Patent Publication Number: US-10317128-B2

Title: Refrigerator

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/441,801, filed on Jan. 3, 2017 in the United States Patent &amp; Trademark Office, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0079716, filed on Jun. 23, 2017 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a hinge member of a door of a refrigerator. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A refrigerator is a home appliance configured to freshly store foods by providing a main body having a storage compartment, a cold air supply device configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment, and a door provided to open and close the storage compartment. 
     A plurality of storage compartments which are divided from each other in a vertical direction may be provided at the main body, and a plurality of doors may be provided to open and close the storage compartments, respectively. Generally, in a bottom mounted freezer (BMF) type or a French door type refrigerator (FDR) in which a refrigerating compartment is formed at an upper portion and a freezing compartment is formed at a lower portion, a door of the refrigerating compartment is rotatably provided by an upper hinge member and an intermediate hinge member, and a door of the freezing compartments slidably provided in a form of a drawer by a sliding device. 
     The intermediate hinge member is coupled to a lower portion of the door of the refrigerating compartment to support a weight of the refrigerator, and includes a hinge pin forming a rotational axis of the door of the refrigerating compartment. The intermediate hinge member includes a main body coupler provided substantially parallel to a front surface of the main body to be coupled thereto, and a door supporter protruding perpendicular to the main body coupler to support the door. The hinge pin may be provided to protrude upward from the door supporter, and may be inserted into a hinge recess formed at a lower portion of the door of the refrigerating compartment. 
     A predetermined gap may be formed between the intermediate hinge member and the door of the freezing compartment. This is to prevent interference between the intermediate hinge member and the door of the freezing compartment due to sagging phenomena of the door of the refrigerating compartment and the intermediate hinge member, and to improve an overall exterior appearance of the refrigerator. 
     However, when a portion of the freezing compartment protrudes toward the intermediate hinge member, the gap between the intermediate hinge member and the door of the freezing compartment becomes relatively narrow at the protruding portion. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is one objective of the present disclosure to provide an intermediate hinge having an improved shape in which a gap between a bottom surface of the intermediate hinge and an upper surface of the door is kept constant in an entire area of the bottom surface of the intermediate hinge when a height of the upper surface of the door disposed below the intermediate hinge is not constant and there is a protruding portion, and a refrigerator having the intermediate hinge. 
     Further, it is another objective of the present disclosure to provide a door having an improved shape which minimizes exposure of a hinge assembly configured to support the door of a refrigerator, and a refrigerator having the door. 
     Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. 
     According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a refrigerator including a main body having a storage compartment; a first door rotatably provided to open and close the storage compartment; a hinge member coupled to a lower portion of the first door and configured to support the first door to allow the first door to be rotatable; a second door provided below the hinge member, wherein the second door includes a door body and a door trim protruding from the door body toward the hinge member, the hinge member includes a main body coupler provided to be coupled to the main body and a door supporter extending from the main body coupler in a direction intersecting therewith, and a bottom surface of the door supporter includes a base surface and a recessed surface recessed from the base surface to compensate for a height difference between an upper surface of the door trim and an upper surface of the door body. 
     The bottom surface of the door supporter may include a connecting surface configured to connect the base surface to the recessed surface and formed in a vertical direction. 
     The connecting surface may extend in a front-rear direction of the refrigerator. 
     A height difference between the base surface and the recessed surface may be equal to the height difference between the upper surface of the door trim and the upper surface of the door body. 
     The height difference between the base surface and the recessed surface may be less than half a thickness of the door supporter. 
     The recessed surface may be disposed further than the base surface at a side opposite to a central portion of the refrigerator. 
     Each of the base surface and the recessed surface may be formed to be flat. 
     Each of the base surface and the recessed surface may be formed to be parallel to an upper surface of the door supporter. 
     The main body coupler and the door supporter may be integrally formed of metal materials. 
     The door body may include an upper cap having a handle recess, and the door trim may be coupled to an upper portion of the upper cap. 
     The door trim may include a gripper configured to allow a user to hold and open the second door, and the gripper may be inserted into the handle recess. 
     The door trim may extend from a left end to a right end of the second door. 
     The door body may include an upper plate having a display installation recess therein at which a display is installed, and the door trim may be coupled to an upper portion of the upper plate. 
     According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a refrigerator including a main body having a storage compartment; a door rotatably provided to open and close the storage compartment; and a hinge assembly coupled to a lower portion of the door and configured to support the door to allow the door to be rotatable, wherein the door includes a lower cap, the lower cap includes a bottom portion configured to form a bottom surface of the door, and a hinge installation portion provided to allow the hinge assembly to be coupled, and the hinge installation portion is formed to be recessed from the bottom portion so as to prevent exposure of at least a portion of the hinge assembly. 
     The hinge assembly may include a hinge member having a hinge pin configured to form a rotational axis of the door and coupled to the main body, and a hinge bracket having a through-hole through which the hinge pin passes and coupled to a lower portion of the door, and the hinge installation portion may include a base stepped portion, and a hinge bracket installation portion formed to be recessed from the base stepped portion to allow the hinge bracket to be installed. 
     The hinge assembly may include an elastic member provided to apply a force to the door in a direction in which the door is closed, and the hinge installation portion may include an elastic member installation portion formed to be recessed from the base stepped portion to allow the elastic member to be installed. 
     At least a portion of the hinge assembly may not be exposed when the refrigerator is viewed from the front thereof. 
     At least a portion of the bottom portion may be disposed at a front side of the hinge installation portion. 
     Each of the hinge member and the hinge bracket may be formed of a metal material, and the hinge assembly may include a grommet member made of a resin material and provided between the hinge member and the hinge bracket to prevent rubbing therebetween. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an exterior appearance of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an intermediate hinge assembly of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a structure in which the intermediate hinge assembly of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is coupled to a bottom surface of an upper door; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the upper door of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view illustrating a state in which a hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is installed at a main body (the upper door is not shown); 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a vicinity of the intermediate hinge assembly of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an intermediate door of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of the intermediate door of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I in  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II in  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a bottom surface of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 13  is a front view of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 15  is a side view of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments described herein and configurations shown in the accompanying drawings are merely preferred examples of the present disclosure and do not represent all technical spirits of the present disclosure, and thus it should be understood that various equivalents or modified examples which may replace the embodiments and the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure fall within the appended claims at the time at which the present application is filed. 
     Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an exterior appearance of a refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 2  is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a refrigerator  1  may include a main body  10  having storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19 ; doors  20 ,  30 ,  40 , and  60  provided at a front side of the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19 , respectively, and configured to open and close the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19 ; and a cold air supply device configured to supply cold air to the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19 . 
     The cold air supply device may include an evaporator  2 , a compressor  3 , a condenser (not shown), an expansion device (not shown), and a blowing fan, and may generate cold air using evaporative latent heat of a refrigerant. 
     The main body  10  may include an inner case  11  configured to form the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19 ; an outer case  12  coupled to the outside of the inner case  11  and configured to form an exterior appearance of the refrigerator  1 ; and an insulation  13  provided between the inner case  11  and the outer case  12  and configured to insulate the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19 . The inner case  11  may be formed of a plastic material, and the outer case  12  may be formed of a metal material. A urethane foam insulation or a vacuum insulation panel (VIP) may be used as the insulation  13 . 
     Meanwhile, the main body  10  may include intermediate walls  15  and  16 , and the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19  may be comparted into an upper storage compartment  17 , an intermediate storage compartment  18 , and a lower storage compartment  19  by the intermediate walls  15  and  16 . Alternatively, unlike the present embodiment, only one intermediate wall may be provided, and an upper storage compartment and a lower storage compartment may be provided only without an intermediate storage compartment. 
     The upper storage compartment  17  may be maintained at about 0 to 5 degrees Celsius to be used as a refrigerating compartment keeping foods in a refrigerated state, the lower storage compartment  19  may be maintained at about minus 30 to 0 degrees Celsius to be used as a freezing compartment keeping food in a frozen state, and the intermediate storage compartment  18  may be used as a temperature-variable compartment in which a temperature is varied. However, the use of each of the storage compartment  17 ,  18 , and  19  is not particularly limited. 
     Each of the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19  may be provided to have an open front surface allowing foods to be taken in and out, the open front surfaces of the storage compartments  17 ,  18 , and  19  may be opened or closed by the doors  20 ,  30 ,  40 , and  60 , respectively. The upper storage compartment  17  may be opened and closed by the pair of doors  20  and  30  provided to be rotatable in mutually opposite directions, and the intermediate storage compartment  18  and the lower storage compartment  19  may be opened and closed by the intermediate door  40  and the lower door  60 , respectively, wherein each of the intermediate door  40  and the lower door  60  are slidably provided in a drawer manner. Alternatively, unlike the present embodiment, the intermediate storage compartment  18  and the lower storage compartment  19  may also be opened or closed by doors in a rotary manner instead of the drawer manner. 
     A shelf  6  on which foods are placed may be provided inside the upper storage compartment  17 . The upper doors  20  and  30  may be provided at left and right sides of the upper storage compartment  17 , respectively. An upper hinge  66  may be coupled to an upper portion of each of the upper doors  20  and  30 , and an intermediate hinge assembly  70  may be coupled to a lower portion of each of the upper doors  20  and  30 . The upper hinge  66  and the intermediate hinge assembly  70  may rotatably support each of the upper doors  20  and  30 . 
     The intermediate hinge assembly  70  is coupled to the lower portion of each of the upper doors  20  and  30  to substantially support a weight of each of the upper doors  20  and  30 . The intermediate hinge assembly  70  may be disposed between the upper doors  20  and  30  and the intermediate door  40 . 
     A door guard  7  capable of storing foods may be provided on a rear surface of each of the upper doors  20  and  30 , handles  21  and  31  which are held by a hand to open and close the upper doors  20  and  30  may be provided at a front surface of each of the upper doors  20  and  30 . A dispenser  29  capable of supplying water or ice in a state in which the upper door  20  is closed may be provided at the upper door  20 . A hinge cover  65  may be coupled to an upper portion of the main body  10  to cover the upper hinge  66  so as to prevent exposure of the upper hinge  66 . 
     Baskets  8  and  9  capable of storing foods may be provided at rear surfaces of the intermediate door  40  and the lower door  60 , respectively. The baskets  8  and  9  may be pulled in and out of the storage compartments  18  and  19  together with the doors  40  and  60  when the doors  40  and  60  are pulled in and out. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an intermediate hinge assembly of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a structure in which the intermediate hinge assembly of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is coupled to a bottom surface of an upper door.  FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the upper door of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 6  is a front view illustrating a state in which a hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is installed at a main body (the upper door is not shown).  FIG. 7  is a side view of a vicinity of the intermediate hinge assembly of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an intermediate door of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of the intermediate door of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a bottom surface of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 13  is a front view of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 14  is a top view of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 15  is a side view of the hinge member of the refrigerator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 15 , a structure of the intermediate hinge assembly  70 , the intermediate door  40 , and the upper doors  20  and  30  of the present disclosure will be described. 
     The intermediate hinge assembly  70  supporting the left upper door  20  and the intermediate hinge assembly  70  supporting the right upper door  30  are symmetrical to each other so that only the intermediate hinge assembly  70  supporting the left upper door  20  will be described. 
     For convenience of description, the intermediate hinge assembly  70  may simply be referred to below as a hinge assembly  70 . Further, the upper door  20  and the intermediate door  40  may be referred to as a door  20  and a door  40 , respectively. 
     The hinge assembly  70  may include a hinge member  71  coupled to the main body  10 , a hinge bracket  85  coupled to the lower portion of the door  20 , a grommet member  95  provided between the hinge member  71  and the hinge bracket  85  to prevent friction between the hinge member  71  and the hinge bracket  85 , and an elastic member  90  configured to automatically close the door  20  when the door  20  is closed by a predetermined angle or more. 
     The hinge member  71  may include a main body coupler  72  provided to be coupled to the main body  10 , and a door supporter  75  extending from the main body coupler  72  in a direction intersecting therewith to support the door  20 . The main body coupler  72  may be formed substantially parallel to a front surface of the main body  10 , and the door supporter  75  may be formed substantially perpendicular to the main body coupler  72 . 
     The main body coupler  72  may be fixed to the front surface of the main body  10  by an engagement member S 1 , and to this end, at least one engagement hole  73  (See,  FIG. 12 ) may be formed at the main body coupler  72 . The engagement member S 1  may include various mechanical coupling elements such as screws, nails, rivets, pins, bolts, and the like. 
     The main body coupler  72  may include a coupling protrusion  74  (See,  FIG. 14 ) protruding toward a rear side so as to adjust a position of the main body coupler  72  while the hinge member  71  is coupled to the front surface of the main body  10 . The coupling protrusion  74  may be inserted into a coupling hole (not shown) formed on the front surface of the main body  10 . Accordingly, the coupling protrusion  74  is inserted into the coupling hole and then the engagement member S 1  is engaged with the engagement hole  73  such that the hinge member  71  may be engaged with the front surface of the main body  10 . 
     The door supporter  75  may include a hinge pin  81  protruding upward to form a rotational axis of the door  20 , a stopper interference protrusion  83  provided to restrict a rotational range of the door  20 , and a closure interference protrusion  84  provided to interact with the elastic member  90 . 
     The hinge pin  81  may be inserted into the lower portion of the door  20 . Specifically, the hinge pin  81  may be inserted into a hollow interior of the grommet member  95 , and the grommet member  95  may be inserted into the lower portion of the door  20  by passing through a through-hole  87  of the hinge bracket  85 . This is because both the hinge member  71  and the hinge bracket  85  are made of metal materials and thus dust and noise may be generated due to rubbing between the hinge member  71  and the hinge bracket  85  when the door  20  is rotated, so that, in order to prevent the dust and the noise, the grommet member  95  made of a resin material is disposed between the hinge member  71  and the hinge bracket  85 . 
     The grommet member  95  may include a hollow cylindrical portion  96  having a substantially hollow and a cylindrical shape, and a flange  97  extending radially outwardly from a lower portion of the hollow cylindrical portion  96 . The hinge pin  81  may be inserted into the hollow of the hollow cylindrical portion  96 , and the hollow cylindrical portion  96  may be inserted into the lower portion of the door  20  by passing through the through-hole  87  of the hinge bracket  85 . A rotation preventer  82  may be provided at the hinge pin  81 , and an interference surface (not shown) corresponding to the rotation preventer  82  may be provided at a hollow inner circumferential surface of the hollow cylindrical portion  96 . Consequently, a rotation of the grommet member  95  may be prevented by hooking of the rotation preventer  82  and the interference surface. 
     The flange  97  may be disposed between a bottom surface of the hinge bracket  85  and an upper surface of the door supporter  75  to prevent the hinge bracket  95  and the door supporter  75  from rubbing against each other. 
     The stopper interference protrusion  83  may interfere with the stopper protrusion  88  of the hinge bracket  85  when the door  20  is opened by a predetermined angle or more, thereby preventing the door  20  from further rotating. The stopper interference protrusion  83  may protrude toward a side opposite to a central portion of the refrigerator  1 . 
     The closure interference protrusion  84  may interact with the elastic member  90  while the door  20  is opened and closed. The closure interference protrusion  84  may protrude toward the central portion side of the refrigerator  1  as opposed to the stopper interference protrusion  83 . 
     The elastic member  90  may be configured to apply a force to the door  20  in a direction in which the door  20  is closed. The elastic member  90  may include a fixed end  91  fixed to the lower portion of the door  20  and an acting end  93  provided to be movable to interfere with the closure interference protrusion  84 , and may be formed in a ‘C’ shape. The elastic member  90  may be one of leaf springs. 
     An engagement hole  92  with which an engagement member S 3  (See,  FIG. 3 ) is engaged may be provided at the fixed end  91 , so that the fixed end  91  may be fixed to the lower portion of the door  20  by the engagement member S 3 . 
     While the door  20  is opened and closed, the acting end  93  is moved by interfering with the closure interference protrusion  84 , and during the movement of the acting end  93 , an elastic force may be accumulated at the elastic member  90  while a shape of the elastic member  90  deformed. 
     The elastic member  90  may be configured such that no elastic force is generated in a state in which the door  20  is closed. The elastic member  90  may be provided such that the door  20  is gradually opened, the closure interference protrusion  84  and the acting end  93  interfere with each other, and an elastic force is gradually accumulated at the elastic member  90 , so that the elastic force is maximized when an angle between the door  20  and the main body  10  reaches a predetermined angle. The elastic member  90  may be provided such that, when the door  20  is opened further than the predetermined angle, interference between the closure interference protrusion  84  and the acting end  93  is released. 
     Therefore, until the angle between the door  20  and the main body  10  reaches the predetermined angle while the door  20  is opened, the elastic member  90  may apply an elastic force to the door  20  in a direction in which the door  20  is closed. The angle between the door  20  and the main body  10  reaches the predetermined angle while the door  20  is closed, and from then on, the elastic member  90  may apply an elastic force to the door  20  in a direction in which the door  20  is closed. That is, the angle between the door  20  and the main body  10  reaches the predetermined angle while the door  20  is closed, and from then on, the door  20  may be automatically closed by the elastic force of the elastic member  90 . 
     The door supporter  75  may include an upper surface  76  and a bottom surface  77 . The above-described hinge pin  81  may protrude from the upper surface  76  of the door supporter  75 . The upper surface  76  of the door supporter  75  may be formed to be substantially flat so as to allow an entire area of the upper surface  76  of the door supporter  75  to have the same height. 
     Unlike the upper surface  76 , the bottom surface  77  of the door supporter  75  may have a plurality of areas having different heights, rather than having the same height in an entire area of the bottom surface  77 . That is, the bottom surface  77  of the door supporter  75  may include a base surface  78 , and a recessed surface  79  formed to be recessed from the base surface  78  to be disposed at a higher height than the base surface  78 . 
     The reason why the bottom surface  77  of the door supporter  75  includes the base surface  78  and the recessed surface  79  which are disposed at different heights is that a height of an upper surface of the door  40  disposed below the hinge member  71  is not constant and there is a protruding portion. That is, a height difference of the upper surface of the door  40  is compensated for to keep a constant gap between the bottom surface  77  of the door supporter  75  and the upper surface of the door  40 . 
     The protruding portion of the door  40  may be a door trim  51 . A structure of the door  40  will be described below. 
     The door  40  may include a door body  41 , and the door trim  51  coupled to the door body  41 . 
     The door body  41  may include a front surface plate  42 ; a rear surface plate  43 ; a lower cap  46  coupled to a lower portion of each of the front surface plate  42  and the rear surface plate  43 ; an upper cap  44  coupled to an upper portion of each of the front surface plate  42  and the rear surface plate  43  and at which a handle recess  44   a  (See,  FIG. 10 ) is formed; an upper plate  45  coupled to the upper portion of each of the front surface plate  42  and the rear surface plate  43  and at which a display  56  configured to display operation information of the refrigerator  1  is installed; and an insulation  47  provided inside the door body  41 . 
     The front surface plate  42 , the rear surface plate  43 , and the upper plate  45  may be formed of metal materials, and the lower cap  46  and the upper cap  44  may be formed of resin materials. A user may open the door  40  by putting his or her hand into the handle recess  44   a  of the upper cap  44  to pull the door  40 . A display installation recess  45   a  (See,  FIG. 9 ) at which the display  56  is installable may be formed at the upper plate  45 . A display circuit  57  (See,  FIG. 10 ) capable of controlling the display  56  may be disposed below the upper plate  45 . 
     The door trim  51  may be coupled to the door body  41  to improve the exterior appearance of the door  40 , alleviate vibration transmitted to the user when the door  40  is opened and closed, and strengthen a coupling force between the respective components constituting the door  40 . The door trim  51  may be coupled to an upper side of each of the upper cap  44  and the upper plate  45 . 
     The door trim  51  may extend from a left end to a right end of the door  40 . The door trim  51  may include a door trim body  52  extending in a left-right direction, and a door trim wing  54  extending in a rear direction from both ends of left and right sides of the door trim body  52 . The door trim body  52  and the door trim wing  54  may be integrally formed. 
     The door trim  51  may include a gripper  53  which is provided to be held by a hand to open the door  40 . The gripper  53  may extend downward from the door trim body  52  to be inserted into the handle recess  44   a  of the upper cap  44 . 
     Since the door trim  51  is coupled to an upper side of the upper plate  45 , an upper surface  51   a  of the door trim  51  may protrude above an upper surface  41   a  of the door body  41  (See,  FIG. 6 ). A width W 2  of the door trim  51  in the left-right direction may be narrower than an entire area W 1  of the bottom surface of the door supporter  75  of the hinge member  71  (See,  FIG. 6 ). 
     Accordingly, the recessed surface  79  of the door supporter  75  may be recessed from the base surface  78  of the door supporter  75  to compensate for a height difference H 2  between the upper surface  51   a  of the door trim  51  and the upper surface  41   a  of the door body  41 . 
     A height difference H 1  between the base surface  78  and the recessed surface  79  may be equal to the height difference H 2  between the upper surface  51   a  of the door trim  51  and the upper surface  41   a  of the door body  41 . 
     The height difference H 1  between the base surface  78  and the recessed surface  79  is preferably less than half a thickness D of the door supporter  75 , which is a thickness between the upper surface  76  and the base surface  78  so as to sufficiently maintain rigidity of the door supporter  75 . 
     Each of the base surface  78  and the recessed surface  79  may be formed to be flat and horizontal with respect to the ground. Since a position of the door trim  51  is disposed at a side opposite to the central portion of the refrigerator  1 , the recessed surface  79  may also be disposed further than the base surface  78  at the side opposite to the central portion of the refrigerator  1  by corresponding to the position of the door trim  51 . 
     The base surface  78  and the recessed surface  79  may be connected by a connecting surface  80 . The connecting surface  80  may be substantially vertically formed. The connecting surface  80  may extend in a direction from a front side to a rear side of the refrigerator  1 . 
     In order to strengthen the rigidity of the door supporter  75  and the main body coupler  72 , a rounded portion  78   a  and a rounded portion  79   a  may be formed at rear sides of the base surface  78  and the recessed surface  79 , respectively. 
     The main body coupler  72  and the door supporter  75  may be made of metal materials and may be integrally formed by die casting or the like. 
     As described above, even though a portion of the upper surface of the door  40  disposed below the hinge member  71  protrudes, since the bottom surface  77  of the door supporter  75  of the hinge member  71  includes the recessed surface  79  corresponding to the protruding portion of the door  40 , the rigidity of the hinge member  71  may be sufficiently maintained, and also the gap between the bottom surface of the hinge member  71  and the upper surface of the door  40  may be kept constant. Consequently, phenomena in which foreign materials are trapped between the hinge member  71  and the door  40 , and the hinge member and the door interfere with each other due to sagging of the door can be prevented such that reliability of opening and closing operations of the door can be improved and the overall exterior appearance of the refrigerator  1  can be improved. 
     A structure of the upper door  20  will be described below. 
     As described above, the hinge assembly  70  is coupled to the lower portion of the upper door  20  and is disposed between the upper door  20  and the intermediate door  40 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the upper door  20  is formed by assembling a front surface plate  22 , a rear surface plate  23 , an upper cap (not shown), and a lower cap  24 , and an insulation is filled inside upper door  20 . The hinge assembly  70  may be installed at the lower cap  24 . 
     The lower cap  24  may include a bottom  25  configured to form a bottom surface of the door  20 , and a hinge installation portion  26  at which the hinge assembly  70  is installed. 
     The hinge installation portion  26  may be formed to be recessed from the bottom  25  so as to prevent exposure of at least a portion of the hinge assembly  70  when the refrigerator  1  is viewed from the front surface thereof. That is, when the refrigerator  1  is viewed from the front thereof, at least a portion of the hinge assembly  70  installed at the hinge installation portion  26  may not be exposed by being covered by a portion  25   a  of a bottom formed at a front side of the hinge installation portion  26 . 
     As described above, since at least a portion of the hinge assembly  70  is not exposed, an aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator  1  can be improved, and an overall height of the refrigerator  1  can be relatively lowered or a space of the storage compartment can be further secured. 
     The hinge bracket  85  and the elastic member  90  which are described above may be installed at the hinge installation portion  26 . To this end, the hinge installation portion  26  may include a base stepped portion  27   a  recessed from the bottom  25 , a hinge bracket installation portion  27   b  further recessed from the base stepped portion  27   a  to allow the hinge bracket  85  to be installed, and an elastic member installation portion  27   c  further recessed from the base stepped portion  27   a  to allow the elastic member  90  to be installed. 
     A hinge hole  28  into which the hinge pin  81  of the hinge member  71  is inserted may be formed at the hinge installation portion  26 . 
     In accordance with the present disclosure, when a height of the upper surface of the door disposed below the intermediate hinge is not constant and there is a protruding portion, strength of the intermediate hinge can be sufficiently maintained, and also the gap between the bottom surface of the intermediate hinge and the upper surface of the door can be constant over the entire area of the bottom surface of the intermediate hinge. Consequently, the reliability and stability of the opening and closing operations of the door can be improved, and a design of the exterior appearance of the refrigerator can be improved. 
     In accordance with the present disclosure, when the refrigerator is viewed from the front thereof, exposure of the hinge assembly is minimized such that the design of the exterior appearance of the refrigerator can be improved. 
     Specific embodiments have been shown and described as above, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments Various changeable and modifiable embodiments can be devised from those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of a technical spirit that is defined by the appended claims.