REFRIGERATOR

• US 20180164017A1
• Filed: 12/04/2017
• Published: 06/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JEONG, Jin, SON, Bong Su, JANG, Do Yun, SEO, Kook Jeong, LEE, Moo Hyung
• Granted Patent: US 10,663,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/22 particularly adapted for household refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/24 for storing bins ice bins F25C5/182
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/02 with cooling compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/06 by forced circulation
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/065 with compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/04 with special compartments, e.g. butter conditioners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2317/062 along the inside of doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/023 Door in door constructions

Abstract

A refrigerator that includes a main body, a wall and a storage compartment. The refrigerator further includes a door rotatably coupled to the main body configured to open and close the storage compartment. The door includes an ice-making chamber formed in a front surface of the door. The refrigerator also includes a cooling chamber that includes a cooler is provided inside the wall and configured to generate cooling air. The refrigerator also includes a cooling air duct configured to connect the ice-making chamber and the cooling chamber to supply the cooling air generated by the cooler to the ice-making chamber.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body including a wall and a storage compartment formed by the wall;

a door rotatably coupled to the main body configured to open and close the storage compartment, and including an ice-making chamber formed in a front surface of the door to be separated from the storage compartment;

a cooling chamber provided inside the wall and having a cooler configured to generate cooling air; and

a cooling air duct configured to connect the ice-making chamber and the cooling chamber to supply the cooling air generated by the cooler to the ice-making chamber.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein:

the wall includes an inner box, an outer box, and an insulation provided between the inner box and the outer box and

the refrigerator includes a cooling chamber case buried in the insulation and having the cooling chamber formed thereinside.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary door configured to open and close the ice-making chamber,

wherein the ice-making chamber is accessible by opening the auxiliary door in a state that the door is closed.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein an auxiliary door is rotatably coupled to the door in a direction different from a rotational direction of the door.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein an auxiliary door and the door are rotatable in a similar rotational direction and the auxiliary door covers an entire front surface of the door.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling air duct includes a supply duct configured to supply cooling air of the cooling chamber to the ice-making chamber, and a collecting duct configured to collect air of the ice-making chamber in the cooling chamber.

7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein:

the supply duct includes a main body supply duct provided in the main body and a door supply duct provided in the door; and

the main body supply duct and the door supply duct are connected to each other when the door is closed and separated from each other when the door is opened.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein:

an inlet of the main body supply duct is connected to the cooling chamber;

an outlet of the door supply duct is connected to the ice-making chamber; and

an outlet of the main body supply duct and an inlet of the door supply duct are connected to each other when the door is closed.

9. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein:

the collecting duct includes a main body collecting duct provided in the main body and a door collecting duct provided in the door; and

the main body collecting duct and the door collecting duct are connected to each other when the door is closed and separated from each other when the door is opened.

10. The refrigerator of claim 9, wherein:

an inlet of the door collecting duct is connected to the ice-making chamber;

an outlet of the main body collecting duct is connected to the cooling chamber; and

an outlet of the door collecting duct and an inlet of the main body collecting duct are connected to each other when the door is closed.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:

an ice maker disposed in the ice-making chamber and configured to make ice; and

an ice bucket disposed in the ice-making chamber and configured to store the ice generated by the ice maker.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein:

the door includes a dispenser configured to supply ice stored in the ice bucket to the outside; and

the ice bucket includes a mover configured to transfer ice to the dispenser.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a blower fan disposed in the cooling chamber and configured to circulate cooling air between the ice-making chamber and the cooling chamber through the cooling air duct.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooler includes at least any one of a vaporizer and a thermoelement.

15. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body including an upper wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, a left side wall, a right side wall, and an intermediate wall provided between the upper wall and the bottom wall;

a refrigerator compartment formed between the upper wall and the intermediate wall;

a freezer compartment formed between the intermediate wall and the bottom wall;

a refrigerator compartment door configured to open and close the refrigerator compartment;

a freezer compartment door configured to open and close the freezer compartment;

an ice-making chamber formed in a front surface of the refrigerator compartment door to be separated from the refrigerator compartment;

a cooling chamber provided in the main body, wherein an ice-making chamber cooler is disposed in the cooling chamber to cool the ice-making chamber;

a cooling air duct configured to connect the cooling chamber and the ice-making chamber; and

a blower fan configured to move cooling air of the cooling chamber to the ice-making chamber through the cooling air duct.

16. The refrigerator of claim 15, wherein the cooling chamber is provided inside one of the intermediate wall, the rear wall, the upper wall, the left side wall, and the right side wall.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, further comprising:

a refrigerator compartment cooler configured to cool the refrigerator compartment; and

a freezer compartment cooler configured to cool the freezer compartment,

wherein the ice-making chamber is cooled independently of the refrigerator compartment and the freezer compartment.

18. A refrigerator comprising:

a main body including a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment;

a door configured to open and close the refrigerator compartment and including an ice-making chamber formed in a front surface of the door to be separated from the refrigerator compartment;

a connecting duct configured to connect the ice-making chamber and the freezer compartment; and

a thermoelement including a cooling portion configured to absorb heat and a heating portion configured to dissipate the heat, and disposed in the connecting duct to dissipate heat of the ice-making chamber to the freezer compartment to cool the ice-making chamber.

19. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the thermoelement is disposed adjacent to the freezer compartment such that the cooling portion faces the connecting duct and the heating portion faces the freezer compartment.

20. The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein the thermoelement is disposed adjacent to the ice-making chamber such that the cooling portion faces the ice-making chamber and the heating portion faces the connecting duct.