Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10634418-B2
Application number	US-201715835106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2017
Priority date	Dec 15, 2016
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refrigerator which includes a rear duct including a first guide passage configured to guide cold air generated in an evaporator and a cooling discharge port through which the cold air is discharged from the first guide passage to the inside of a storage compartment to cool the storage compartment, an upper duct including a second guide passage coupled with the first guide passage and an air curtain discharge port through which the cold air is discharged from the second guide passage to a front opening of the storage compartment to form an air curtain at the front opening of the storage compartment, and a blade to close or open the air curtain discharge port and which may form an effective air curtain with a simple structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body;
a storage compartment formed in the main body and having an open front side;
a door provided to open and close the storage compartment;
an evaporator provided to generate cold air;
a rear duct including a first guide passage configured to guide the cold air generated in the evaporator and a cooling discharge port through which the cold air is discharged from the first guide passage to an inside of the storage compartment to cool the storage compartment;
an upper duct including a second guide passage coupled with the first guide passage and an air curtain discharge port through which the cold air is discharged from the second guide passage to a front opening of the storage compartment to form an air curtain at the front opening of the storage compartment; and
a blade provided to close or open the air curtain discharge port.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a blower fan configured to suck the cold air generated in the evaporator, to discharge the cold air through the cooling discharge port when the air curtain discharge port is closed, and to discharge the cold air through the air curtain discharge port when the air curtain discharge port is opened.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein:
the blower fan rotates at a first speed in a storage compartment cooling mode in which the blade closes the air curtain discharge port and the blower fan rotates; and
the blower fan rotates at a second speed faster than the first speed in an air curtain mode in which the blade opens the air curtain discharge port and the blower fan rotates.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional area of an outlet of the first guide passage is greater than a cross-sectional area of an inlet of the first guide passage.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the first guide passage has a section in which a cross-sectional area increases from an inlet of the first guide passage toward an outlet of the first guide passage.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the rear duct includes:
a rear cover configured to separate the storage compartment and the first guide passage; and
a pair of first guide walls provided to protrude from the rear cover and face each other to form the first guide passage.

7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein a gap between the pair of first guide walls at an outlet of the first guide passage is greater than a gap between the pair of first guide walls at an inlet of the first guide passage.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the first guide passage has a section in which a gap between the pair of first guide walls increases from an inlet of the first guide passage toward an outlet of the first guide passage.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional area of an outlet of the second guide passage is greater than a cross-sectional area of an inlet of the second guide passage.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the second guide passage has a section in which a cross-sectional area increases from an inlet of the second guide passage toward an outlet of the second guide passage.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the upper duct includes:
an upper cover configured to separate the storage compartment and the second guide passage; and
a pair of second guide walls provided to protrude from the upper cover and face each other to form the second guide passage.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein a gap between the pair of second guide walls at an outlet of the second guide passage is greater than a gap between the pair of second guide walls at an inlet of the second guide passage.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 11 , wherein the second guide passage has a section in which a gap between the pair of second guide walls increases from an inlet of the second guide passage toward an outlet of the second guide passage.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein:
the rear duct and the upper duct are separately provided; and
the rear duct and the upper duct have couplers provided to be coupled to each other.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the blade is configured to rotatably guide the cold air discharged through the air curtain discharge port to a rear surface of the door when the door is closed.

16. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body;
a storage compartment formed in the main body and having an open front side;
a door provided to open and close the storage compartment;
an evaporator provided to generate cold air;
a guide duct including an air curtain discharge port through which the cold air is discharged to a front opening of the storage compartment to form an air curtain at the front opening of the storage compartment, a cooling discharge port through which the cold air is discharged to the inside of the storage compartment to cool the storage compartment, an air curtain passage configured to guide the cold air generated in the evaporator to the air curtain discharge port, and a cooling passage branched from the air curtain passage to guide the cold air generated in the evaporator to the cooling discharge port; and
a blade provided to close or open the air curtain discharge port.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 16 , wherein a passage resistance of the air curtain passage is less than a passage resistance of the cooing cooling passage.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 16 , wherein the guide duct includes:
a rear duct including the cooling discharge port and coupled to a rear surface of the storage compartment; and
an upper duct including an air curtain discharge port and coupled to an upper surface of the storage compartment.

19. A refrigerator comprising:
a main body;
a storage compartment formed in the main body and having an open front side;
a door provided to close and open the storage compartment;
an evaporator provided to generate cold air;
a guide duct including a guide passage configured to guide the cold air generated in the evaporator, an air curtain discharge port through which the cold air is discharged from the guide passage to a front opening of the storage compartment to form an air curtain at the front opening of the storage compartment, a cooling discharge port through which the cold air is discharged from the guide passage to the inside of the storage compartment to cool the storage compartment, a cover configured to separate the storage compartment and the guide passage, and a partition configured to protrude from the cover so that the cold air introduced into the guide passage moves toward the cooling discharge port; and
a blade provided to close or open the air curtain discharge port.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19 , wherein:
a plurality of partitions are provided;
the guide passage is divided into a center, a left side and a right side by the plurality of partitions; and
cooling discharge ports are provided on the left side and the right side.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bae Il Sung
• Song Joo Hee
• Lee Joo Yong

Classifications

• F25D17/045

  Air flow control arrangements · CPC title

• F25D17/067

  Evaporator fan units · CPC title

• F25D2317/067

  characterised by air ducts · CPC title

• F25D17/08

  using ducts · CPC title

• F25D23/023 Primary

  Air curtain closures · CPC title