Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240851-B2
Application number	US-201615222932-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2016
Priority date	Feb 26, 2016
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A bottom-freezer refrigerator has an ice making compartment formed in a door thereof. Cold air formed in independent spaces of the refrigerating compartment is individually guided to the ice making compartment and the refrigerating compartment, thereby reducing power consumption and noise to be caused as the length of a fluid passage is increased. Foods are refrigerated or frozen and stored in a clean state. The foods in the refrigerating compartment are freshly stored in a high moisture state, and the door is prevented from being forcibly open.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a body formed at a lower portion thereof with a freezing compartment and formed at an upper portion thereof with a refrigerating compartment;
first and second cold air forming parts formed in the refrigerating compartment;
first and second evaporators installed in the first and second cold air forming parts, respectively;
a plurality of doors rotatably installed in the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, respectively;
an ice making compartment formed in the door installed in the refrigerating compartment;
a cold air inlet/outlet duct having one side connected with the second cold air forming part and an opposite end portion exposed inside an inner wall of the refrigerating compartment; and
a connection pipe which is installed between the ice making compartment and the cold air inlet/outlet duct and is configured to expand or contract according to open/close states of the door,
wherein the cold air inlet/outlet duct and the connection pipe are together configured to guide cold air formed by the second cold air forming part of the refrigerating compartment to the ice making compartment of the door regardless of the open/close states of the door such that uniform quality ice is produced regardless of the open/close states of the door.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerating compartment includes a special compartment separately partitioned, and the special compartment has the second cold air forming part and the second evaporator installed therein.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the connection pipe is formed by installing a plurality of frames rotatably about a hinge shaft and installing a cover member including a material at an outer portion of the frames, and folded according to the open/close states of the door.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein one side of the connection pipe is fixedly installed at a through hole of the cold air inlet/outlet duct, an opposite side of the connection pipe has a weight part, and the connection pipe is installed in an internal space of the ice making compartment such that the opposite side of the connection pipe having the weight part is moved up and down along the internal space of the ice making compartment.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein one side of the connection pipe is fixedly installed in a through hole of the refrigerating compartment, an opposite side of the connection pipe is installed movably up and down in an internal space of a case including the ice making compartment, a weight part is formed at the opposite side of the connection pipe, the opposite side of the connection pipe is moved down by the weight part when the door is closed, and pulled and moved up when the door is open.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising a compressor, a condenser, a dryer, and a valve connected with each other in series in the body,
a first capillary tube (F_CAPILLARY) of the freezing compartment and a third evaporator (F_EVA) connected with each other in series between the valve and the compressor,
a second capillary tube (R_CAPILLARY) of the refrigerating compartment and the first evaporator (R_EVA), which are connected with each other in series, wherein the second capillary tube (R_CAPILLARY) of the refrigerating compartment and the first evaporator (R_EVA) are connected with the first capillary tube (F_CAPILLARY) of the freezing compartment and the third evaporator (F_EVA) in parallel between the valve and the compressor, and
a third capillary tube (I/M CAPILLARY) of the refrigerating compartment and the second evaporator (I/M_EVA), which are connected with each other in series, wherein the third capillary tube (I/M CAPILLARY) of the refrigerating compartment and the second evaporator (I/M_EVA) are connected with the second capillary tube (R_CAPILLARY) of the refrigerating compartment and the first evaporator (R_EVA) in parallel between the valve and the compressor, such that the first to third evaporators are configured to be individually operated to supply the cold air to the ice making compartment, the refrigerating compartment, or the freezing compartment.

Assignees

• Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co

Inventors

• Kim Sang-Uk
• Lv Zhengguang
• Fang Zhongcheng

Classifications

• F25D2317/061

  through special compartments · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F25D23/10

  Arrangements for mounting in particular locations, e.g. for built-in type, for corner type · CPC title

• F25D2317/067

  characterised by air ducts · CPC title

• F25D2317/062

  along the inside of doors · CPC title