Patent Publication Number: US-6990828-B2

Title: Refrigerator

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 2002-50352, filed Aug. 24, 2002 and 2002-77760, filed Dec. 9, 2002 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 improved in a rotatable structure of a storage compartment. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Generally, a refrigerator comprises a cabinet forming a storage compartment such as a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment, a cool air generator provided inside the cabinet and generating cool air, and a door opening and closing the storage compartment. 
   The cool air generator uses mainly a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, an evaporator, etc., and a thermoelectric semiconductor element so as to generate the cool air. 
   The refrigeration cycle comprises the compressor compressing a gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, a condenser condensing the compressed gaseous refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant, a capillary tube converting the liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant, and the evaporator evaporating the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid refrigerant so as to absorb latent heat of vaporization from a circumference of the evaporator, thereby generating the cool air. 
   The thermoelectric semiconductor element uses a thermoelectric phenomenon that generates and absorbs heat besides Joule heat according to a current direction when an electric current flows in a contact surface of a semiconductor material and a metal material. In the thermoelectric semiconductor element, an exothermic amount or an endothermic amount is adjustable according to a current intensity, and an exothermic direction and an endothermic direction are changeable according to a direction of a current flow. Further the thermoelectric semiconductor element has no mechanical parts so that the thermoelectric semiconductor element occupies a small space and operates without noise. 
   The thermoelectric semiconductor element is used in a refrigerator for a vehicle and in a refrigerator to store cosmetics, etc., as well as in a refrigerator to store food. 
   However, in a conventional refrigerator, the door opening and closing the storage compartment is provided in a predetermined direction, so that the refrigerator is inconvenient to use by a user situated in another direction. 
   Further, the conventional refrigerator is seated in a predetermined space such as a kitchen, the vehicle, etc., so that to carry the refrigerator is difficult. 
   Further, an upper surface of the conventional refrigerator is not effectively used. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator which can be used in all directions. 
   It is another aspect to provide a refrigerator which can be easily carried and be used as a table. 
   Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious form the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
   The above and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a refrigerator comprising a cool air generating part supplying cool air to storage compartments of upper and lower cabinets; the upper and lower cabinets being adjacent to each other and each having at least one storage compartment; and a shaft rotatably supporting the upper and lower cabinets, respectively. 
   The refrigerator further comprises a table member provided on an upper part of the upper cabinet. 
   The table member may be rotatable relative to the upper cabinet. 
   The table member may be rotatably combined to the shaft. 
   The refrigerator may further comprise a base member disposed under the lower cabinet and supporting the shaft. 
   The cool air generating part may be provided inside the base member, and the shaft may include a cool air supplying passage extended to the storage compartment of each of the cabinets, communicating with the cool air generating part, and supplying the cool air generated by the cool air generating part to the storage compartment, and a storage air exhausting passage exhausting air in the storage compartment of each of the cabinets to the cool air generating part. 
   The shaft may include a first pipe, and a second pipe coaxially provided around the first pipe and spaced from each other, and one of the cool air supplying passages and the storage air exhausting passages corresponding to the upper and lower cabinets, respectively, is formed inside of the first pipe, and a remaining one of the cool air supplying passages and the storage air exhausting passages is formed between the first pipe and the second pipe. 
   The shaft may include a cool air supplying outlet formed through the first pipe and the second pipe to communicate with each storage compartment and supplying the cool air into each storage compartment; and a storage air exhausting outlet formed on a side of the second pipe. 
   The upper cabinet may be provided with a viewing window on an upper surface thereof so as to show an inside of the storage compartment; and the table member may be configured such that an inside of the upper cabinet is viewable through the viewing window. 
   The refrigerator may further comprise a plurality of wheels supporting the base member. 
   The refrigerator may further comprise at least one middle cabinet provided between the upper and lower cabinets. 
   The cool air generating part may include a thermoelectric semiconductor element provided in at least one of the cabinets. 
   According to another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing] The above and/or other aspects may be achieved by providing a refrigerator comprising a cool air generating part supplying cool air to a storage compartment; a cabinet forming the storage compartment; a shaft rotatably supporting the cabinet; a table member provided in an upper surface of the cabinet; and a plurality of wheels supporting the cabinet. 
   The refrigerator may further comprise a base member provided between the cabinet and the wheels. 
   The table member may be rotatable relative to the cabinet. 
   The cool air generating part may be provided inside the base member, and the shaft may include a cool air supplying passage and may extend to the storage compartment of the cabinet, communicating with the cool air generating part, and supplying the cool air generated by the cool air generating part to the storage compartment, and a storage air exhausting passage may exhaust air in the storage compartment to the cool air generating part. 
   The cabinet may be provided with a viewing window on an upper surface thereof so as to show an inside of the storage compartment; and the table member may be configured such that an inside of the cabinet is viewable through the viewing window. 
   The cool air generating part may include a thermoelectric semiconductor element provided inside the cabinet. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerator of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a shaft in the refrigerator of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the refrigerator, taken along line IV—IV of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   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 embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , a refrigerator  1  according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises an upper cabinet  10  and a lower cabinet  20  which are stacked and form a storage compartment  11 , such as a freezer compartment, and a refrigerator compartment to store articles of food, cosmetics, etc., a shaft  50  rotatably supporting the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20 , a table member  40  provided on an upper surface of the upper cabinet  10 , a base member  30  provided under the lower cabinet  20 , and a cool air generating part  60  provided inside the base member  30  and supplying cool air to the storage compartment  11 . 
   The upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  are in a shape of a cylinder and are provided with doors  12  on a side thereof to rotatably open and close the storage compartment  11 . Upper and lower surfaces of both the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  are formed with shaft holes  14  to allow the shaft  50  to pass at a center thereof, respectively. Further, the upper surface of the upper cabinet  10  is provided with a viewing window  16  to show an inside of the storage compartment  11  of the upper cabinet  10 . 
   Each of the shaft holes  14  is combined with a bearing  58  and a bushing  59 , to smoothly rotate on the shaft  50 . 
   The shaft  50  is accommodated in the shaft holes  14  of the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  so as to rotatably support the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20 , and has an upper end rotatably combined to the table member  40  and a lower end combined to the base member  30 . 
   Further, the shaft  50  communicates with the cool air generating part  60  provided inside the base member  30 , and includes a first pipe  51  having a cylindrical shape and extending toward the storage compartments  11  of the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20 , and a second pipe  55  coaxially provided around the first pipe  51  and spaced apart from each other. Further, the shaft  50  includes a cool air supplying passage  52  through which the cool air generated from the cool air generating part  60  is supplied to each storage compartment  11 , and a storage air exhausting passage  56  through which the air of each storage compartment  11  is drawn into the cool air generating part  60 . 
   The cool air supplying passage  52  is formed inside the first pipe  51 , and the storage air exhausting passage  56  is formed between the first pipe  51  and the second pipe  55 . Further, a plurality of cool air supplying outlets  53  is formed through the first pipe  51  into each storage compartment  11  through the second pipe  55  so as to supply the cool air from the cool air generating part  60  to each storage compartment  11  via the cool air supplying passage  52 . Further, a plurality of storage air exhausting outlets  57  is formed on a side of the second pipe  55  so as to draw the air of each storage compartment  11  in the cool air generator  60  via the storage air exhausting passage  56 . 
   Thus, the cool air is supplied by a cooling fan  61  of the cool air generating part  60  to each of the storage compartments  11  through the cool air supplying passage  52  and the plurality of storage air exhausting outlets  53 . The cool air supplied by the cooling fan  61  allows the articles stored in each of the storage compartments  11  to be cool, and the cool air is returned to the cool air generating part  60  through the plurality of storage air exhausting outlets  57  and the storage air exhausting passage  56 . 
   The table member  40  is in a disk-like shape, is larger than the upper surface of the upper cabinet  10 , and is formed with a shaft combining part  41  at a bottom center of the shaft combining part  41  to be rotatably combined with an upper end of the shaft  50 . The table member  40  is rotatably combined by the shaft combining part  41  with the upper end of the shaft  50  protruding through the upper surface of the upper cabinet  10 . Further, the table member  40  is transparent, thereby allowing the articles stored in the storage compartment  11  of the upper cabinet  10  viewed through the viewing window  16  provided on the upper surface of the upper cabinet  10 . 
   The base member  30  is in a cylinder-like shape corresponding to the shape of the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20 , and is provided under the lower cabinet  20 , with an upper surface thereof being combined with a lower end of the shaft  50 . The base member  30  supports the shaft  50  to rotatably support the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  and the table member  40 . The base member  30  accommodates the cool air generating part  60  therein to supply the cool air to the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20 . Further, in a bottom of the base member  30  is provided a plurality of wheels  31 , thereby facilitating a movement of the refrigerator  1 . 
   The cool air generating part  60  is provided inside the base member  30 , and includes a compressor  65 , an evaporator  63 , etc., forming a refrigeration cycle. The cool air is generated by the refrigeration cycle, and is supplied by the cooling fan  61  to the storage compartments  11  of the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  through the first pipe  51  and the cool air supplying passage  52  of the shaft  50  (refer to FIG.  3 ). Further, the cool air generating part  60  includes a cool air guiding part  69  extending from a lower end of the first pipe  51  toward the cooling fan  61 , thereby allowing the cooling fan  61  to effectively blow the cool air around the evaporator  63  into the first pipe  51 . Further, the cool air generating part  60  includes a heat-insulating member  67  surrounding the evaporator  63  of the cooling air generating part  60 , thereby preventing heat exchange between an outside and the cool air generated in the evaporator  63  and drawn from each of the storage compartments  11 . 
   With this configuration, the refrigerator  1  according to the first embodiment of the present invention is assembled as follows. First, the shaft  50  including the first and second pipes  51  and  55  is combined by screws (not shown) to the upper surface of the base member  30  provided with the cool air generating part  60  and the wheels  31 . Further, the base member  30  and the shaft  50  may be formed as a single body, or may be combined by adhesives. Then, the shaft holes  14  of the lower and upper cabinets  20  and  10  are combined with both the bearing  58  and the bushing  59 , as first and second assemblies, respectively, and the first and second assemblies, in order, are put on the shaft  50 . Further, the shaft combining part  41  of the table member  40  is rotatably combined with the upper end of the shaft  50  protruding through the upper surface of the upper cabinet  10 , so that the table member  40  is rotatable on the shaft  50 . Hereby, the refrigerator  1  according to the first embodiment of the present invention is completely assembled. 
   Thus, the refrigerator  1  is easily carried by the wheels  31  provided at the bottom of the base member  30 , easily shows the articles stored in the storage compartments  11  of the upper cabinet  20  through the transparent table member  40  and the viewing window  16  of the upper cabinet  10 , is easily used in all directions because the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  forming the storage compartments  11  are rotatable, and is easily used as a table by using the table member  40  rotatably provided on the upper surface of the upper cabinet  10 . 
     FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown therein, differently from the first embodiment, a refrigerator  1   a  according to the second embodiment comprises a middle cabinet  80  between the first and second cabinets  10  and  20 . 
   The middle cabinet  80  has the same configuration as the lower cabinet  20 , and may be a set of middle cabinets. 
   With this configuration, the refrigerator  1   a  according to the second embodiment includes all the aspects of the first embodiment of the present invention and, furthermore, has an increased storage capacity. 
     FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown therein, differently from the above-described first and second embodiments, a refrigerator  1   b  according to the third embodiment comprises a cool air generating part  60   a  provided inside the base member  30  and including a thermoelectric semiconductor element  70 . 
   The cool air generating part  60   a  includes a cold sink  71  disposed over the thermoelectric semiconductor element  70 , and a heat sink  73  disposed under the thermoelectric semiconductor element  70 . Above the cold sink  71  is provided a first cooling fan  72  to blow the cool air cooled by the cold sink  71  into the first pipe  51 . Below the heat sink  73  are provided a second cooling fan  74  to blow the air from around the heat sink  73  to an outside of the refrigerator  1   b  so as to cool the heat sink  73 , and a plurality of through holes  75  formed on a bottom of the base member  30  under the second cooling fan  74  so as to circulate air therethrough. 
   With this configuration, the refrigerator  1   b  according to the third embodiment includes the aspects of the first embodiment of the present invention and furthermore, is simpler than the first embodiment of the present invention in a structure thereof. Further, the refrigerator  1   b  according to the third embodiment operates without noise. 
     FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 7 , differently from the above-described first, second and third embodiments, a refrigerator  1   c  comprises the base member  30  without the cool air generating part  60  or  60   a,  and the shaft  50  without the cool air supplying passage  52 , the storage air exhausting passage  55 , the cool air supplying outlet  53 , and the storage air exhausting outlet  57 . Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, first and second cool air generating parts  60   b,  respectively, supplying the cool air to each of the storage compartments  11  are provided inside the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20 , respectively. Further, the shaft  50  is employed only to rotatably support the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20 . 
   Further, the first and second cool air generating parts  60   b  include a thermoelectric semiconductor element  70   a,  a cold sink  71   a  disposed in an inside toward the storage compartments relative to the thermoelectric semiconductor element  70   a,  and a heat sink  73   a  disposed in an outside away from the storage compartments  11  relative to the thermoelectric semiconductor element  70   a.  Inside of the cold sink  71   a  toward the storage compartments  11  is provided a first cooling fan  72   a  to blow cool air cooled by the cold sink  71   a  into the storage compartment  11 . Outside of the heat sink  73   a  away from the storage compartments  11  is provided a second cooling fan  74   a  to blow air around the heat sink  73   a  to an outside of each of the cabinets  10  and  20  so as to cool the heat sink  73   a.  Further, inside of the first cooling fan  72   a  toward the storage compartments  11  is provided a partition wall  68  for each of the storage compartments  11  partitioning the corresponding storage compartment  11  from the cool air generating part  60   b.  The partition wall  68  corresponding to each of the cabinets is formed with an cool air supplying outlet  53   a  through which the cool air is supplied to the corresponding storage compartments  11  by the first cooling fan  72   a,  and an storage air exhausting outlet  57   a  through which the air in the corresponding storage compartments  11  is drawn into the cool air generating part  60   b.  Further, a side wall of each of the cabinets  10  and  20  disposed outside the second cooling fan  74   a  is formed with a plurality of through holes  75   a  through which the air is circulated. Further, the cool air generating part  60   b  provided inside each of the cabinets  10  and  20  is individually operable, and is individually controllable in a temperature thereof. Therefore, the upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  can be selectively operated, as necessary, and are controllable in temperatures thereof, which may differ from each other. 
   With this configuration, the refrigerator  1   c  according to the fourth embodiment is simpler than the above-described first, second and third embodiments in structure. Further, in the refrigerator  1   c  according to the fourth embodiment, the storage compartments  11  are individually operable, and are individually controllable in temperature thereof. 
   The table member  40  is illustrated as combined to the upper end of the shaft  50  protruding through the upper surface of the upper cabinet  10 . However, the table member may be incorporated with the upper surface of the upper cabinet, or the upper surface of the upper cabinet may be the table member. 
   The upper and lower cabinets  10  and  20  are illustrated as being shaped like a cylinder. However, the upper and lower cabinets may have a polygonal or other shape. 
   As described above, a refrigerator is provided which is usable in all directions by a rotatable structure, is easily carried by wheels, and is used as a table by a table member provided in an upper part of an upper cabinet. 
   Although a few 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 embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.