Patent Publication Number: US-11662133-B2

Title: Entrance refrigerator

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the priority benefit of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0000087 filed in the Republic of Korea on Jan. 2, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to an entrance refrigerator. That is, the present disclosure is directed to a refrigerator provided at an entrance to a building, such as a residence. 
     Discussion of the Related Art 
     Recently, delivery services for delivering articles (or goods) to a certain place has been commonplace. In particular, when the article to be delivered is fresh food, the fresh food may be stored and delivered in a refrigerator or in a warmer, the refrigerator or warmer may be provided in a delivery vehicle, in order to prevent the food from being spoiled or cooled. 
     Food is generally delivered in a packing material to maintain a cooling or warming state. The packing material is formed of environmental pollutants, such as Styrofoam® or an extruded polystyrene foam or other insulating material. There is an increasing need to reduce the environmental pollutants, including socially and economically. 
     Additionally, if a user is at home at a delivery time, the user may directly receive food from a courier (i.e., a delivery person) face to face, but if the user is not at home, such as when the delivery time is too early or late, it may be difficult for the user to directly receive food from the courier face to face. 
     Therefore, there is a need for food to be received even if the user does not come into direct contact with a courier and there is a need for food not to be spoiled or to be overly cooled until the food is finally delivered to the user. That is, there is a need to maintain the food in the manner in which it was delivered, including the temperature it was delivered, in order to preserve its freshness or to keep the food at a desired temperature for consumption. 
     In order to solve these above problems, recently, a product, such as a refrigerator, is installed at an entrance (e.g., front door) of a user&#39;s residence or other place, so that the courier may store the delivered food in the refrigerator to keep the food fresh and the user may access the refrigerator at a convenient time to receive the food. 
     A related art below discloses an entrance refrigerator provided to be mounted on an entrance door or embedded (e.g., provided) in a wall that borders an entrance hallway. 
     Related art: Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0357547, dated Jul. 19, 2004. 
     The entrance refrigerator embedded (e.g., provided) in a wall disclosed in the related art has the following problems. 
     First, although a conventional cooling device is described as being installed on the bottom of a storage compartment, there is no reference to a type or design structure of a specific cooling device. 
     Second, it is described that heat generated in the cooling device is discharged to an outdoor corridor. In the case of the structure, outsiders that pass by the corridor may be in direct contact with heat to cause discomfort. 
     Third, in summer, heat generated in the cooling device may be discharged to the outdoor corridor to increase a temperature of the air in the corridor. 
     The present disclosure is proposed to improve a technical problem of the wall-embedded entrance refrigerator of the related art. 
     SUMMARY 
     To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an entrance refrigerator, wherein a portion of a front surface of the entrance refrigerator is embedded in a partition, the partition partitioning an indoor area and an outdoor area. In addition, in the entrance refrigerator, a front opening formed on a front surface of a cabinet is exposed to the outdoor area, a side opening formed on a side surface of the cabinet is exposed to the indoor area, and a cold air supply module (e.g., assembly, unit) is provided at a rear of the cabinet. Thus, heat discharged from the cold air supply module is not dissipated to an outer corridor, thereby preventing an increase in an outdoor temperature and affecting a person passing by the outdoor corridor unpleasantly. 
     The entrance refrigerator may further include: a guide plate configured to partition the space into a storage compartment for storing an article and a cold air generating compartment for generating cold air, and having openings allowing cold air to flow in and out therethrough. 
     A through-hole receives the cold air supply module (i.e., the cold air module is inserted into the through-hole). The through-hole may be provided on a rear surface (e.g., rear wall) of the cabinet, and the cold air supply module may include: a thermoelectric element including an endothermic surface and an exothermic surface formed on the mutually opposite sides and vertically erected; a cold sink in contact with the endothermic surface; a heat absorption fan placed at the front of the cold sink (e.g., positioned in front of the cold sink); a heat sink in contact with the exothermic surface; a heat dissipation fan placed at (e.g., positioned in) the rear of the heat sink; and an insulation block provided to surround edges of the thermoelectric element and disposed between the cold sink and the heat sink to prevent heat transfer between the cold sink and the heat sink. 
     At least a portion of the cold sink and the heat absorption fan may be placed in the cold air generating compartment. 
     The insulation block may be placed in the through-hole, and at least a portion of the heat sink and the heat dissipation fan may be placed outside the cabinet. 
     The entrance refrigerator may further include: a heat dissipation cover configured to cover the heat dissipation fan and the heat sink and coupled to a rear surface of the cabinet. 
     The cold air supply module may include: a first cold air supply module mounted on an upper portion of a rear surface of the cabinet; and a second cold air supply module mounted on a lower portion of the rear surface of the cabinet. 
     A lower end of the side opening may be provided at a point higher than a bottom portion of the space, and a phenomenon that cold air hovering at the bottom of the space is released to outside may be minimized. 
     The inner door may include: a first side surface portion to which a hinge is connected; and a second side surface portion defined as an opposite surface of the first side surface portion, wherein the first side surface portion is spaced apart backward from a front surface of the cabinet by at least a thickness of the partition. 
     The second side surface portion may be designed to be spaced apart backward from a rear surface of the cabinet by a predetermined distance, thereby preventing components of the entrance refrigerator including the heat dissipation cover from being exposed to the outside. 
     In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an entrance refrigerator including: a cabinet at least partially embedded in a partition partitioning a first space and a second space and including a first surface having a first opening communicating with the first space, a second surface having a second opening communicating with the second space, and a storage space provided therein; a first door configured to selectively open and close the first opening; a second door configured to selectively open and close the second opening; and a cold air supply module mounted on a third surface differentiated from the first surface and the second surface to supply cold air to the storage space. 
     The cold air supply module may include a thermoelectric element including an endothermic surface and an exothermic surface formed on the mutually opposite sides. 
     The first space may include an indoor space, and the second space may include an outdoor space partitioned from the first space or another indoor space partitioned from the first space. 
     The first surface and the second surface may be vertical surfaces perpendicular to each other, and the third surface may be a vertical surface which is perpendicular to the first surface and faces the second surface. 
     According to the entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a courier may deliver a delivery article without having to come into contact with a home owner in an outdoor area. 
     In addition, since the cold air supply module including a thermoelectric element is used as a means for maintaining a temperature inside the refrigerator at a refrigerating temperature or a warming temperature, a size of a storage space is maximized and a size of a space in which the cold air supply module is accommodated may be minimized. 
     In addition, since heat generated in the cold air supply module is discharged upward in an indoor area, a phenomenon that a person passing by an outdoor corridor is uncomfortable does not occur. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure. In the drawings: 
         FIG.  1    is a front perspective view of an entrance equipped with an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view showing the inside of an entrance taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is a front perspective view of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a rear perspective view of the entrance refrigerator. 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded perspective view of the entrance refrigerator. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional cutaway perspective view of the entrance refrigerator taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  7    is a side cross-sectional view of the entrance refrigerator taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  8    is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the entrance refrigerator taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  9    is a rear perspective view of an outer door of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    is a rear perspective view of an inner door of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  11    is a front perspective view of a guide plate of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  12    is a rear perspective view of the guide plate. 
         FIG.  13    is a rear perspective view of an inner air guide of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  14    is a cutaway perspective view showing a rear wall of an inner case of a cabinet of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  15    is a rear perspective view of a rear wall of the inner case. 
         FIG.  16    is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of  FIG.  7   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Hereinafter, an entrance refrigerator according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG.  1    is a front perspective view of an entrance equipped with an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and  FIG.  2    is a cutaway perspective view showing an inside of an entrance taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG.  1   . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  and  2   , an opening is formed on an outer wall  1  partitioning an indoor area and a corridor, and a frame  2  is provided at the edge of the opening. That is, the frame  2  is attached to the opening of the outer wall  1 . In addition, an entrance door  3  may be installed inside the frame  2 , and an entrance refrigerator  10  may be disposed on a side of the entrance door  3  (e.g., the entrance refrigerator  10  may be positioned within the frame and adjacent to the entrance door  3 ). 
     A partition or a partition wall  7  may be formed between the entrance door  3  and the entrance refrigerator  10 , and the partition  7  opens and closes the entrance door  3 , which may be a front door. The partition  7  may have a control panel  4  for controlling opening and closing of the entrance door  3  and opening and closing of a door  12  (see  FIG.  3   ) of the entrance refrigerator  10 . 
     The control panel  4  may include at least one of a face recognition sensor for recognizing a face of an approaching person, a code reader for recognizing an encryption code of a delivery service article to be stored in the entrance refrigerator  10 , a proximity sensor, a controller (e.g., processor, CPU) and a display unit. Further, the at least one face recognition sensor, the code reader, and the proximity sensor of the code reader  4  may be installed at one side or multiple sides of the control panel  4 . A face image of an approaching person, recognized by the face recognition sensor, may be displayed on the display unit of the control panel  4 . 
     In addition, a controller of the control panel  4  may perform a function of controlling opening and closing of an outdoor side door and an indoor side door of the entrance refrigerator  10 , as well as a function of controlling opening and closing of the entrance door  3 , according to a result of the face recognition. 
     For example, the controller of the control panel  4  may perform a function of opening an outdoor side door of the entrance refrigerator  10  according to a result of recognizing a delivery article and automatically perform a function of locking the outdoor side door when the outdoor side door is recognized to be closed. 
     In addition, in a state where one of the outdoor side door and an indoor side door of the entrance refrigerator  10  is open, the controller of the control panel  4  may maintain the other in a closed state. 
     Alternatively, an independent control panel may be provided for performing the functions on the indoor side door of the entrance refrigerator or the outdoor side door of the entrance refrigerator  10  described above with respect to the control panel  4 . 
     Additionally, an upper side (e.g., upper portion) of the entrance refrigerator  10  may be provided with a first storage  5 , and a lower side (e.g., lower portion) thereof, below the first storage  5 , may be provided with a second storage  6 . The first storage  5  may function as a warmer for storing articles in a warmed state. In addition, the second storage  6  may be maintained at room temperature to simply perform a function of storing a delivery service article (e.g., an article not needing to be maintained a particular temperature) or may be maintained at a temperature different from an internal temperature of the entrance refrigerator  10 . Alternatively, the second storage may be maintained at a temperature lower than room temperature. 
     The first storage  5  may be maintained at a refrigerating temperature or freezing temperature, and the second storage  6  may be used as a space maintained at room temperature so as to perform only a function of storing a delivery service article. 
     Additionally, one or a plurality of third storages  8  may be installed on an indoor entrance side wall corresponding to a rear of the entrance refrigerator  10 . The third storage  8  may be adjacent to the first storage  5  and the second storage  6 , including between the first storage  5  and the entrance door  3  and between the second storage  6  and the entrance door  3 . The third storage  8  may be used as a space for storing shoes, umbrellas, or laundry. 
       FIG.  3    is a front perspective view of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,  FIG.  4    is a rear perspective view of the entrance refrigerator,  FIG.  5    is an exploded perspective view of the entrance refrigerator,  FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional cutaway perspective view of the entrance refrigerator taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG.  3   ,  FIG.  7    is a side cross-sectional view of the entrance refrigerator taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG.  3   , and  FIG.  8    is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the entrance refrigerator taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG.  3   . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  3  to  8   , the entrance refrigerator  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be a wall-embedded refrigerator in which a front portion passes through an outer wall  1 . 
     Specifically, the entrance refrigerator  10  may include a cabinet  11  partially embedded in an outer wall  1  (e.g., an entrance/front wall of a dwelling/building), an outer door  12  for opening and closing an outer opening  114  provided at a front end of the cabinet  11 , an inner door  13  for opening and closing an inner opening  115  provided on a side surface of the cabinet  11 , and one or a plurality of cold air supply modules (e.g., assemblies)  20  mounted on a rear surface of the cabinet  11 . 
     Here, the outer opening  114  may be provided on a front surface of the cabinet  11  and may be defined as a front opening, and the inner opening  115  may be provided on the side surface of the cabinet  11 , adjacent to the outer opening  114 , and may be defined as a side opening. 
     Alternatively, one of the outer opening  114  and the inner opening  115  may be defined as a first opening and the other may be defined as a second opening. One of the outer door  12  and the inner door  13  may be defined as a first door and the other may be defined as a second door. 
     In addition, a range in which the entrance refrigerator  10  is mounted on the outer wall  1  partitioning the indoor area and outdoor area may include the entrance refrigerator  10  being attached (e.g., embedded, connected) to a wall that partitions multiple indoor spaces, including a first indoor space and a second indoor space, or a wall that partitions an indoor area and an outer corridor. 
     For example, the entrance refrigerator  10  may be attached/embedded in a wall formed between an entrance door and a middle door that separates the entrance and a room of a home, such as a kitchen. In this case, when an article is input in the entrance, the article may be taken out in the kitchen on the other side. 
     Therefore, one of a space where the outer door  12  is exposed and a space where the inner door  13  is exposed may be defined as a first space, and the other may be defined as a second space. One of the first space and the second space may include one of an indoor space or an outdoor space, and the other of the first space and the second space may include an indoor space. 
     In another aspect, the space to which the door that is opened to store the delivery service article is exposed may be one of the indoor space and the outdoor space, and the space to which the door that is opened to take out the delivered article is exposed may be the indoor space. 
     In addition, the entrance refrigerator  10  may further include a heat dissipation cover  15  covering a rear surface of the cold air supply module  20  and an external air guide  16  guiding a flow of heat dissipation air discharged through the heat dissipation cover  15 . 
     In this embodiment, a pair of cold air supply modules  20  are arranged up and down, and a pair of heat dissipation covers  15  cover the cold air supply modules  20 , respectively. In addition, the external air guide  16  may be disposed between the pair of heat dissipation covers  15  disposed up and down and may function to guide the flow of heat dissipation air discharged from the lower heat dissipation cover  15 . 
     The pair of cold air supply modules  20  may be defined as an upper first cold air supply module and a lower second cold air supply module. 
     Here, a structure in which a single cold air supply module  20  is disposed at the center of a rear surface of the cabinet  11  also falls within the scope of the present disclosure, in which the external air guide  16  may not be necessary. 
     The heat dissipation cover  15  may have a hexahedral shape, a front surface thereof may be open, and a flange may be bent extending from the open front surface and may be fixed to a rear surface of the cabinet  11 . 
     A plurality of air vents may be formed only on rear, left, and right surfaces excluding the upper and lower surfaces of the heat dissipation cover  15 . By this structure, indoor air may flow into the heat dissipation cover  15  through the air vent formed on the rear surface of the heat dissipation cover  15 , and after heat exchange, the air may be discharged to the outside of the heat dissipation cover  15  through the air vents formed on the left surface and the right surface of the heat dissipation cover  15 . 
     In addition, the entrance refrigerator  10  may further include a guide plate  17  disposed on a rear side in the cabinet  11 . The guide plate  17  may be a partition member partitioning the inner space (e.g., interior space) of the cabinet  11  into a cold air generating compartment  102  (see  FIG.  7   ) in which the cold air supply module  20  is accommodated and a storage compartment  101  in which a delivery service article is stored. 
     In addition, the entrance refrigerator  10  may further include a drain pan  14  and a drain hose  141  mounted at a lower end of the rear surface of the cabinet  11 . The drain hose  141  extends from the bottom of the cold air generating compartment  102  to the drain pan  14  through the lower end of the rear surface of the cabinet  11 . Therefore, condensate water collected at the bottom of the cold air generating compartment  102  is transported to the drain pan  14  through the drain hose  141  (e.g., the condensate water is collected by the drain pan  14 ). 
     Additionally, at least the front surface of the outer door  12  is exposed to the outdoor area and a courier that is authenticated may open the outer door  12 . A front surface of the outer door  12  may be coplanar with or slightly protrude from, the front surfaces of the first storage  5  and second storage  6 . Alternatively, the front surface of the outer door  12  may be designed to be coplanar with or slightly protrude from the outer wall  1 . 
     The outer door  12  may be provided without a separate handle structure, in order to prevent easy access by a person, including a person who is not allowed access. When the outer door  12  is provided without a handle structure, if a delivery service article is recognized and authenticated by an authentication unit mounted on one side of the outer door  12  or on the control panel  4 , the controller installed in the control panel  4  or the entrance refrigerator  10  may release a locked state of the outer door  12  and the controller operates a separate driving unit for pushing the outer door  12  so that the outer door  12  rotates forward by a predetermined angle, so that the courier may easily open the outer door. 
     In addition, when the article storage is completed (e.g., the article is stored in the cabinet  11 ) and the courier/person closes the outer door  12 , the controller may return the outer door to a locked state. 
     In addition, in  FIG.  3   , a distance M from a front end of the cabinet  11  to a left surface of the inner door  13  may correspond to a thickness of the outer wall  1 . A hinge of the inner door  13  may be installed at the cabinet  11  or may be installed in a portion other than the cabinet  11  including the outer wall  1 . The hinge of the inner door  13  may allow the inner door  13  to rotate about the hinge between an open position and a closed position. 
     Further, a hinge  124  of the inner door  12  may also be installed at the cabinet  11  or may be installed at a portion other than the cabinet  11  including the outer wall  1 . The hinge of the inner door  12  may allow the inner door  12  to rotate about the hinge between an open position and a closed position. 
     In addition, the cabinet  11  includes an outer case  111  forming an appearance, an inner case  112  positioned inside the outer case  111  to define the storage compartment  101 , and a heat insulating material  113  filling a space between the outer case  111  and the inner case  112 . 
     A plurality of protrusions  112   i  (see  FIG.  8   ) may protrude from a bottom of the inner case  112 . The plurality of protrusions  112   i  may extend from a front end to a rear end of the inner case  112  and protrude upward from the bottom of the inner case  112 . 
     In addition, the plurality of protrusions  112   i  may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval in a widthwise direction of the inner case  112 . 
     Since the plurality of protrusions  112   i  are formed at the bottom of the inner case  112 , when a delivery service article that is heavy is pushed into and received in the storage compartment  101 , the delivery service article may come into contact with the plurality of protrusions  112   i  formed on bottom of the inner case  112 , thereby minimizing a frictional force as compared to contacting the entirety of the bottom of the inner case  12 . Further, each of the plurality of protrusions  112   i  may be formed as a line protruding upwards from the bottom of the inner case  12 , starting substantially from the outer opening  114  to an opposite side of the inner case  12 . 
     The plurality of protrusions  112   i  may have a circular (e.g., dot) or hemispherical shape and may be arranged at a predetermined interval so as to come into point contact with a bottom surface of a delivery service article, thereby reducing a frictional force. 
     In addition, an outer gasket  31  is mounted on a front surface of the cabinet  11  corresponding to the edge of the outer opening  114 , and an inner gasket  32  is mounted on a side surface of the cabinet  11  corresponding to the edge of the inner opening  115 . The outer gasket  31  and the inner gasket  32  may be made of a material known in the art (i.e., the field of refrigeration and heating). 
     In addition, an inner air guide  18  is mounted on a rear surface of the guide plate  17  to guide cold air supplied from the cold air supply module  20  to the storage compartment  101 . 
     Additionally, the cold air supply module  20  includes a cold air supply unit to which a thermoelectric element is applied. When a current is supplied (e.g., applied), one surface (e.g., a first surface) of the thermoelectric element acts as an endothermic surface absorbing heat as a temperature is decreased, and the other surface (e.g., a second surface opposite to the first surface) thereof acts as an exothermic surface dissipating heat as a temperature is increased. 
     The cold air supply module  20  may include a thermoelectric element  21 , a cold sink  22  attached to the endothermic surface of the thermoelectric element  21 , a heat sink  24  attached to the exothermic surface of the thermoelectric element  21 , a heat absorption fan  23  placed (e.g., positioned) in front of the cold sink  22 , a heat dissipation fan  25  placed (e.g., positioned) behind the heat sink  24 , and an insulation block  26  surrounding the edges of the thermoelectric element  21 . 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG.  7   , the cold air supply module  20 , may be mounted in a mounting hole formed on the rear surface of the cabinet  11 . In a case where the pair of cold air supply modules  20  are disposed to be spaced apart in an up and down (e.g., vertical) direction, a first cold air supply module may be disposed at a lower portion of the rear surface of the cabinet  11  and a second cold air supply module may be mounted at a position/point on the rear surface of the cabinet corresponding spaced apart upward from the first cold air supply module. 
     The inner air guide  18  may be located between a heat absorption fan of the first cold air supply module and a heat absorption fan of the second cold air supply module. Due to the inner air guide  18 , cold air flowing by the heat absorption fan of the first cold air supply module and cold air flowing by the heat absorption fan of the second cold air supply module may not be mixed and supplied to the storage compartment. 
     At least one or both of the heat absorption fan  23  and the heat dissipation fan  25  may be an axial flow fan or a centrifugal fan. 
     Each cold sink  22  includes a sink body and a plurality of heat exchange fins arranged on a front surface of the sink body. A rear surface of the sink body is in close contact with the front surface of the thermoelectric element  21 , the heat exchange fins may be perpendicular to the front surface of the sink body. The plurality of heat exchange fins are spaced apart from each other in a widthwise direction of the sink body. Therefore, cold air inside the storage compartment  101  pulled in by the heat absorption fan  23  hits the front surface of the sink body and flows in an up-down direction through flow paths formed between the plurality of heat exchange fins in a distributed manner. The cold air cooled while exchanging heat with the cold sink  22  passes through a discharge grille  171  (see  FIG.  8   ) formed at the guide plate  17  along the inner air guide  18  and then is supplied to the storage compartment  101 . 
     Like the cold sink  22 , the heat sink  24  may include a sink body whose rear surface is attached to the exothermic surface of the thermoelectric element  21  and a plurality of heat exchange fins extending from a front surface of the sink body. 
     Since the heat sink  24  must have a larger heat exchange amount than the cold sink  22 , the heat sink  24  may have a larger volume than the cold sink  22 , and a heat transfer unit such as a heat pipe may be additionally installed therein. This is due to physical properties that a cooling capacity of the thermoelectric element decreases as a temperature difference between the endothermic surface and the exothermic surface increases. Therefore, in order to maximize the cooling capacity of the thermoelectric element  21 , a heat dissipation capacity of the heat sink  24  is set larger than that of the cold sink  22 . 
     In addition, since the heat exchange fins of the heat sink  24  extend in a horizontal direction and are spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction, ambient air (e.g., indoor air) pulled in by the heat dissipation fan  25  hits (e.g., contacts) the surface of the sink body of the heat sink  24  and then dividedly flow in a left-right direction. 
     In particular, the heat dissipation air dividedly flowing to the left and right after hitting the heat sink  24  at the lower side so as to be heat-exchanged hits a bottom surface of the external air guide  16  and is guided to flow dividedly to the left and right of the heat dissipation cover  15 . 
     Additionally, condensate water formed on a surface of the cold sink  22  flows to the bottom of the cold air generating compartment  102  and is collected to a drain pan  14  through a drain hose  141 . The drain hose  141  extends to the drain pan  14  from the bottom of the inner case  112 , which defines the bottom of the cold air generating compartment  102 , through the cabinet  11 . 
       FIG.  9    is a rear perspective view of an outer door of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , the outer door  12  of the entrance refrigerator  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a door body  121  and a door liner  122  protruding from a rear surface of the door body  121 . The door liner  122  may encompass an entire rear surface of the door body  121  or may encompass less than an entire rear surface of the door body  121 , such as shown in  FIG.  9   . 
     The door body  121  may be formed of a metal having a fireproofing function that may tolerate a flame when a fire breaks out in the outdoor corridor. The door body  121  may be filled with a fire resistant block. 
     In addition, the door liner  122  is a portion led into (e.g., extends into) the storage compartment  101  through the outer opening  114  when the outer door  12  is closed. Therefore, the door liner  122  may be filled with insulation foam so that cold air of the storage compartment  101  is not leaked to the outside by heat conduction. 
     When the outer door  12  is closed, the outer gasket  31  (see  FIG.  7   ) surrounding the edges of the outer opening  114  is in close contact with the rear surface of the door body  121 . Specifically, the outer gasket  31  is in close contact with the edges of the door liner  122 , thereby blocking leakage air from within the entrance refrigerator  10 , including hot air or cold air. 
     In addition, the hinge  124  is mounted on one surface of the door body  121  (or one surface of the outer door), and a latch recess  123  may be provided on the other surface of the door body  121  (or the other surface of the outer door). A door latch is inserted into the latch recess  123  to maintain the outer door  12  in a locked state, and the door latch may be provided in a partition  7  partitioning the entrance refrigerator  10  and the entrance door  3 . 
     Specifically, the door latch may be mounted in a horizontal direction on a side surface of the partition  7  facing the other side surface of the door body  121  and may be drawn out from the partition  7  or drawn into the partition  7 . 
     Conversely, the door latch may be installed to be drawn in or out from the door body  121  and the latch recess may be provided on a side surface of the partition  7 . 
       FIG.  10    is a rear perspective view of an inner door of the entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  10   , the inner door  13  of the entrance refrigerator  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a door body  131  and a door liner  132  provided on a rear surface of the door body  131 . 
     Specifically, the door body  131  and the door liner  132  may be formed of a plastic material and may be filled with a heat insulating material therein. However, the door body  131  may be formed of a metal depending on design conditions. 
     The door liner  132  protrudes from the rear surface of the door body  131  by a predetermined thickness, and when the inner door  13  is closed, the door liner  132  is led into (e.g., positioned in) the storage compartment  101  through the inner opening  115 . 
     In addition, when the inner door  13  is closed, the inner gasket  32  surrounding the edges of the inner opening  115  is in close contact with the rear surface of the door body  131  corresponding to the edges of the door liner  132 . 
     A hinge  133  is mounted on one side (e.g., a first side) of the door body  131 , and the hinge  133  may be fixed to the outer wall  2  or may be fixed to the cabinet  11 . Since a front end of the cabinet  11  is embedded in the outer wall  2 , the one side (e.g., first side) of the inner door  13 , that is, the side on which the hinge  133  is mounted, may be spaced apart from the front end of the cabinet  11  by a predetermined distance (M: see  FIG.  3   ). 
     In addition, the other side (e.g., second side) of the inner door  13  corresponding to the opposite side of the side on which the hinge  133  is mounted may be located at a rear side with respect to the rear end of the cabinet  11 . That is, the side end portion defining the other side of the inner door  13  may extend further to a rear than a rear end of the cabinet  11  so as to be adjacent to the third storage  8 . According to this structure, the components provided on the rear surface of the cabinet  11  including the heat dissipation cover  15 , the drain pan  14 , and the external air guide  16  are not exposed to the outside. 
     Specifically, a rear surface portion of the door body  131  may include a left rear surface portion from one side of the door body  131  to one side of the door liner  132 , a right rear surface portion from the other side of the door body  131  to the other side of the door liner  132 , an upper rear surface portion  138  from an upper end of the door body  131  to an upper end of the door liner  132 , and a lower rear surface portion  139  from a lower end of the door body  131  to a lower end of the door liner  132 . 
     In addition, the right rear surface portion may include a first right rear surface portion  134  in close contact with the side of the cabinet  11  when the inner door  13  is closed, and a second right rear surface portion  135  from the edge of the first right rear surface portion  134  to the other side of the door body  131 . 
     A latch recess  136  may be formed at the first right rear surface portion  134 , and a door latch may be provided in the cabinet  11  corresponding to the latch recess  136 . That is, a locking device for locking the inner door  13  may be provided on the first right rear surface portion  134  and the cabinet  11  corresponding thereto. 
     The second right rear surface portion  135  is a portion extending further from the rear end of the cabinet  11  to the rear side, which serves to shield a space between the rear surface of the cabinet  11  and the third storage  8 . That is, the second right rear surface portion  135  may extend from the first right rear surface portion  134 . 
     In addition, a vertical width L 1  of the second right rear surface portion  135  may be formed smaller than a vertical width L 2  of the lower rear surface portion  139  (see  FIG.  10   ). This is because, as shown in  FIG.  8   , the length from the lower end of the side of the cabinet  11  to the lower end of the inner opening  115  is greater than a thickness of the cabinet  11 . 
     The lower end of the inner opening  115  is formed higher than the bottom of the storage compartment  101 , so that when the inner door  13  is opened, a phenomenon that cold air that stays on the bottom of the storage compartment  101  is leaked to the outside through the inner opening  115  may be minimized, thereby minimizing air leakage (e.g., loss of cold air). 
     In order to minimize the air leakage phenomenon (e.g., cold air leakage), the lower end of the inner opening  115  may also be designed higher than the bottom of the storage compartment  101 . 
       FIG.  11    is a front perspective view of a guide plate of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and  FIG.  12    is a rear perspective view of the guide plate. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  11  and  12   , the guide plate  17  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plate body  172  having a rectangular shape, a bent portion  173  bent backward (e.g., extending backward or rearward) along the edges of the plate body  172 , and at least a pair of reinforcing ribs  174  protruding from a rear surface of the plate body  172  and extending from an upper end of the plate body  172  to a lower end thereof. The bent portion  173  is in close contact with an inner surface of the inner case  112 . 
     Further, a distance from a left edge of the plate body  172  to one of the pair of reinforcing ribs  174  may be equal to a distance from a right edge of the plate body  172  to the other of the pair of reinforcing ribs  174 . 
     In addition, a plurality of grilles may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in an up-down direction, i.e., in a lengthwise direction of the plate body  171 , on the plate body  172  corresponding to between the pair of reinforcing ribs  174 . 
     The grilles may be a structure including an opening formed at the plate body  172  and a plurality of vertical ribs formed in the opening. The plurality of vertical ribs may be spaced apart from each other in a widthwise direction of the opening that defines the grilles. 
     The plurality of grilles may include a plurality of discharge grilles  171  formed at a central portion of the plate body  172 , an upper edge portion of the plate body  172 , and a lower edge portion of the plate body  172 , and a plurality of intake grilles  175  formed between the vertically adjacent discharge grilles  171 . 
     The plurality of discharge grilles  171  may include an upper discharge grille formed near the upper edge of the plate body  172 , a central discharge grille formed at the center of the plate body  172 , and a lower discharge grille formed near the lower edge of the plate body  172 . 
     In addition, a vertical length of the opening defining the central discharge grille may be designed to be twice a vertical length of the opening that defines the upper discharge grille, and a vertical length of the opening that defines the upper discharge grille may be designed to be equal to a vertical length of the opening that defines the lower discharge grille. 
     The plurality of intake grilles  175  may include an upper intake grille formed between the upper discharge grille and the central discharge grille and a lower intake grille formed between the central discharge grille and the lower discharge grille. The upper intake grille and the lower intake grille may be designed to have the same size or may have different sizes. 
     The heat absorption fan  23  of the cold air supply module  20  may be disposed on the rear side of the plurality of intake grilles  175 . 
     A support rib  176  extends along the edge of the opening that defines the intake grille  175  to form a rectangular fan accommodating portion. Further, the support rib  176  may extend along an entire periphery of the edge of the opening that defines the intake grille  175  to form the rectangular fan accommodating portion. In addition, a portion of a front surface of the heat absorption fan  23  is accommodated in the fan accommodating portion defined by the support rib  176 . 
     In addition, the inner air guide  18  may be mounted on a rear surface of the plate body  172  corresponding to (e.g., at, positioned on) the center of the central discharge grille. When the heat absorption fan  23  is driven, cold air of the storage compartment  101  is introduced into the cold air generating compartment  102  through the upper intake grille and the lower intake grille to hit (e.g., contact) the surface of the cold sink  22 . 
     The cold air that hits the cold sink  22  is lowered in temperature through heat exchange and then dividedly flow in an up-down direction of the cold sink  22 . A part of the cold air flowing in the up-down direction of the cold sink  22  flows back into the storage compartment  101  through the upper discharge grille and the lower discharge grille. 
     Additionally, cold air flowing along the inner air guide  18  is introduced back into the storage compartment  101  through the central discharge grille. 
     Here, intake and discharge flow paths of the cold air may be reversed according to types of the heat absorption fan  23 , in which case the intake grilles may function as discharge grilles and the discharge grilles may function as intake grilles. 
       FIG.  13    is a rear perspective view of the inner air guide of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  13   , the inner air guide  18  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include an upper guide  181  extending to be rounded upward (e.g., curved upwards) from a front end toward a rear end, a lower guide  182  extending to be rounded downward (e.g., curved downwards) from the front end toward the rear end thereof, and a flange  183  extending vertically from the side of the front end where the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  meet. The front end (e.g., base) where the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  meet may be substantially planar and may extend in a horizontal direction. Further, the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  may be symmetric about the front end where the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  meet. 
     The front end of the upper guide  181  may meet the front end of the lower guide  182  to form a single body. That is, the inner air guide  18  may be formed of a singular unitary body having an upper guide  181  and a lower guide  182 , the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  meet at a single point, and the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  may be curved in opposite directions from the single point. 
     The upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  may be rounded or inclined in a vertically symmetrical shape with respect to a horizontal surface where front ends of the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  meet, i.e., a horizontal surface that vertically bisects the inner air guide  18 . 
     Specifically, the upper guide  181  may be rounded in a direction in which a slope of a tangent passing through a rear surface of the upper guide  181  increases from the front end toward the rear end. 
     Alternatively, the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  may be inclined at the same angle to an upper side and a lower side from the horizontal plane, the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  meeting (e.g., adjoining) at the horizontal plane, and the horizontal plane bisects the inner air guide  18  vertically (e.g., in an up and down direction). 
     Here, the rear surface of the upper guide  181  and the rear surface of the lower guide  182  may refer to two surfaces facing each other (or extending away from each other, as shown in  FIG.  13   ), and the opposite surfaces of the rear surfaces may be defined as a front surface of the upper guide  181  and a front surface of the lower guide  182 , respectively. 
     The flange  183  extends from the left and right ends of the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  and is coupled to the pair of reinforcing ribs  174  formed on the rear surface of the guide plate  17 . 
     Specifically, the front end of the inner air guide  18  may be disposed at a point that bisects the central discharge grille of the guide plate  17  up and down. Accordingly, cold air forcedly flowing by the upper heat absorption fan  23  and cold air forcedly flowing by the lower heat absorption fan  23  are discharged to the storage compartment  101  substantially uniformly through the central discharge grille. 
     In addition, the flange  183  may be fixedly mounted to the reinforcing rib  174  by a screw or other fastener passing through the reinforcing rib  174 . Alternatively, the flange  183  may be attached to the reinforcing rib  174  by an adhesive member, brazing, welding or any other joining method. 
     Alternatively, the flange  183  may not be provided, and the front ends where the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182  meet may be attached directly to the rear surface of the guide plate  17 , such as by fastening with fasteners, adhesive bonding, brazing or welding. 
     In addition, a rear end of the upper surface of the lower guide  182  may be provided with an interference preventing recess  182   a , and a function of the interference preventing recess  182   a  will be described in detail with reference to the drawings below. The interference preventing recess  182   a  is provided at a rear end of the lower guide  182 , opposite to the front end where the upper guide  181  meets the front end of the lower guide  182 . Further, the interference preventing recess  182   a  may extend substantially an entire width of the rear end of the lower guide  182 , or may extend less than an entire width of the rear end of the lower guide  182 . 
       FIG.  14    is a cutaway perspective view showing a rear wall of an inner case of a cabinet of an entrance refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and  FIG.  15    is a rear perspective view of the rear wall of the inner case. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  14  and  15   , a through-hole in which one or a plurality of cold air supply modules  20  are mounted is provided on a rear wall of the inner case  112  of the cabinet  11  of the entrance refrigerator  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Specifically, in a case where a pair of cold air supply modules  20  are mounted on the rear wall/surface of the cabinet  11 , an upper through-hole  112   a  and a lower through-hole  112   b  may be provided on the rear wall of the cabinet  11 . 
     At the center of the rear wall of the inner case  112 , a center recess  112   f  having a predetermined width may be provided to extend from an upper end of the rear wall of the inner case  112  to a lower end of the inner case  112  (e.g., the center recess  112   f  extend an entire distance from an upper end of the rear wall of the inner case  112  to a lower end of the inner case  112 ). The center recess  112   f  may be a portion of the rear wall of the inner case  112 , which is recessed or stepped backward, and may be formed by a forming process, such as a deforming process (e.g., pressing, molding, etc.). 
     An upper end of the upper through-hole  112   a  is spaced apart by a predetermined distance downward (e.g., is spaced downward from) from an upper end of the center recess  112   f , and a lower end of the lower through-hole  112   b  is spaced apart by a predetermined distance upward (e.g., is spaced upward from) from a lower end of the center recess  112   f.    
     Further, on the rear wall of the inner case  112  defining the center recess  112   f , an upper guide portion  112   g  rounded in a direction protruding rearward or stepped a plurality of times in a stairway (e.g., stair-like or stair) shape from the upper end of the center recess  112   f  toward the upper end of the upper through-hole  112   a  is defined. 
     In the same manner, a lower guide portion  112   h  is provided at a portion from the lower end of the center recess  112   f  to the lower end of the lower through-hole  112   b.    
     The upper guide portion  112   g  and the lower guide portion  112   h  may be understood as portions provided to guide a flow of air pulled in by the intake fan  23  and ascends or descends along the cold sink  22  toward the discharge grille  171  of the guide plate  17 . 
     Therefore, when the upper guide portion  112   g  and the lower guide portion  112   h  are designed to be smoothly rounded toward the front of the inner case  112 , flow resistance that may occur in the process of guiding air cooled while passing through the cold sink  22  to the storage compartment  101  may be minimized. 
     Additionally, a guide protrusion  112   c  may be provided for guiding a flow of condensate water, and the guide protrusion  112   c  may protrude from the rear wall of the inner case  112  corresponding to between the upper through-hole  112   a  and the lower through-hole  112   b.    
     Specifically, the guide protrusion  112   c  may be formed to have a width narrower toward the upper through-hole  112   a . Specifically, the guide protrusion  112   c  includes a left inclined portion  112   d  and a right inclined portion  112   e , and an upper end of the left inclined portion  112   d  and an upper end of the right inclined portion  112   e  meet to form a peak. That is, the guide protrusion  112   c  may form a triangular shape with the left inclined portion  112   d  and the right inclined portion  112   e.    
     In addition, the left inclined portion  112   d  and the right inclined portion  112   e  may extend from a point where they are spaced apart upward from the lower through-hole  112   b . In other words, the guide protrusion  112   c  may extend vertically upward with a predetermined width from the upper end of the lower through-hole  112   b  and extend to have a narrower width, starting from a point where the left inclined portion  112   d  and the right inclined portion  112   e  are formed (e.g., begin). 
     By this structure, condensate water or defrost water flowing down the surface of the cold sink  22  of the cold air supply module  20  mounted at the upper through-hole  112   a  flows down to the bottom of the inner case  112  along a left edge and a right edge of the guide protrusion  112   c.    
     Specifically, the condensate water or the defrost water flows down to the bottom of the inner case  112  along a left flow path  112   j  formed at a left edge of the center recess  112   f  and a left edge of the guide protrusion  112   c  and a right flow path  112   k  formed at a right edge of the center recess  112   f  and a right edge of the guide protrusion  112   c.    
     Here, the condensate water or the defrost water flowing down to the upper end of the guide protrusion  112   c  is divided at the left inclined portion  112   d  and the right inclined portion  112   e  to flow to the left flow path  112   j  and the right flow path  112   k.    
     In addition, a drain hole  112   m  is formed at a point where the rear wall and the bottom surface of the inner case  112  meet, and one end of the drain hose  141  is connected to the drain hole  112   m . Therefore, the condensate water or the defrost water flowing down to the bottom of the inner case  112  is collected to the drain pan  14  along the drain hose  141 . 
     As another example, the left inclined portion  112   d  and the right inclined portion  112   e  may extend from the upper end of the lower through-hole  112   b , so that the guide protrusion  112   c  may have a triangular protrusion shape. 
     Thus, by allowing the condensate water or the defrost water flowing from the upper cold sink  22  to flow along both side ends of the cold sink of the cold air supply module  20 , a phenomenon that cold air forcedly flowing by the heat absorption fan  23  acts as flow resistance to the condensate water may be minimized. 
     Specifically, cold air introduced into the cold air generating compartment  102  from the storage compartment  101  by the heat absorption fan  23  (e.g., by being pulled by the heat absorption fan  23 ) directly hits (e.g., contacts) the front surface of the cold sink  22  and then dividedly flows to the upper side and the lower side. In addition, a flow rate of the cold air hitting the front surface of the cold sink  22  is relatively low from the center of the front surface of the cold sink  22  toward the both side ends. 
     Therefore, a flow resistance may occur as the cold air ascending after hitting the surface of the cold sink of the cold air supply module  20  mounted in the lower through-hole  112   b  pushes up the condensate water or the defrost water flowing down from the upper cold sink  22 . 
     Here, the flow resistance acting on the condensate water or the defrost water that flows down may be minimized by dispersing the flow of the condensate water or the defrost water to the left flow path  112   j  and the right flow path  112   k.    
       FIG.  16    is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A of  FIG.  7   . 
     Referring to  FIG.  16   , as indicated by the solid arrows, when the heat absorption fan (upper heat absorption fan) of the first cold air supply module and the heat absorption fan (lower heat absorption fan) of the second cold air supply module are driven, cold air (e.g., intake air) of the storage compartment  101  is pulled into the cold air generating compartment  102  through the guide plate  17 . 
     The cold air pulled into the cold air generating compartment  102  is changed in a flow direction by 180 degrees by the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182 . That is, the cold air pulled by the heat absorption fans hits the front surface of the sink body of the cold sink  22  and descends, and then is dispersed up and down. 
     The cold air dispersed up and down is changed in flow direction toward the storage compartment by the upper guide  181  and the lower guide  182 . The cold air changed in flow direction is discharged to the storage compartment  101  through the guide plate  17 . 
     Additionally, a rear end of the upper guide  181  of the inner air guide  18  is spaced apart from the rear wall of the inner case  112  defining the center recess  112   f  This is to prevent the flow of the condensate water or the defrost water flowing down along the rear wall of the inner case  112  as indicated by the dotted arrow from being interfered by the upper guide  181 . 
     If the rear end of the upper guide  181  is in contact with the rear wall of the inner case  112 , the condensate water or the defrost water moves to the front end of the upper guide  181  along the upper surface of the upper guide  181 . In addition, the condensate water or the defrost water flowing along the upper surface of the upper guide  181  flows down to the bottom of the storage compartment  101  along the guide plate  17 . Then, the condensate water flowing down to the bottom of the inner case  112  does not flow toward the drain hole  112   m  formed at the bottom of the cold air generating compartment  102  but remains at the bottom of the storage compartment  101 . This phenomenon may cause mold to occur inside the storage compartment  101  and to cause odor. 
     Additionally, the rear end of the lower guide  182  may be in contact with the guide protrusion  112   c , and the interference preventing recess  182   a  formed on the upper surface of the rear end of the lower guide  182  may be defined as a recess accommodating the guide protrusion  112   c . Therefore, a width of the interference preventing recess  182   a  may be formed to have a size corresponding to the width of the guide protrusion  112   c.    
     Of course, the left edge and the right edge of the rear end of the lower guide  182  are spaced apart from the rear wall of the inner case  112  defining the left flow path  112   j  and the right flow path  112   k.    
     Additionally, the front surface of the rear wall of the inner case  112  from the lower end of the upper through-hole  112   a  and the upper end of the lower through-hole  112   b  may be formed to be inclined in the form of protruding forward toward a lower side (e.g., inclined toward a lower side). The inclined structure may also be applied to the rear wall of the inner case  112  defining the left flow path  112   j  and the right flow path  112   k  in the same manner. 
     The inclined structure may minimize a phenomenon that the condensate water or the defrost water falling from the cold sink  22  of the first cold air supply module  20  hits directly the cold sink  22  of the second cold air supply module  20  and scatters. 
     That is, by allowing the condensate water or the defrost water to flow along the inclined rear wall of the inner case  112  to reach the surface of the cold sink  22  of the second cold air supply module  20 , scattering of the condensate water may be minimized. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosures. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure covers the modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.