side of the freezing compartment or refrigerating compartment beneath the freezing compartment or refrigerating compartment, to install a compressor and a condenser. In such a conventional refrigerator, the refrigerating compartment stores food in a fresh state at a temperature of about 3 to 5° C., and the freezing compartment can store food in a frozen state at a sub-zero temperature for a prolonged period of time.
- Another refrigerator includes an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment, to store beverage or foods to be stored for a short period of time, and a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment. A refrigerator also includes an ice making device provided with a dispenser arranged at a front side of a door of the ice making device, in order to allow the user to conveniently take ice out of the ice making device.
- An example of such a conventional refrigerator is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0090496. The disclosed refrigerator includes a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment and an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment. An ice making region is defined at an upper or lower corner of the refrigerating compartment.
- When the ice making region is defined at a lower corner of the refrigerating compartment, an opening for introducing cold air into the ice making region is formed directly through a partition wall for partitioning the refrigerating and freezing compartments. In this case, however, there is a problem in that it is impossible to achieve smooth circulation of cold air. This is because the opening formed, as mentioned above, not only functions to introduce cold air from the freezing compartment into the ice making region, but also functions to discharge cold air from the ice making region into the freezing compartment, thereby causing the flow direction of cold air to be non-uniform.
- On the other hand, when the ice making region is defined at an upper corner of the refrigerating compartment, an air duct for guiding cold air to the ice making region is connected to a rear side of the ice making region. In this case, cold air is introduced into and discharged from the ice making region through the rear side of the ice making region. For this reason, there is interference between the introduced cold air flow and the discharged cold air flow. Due to such interference, it is impossible to achieve smooth circulation of cold air for an ice making operation.
- Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator having a structure capable of achieving a smooth circulation of cold air for an ice making operation.
- Additional aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
- The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a refrigerator including a body having a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment, and an ice making compartment, the refrigerator further including an ice making device arranged in the ice making compartment, to produce and store ice, an outlet formed through the ice making compartment, to introduce cold air into the ice making compartment, and at least one inlet formed through the ice making compartment, to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment, wherein the outlet is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment, and the at least one inlet is arranged at a front side of the ice making compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the at least one inlet includes a plurality of inlets, and one of the inlets is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the body includes a supply passage connected with the outlet, to guide cold air to the ice making compartment, and a return passage connected with the inlet, to discharge the cold air out of the ice making compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the supply passage and the return passage communicate with the freezing compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the return passage includes a first return passage buried in one side wall of the body, and a second return passage buried in a rear wall of the body.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the first and second return passages are joined at an upper portion of the rear wall of the body, and then extend to the freezing compartment.
- It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator including a body having a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment, and an ice making compartment, the refrigerator further including an ice making device arranged in the ice making compartment, to make and store ice; and an inlet and an outlet formed through the ice making compartment, to introduce cold air into the ice making compartment and to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment, respectively, wherein one of the inlet and the outlet is arranged at a front side of the ice making compartment, and the other of the inlet and the outlet is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the outlet is arranged at a rear surface of the ice making compartment. The inlet is arranged at one side of a front surface of the ice making compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the inlet includes a plurality of inlets, and one of the inlets is arranged at the rear surface of the ice making compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the body includes a first return passage buried in one side wall of the body. The first return passage communicates with the inlet arranged at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment, to discharge cold air out of the ice making compartment. The body also includes a second return passage buried in a rear wall of the body. The second return passage communicates with the inlet formed at the rear surface of the ice making compartment.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, the first and second return passages are joined at an upper portion of the rear wall of the body, and then extend to the freezing compartment.
- These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in an opened state of a refrigerating compartment door; -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A′ inFIG. 1 in a closed state of the refrigerating compartment door ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B′ ofFIG. 1 in the closed state of the refrigerating compartment door ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an ice making compartment included in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention in an opened state of a refrigerating compartment door.FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A′ inFIG. 1 in a closed state of the refrigerating compartment door ofFIG. 1 .FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B′ ofFIG. 1 in the closed state of the refrigerating compartment door ofFIG. 1 . - As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 , the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises abody 10. Thebody 10 comprises a refrigeratingcompartment 20 defined at an upper portion of thebody 10, afreezing compartment 30 defined beneath the refrigeratingcompartment 20, and anice making compartment 40 defined above the refrigeratingcompartment 20 byinsulating walls 41. The refrigerator also comprisesdoors compartments device 50 arranged in theice making compartment 40, to produce and store ice. - The refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention also comprises elements for constituting a refrigerant cycle, for example, a
compressor 12, a condenser (not shown), an expander (not shown), andevaporators - Electric or mechanical elements are arranged in a
machinery compartment 11 defined in a lower portion of thebody 10 at a rear side of thebody 10. For example, thecompressor 12 is installed in themachinery compartment 11. Thefreezing compartment 30 is arranged above themachinery compartment 11. The refrigeratingcompartment 20 is arranged above thefreezing compartment 30. The refrigeratingcompartment 20 and freezingcompartment 30 are partitioned by ahorizontal partition wall 13. Afoam 14 is filled in a space defined between inner andouter cases body 10, in order to achieve thermal insulation. - A freezing
compartment door 31, which is of a sliding type, is provided at a front side of the freezingcompartment 30. A pair of refrigeratingcompartment doors 21, which are of a side-by-side type, are provided at a front side of therefrigerating compartment 20. - The
doors spaces 21 b are provided at an inner side of each refrigeratingcompartment door 21. Adispenser 22 is mounted to an outer surface of the leftrefrigerating compartment door 21, to dispense ice made by theice making device 50. Acup lever 22 c is provided at thedispenser 22, to open adamper 22 b provided at an outer end of anice discharge passage 22 a. - The refrigerating
compartment 20, which is defined at the upper portion of thebody 10, includes afirst evaporator 23 arranged at the rear side of therefrigerating compartment 20, to generate cold air to be supplied to the interior of therefrigerating compartment 20, a refrigeratingspace 24 for storing food, etc., a refrigeratingduct 25 partitioning the refrigeratingspace 24 from thefirst evaporator 23, and circulating cold air heat-exchanged at thefirst evaporator 23 into the refrigeratingspace 24, and a first blowingfan 26 arranged in the refrigeratingduct 25, to forcibly circulate the cold air. - A
first inlet 25 a is formed at a lower portion of the refrigeratingduct 25, to guide cold air from the refrigeratingspace 24 toward thefirst evaporator 23. A first blowing port 25 b is provided at an upper portion of the refrigeratingduct 25, to discharge cold air introduced through thefirst inlet 25 a into the refrigeratingspace 24 after being subjected to heat exchange while passing thefirst evaporator 23. The first blowingfan 26 is arranged at the first blowing port 25 b, in order to forcibly supply the heat-exchanged cold air to the refrigeratingspace 24. - An appropriate number of spaced
first outlets 25 c are formed at a front side of the refrigeratingduct 25 such that the cold air emerging from the first blowing port 25 b by the first blowingfan 26 is discharged into the refrigeratingspace 24 in a uniformly-distributed manner. A refrigeratingflow passage 25 d is defined in the refrigeratingduct 25, to guide the cold air introduced through the first blowing port 25 b to thefirst outlets 25 c. - Accordingly, the cold air present in the refrigerating
space 24 flows toward thefirst evaporator 23 through thefirst inlet 25 a. After being subjected to heat exchange while passing thefirst evaporator 23, the cold air is introduced into the refrigeratingflow passage 25 d via the first blowingfan 26. The cold air introduced into the refrigeratingflow passage 25 d is discharged into the refrigeratingspace 24 through thefirst outlets 25 c. Thus, the circulation of cold air in therefrigerating compartment 20 is carried out in a closed circulation manner. Accordingly, the cold air present in therefrigerating compartment 20 is introduced into neither the freezingcompartment 30 nor theice making compartment 40. Similarly, the cold air present in the freezingcompartment 30 orice making compartment 40 is not introduced into therefrigerating compartment 20. - The freezing
compartment 30, which is arranged beneath therefrigerating compartment 20, comprises asecond evaporator 33 arranged at the rear side of the freezingcompartment 30, to generate cold air to be supplied to the interior of the freezingcompartment 30, a freezingspace 34 for storing food, etc. in a frozen state, a freezingduct 35 partitioning the freezingspace 34 from thesecond evaporator 33, and circulating cold air generated in accordance with heat exchange carried out by thesecond evaporator 33 into the freezingspace 34, and a second blowingfan 36 arranged in the freezingduct 35, to forcibly circulate the cold air. - A
second inlet 35 a is formed at a lower portion of the freezingduct 35, to guide cold air from the freezingspace 34 toward thesecond evaporator 33. Asecond blowing port 35 b is provided at an upper portion of the freezingduct 35, to discharge cold air introduced through thesecond inlet 35 a into the freezingspace 34 after being subjected to heat exchange while passing thesecond evaporator 33. Thesecond blowing fan 36 is arranged at the second blowingport 35 b, in order to forcibly supply the heat-exchanged cold air to the freezingspace 34. - An predetermined number of spaced
second outlets 35 c are formed at a front side of the freezingduct 35 such that the cold air emerging from the second blowingport 35 b by the second blowingfan 36 is discharged into the freezingspace 34 in a uniformly-distributed manner. A freezingflow passage 35 d is defined in the freezingduct 35, to guide the cold air introduced through the second blowingport 35 b to thesecond outlets 35 c. - As described above, the
ice making compartment 40 is defined above the refrigeratingcompartment 20 by the insulatingwalls 41. In theice making compartment 40, theice making device 50, which produces and stores ice, is arranged. Theice making compartment 40 are arranged at one side of an upper or lower portion of therefrigerating compartment 20. The following description will be given in conjunction with an embodiment in which theice making compartment 40 is arranged at an upper corner of therefrigerating compartment 20. - The
ice making compartment 40 is arranged at the upper corner of therefrigerating compartment 20. As shown inFIG. 4 , theice making compartment 40 comprises an upper surface defined by an upper surface 20a of therefrigerating compartment 20, and a lower surface defined by the insulatingwall 41, which is horizontally protruded from one side surface of therefrigerating compartment 20 in the form of a structure integral with the side surface of therefrigerating compartment 20. Also, one side surface of theice making compartment 40 is defined by the side surface of therefrigerating compartment 20. The other side surface of theice making compartment 40 is defined by the insulatingwall 41 which is downwardly protruded from the upper surface 20a of therefrigerating compartment 20. - An
outlet 42 is formed at arear surface 44 of theice making compartment 40, to introduce cold air into theice making compartment 40. Aninlet 43 is formed at one side of a front surface of theice making compartment 40, to discharge the cold air introduced into theice making compartment 40 toward thesecond evaporator 33. In order to achieve a smooth circulation of cold air in theice making compartment 40, theinlet 43 is open in a flow direction of the cold air discharged from theoutlet 42. That is, the main stream of the cold air discharged from theoutlet 42 reaches theinlet 43 after flowing in a specified direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent cold air flows from interfering with each other, and thus to achieve a smooth circulation of cold air. - In order to cause the cold air discharged from the
outlet 42 to flow toward theinlet 43 after passing a lower portion of atray 51 c included in theice maker 51, according to an embodiment of the present invention, theinlet 43 is not arranged near a front end of thetray 51 c, but is arranged at oneside surface 45 of theice making compartment 40 in a front region of theice making compartment 40. Thetray 51 c will be described in detail later. - In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an ice making flow duct 60 is provided at the
body 10 of the refrigerator, to circulate cold air through theice making compartment 40 andsecond evaporator 33. The ice making flow duct 60 is arranged in the rear wall of thebody 10 between theinner case 10 a and theouter case 10 b. The ice making flow duct 60 is fixed to the rear wall of thebody 10 by filling afoam 14 into a space defined between the ice making flow duct 60 and the rear wall of thebody 10. - The ice making flow duct 60 comprises a
supply duct 61 for guiding, to theice making compartment 40, cold air subjected to heat exchange while passing thesecond evaporator 33, and areturn duct 62 for guiding the cold air present in theice making compartment 40 to aninlet side 33 a of thesecond evaporator 33. - The
supply duct 61 comprises a first end connected with theoutlet 42 open to theice making compartment 40. A third blowingfan 63 is arranged at a second end of thesupply duct 61 arranged above thesecond evaporator 22, to forcibly supply, to theice making compartment 40, cold air subjected to heat exchange while passing thesecond evaporator 33. Thethird blowing fan 63 is arranged adjacent to thesecond evaporator 33. - According to an embodiment of the present invention, the third blowing
fan 63 comprises any one of a cross-flow fan and an axial flow fan. According to an embodiment of the present invention, across-flow fan 63 a is used for the third blowingfan 63. Thethird blowing fan 63 comprises afan casing 63 b for guiding cold air. - Cold air emerging from the
second evaporator 33 after being heat-exchanged is introduced into theice making compartment 40 via thesupply duct 61 andoutlet 42 by the third blowingfan 63. Thus, cold air is supplied to theice making device 50 arranged in theice making compartment 40. The cold air supplied to theice making compartment 40, as described above, is sucked into theinlet 43 formed at one side of the front surface of theice making compartment 40, and is subsequently guided to theinlet side 33 a of thesecond evaporator 33 via thereturn duct 62. Thus, the cold air is circulated after being heat exchanged. In accordance with such a circulation procedure, a smooth circulation of cold air is achieved. Accordingly, cold air heat-exchanged at thesecond evaporator 33 is rapidly supplied to theice making compartment 40. - For example, as shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , theice making device 50 included in the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, further comprises anice bank 52 arranged beneath theice maker 51, to store ice separated from theice maker 51, anauger 53 arranged in theice bank 52, to move the ice stored in theice bank 52 to thedispenser 22, and anice crusher 54 arranged at an end of theauger 53, to selectively crush ice in accordance with a user's desire. - The
ice maker 51 comprises awater supply pipe 51 a for supplying water. Thetray 51 c, which is also included in theice maker 51, is formed with a plurality of ice receiving spaces 51 b in which water is stored and frozen. Theice maker 51 further comprises anice separating member 51 d for separating ice from the ice receiving spaces 51 b, and adrive motor 51 e for driving theice separating member 51 d. - The
ice maker 51 extends considerably in a depth direction of theice making compartment 40. Also, thetray 51 c of theice maker 51 is fixed to the upper surface of theice making compartment 40. Thus, it is possible to reduce the volume of theice making device 50 installed in theice making compartment 40. - The
ice bank 52, which is arranged beneath theice maker 51, stores ice separated from thetray 51 c of theice maker 51. Theauger 53, which is arranged in theice bank 52, comprises a spiral shape. Accordingly, as theauger 53 rotates, the ice stored in theice bank 52 is moved to thedispenser 22. - The
ice crusher 54 which is mounted to the outer end of theauger 53 to crush ice, comprises a fixedblade 54 a and rotating blades 54 b. Accordingly, theice crusher 54 can feed ice cubes or ice particles to thedispenser 22 through theice discharge passage 22 a in accordance with a user's selection. - Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
- In the following description, the same constituent elements as those of the above-described embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, respectively, and no description thereof will be given.
- In the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
FIG. 5 , theice making compartment 40 comprises anoutlet 42 formed at one side of the front surface of theice making compartment 40 and connected to thesupply duct 61, to supply cold air to theice making compartment 40, and aninlet 43 formed at a rear surface of theice making compartment 40 and connected to thereturn duct 62, to guide cold air from theice making compartment 40 to theinlet side 33 a of thesecond evaporator 33. - Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
- In the following description, the same constituent elements as those of the above-described embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, respectively, and no description thereof will be given.
- In the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, an
ice making device 50 is arranged in theice making compartment 40, as shown inFIG. 6 . Anoutlet 42 is formed at an upper side of the rear surface of theice making compartment 40. Afirst inlet 43′ is formed at one side of the front surface of theice making compartment 40. Asecond inlet 43″ is also formed at a lower side of the rear surface of theice making compartment 40. - The
outlet 42 communicates with thesupply duct 61 connected to the freezingcompartment 30 at one side of thesupply duct 61, to supply cold air from the freezingcompartment 30 to theice making compartment 40. Theinlets 43′ and 43″ communicate with areturn duct 62′ connected to the freezingcompartment 30 at one side of thereturn duct 62′, to discharge, to the freezingcompartment 30, cold air passing a lower portion of theice maker 51. - The
return duct 62′ comprises afirst return duct 62 a′ buried in one side wall of thebody 10 and directly connected to thefirst inlet 43′ formed at one side of the front surface of theice making compartment 40, and asecond return duct 62 b′ buried in the rear wall of thebody 10 and directly connected to thesecond inlet 43″ formed at the lower side of the rear surface of theice making compartment 40. - The
first return duct 62 a′ extends to the rear wall of thebody 10 along one side wall of thebody 10, and then extends toward the freezingcompartment 30 after being joined with thesecond return duct 62 b′ at an upper portion of the rear wall of thebody 10. - Since the
supply duct 61 and returnduct 62′ (62 a′ and 62 b′) are buried in a foam, the insulation thickness at regions, where thesupply duct 61 and returnduct 62′ are arranged, may be reduced. To this end, in order to minimize such an insulation thickness reduction, it is preferred that thesupply duct 61 and returnduct 62′ have a reduced lateral length, namely, a reduced width, and an increased vertical length, namely, an increased height. - In a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
FIG. 7 , thereturn duct 62, which is connected with theinlet 43 provided at one side of the front surface of theice making compartment 40, extends downwardly in a state of being buried in one side wall of thebody 10. - Although the refrigerator, in which evaporators are provided at refrigerating and freezing compartments, respectively, has been described, the present invention is also applicable to a refrigerator comprises a single evaporator installed in a refrigerating compartment or freezing compartment. Also, the present invention is applicable not only to a bottom freezer type refrigerator including an upper compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment and a lower compartment functioning as a freezing compartment, but also to a top freezer type refrigerator including an upper compartment functioning as a freezing compartment and a lower compartment functioning as a refrigerating compartment and a side-by-side type refrigerator including freezing and refrigerating compartments respectively defined at opposite sides of a refrigerator body.
- As apparent from the above description, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an inlet and an outlet, which function to introduce cold air into an ice making compartment and to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment, respectively, are open in a flow direction of the cold air. Accordingly, there is an effect capable of achieving a smooth circulation of cold air in the ice making compartment.
- Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims (11)
1. A refrigerator comprising a body defined with a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment, and an ice making compartment, the refrigerator comprising:
an ice making device arranged in the ice making compartment, to produce and store ice;
an outlet formed through the ice making compartment, to introduce cold air into the ice making compartment; and
at least one inlet formed through the ice making compartment, to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment,
wherein the outlet is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment, and the at least one inlet is arranged at a front side of the ice making compartment.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the inlet comprises a plurality of inlets, and one of the inlets is arranged at the rear side of the ice making compartment.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the body comprises a supply passage connected with the outlet, to guide cold air to the ice making compartment, and a return passage connected to the inlet, to discharge the cold air out of the ice making compartment.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the supply passage and the return passage communicate with the freezing compartment.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the return passage comprises:
a first return passage buried in one side wall of the body; and
a second return passage buried in a rear wall of the body.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , wherein the first and second return passages are joined at an upper portion of the rear wall of the body, and then extend to the freezing compartment.
7. A refrigerator comprising a body defined with a refrigerating compartment, a freezing compartment, and an ice making compartment, the refrigerator comprising:
an ice making device arranged in the ice making compartment, to produce and store ice; and
an inlet and an outlet formed through the ice making compartment, to introduce cold air into the ice making compartment and to discharge the cold air from the ice making compartment, respectively,
wherein one of the inlet and the outlet is arranged at a front side of the ice making compartment, and the other of the inlet and the outlet is arranged at a rear side of the ice making compartment.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 7 , wherein the outlet is arranged at a rear surface of the ice making compartment, and the inlet is arranged at one side of a front surface of the ice making compartment.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the inlet comprises a plurality of inlets, and one of the inlets is arranged at the rear surface of the ice making compartment.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , wherein the body comprises:
a first return passage buried in one side wall of the body, the first return passage communicating with the inlet arranged at one side of the front surface of the ice making compartment, to discharge cold air out of the ice making compartment; and
a second return passage buried in a rear wall of the body, the second return passage communicating with the inlet formed at the rear surface of the ice making compartment.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the first and second return passages are joined at an upper portion of the rear wall of the body, and then extend to the freezing compartment.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KRP2006-76461 | 2006-08-11 | ||
KR1020060076461A KR101332018B1 (en) | 2006-08-11 | 2006-08-11 | Refrigerator |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20080034779A1 true US20080034779A1 (en) | 2008-02-14 |
Family
ID=39049204
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US11/878,602 Abandoned US20080034779A1 (en) | 2006-08-11 | 2007-07-25 | Refrigerator |
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KR (1) | KR101332018B1 (en) |
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