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EP-4737824-A1 - REFRIGERATOR

EP4737824A1EP 4737824 A1EP4737824 A1EP 4737824A1EP-4737824-A1

Abstract

A refrigerator according to one embodiment may include a cabinet (10) in which a first storage compartment (11) and a second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13) are formed; an evaporator (32) disposed on one side of the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13); and a grill fan assembly (1) which is disposed between the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13) and the evaporator (32) and supplies cold air generated by the evaporator (32) into the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13),wherein the grill fan assembly (1) includes: a shroud (200) including a first inlet (210a) and a second inlet (210b) through which the cold air generated by the evaporator (32) is introduced; a grill fan (410a, 410b) which is coupled to a front surface of the shroud (200) and includes a first outlet (111a, 121a, 122a, 131a) and a second outlet (111b, 121b, 122b, 131b) configured to discharge the cold air generated by the evaporator (32) into the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13); a first blower fan (410a) disposed at a position corresponding to the first inlet (210a); and a second blower fan (410b) disposed at a position corresponding to the second inlet (210b).

Inventors

  • LIM, HYOUNG KEUN
  • LEE, JAEDUCK

Assignees

  • LG Electronics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251030

Claims (15)

  1. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet (10) in which a first storage compartment (11) and a second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13) are formed; an evaporator (32) disposed on one side of the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13); and a grill fan assembly (1) which is disposed between the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13) and the evaporator (32) and supplies cold air generated by the evaporator (32) into the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13), wherein the grill fan assembly (1) includes: a shroud (200) including a first inlet (210a) and a second inlet (210b) through which the cold air generated by the evaporator (32) is introduced; a grill fan (410a, 410b) which is coupled to a front surface of the shroud (200) and includes a first outlet (111a, 121a, 122a, 131a) and a second outlet (111b, 121b, 122b, 131b) configured to discharge the cold air generated by the evaporator (32) into the second storage compartment (12a, 12b, 13); a first blower fan (410a) disposed at a position corresponding to the first inlet (210a); and a second blower fan (410b) disposed at a position corresponding to the second inlet (210b).
  2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the shroud (200) includes: a first rib (251) and a second rib (252) which are disposed around the first inlet (210a) and form a first cold air flow path; and a third rib (253) and a fourth rib (254) which are disposed around the second inlet (210b) and form a second cold air flow path.
  3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the first rib (251), the second rib (252), the third rib (253), or the fourth rib (254) includes a first sub-rib (252a) and a second sub-rib (252b) connected at a predetermined connection angle at a bent portion, and at least portions of the first sub-rib (252a) and the second sub-rib (252b) have a curved shape having a predetermined curvature.
  4. The refrigerator of claim 2 or 3, wherein the shroud (200) includes: a first extension flow path (260a) which communicates with the first cold air flow path; and a second extension flow path (260b) which communicates with the second cold air flow path.
  5. The refrigerator of claim 4, wherein cold air introduced into the first cold air flow path is guided by the second sub-rib (252b) of the first rib (251) and the second sub-rib (252b) of the second rib (252) to move to the first extension flow path (260a), and wherein cold air introduced into the second cold air flow path is guided by the second sub-rib (252b) of the third rib (253) and the second sub-rib (252b) of the fourth rib (254) to move to the second extension flow path (260b).
  6. The refrigerator of claim 4 or 5, wherein a width of the first extension flow path (260a) is narrower than a width of the first cold air flow path, and a width of the second extension flow path (260b) is narrower than a width of the second cold air flow path.
  7. The refrigerator of one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the first outlet (111a, 121a, 122a, 131a) includes: a first upper outlet (111a) and a first middle outlet (121a,121b) disposed at positions corresponding to the first cold air flow path; and a first lower outlet (131a) formed on an end portion of the first extension flow path (260a) which communicates with the first cold air flow path, and the second outlet (111b, 121b, 122b, 131b) includes: a second upper outlet (111b) and a second middle outlet (121b, 122b) disposed at positions corresponding to the second cold air flow path; and a second lower outlet (131b) formed on an end portion of the second extension flow path (260b) which communicates with the second cold air flow path.
  8. The refrigerator of one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the grill fan further includes: a cold air accommodation part (150) in which the first blower fan (410a) and the second blower fan (410b) are accommodated; and a first extension (160a) and a second extension (160b) connected to the cold air accommodation part (150) and formed at positions corresponding to the first extension flow path (260a) and the second extension flow path (260b) formed in the shroud (200), respectively.
  9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein the first extension (160a) or the second extension (160b) is disposed to protrude further forward than the cold air accommodation part (150), or disposed parallel to the cold air accommodation part (150).
  10. The refrigerator of claim 8 or 9, wherein the cold air accommodation part (150) is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the first extension (160a) or the second extension (160b).
  11. The refrigerator of one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the first extension (160a) or the second extension (160b) is disposed on the same plane as the cold air accommodation part (150).
  12. The refrigerator of one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first blower fan (410a) or the second blower fan (410b) is disposed parallel to the grill fan, or disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the grill fan.
  13. The refrigerator of one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the grill fan further includes: a grill fan plate (151); and a suction guide (140) connected to the grill fan plate (151) in a direction facing a front side of the grill fan plate (151) to form a suction space (141).
  14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the suction space (141) is open in a direction from a front side toward a lower surface of the grill fan.
  15. The refrigerator of claim 13 or 14, wherein the first outlet (111a, 121a, 122a, 131a) includes a first lower outlet (131a) formed on an end portion of the first extension flow path (260a) which communicates with the first cold air flow path, and the second outlet (111b, 121b, 122b, 131b) includes a second lower outlet (131b) formed on an end portion of the second extension flow path (260b) which communicates with the second cold air flow path, and a first protrusion (142a) disposed at a position corresponding to the first lower outlet (131a), and a second protrusion (142b) disposed at a position corresponding to the second lower outlet (131b) are disposed in the suction space (141).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0150711, filed on October 30, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND FIELD The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART A refrigerator is a home appliance that stores food for a long time using cold air generated by circulating refrigerant through a refrigeration cycle. The refrigerator includes one or more storage compartments for storing items in a refrigerated or frozen state. Each storage compartment can be opened or closed by a swing-type door or accessed by pulling out a drawer. The storage compartment can include a freezer compartment for storing items in a frozen state and a refrigerator compartment for storing items in a refrigerated state. The refrigerator includes an evaporator for generating cold air. The cold air generated by the evaporator can be supplied into the storage compartment by a blower fan. Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0072573 discloses the structure and function of a grill fan assembly for supplying cold air generated by an evaporator into a storage compartment. According to the related art, the grill fan assembly supplies the cold air generated by the evaporator into the storage compartment through a single blower fan disposed in a central area of the grill fan assembly. However, the size of the blower fan disposed in the central area of the grill fan assembly is smaller than the size of the evaporator. Accordingly, with only the single blower fan, the cold air generated by the evaporator cannot be evenly supplied into the storage compartment. In addition, according to the related art, since, with only the single blower fan, the cold air cannot sufficiently circulate within the grill fan assembly, some cold air generated by the evaporator circulates within the grill fan assembly instead of being supplied into the storage compartment, resulting in cold air loss. In addition, according to the related art, some cold air generated by the evaporator cannot be quickly supplied into the storage compartment, and the cold air circulating within the storage compartment cannot be quickly introduced into the evaporator. Accordingly, since heat exchange through cold air circulation is not performed quickly, the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator is reduced. SUMMARY The present disclosure is directed to providing a refrigerator for supplying cold air into a storage compartment through a plurality of blower fans. The present disclosure is also directed to providing a refrigerator capable of evenly and quickly supplying cold air generated by an evaporator into a storage compartment. The present disclosure is also directed to providing a refrigerator capable of minimizing the loss of cold air generated by an evaporator during a process of supplying the cold air into a storage compartment. The present disclosure is also directed to providing a refrigerator that enhances cooling efficiency by increasing a cold air circulation speed between a storage compartment and an evaporator. Objects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above objects, and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure that are not described can be more clearly understood by various embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized by the components stated in the claims and combinations thereof. According to an embodiment, there is provided a refrigerator including a cabinet in which a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment are formed, an evaporator disposed on one side of the second storage compartment, and a grill fan assembly which is disposed between the second storage compartment and the evaporator and supplies cold air generated by the evaporator into the second storage compartment. The grill fan assembly may include a shroud including a first inlet and a second inlet through which the cold air generated by the evaporator is introduced, a grill fan which is coupled to a front surface of the shroud and includes a first outlet and a second outlet configured to discharge the cold air generated by the evaporator into the second storage compartment, a first blower fan disposed at a position corresponding to the first inlet, and a second blower fan disposed at a position corresponding to the second inlet. The shroud may include a first rib and a second rib which are disposed around the first inlet and form a first cold air flow path, and a third rib and a fourth rib which are disposed around the second inlet and form a second cold air flow path. The first rib, the second rib, the third rib, or the fourth rib may include a first sub-rib and a second sub-rib connected at a predetermined connection angle at a bent portion. At least portions of the first sub-rib and the second sub-rib may have a curv