Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11353248-B2
Application number	US-202016836303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2020
Priority date	Apr 3, 2019
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A refrigerator includes: a cabinet for defining a storage space and a machine room; a compressor disposed in the machine room; a machine room cover for shielding a machine room opening; a base pan in the machine room; a condenser including: headers mounted on the base pan and extending to intersect the base pan; a plurality of tubes connecting the headers; and heat exchange fins disposed between adjacent tubes; and fixing parts protruding upward from the base pan and fixing the condenser by restraining a lower end of each header, wherein insertion holes opened toward the machine room opening are defined in the fixing parts, wherein the condenser is able to move to pass through the machine room opening, and wherein the lower end of each header is inserted and mounted into each insertion hole and is separated by exiting each insertion hole by the movement of the condenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet defining a storage space therein;
a machine room provided in the cabinet and separated from the storage space;
a compressor provided in the machine room;
a machine room cover configured to be detachably coupled to the cabinet, the machine room cover shielding a machine room opening when attached to the cabinet;
a base pan configured to be received in the machine room;
a condenser that is configured to be received in or removed from the machine room through the machine room opening and includes:
header posts configured to be mounted on the base pan and to extend in a direction intersecting the base pan when coupled to the base pan;
a plurality of tubes that are spaced apart from each other and extend between the header posts; and
a plurality of fins, each of the fins being provided between an adjacent pair of the tubes; and
mounts that protrude upward from the base pan,
wherein each of the mounts includes:
a fixing wall extending vertically to correspond to a circumference surface of the lower end of a corresponding one of the header posts;
an extension extending from one end of the fixing wall to support the condenser;
a restraining protrusion protruding from the extensions and to penetrate the condenser; and
an insertion hole opened toward the machine room opening so that the header posts are passed through the insertion hole, and
wherein lower ends of the header posts are configured to be received in the insertion holes to couple the condenser to the base pan, and to be separated from the insertion holes to uncouple the condenser from the base pan.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the base pan includes:
a bottom face; and
an edge extending upwardly along a perimeter of the bottom face, and
wherein the mounts protrude vertically at the edge.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 ,
wherein the fixing walls are positioned and curved to define the insertion holes that face the machine room opening.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein a width of the insertion holes defined by the fixing walls is less than a width of the header posts.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein each of the insertion holes is defined between the one end of the corresponding one of the fixing walls and the corresponding one of the restraining protrusions.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein restraining holes that are configured to receive the restraining protrusions therein are defined between the header posts and at least one of the fins.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein each of the restraining holes is defined within a region defined by a corresponding one of the headers, a vertically separated pair of the tubes, and one of the fins.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a width of the restraining protrusion decreases in a protruding direction toward the machine room opening.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the condenser is u-shaped and includes:
first and second condenser sections that are positioned to be separated from each other, wherein the header posts are positioned, respectively, at first ends of the first and second condenser sections; and
a third condenser section that extends between second ends of the first and second condenser sections.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein the base pan further includes a fixing tab that is configured to be inserted into the third condenser section to restrain the condenser.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the fixing tab is molded with the base pan, and is configured to be separated from the base pan and mounted on one side of the base pan corresponding to the third condenser section.

12. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the fixing tab includes:
a base plate configured to be fixedly mounted on the base pan; and
a restraining wall extending from the base plate to pass into a portion of the third condenser section.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the fixing tab includes a supporting rib that connects side faces of the restraining wall with an end of the base plate.

14. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein a portion of the restraining wall is inserted through a fin opening defined between a vertically separated pair of the tubes and a pair of the fins extending between the pair of the tubes.

15. The refrigerator of claim 12 , further comprising restraining ribs that are protruded from the base pan and configured to support respective ends of the base plate.

16. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a fan mount configured to receive a blowing fan to generate an air flow inside the machine room is formed on the base pan,
wherein the fan mount includes a first fastener and a second fastener protruding at respective positions that are separated to define a space in which the blowing fan is received, and
wherein the first fastener protrudes vertically higher than the second fastener, so that the blowing fan is configured to be received in the fan mount.

17. A home appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a machine room;
a compressor provided in the machine room;
a machine room cover that is configured to be removably coupled to the cabinet and is configured to shield a machine room opening when coupled to the cabinet;
a base pan configured to be received in the machine room;
a condenser configured to be installed in or removed from the machine room through the machine room opening, the condenser having a first section, a second section separated from the first section and positioned further from the machine room opening than the first section, and a third section connecting first ends of the first section and the second section, the condenser including:
a first header post and a second header post provided at second ends of the first and second sections and extending in a direction intersecting the base pan;
a plurality of tubes that are vertically spaced apart and extend between the first header post and the second header post; and
fins provided between adjacent pairs of the tubes;
a first mount protruding from the base pan and configured to receive a lower end of the first header post; and
a second mount protruding from the base pan and configured to receive a lower end of the second header post,
wherein each of the first and second mounts includes:
a fixing wall extending vertically to correspond to a circumference surface of the lower end of a corresponding one of the first and second header posts;
an extension extending from one end of the fixing wall to support the condenser;
a restraining protrusion protruding from the extensions and to penetrate the condenser; and
an insertion hole opened toward the machine room opening so that the first and second header posts are passed through the insertion hole, and
wherein the first header post and the second header post are configured to be inserted and mounted in the insertion holes when the condenser is moved into the machine room through the machine room opening, and are configured to move out of and be released from the insertion holes when the condenser is moved through the machine room opening to be removed from the machine room.

18. The home appliance of claim 17 , wherein the first mount and the second mount protrude upwards, and are spaced apart from each other by a set distance in a horizontal direction.

19. The home appliance of claim 18 , wherein the first mount is positioned closer to the machine room opening than the second mount, and the first mount extends a vertically sh

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Sung Chiun

Classifications

• F25D2323/0028

  characterised by the fans · CPC title

• F25B39/04 Primary

  Condensers · CPC title

• F25D23/003 Primary

  for cooling refrigerating machinery · CPC title

• F25B2339/045

  Condensers made by assembling a tube on a plate-like element or between plate-like elements · CPC title

• F25D23/006 Primary

  for mounting refrigerating machinery components · CPC title