Refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025052471-A1
Application number	US-202418926875-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 25, 2024
Priority date	Aug 31, 2015
Publication date	Feb 13, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a cabinet including a refrigerating compartment and an evaporation chamber, a first door, a housing in the first door, an ice making room defining a cool air inflow hole and a cool air discharge hole, a chiller room defining a cool air discharge hole, a second door connected to the first door, a partition wall defining the ice making room, the chiller room, and a communication hole, a damper opening and closing the communication hole, a cool air supply duct connecting an outlet of the evaporation chamber and the cool air inflow hole to supply cool air of the evaporation chamber to the ice making room, and a cool air return duct having a first inlet connected to the cool air discharge hole of the ice making chamber and a second inlet connected to the cool air discharge hole of the chiller room.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet defining a first space and an evaporation space therein; a door connected to the cabinet and configured to open and close at least a portion of the first space; a second space and a third space provided in the door; a partition wall configured to partition the third space from the second space; a cool air supply passage configured to supply cool air from the evaporation space to the second space such that the second space is maintained at a temperature less than that of the first space; and a cool air return passage configured to guide the cool air discharged from at least one of the second space or the third space to the cabinet.

2 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the partition wall comprises a communication hole so that the second space and the third space fluidly communicate with each other.

3 . The refrigerator of claim 2 , wherein the cool air supplied to the second space flows to the third space through the communication hole.

4 . The refrigerator of claim 2 , further comprising a damper configured to open and close the communication hole such that the third space is maintained at a temperature less than that of the first space and greater than that of the second space.

5 . The refrigerator of claim 4 , further comprising a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the third space, and
wherein if it is determined that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is less than a set temperature, the damper is configured to be controlled to close the communication hole.

6 . The refrigerator of claim 4 , further comprising a heater provided at a wall to define the third space.

7 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the second space is provided at an upper side of the partition wall and the third space is provided at a lower side of the partition wall.

8 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
an ice maker provided in the second space, and an ice bin configured to store ice made in the ice maker.

9 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cool air supply passage comprises:
a cabinet supply duct provided in the cabinet, an inlet of the cabinet supply duct being communicated with the evaporation space and an outlet of the cabinet supply duct being provided at a side wall of the first space, and a door supply duct provided in the door, an inlet of the door supply duct being communicated with the outlet of the cabinet supply duct when the door is closed, and an outlet of the door supply duct being communicated with the second space.

10 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the cool air return passage comprises:
a cabinet return duct provided in the cabinet, an inlet of the cabinet return duct being provided at a side wall of the first space, and a door return duct provided in the door, an outlet of the door return duct being communicated with the inlet of the cabinet return duct when the door is closed, and an inlet of the door return duct being communicated with at least one of the second space or the third space.

11 . The refrigerator of claim 10 , further comprising a fourth space provided in the cabinet and provided at a lower side of the first space,
wherein an outlet of the cabinet return duct is communicated with the fourth space.

12 . The refrigerator of claim 10 , wherein the inlet of the door return duct comprises a first hole communicated with the second space and a second hole communicated with the third space.

13 . The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein the second hole is communicated with a discharge hole provided on a side wall to define the third space.

14 . The refrigerator of claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the second hole is positioned higher than the outlet of the door return duct.

15 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second space door configured to open and close the second space, and a third space door configured to open and close the third space.

16 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , wherein the door comprises:
a first door having the second space and the third space, and a second door rotatable with respect to the first door at a front side of the first door.

17 . The refrigerator of claim 16 , further comprising a second space door configured to open and close the second space.

18 . The refrigerator of claim 16 , wherein the first door comprises a first opening communicated with the third space, and
the second door is configured to open and close the first opening.

19 . The refrigerator of claim 18 , wherein the first door further comprises a second opening communicated with the third space, and an opening cover configured to open and close the second opening.

20 . The refrigerator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fourth space provided in the cabinet and provided at a lower side of the first space, and an additional door configured to open and close the fourth space.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Donghoon
• Lee Donghoon
• Lee Wookyong
• Cho Seungyoon
• Lee Heejun
• Yeom Seungseob

Classifications

• F25C1/243

  Moulds made of plastics e.g. silicone · CPC title

• F25D23/12

  Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove · CPC title

• F25D23/025

  Secondary closures · CPC title

• F25C2400/10

  Refrigerator units · CPC title

• F25D2323/024

  Door hinges · CPC title