Patent Description:
A refrigerator is a home appliance that is equipped with a main body having a storage compartment, a cold air supply device provided to supply cold air to the storage compartment, and a door provided to open and close the storage compartment and stores food in a fresh state.

The refrigerator may have an ice-making compartment to generate and store ice. In the case of a Bottom Mounted Freezer (BMF) type refrigerator, the ice-making compartment may be provided at a corner inside a refrigerating compartment or may be provided at a rear surface of a refrigerating compartment door.

In the ice-making compartment, an ice maker for generating ice and an ice bucket for storing the ice generated by the ice maker and transporting the ice to a dispenser may be disposed. When the ice-making compartment is provided inside the refrigerating compartment or on the rear surface of the refrigerating compartment door, there is a need to open the door to access the ice maker and ice bucket disposed in the ice-making compartment.

<CIT> and <CIT> disclose a refrigerator including an auxiliary door.

It is an aspect of the disclosure to provide a refrigerator facilitating access to an ice making compartment.

It is another aspect of the disclosure to provide a refrigerator capable of preventing outflow of cold air when accessing an ice making compartment.

It is another aspect of the disclosure to provide a refrigerator having an enhanced spatial efficiency of a storage compartment.

It is another aspect of the disclosure to provide a refrigerator having an improved ice making efficiency.

It is another aspect of the disclosure to provide a refrigerator facilitating replacement and repair of a water filter and simplifying a water supply line.

According to the invention, there is provided a refrigerator as defined in claim <NUM>.

The freezing compartment includes a storage space in which food is stored and a heat exchange space in which an evaporator is disposed, and the cold air duct includes a supply duct configured to supply cold air of the heat exchange space to the ice-making compartment and includes a recovery duct configured to recover cold air of the ice-making compartment to the heat exchange space.

The supply duct may include a main body supply duct provided in the main body and a door supply duct provided in the refrigerating compartment door, and when the refrigerating compartment door is closed, the main body supply duct and the door supply duct may be connected to each other, and when the refrigerating compartment door is opened, the main body supply duct and the door supply duct may be separated from each other.

The recovery duct may include a main body recovery duct provided in the main body and a door recovery duct provided in the refrigerating compartment door, and when the refrigerating compartment door is closed, the main body recovery duct and the door recovery duct may be connected to each other, and when the refrigerating compartment door is opened, the main body recovery duct and the door recovery duct may be separated from each other.

The refrigerator may further include an evaporator duct installed in the freezing compartment to divide the freezing compartment into the storage space and the heat exchange space, wherein the cold air duct may be coupled to the evaporator duct.

The refrigerator may further include a damper device provided in the evaporator duct to control supply of cold air into the ice making compartment through the cold air duct.

The refrigerator compartment door may include a door front plate forming a front surface of the refrigerating compartment door, a door rear plate forming a rear surface of the refrigerating compartment door, and an insulator provided between the door front plate and the door rear plate.

The dispenser may include a dispenser housing formed to be recessed to form a dispensing space, a chute configured to guide ice of the ice-making compartment to the dispensing space, and a lever manipulated to operate the dispenser.

The door front plate may include a dispenser installation hole that is open to install the dispenser housing therein.

The door front plate may include a bottom surface forming a lower surface of the ice making compartment, and the bottom surface is formed with an ice pathway hole configured to communicate the ice-making compartment with the chute.

The dispenser may include a chute opening/closing device provided to open and close the chute.

The door front plate may include a water filter accommodating portion formed to be recessed therein to accommodate a water filter for purifying water therein.

The door rear plate may include a water tank accommodating portion formed to be recessed therein to accommodate a water tank for storing water therein.

The refrigerator may further include a valve provided in the water tank accommodating portion to control supply of water purified by the water filter into the water tank or the ice making compartment.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a refrigerator including: a main body having a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment; and a refrigerating compartment door rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close at least a part of the refrigerating compartment, wherein the refrigerating compartment door includes: an ice-making compartment formed on a front surface of the refrigerating compartment door such that an access to the ice-making compartment is allowed with the refrigerating compartment door closed, and in which an ice maker is disposed; a dispenser configured to supply water or ice; a water filter connected to an external water supply source, and configured to purify water; a water tank configured to store water; and a valve configured to control supply of the water purified by the water filter into the water tank or the ice maker.

The refrigerator includes an auxiliary door provided at a front of the refrigerating door to open and close the ice-making compartment.

The auxiliary door has an opening corresponding to the dispenser such that an access to the dispenser is allowed with the auxiliary door closed.

The refrigerator further includes an evaporator provided in the freezing compartment to cool the freezing compartment, and a cold air duct provided to cool the ice making compartment using cold air generated from the evaporator.

The freezing compartment includes a storage space in which food is stored and a heat exchange space in which an evaporator is disposed, wherein the cold air duct includes a supply duct configured to supply cold air of the heat exchange space to the ice-making compartment and a recovery duct configured to recover cold air of the ice-making compartment to the heat exchange space.

The refrigerator may further include a damper device configured to allow or block cold air suppled into the ice making compartment through the cold air duct.

The refrigerator includes the ice-making compartment that is formed on the front surface of the door to be accessed without opening the door, so that dispensing of ice and repair and replacement of the ice maker and the ice bucket can be facilitated.

The refrigerator has the door kept closed when the user accesses the ice-making compartment, so that cold air of the storage compartment can be prevented from leaking and energy consumption can be reduced.

The terms including ordinal numbers like "first" and "second" may be used to explain various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing a component from another. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a front side of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the disclosure. <FIG> is a perspective view of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view schematically illustrating main parts of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is a view illustrating a connecting structure between a freezing compartment and an ice making compartment through a cold air duct of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, a refrigerator <NUM> includes a main body <NUM>, a refrigerating compartment <NUM> and a freezing compartment <NUM> formed in the main body <NUM>, refrigerating compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> rotatably provided on the main body <NUM> to open and close the refrigerating compartment <NUM>, freezing compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> rotatably provided on the main body <NUM> to open and close the freezing compartment <NUM>, an ice-making compartment <NUM> formed on the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>, and a cold air supply device provided to supply cold air to the refrigerating compartment <NUM>, the freezing compartment <NUM>, and the ice-making compartment <NUM>.

The refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM> are divided by an intermediate wall <NUM>, and the refrigerating compartment <NUM> may be formed at an upper side of the main body <NUM>, and the freezing compartment <NUM> may be formed at a lower side of the main body <NUM>. The refrigerating compartment <NUM> may be maintained at a temperature of about <NUM>. so that food items are stored and refrigerated. The freezing compartment <NUM> may be maintained at a temperature of about - <NUM> to <NUM> degrees so that food is stored frozen. The ice-making compartment <NUM> may be divided from the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and may communicate with the freezing compartment <NUM> through a cold air duct <NUM>. The ice-making compartment <NUM> may be maintained at the same temperature as that of the freezing compartment <NUM> to generate and store ice.

The cold air supply device may include a compressor 20a, a condenser 20b, evaporators <NUM> and <NUM>, and an expansion device (not shown), and may generate cold air using latent heat of evaporation of a refrigerant. The compressor 20a and the condenser 20b may be disposed in a machine room <NUM> formed at a rear lower portion of the main body <NUM>.

The evaporators <NUM> and <NUM> may include a refrigerating compartment evaporator <NUM> disposed in the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and a freezing compartment evaporator <NUM> disposed in the freezing compartment <NUM>. Cold air generated by the refrigerating compartment evaporator <NUM> may be supplied to the refrigerating compartment <NUM> by an operation of a refrigerating compartment blower fan 16a. Cold air generated by the freezing compartment evaporator <NUM> may be supplied to the freezing compartment <NUM> and the ice-making compartment <NUM> by an operation of a freezing compartment blower fan <NUM>.

The refrigerator <NUM> includes a cold air duct <NUM> to guide cold air generated by the evaporator <NUM> to the ice making compartment <NUM>.

The main body <NUM> includes an inner case <NUM> forming the refrigerating compartment <NUM> and the freezing compartment <NUM>, an outer case <NUM> coupled to an outer side of the inner case <NUM> and forming the external appearance of the refrigerator <NUM>, and a heat insulator <NUM> provided between the inner case <NUM> and the outer case12. The inner case <NUM> may be formed of a plastic material, and the outer case <NUM> may be formed of a metal material. As the insulator <NUM>, a urethane foam insulator or a vacuum insulation panel may be used.

The refrigerating compartment <NUM> is provided with a front side thereof open so that food may be put in and out, and the open front side may be opened and closed by the refrigerating compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM>. The refrigerating compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> include a refrigerating compartment door <NUM> provided on the left side and a refrigerating compartment door <NUM> provided on the right side, and each of the refrigerating compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> may open and close at least a part of the refrigerating compartment <NUM>. The refrigerating compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> are coupled to the main body <NUM> so as to be rotatable in a leftward/rightward direction through a main hinge (<NUM> in <FIG>). Door guards <NUM> may be provided on rear surfaces of the refrigerator compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> to store food.

The freezing compartment <NUM> may be provided with a front side thereof open so that food may be put in and out, and the opened front side may be opened and closed by the freezing compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM>. Door guards <NUM> may be provided at rear surfaces of the freezing compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> to store food.

On the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>, the ice-making compartment <NUM> and a dispenser <NUM> are provided. The ice-making compartment <NUM> may be provided at an upper portion of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>, and the dispenser <NUM> may be provided at a lower portion of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>.

The ice-making compartment <NUM> is formed on the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> so as to be accessible while the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> is closed. Therefore, to access the ice-making compartment <NUM>, the user does not need to open the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>, and an operation of withdrawing ice or repairing and replacing the ice maker and ice bucket may be facilitated. In addition, since the refrigerating compartment <NUM> is allowed to remain closed by the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> in access to the ice-making compartment <NUM>, leakage of cold air in the refrigerating compartment <NUM> may be prevented, and energy may be saved.

The freezing compartment <NUM> is divided into a storage space <NUM> for storing food and a heat exchange space <NUM> in which the freezing compartment evaporator <NUM> is disposed to generate cold air. In order to divide the freezing compartment <NUM> into the storage space <NUM> and the heat exchange space <NUM>, an evaporator duct <NUM> may be disposed in the freezing compartment <NUM>.

In order to control whether to supply the cold air generated in the heat exchange space <NUM> to the ice-making compartment <NUM>, a damper device (<NUM> in <FIG>) may be provided in the evaporator duct <NUM>. According to the operation of the damper device <NUM>, all of the cold air generated in the heat exchange space <NUM> may be supplied to the storage space <NUM>. Alternatively, a part of the cold air generated in the heat exchange space <NUM> may be supplied to the storage space <NUM> and a remaining part may be supplied to the ice-making compartment <NUM>.

The cold air duct <NUM> connects the heat exchange space <NUM> to the ice-making compartment <NUM>. The cold air duct <NUM> includes a supply duct <NUM> for supplying cold air of the heat exchange space <NUM> to the ice-making compartment <NUM> and a recovery duct <NUM> for recovering the cold air of the ice-making compartment <NUM> to the heat exchange space <NUM>.

The supply duct <NUM> may include a main body supply duct <NUM> provided in the main body <NUM> and a door supply duct <NUM> provided in the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>. When the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> is closed, the main body supply duct <NUM> and the door supply duct <NUM> are connected to each other, and when the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> is opened, the main body supply duct <NUM> and the door supply duct <NUM> may be separated from each other.

The recovery duct <NUM> may include a door recovery duct <NUM> provided in the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> and a main body recovery duct <NUM> provided in the main body <NUM>. When the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> is closed, the door recovery duct <NUM> and the main body recovery duct <NUM> are connected to each other, and when the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> is opened, the door recovery duct <NUM> and the main body recovery duct <NUM> may be separated from each other.

The main body supply duct <NUM> and the main body recovery duct <NUM> may be installed between the inner case <NUM> and the outer case <NUM> of the main body <NUM>. The main body supply duct <NUM> and the main body recovery duct <NUM> may be attached to an outer surface of the inner case <NUM>.

The cold air duct <NUM> may be connected to the evaporator duct <NUM>. Specifically, the evaporator duct <NUM> may include a first outlet <NUM>, a second outlet <NUM>, a first inlet <NUM>, and a second inlet <NUM> (see <FIG>).

Cold air from the heat exchange space <NUM> may be discharged to the storage space <NUM> through the first outlet <NUM>. Cold air from the storage space <NUM> may be recovered to the heat exchange space <NUM> through the first inlet <NUM>.

The second outlet <NUM> may be connected to the supply duct <NUM>. Cold air of the heat exchange space <NUM> may be supplied to the ice-making compartment <NUM> through the second outlet <NUM> and the supply duct <NUM>. The second inlet <NUM> may be connected to the recovery duct <NUM>. Cold air of the ice-making compartment <NUM> may be recovered to the heat exchange space <NUM> through the recovery duct <NUM> and the second inlet <NUM>.

The refrigerator <NUM> further includes an auxiliary door <NUM> provided on the front of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> to open and close the ice-making compartment <NUM>. The auxiliary door <NUM> may be coupled to the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> through an auxiliary hinge (<NUM> in <FIG>) so to be rotatable in the leftward/rightward direction.

The auxiliary door <NUM> may be provided at a rear surface thereof with a gasket <NUM> configured to be in close contact with the front of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> to seal the ice-making compartment <NUM> when the auxiliary door <NUM> is closed.

The auxiliary door <NUM> may have a size corresponding to that of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>. The auxiliary door <NUM> has an opening <NUM> allowing the dispenser <NUM> of the refrigerator compartment door <NUM> to be exposed when the auxiliary door <NUM> is in a closed state. The opening <NUM> may be formed at a position corresponding to the dispenser <NUM> and have a size corresponding to the dispenser <NUM>. Accordingly, even when the auxiliary door <NUM> is in a closed state, the dispenser <NUM> may be accessed through the opening <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view of a refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is another exploded perspective view of a refrigerator compartment door of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is a rear perspective view illustrating a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a refrigerating compartment door and an auxiliary door of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>. <FIG> is a plan sectional view illustrating a refrigerating compartment door and an auxiliary door of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>;.

Referring to <FIG>, the refrigerating compartment door and the auxiliary door according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

The refrigerating compartment door <NUM> includes a door front plate <NUM> forming the front side of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>, a door rear plate <NUM> forming the rear side of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>, a door left side plate <NUM> coupled to a left side of the door front plate <NUM>, a door right side plate <NUM> coupled to a right side of the door front plate <NUM>, a door upper cap <NUM> coupled to an upper portion of the door front plate <NUM>, a door lower cap <NUM> coupled to a lower portion of the door front plate <NUM>, and a heat insulator <NUM> provided between the door front plate <NUM> and the door rear plate <NUM>. The heat insulator <NUM> may be provided using a urethane foam insulation or a vacuum insulation panel, similar to the heat insulator <NUM> of the main body <NUM>.

The door front plate <NUM> includes the ice making compartment <NUM>. The ice making compartment <NUM> is formed on a front surface <NUM> of the door front plate <NUM>. The ice making compartment <NUM> may be formed by a portion of the door front plate <NUM> being recessed backward. Since the ice-making compartment <NUM> is formed on the front surface <NUM> of the door front plate <NUM>, the ice-making compartment <NUM> may be efficiently insulated from the refrigerating compartment <NUM> of the main body <NUM> by the heat insulator <NUM>.

In the ice-making compartment <NUM>, an ice maker <NUM> to generate ice and an ice bucket <NUM> to store ice may be disposed. A support rib <NUM> may be formed on a door front plate <NUM> to support a locking rib <NUM> of the ice bucket <NUM>.

The ice bucket <NUM> may include an ice bucket cover <NUM> formed to cover the open front surface of the ice-making compartment <NUM> and a bucket body <NUM> forming a space for storing ice. The ice bucket <NUM> may be provided with a stirrer <NUM> that is rotatably provided to stir and transport ice stored in the bucket body <NUM>. A crushing blade <NUM> configured to crush ice may be coupled to a central axis <NUM> of the stirrer <NUM>. The bucket body <NUM> may be provided at a lower portion with an ice discharge port <NUM> through which ice may be discharged to the outside of the ice bucket <NUM>.

In the ice-making compartment <NUM>, a transport motor <NUM> configured to rotate the stirrer <NUM> and the crushing blade <NUM> may be disposed. A driving coupler <NUM> may be coupled to the transport motor <NUM>. When the ice bucket <NUM> is mounted in the ice-making compartment <NUM>, the central axis <NUM> of the stirrer <NUM> is connected to the driving coupler <NUM>, and when the ice bucket <NUM> is separated from the ice-making compartment <NUM>, the central axis <NUM> of the stirrer <NUM> may be separated from the driving coupler <NUM>.

The door front plate <NUM> may include an ice-making compartment bottom <NUM> that forms a lower surface of the ice-making compartment <NUM>. The ice-making compartment bottom <NUM> may be formed with an ice pathway hole <NUM> configured to communicate the ice-making compartment <NUM> with the dispenser <NUM>. Ice discharged from the ice bucket <NUM> may be guided to a chute <NUM> of the dispenser <NUM> through the ice pathway hole <NUM>.

The door front plate <NUM> may be formed with a cold air supply hole <NUM> to which an exit 93b of the door supply duct <NUM> is connected to supply cold air to the ice-making compartment <NUM>, and a cold air recovery hole <NUM> to which an entry 96a of the door recovery duct <NUM> is connected to recover cold air of the ice-making compartment <NUM>.

The door front plate <NUM> may be formed with a dispenser installation hole <NUM> that is open to install the dispenser <NUM>. A dispenser housing <NUM> of the dispenser <NUM> may be installed in the dispenser installation hole <NUM>.

The door front plate <NUM> may be provided with a water filter accommodating portion <NUM> in which a water filter <NUM> for purifying water is accommodated. The water filter accommodating portion <NUM> may be formed on the front surface <NUM> of the door front plate <NUM>. The water filter accommodating portion <NUM> may be formed by a portion of the door front plate <NUM> being recessed backward. A filter cap 53a may be provided in the water filter accommodating portion <NUM>, and the water filter <NUM> may be coupled to the filter cap 53a. The water filter <NUM> may purify water supplied from an external water supply source through a water supply line (not shown) and supply the purified water to a water tank <NUM> or the ice maker <NUM>. A filter cover <NUM> may be coupled to the water filter accommodating portion <NUM> to cover the open front surface of the water filter accommodating portion <NUM>.

As such, since the water filter <NUM> is mounted on the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> as described above, the water filter <NUM> may be easily replaced and repaired without opening the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>.

The door rear plate <NUM> may be provided at a rear surface <NUM> thereof with the door guard <NUM> for storing food and a gasket <NUM> configured to be in close contact with the front surface of the main body <NUM> to seal the refrigerating compartment <NUM>. The door rear plate <NUM> may have a mullion <NUM> rotatably coupled thereto to seal a gap between the refrigerating compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> when the refrigerating compartment doors <NUM> and <NUM> are closed to thereby prevent leakage of cold air from the refrigerating compartment <NUM>.

The door rear plate <NUM> may be formed with a door supply connection hole <NUM> to which an entry 93a of the door supply duct <NUM> is connected to supply cold air to the ice making compartment <NUM> and a door recovery connection hole <NUM> to which an exit 96b of the door recovery duct <NUM> is connected to recover cold air of the ice making compartment <NUM>.

The door rear plate <NUM> may be provided with a water tank accommodating portion <NUM> in which the water tank <NUM> for storing water is accommodated. The water tank accommodating portion <NUM> may be formed on the rear surface <NUM> of the door rear plate <NUM>. The water tank accommodating portion <NUM> may be formed by a portion of the door rear plate <NUM> being recessed forward. The water tank accommodating portion <NUM> may have a water tank cover <NUM> coupled thereto to cover an open rear side of the water tank accommodating portion <NUM>.

The water tank <NUM> may store water purified through the water filter <NUM> and cool the stored water using cold air in the refrigerating compartment <NUM>. The water tank <NUM> may be connected to a water supply head <NUM> of the dispenser <NUM> through a water supply line (not shown). Water stored in the water tank <NUM> may be provided to a dispensation space <NUM> of the dispenser <NUM> through the water supply head <NUM> of the dispenser <NUM>.

The water tank accommodating portion <NUM> may be provided with a valve <NUM> for controlling supply of water purified through the water filter <NUM> to the water tank <NUM> or the ice maker <NUM>. The valve <NUM> may selectively supply water purified through the water filter <NUM> to the water tank <NUM> or to the ice maker <NUM>. That is, the valve <NUM> may be a <NUM>-way valve that switches a flow path.

As described above, the water filter <NUM> for purifying water, the water tank <NUM> for storing water, the ice maker <NUM> for producing ice by cooling water, the dispenser <NUM> for dispensing water or ice, and the valve <NUM> for controlling supply of water purified through the water filter <NUM> to the water tank <NUM> or the ice maker <NUM> may be provided in the refrigerator compartment door <NUM>. Therefore, a water supply line connecting such parts to each other is not provided in the main body <NUM> but is provided only in the refrigerator compartment door <NUM>, so that the water supply line may be simplified, and space utilization of the main body <NUM> may be increased
The dispenser <NUM> may provide water or ice. The dispenser <NUM> may be installed between the door front plate <NUM> and the door rear plate <NUM>.

The dispenser <NUM> may include a dispenser housing <NUM> formed to be recessed to form the dispensation space <NUM>, the chute <NUM> that is a passage for guiding ice of the ice-making compartment <NUM> to the dispensation space <NUM>, a lever <NUM> manipulated by the user to operate the dispenser <NUM>, and a switch <NUM> pressed by the lever <NUM> to operate the dispenser <NUM>.

The dispenser <NUM> may further include a chute opening/closing device <NUM> provided to open and close the chute <NUM>. The chute opening/closing device <NUM> may include an opening/closing plate <NUM> to open or close the chute <NUM> so that ice is allowed to pass through the chute <NUM> or prevented from passing through the chute <NUM> and an opening/closing motor <NUM> to rotationally drive the opening/closing plate <NUM>. When the opening/closing plate <NUM> opens the chute <NUM>, ice of the ice-making compartment <NUM> may be provided through the dispenser <NUM>. When the opening/closing plate <NUM> closes the chute <NUM>, the opening/closing plate <NUM> may seal the chute <NUM> such that cold air of the ice-making compartment <NUM> does not flow through the chute <NUM>.

The auxiliary door <NUM> may include a case <NUM> and a heat insulator <NUM> provided inside the case <NUM> to insulate the ice-making compartment <NUM>. The insulator <NUM> may be a urethane foam insulation or a vacuum insulation panel, similar to the heat insulator <NUM> of the main body <NUM> and the heat insulator <NUM> of the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a connection relationship of a cold air duct of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>, <FIG> is a view illustrating an evaporator duct and a cold air duct of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>, <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view illustrating an evaporator duct of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>, and <FIG> is a plan cross-sectional view illustrating an evaporator duct of the refrigerator shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the cold air duct and the evaporator duct will be described in detail.

The evaporator duct <NUM> may include a duct insulation plate <NUM> including an insulation material and a duct cover <NUM> coupled to the duct insulation plate <NUM>. A blower fan <NUM> for flowing cold air may be coupled between the duct insulation plate <NUM> and the duct cover <NUM>.

The evaporator duct <NUM> may divide the freezing compartment <NUM> into the storage space <NUM> in which food is stored and the heat exchange space <NUM> in which the evaporator <NUM> is disposed and cold air is generated.

The evaporator duct <NUM> includes the first outlet <NUM> formed to supply cold air from the heat exchange space <NUM> to the storage space <NUM>, the second outlet <NUM> formed to supply cold air from the heat exchange space <NUM> to the ice making compartment <NUM>, the first inlet <NUM> formed to recover cold air from the storage space <NUM> to the heat exchange space <NUM>, and the second inlet <NUM> formed to recover cold air from the ice making compartment <NUM> to the heat exchange space <NUM>.

On the second outlet <NUM> of the evaporator duct <NUM>, the damper device <NUM> for controlling supply of cold air to the ice making compartment <NUM> may be mounted. The damper device <NUM> may include a damper plate 89a rotating on a damper shaft 89c to open and close the second outlet <NUM> and a damper motor 89b to rotationally drive the damper plate 89a.

When the damper device <NUM> opens the second outlet <NUM>, cold air in the heat exchange space <NUM> may be supplied to both of the freezing compartment <NUM> and the ice making compartment <NUM>. When the damper device <NUM> closes the second outlet <NUM>, cold air in the heat exchange space <NUM> may not be supplied to the ice making compartment <NUM>, but may be supplied only to the freezing compartment <NUM>.

The cold air duct <NUM> includes the supply duct <NUM> for supplying cold air from the heat exchange space <NUM> to the ice making compartment <NUM>, and the recovery duct <NUM> for recovering cold air from the ice making compartment <NUM> to the heat exchange space <NUM>.

The supply duct <NUM> may include the main body supply duct <NUM> provided in the main body <NUM> and the door supply duct <NUM> provided in the refrigerating compartment door <NUM>. The recovery duct <NUM> may include the door recovery duct <NUM> provided in the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> and the main body recovery duct <NUM> provided in the main body <NUM>.

An inlet 92a of the main body supply duct <NUM> may be connected to the second outlet <NUM> of the evaporator duct <NUM>, and an exit 92b of the main body supply duct <NUM> may be connected to a main body supply connection hole <NUM> formed in the inner case <NUM> of the side of the main body <NUM>.

The entry 93a of the door supply duct <NUM> may be connected to the door supply connection hole <NUM> of the door rear plate <NUM>, and the exit 93b of the door supply duct <NUM> may be connected to the cold air supply hole <NUM> of the door front plate <NUM>.

When the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> is closed, the main body supply connection hole <NUM> may be connected to the door supply connection hole <NUM>. A gasket <NUM> may be provided on the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> to prevent leakage of cold air between the main body supply connection hole <NUM> and the door supply connection hole <NUM>.

The entry 96a of the door recovery duct <NUM> may be connected to the cold air recovery hole <NUM> of the door front plate <NUM>, and the exit 96b of the door recovery duct <NUM> may be connected to the door recovery connection hole <NUM> of the door rear plate <NUM>.

An entry 97a of the main body recovery duct <NUM> may be connected to a main body recovery connection hole <NUM> formed in the inner case <NUM> of the side of the main body <NUM>, and an exit 97b of the main body recovery duct <NUM> may be connected to the second inlet <NUM> of the evaporator duct <NUM>.

When the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> is closed, the door recovery connection hole <NUM> and the main body recovery connection hole <NUM> may be connected to each other. The gasket <NUM> may be provided in the refrigerating compartment door <NUM> to prevent leakage of cold air between the door recovery connection hole <NUM> and the main body recovery connection hole <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A refrigerator comprising:
a main body (<NUM>) having a refrigerating compartment (<NUM>) and a freezing compartment (<NUM>), the freezing compartment (<NUM>) including a storage space (<NUM>) in which food is stored and a heat exchange space (<NUM>) in which an evaporator (<NUM>) is disposed:
a refrigerating compartment door (<NUM>) rotatably coupled to the main body to open and close at least a part of the refrigerating compartment (<NUM>), and including an ice-making compartment (<NUM>) and a dispenser (<NUM>) on a front surface of the refrigerating compartment door (<NUM>);
an auxiliary door (<NUM>) coupled to the refrigerating compartment door (<NUM>) to open and close the ice-making compartment (<NUM>), such that the auxiliary door (<NUM>) is configured to allow a user to access the ice-making compartment (<NUM>) with the refrigerating compartment door (<NUM>) closed;
the auxiliary door (<NUM>) having an opening corresponding to the dispenser (<NUM>) and configured such that a user can access the dispenser (<NUM>) with the auxiliary door (<NUM>) closed; and
a cold air duct (<NUM>) connecting the ice-making compartment (<NUM>) to the freezing compartment (<NUM>) to cool the ice-making compartment (<NUM>), the cold air duct (<NUM>) including a supply duct (<NUM>) configured to supply cold air from the heat exchange space (<NUM>) of the freezing compartment (<NUM>) to the ice-making compartment (<NUM>) and a recovery duct (<NUM>) configured to recover cold air from the ice-making compartment (<NUM>) to the heat exchange space (<NUM>) of the freezing compartment (<NUM>).