Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018306484-A1
Application number	US-201815947069-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 6, 2018
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Oct 25, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator according to an embodiment includes: a duct dividing the inside of a storage compartment body into a storage compartment and an air channel and having a main discharge port and a sub-discharge port; an air guide dividing the air channel into a first channel communicating with the main discharge port and a second channel guiding air in the first channel to the sub-discharge port; a heat exchanger provided in the first channel; and a fan suctioning air in the storage compartment and sending the air to the first channel. According to the refrigerator, it is possible to maximize the volume of the storage compartment and separately discharge air to the main discharge port and the sub-discharge port, using a simple structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
a duct that divides an inside of the refrigerator into a storage compartment and an air channel, the duct having a first port and a second port; an air guide that divides the air channel into a first channel communicating with the first port and a second channel guiding air in the first channel to the second port; a heat exchanger provided in the first channel; and a fan that suctions in air from the storage compartment and outputs the air to the first channel.

2 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a horizontal width of the heat exchanger is smaller than a horizontal width of the first channel, and
a horizontal width of the second channel is smaller than the horizontal width of the heat exchanger.

3 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a side of the heat exchanger faces the air guide in a left-right direction, and
the second channel does not overlap the heat exchanger in a front-rear direction.

4 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the air guide is elongated in an up-down direction in the duct and separates the first channel and the second channel.

5 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein a front-rear width of the air guide is larger than a front-rear width of the heat exchanger.

6 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pantry bin provided in the storage compartment and positioned to be cooled by air discharged through the second port; and a damper that controls air discharged to the second port from the second channel, wherein the second port is biased to one of left and right side from a vertical central axis of the duct.

7 . The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the damper is provided at a side of the fan.

8 . The refrigerator of claim 6 , wherein the duct includes a protrusion that extends forward at a lower portion, and
the fan and the damper are provided in the protrusion.

9 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second channel includes:
an upper channel positioned at a side of the first channel; a lower channel positioned over the damper and not overlapping the upper channel in an up-down direction; and an inclined channel connecting the upper channel and the lower channel.

10 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger includes:
a front heat exchanger spaced from the duct in an front-rear direction; and a rear heat exchanger spaced from the front heat exchanger and the storage compartment in the front-rear direction.

11 . The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein a front-rear width of the air guide is larger than a sum of a width of a gap between the duct and the front heat exchanger, a width of a gap between the front heat exchanger and the rear heat exchanger, and a width of a gap between the rear heat exchanger and a storage compartment body.

12 . The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the duct further includes a purification channel housing defining a purification channel through which air in the storage compartment passes,
an air purifier is provided in the purification channel, and the front heat exchanger has a bypassing region that bypasses the purification channel.

13 . The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the duct includes:
a duct cover having the first port and the second port and having a purification suction hole and purification discharge hole that communicate with the purification channel; and an insulator having an inner discharge hole communicating with the first port and having the purification channel housing protruding rearward.

14 . The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein an area of the front heat exchanger in an up-down direction and an left-right direction is smaller than an area of the rear heat exchanger in the up-down and left-right directions, and
the sum of the areas of the front heat exchanger and the rear heat exchanger is larger than an area of the duct in the up-down and left-right directions.

15 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the fan includes:
a fan motor; and a fan housing outside the fan motor and having a discharge guide integrally protruding from an upper surface to guide air to the first channel, and wherein the discharge guide has a defrost water drain hole.

16 . A refrigerator comprising:
a duct that divides an inside of a refrigerator into a storage compartment and an air channel, the duct having a first port and a second port; a pantry bin provided in the storage compartment to be cooled by air discharged through the second port; an air guide dividing the air channel into a first channel communicating with the first port and a second channel guiding air in the first channel to the second port; a heat exchanger provided in the first channel; and a fan that suctions in air from the storage compartment and sends the air to the first channel, wherein the second port is biased to one of a left side or a right side from a vertical central axis of the duct, and the second port is formed lower than the first port.

17 . The refrigerator of claim 16 , further comprising a damper that controls air discharged to the second port from the second channel and is provided at a side of the fan,
wherein the second channel includes:
an upper channel positioned at a side of the first channel;
a lower channel positioned over the damper and not overlapping the upper channel in an up-down direction; and
an inclined channel connecting the upper channel and the lower channel.

18 . The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the fan includes:
a fan motor; and a fan housing provided outside the fan motor and having a discharge guide integrally formed at an upper portion to guide air to the first channel, and wherein the discharge guide is formed at an angle under the first channel, and the discharge guide has a defrost water drain hole.

19 . A refrigerator comprising:
a duct that divides an inside of refrigerator into a storage compartment and an air channel, the duct having a first port and a second port, and having a purification channel through which air in the storage compartment passes; an air guide that divides the air channel into a first channel communicating with the first port and a second channel guiding air in the first channel to the second port; a plurality of heat exchangers provided in the first channel and spaced from each other in a front-rear direction; and a fan that suctions in air from the storage compartment and sends the air to the first channel, wherein at least one of the heat exchangers has a bypassing region that bypasses the purification channel.

20 . The refrigerator of claim 19 , wherein the heat exchangers include:
a front heat exchanger having the bypassing region; and a rear heat exchanger spaced from the front heat exchanger and a storage compartment body in a front-rear direction, and wherein an area of the front heat exchanger in an up-down direction and an left-right direction is smaller than an area of the rear heat exchanger in the up-down and left-right directions.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Cha Kyunghun
• Kim Soyoon
• Chung Myungjin
• Kim Kyungseok

Classifications

• F25D17/062

  in household refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D17/08 Primary

  using ducts · CPC title

• F25D23/006

  for mounting refrigerating machinery components · CPC title

• F25B39/02

  Evaporators · CPC title

• F25D17/065 Primary

  with compartments at different temperatures · CPC title