Refrigerator including module having plurality of storage chambers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196477-B2
Application number	US-202017779451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2020
Priority date	Nov 28, 2019
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator including one or more modules having a plurality of rooms. An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a refrigerator including a plurality of refrigerator modules, wherein the refrigerator modules include: a cabinet forming an outer shape and having a plurality of storage chambers therein; doors provided in the cabinet and provided for each storage chamber; a radiant cooling plate which forms the rear wall of the storage chambers, and is provided to block the communication of air between the inner portions of the storage chambers and cool the inner portions of the storage chambers through radiant cooling; a refrigerant pipe flow path located at the rear side of the radiant cooling plate to exchange heat with the radiant cooling plate; and a machine room which discharges the refrigerant to the refrigerant pipe flow path and sucks the refrigerant having exchanged heat with the radiant cooling plate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a plurality of refrigerator modules,
wherein a refrigerator module includes:
a cabinet forming an appearance of the refrigerator module and having a plurality of storage chambers therein;
a door disposed for each storage chamber;
a radiational cooling plate forming a rear wall of each storage chamber, wherein the radiational cooling plate is disposed to block air communication between an interior of the storage chamber and an interior of another storage chamber, wherein the radiational cooling plate cools the interior of the storage chamber through radiational cooling;
a refrigerant pipe flow path disposed at a rear of the radiational cooling plate to exchange heat with the radiational cooling plate; and
a machine room for discharging a refrigerant to the refrigerant pipe flow path and sucking the refrigerant that has exchanged heat with the radiational cooling plate,

wherein an opening is defined in each of a top face and a bottom face of the cabinet such that a defrosting water line extends through the cabinet.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of storage chambers are arranged in a vertical direction, and the machine room is disposed beneath the refrigerator module.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of refrigerator modules are arranged to be adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 , wherein each refrigerator module includes a corresponding machine room, and
the refrigerator includes a base cover for covering the plurality of machine rooms from a front of the refrigerator.

5. The refrigerator of claim 3 , further comprising a decor for covering a gap in the horizontal direction between the refrigerator modules from a rear of the cabinet.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the door has a user interface for authenticating a user.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the user interface includes a near-field communication (NFC) communication module.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cabinet is integrally formed to integrally accommodate the plurality of storage chambers therein.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cabinet includes a plurality of cabinets separately formed to respectively accommodate the plurality of storage chambers therein and the plurality of cabinets are coupled to each other.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9 , wherein each cabinet includes a coupling portion movable between an interior of the cabinet and an exterior of the cabinet by pivoting, wherein adjacent cabinets are coupled to each other by mating of coupling portions of respective adjacent cabinets.

11. The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein a coupling portion is configured to pivot between a protrusion portion and an accommodating portion, wherein a protrusion of one coupling portion is inserted into an accommodating portion of another coupling portion between adjacent cabinets.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the radiational cooling plate is disposed on the rear wall of each storage chamber, wherein a radiational cooling plate of one storage chamber is separately formed from a radiational cooling plate of another storage chamber.

13. The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the refrigerant pipe flow path is disposed to be adjacent to each of the radiational cooling plates.

14. The refrigerator of claim 13 , wherein the radiational cooling plates and the refrigerant pipe flow path are integrally formed.

15. The refrigerator of claim 14 , wherein an insertion hole is defined in each of a top face and a bottom face of the cabinet such that the refrigerant pipe flow path is inserted into and extends through the cabinet.

16. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the radiational cooling plates are integrally formed to be a single radiational cooling plate, such that the single radiational cooling plate forms the rear walls of the plurality of storage chambers.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the single radiational cooling plate and the refrigerant pipe flow path are integrally formed.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17 , wherein an insertion hole is defined in each of a top face and a bottom face of the cabinet such that the single radiational cooling plate and the refrigerant pipe flow path are inserted into and extend through the cabinet.

19. The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the defrosting water line vertically extends through the plurality of storage chambers and extends to a bottom face of an uppermost storage chamber.

20. A refrigerator comprising:
a plurality of refrigerator modules,
wherein a refrigerator module includes:
a cabinet forming an appearance of the refrigerator module and having a plurality of storage chambers therein;
a door disposed for each storage chamber;
a radiational cooling plate forming a rear wall of each storage chamber, wherein the radiational cooling plate is disposed to block air communication between an interior of the storage chamber and an interior of another storage chamber, wherein the radiational cooling plate cools the interior of the storage chamber through radiational cooling;
a refrigerant pipe flow path disposed at a rear of the radiational cooling plate to exchange heat with the radiational cooling plate; and
a machine room for discharging a refrigerant to the refrigerant pipe flow path and sucking the refrigerant that has exchanged heat with the radiational cooling plate,

wherein the cabinet includes a plurality of cabinets separately formed to respectively accommodate the plurality of storage chambers therein and the plurality of cabinets are coupled to each other, and
wherein each cabinet includes a coupling portion movable between an interior of the cabinet and an exterior of the cabinet by pivoting, wherein adjacent cabinets are coupled to each other by mating of coupling portions of respective adjacent cabinets.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Chun Chanho
• Park Junlae
• Park Hyokeun
• Lee Taehee

Classifications

• F25D2400/36

  Visual displays · CPC title

• F25D29/00

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F25D21/14

  Collecting or removing condensed and defrost water; Drip trays · CPC title

• F25D19/04

  with more than one refrigeration unit · CPC title

• F25D17/00

  Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces · CPC title