Refrigerator

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator.

In general, a refrigerator is a device that includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and the like and freezes or refrigerates food or the like by discharging cold air generated by a refrigeration cycle and lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator (inside a storage room).

A refrigerator generally includes a freezing chamber for freezing and storing food or beverages as a storeroom, and a refrigerating chamber for storing the food or beverages at a low temperature.

Refrigerators are classified into a top mount type in which a freezing chamber is disposed above a refrigerating chamber, a bottom freezer type in which the freezing chamber is disposed below the refrigerating chamber, and a side-by-side type in which the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber are separated as left and right sides. In this case, doors are provided in the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, respectively, and the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber are accessed through the doors.

In addition to the refrigerator in which the refrigerating chamber and the freezing chamber are separated from each other, there is also a refrigerator in which the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber are accessed through a single door. Most of these refrigerators are small, and a freezing chamber is generally provided in a predetermined space inside the refrigerating chamber.

Among bottom freezer Type refrigerators, a French type refrigerator in which an upper refrigerating chamber is opened and closed through left and right doors is also provided. The freezing chamber of the French type refrigerator is also opened and closed through the left and right doors.

Recently, a home-bar, an ice maker, a shelf, a basket, and the like are mounted on a rear side of a door of a refrigerator, and there is a growing tendency to use the rear side of the door as a separate storage space or a separate function space. That is, the door defines a separate storage space or performs additional functions such as generating and supplying ice or cold water beyond the function of simply opening and closing the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber.

Recently, A double door refrigerator in which a sub (auxiliary) door is mounted on a main door that opens and closes a storeroom is provided. This is referred to as a door-in-door (DID) refrigerator, that is, a DID refrigerator.

When using such a DID refrigerator, a user uses a storeroom by opening the main door, and uses a sub storeroom by opening only a sub door while the main door is closed.

The sub storage room is provided behind the main door and is referred to as a storage area partitioned from the storage room through some partitions. Recently, there is a trend in that the sub storage area is not formed only in a part of the main door, but is formed in substantially the entire area of the main door.

Therefore, the sub storeroom inside the main door is opened and closed to form a separate door. This is referred to as an interior door. In contrast, may be the main door and the sub door described above is referred to as an exterior door. In some cases, the sub door may be omitted.

In one example, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2017-0082089 discloses an invention related to the above-described DID refrigerator. In particular, in the DID refrigerator, a technology related to a storage basket that is coupled to a main door or a sub door to accommodate a storage item therein is disclosed.

The storage basket disclosed in the prior art is detachably disposed on a supporter that is movable in a vertical direction with respect to a door. However, the supporter is dependent on a rail that supports the vertical movement. Therefore, a user was able to separate the storage basket when not using the same, but it was difficult for the user to also remove the supporter.

In one example, both side surfaces of the storage basket are connected to both inner side surfaces of the door. In addition, support members that support the storage basket are disposed on both inner side surfaces of the door, and support grooves that are recessed upward to accommodate the support members therein are defined in both side surfaces of the storage basket. That is, when coupling the storage basket to the support member or separating the storage basket from the support member, the storage basket must be moved in the height direction.

In particular, when removing the storage basket from the support member in the existing refrigerator structure, the storage basket must be moved upward by a distance greater than a height of the support member.

Additionally, because the support grooves are defined in both side surfaces of the storage basket, a storage space of the storage basket may be reduced by a space for defining the support grooves.

The present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator with an adjustable coupling position of an accessory that is detachably coupled to a door.

Additionally, the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator that may couple multiple accessories with different functions to a door.

In addition, the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator that may supply power to an accessory connected to a door.

Additionally, the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator that includes an accessory that may be easily cantilevered to a door.

To solve the above-mentioned problem, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an accessory detachably coupled to a door and the door having a guide to support the accessory, and guide includes a plurality of guide fasteners disposed along a height direction of the door and supporting the accessory.

In one example, to solve the above-mentioned problem, a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cabinet defining a storage space therein and having an inlet defined in a front surface thereof, a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open and close the inlet, and an accessory detachably coupled to the door, the door includes a guide located on one surface facing the storage space to support the accessory, and a plurality of guide fasteners disposed at the guide along a height direction of the door, and the accessory includes an accessory body forming an outer appearance thereof and an accessory coupling portion accessory coupling portion disposed on one surface of the accessory body and coupled to at least one of the plurality of guide fasteners.

In one implementation, the accessory coupling portion accessory coupling portion may be disposed on the one surface of the accessory body facing the guide.

In one implementation, the guide fastener may be defined as a coupling hole defined through one surface of the guide facing the accessory body, and the accessory coupling portion accessory coupling portion may include at least one coupling protrusion protruding from the accessory body toward the guide and inserted into the coupling hole.

In one implementation, the coupling hole may be defined by extending through the one surface of the guide in a forward and backward direction, and the coupling protrusion may be inserted into the coupling hole along an extending direction of the coupling hole.

In one implementation, the coupling hole may include a plurality of coupling holes, and the plurality of coupling holes may be defined to be spaced apart from each other along the height direction of the door.

In one implementation, a separation distance between the plurality of coupling holes adjacent to each other may be smaller than a height of the accessory body.

In one implementation, the plurality of coupling holes adjacent to each other may be spaced apart from each other by a preset spacing along the height direction of the door.

In one implementation, the coupling protrusion may include a plurality of coupling protrusions, and the plurality of coupling protrusions may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other along the height direction of the door, and a separation distance in the height direction of the door between the plurality of coupling protrusions adjacent to each other may be an integer multiple of the preset spacing.

In one implementation, the coupling protrusion may include a first body protruding from the accessory body toward the guide, a second body extending downward from the first body, and a hooking groove defined between the accessory body, the first body, and the second body.

In one implementation, the coupling protrusion may include a plurality of coupling protrusions, and a separation distance in the height direction between a first body included in a coupling protrusion located closest to an upper end of the accessory body among the plurality of coupling protrusions and the upper end of the accessory body may be smaller than twice the preset spacing.

In one implementation, the guide may include a first guide located at one side in a width direction of the door and a second guide located at the other side in the width direction of the door.

In one implementation, the guide may be connected to an external power supply, and the accessory coupling portion accessory coupling portion may include an electrode and receive power from the guide when being coupled to the guide fastener.

In one implementation, the guide may include a first guide located at one side in a width direction of the door and a second guide located at the other side in the width direction of the door, the accessory coupling portion may include a first accessory coupling portion coupled to a guide fastener disposed in the first guide and a second accessory coupling portion coupled to a guide fastener disposed in the second guide, and the first guide and the second guide may be connected to power supplies of different polarities.

In one implementation, the accessory body may include a support plate forming a bottom surface and supporting an object upward and an extending plate disposed along a perimeter of the support plate and extending upward from the perimeter of the support plate, and the accessory coupling portion may be formed on one surface of the extending plate facing the guide.

In one implementation, the accessory may be formed as a dispenser accommodating a storage item therein or discharging the storage item therefrom.

In one implementation, the door may include a first door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open and close the inlet, and a second door located between the first door and the cabinet, rotatable relative to the first door and the cabinet, and defining an auxiliary storeroom recessed toward the storage space, and the guide may be located on one surface of the first door facing the storage space.

In one implementation, at least a portion of the accessory may be located in the auxiliary storeroom when the first door closes the inlet.

In one implementation, the second door may include a communication hole allowing the storage space and the auxiliary storeroom to be in communication with each other.

The present disclosure has the effect of providing the refrigerator with the adjustable coupling position of the accessory that is detachably coupled to the door.

Additionally, the present disclosure has the effect of providing the refrigerator that may combine the multiple accessories with the different functions to the door.

Additionally, the present disclosure has the effect of providing the refrigerator that may supply the power to the accessory that is connected to the door.

Additionally, the present disclosure has the effect of providing the refrigerator that includes the accessory that may be easily cantilevered to the door.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings such that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs may easily implement the embodiment.

However, the present disclosure is able to be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiment described herein. In addition, to clearly describe the present disclosure, components irrelevant to the description are omitted in the drawings. Further, similar reference numerals are assigned to similar components throughout the present document.

Duplicate descriptions of the same components are omitted herein.

In addition, it will be understood that when a component is referred to as being ‘connected to’ or ‘coupled to’ another component herein, it may be directly connected to or coupled to the other component, or one or more intervening components may be present. On the other hand, it will be understood that when a component is referred to as being ‘directly connected to’ or ‘directly coupled to’ another component herein, there are no other intervening components.

Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the specific embodiment of the present disclosure only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the singular forms ‘a’ and ‘an’ are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It should be understood that the terms ‘comprises’, ‘comprising’, ‘includes’, and ‘including’ when used herein, specify the presence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described herein, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, or combinations thereof.