GB2426567A

GB2426567A - Refrigerator

Info

Publication number: GB2426567A
Application number: GB0510700A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bong Jun Choi; Sang Ik Lee; Jae Seong Sim; Young Jeong
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2005-05-25
Filing date: 2005-05-25
Publication date: 2006-11-29
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-25
Also published as: GB2426567B; GB0510700D0

Abstract

The present invention comprises a refrigerator which includes a body having a cold storage space and a freezer compartment, an evaporator (140) provided to the body to generate cold air, a plurality of racks (110) partitioning each of the cold storage space and the freezer compartment into a plurality of chambers, and at least one adjustment unit provided to each rear portion of the racks, the at least one adjustment unit configured to adjust a quantity of the cold air supplied to each of the chambers. As shown, a knob (165, Fig 5A) may be pulled by an operator to move a link (162, Fig 5A) and an attached separator (120). By adjusting the position of the separator (120), and accordingly the gap between the rear wall of the freezer compartment and the corresponding rack (110), more or less cold air can be supplied to the relevant chamber (A) in the freezer compartment. A vertical barrier (180, Fig 7) may also be used.

Description

REFRIGERATOR The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a structure for supplying cool air within a refrigerator. Generally, a refrigerator is a device for storing and keeping food fresh for an extended period by providing an inner space using a refrigerant (operational fluid) which repeats a cooling cycle of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation. Such a refrigerator basically consists of a compressor transforming a low temperature/low pressure gas refrigerant into a high temperature/high pressure gas refrigerant, a condenser condenses the refrigerant from the compressor, an expansion valve lowers the pressure of the refrigerant supplied from the condenser, and an evaporator absorbs heat from the currounding atmosphere by evaporating the refrigerant at a low pressure. A configuration and operation of a general side-by-side type refrigerator are explained with reference to the attached drawings as follows. Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator is mainly divided into a freezer compartment 1, into which most of the cold air generated from an evaporator 4 is introduced, and a cold storage space 2 into which a portion of the cold air generated from the evaporator 4 is introduced. The freezer room 1 and the cold storage space 2 are separated by a partition 3. A first opening 3a is provided in an upper rear part of the partition 3 to supply cold air, generated from the evaporator 4 through heat exchange, to the cold storage space 2. And, a second opening 3b is provided in a lower rear part of the partition 3 to supply the cold air having circulated through the cold storage space 2 to the freezer compartment 1 again. Referring to FIG. 2, a blower fan 6 forcibly circulates the air cooled down via the evaporator 4 to the cold storage compartment 1 and a motor driving the blower fan 6 are provided over the evaporator 4. A barrier 7 is provided in front of the evaporator 4 to separate the freezer room 1 and the space for the evaporator 4 from each other. An outlet duct 10 is provided within the barrier 7. A multitude of outlets 11 communicating with the freezer compartment 1 are formed in the barrier 7. An inlet 13 is provided in a lower part of the barrier 7 to re-supply the cold air which has passed through the cold storage and freezer rooms to the evaporator 4. A component space 5 is provided under the freezer compartment 1 to house a compressor, a condenser and the like except the evaporator 4. Once power is supplied to the above refrigerator, a series of processes for refrigerating food is initiated by the refrigeration system including the evaporator, the compressor, the condenser and the like. Air passes through the evaporator 4 to be cooled down by heat exchange and is then blown into the outlet duct 10 by the blower fan 6. Subsequently, a portion of the cold air is supplied to the freezer room 1 via the outlets 11 and the rest is introduced into the cold storage room 2 via the first opening 3a. Thereafter, the cold air having circulated through the freezer compartment 1 and the cold storage space 2 is introduced into the evaporator via the inlet 13 to be cooled down. However, since the cold air is supplied to the freezer compartment 1 via the duct 10, the flow path of the cold air is too long and complicated in the related art refrigerator. The duct 10 of the related art refrigerator fails in to adjust the quantity of cold air supplied to each portion of the freezer compartment 1 appropriately. Moreover, the complicated path increases flow resistance which increases the load on the blower fan 6 and the motor driving the blower fan 6. Also, in the related art refrigerator, the space occupied by the duct 10 substantially reduces the inner space of the freezer compartment 1. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which a simple passage enabling appropriate adjustment of a cold air supply quantity is provided. The present invention is defined in the accompanying independent claims. Some preferred features are recited in the dependent claims. Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body having a cold storage room and a freezer room, an evaporator provided to the body to generate cold air, a plurality of racks partitioning each of the cold storage and freezer rooms into a plurality of chambers, and at least one adjustment unit provided to each rear portion of the racks, the at least one adjustment unit configured to adjust a quantity of the cold air supplied to each of the chambers. The cold storage room and the freezer room may be arranged side by side. The evaporator can be configured to flow the cold air upwardly along a rear wall of the cold storage or freezer room. Preferably, the evaporator includes a plurality of columns arranged in a front-to-rear direction. Preferably, the refrigerator further includes a cover enclosing the evaporator. The cover includes an outlet for blowing the cold cir upwardly. The cover may further include an auxiliary outlet configured to directly blow the cold air to the chamber in the vicinity of the evaporator. Each of a plurality of the racks may leave a predetermined gap from a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room. And, the refrigerator may further include a cold air passage provided between a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room and the rear portions of the racks to allow the cold air to flow therein wherein the cold air will supplied to the chambers. A plurality of the adjustment units can be provided to the rear portions of a plurality of the racks, respectively. Namely, the at least one adjustment unit can be configured to adjust a cross-sectional area of a passage for flowing the cold air therein. Preferably, gaps between the adjustment units and rear walls of the freezer or cold storage room are gradually narrowed along a flow direction of the cold air. Specifically, the at least one adjustment unit may include a separator movably provided to a rear end of the rack. The separator may include a plate member. The separator can be rotatably provided to the rear end of the rack. And, the separator can be turned upwardly and downwardly. Alternatively, the separator may be provided to the rear end of the rack to move backward and forward. Preferably, the adjustment unit further includes a drive mechanism selectively driving the separator according to a cold air quantity required for the corresponding chamber. The drive mechanism includes a slider provided to the rack to move forward and backward and a link bar hinged between the slider and the separator. The slider can project from a front end portion of the rack to be operated by a user. The drive mechanism may further include a groove extending parallel to a lateral side of the rack to receive the slider therein. Preferably, minimal gaps between the separators and a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room are gradually decreased along a flow direction of the cold air. In other words, lengths of the separators gradually increase along a flow direction of the cold air. The refrigerator may further include a barrier provided to leave a predetermined interval from a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room. The barrier can be configured to flow the cold air to a plurality of the chambers. The barrier can be configured to conceal the at least one adjustment unit. The barrier upwardly may extend from a rear end of each of a plurality of the racks. The barrier can be configured to cover to conceal the evaporator. Therefore, in the above-configured refrigerator, the temperature of a specific chamber can be adjusted and the inner space can be substantially expanded. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a front diagram of a refrigerator according to a related art, in which a cold air passage structure is schematically shown; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of the refrigerator in FIG. 1, in which a passage structure is schematically shown; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram of a refrigerator according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic front diagram of the refrigerator in FIG. 3; FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are cross-sectional diagrams for explaining a structure and operation of an adjustment unit;FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional diagram for explaining an operation of a refrigerator according to the present invention; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional diagram of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram of a modification of the refrigerator in FIG. 7. Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a refrigerator according to the present invention includes a freezer room 100, maintaining a temperature of about -18[deg]C by receiving most of air cooled down by an evaporator 140, and a cold storage room 200 maintaining a temperature of 0 7[deg]C by receiving a portion of the air cooled down by the evaporator 140. The freezer room 100 and the cold storage room 200 are separated by a partition 300. A first opening 310 is provided in an upper part of the partition 300 to allow cold air to flow from the freezer room 100 to the cold storage room 200. A second opening 320 is provided to a lower part of the partition 300 to allow cold air to flow to the freezer room 100 from the cold storage room 200. The evaporator 140 is located in a lower rear part of the freezer room 100. The evaporator 140 includes at least two columns arranged front-to-rear to minimize its height. Hence, the evaporator 140 substantially occupies less space. A fan 120 for blowing cold air upwards, and a motor 135 for driving the fan 130 are provided above the evaporator 140. The evaporator 140 and the fan 130 are isolated from an inner space of the freezer room 100 by a cover 150 enclosing them. An inlet 151 is formed in a lower part of the cover 150 to introduce air in the freezer room 100 to the evaporator 140. An outlet 152 is formed at an upper end of the cover 150 to blow the cold air upwardly along a rear wall of the freezer room 100.An auxiliary outlet 153 is provided at the front of the cover 150 to guide a proportion of the cold air to a chamber in the vicinity of the evaporator 140, i.e., a lowest chamber of the freezer room. A plurality of racks 110 are provided within each of the freezer and cold storage rooms 100 and 200 to divide each of the freezer and cold storage rooms 100 and 200 into a plurality of vertically arranged chambers. Each of the racks 110 defines a predetermined gap to each rear wall of the freezer and cold storage rooms 100 and 200. The gap between the rack 110 and the rear wall substantially plays a role as a passage for circulating the cold air. An adjustment unit is provided at each rear part of the racks 110 for adjusting the quantity of the cold air supplied to the corresponding chamber. The adjustment unit includes a plate type spacer or separator 120 provided on the rear end of each of the racks 110. The separator controls flow of the cold air blown along the rear wall of the freezer room. Each of the separators 120 is formed with upwardly and downwardly directed slopes about a hinge shaft 121 to the rear of its corresponding rack 110. Hence, the adjustment unit can adjust the gap between the rear wall of the freezer room 100 and the rack 110 by the separator 120. Namely, the adjustment unit can be used to vary the cross-sectional area of the passage formed by the gaps.Therefore, the adjustment unit can vary the quantity of the cold air supplied to the chambers by adjusting the gap or the cross-sectional area of the passage. Referring to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, a drive mechanism is provided to each of the racks 110 to actuate the corresponding separator 120. The drive mechanism selectively actuates the separators 120 according to the quantity cold air required for each of the chambers. Specifically, the drive mechanism includes a slider 162 mounted to the rack 110 to move forwards and backwards. A link bar 163 is hinged between the slider 162 and the separator 120. The slider 162 projects from the front of the rack 110 and is manually operated by a user. A knob 165 is provided as a handle on the forward projected end of the slider 162. Moreover, a groove 161 is formed on a lateral side of the rack 110 and the slider 162 moves in the groove 161. Once the knob 165, as shown in FIG. 5B, is pulled, the slider 162 moves forward along the groove 161 so that the separator 120 connected to the link bar 163 is turned downward. The rotation angle through which the separator 120 moves is proportional to the extent to which the knob 165 is pulled out. To return the separator 120 to the state shown in FIG. 5A, a user pushes the knob 165 backward to move the slider 162 backward so that the link bar 163 turns the separator 120 upward to assume a horizontal state of the separator 120. The lengths L of the separators 120, as shown in FIG. 3, are gradually increased for each rack along the flowing direction of cold air (upward direction) supplied to the chambers. Thus, the minimal gap between each of the separators 120 and the rear wall of the freezer room 100 gradually decreases along the flowing direction of the cold air. By such an arrangement, the cold air can reach a rear part of the last chamber situated in the flowing direction (i.e., top chamber) with minimal flow resistance. The above-configured refrigerator is operated in a following manner. First of all, once power is supplied to the refrigerator, a series of processes for refrigerating food is initiated by the refrigerating system including the evaporator, the compressor, the condenser and the like. If the fan 130 is driven by the motor 135, air of the freezer room 100 is supplied to the evaporator 140 via the inlet 151 at the lower part of the cover 150 to turn into cold air. The cold air is then blown upward along the rear wall of the freezer room via the outlet 152. In doing so, a proportion of the cold air is directly blown to the bottom chamber of the freezer room via the auxiliary outlet 153. The blown cold air sequentially passes through the gap between the rear wall of the freezer room 100 and the separator 120 provided to each of the racks 110 to be supplied to the corresponding chamber. When all the separators 120, as shown in FIG. 3, are in the horizontal state, the quantity of the cold air supplied to each of the chambers is kept uniform. If it is necessary to deduce the temperature of a specific one of the chambers, a user turns downward the separator 120 on the rack 110 situated beneath the specific in question. By such an operation, more cold air is supplied to the specific chamber to lower the temperature therein. For instance, as shown in FIG. 6, for supplying more cold air to the chamber A, the knob 165 of the rack 110 situated at the lower part of the chamber A is pulled out to turn the separator 120 downward. Hence, the gap between the rear wall of the freezer room and the separator 120 of the corresponding rack 110 is widened so that more cold air can be supplied to the chamber A. By adjusting the quantity of the cold air supplied to a specific one of the chambers in the above-explained manner, different food can be stored at a specific temperatures to maintain optimal freshness. Since the evaporator 140 includes a plurality of columns situated in the lower part of the freezer room, the space above the evaporator can be used as part of the freezer room. A separate cold air duct is not needed due to the use of the adjustment unit (i.e., separators), whereby the size or volume of the freezer room is substantially increased. The cold air which has moved to an uppermost part of the freezer room 100 is introduced into the cold storage room 200 via the first opening 310 formed at the top of the partition 300 to cool down an inner space of the cold storage room 200. Thereafter, the cold air is introduced into the freezer room 100 via the second opening 320 to repeat such a circulation. In the above-explained embodiment of the present invention, each of the separators 120 of the racks 110 is independently operated. Yet, the separators 120 can be mutually connected via a link mechanism to operate simultaneously. In the above-explained embodiment of the present invention, each of the separators 120 adjusts the gap between the rear wall and the rack by the rotational movement. Alternatively, each of the separators 120 can be configured to adjust the gap by a linear movement. Optionally, each of the separators 120 can be configured to be automatically or semi-automatically operated using a gear, a motor, etc. appropriately. Meanwhile, a barrier 180, as shown in another embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 7, can be provided to leave a predetermined distance from the rear wall of the freezer room 100. In the former embodiment of the present invention, the cold air passage (i.e., the space between the racks and the rear wall) has an open structure. The barrier 180 substantially configures an independent passage along the rear wall to conceal the separators 120. In this case, the barrier 180 can be provided in front of the evaporator 140 to conceal the evaporator 140 without the cover 150 of the former embodiment of the present invention. The barrier 180 includes an outlet 181, communicating with each chamber, and an inlet 182 communicating with a part under the evaporator 140.Moreover, the barrier 180, as shown in Fig. 8, can be vertically extended from each rear end portion of each of the plurality of racks 110 to a predetermined height. In the above description, the present invention is applied to the freezer room 100. Likewise, the present invention is applicable to the cold storage room 200 in the same manner as well. Namely, the features of the evaporator 140, adjustment unit and racks 110 are applicable to the cold storage room 200 as well. Accordingly, the present invention has the following effects or advantages. First of all, the adjustment unit adjusts the quantity of the cold air supplied to each of the chambers appropriately and easily, whereby the refrigerator can store specific food or objects at a specific temperature with maximal freshness. Secondly, the adjustment unit has a relatively simple configuration, thereby lowering induction resistance and the load of the fan motor. Finally, by application of the evaporator having a small height and by the removal of the cold air duct, the inner space of the freezer room can be considerably increased. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A refrigerator comprising: a body having a cold storage room and a freezer room; an evaporator provided to the body to generate cold air; a plurality of racks partitioning each of the cold storage and freezer rooms into a plurality of chambers; and at least one adjustment unit provided to each rear portion of the racks, the at least one adjustment unit configured to adjust a quantity of the cold air supplied to each of the chambers.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cold storage room and the freezer room are arranged side by side.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporator is configured to flow the cold air upwardly along a rear wall of the cold storage or freezer room.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporator is arranged in the vicinity of the freezer room.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporator is provided to a lower rear part of the freezer room.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporator comprises a plurality of columns arranged in a front-to-rear direction.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a cover enclosing the evaporator.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises an outlet for blowing the cold cir upwardly.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises an auxiliary outlet configured to directly blow the cold air to the chamber in the vicinity of the evaporator.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the racks are horizontally arranged.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of the racks leaves a predetermined gap from a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a cold air passage provided between a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room and the rear portions of the racks to allow the cold air to flow therein wherein the cold air will supplied to the chambers.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the adjustment units are provided to the rear portions of a plurality of the racks, respectively.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustment unit is configured to adjust a cross-sectional area of a passage for flowing the cold air therein.

15. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustment unit is configured to adjust a gap between the rear end portion of the rack and a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room.

16. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein gaps between the adjustment units and rear walls of the freezer or cold storage room are gradually narrowed along a flow direction of the cold air.

17. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustment unit comprises a separator movably provided to a rear end of the rack.

18. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the separator comprises a plate member.

19. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the separator is rotatably provided to the rear end of the rack.

20. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the separator is turned upwardly and downwardly.

21. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the separator is provided to the rear end of the rack to move backward and forward.

22. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the adjustment unit further comprises a drive mechanism selectively driving the separator according to a cold air quantity required for the corresponding chamber.

23. The refrigerator of claim 22, the drive mechanism comprising: a slider provided to the rack to move forward and backward; and a link bar hinged between the slider and the separator.

24. The refrigerator of claim 23, wherein the slider is projected from a front end portion of the rack to be operated by a user.

25. The refrigerator of claim 23, the drive mechanism further comprising a groove extending parallel to a lateral side of the rack to receive the slider therein.

26. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein minimal gaps between the separators and a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room are gradually decreased along a flow direction of the cold air.

27. The refrigerator of claim 17, wherein lengths of the separators gradually increase along a flow direction of the cold air.

28. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a barrier provided to leave a predetermined interval from a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room, the barrier configured to flow the cold air to a plurality of the chambers.

29. The refrigerator of claim 28, wherein the barrier is configured to conceal the at least one adjustment unit.

30. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the barrier is configured to cover to conceal the evaporator.

31. A refrigerator comprising: a storage space; at least one rack arranged within the space to define a plurality of chambers in the space for receiving cooling air; and a mechanism comprising a separator arranged to be movable in relation to the rack to regulate the flow of cooling air to the chambers by adjusting a cross-sectional area of a passage for flowing cold air therein.

30. The refrigerator of claim 28, wherein the barrier upwardly extends from a rear end of each of a plurality of the racks.

31. The refrigerator of claim 28, wherein the barrier is configured to cover to conceal the evaporator.

32. A refrigerator comprising: a storage space; at least one rack arranged within the space to define a plurality of chambers in the space for receiving cooling air; and a mechanism arranged to be movable in relation to the rack to regulate the flow of cooling air to the chambers. Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A refrigerator comprising: a body having a cold storage space and a freezer compartment; an evaporator provided to the body to generate cold air; a plurality of racks partitioning each of the cold storage space and freezer compartment into a plurality of chambers; and at least one adjustment unit comprising a separator provided to each rear portion of the racks, the at least one adjustment unit configured to adjust a quantity of the cold air supplied to each of the chambers by adjusting a cross-sectional area of a passage for flowing the cold air therein.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporator is configured to flow the cold air upwardly along a rear wall of the cold storage space or freezer room compartment. 4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporator is arranged in the vicinity of the freezer compartment.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the evaporator is provided to a lower rear part of the freezer compartment

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises an outlet for blowing the cold air upwardly.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the racks are horizontally arranged. 11. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of the racks leaves a predetermined gap from a rear wall of the freezer compartment or cold storage space.

12. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the passage comprises a cold air passage provided between a rear wall of the freezer or cold storage room and the rear portions of the racks to allow the cold air to flow therein wherein the cold air will supplied to the chambers.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustment unit is configured to adjust a gap between the rear end portion of the rack and a rear wall of the freezer compartment or cold storage space. 15. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein gaps between the adjustment units and rear walls of the freezer compartment or cold storage space are gradually narrowed along a flow direction of the cold air.

16. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjustment unit comprises a separator movably provided to a rear end of the rack.

17. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the separator comprises a plate member.

18. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the separator is rotatably provided to the rear end of the rack.

19. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the separator is turned upwardly and downwardly.

20. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the separator is provided to the rear end of the rack to move backward and forward. 21. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein the adjustment unit further comprises a drive mechanism selectively driving the separator according to a cold air quantity required for the corresponding chamber.

22. The refrigerator of claim 21, the drive mechanism comprising: a slider provided to the rack to move forward and backward; and a link bar hinged between the slider and the separator.

23. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein the slider is projected from a front end portion of the rack to be operated by a user.

24. The refrigerator of claim 22, the drive mechanism further comprising a groove extending parallel to a lateral side of the rack to receive the slider therein.

25. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein minimal gaps between the separators and a rear wall of the freezer compartment or cold storage space are gradually decreased along a flow direction of the cold air. 26. The refrigerator of claim 16, wherein lengths of the separators gradually increase along a flow direction of the cold air.

27. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a barrier provided to leave a predetermined interval from a rear wall of the freezer compartment or cold storage space, the barrier configured to flow the cold air to a plurality of the chambers.

28. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the barrier is configured to conceal the at least one adjustment unit.

29. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the barrier upwardly extends from a rear end of each of a plurality of the racks.