Patent Publication Number: US-2022221213-A1

Title: Refrigerator

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0002287, filed on Jan. 8, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator including a grill assembly in which a discharge flow path and an absorption flow path for supplying and retrieving cool air into a storage compartment are provided together. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Usually, refrigerators are a household appliance that is configured to store various foodstuffs and drinks for a long period of time using cool air that is generated by circulating refrigerant with a freezing cycle. 
     Refrigerators are categorized into top freezer type refrigerators in which a freezing compartment is arranged over a refrigerating compartment, bottom freezer type refrigerators in which the freezing compartment is arranged under the refrigerating compartment, and side-by-side type refrigerators in which the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment are arranged side by side in the leftward-rightward direction. 
     In the top freezer type refrigerators, an evaporator is positioned in a rear side space inside the freezing compartment, and a freezing-compartment grill assembly in which a blowing fan for supplying and circulating cool air toward the freezing compartment is mounted is positioned in front of the evaporator. 
     In addition, in the top freezer type refrigerators, a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly is positioned in a rear side space inside the refrigerating compartment. 
     One portion of the cool air, supplied by the freezing-compartment grill assembly, is supplied to the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly through a connection flow path. The cool air supplied through the connection flow path is supplied into the refrigerating compartment. 
     The top freezer type refrigerators are as disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0160419 and Korean Patent Application Publication Nos. 10-1999-0060433, 10-2016-0100548, and 10-2017-0006995. 
     The above-described top freezer type refrigerators in the related art are configured in such a manner that a retrieval flow path is formed in a partition wall by which division into the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment is realized and that the cool air circulating through the inside of the refrigerating compartment is retrieved into the evaporator behind the freezing compartment. 
     Accordingly, in the top freezer type refrigerators in the related art, the cool air discharged from an upper portion of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly is discharged directly to the retrieval flow path without being sufficiently supplied all the way up to the front side of the refrigerating compartment that has the same height as the upper portion. Due to this phenomenon, the efficiency of refrigerating is decreased. 
     Particularly, the above-described retrieval flow path makes it very difficult to form another flow path in the partition wall. For this reason, various design changes do not have been made using the partition wall. That is, selection of the retrieval flow path is limited when forming a new flow path in the partition wall. 
     In addition, the partition wall needs to provide sufficient thermal insulation in order to maintain predetermined temperatures inside the freezing compartment and the refrigerating compartment. However, the insulation performance of the partition is decreased due to the above-described retrieval flow path. 
     The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and is not intended to mean that the present disclosure falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art. 
     DOCUMENT OF RELATED ART 
     
         
         (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent No. 10-0160419 
         (Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-1999-0060433 
         (Patent Document 3) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2016-0100548 
         (Patent Document 4) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2017-0006995 
       
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator including a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly in which a refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path for supplying cool air to a refrigerating compartment and a freezing-compartment retrieval flow path for retrieving the cool air circulating through a freezing compartment are provided together. 
     Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator including a new type of refrigerating-compartment grill assembly capable of causing cool air supplied into an upper space inside a refrigerating compartment to flow sufficiently through the inside of the refrigerating compartment and then discharging the cool air, thereby increasing the efficiency of refrigerating. 
     Still another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator including a new type of refrigerating-compartment grill assembly in which a refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path is formed in a partition wall by which division into a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment is realized, thereby preventing the occurrence of insulation loss caused in the related art. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is a refrigerator in which a flow path for discharging cool air to a refrigerating compartment and a flow path for discharging the cool air to a freezing compartment are formed together in a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly. 
     In the refrigerator, a flow path guiding discharging of the cool air supplied from a freezing-compartment grill assembly into the refrigerating compartment may be formed in a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly. 
     In the refrigerator, a refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path guiding flowing of the cool air retrieved from the refrigerating compartment into the freezing compartment may be formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly. 
     In the refrigerator, a flow path may be formed in a partition wall. 
     In the refrigerator, the flow path formed in the partition wall may include a flow path that is provided with the cool air from the freezing-compartment grill assembly and supplies the provided cool air to a refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly. 
     In the refrigerator, the flow path formed in the partition wall may include a first transfer flow path that passes through a rear side center portion of the partition wall from top to bottom. 
     In the refrigerator, a cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path may be positioned more downward in a backward direction than a bottom end of the first transfer flow path. 
     In the refrigerator, a rear side branch flow path connected to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path and a front side branch flow path extending up to a front side bottom surface of the partition wall may be both formed on the bottom end of the first transfer flow path. 
     In the refrigerator, the rear side branch flow path may be famed in a manner that is gradually inclined downward from the first transfer flow path toward the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path. 
     In the refrigerator, a second transfer flow path that is provided with the cool air from the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly and guides flowing of the provided cool air to a position where an evaporator is positioned may be formed in the partition wall. 
     In the refrigerator, the second transfer flow path may be formed in a rear surface of the partition wall in a recessed manner. 
     In the refrigerator, a blocking covering the second transfer flow path in such a manner as to be blocked from an external environment may be provided on the rear surface of the partition wall. 
     In the refrigerator, the blocking cover may be detachably mounted on the rear surface of the partition wall. 
     In the refrigerator, a cool-air outlet of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path may be formed in each of the opposite sides of an upper surface of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly. 
     In the refrigerator, a communication groove may be formed in each of the opposite sides of the second transfer flow path in a manner that passes through each of the opposite sides thereof and reaches a position where the cool-air outlet is positioned. 
     In the refrigerator, a guidance flow path guiding flowing of the cool air in the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path transferred through the two communication grooves in the second transfer flow path to above an upper center portion of the blocking cover may be formed in the blocking cover. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly may include a first duct unit and a second duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, the first duct unit may be formed to be positioned in a manner that is exposed to the inside of the refrigerating compartment and to have a plurality of refrigerating-compartment discharge openings. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-chamber discharge flow path may be formed in the second duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, the first duct unit may be formed in such a manner as to have a greater width in a leftward-rightward direction than the second duct unit and to have lateral walls on opposite sides thereof. 
     In the refrigerator, a front surface of the second duct unit may be brought into close contact with one portion of the rear surface of the first duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, rear surfaces of the first duct unit and the second duct unit may be covered by a blocking plate. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path may be formed in the rear surface of the second duct unit in a recessed manner. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path may be formed as a path that is blocked by the blocking plate from an outside environment. 
     In the refrigerator, the blocking plate may be formed of an insulating material. 
     In the refrigerator, the second duct unit may be positioned in a center portion of the rear surface of the first duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path may be formed between one lateral wall of the first duct unit and one lateral wall of the second duct unit and between the other lateral wall of the first duct unit and the other lateral wall of the second duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, a communication discharge opening may be formed in the second duct unit in a manner that communicates with each of the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings in the first duct unit and thus discharges the cool air. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path may be formed in such a manner as to pass through each of the communication discharge openings. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings may be famed in opposite sides, respectively, of the first duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, the communication discharge openings may be formed in portions, respectively, of the first duct unit that correspond to the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings when the second duct unit is combined with the rear surface of the first duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow paths may be formed in such a manner as to branch off from a cool-air inlet into opposite sides, respectively, of the second duct unit, to pass through the communication discharge openings, respectively, and to reach bottoms, respectively, of the opposite sides of the second duct unit. 
     In the refrigerator, the cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-component discharge flow path may be formed in a center portion of an upper surface of the second duct unit in a manner that passes therethrough. 
     In the refrigerator, the first duct unit may be formed in such a manner as to be open at opposite sides bottom surfaces and opposite sides upper surfaces, and the cool air inside the refrigerating compartment may flow into each of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow paths through openings in the opposite sides bottom surfaces and then may be discharged through openings in the opposite side upper surfaces. 
     As described above, in the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, the discharge flow path for supplying the cool air to the refrigerating compartment and the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path for retrieving the cool air circulating through the refrigerating compartment are formed together in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly. Thus, the effect of simplifying an overall structure of the refrigerator without the need to provide a separate duct for retrieving the cool air can be achieved. 
     In the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, the cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path for retrieving the cool air inside the refrigerating compartment is formed in a bottom surface of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly. Thus, the cool air supplied into an upper space inside the refrigerating compartment can flow sufficiently through the inside of the refrigerating compartment and then can be discharged. Thus, the effect of improving the efficiency of refrigerating can be achieved. 
     The refrigerator according to the present disclosure is configured in such a manner that the cool air retrieved through the refrigerating-compartment retrieval flow path in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly is transferred to the evaporator through the second transfer flow path formed in the rear surface of the partition wall without passing through the inside of the partition wall. Thus, the effect of reducing insulation loss can be achieved. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a mounted state of each grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view illustrating an internal state of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I on  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged view illustrating a portion indicated by a circle “A” on  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIGS. 6 and 7  are cross-sectional views each illustrating essential components, respectively, that are differently cross-sectioned to describe an internal structure of a partition wall of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a rear view illustrating the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure from which an outer casing is removed to describe a rear side structure of the inside of the refrigerator; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating essential components of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure from which the outer casing is removed to describe the rear side structure of the inside of the refrigerator; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating essential components of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure from which a block cover is removed to describe a second transfer flow path in a rear surface of the partition wall in the rear side structure of the inside of the refrigerator; 
         FIG. 11  is a rear view illustrating the essential components in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating an assembled state of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view illustrating a state where a first duct unit and a second duct unit of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly are combined with each other in the rear of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view illustrating a state where a blocking plate is mounted on the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where cool air circulates through a freezing compartment of the refrigerator according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the cool air circulates through a refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view illustrating a state where the cool air circulates through the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional view illustrating essential components that are cross-sectioned to describe a state where the cool air circulates through the inside of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 19 . 
       FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a mounted state of each grill assembly of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 3  is a front view illustrating an internal state of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I on  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 5  is an enlarged view illustrating a portion indicated by a circle “A” on  FIG. 4 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 5 , the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured to include a cabinet  100 , an evaporator  30 , a freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 , and a refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . Particularly, a refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  and a refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  are formed together in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . 
     Components of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. 
     First, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to include the cabinet  100 . 
     The cabinet  100  may be configured to include an outer casing  110  and inner casings  121  and  122 . The outer casing  110  provides an exterior appearance of the cabinet  100 . The inner casings  121  and  122  are positioned inside the outer casing  110  and form a storage space. 
     In this case, the inner casings  121  and  122  may be a freezing-compartment inner casing  121  and a refrigerating-compartment inner casing  122 , respectively. The freezing-compartment inner casing  121  provides a freezing compartment  10 . The refrigerating-compartment inner casing  122  provides a refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     The inner casings  121  and  122  are positioned in an upper space and a lower space, respectively, inside the outer casing  110  with a partition wall  130  in between. 
     That is, the freezing-compartment inner casing  121  is positioned over the partition wall  130  and provides the freezing compartment  10 . The refrigerating-compartment inner casing  122  is positioned under the partition wall  130  and provides the refrigerating compartment  20 . The respective positions of the freezing-compartment inner casing  121  and the refrigerating-compartment inner casing  122  are illustrated in  FIGS. 3 to 5 . 
     More specifically, the partition wall  130  is formed in such a manner that an upper end portion thereof surrounds a lower end portion of the freezing-compartment inner casing  121 . The partition wall  130  is formed in such a manner that a lower end portion thereof surrounds an upper end portion of the refrigerating-compartment inner casing  122 . The partition wall  130  is formed as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
     The first transfer flow path  131  may be famed in the partition wall  130 . The first transfer flow path  131  serves to be provided with cool air from the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  and to supply the provided cool air to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . 
     The first transfer flow path  131  may be formed in a rear side center portion of the partition wall  130  in a manner that passes through a rear side center portion from top to bottom. In this case, a front side branch flow path  132  is formed on a bottom end of the first transfer flow path  131 . The front side branch flow path  132  extends from the bottom end thereof up to a front side bottom surface of the partition wall  130 . The front side branch flow path  132  supplies the cool air to a front side space inside the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     A rear side branch flow path  133  may further be formed on the bottom end of the first transfer flow path  131 . The rear side branch flow path  133  supplies the cool air to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . The rear side branch flow path  133  may be formed in a manner that is gradually inclined downward from the first transfer flow path  131  toward the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301 . 
     The first transfer flow path  131  and each of the branch flow paths  132  and  133  are formed as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 to 7 . 
       FIG. 8  is a rear view illustrating the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure from which the outer casing  110  is removed to describe a rear side structure of the inside of the refrigerator.  FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating essential components of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure from which the outer casing  110  is removed to describe the rear side structure of the inside of the refrigerator.  FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating essential components of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure from which a blocking cover is removed to describe a second transfer flow path  134  in a rear surface of the partition wall  130  in the rear side structure of the inside of the refrigerator.  FIG. 11  is a rear view illustrating the essential components in  FIG. 10 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 8 to 11 , the second transfer flow path  134  may be formed in the partition wall  130 . The second transfer flow path  134  serves to be supplied with the cool air retrieved from the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  and to guide flowing of the supplied cool air to a position where the evaporator  30  is positioned. 
     Particularly, the second transfer flow path  134  is formed in a rear surface of the partition wall  130  in a recessed manner, and a blocking cover  140  is provided on the rear surface of the partition wall  130 . The blocking cover  140  covers the second transfer flow path  134  in such a manner as to be blocked from an outside environment. In this case, the blocking cover  140  may be detachably mounted on the rear surface of the partition wall  130 . 
     That is, instead of providing a separate duct for transferring the cool air retrieved from the refrigerating compartment  22  to the evaporator  30 , the second transfer flow path  134  is formed by the structure of the second transfer flow path recessed into the rear surface of the partition wall  130  and by the blocking cover  140 . Thus, a structure for retrieving the cool air can be simplified. 
     In this case, the second transfer flow path  134  is formed in such a manner that a cooling-air discharge side portion thereof is positioned on a rear side bottom of the evaporator  30 . 
     Communication groove  135  may be formed in opposite sides, respectively, of the second transfer flow path  134 . The communication groove  135  communicates with a cool-air outlet of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302 . 
     Moreover, a guidance flow path  141  may be formed in the blocking cover  140 . The cool air in the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  is transferred to the guidance flow path  141  through the two communication grooves  135  in the second transfer flow path  134 . The guidance flow path  141  guides flowing of the transferred cool air to above an upper center portion of the blocking cover  140 . 
     In addition, the freezing compartment  10  and the refrigerating compartment  20  are configured in such manner as to be opened and closed by doors  11  and  21 , respectively. In this case, the doors  11  and  21  may be configured in such a manner as to employ a hinge mechanism. 
     Of course, although not illustrated, the doors  11  and  21  may be configured as a drawer-type door. 
     Next, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured to include the evaporator  30 . 
     The evaporator  30  is configured in such a manner as to generate the cool air that is supplied to the freezing compartment  10  or the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     Particularly, along with a compressor  60  (refer to  FIG. 4 ), a condenser (not illustrated), and an expander (not illustrated), the evaporator  30  constitutes a freezing system. The evaporator  30  exchanges heat with air flowing therethrough and thus performs a function of decreasing temperature of the air. 
     The evaporator  30  may be positioned in a rear portion of the inside of the freezing compartment  10 . Specifically, the evaporator  30  may be positioned adjacent to a front surface of a rear wall of the freezing compartment  10 . 
     Next, the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured to include the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . 
     The freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  serves to provide to the freezing compartment  10  and the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  the cool air that exchanges heat with the evaporator  30  while passing therethrough. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  is positioned in front of the evaporator  30  inside the freezing compartment  10 . That is, the freezing compartment  10  has a front side storage space and a rear side heat exchange space inside with the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  in between. 
     Moreover, a blowing fan  201  that blows the cool air may be mounted in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . In this case, the blowing fan  201  may be configured as a module including both a fan and a motor. The blowing fan  201  supplies the cool air passing through the evaporator  30  to the freezing compartment  10  or the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a plurality of freezing-compartment discharge openings  202  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) is formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . 
     Moreover, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  203  is formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  203  guides discharging of the cool air blown by the blowing fan  201  to each of the freezing-compartment discharge openings  202 . In this case, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  203  may be formed in such a manner as to guide flowing of the cool air to above and below the opposite sides of a center portion of the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  in which the blowing fan  201  is mounted. In this case, each of the freezing-compartment discharge openings  202  may be formed in the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow paths  203 . 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a refrigerating-compartment supply flow path  204  is formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . 
     The refrigerating-compartment supply flow path  204  is a flow path that is formed to supply one portion of the cool air blown by the blowing fan  201  to the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . The refrigerating-compartment supply flow path  204  is formed in such a manner as to extend from the center portion of the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 , in which the blowing fan  201  is positioned, up to a bottom surface of the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . 
     Although not specifically illustrated, a temperature adjustment device  206  (refer to  FIGS. 3 and 4 ) may be provided in the refrigerating-compartment supply flow path  204 . The temperature adjustment device  206  adjusts an amount of cool air passing therethrough and thus adjusts temperature inside the freezing compartment  10  or inside the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     In addition, a freezing-compartment retrieval flow path  205  is formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . The freezing-compartment retrieval flow path  205  is formed in the bottom surface of the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  in a recessed manner. In this case, the freezing-compartment retrieval flow path  205  is formed in such a manner that a front side end portion thereof is exposed to the inside of the freezing compartment  10  and that a rear side end portion thereof is exposed to a bottom of the evaporator  30 . 
     That is, the cool water flowing through the inside of the freezing compartment  10  is retrieved toward the cool-air inflow side of the evaporator  30  through the freezing-compartment retrieval flow path  205 . 
     Next, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the refrigerator may be configured to include the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . 
     The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  is configured in such a manner to guide discharging of the cool air transferred from the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  into the refrigerating compartment  20 . The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  is positioned in a rear portion of the inside of the refrigerating compartment  20 . Specifically, the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  is positioned in front of a front surface of a rear wall of the refrigerating-compartment inner casing  122 . 
     The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  and the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  are formed together in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . In this case, the cool air flows to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  from the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  serves to guide discharging of the cool air into the refrigerating compartment  20 . The refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  serves to guide flowing of the cool retrieved from the refrigerating compartment  20  into the freezing compartment  10 . 
     Each component of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  is described in more detail as follows with reference to  FIGS. 12 to 15 .  FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating an assembled state of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 14  is a perspective view illustrating a state where a first duct unit and a second duct unit of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  are combined with each other in the rear of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 15  is a perspective view illustrating a state where a blocking plate is mounted on the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     First, the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  is configured to include a first duct unit  310 . 
     The first duct unit  310  provides a front surface of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  and is positioned in a manner that is exposed to the inside of the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     The first duct unit  310  is formed in a manner that has a greater width in the leftward-rightward direction than the second duct unit  320  described below. 
     Moreover, surrounding walls are formed on an edge of the first duct unit  310 . That is, the first duct unit  310  is formed in such a manner as to have an upper wall  311  and lateral walls  312  on opposite sides thereof. The upper wall  311  provides an upper surface of the first duct unit  310 , and the lateral walls  312  provide opposite lateral surfaces thereof, respectively. The surrounding walls (the upper wall  311  and the lateral walls  312 ) of the first duct unit  310  may be formed in such a manner that respective heights in the forward-backward direction thereof are such that the cool air can flow. That is, thicknesses (heights) in the forward-backward direction of the first duct unit  310  are minimized so that a space inside the refrigerating compartment  20  can be maximally secured. 
     In addition, a plurality of refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a  may be formed in the first duct unit  310 . The refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a  are formed according to the height direction of the first duct unit  310 . Through the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a , the cool air is discharged into spaces of different heights inside the refrigerating compartment  20 . In this case, each of the spaces of different heights may be a space between shelves provided inside the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     Moreover, the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a  are formed in opposite sides, respectively, of the first duct unit  310 . Therefore, the cool air may be uniformly supplied into opposite side spaces inside the refrigerating compartment  20   
     The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  is configured to include the second duct unit  320 . 
     The second duct unit  320  is provided to a portion of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  in which the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  is formed. A front surface of the second duct unit  320  is brought into close contact with one portion of a rear surface of the first duct unit  310  for being combined therewith. Specifically, the front surface of the second duct unit  320  may be brought into close contact with a center portion of the rear surface of the first duct unit  310 . 
     The second duct unit  320  is formed in a manner that has a smaller width in the leftward-rightward direction than the first duct unit  310 . The refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  is famed between one lateral wall of the first duct unit  310  and one lateral wall of the second duct unit  320  and between the other lateral wall of the first duct unit  310  and the other lateral wall of the second duct unit  320 . A space between one lateral wall of the first duct unit  310  and one lateral wall of the second duct unit  320  and a space between the other lateral wall of the first duct unit  310  and the other lateral wall of the second duct unit  320  are used as the refrigerating-compartment retrieval paths  302 , respectively. 
     The first duct unit  310  is formed in a manner that is open at the bottom. Retrieval cool-air inlets  313   a  are formed opposite sides, respectively, of a bottom surface between the first duct unit  310  and the second duct unit  320 . The retrieval cool-air inlets  313   a  communicate with the refrigerating-compartment retrieval paths  302 , respectively. Retrieval cool-air outlets  311   b  are formed in opposite sides, respectively, of the upper wall  311  of the first duct unit  310 . The retrieval cool-air outlets  311   b  communicate with the refrigerating-compartment retrieval paths  302 , respectively. That is, the cool air that flows through the refrigerating compartment  20  flows into the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  through the retrieval cool-air inlet  313   a  and then is discharged through the retrieval cool-air outlet  311   b.    
     Particularly, the retrieval cool-air outlets  311   b  communicate with the communication grooves  135 , respectively, that are formed in the opposite sides of the second transfer flow path  134 . Accordingly, the cool air that flows along the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  passes sequentially through the retrieval cool-air outlet  311   b  and the communication groove  135  and then is retrieved toward the cool-air inflow side of the evaporator  30  along the guidance flow path  141  formed in the blocking cover  140 . 
     A supply cool-air inlet  311   a  is formed in the upper wall  311  of the first duct unit  310 . The supply cool-air inlet  311   a  serves to supply the cool air to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301 . 
     Specifically, the supply cool-air inlet  311   a  is formed in a center portion of the upper wall  311  of the first duct unit  310 . In this case, the retrieval cool-air outlets  311   b  may be formed to opposite sides, respectively, of the supply cool-air inlet  311   a , and are positioned in such a manner as to correspond to the communication grooves  135 , respectively, formed in the above-described partition wall  130 . 
     In addition, a communication discharge opening  320   a  is formed in the second duct unit  320  in a manner that communicates with each of the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a  in the first duct unit  310  and thus discharges the cool air. In this case, the communication discharge openings  320   a  may be formed at positions, respectively, that correspond to positions of the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a . That is, since the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a  are formed in opposite sides, respectively, of the first duct unit  310 , the communication discharge openings  320   a  may be formed in opposite sides, respectively, of the second duct unit  320 . 
     The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  is formed in a rear surface of the second duct unit  320  in a recessed manner. Specifically, a cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  may be formed at a position that corresponds to a position of the supply cool-air inlet  311   a  in the first duct unit  310 . In this case, the supply cool-air inlet  311   a  is positioned in such a manner as to correspond to a lower end of the rear side branch flow path  133  branching off from the first transfer flow path  131  in the partition wall  130 . 
     The refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  may be formed in such a manner to pass through each of the communication discharge openings  320   a . In this case, in order to guide flowing of the cool air, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow paths  301  are formed in such a manner as to branch off from the cool-air inlet into opposite sides, respectively, of the second duct unit  320 , to pass through the communication discharge openings  320   a , respectively, and to reach bottoms, respectively, of the opposite sides of the second duct unit  320 . 
     An upper surface of the second duct unit  320  is brought into close contact with a bottom surface of the upper wall  311  of the first duct unit  310 . A bottom surface of the second duct unit  320  is brought into close contact with an upper surface of a lower wall  313  of the first duct unit  310 . 
     The refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  may be configured to include a blocking plate  330 . 
     The blocking plate  330  is foiled in such a manner as to cover both rear surfaces of the first duct unit  310  and the second duct unit  320 . That is, with the blocking plate  330 , the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  and the two refrigerating-compartment retrieval paths  302  may be formed as paths blocked from the external environment. 
     It is desirable that the blocking plate  330  is formed of an insulating material. Accordingly, the cool air that flows along the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  or the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  can be prevented from being affected by outside air. 
     A process of supplying and retrieving the cool air in the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to  FIGS. 16 to 19 . 
     First, in the refrigerator, the compressor (not illustrated) and the blowing fan  201  operate. The compressor operates with a cooling cycle according to a condition of temperature inside the freezing compartment  10  or the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     That is, when the temperature inside the freezing compartment  10  or the refrigerating compartment  20  reaches a range of improper temperatures (a range of temperatures higher than a setting temperature), the compressor operates, and thus refrigerant flows sequentially through the condenser, the expander, and the evaporator  30 . At the same time, the blowing fan  201  operates, and thus the cool air that exchanges heat with the evaporator  30  while passing therethrough is supplied to the freezing compartment  10  and the refrigerating compartment  20  through the grill assembly  200 . 
     At this point, the cool air that is retrieved from the freezing compartment  10  or the refrigerating compartment  20  by the operation of the blowing fan  201  passes through the evaporator  30 . Moisture is removed from the cool air passing through the evaporator  30 . As a result of the heat exchange, temperature of the cool air is decreased to a lower temperature. 
     Furthermore, the cool air passing through the evaporator  30  passes through the blowing fan  201  and then flows into the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . Subsequently, while flowing along the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  203  formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 , the cool air is supplied into the freezing compartment  10  through each of the freezing-compartment discharge openings  202  formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 . 
     Therefore, an object subject to being stored in a frozen state is frozen by the cool air in the freezing compartment  10  for being stored. 
     Then, the cool air supplied into the freezing compartment  10  circulates through the inside of the freezing compartment  10 . Subsequently, the cool air passes through the freezing-compartment retrieval flow path  205  famed in the bottom surface of the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200 , is retrieved toward the cool-air inflow side of the evaporator  30 , and passes back through the evaporator  30 . This cool air circulation for heat exchange is repeated. Cool air circulation for freezing is as illustrated in  FIG. 16 . 
     One portion of the cool air flowing into the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  flows along the refrigerating-compartment supply flow path  204  formed in the freezing-compartment grill assembly  200  and then is provided to the first transfer flow path  131  formed in the partition wall  130 . 
     Subsequently, the cool air provided to the first transfer flow path  131  flows along the first transfer flow path  131 , and then the cool air branches off into two streams. The two streams of the cool air flow along the front side branch flow path  132  and the rear side branch flow path  133 , respectively, that extend from the bottom end of the first transfer flow path  131 . 
     At this point, the cool air that flows along the front side branch flow path  132  passes through the front side bottom surface of the partition wall  130  and is supplied into the front side space inside the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     Moreover, the cool air flowing along the rear side branch flow path  133  passes through the supply cool-air inlet  311   a  famed in the first duct unit  310  of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  and is supplied to the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  formed in the second duct unit  320 . 
     While flowing along the first duct unit  310 , the cool air is discharged sequentially through each of the communication discharge openings  320   a  formed in the second duct unit  320  and each of the refrigerating-compartment discharge openings  310   a  formed in the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  and is supplied into each of the spaces of different heights inside the refrigerating compartment  20 . 
     Therefore, an object subject to being stored in a refrigerated state is cooled by the cool air in the refrigerating compartment  20  for being stored. Cool air circulation for refrigerating is as illustrated in  FIG. 17 . 
     The cool air supplied into the refrigerating compartment  20  circulates through the inside of the refrigerating compartment  20  and then flows into the retrieval cool-air inlets  313   a  famed in opposite sides of the lower wall  313  of the first duct unit  310  constituting the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . 
     Subsequently, the cool air flows along the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  communicating with the retrieval cool-air inlet  313   a . Then, the cool air passes sequentially through the retrieval cool-air outlets  311   b  formed in opposite sides respectively, of the upper wall  311  of the first duct unit  310  and through the communication grooves  135  positioned in such a manner as to correspond to the retrieval cool-air outlets  311   b , respectively. Then, the cool air is provided to the second transfer flow path  134 . Cool air circulation is as illustrated in  FIGS. 18 and 19 . 
     Subsequently, the cool air is retrieved toward the cool-air inflow side of the evaporator  30  along the guidance flow path  141  in the blocking cover  140  formed in such a manner as to cover the second transfer flow path  134 . Then, the cool air passes back through the evaporator  30 . This cool air circulation for heat exchange is repeated. 
     While the cool air is supplied by each of the above-described processes to the refrigerating compartment  20 , when the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment  20  reaches a range of proper temperatures (when a setting temperature is reached), the blowing fan  201  and the compressor stops operating. Of course, in a case where the temperatures inside the refrigerating compartment  20  and the freezing compartment  10  are both proper, the blowing fan  201  and the compressor may be controlled in such a manner as to stop operating. 
     In summary, in the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, the refrigerating-compartment discharge flow path  301  for supplying the cool air to the refrigerating compartment  20  and the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  for retrieving the cool air circulating through the refrigerating compartment  20  are formed together in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . Accordingly, an overall structure of the refrigerator according to the present disclosure may be simplified because there is no need to provide a separate duct for retrieving the cool air. 
     In addition, in the refrigerator according to the present disclosure, a cool-air inlet of the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  for retrieving the cool air inside the refrigerating compartment  20  is formed in a bottom surface of the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300 . Accordingly, the cool air supplied into an upper space inside the refrigerating compartment  20  sufficiently flows through the inside of the refrigerating compartment  20  and then is discharged. Thus, the efficiency of refrigerating can be improved. 
     In addition, the refrigerator according to the present disclosure is configured in such a manner that the cool air retrieved through the refrigerating-compartment retrieval path  302  in the refrigerating-compartment grill assembly  300  is transferred to the evaporator  30  through the second transfer flow path  134  formed in a rear surface of the partition wall  130 . With this configuration, insulation loss can be reduced. 
     Although the specific embodiment of the present disclosure has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure as disclosed in the accompanying claims.