US-12618603-B2 - Refrigerator

US12618603B2US 12618603 B2US12618603 B2US 12618603B2US-12618603-B2

Abstract

A refrigerator includes an inner case defining a storage compartment; an outer case coupled to an outside of the inner case; and a duct mounted to the inner case and configured to provide a flow path to supply air to the storage compartment, wherein the inner case may include a first accommodating groove that is recessed toward the outer case, and one end of the duct is disposed in the first accommodating groove and is spaced apart from a surface of the first accommodating groove.

Inventors

Youngmin YOU
Ilsung BAE
Jinyoung Song
Byungkwan YANG
Sangjune LEE

Assignees

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230531
Priority Date: 20201207

Claims (13)

1 . A refrigerator comprising: an inner case defining a storage compartment; an outer case coupled to an outside of the inner case; and a duct mounted to the inner case and configured to provide a flow path to supply air to the storage compartment, wherein the duct comprises: a cover; and a rear plate coupled to the cover to form the flow path between the rear plate and the cover, wherein the inner case comprises: a first accommodating groove formed on an upper surface of the inner case that is recessed from an inside of the inner case to the outside of the inner case and toward an inside of the outer case; and a second accommodating groove provided at a rear of the first accommodating groove, wherein an upper end of the cover is disposed in the first accommodating groove and is spaced apart from an inner front surface of the first accommodating groove, wherein the upper end of the cover disposed in the first accommodating groove is not visible from the storage compartment, and wherein a separation space is provided between the upper end of the cover and the inner front surface of the first accommodating groove such that the upper end of the cover is disposed closer to an inner rear surface of the first accommodating groove than the inner front surface of the first accommodating groove.
2 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises: a front cover exposed to the storage compartment and forming a front exterior of the duct; and a support plate supporting the front cover.
3 . The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the front cover is configured to be detachable from the support plate.
4 . The refrigerator according to claim 2 , wherein the rear plate is coupled to the support plate and configured to provide a portion of the flow path configured to supply the air between the rear plate and the support plate.
5 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the duct is coupled to the inner case by a fastening member coupled at a rear of the inner case.
6 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the duct is mounted on a rear surface of the inner case and covers a central portion of the rear surface.
7 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the duct is mounted on a rear surface of the inner case and covers a majority of the rear surface.
8 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the rear plate comprises an upper end portion disposed in the second accommodating groove.
9 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the duct is disposed in a vertical direction with respect to a bottom surface of the storage compartment.
10 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the inner front surface of the first accommodating groove is spaced apart from a front surface of the duct in a front-rear direction.
11 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the inner case comprises plastic, and the outer case comprises metal.
12 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , further comprising an insulating material between the inner case and the outer case.
13 . The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the outer case comprises one or more doors configured to open to an inside of the storage compartment of the inner case, wherein, in a first direction in which the first accommodating groove is recessed from the inside of the inner case to the outside of the inner case and toward the outer case, one end of the duct is a longitudinal end of the duct closest to the outer case, and wherein, in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction and is a direction in which the one or more doors open to the inside of the storage compartment of the inner case, the one end of the duct is hidden by the first accommodating groove.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is by-pass continuation application of International Application No. PCT/KR2021/014380, filed on Oct. 15, 2021, which based on and claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0169905, filed on Dec. 7, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. BACKGROUND 1. Field The disclosure relates to a refrigerator having an improved structure. 2. Description of Related Art In general, a refrigerator, which is an apparatus for keeping food fresh, is a home appliance provided to supply cold air to food by including a storage compartment for storing food and a cold air supply device for supplying cold air to the storage compartment. The storage compartment is kept at a temperature within a constant range required to keep food fresh. The refrigerator has a cooling cycle for exchanging heat with intake air, and cool air generated by the cooling cycle is supplied to the storage compartment through a duct. The duct is mounted on an inner case of the refrigerator to be exposed to a user, and accordingly, when the duct and the inner case are assembled, an assembly gap is inevitably generated. SUMMARY Provided are a refrigerator having an improved structure such that an assembly gap between a duct and an inner case is not exposed. In addition, provided are a refrigerator having an inner case of an improved structure so as not to be affected by the design of a duct. In addition, provided are refrigerator with improved aesthetics inside the refrigerator. Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments. According to an aspect of the disclosure, a refrigerator includes: an inner case defining a storage compartment; an outer case coupled to an outside of the inner case; and a duct mounted to the inner case and configured to provide a flow path to supply air to the storage compartment, wherein the inner case may include a first accommodating groove that is recessed toward the outer case, and one end of the duct is disposed in the first accommodating groove and is spaced apart from a surface of the first accommodating groove. The duct may include a cover, and one end of the cover is disposed in the first accommodating groove. A separation space may be provided between a front surface of the cover and an inner side surface of the first accommodating groove. The cover may include: a front cover exposed to the storage compartment and forming a front exterior of the duct; and a support plate supporting the front cover. The front cover may be configured to be detachable from the support plate. The duct may further include a rear plate coupled to the support plate and configured to provide a portion of the flow path configured to supply the air between the rear plate and the support plate. The cover may include a portion disposed in the first accommodating groove and not visible from the storage compartment. The portion of the cover may be at an upper end of the cover. The duct may be coupled to the inner case by a fastening member coupled at a rear of the inner case. The duct may be mounted on a rear surface of the inner case and covers a central portion of the rear surface. The duct may be mounted on a rear surface of the inner case and covers a majority of the rear surface. The inner case may further include a second accommodating groove provided at a rear of the first accommodating groove. The duct may include: a cover including an upper end disposed in the first accommodating groove; and a rear plate coupled to the cover and including an upper end portion disposed in the second accommodating groove. The duct may be disposed in a vertical direction with respect to a bottom surface of the storage compartment. An inner side surface of the first accommodating groove may be spaced apart from a front surface of the duct in a front-rear direction. According to one or more embodiments, by making an assembly gap formed between a duct and an inner case invisible, the overall aesthetics inside a refrigerator can be improved. According to one or more embodiments, because a part of the duct is inserted into an accommodating groove of the inner case, there is no need to spend extra time and effort to minimize the assembly gap between the duct and the inner case, and thus a production cycle can be improved. According to one or more embodiments, because a separation space is secured between the accommodating groove of the inner case and the duct, it cannot be affected by changes in a front design of the duct. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in whic