US20080229773A1 - Refrigerator - Google Patents
Refrigerator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080229773A1 US20080229773A1 US11/902,645 US90264507A US2008229773A1 US 20080229773 A1 US20080229773 A1 US 20080229773A1 US 90264507 A US90264507 A US 90264507A US 2008229773 A1 US2008229773 A1 US 2008229773A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- door
- opening
- cool air
- cabinet
- refrigerator according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 38
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 235000021109 kimchi Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000013013 elastic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007710 freezing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008014 freezing Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000035939 shock Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
- F25D23/026—Doors; Covers for open-top cabinets
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D23/00—General constructional features
- F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23B—PRESERVING, e.g. BY CANNING, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, EDIBLE SEEDS; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES; THE PRESERVED, RIPENED, OR CANNED PRODUCTS
- A23B7/00—Preservation or chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables
- A23B7/10—Preserving with acids; Acid fermentation
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
- F25D11/04—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators specially adapted for storing deep-frozen articles
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D29/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2900/00—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof
- E05Y2900/30—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for domestic appliances
- E05Y2900/31—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for domestic appliances for refrigerators
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- F25D2323/02—Details of doors or covers not otherwise covered
- F25D2323/024—Door hinges
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
- F25D2400/06—Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2700/00—Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor
- F25D2700/02—Sensors detecting door opening
Definitions
- Apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator which includes a door unit to open and close a storage compartment.
- a refrigerator is an apparatus to keep food stored in a storage compartment fresh for an extended period of time using cool air exchanged by an evaporator in a freezing cycle.
- Korean Patent No. 10-0398643 discloses a kim-chi refrigerator which includes a cabinet forming a storage compartment which stores food and has an upward opening, and a door unit which opens and closes the upward opening of the storage compartment.
- the door unit includes a first door and a second door which partially and separately close the upward opening of the storage compartment.
- cool air may leak out of the storage compartment through a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit closes the storage compartment, thereby decreasing cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.
- a refrigerator including: a cabinet which includes at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a door unit which opens and closes the opening, the door unit including: a first door which is rotatably attached to the cabinet and opens and closes a partial area of the opening, a second door which is rotatably attached to the first door and opens and closes the remaining area of the opening, and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first door and the second door and a planar surface of the other of the first door and the second door and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit is closed.
- the refrigerator further includes: a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable outward with respect to the first door.
- the refrigerator further includes: a first gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the first door; and a second gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the second door.
- the cool air blocking member has a length corresponding to the opening along a lengthwise direction of the second hinge and is attached to the Inside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door.
- the refrigerator further includes an extension part which extends from opposite sides of one of the first gasket and the second gasket in a transverse direction of the lengthwise direction of the second hinge and prevents leakage of cool air between the first gasket and the second gasket.
- the refrigerator further includes a heating part disposed between the first door and the second door.
- the heating part includes: a heater formed on at least one of surfaces of the first door and the second door, the surfaces facing each other; and a heater cover to cover the heater.
- the second hinge includes: a hinge shaft located in one of the first door and the second door; a hinge shaft accommodating part located on the other of the first door and the second door and accommodating the hinge shaft; and a friction member which is disposed between the hinge shaft and the hinge shaft accommodating part, has a shape of a cylinder having a cutting part cut along a lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft, and provides frictional resistance to rotation of the hinge shaft.
- the friction member has elasticity in a direction of a radius thereof.
- the refrigerator further includes a stopper which prevents the friction member from being rotated by rotation of the hinge shaft.
- the stopper includes: a protrusion formed in one of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part; and a protrusion accommodating part formed in the other of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part and accommodating the protrusion.
- the refrigerator further includes a shock-absorbing member disposed between the first door and the second door to reduce impact of the second door while the second door is open.
- the refrigerator further includes: a first opening and closing sensor which senses whether the first door is open or closed; and a second opening and closing sensor which senses whether the second door is open or closed.
- the first opening and closing sensor includes: a first magnet disposed in one of the cabinet and the first door; and a first magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the cabinet and the first door to detect a magnetic field generated by the first magnet.
- the second opening and closing sensor includes: a second magnet disposed in one of the first door and the second door or one of the second door and the cool air blocking member; and a second magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the first door and the second door or one of the second door and the cool air blocking member to detect the magnetic field generated by the second magnet.
- the refrigerator further includes: a cooling apparatus which generates cool air and provides the cool air to the storage compartment; and a controller which controls operation of the cooling apparatus on the basis of information sensed by the first opening and closing sensor and the second opening and closing sensor.
- the refrigerator further includes a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable inward with respect to the first door.
- the cool air blocking member is attached to an outside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view to schematically illustrate a configuration of a refrigerator according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 illustrates an operating state of a second door of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3 illustrates a mounting state of a first gasket, a second gasket and a cool air blocking member of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view to illustrate attaching a second hinge of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view to illustrate attaching a heating part of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 6 illustrates an operating state of a first opening and closing sensor according to opening and closing of a first door of the refrigerator in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an operating state of a second opening and closing sensor according to opening and closing of a second door of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view to schematically illustrate a configuration of a refrigerator according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- a top open/close type of kim-chi refrigerator will be mentioned as an example to explain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention may also be employed for a front open/close type of the refrigerator.
- a refrigerator 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 .
- the refrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 10 which forms an external shape and has at least one storage compartment 13 with an opening 11 at one side and a door unit 20 to open and close the opening 11 of the storage compartment 13 .
- the opening 11 of the storage compartment 13 is open upward.
- the cabinet 10 includes at least one storage compartment 13 . Further, the cabinet 10 accommodates a cooling apparatus 15 (see FIG. 8 ) such as a compressor (not shown), a condenser (not shown), an evaporator (not shown), etc. A configuration and an operation of the cooling apparatus 15 are known, and thus descriptions thereof will not be mentioned in the present exemplary embodiment.
- a cooling apparatus 15 such as a compressor (not shown), a condenser (not shown), an evaporator (not shown), etc.
- a configuration and an operation of the cooling apparatus 15 are known, and thus descriptions thereof will not be mentioned in the present exemplary embodiment.
- the door unit 20 includes a first door 21 a rotatably attached to the cabinet 10 to open and close one portion of the opening 11 , a second door 21 b rotatably attached to the first door 21 a to open and close the other portion of the opening 11 , and a cool air blocking member 30 disposed across a planar surface of one of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b , and a planar surface of the other of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b when the door unit 20 is in a closed state.
- the first door 21 a opens and closes a rear area of the opening 11
- the second door 21 b opens and closes a front area thereof.
- the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b have a plate shape, and Include holding parts 23 a and 23 b , respectively.
- a first hinge 25 a is located between the first door 21 a and the cabinet 10 to attach the first door 21 a to the cabinet 10 and to be rotatable outward
- a second hinge 25 b is located between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b to attach the second door 21 b to the first door 21 a and to be rotatable outward.
- the second door 21 b may be rotated to open the front area of the opening 11 for a small size storage thing to be put in or taken out, thereby reducing leakage of cool air that escapes when putting in or taking out the storage item.
- the first hinge 25 a supports the first door 21 a and is pivotally rotatable on the cabinet 10 .
- the first hinge 25 a is a hinge used for a top open/close type refrigerator or kim-chi refrigerator which is generally known, and thus descriptions thereof will not be explained in the present exemplary embodiment.
- the second hinge 25 b is located to pivotally rotate the second door 21 b outward on the first door 21 a .
- the second hinge 25 b may be disposed on an upper part of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b .
- the second hinge 25 b may be provided as an ordinary hinge. In the present exemplary embodiment, however, the second hinge 25 b includes a friction member 28 to provide frictional resistance to rotation of the second door 21 b.
- the second hinge 25 b Includes a hinge shaft 26 located on one of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b , a hinge shaft accommodating part 27 located on the other of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b and accommodating the hinge shaft 26 , and the friction member 28 which provides frictional resistance to rotation of the hinge shaft 26 .
- the hinge shaft 26 is attached to the second door 21 b
- the hinge shaft accommodating part 27 is attached to the first door 21 a.
- the friction member 28 is disposed between the hinge shaft 26 and the hinge shaft accommodating part 27 and has a shape of a cylinder having a cutting part 28 a cut along a lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft 26 .
- the friction member 28 may be elastic in a direction of its radius.
- the second hinge 25 b decreases a speed where the second door 21 b is dropped by its weight, thereby preventing noise and impact arising from rotation of the second door 21 b .
- the second hinge 25 b further includes a stopper 29 to prevent the friction member 28 from being rotated by the rotation of the hinge shaft 26 .
- the stopper 29 includes a protrusion 29 a formed on an inside surface of the hinge shaft accommodating part 27 and a protrusion accommodating part 29 b formed on the friction member 28 and accommodating the protrusion 29 a .
- the protrusion 29 a projects from the inside surface of the hinge shaft accommodating part 27 along the lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft 26
- the protrusion accommodating part 29 b projects from the cutting part 28 a in the direction of the radius.
- the protrusion 29 a may be formed on the friction member 28
- the protrusion accommodating part 29 b may be formed on the hinge accommodating part 27 .
- the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b are arranged to open and close the opening 11 partially and separately, thereby improving spatial efficiency of the refrigerator 1 and preventing cool air from leaking excessively.
- the cool air blocking member 30 is disposed across the planar surfaces of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b to prevent cool air from leaking between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b in the closed state.
- the cool air blocking member 30 includes a blocking part 31 of a plate shape, and an attachment part 33 to support the blocking part 31 with respect to the second door 21 b .
- the blocking part 31 is utilized as a plate to block a gap between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b .
- the attachment part 33 extends from the blocking part 31 in a surface direction of the blocking part 31 .
- the attachment part 33 is formed to extend from opposite sides of the blocking part 31 and includes a screw attachment hole 35 into which a screw is inserted.
- a screw attachment hole (not shown) is formed in an inside planar surface of the second door 21 b at a position corresponding to the screw attachment hole 35 .
- the cool air blocking member 30 has a length corresponding to a width of the opening 11 along the lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft 26 of the second hinge 25 b.
- the refrigerator 1 may further include a first gasket 40 a located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the first door 21 a , and a second gasket 40 b located along an edge of the inside planar surface of the second door 21 b .
- the cool air blocking member 30 is mounted on the second door 21 b across the second gasket 40 b , but may be mounted on the first door 21 a .
- the first gasket 40 a and the second gasket 40 b are formed on the edge of the opening 11 to seal a gap between the first door 21 a and the cabinet 10 and a gap between the second door 21 b and the cabinet 10 . Accordingly, cool air may not leak through the gap between the first door 21 a and the cabinet 10 and the gap between the second door 21 b and the cabinet 10 .
- an extension part 45 is provided to extend from one of the first gasket 40 a and the second gasket 40 b in a transverse direction of a lengthwise direction of the second hinge 25 b so as to prevent leakage of cool air between the first gasket 40 a and the second gasket 40 b .
- the extension part 45 is arranged so that the cool air blocking member 30 extends in a lengthwise direction in the closed state of the second door 21 b .
- the cool air blocking member 30 has a length corresponding to the opening 11 , and thus it does not seal the edge of the opening 11 . Accordingly, the extension part 45 is arranged to improve the seal of the storage compartment.
- the extension part 45 extends from the first gasket 40 a , as shown in FIG. 3 .
- the refrigerator 1 may further include a heating part 50 disposed between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b .
- the heating part 50 includes a heater 51 formed on at least one of surfaces of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b , the surfaces facing each other, and a heater cover 53 to cover the heater 51 .
- the heater 51 is provided as a film heater having a plate shape and disposed on the front surface of the first door 21 a .
- the heating part 50 is arranged to prevent dew from being formed in a boundary area of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b.
- the refrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment may further include a shock-absorbing member 60 disposed between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b to reduce the shock of the second door 21 b while the second door 21 b is opened.
- the shock-absorbing member 60 is an elastic material such as rubber.
- the shock-absorbing member 60 is located on an outside surface of the first door 21 a , as shown in FIG. 1 .
- the shock-absorbing member 60 may be located on an outside surface of the second door 21 b.
- the refrigerator 1 may further include a first opening and closing sensor 70 a to sense whether the first door 21 a is open or closed, and a second opening and closing sensor 70 b to sense whether the second door 21 b is open or closed.
- the first opening and closing sensor 70 a includes a first magnet 71 a disposed in one of the cabinet 10 and the first door 21 a , and a first magnetic sensor 73 a disposed in the other of the cabinet 10 and the first door 21 b to detect a magnetic field generated by the first magnet 71 a.
- the first magnet 71 a is mounted in a rear end part of the first door 21 a
- the first magnetic sensor 73 a is mounted in an upper rear end part of the cabinet 10 .
- the first magnet 71 a and the first magnetic sensor 73 a are located close to each other in the closed state of the first door 21 a . Accordingly, a controller 80 recognizes that the first door 21 a is closed. Meanwhile, when the first door 21 a is rotated, the first magnet 71 a and the first magnetic sensor 73 are located apart from each other. Accordingly, the controller 80 recognizes that the first door 21 a is open.
- the first magnet 71 a and the first magnetic sensor 73 a are located close to each other in the closed state of the first door 21 a
- the first magnet 71 a and the first magnetic sensor 73 a may be located close to each other in the opening state of the first door 21 a.
- the second opening and closing sensor 70 b includes a second magnet 71 b mounted in one of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b or one of the first door 21 a and the cool air blocking member 30 . Also, the second opening closing sensor 70 b includes a second magnetic sensor 73 b mounted in the other of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 a or one of the first door 21 a and the cool air blocking member 30 to detect magnetic field generated by the second magnet 71 b.
- the second magnet 71 b is mounted in the cool air blocking member 30
- the second magnetic sensor 73 b is mounted in a front end part of the first door 21 a
- the second magnet 71 b may be mounted in a rear end part of the second door 21 b
- the controller 80 recognizes that the second door 21 b is closed.
- FIG. 7B when the second door 21 b is rotated, the second magnet 71 b and the second magnetic sensor 73 b are located apart from each other. Accordingly, the controller 80 recognizes that the second door 21 b is open.
- the second magnet 71 b and the second magnetic sensor 73 b are located close to one another in the closed state of the second door 21 b
- the second magnet 71 b and the second magnetic sensor 73 b may be located close to each other in the opening state of the second door 21 b.
- the controller 80 of the refrigerator 1 controls operation of a cooling apparatus 15 on the basis of information sensed by the first and second opening and closing sensors 70 a and 70 b .
- the controller 80 accumulatively calculates how long and how many times the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b are open to drive the cooling apparatus 15 .
- FIG. 9 a refrigerator 101 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . It is noted that like reference numerals refer to like elements in the first and second exemplary embodiments and descriptions of the like elements will not be repeated.
- the refrigerator 101 includes a first hinge 25 a to attach a first door 21 a to a cabinet 10 to allow the first door 21 a to be rotatable outward, and a second hinge 125 to attach a second door 21 b to the first door 21 a to allow the second door 21 b to be rotatable inward.
- the first hinge 25 a has the same configuration as the configuration in the first exemplary embodiment, which will not repeatedly explained.
- the second hinge 125 attaches the first door 21 a to the second door 21 b to foldably rotate.
- the second hinge 125 allows inner planar surfaces of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b to be close or apart from each other to open or close an opening 11 .
- the second hinge 125 includes a hinge shaft 126 and a hinge shaft accommodating part 127 .
- the second hinge 125 may be located in a lower part of the first and second doors 21 a and 21 b.
- a guide protrusion 140 is formed on the second door 21 b projecting from a lateral side thereof, and a guide rail 145 is located in the cabinet 10 to guide the guide protrusion 140 in a forward or backward direction. Accordingly, a user presses the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b in the forward or backward direction to close or open the doors 21 a and 21 b.
- a cool air blocking member 130 is located on an outside planar surface of the second door 21 b , but may be located in the first door 21 a .
- the cool air blocking member 130 has a length corresponding to a width of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b along a lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft 126 .
- cool air may not leak between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b.
- first door 21 a and the second door 21 b move in the forward and backward directions to be folded or apart from each other, thereby closing and opening the opening 11 of the cabinet 10 .
- first door 21 a and the second door 21 b may move in right and left directions to be folded or apart from each other to close and open the opening 11 .
- the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b are both closed, cool air does not leak between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b due to blocking by the cool air blocking member 30 . Further, the first gasket 40 a and the second gasket 40 b prevent cool air from leaking between the first door 21 a and the cabinet 10 and between the second door 21 b and the cabinet 10 .
- the heating part 50 is provided to heat a boundary area between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b , thereby preventing dew from being formed.
- the user pivotally rotates the second door 21 b outward.
- the second door 21 b is slowly rotated by the friction member 28 of the second hinge 25 b and the dropping speed of the second door 21 b is decreased due to its weight, thereby reducing operation noise and preventing an accident.
- the shock-absorbing member 60 is located on the outside surface of the first door to reduce operation noise, to prevent the first door 21 a from colliding with the second door 21 b when opening the second door 21 b , and to reduce operation impact.
- a front area of the opening 11 is opened by opening the second door 21 b only, and thus cool air does not leak excessively, and spatial efficiency is improved by decreasing an operating radius of the door unit 20 .
- the first door 21 a is pivotally rotated upward while the second door 21 b is open, the entire opening 11 of the storage compartment 13 is open.
- the operating radius of the door unit 20 decreases, thereby improving spatial efficiency.
- the refrigerator 1 includes the door unit 20 which has a first door 21 a pivotally rotatably attached to the cabinet 10 to open and close one area of the opening 11 , and a second door 21 b pivotally rotatably combined with the first door 21 a to open and close the remaining area of the opening 11 . Accordingly, only the second door 21 b may be rotated to open the front area of the opening 11 for storage items to be put in or taken out, thereby reducing cool air leakage when cool air escapes upon putting in or taking out the items. Also, the operating radius of the door unit 20 decreases as compared with the operating radius of a door unit in a conventional refrigerator, and thus the opening 11 may be entirely open when the refrigerator 1 is disposed in a low-ceiling space.
- the door unit 20 includes the cool air blocking member 30 disposed across a planar surface of the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b to prevent cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b while the door unit 20 is in closed state, thereby efficiently blocking leakage of cool air from the boundary area between the first door 21 a and the second door 21 b.
- the present invention provides a refrigerator which prevents cool air from leaking from a storage compartment when a door unit closes an opening of the storage compartment.
- the present invention may be described as a refrigerator comprising: a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a reconfigurable folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet, having a first folding portion and a second folding portion, wherein each folding position opens and closes a section of the opening, and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and the second folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and a planar surface of the other of the first folding portion and the second folding portion and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first folding portion and the second folding portion while the reconfigurable folding door unit is closed.
- the present invention may be described as a refrigerator comprising: a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet to foldably open and close the opening in a portion-wise manner; and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a horizontal surface of a first portion of the folding door unit and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first portion of the folding door unit and a second portion of the folding door while the folding door unit is closed.
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- Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
Abstract
A refrigerator includes: a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a door unit which opens and closes the opening, the door unit comprising: a first door which is rotatably attached to the cabinet and opens and closes a partial area of the opening, a second door which is rotatably attached to the first door and opens and closes the remaining area of the opening, and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first door and the second door and a planar surface of the other of the first door and the second door and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit is closed.
Description
- This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0028272, filed on Mar. 22, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field
- Apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator which includes a door unit to open and close a storage compartment.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus to keep food stored in a storage compartment fresh for an extended period of time using cool air exchanged by an evaporator in a freezing cycle.
- Korean Patent No. 10-0398643 discloses a kim-chi refrigerator which includes a cabinet forming a storage compartment which stores food and has an upward opening, and a door unit which opens and closes the upward opening of the storage compartment. Here, the door unit includes a first door and a second door which partially and separately close the upward opening of the storage compartment.
- In the conventional refrigerator, however, cool air may leak out of the storage compartment through a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit closes the storage compartment, thereby decreasing cooling efficiency of the refrigerator.
- Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which prevents cool air from flowing out of a storage compartment when a door unit closes an opening of the storage compartment.
- The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention can be achieved by providing a refrigerator including: a cabinet which includes at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a door unit which opens and closes the opening, the door unit including: a first door which is rotatably attached to the cabinet and opens and closes a partial area of the opening, a second door which is rotatably attached to the first door and opens and closes the remaining area of the opening, and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first door and the second door and a planar surface of the other of the first door and the second door and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit is closed.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes: a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable outward with respect to the first door.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes: a first gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the first door; and a second gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the second door.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the cool air blocking member has a length corresponding to the opening along a lengthwise direction of the second hinge and is attached to the Inside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes an extension part which extends from opposite sides of one of the first gasket and the second gasket in a transverse direction of the lengthwise direction of the second hinge and prevents leakage of cool air between the first gasket and the second gasket.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes a heating part disposed between the first door and the second door.
- According to an aspect of the Invention, the heating part includes: a heater formed on at least one of surfaces of the first door and the second door, the surfaces facing each other; and a heater cover to cover the heater.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the second hinge includes: a hinge shaft located in one of the first door and the second door; a hinge shaft accommodating part located on the other of the first door and the second door and accommodating the hinge shaft; and a friction member which is disposed between the hinge shaft and the hinge shaft accommodating part, has a shape of a cylinder having a cutting part cut along a lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft, and provides frictional resistance to rotation of the hinge shaft.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the friction member has elasticity in a direction of a radius thereof.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes a stopper which prevents the friction member from being rotated by rotation of the hinge shaft.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the stopper includes: a protrusion formed in one of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part; and a protrusion accommodating part formed in the other of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part and accommodating the protrusion.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes a shock-absorbing member disposed between the first door and the second door to reduce impact of the second door while the second door is open.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes: a first opening and closing sensor which senses whether the first door is open or closed; and a second opening and closing sensor which senses whether the second door is open or closed.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the first opening and closing sensor includes: a first magnet disposed in one of the cabinet and the first door; and a first magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the cabinet and the first door to detect a magnetic field generated by the first magnet.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the second opening and closing sensor includes: a second magnet disposed in one of the first door and the second door or one of the second door and the cool air blocking member; and a second magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the first door and the second door or one of the second door and the cool air blocking member to detect the magnetic field generated by the second magnet.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes: a cooling apparatus which generates cool air and provides the cool air to the storage compartment; and a controller which controls operation of the cooling apparatus on the basis of information sensed by the first opening and closing sensor and the second opening and closing sensor.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the refrigerator further includes a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable inward with respect to the first door.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the cool air blocking member is attached to an outside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door.
- Additional aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
- The above and/or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view to schematically illustrate a configuration of a refrigerator according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 illustrates an operating state of a second door of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 3 illustrates a mounting state of a first gasket, a second gasket and a cool air blocking member of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view to illustrate attaching a second hinge of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view to illustrate attaching a heating part of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 6 illustrates an operating state of a first opening and closing sensor according to opening and closing of a first door of the refrigerator in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an operating state of a second opening and closing sensor according to opening and closing of a second door of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the refrigerator according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 9 is a perspective view to schematically illustrate a configuration of a refrigerator according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
- It is noted that a top open/close type of kim-chi refrigerator will be mentioned as an example to explain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention may also be employed for a front open/close type of the refrigerator.
- A
refrigerator 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference toFIGS. 1 to 8 . - Referring to
FIG. 1 , therefrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes acabinet 10 which forms an external shape and has at least onestorage compartment 13 with anopening 11 at one side and adoor unit 20 to open and close theopening 11 of thestorage compartment 13. In the present exemplary embodiment, the opening 11 of thestorage compartment 13 is open upward. - The
cabinet 10 includes at least onestorage compartment 13. Further, thecabinet 10 accommodates a cooling apparatus 15 (seeFIG. 8 ) such as a compressor (not shown), a condenser (not shown), an evaporator (not shown), etc. A configuration and an operation of thecooling apparatus 15 are known, and thus descriptions thereof will not be mentioned in the present exemplary embodiment. - The
door unit 20 includes afirst door 21 a rotatably attached to thecabinet 10 to open and close one portion of the opening 11, asecond door 21 b rotatably attached to thefirst door 21 a to open and close the other portion of the opening 11, and a coolair blocking member 30 disposed across a planar surface of one of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b, and a planar surface of the other of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b when thedoor unit 20 is in a closed state. - In the present exemplary embodiment, the
first door 21 a opens and closes a rear area of the opening 11, and thesecond door 21 b opens and closes a front area thereof. Thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b have a plate shape, and Include holdingparts first hinge 25 a is located between thefirst door 21 a and thecabinet 10 to attach thefirst door 21 a to thecabinet 10 and to be rotatable outward, and asecond hinge 25 b is located between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b to attach thesecond door 21 b to thefirst door 21 a and to be rotatable outward. Thus, thesecond door 21 b may be rotated to open the front area of the opening 11 for a small size storage thing to be put in or taken out, thereby reducing leakage of cool air that escapes when putting in or taking out the storage item. - The
first hinge 25 a supports thefirst door 21 a and is pivotally rotatable on thecabinet 10. Thefirst hinge 25 a is a hinge used for a top open/close type refrigerator or kim-chi refrigerator which is generally known, and thus descriptions thereof will not be explained in the present exemplary embodiment. - Referring to
FIG. 4 , thesecond hinge 25 b is located to pivotally rotate thesecond door 21 b outward on thefirst door 21 a. Here, thesecond hinge 25 b may be disposed on an upper part of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b. Thesecond hinge 25 b may be provided as an ordinary hinge. In the present exemplary embodiment, however, thesecond hinge 25 b includes afriction member 28 to provide frictional resistance to rotation of thesecond door 21 b. - The
second hinge 25 b Includes ahinge shaft 26 located on one of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b, a hingeshaft accommodating part 27 located on the other of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b and accommodating thehinge shaft 26, and thefriction member 28 which provides frictional resistance to rotation of thehinge shaft 26. In the present exemplary embodiment, thehinge shaft 26 is attached to thesecond door 21 b, and the hingeshaft accommodating part 27 is attached to thefirst door 21 a. - The
friction member 28 is disposed between thehinge shaft 26 and the hingeshaft accommodating part 27 and has a shape of a cylinder having a cuttingpart 28 a cut along a lengthwise direction of thehinge shaft 26. Thefriction member 28 may be elastic in a direction of its radius. Thus, thesecond hinge 25 b decreases a speed where thesecond door 21 b is dropped by its weight, thereby preventing noise and impact arising from rotation of thesecond door 21 b. Meanwhile, thesecond hinge 25 b further includes astopper 29 to prevent thefriction member 28 from being rotated by the rotation of thehinge shaft 26. - As shown in the enlargement illustrated in
FIG. 4 , thestopper 29 includes aprotrusion 29 a formed on an inside surface of the hingeshaft accommodating part 27 and aprotrusion accommodating part 29 b formed on thefriction member 28 and accommodating theprotrusion 29 a. Here, theprotrusion 29 a projects from the inside surface of the hingeshaft accommodating part 27 along the lengthwise direction of thehinge shaft 26, and theprotrusion accommodating part 29 b projects from the cuttingpart 28 a in the direction of the radius. Alternatively, theprotrusion 29 a may be formed on thefriction member 28, and theprotrusion accommodating part 29 b may be formed on thehinge accommodating part 27. - As described above, the
first door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b are arranged to open and close theopening 11 partially and separately, thereby improving spatial efficiency of therefrigerator 1 and preventing cool air from leaking excessively. - Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4 , the coolair blocking member 30 is disposed across the planar surfaces of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b to prevent cool air from leaking between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b in the closed state. - The cool
air blocking member 30 includes a blockingpart 31 of a plate shape, and anattachment part 33 to support the blockingpart 31 with respect to thesecond door 21 b. The blockingpart 31 is utilized as a plate to block a gap between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b. Theattachment part 33 extends from the blockingpart 31 in a surface direction of the blockingpart 31. In the present exemplary embodiment, theattachment part 33 is formed to extend from opposite sides of the blockingpart 31 and includes ascrew attachment hole 35 into which a screw is inserted. Here, a screw attachment hole (not shown) is formed in an inside planar surface of thesecond door 21 b at a position corresponding to thescrew attachment hole 35. The coolair blocking member 30 has a length corresponding to a width of theopening 11 along the lengthwise direction of thehinge shaft 26 of thesecond hinge 25 b. - As illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , therefrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment may further include afirst gasket 40 a located along an edge of an inside planar surface of thefirst door 21 a, and asecond gasket 40 b located along an edge of the inside planar surface of thesecond door 21 b. Here, the coolair blocking member 30 is mounted on thesecond door 21 b across thesecond gasket 40 b, but may be mounted on thefirst door 21 a. Thefirst gasket 40 a and thesecond gasket 40 b are formed on the edge of theopening 11 to seal a gap between thefirst door 21 a and thecabinet 10 and a gap between thesecond door 21 b and thecabinet 10. Accordingly, cool air may not leak through the gap between thefirst door 21 a and thecabinet 10 and the gap between thesecond door 21 b and thecabinet 10. - Meanwhile, an
extension part 45 is provided to extend from one of thefirst gasket 40 a and thesecond gasket 40 b in a transverse direction of a lengthwise direction of thesecond hinge 25 b so as to prevent leakage of cool air between thefirst gasket 40 a and thesecond gasket 40 b. Theextension part 45 is arranged so that the coolair blocking member 30 extends in a lengthwise direction in the closed state of thesecond door 21 b. In detail, the coolair blocking member 30 has a length corresponding to theopening 11, and thus it does not seal the edge of theopening 11. Accordingly, theextension part 45 is arranged to improve the seal of the storage compartment. In the present exemplary embodiment, theextension part 45 extends from thefirst gasket 40 a, as shown inFIG. 3 . - Referring to
FIG. 5 , therefrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment may further include aheating part 50 disposed between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b. Theheating part 50 includes aheater 51 formed on at least one of surfaces of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b, the surfaces facing each other, and aheater cover 53 to cover theheater 51. In the present exemplary embodiment, theheater 51 is provided as a film heater having a plate shape and disposed on the front surface of thefirst door 21 a. Theheating part 50 is arranged to prevent dew from being formed in a boundary area of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b. - The
refrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment may further include a shock-absorbingmember 60 disposed between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b to reduce the shock of thesecond door 21 b while thesecond door 21 b is opened. The shock-absorbingmember 60 is an elastic material such as rubber. In the present exemplary embodiment, the shock-absorbingmember 60 is located on an outside surface of thefirst door 21 a, as shown inFIG. 1 . Alternatively, the shock-absorbingmember 60 may be located on an outside surface of thesecond door 21 b. - Referring to
FIGS. 6 to 8 , therefrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment may further include a first opening andclosing sensor 70 a to sense whether thefirst door 21 a is open or closed, and a second opening andclosing sensor 70 b to sense whether thesecond door 21 b is open or closed. - As illustrated in
FIG. 6 , the first opening andclosing sensor 70 a includes afirst magnet 71 a disposed in one of thecabinet 10 and thefirst door 21 a, and a firstmagnetic sensor 73 a disposed in the other of thecabinet 10 and thefirst door 21 b to detect a magnetic field generated by thefirst magnet 71 a. - In the present exemplary embodiment, the
first magnet 71 a is mounted in a rear end part of thefirst door 21 a, and the firstmagnetic sensor 73 a is mounted in an upper rear end part of thecabinet 10. Thefirst magnet 71 a and the firstmagnetic sensor 73 a are located close to each other in the closed state of thefirst door 21 a. Accordingly, acontroller 80 recognizes that thefirst door 21 a is closed. Meanwhile, when thefirst door 21 a is rotated, thefirst magnet 71 a and the first magnetic sensor 73 are located apart from each other. Accordingly, thecontroller 80 recognizes that thefirst door 21 a is open. - Whereas it was explained that the
first magnet 71 a and the firstmagnetic sensor 73 a are located close to each other in the closed state of thefirst door 21 a, thefirst magnet 71 a and the firstmagnetic sensor 73 a may be located close to each other in the opening state of thefirst door 21 a. - The second opening and
closing sensor 70 b includes asecond magnet 71 b mounted in one of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b or one of thefirst door 21 a and the coolair blocking member 30. Also, the secondopening closing sensor 70 b includes a secondmagnetic sensor 73 b mounted in the other of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 a or one of thefirst door 21 a and the coolair blocking member 30 to detect magnetic field generated by thesecond magnet 71 b. - In the present exemplary embodiment, the
second magnet 71 b is mounted in the coolair blocking member 30, and the secondmagnetic sensor 73 b is mounted in a front end part of thefirst door 21 a. Here, thesecond magnet 71 b may be mounted in a rear end part of thesecond door 21 b. As illustrated inFIG. 7A , thesecond magnet 71 b and the secondmagnetic sensor 73 b are located close to each other in the closed state of thesecond door 21 b. Accordingly, thecontroller 80 recognizes that thesecond door 21 b is closed. Meanwhile, as illustrated inFIG. 7B , when thesecond door 21 b is rotated, thesecond magnet 71 b and the secondmagnetic sensor 73 b are located apart from each other. Accordingly, thecontroller 80 recognizes that thesecond door 21 b is open. - Whereas it was explained that the
second magnet 71 b and the secondmagnetic sensor 73 b are located close to one another in the closed state of thesecond door 21 b, thesecond magnet 71 b and the secondmagnetic sensor 73 b may be located close to each other in the opening state of thesecond door 21 b. - The
controller 80 of therefrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment controls operation of acooling apparatus 15 on the basis of information sensed by the first and second opening andclosing sensors controller 80 accumulatively calculates how long and how many times thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b are open to drive the coolingapparatus 15. - Hereinafter, a
refrigerator 101 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference toFIG. 9 . It is noted that like reference numerals refer to like elements in the first and second exemplary embodiments and descriptions of the like elements will not be repeated. - The
refrigerator 101 according to the second exemplary embodiment includes afirst hinge 25 a to attach afirst door 21 a to acabinet 10 to allow thefirst door 21 a to be rotatable outward, and asecond hinge 125 to attach asecond door 21 b to thefirst door 21 a to allow thesecond door 21 b to be rotatable inward. Thefirst hinge 25 a has the same configuration as the configuration in the first exemplary embodiment, which will not repeatedly explained. - The
second hinge 125 attaches thefirst door 21 a to thesecond door 21 b to foldably rotate. In detail, thesecond hinge 125 allows inner planar surfaces of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b to be close or apart from each other to open or close anopening 11. Thesecond hinge 125 includes ahinge shaft 126 and a hinge shaftaccommodating part 127. Here, thesecond hinge 125 may be located in a lower part of the first andsecond doors - Meanwhile, in the present exemplary embodiment, a
guide protrusion 140 is formed on thesecond door 21 b projecting from a lateral side thereof, and aguide rail 145 is located in thecabinet 10 to guide theguide protrusion 140 in a forward or backward direction. Accordingly, a user presses thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b in the forward or backward direction to close or open thedoors - In the present exemplary embodiment, a cool
air blocking member 130 is located on an outside planar surface of thesecond door 21 b, but may be located in thefirst door 21 a. In this case, the coolair blocking member 130 has a length corresponding to a width of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b along a lengthwise direction of thehinge shaft 126. Thus, cool air may not leak between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b. - In the present exemplary embodiment, the
first door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b move in the forward and backward directions to be folded or apart from each other, thereby closing and opening theopening 11 of thecabinet 10. Alternatively, thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b may move in right and left directions to be folded or apart from each other to close and open theopening 11. - Hereinafter, an operation process of the
refrigerator 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be explained. - If the
first door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b are both closed, cool air does not leak between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b due to blocking by the coolair blocking member 30. Further, thefirst gasket 40 a and thesecond gasket 40 b prevent cool air from leaking between thefirst door 21 a and thecabinet 10 and between thesecond door 21 b and thecabinet 10. Here, theheating part 50 is provided to heat a boundary area between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b, thereby preventing dew from being formed. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , the user pivotally rotates thesecond door 21 b outward. Thesecond door 21 b is slowly rotated by thefriction member 28 of thesecond hinge 25 b and the dropping speed of thesecond door 21 b is decreased due to its weight, thereby reducing operation noise and preventing an accident. Meanwhile, the shock-absorbingmember 60 is located on the outside surface of the first door to reduce operation noise, to prevent thefirst door 21 a from colliding with thesecond door 21 b when opening thesecond door 21 b, and to reduce operation impact. As such, a front area of theopening 11 is opened by opening thesecond door 21 b only, and thus cool air does not leak excessively, and spatial efficiency is improved by decreasing an operating radius of thedoor unit 20. - If the
first door 21 a is pivotally rotated upward while thesecond door 21 b is open, theentire opening 11 of thestorage compartment 13 is open. Thus, the operating radius of thedoor unit 20 decreases, thereby improving spatial efficiency. - As described above, the
refrigerator 1 according to the present invention includes thedoor unit 20 which has afirst door 21 a pivotally rotatably attached to thecabinet 10 to open and close one area of theopening 11, and asecond door 21 b pivotally rotatably combined with thefirst door 21 a to open and close the remaining area of theopening 11. Accordingly, only thesecond door 21 b may be rotated to open the front area of theopening 11 for storage items to be put in or taken out, thereby reducing cool air leakage when cool air escapes upon putting in or taking out the items. Also, the operating radius of thedoor unit 20 decreases as compared with the operating radius of a door unit in a conventional refrigerator, and thus theopening 11 may be entirely open when therefrigerator 1 is disposed in a low-ceiling space. - Further, the
door unit 20 includes the coolair blocking member 30 disposed across a planar surface of thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b to prevent cool air from leaking from a gap between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b while thedoor unit 20 is in closed state, thereby efficiently blocking leakage of cool air from the boundary area between thefirst door 21 a and thesecond door 21 b. - As described above, the present invention provides a refrigerator which prevents cool air from leaking from a storage compartment when a door unit closes an opening of the storage compartment.
- Also the present invention may be described as a refrigerator comprising: a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a reconfigurable folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet, having a first folding portion and a second folding portion, wherein each folding position opens and closes a section of the opening, and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and the second folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and a planar surface of the other of the first folding portion and the second folding portion and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first folding portion and the second folding portion while the reconfigurable folding door unit is closed.
- In addition, the present invention may be described as a refrigerator comprising: a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet to foldably open and close the opening in a portion-wise manner; and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a horizontal surface of a first portion of the folding door unit and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first portion of the folding door unit and a second portion of the folding door while the folding door unit is closed.
- Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims (20)
1. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and
a door unit which opens and closes the opening,
the door unit comprising:
a first door which is rotatably attached to the cabinet and opens and closes a partial area of the opening,
a second door which is rotatably attached to the first door and opens and closes the remaining area of the opening, and
a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first door and the second door and a planar surface of the other of the first door and the second door and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit is closed.
2. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and
a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable outward with respect to the first door.
3. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the first door; and
a second gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the second door.
4. The refrigerator according to claim 3 , wherein the cool air blocking member has a length corresponding to the opening along a lengthwise direction of the second hinge and is attached to the inside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door.
5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , further comprising an extension part that extends from opposite sides of one of the first gasket and the second gasket in a transverse direction of the lengthwise direction of the second hinge and prevents leakage of cool air between the first gasket and the second gasket.
6. The refrigerator according to claim 5 , further comprising a heating part disposed between the first door and the second door.
7. The refrigerator according to claim 6 , wherein the heating part comprises:
a heater formed on at least one of surfaces of the first door and the second door, the surfaces facing each other; and
a heater cover to cover the heater.
8. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the second hinge comprises:
a hinge shaft located in one of the first door and the second door;
a hinge shaft accommodating part located on the other of the first door and the second door and accommodating the hinge shaft; and
a friction member which is disposed between the hinge shaft and the hinge shaft accommodating part, has a shape of a cylinder having a cutting part cut along a lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft, and provides frictional resistance to rotation of the hinge shaft.
9. The refrigerator according to claim 8 , wherein the friction member has elasticity in a direction of a radius thereof.
10. The refrigerator according to claim 9 , further comprising a stopper to prevent the friction member from being rotated by rotation of the hinge shaft.
11. The refrigerator according to claim 10 , wherein the stopper comprises:
a protrusion formed in one of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part; and
a protrusion accommodating part formed in the other of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part and accommodating the protrusion.
12. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , further comprising a shock-absorbing member disposed between the first door and the second door to reduce impact of the second door on the first door while the second door is open.
13. The refrigerator according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first opening and closing sensor which senses whether the first door is open or closed; and
a second opening and closing sensor which senses whether the second door is open or closed.
14. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the first opening and closing sensor comprises:
a first magnet disposed in one of the cabinet and the first door; and
a first magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the cabinet and the first door to detect a magnetic field generated by the first magnet.
15. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , wherein the second opening and closing sensor comprises:
a second magnet disposed in one of the first door and the second door or one of the first door and the cool air blocking member; and
a second magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the first door and the second door or the first door and the cool air blocking member to detect magnetic field generated by the second magnet.
16. The refrigerator according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a cooling apparatus which generates cool air and distributes the cool air to the storage compartment; and
a controller which controls operation of the cooling apparatus on a basis of information sensed by the first opening and closing sensor and the second opening and closing sensor.
17. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and
a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable inward with respect to the first door.
18. The refrigerator according to claim 17 , wherein the cool air blocking member is attached to an outside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door.
19. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and
a reconfigurable folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet, having a first folding portion and a second folding portion, wherein each folding position opens and closes a section of the opening, and
a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and the second folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and a planar surface of the other of the first folding portion and the second folding portion and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first folding portion and the second folding portion while the reconfigurable folding door unit is closed.
20. A refrigerator comprising:
a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and
a folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet to foldably open and close the opening in a portion-wise manner; and
a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a horizontal surface of a first portion of the folding door unit and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first portion of the folding door unit and a second portion of the folding door while the folding door unit is closed.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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KR1020070028272A KR20080086279A (en) | 2007-03-22 | 2007-03-22 | Refrigerator |
KR10-2007-0028272 | 2007-03-22 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20080229773A1 true US20080229773A1 (en) | 2008-09-25 |
Family
ID=39773356
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US11/902,645 Abandoned US20080229773A1 (en) | 2007-03-22 | 2007-09-24 | Refrigerator |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20080229773A1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20080086279A (en) |
CN (1) | CN101270951A (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120073321A1 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2012-03-29 | Matthew William Davis | Refrigerator door mullion apparatus and system |
US20120291475A1 (en) * | 2011-05-16 | 2012-11-22 | Whirlpool Corporation | Universal and flexible cooling module set (cms) configuration and architecture |
JP2015169356A (en) * | 2014-03-06 | 2015-09-28 | ハイアールアジア株式会社 | refrigerator |
US11466922B2 (en) * | 2020-01-31 | 2022-10-11 | Perlick Corporation | Systems and methods for a refrigeration device having a lid assembly |
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KR101052784B1 (en) * | 2007-02-26 | 2011-07-29 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Refrigerator |
CN102042733B (en) * | 2009-10-13 | 2012-10-31 | 河南新飞电器有限公司 | Double-door freezer with multi-directional opening door bodies and four-door freezer with multi-directional opening door bodies |
KR101221264B1 (en) * | 2010-04-27 | 2013-01-11 | 위니아만도 주식회사 | Complexed hybrid refrigerator |
KR101221250B1 (en) * | 2010-06-10 | 2013-01-11 | 위니아만도 주식회사 | Complexed hybrid refrigerator |
CN102878765A (en) * | 2012-10-19 | 2013-01-16 | 浙江华美电器制造有限公司 | Large-scale refrigerator |
CN108826811A (en) * | 2018-06-07 | 2018-11-16 | 邵凌云 | A kind of freezer door |
KR20200008817A (en) * | 2018-07-17 | 2020-01-29 | 주식회사 위니아대우 | Folding door of refrigerator |
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2007
- 2007-03-22 KR KR1020070028272A patent/KR20080086279A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2007-09-24 US US11/902,645 patent/US20080229773A1/en not_active Abandoned
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2008
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US2241101A (en) * | 1939-04-06 | 1941-05-06 | Gen Motors Corp | Refrigerating apparatus |
US3524920A (en) * | 1968-02-16 | 1970-08-18 | Anglass Ind Inc | Circuit breaker for conductive-coated glass |
US3655939A (en) * | 1970-11-16 | 1972-04-11 | Anthony S Mfg Co | Safety device for multi-pane glass refrigerator doors |
US5374118A (en) * | 1988-07-12 | 1994-12-20 | Whirlpool Corporation | Domestic appliance panels and method of forming same |
US5411328A (en) * | 1992-11-09 | 1995-05-02 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator having a cool air leak-prevention device |
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US7121334B2 (en) * | 2001-03-26 | 2006-10-17 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Refrigerator and control method thereof |
US20050127804A1 (en) * | 2002-04-03 | 2005-06-16 | Young-Nam Kim | Door apparatus for drawer type refrigerator |
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Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120073321A1 (en) * | 2010-09-29 | 2012-03-29 | Matthew William Davis | Refrigerator door mullion apparatus and system |
US20120291475A1 (en) * | 2011-05-16 | 2012-11-22 | Whirlpool Corporation | Universal and flexible cooling module set (cms) configuration and architecture |
US10018396B2 (en) * | 2011-05-16 | 2018-07-10 | Whirlpool Corporation | Universal and flexible cooling module set (CMS) configuration and architecture |
JP2015169356A (en) * | 2014-03-06 | 2015-09-28 | ハイアールアジア株式会社 | refrigerator |
US11466922B2 (en) * | 2020-01-31 | 2022-10-11 | Perlick Corporation | Systems and methods for a refrigeration device having a lid assembly |
US11732947B2 (en) | 2020-01-31 | 2023-08-22 | Perlick Corporation | Systems and methods for a refrigeration device having a lid assembly |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR20080086279A (en) | 2008-09-25 |
CN101270951A (en) | 2008-09-24 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:LEE, JEONG-WOOK;RYU, SANG-CHUL;REEL/FRAME:019945/0239 Effective date: 20070920 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |