Refrigerator

A refrigerator having a mounting structure capable of easily and conveniently achieving the mounting process for elements to be installed in an inner case. The refrigerator includes a first body including an inner case, an outer case, and a urethane foam filled between the inner case and the outer case, a coupling hole formed through the inner case, a mounting member coupled to the coupling hole at a first outside of the inner case by a first end of the mounting member and provided with a fastening hole, the mounting member being fixed between the inner case and the outer case by the urethane foam when the urethane foam is filled, and a fastening member fastened to the fastening hole at a first inside of the inner case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-8508 filed on Jan. 26, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and, more particularly, to a refrigerator with an improved mounting structure for elements installed in an inner case.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, refrigerators are provided with a storage chamber which is cooled by cold air generated through an evaporator included in a refrigeration cycle, in order to store articles in a refrigerated or frozen state for a lengthy period of time.

The body of such a refrigerator includes an inner case defining a storage chamber as mentioned above in the interior of the inner case, an outer case forming an outer wall of the body, and an insulating layer formed between the inner case and the outer case to thermally insulate the storage chamber. The insulating layer is made of a urethane foam filled between the inner case and the outer case.

Typically, the storage chamber is partitioned into a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment. In the freezing compartment, the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle as mentioned above, an ice maker for making ice, etc. are installed. In the refrigerating compartment, a plurality of drawers and racks may be installed.

In order to mount such elements installed in the storage chamber, coupling holes are formed through the inner case. Also, mounting members are coupled to the coupling holes in such a manner that one end of each mounting member is inserted into an associated one of the coupling holes at the outside of the inner case. In this state, each mounting member is fixed between the inner case and the outer case by the urethane foam filled between the inner case and the outer case. Each mounting member is provided with a fastening hole formed through one end of the mounting hole.

When the urethane foam is filled between the inner case and the outer case in a state in which each mounting member has been coupled to the inner case, the mounting member is firmly fixed between the inner case and the outer case such that the inlet of the fastening hole of the mounting member is directed to the interior of the inner case. In this state, the above-mentioned elements can be mounted to the inner case by fastening members which are fastened to the fastening holes of the mounting members at the inside of the inner case.

In such a conventional refrigerator element mounting structure, however, there is a problem in that the urethane foam may leak into the interior of the inner case through the coupling holes in the process for filling the space between the inner case and the outer case with the urethane foam.

To this end, a new method has recently been proposed. In accordance with this method, a cover is provided at the outer surface of each mounting member to cover the coupling hole at the outside of the inner case. In the process for coupling the mounting member to the coupling hole, the cover is bonded to the outer surface of the inner case around the coupling hole by an adhesive such as a hot-melt. In this case, however, there is another problem in that the process for coupling the mounting member to the coupling hole becomes long and complex due to the addition of the hot-melt bonding process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an aspect of the invention is to provide a refrigerator having a mounting structure capable of easily and conveniently achieving the mounting process for elements to be installed in an inner case.

In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a refrigerator comprising a body including an inner case, an outer case, and a urethane foam filled between the inner case and the outer case, a coupling hole formed through the inner case, a mounting member coupled to the coupling hole at the outside of the inner case by one end of the mounting member and provided with a fastening hole, the mounting member being fixed between the inner case and the outer case by the urethane foam when the urethane foam is filled, and a fastening member fastened to the fastening hole at the inside of the inner case in a state of being coupled to an element to be installed in the interior of the inner case, to mount the element to the inner case, wherein: the mounting member comprises a cover for covering the coupling hole at the outside of the inner case; the mounting member is threadedly coupled to the coupling hole; the cover is pressed and deformed in accordance with the thread-coupling of the mounting member to the coupling hole such that the cover comes into close contact with an outer surface of the inner case around the coupling hole.

The mounting member may comprise a body including a front body and a rear body, the front body being coupled to the coupling hole. The cover may be formed on an outer peripheral surface of the body of the mounting member between the front body and the rear body such that the cover extends radially while being rearwardly convex. The mounting member may further comprise a plurality of spiral protrusions formed on an outer peripheral surface of the front body while being spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction of the front body.

The coupling hole may comprise a first hole portion forming a central portion of the coupling hole, the first hole portion having a shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the front body portion, to receive the front body portion, and a plurality of second hole portions formed around the first hole portion, each second hole portion having a shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of each spiral protrusion, to receive the spiral protrusion.

The refrigerator may further comprise a first rotation stopper formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front body portion behind the spiral protrusions, and a second rotation stopper formed on the outer surface of the inner case around the coupling hole such that the first and second rotation stoppers engage with each other to prevent the mounting member from rotating a predetermined angle or more.

The mounting member may be made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin. The cover may have a thin structure to have flexibility.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a refrigerator provided with a storage chamber is provided. The storage chamber of the refrigerator is cooled by cold air generated through an evaporator included in a refrigeration cycle, in order to store articles in a refrigerated or frozen state for a lengthy period of time.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerator includes a body10. The body10includes an inner case11defining a storage chamber10ain the interior of the inner case11, an outer case12forming an outer wall of the body10, and an insulating layer13formed between the inner case11and the outer case12to thermally insulate the storage chamber10a. The insulating layer13is made of a urethane foam filled between the inner case11and the outer case12.

As in general cases, the storage chamber10ais partitioned into a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment. In the freezing compartment, the evaporator (not shown) of the refrigeration cycle as described above, an ice maker (not shown) for making ice, etc. are installed. In the refrigerating compartment, a plurality of drawers (not shown) and racks (not shown) may be installed.

In order to mount such elements installed in the storage chamber10a, the inner case11includes a mounting structure as follows.

That is, coupling holes11aare formed through the inner case11. Also, mounting members20provided with fastening holes30aare coupled to the coupling holes30aat the outside of the inner case11. One end of each mounting member20is inserted into one of the coupling holes11aat the outside of the inner case11. In this state, each mounting member20is fixed between the inner case11and the outer case12by the urethane foam13afilled between the inner case11and the outer case12. A fastening member60is fastened to the fastening hole30aat the inside of the inner case11, in order to mount the associated element to the inner case11.

Reference numeral70designates a coupling portion of one of the elements to be installed in the inner case11. A coupling hole71is formed through the coupling portion70, to allow the fastening member60to extend through the associated element.

When the urethane foam13ais filled between the inner case11and the outer case12in a state in which each mounting member20has been coupled to the inner case11, the mounting member20is firmly fixed between the inner case11and the outer case12such that the inlet of the fastening hole30aof the mounting member20is directed to the interior of the inner case11. In this state, the above-described elements can be mounted to the inner case11by the fastening members60which are fastened to the fastening holes20aof the mounting members20at the inside of the inner case11.

Meanwhile, each mounting member20is provided with a cover40to cover the coupling hole11aat the outside of the inner case11. The cover40functions to prevent the urethane foam13afrom leaking into the interior of the inner case11between the mounting member20and the coupling hole11aduring the process for filling the urethane foam13abetween the inner case11and the outer case12. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting member20is threadedly coupled to the coupling hole11a. As the mounting member20is threadedly fastened to the coupling hole11a, the cover40is deformed while being pressed against the outer surface of the inner case11around the coupling hole11a. Thus, the cover40comes into close contact with the outer surface of the inner case11.

In the refrigerator according to the illustrated embodiment, accordingly, it is possible to effectively prevent the urethane foam13afrom leaking into the interior of the inner case11between the mounting member20and the coupling hole11aduring the process for filling the urethane foam13abetween the inner case11and the outer case12, without additionally using an adhesive or the like to bring the cover40into contact with the outer surface of the inner case11around the coupling hole11a. This is because the mounting member20is coupled to the inner case11through a simple thread-fastening structure, and the cover40covers the coupling hole11awhile naturally coming into close contact with the outer surface of the inner case11in the above-described coupling procedure of the mounting member20.

In detail, the mounting member20includes a cylindrical body30. The fastening hole30a, which will receive a fastening member60to fasten the mounting member20, is formed in the body30such that the fastening hole30aextends rearwardly from a front end of the body30to a certain depth.

The body30includes a front body portion31forming the front end of the body30. The front body31is coupled to the coupling hole11a. The body30also includes a rear body portion32. A pair of wings50are formed at opposite sides of the rear body portion32, in order to enable the user to easily rotate the mounting member20while grasping the mounting member20. The cover40extends radially around the outer peripheral surface of the body30between the front body portion31and the rear body portion32.

The cover40is thin, and is convex toward the rear side of the body30. In order to enable the cover40, which has the thin structure as described above, to be flexible, it is preferred that the overall portion of the mounting member20be made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin.

When the mounting member20is made of ABS resin, as described above, it is unnecessary to separately form threads on the inner peripheral surface of the fastening hole30afor coupling the fastening member60. This is because, although the fastening hole30ahas no separate thread, threads will be naturally formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fastening hole30aby the fastening member60, which is made of metal, in the fastening procedure of the fastening member60to the fastening hole30a.

In order to enable the mounting member20to be threadedly coupled to the coupling hole11a, a plurality of spiral protrusions31aare formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front body portion31such that the spiral protrusions31aare spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction. In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of spiral protrusions30aare formed on the front body portion31.

Each spiral protrusion31aextends to a certain length in the circumferential direction of the front body31while being uniformly inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the front body31. Thus, each spiral protrusion31ahas one end forwardly arranged in a longitudinal direction of the front body portion31, and the other end rearwardly arranged in the longitudinal direction of the front body portion31.

The coupling hole11aincludes a first hole portion11bforming a central portion of the coupling hole11a. The first hole portion11bhas a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the front body portion31, in order to receive the front body portion31. The coupling hole11aalso includes a pair of second hole portions11cformed around the first hole portion11b. Each second hole portion11chas a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of each spiral protrusion31a, in order to receive the spiral protrusion31a. In this case, the portions of the inner case11each arranged around the coupling hole11abetween the second hole portions11cform engagement portions11dwhich engage with the spiral protrusions31aof the front body portion31when the spiral protrusions31arotate after being inserted into the second hole portions11c, thereby preventing the front body portion31from being separated from the coupling hole11atoward the outside of the inner case11.

The distance between each spiral protrusion31aand the cover40should be determined, taking into consideration the thickness of the inner case11, in order to cause the cover40to come into close contact with the outer surface of the inner case11in a pressed state when the front body portion21is threadedly coupled to the coupling hole11a.

When the front body portion31of the mounting member20is inserted into the coupling hole11asuch that the spiral protrusions31aare inserted into respective second hole portions11cof the coupling hole11a, and then the mounting member20rotates such that the rear end of each spiral protrusion31aengages with the inner surface of the associated engagement portion11d, the mounting member20is firmly coupled to the coupling hole11awhile forwardly moving toward the interior of the inner case11. Accordingly, the cover40comes into close contact with the outer surface of the inner case11.

If the mounting member20further rotates from the state in which the rear end of each spiral protrusion31aengages with the associated engagement portion11d, there is a possibility that the spiral protrusion31amoves to a position corresponding to one of the second hole portions11cof the coupling hole11a, so that the spiral protrusion31amay be separated from the coupling hole11athrough the second hole portion11ctoward the outside of the inner case11.

To this end, in order to prevent the mounting member20from rotating a predetermined angle or more, a first rotation stopper31bis formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front body portion21behind each spiral protrusion31a, and a second rotation stopper11ecorresponding to the first rotation stopper31bis formed on the outer surface of the inner case11around the coupling hole11asuch that the first rotation stopper31band second rotation stopper11eengage with each other when the mounting member20rotates the predetermined angle. Although two first rotation stoppers31band two second rotation stoppers11eare provided in the illustrated case, only one first rotation stopper31band only one second rotation stopper11emay be provided. Of course, a plurality of first and second rotation stoppers31band11emay be provided.

In the illustrated embodiment, when the mounting member20rotates in the spiral direction of the spiral protrusions31ain a state in which the spiral protrusions31ahave been inserted into the second hole portions11c, the rear end of each spiral protrusion31acomes into contact with one of the engagement portions11d, so that they engages with each other. When the rotation angle of the mounting member20reaches about 90°, the first and second rotation stoppers31band11eengage with each other. As a result, the mounting member20cannot further rotate.

Hereinafter, the procedure for mounting an element to be installed in the interior of the inner case11in the refrigerator according to the present invention will be described.

In order to mount the element to the inner case11, the mounting member20is coupled to the coupling hole11abefore the urethane foam13ais filled between the inner case11and the outer case12, as shown inFIGS. 3 to 6.

In the coupling process, the front body portion31of the mounting member20is first inserted into the coupling hole11asuch that each spiral protrusion31ais inserted into an associated one of the second hole portions11c, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. In the inserted state, the peripheral edge of the cover40is positioned close to the outer surface of the inner case11, and the front end of each spiral protrusion31ais positioned in the interior of the inner case11.

When the mounting member20rotates about 90° in the spiral direction of the spiral protrusions31afrom the above-described state, the rear end of each spiral protrusion31acomes into contact with the inner surface of the associated engagement portion11d, and the mounting member20moves forwardly, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6. As a result, the cover40comes into close contact with the outer surface of the inner case11around the coupling hole11awhile being pressed and deformed.

When the rotation angle of the mounting member20reaches about 90°, the first and second rotation stoppers31band11eengage with each other. As a result, the mounting member20cannot further rotate. Accordingly, there is no possibility that each spiral protrusion31ais separated from the coupling hole11athrough the second hole portion11e. Also, the operator can easily recognize the completion of the fastening of the mounting member20.

After the coupling of the mounting member20to the coupling hole11ais completed, the urethane foam13ais filled between the inner case11and the outer case12. As a result, the mounting member20is firmly fixed between the inner case11and the outer case12by the urethane foam13a. In this case, the urethane foam13ais prevented from leaking into the interior of the inner case11through the coupling hole11abecause the cover40has been pressed and deformed to come into close contact with the outer surface of the inner case11, and thus to completely cover the coupling hole11a.

In the state in which the coupling of the mounting member20has been completed, as described above, the element to be installed in the interior of the inner case11can be mounted to the inner case11by the fastening member60which is fastened to the fastening hole30aafter extending through the coupling hole71of the coupling portion70of the element.

As apparent from the above description, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, the coupling hole formed through the inner case is naturally sealed in the process for threadedly coupling the mounting member to the inner case. Accordingly, the refrigerator of the present invention has effects capable of easily achieving the coupling process for the mounting member, and reliably sealing the coupling hole by the cover without additionally using an adhesive. Thus, it is possible to easily and conveniently achieve the mounting process for elements to be installed in an inner case.