Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10969155-B2
Application number	US-201815994538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2018
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet including a storage compartment, a storage compartment door to open or close the storage compartment, a cool air duct provided in the storage compartment and positioned at an upper portion of the storage compartment to discharge cool air to the storage compartment, a damper to adjust an amount of cool air introduced into the cool air duct, and a door discharge duct communicating with the cool air duct and extending in a front-rear direction toward the storage compartment door to discharge cool air received from the cool air duct to the storage compartment door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet including a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment;
a freezing compartment door to open or close the freezing compartment;
a refrigerating compartment door to open or close the refrigerating compartment;
a cool air duct provided in the refrigerating compartment to supply cool air from the freezing compartment;
a damper to adjust an amount of cool air introduced into the cool air duct; and
a door discharge duct communicating with the cool air duct and extending toward the refrigerating compartment door in a first direction to discharge cool air received from the cool air duct to the refrigerating compartment door,
wherein the door discharge duct includes one or more discharge holes, and at least one of the one or more discharge holes is disposed adjacent to the refrigerating compartment door, and
a length of the door discharge duct in the first direction is greater than a length of the cool air duct in the first direction,
wherein the cool air duct includes:
a frame having a cool air inlet;
a first cool air passage positioned inside the frame and configured to direct cool air to the door discharge duct;
a second cool air passage positioned inside the frame and configured to direct cool air to the refrigerating compartment; and
a partition to separate at least a portion of the first cool air passage from at least a portion of the second cool air passage.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the door discharge duct includes a first discharge hole to discharge cool air into the refrigerating compartment and a second discharge hole to discharge cool air toward the refrigerating compartment door.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein an inclination surface is formed at an end portion of the door discharge duct, and the second discharge hole is formed in the inclination surface.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein
the second cool air passage includes an inlet positioned above an inlet of the first cool air passage.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the cool air duct includes a first cool air outlet and a second cool air outlet formed in a front surface of the frame, and
the first cool air outlet discharges cool air from the first cool air passage and the second cool air outlet discharges cool air from the second cool air passage.

6. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the first cool air outlet is closer to the cool air inlet than the second cool air outlet.

7. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the first cool air outlet and the second cool air outlet are provided at a common height in the frame.

8. The refrigerator of claim 5 , wherein the door discharge duct is mounted on a ceiling of the refrigerating compartment.

9. The refrigerator of claim 4 , wherein the door discharge duct is positioned on a sidewall of the refrigerating compartment,
wherein the first cool air outlet is formed in the partition to discharge the cool air of the first cool air passage, and
wherein the door discharge duct is connected to a connection duct connected to the first cool air outlet.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the damper is rotatably mounted in the cool air duct.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein an upper end of the damper is rotatably mounted in the cool air duct, and
wherein the damper is provided such that a height of a lower end of the damper is increased as an open angle of the damper is increased.

12. The refrigerator of claim 4 , further comprising:
a rear discharge duct provided on a rear surface of the freezing compartment to discharge cool air received from the cool air duct to the refrigerating compartment,
wherein the cool air duct further includes:
a third cool air passage that supplies cool air toward the rear discharge duct; and
a third cool air outlet to discharge cool air to the rear discharge duct.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerating compartment door includes a sub-door.

14. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet including a storage compartment;
a storage compartment door to open or close the storage compartment;
a cool air duct provided in the storage compartment to supply cool air and to include a cool air inlet;
a damper to open and close the cool air inlet and to adjust an amount of cool air supplied through the cool air duct;
a door discharge duct communicating with the cool air duct to discharge cool air received from the cool air duct to the storage compartment door; and
a rear discharge duct provided on a rear surface of the storage compartment to discharge the cool air received from the cool air duct into the storage compartment,
wherein the cool air duct includes:
a first cool air outlet to discharge cool air toward the door discharge duct;
a second cool air outlet to discharge cool air into the storage compartment;
a first cool air passage to direct the cool air to the first cool air outlet; and
a second cool air passage to direct the cool air to the second cool air outlet,
wherein in a state in which the storage compartment door closes the storage compartment:
wherein a portion of the second cool air passage is disposed above the first cool air passage, and the portion of the second cool air passage overlaps the first cool air passage in a vertical direction,
when the damper is moved to a first position to open the cool air inlet, the cool air introduced through the cool air inlet flows to the first cool air outlet, and
when the damper is moved from the first position to a second position to open the cool air inlet, the flow of the cool air is changed such that the cool air introduced through the cool air inlet flows to the first cool air outlet and the second cool air outlet.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein the door discharge duct includes a plurality of discharge holes spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction, and
wherein the rear discharge duct includes a plurality of discharge holes spaced apart from each other in an up-down direction.

16. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein the cool air duct includes:
a third cool air outlet to discharge cool air toward the rear discharge duct,
wherein in a state in which the storage compartment door closes the storage compartment:
when the damper is moved to the first position to open the cool air inlet, the cool air introduced through the cool air inlet flows to the first cool air outlet and the third cool air outlet,
when the damper is moved from the first position to the second position to open the cool air inlet, the flow of the cool air is changed such that the cool air introduced through the cool air inlet flows to the first cool air outlet, the second cool air outlet and the third cool air outlet.

17. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet defining a storage compartment;
a door to open or close the storage compartment; and
a cool air duct provided in the storage compartment to supply cool air, the cool air duct including:
a first cool air outlet and a second cool air outlet;
a damper having a top end that is rotatably mounted in the cool air duct, the damper being rotated around the top end to adjust a height of a lower end of the damper,
a first cool air passage having an inlet to receive cool air from the damper, the first cool air passage directing cool air to the first cool air outlet; and
a second cool air passage having an inlet positioned above the inlet of the first cool air passage, the second cool air passage directing cool air to the second cool air outlet,
a discharge du

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Chae Sunam
• Kim Kyungseok
• Kim Soyoon
• Cha Kyunghun

Classifications

• F25D2317/067

  characterised by air ducts · CPC title

• F25D2317/0665

  from the top · CPC title

• F25D2317/0662

  from the corner · CPC title

• F25D2317/063

  with air guides · CPC title

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title