Refrigerator

A refrigerator including a body provided therein with a storage chamber, an uplifted part projected from a rear portion of a top of the body so that a cooling room is formed to have a space extending above the storage chamber, a machine room provided above a front portion of the top of the body and in front of the uplifted part, a cooling unit removably disposed in the cooling room, an evaporator and a cold air circulating fan provided in a cold air passage of the cooling unit, and circulating passages formed in upper and rear portions of the storage chamber, respectively, to be connected to the cold air passage of the cooling unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2003-3373, filed Jan. 17, 2003 and Korean Application No. 2003-19482, filed Mar. 28, 2003 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to refrigerators, and, more particularly, to a refrigerator that is provided in an upper portion thereof with a cooling room and a machine room.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus that maintains the freshness of various foods for a lengthy period of time by feeding cold air generated in an evaporator to a storage chamber. Recently, as users who are fond of a large-sized storage chamber increase, there is a trend toward large-sized refrigerators. These refrigerators may be exemplified by side-by-side refrigerators in which a storage chamber is divided by a partition wall into a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment on the right and left sides of the refrigerator.

A side-by-side refrigerator has a storage chamber that is divided into a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment. A freezer compartment door and a refrigerator compartment door are attached to front sides of the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment to selectively open and close them, respectively. A plurality of shelves and containers are provided in the freezer compartment, the refrigerator compartment, and the doors. An evaporator and a cold air circulating fan, that generate and supply cold air, and a cold air duct, that forms a cold air passage, are positioned in a rear portion of each of the freezer and refrigerator compartments. A plurality of cold air outlets and air inlets are formed in a front side of the cold air duct. Further, a machine room partitioned from the freezer and refrigerator compartments is formed in a rear lower portion of a refrigerator body to accommodate a condenser, a compressor, a cooling fan, etc.

However, in the conventional side-by-side refrigerator, the evaporator that generates cold air, and the air circulating fan that circulates the cold air, are not only disposed in a rear portion of each of the freezer and refrigerator compartments, but the machine room that contains the compressor and the condenser is also positioned in a rear lower portion of the body, so available inner spaces of the freezer and refrigerator compartments are reduced.

In particular, large sized refrigerators, such as the conventional side-by-side refrigerator, have a relatively great height, so a small user easily uses a lower space of the storage chamber, compared with an upper space of the storage chamber. Meanwhile, in the conventional side-by-side refrigerator, the machine room is arranged in a rear lower portion of the body, and occupies a lower space of the storage chamber, so the lower space of the storage chamber that is conveniently used is reduced.

Further, in the conventional refrigerator, mounting structures through which the evaporator, the cold air circulating fan, and passage parts are disposed in a rear portion of each of the freezer and refrigerator compartments are complicated, so the mounting efficiency of these parts is low, thus deteriorating the manufacturing efficiency of the refrigerator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which is provided with a cooling room and a machine room at altered positions, thus maximizing an available space of a storage chamber thereof.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which allows inside parts thereof to be easily attached thereto, thereby facilitating manufacture thereof, and therefore improving the manufacturing efficiency thereof.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a refrigerator, including a body provided therein with a storage chamber, an uplifted part projected from a rear portion of a top of the body so that a cooling room is formed to have a space extending above the storage chamber, a machine room provided above a front portion of the top of the body and in front of the uplifted part, a cooling unit removably disposed in the cooling room, an evaporator and a cold air circulating fan provided in a cold air passage of the cooling unit, and circulating passages formed in upper and rear portions of the storage chamber, respectively, to be connected to the cold air passage of the cooling unit.

The cooling unit may include a unit casing containing the evaporator, an inlet formed in a front lower portion of the unit casing to be connected to the circulating passage formed in an upper portion of the storage chamber, an exit formed in an rear upper portion of the unit casing, and a discharge passage vertically formed in a rear side of the unit casing to connect the exit and the circulating passage formed in the rear portion of the storage chamber, and the cold air circulating fan may be disposed in an upper portion of an interior of the unit casing.

The refrigerator may further include a metallic heat conducting plate attached to an inside surface of the unit casing around the evaporator.

The unit casing may be made of insulating material, or be made by forming resin material and attaching insulating material to a surface of the formed resin material.

The cooling unit may further include a water tray disposed under the evaporator in the unit casing, and a drain hole formed in a lower portion of the unit casing to drain water collected in the water tray.

The cooling unit may further include a fan casing attached to an upper portion of the unit casing to surround the cold air circulating fan and to support the cold air circulating fan to be rotated.

The cold air circulating fan may be a cross flow fan disposed above the evaporator along a length of the evaporator.

The cold air circulating fan may be a centrifugal fan that blows air in the unit casing toward the discharge passage.

The cold air circulating fan may be an axial flow fan that blows air in the unit casing toward the discharge passage.

The cooling unit may include a unit casing containing the evaporator, a plurality of inlets formed in front lower portions of the unit casing to be connected to the circulating passage formed in the upper portion of the storage chamber, an exit formed in a front upper portion of the unit casing, and a discharge passage vertically formed in the front side of the unit casing to connect the exit and the circulating passage formed in a rear portion of the storage chamber, and the cold air circulating fan may be disposed in an upper portion of an interior of the unit casing and near the exit.

The refrigerator may further include an upper passage member spaced apart from a top of the storage chamber to form the circulating passage in the upper portion of the storage chamber, and a rear passage member spaced apart from the rear side of the storage chamber to form the circulating passage in the rear portion of the storage chamber.

The refrigerator may further include a cooling room casing disposed inside the uplifted part to define the cooling room, the cooling room casing provided on an outer surface thereof with a plurality of reinforcing ribs to prevent deformation of the cooling room casing while insulating material fills a space between the cooling room casing and an outer casing of the body during manufacture of the body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 8, and another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 9 to 12.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, is constructed to allow a storage chamber formed in a body10to be divided by a partition wall11into a freezer compartment12and a refrigerator compartment13on the left and right sides of the refrigerator, respectively. A freezer compartment door14and a refrigerator compartment door15are attached to the front sides of the freezer compartment12and the refrigerator compartment13to selectively open and close them, respectively. A plurality of shelves16are provided in the freezer compartment12, the refrigerator compartment13, and the doors14and15.

An uplifted part20protruding upward from the body10is provided in a rear upper portion of the body10to form a cooling room21that accommodates an evaporator31and a cool air circulating fan32. The uplifted part20is formed by extending a space upward from tops of rear portions of the freezer compartment12and the refrigerator compartment13, and allows the cooling room21to be transversely formed above the rear portions of the freezer compartment12and the refrigerator compartment13, respectively.

A machine room60is formed in front of the uplifted part20and above the body10to accommodate a compressor61, a condenser62and a cooling fan63. The position of the machine room60is designed to enlarge the inner spaces of the freezer compartment12and the refrigerator compartment13by removing the machine room from the rear lower portion of the body10, that is, the position of the conventional machine room, to a position above the rear side of the top of the body10, that is, the position of the machine room of the present invention. The machine room60is defined by a machine room casing64. The machine room casing64includes a box-shaped cover member65attached to the body10and a door member66designed to selectively open and close a front side of the cover member65. The door member66is attached at both sides thereof to the cover member65to be rotated, and is provided therethrough with a plurality of vent slits66ato circulate air.

The body10of the present invention, as shown inFIGS. 4 and 5, is formed of an insulating wall that is formed by filling a space between an outer casing10aand an inner casing10bwith a foam insulating material10c. A cooling room casing22is positioned inside the outer casing10ain the uplifted part20, instead of inside the inner casing10b. The uplifted part20is formed to facilitate formation of the cooling room21in such a way that the foam insulating material10cfills a space between the cooling room casing22and the outer casing10aof the body10after the cooling room casing22, fabricated in the form of the cooling room21, is disposed. A plurality of reinforcing ribs22aare formed on an outside of the cooling room casing22to prevent deformation of the cooling room casing22while the insulating material10cis filled into the space during manufacture of the body10.

A box-shaped cooling unit30in which the evaporator31, a cold air circulating fan32, and a cold air passage33are integrated into a single body is positioned in the cooling room21, inside the uplifted part20, to generate and circulate cold air. Circulating passages51and52are formed in the upper and rear portions of the refrigerating compartment13, respectively, to be connected to the cold air passage33formed in the cooling unit30. As shown inFIG. 5, with this construction, a refrigerator may be easily manufactured by assembling a part for forming the cold air passage33inside the cooling room21, the evaporator31, and the cold air circulating fan32into a single assembly and inserting the single assembly into the cooling room21.

The cooling unit30includes a hexahedral unit casing34that is provided therein with the cooling air passage33, as shown inFIGS. 2,5and6. The evaporator31and the cold air circulating fan32are formed in the cold air passage33formed in the unit casing34. An inlet35is horizontally formed in a front lower portion of the unit casing34to be connected to the circulating passage51formed in the upper portion of the refrigerator compartment13, an exit36is horizontally formed in a rear upper portion of the unit casing34, and a discharge passage37is vertically formed in the rear side of the unit casing34to connect the exit36and the circulating passage52formed in the rear portion of the refrigerator compartment13.

The cold air circulating fan32that blows air, having passed through the evaporator31, toward the discharge passage37formed in the rear side of the unit casing34, is positioned over the evaporator31and near the exit36of the unit casing34, and is formed of a cross flow fan that extends along a length of the evaporator31. A fan casing38is formed to surround the cold air circulating fan32and to support the cold air circulating fan32to be rotated. A motor39is positioned outside the fan casing38to drive the cold air circulating fan32.

The unit casing34is formed of a plurality of insulating materials, including Styrofoam, or is manufactured by forming resin material and attaching insulating material to the formed resin material so as to insulate the cold air passage33inside the unit casing34from the refrigerator compartment13. This construction of the unit casing34is designed to prevent dew from condensing on an outer surface of the unit casing34due to a difference between the temperatures inside and outside of the cooling unit30.

A metallic heat conducting plate40, having a thin plate shape, is positioned on an inner surface of the unit casing34around the evaporator31of the cooling unit30. The heat conducting plate40is attached to the inner surface of the unit casing34to surround the evaporator31and come in contact with the evaporator31. The construction of the heat conducting plate40is designed so that a heat exchange occurs between air and the heat conducting plate40by effectively transferring cold from the evaporator31to the conducting plate40during a cooling operation, and a defrosting performance is improved by effectively transferring heat from a heater (not shown) provided in the evaporator31to an interior of the cooling unit30through the heat conducting plate40. A water tray41is disposed on the inner surface of the unit casing34, under the evaporator31, to collect water during the defrosting operation of the evaporator31. A drain hole42is formed in a bottom of the unit casing34, to be connected to a water discharge passage43, so as to discharge the water collected in the water tray41.

The circulating passages51and52, connected to the cold air passage33of the cooling unit30, and provided in the upper and rear portions of the refrigerator compartment13, as depicted inFIG. 2, are defined by an upper passage member53spaced apart from a top of the refrigerator compartment13and provided with an inlet54, and a rear passage member55spaced apart from a rear side of the refrigerator compartment13and provided with a plurality of outlets56. In this case, the upper circulating passage51, defined by the upper passage member53, directs air in the refrigerator compartment13into the cooling unit30, and the rear circulating passage52, defined by the rear passage member55, directs cold air in the cooling unit30into the refrigerator compartment13. Although structures of air passages and a cooling room21for the freezer compartment12are shown in the accompanying drawings, these are similar to those for the refrigerator compartment, so a description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 7is a view showing an example in which a cold air circulating fan45is formed of an axial flow fan in the cooling unit30of the first embodiment.FIG. 8is a view showing another example in which a cold air circulating fan46is formed of a multi-blade centrifugal fan. The other constructions and operations thereof are the same as those described above.

In a cold air circulating operation of the refrigerator, air in the refrigerator compartment13is drawn toward the evaporator31of the cooling unit30through the circulating passage51in the upper portion of the refrigerator compartment13by the operation of the cold air circulating fan32,45or46. The air becomes cold while passing through the evaporator31, is fed into the rear circulating passage52in the rear portion of the refrigerator compartment13by the operation of the cold air circulating fan32,45or46, and is dispersedly discharged to the refrigerator compartment13through the plurality of outlets56, thus effectively circulating cold air. Air circulation throughout the freezer compartment12is performed in the same manner. Although this embodiment has adopted the way in which air inside the refrigerator compartment13is drawn through the upper circulating passage51, passes through the cooling unit30and is returned to the refrigerator compartment13through the rear circulating passage52, a reverse air circulation may be performed if the construction of the inner passage of the cooling unit30is somewhat changed. That is, air in the refrigerator compartment13may be drawn through the rear circulating passage52, and be fed into the refrigerator compartment13through the upper circulating passage51.

A refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 9. This embodiment is constructed in such a way that a cooling unit equipped with a relatively large capacity evaporator is disposed in a refrigerator body identical with that of the refrigerator of the previous embodiment. In the following description, the same names and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements.

The cooling unit70, as shown inFIGS. 9 and 10, includes a box-shaped unit casing71formed of insulating materials, or formed by attaching an insulating material to a resin material. An evaporator72and a cold air circulating fan73are disposed in a cold air passage74formed in the unit casing71.

Two inlets75aand75bare formed in two lower portions of an inner side of the unit casing71to be connected to a circulating passage51formed in an upper portion of a refrigerator compartment13, an exit76is horizontally formed in an upper portion of the inner side of the unit casing71, and a discharge passage77is vertically formed in the inner side of the unit casing34to connect the exit76and a circulating passage52formed in a rear portion of the refrigerator compartment13. In this case, the discharge passage77and the two inlets75aand75bare separated from each other to prevent air flowing into the unit casing71and air flowing out of the unit casing71from being mixed.

The cold air circulating fan73of this embodiment, which blows air having passed through the evaporator72toward the exit76formed in the upper portion of the inner side of the unit casing71, is positioned over the evaporator72and near the exit76of the unit casing71, and is formed of a cross flow fan that extends along a length of the evaporator72. In this case, a fan casing78is formed to surround the cold air circulating fan73, and to support the cold air circulating fan73to be rotated. A motor79is positioned outside the fan casing78to drive the cold air circulating fan73. A metallic heat conducting plate80, having a thin plate shape, is positioned on an inner surface of the unit casing71around the evaporator72in the same manner as that of the previous embodiment. A water tray81is disposed on an inner surface of the unit casing71, under the evaporator72, to collect water during the defrosting operation of the evaporator72. A drain hole82is formed in a bottom of the unit casing71to be connected to a water discharge passage83so as to discharge water collected in the water tray81.

FIG. 11is a view showing an example in which a cold air circulating fan85is formed of an axial flow fan in the cooling unit70of this embodiment.FIG. 12is a view showing another example in which a cold air circulating fan86is formed of a multi-blade centrifugal fan. The circulation of cold air is the same as that in the previous embodiment, and a detailed description thereof is omitted.

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a refrigerator in which a cooling room is provided in a rear upper portion of a body, and a machine room is provided in a front upper portion of the refrigerator, so an inner space of a lower portion of a storage chamber, which may be easily utilized, is maximized.

In the refrigerator of the present invention, the evaporator, the cold air circulating fan, and the passage parts are integrated into the cooling unit, so inner parts for the cooling room may be easily disposed in the cooling room, thus facilitating the manufacture of the refrigerator and, consequently, improving the manufacturing efficiency.

In addition, cold air in the refrigerator is dispersedly discharged to the storage chamber through a plurality of outlets formed in the rear portion of the storage chamber, so the circulating efficiency of cold air is improved and, accordingly, the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator is improved.