Refrigerator

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator characterized by comprising: a cabinet having a storage space that is open at the front; an ice-making chamber which is provided in the cabinet and in which an ice maker is disposed; and a door for opening and closing the storage space. The door includes: a first door that is rotatably mounted to the cabinet and opens and closes the storage space; and a second door that is provided in front of the first door and rotated in the same direction as the first door to open and close at least a portion of the front surface of the first door. The first door includes: a door storage part that is provided in the first door and accommodates food; and a dispenser that is provided in the first door and dispense ice supplied from the ice-making chamber. The second door can open and close the door storage part.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In general, refrigerators are home appliances for storing foods at a low temperature in a storage space that is covered by a door. For this, the refrigerator cools the inside of the storage space using cool air generated by heat-exchanging with a refrigerant that circulates a cooling cycle to store the foods in an optimum state.

[0003] Such a refrigerator is becoming larger and multifunctioned as dietary changes and user's preferences become more diverse, and thus, a refrigerator having various structures and convenience devices for user's convenience and freshness of stored foods has been introduced.

[0004] For example, a refrigerator may be provided with an ice maker that automatically makes and stores ice. In addition, a refrigerator provided with a dispenser that dispenses ice made in the ice maker is being developed.DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTIONTechnical Problem

[0005] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which a door accommodation space and a dispenser, which are provided in a first door, are selectively opened and closed by a second door to improve convenience of use.

[0006] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which a door accommodation space and a dispenser, which are provided in a first door, are viewed through a second door.

[0007] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which ice made in an ice-making chamber is dispensed through a dispenser provided in a first door that is opened and closed by a second door.

[0008] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which a door storage part that is independent of a freezing compartment door having a double door structure is provided to efficiently supply cold air into the door storage part.Technical Solution

[0009] A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a cabinet in which a storage space having opened front surface is defined; an ice-making chamber which is provided in the cabinet and in which an ice maker is disposed; a door configured to open and close the storage space, wherein the door may include: a first door rotatably mounted on the cabinet and configured to open and close the storage space; and a second door provided in front of the first door to rotate in the same direction as the first door and configured to open and close at least a portion of a front surface of the first door, wherein the first door may include: a door storage part provided in the first door to accommodate food; and a dispenser provided in the first door to dispense ice supplied from the ice-making chamber, wherein the second door may be configured to cover the door storage part.

[0010] The door storage part may be recessed from the front surface of the first door.

[0011] An ice chute protruding backward and communicating with the ice-making chamber in a state in which the first door is closed to supply ice may be provided in the rear surface of the first door.

[0012] The dispenser may be provided in the front surface of the first door and provided below the door storage part, The second door may be configured to cover all the door storage part and the dispenser.

[0013] The second door may be provided with a panel assembly that overlaps at least an area of the door storage part and the dispenser and is transparent so that a rear side of the second door is seen through the panel assembly.

[0014] The refrigerator may further include: a supply duct passing through the first door and configured to supply cold air of the storage space to the door storage part; and a discharge duct provided below the supply duct to pass through the first door so that the cold air of the door storage part is discharged to the storage space.

[0015] The refrigerator may further include: a supply duct configured to allow the storage space and the door storage part to communicate with each other; and a penetration part that passes through a lower portion of the first door in a recess part of the dispenser, wherein cold air of the storage space may be introduced into the door storage part through the supply duct, and cold air of the door storage part may be discharged to the storage space through the penetration part.

[0016] A second door storage part, in which food is accommodated, may be further provided in the penetration part.

[0017] The cabinet may include a refrigerating compartment, which is disposed at an upper side, and a freezing compartment that is disposed at a lower side, wherein the ice-making chamber may be provided in the refrigerating compartment and is thermally insulated from the refrigerating compartment by being surrounded by an insulating material.

[0018] The dispenser may be provided below the door storage part, and the second door may be disposed above the dispenser to open and close the door storage part.

[0019] A lower portion of the first door may be provided with a protrusion protruding further forward than the door storage part, and the dispenser may be disposed in the protrusion.

[0020] The cabinet may include a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment, which are divided into both sides by a barrier, and the ice-making chamber may be provided in the freezing compartment.

[0021] The first door may be configured to open and close the freezing compartment and is provided with: a supply duct passing through the door storage part and a rear surface of the first door and configured to supply cold air of the freezing compartment to the door storage part; and a discharge duct passing through the door storage part and the rear surface of the first door and configured to discharge air of the door storage part to the freezing compartment.

[0022] The first door may include a supply duct communicating with the door storage part to supply cold air and a discharge duct through which the cold air is discharged, a supply passage communicating with the supply duct and a discharge passage communicating with the discharge duct may be provided in the barrier, and the cold air may be circulated between the freezing compartment and the door storage part.Advantageous Effects

[0023] The following effects may be expected in the refrigerator according to the proposed embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] The refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention may have the structure in which the ice chute communicating with the ice-making chamber is provided at the rear surface of the first door, the door storage part and the dispenser is provided at the front surface of the first door, and the door storage part is covered by the second door.

[0025] Thus, there may be the advantage in that the door accommodation space, the ice chute, and the dispenser are efficiently disposed in one door, and there may be the advantage in that the convenience of use is improved.

[0026] In addition, when the second door is closed, the door storage part and the dispenser may not be exposed to the outside, and thus, there may be the advantage in that the convenience of use is maintained while the outer appearance is improved to be neater.

[0027] In addition, even when the second door is closed, the door storage part and / or the dispenser may be selectively visualized through the viewing part of the second door by the user's manipulation, thereby improving the convenience of use.

[0028] In addition, there may be the advantage in that the door storage part is cooled by supplying the cold air from the refrigerating compartment or the ice making compartment to the door storage part, thereby enabling the efficient cooling of the door storage part.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator with a door opened,

[0031] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cold air passage structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a refrigerating compartment door with the second door opened when viewed at one side.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 Of FIG. 1.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 12 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0042] FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator.

[0043] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 of FIG. 12.

[0044] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B2-B2 of FIG. 12.

[0045] FIG. 17 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] FIG. 18 is a front view of the refrigerator with a door opened.

[0047] FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating a freezing compartment door, in which a second door is opened, of the refrigerator.

[0048] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along C-C of FIG. 17.

[0049] FIG. 21 is a partial front view of a door opened according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] FIG. 22 is a view illustrating a cold air flow state in a door storage part of the refrigerator.MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0051] Hereinafter, detailed embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to proposed embodiments of the present invention, and other regressive inventions or other embodiments included in the scope of the spirits of the present disclosure may be easily proposed through addition, change, deletion, and the like of other elements.

[0052] In the description of the elements of the present invention, the terms first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are used merely for distinguishing one component from another component and do not limit the component to the essence, sequence, order, etc., of the component. It should be understood that when an element is described as being “connected,”“coupled”, or “joined” to another element, the former may be directly connected or jointed to the latter or may be “connected”, coupled” or “joined” to the latter with a third component interposed therebetween.

[0053] Before explaining, directions will be defined, In embodiments of the present invention, a direction that is directed to a front surface of a door illustrated in FIG. 2 may be defined as a front direction, a direction that is directed to a cabinet may be defined as a rear direction on the basis of the front surface of the door, a direction that is directed to a bottom surface on which a refrigerator is installed may be defined as a downward direction, and a direction that is away from the bottom surface may be defined as an upward direction.

[0054] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator with a door opened. In addition, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cold air passage structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0055] As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 10 in which a storage space is defined and a door 20 that opens and closes the storage space.

[0056] For example, the storage space may be partitioned vertically, and also, a refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided at an upper portion, and a freezing compartment 12 may be provided at a lower portion. Each of the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 may be maintained a set temperature by supplying cold air generated from an evaporator 14. For example, the evaporator 14 may be installed in the freezing compartment 12, and the cold air may be supplied to the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 by driving a blower fan 15 installed in the freezing compartment 12.

[0057] For example, the blower fan 15 and a multi-duct 16 may be provided above the evaporator 14. The cold air of the evaporator 14 may flow upward along the multi-duct 16 and then be guided to the refrigerating compartment 11 by driving the blower fan 15.

[0058] The multi-duct 16 may be provided in a rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The multi-duct 16 may be covered by the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11 and thus may not be exposed to the outside. In addition, a cold air discharge port 16 communicating with the multi-duct 16 may be provided in the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The cold air discharge port 16 may be provided in plurality. Thus, the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may flow along the multi-duct 16 and then may be evenly discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through the cold air discharge port 161.

[0059] The cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 discharged from the cold air discharge port 161 may be supplied to a door storage part 42 provided in the refrigerating compartment door 21 through a supply duct 451 that is opened at a rear surface of a refrigerating compartment door 21. In addition, air inside the door storage part 42 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through a discharge duct 452 provided in the rear surface of the refrigerating compartment door 21.

[0060] An opening of the supply duct 451 exposed to the rear surface of a first door 40 may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side away from a rotation axis of the first door 40 with respect to a center of the first door 40. Thus, even when the first door 40 is closed, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451 is not covered by the ice-making chamber 50. Thus, when the first door 40 is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly introduced into the door storage part 42.

[0061] The refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided with an ice-making chamber 50. The ice-making chamber 50 defines a space, in which ice is made and stored, and may define a space that is insulated from the refrigerating compartment 11. In addition, a space for accommodating an ice maker (see reference numeral 53 in FIG. 6) may be defined inside the ice-making chamber 50. For example, the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided at one side of an edge defined by a top surface and a side surface of the refrigerating compartment 11. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may extend forward from the rear surface of the refrigerating compartment 11 and may extend to communicate with an ice chute 414 of the refrigerating compartment door 21 when the refrigerating compartment door 21 is closed.

[0062] For example, an ice discharge port 511 may be provided in the bottom surface of the ice-making chamber 50 and may communicate with the ice chute 414 when the refrigerating compartment door is closed. Thus, the ice in the ice-making chamber 50 may be directed to the dispenser 43 through the ice discharge port 511 and the ice chute 414.

[0063] The ice-making chamber 50 may be cooled by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14. For this, a cabinet 10 may be provided with an ice-making chamber duct 55 that communicates with the ice-making chamber 50 to provides the cold air for an ice-making operation. The ice-making chamber duct 55 may include an ice-making chamber supply duct 551 that supplies the cold air to the ice-making chamber 50 and an ice-making chamber return duct 552 that discharges air in the ice-making chamber 50 toward the evaporator 14.

[0064] A supply duct inlet 551a communicating with the space, in which the evaporator 14 is disposed, may be provided in an end of the ice-making chamber supply duct 551, and a supply duct outlet 551b communicating with a rear surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the other end of the ice-making supply duct 551. In addition, a return duct inlet 552a communicating with the rear surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in one end of the ice-making chamber return duct 552, and a return duct outlet 552b communicating with the space, in which the evaporator 14 is accommodated, may be provided in the other end of the ice-making chamber return duct 552.

[0065] Thus, the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may be supplied to the ice-making chamber 50 through the ice-making chamber supply duct 551, and the air that is heat-exchanged for the ice making inside the ice-making chamber 50 may be collected toward the evaporator 14 through the ice-making chamber return duct 552. Thus, the inside of the ice-making chamber 50 may be maintained at a temperature for the ice making operation. The evaporator 14 may be provided in each of the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12, and the ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with the space in which one evaporator is disposed.

[0066] The door 20 may include a refrigerating compartment door 21 that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 11 and a freezing compartment door 22 that opens and closes the freezing compartment 12. The refrigerating compartment door 21 and the freezing compartment door 22 may be provided in pair at each of left and right sides and may open and close the refrigerating compartment 11 or the freezing compartment 12.

[0067] At least one of the doors 20 may have a double door structure constituted by a first door 40 and a second door 30. The first door 40 may be called an inner door, and the second door 30 may be called an outer door. The present invention may be applied to various types of refrigerators having the double door structure in addition to the refrigerator 1 having the exemplified structure. As another example, the present invention may be applied to a refrigerator having a structure, in which a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment door are disposed at left and right sides, and as further another example, the present invention may be applied to a refrigerator having a structure, in which freezing compartment is provided at a lower side, and a refrigerating Compartment is provided at an upper side.

[0068] An upper end and a lower end of the first door 40 may be axially coupled to the cabinet 10 by a hinge device. Thus, the first door 40 may be rotatably mounted on the cabinet 10. In addition, the first door 40 may open and close the refrigerating compartment il by rotation. In addition, the second door 30 may be rotatably mounted on the first door 40. The second door 30 may be provided in front of the first door 40 and may shield a front Surface of the first door 40 by rotation.

[0069] The first door 40 may be provided with a door storage part 42 and a dispenser 43 in the front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40, and the dispenser 43 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40. In addition, an ice chute 414 may be provided in a rear surface of the first door 40. The ice chute may provide a passage 415 that passes through the second door 40 to guide ice from the ice-making chamber 50 toward the dispenser 43, An opened inlet 416 of the ice chute may be opened to the rear surface of the first door 40, and the opened other end of the ice chute 414 may communicate with the ice dispensing port 433.

[0070] The ice chute 414 may protrude backward to be disposed below the ice-making chamber 50 in the state in which the first door 40 is closed. In addition, in the state in which the first door 40 is closed, the ice discharge port 511 and the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with each other. Thus, the ice inside the ice-making chamber 50 provided in the cabinet 10 may be dispensed to the outside of the first door 40 through the dispenser 43 via the ice chute 414.

[0071] When the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 are disposed in the first door 40, the second door 30 may shield the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43. That is, when the second door 30 is closed, the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 are not visible, and thus, a simple and neat outer appearance may be presented by the second door 30. Here, when the second door 30 is opened, auxiliary accommodation of food is possible through the door storage part 42, and water or ice may be dispensed through the dispenser 43. Thus, the refrigerator 1 may simultaneously satisfy both improvement in outer appearance and improvement in usability.

[0072] Even when the second door 30 is closed, a rear side of the second door 30, that is, the door storage part 42 may be seen therethrough. A viewing part 321 that allows viewing of the rear side may be provided on at least a portion of a front surface of the second door 30. When the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43, which will be described below, are disposed in the first door 40, the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 may be viewed through the viewing part 321 without opening the second door 30. The viewing part 321 may be provided by a panel assembly 32 defining the front surface of the second door 30.

[0073] The double door structure like this may be applied to the refrigerating compartment door 21. In addition, all the pair of refrigerating compartment doors 21 may have the double door structure.

[0074] For example, the refrigerating compartment door 21 may be constituted by a left door 21a and a right door 21b. In addition, the left door 21a may be constituted by a first door 40 and a second door 30. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in a rear surface of the first door 40, and the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, the second door 30 may open and close the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43.

[0075] The right door 21b may be constituted by a first door 40b and a second door 30b. In additional, a door storage part 42b may be provided in the first door 40b. In addition, the second door 30b may open and close the door storage part 42b.

[0076] Here, the door storage part 42b of the right door 21b may have a structure that is longer in a vertical length and more deeply recessed than the door storage part 42 of the left door 21a. In addition, viewing parts 321 and 321b may be provided on the second doors 30 and 30b at the left and right sides, respectively, and thus, the door storage parts 42 and 42b and the dispenser 43 at the left and right sides may be viewed through the viewing parts 321 and 321b even when the second doors 30 and 30b are closed, respectively.

[0077] The ice-making chamber 50 and the dispenser 43 may be provided in one of the left door 21a and the right door 21b. Hereinafter, the structure in which the left door 21a of the refrigerating compartment door 21 is provided with the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 is described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the left door 21a may be referred to as a refrigerating compartment door 21, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment door with the second door opened when viewed at one side. In addition, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1. In addition, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1.

[0078] As illustrated in the drawings, the door storage part 42 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 40. The door storage part 42 may be recessed into the front surface of the first door 40. The door storage part 42 may be called a door storage space. The door storage part 42 may be provided with a plurality of accommodation members 421. For example, the accommodation member 421 may be a basket. The door storage part 42 may be recessed into the rear surface of the second door 30, and the accommodation member 421 may be provided in the second door 30. In addition, the door storage part 42 may be provided by recessing both the first door 40 and the second door 30. That is, the door storage part 42 may be defined as a space between the first door 40 and the second door 30, which is defined when the second door 30 is closed.

[0079] The first door 40 may include a door body 41 filled with an insulation material 413. The door body 41 may include a door case 411 defining the front surface and a door liner 412 defining a rear surface. In addition, the door storage part 42 that is opened forward may be provided in the door case 411. In addition, the door liner 412 may protrude backward to provide the ice chute 414.

[0080] In addition, the cold air may be supplied to the door storage part 42. For example, the door storage part 42 may communicate with the refrigerating compartment 11, and the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied.

[0081] For example, the first door 40 may include a supply duct 451 and a discharge duct 452. The refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 451 and the discharge duct 452, and the door storage part 42 may be cooled to a set temperature by circulation of the cold air. Here, the temperature of the door storage part 42 may be the same as the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0082] The supply duct 451 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40 and may be provided so that the door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The supply duct 451 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40. Here, an opening of the supply duct 451 may be defined so as not to be covered by the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 when the first door 40 is closed. Thus, even when the first door 40 is closed, and the ice chute 414 and the ice-making chamber 50 communicate with each other, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 451. For example, the opening of the supply duct 451 exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40 may be disposed so as not to overlap the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50, The supply duct 451 may be opened to the upper portion of the door storage part 42 to provide an inlet 453. The inlet 453 may be provided in an upper end or top surface of the door storage part 42, In addition, the inlet 453 may extend in the left and right direction of the door storage part 42. Thus, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11, which is introduced through the supply duct 451, may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 42 through the inlet 453.

[0083] The discharge duct 452 may be opened to the lower portion of the first door 40 and may be configured so that the door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The discharge duct 452 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40.

[0084] The discharge duct 452 may be opened to the lower portion of the door storage part 42 to provide an outlet 454. The outlet 454 may be provided in the lower end of the door storage part 42. The outlet 454 may extend in the left and right direction of the door storage part 42. Thus, the air in the door storage part 42, which is discharged through the outlet 454 and discharge duct 452, may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11. The outlet 454 may be provided in a dispenser recess part 431.

[0085] The first door 40 may be provided with an accommodation part fan 455. The accommodation part fan 455 may force the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 to be supplied to the door storage part 42. The accommodation part fan 455 may be provided in the supply duct 451 or the discharge duct 452. Alternatively, the accommodation part fan 455 may be disposed in both the supply duct 451 and the discharge duct 452.

[0086] Due to the operation of the accommodation part fan 455, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be forcibly supplied to the door storage part 42, and the cold air introduced into the door storage part 42 may flow along the rear surface of the second door 30, Here, the rear surface of the second door 30 may be a rear surface of the panel assembly 32 or a plate 324. Thus, the door storage part 42 may be cooled by the cold air supplied to the inside thereof.

[0087] The refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 451 and the discharge duct 452, and the forced circulation of the cold air may be enabled by the accommodation part fan 455. Thus, the refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may be maintained at the same temperature. In addition, the temperature of the door storage part 42 may be controlled according to the operation of the accommodation part fan 455. Here, the temperature of the door storage part 42 may be higher than the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 11, The dispenser 43 may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 40. The door storage part 42 may be provided at the upper portion of the first door 40, and the dispenser 43 may be provided at the lower portion of the door storage part 42.

[0088] The door storage part 42 may be disposed in front of the ice-making chamber 50 and may at least partially overlap the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the dispenser 43 may be disposed below the ice-making chamber 50.

[0089] When the first door 40 is closed, the dispenser 43 may communicate with the ice-making chamber 50, and ice inside the ice-making chamber 50 may be dispensed through the dispenser 43. In addition, purified water may be extracted through the dispenser 43. For this purpose, the dispenser 43 may include a water dispensing part 433 and an ice dispensing part 432.

[0090] In detail, the dispenser 43 may include a dispenser recess part 431 recessed from the front surface of the first door 40. The dispenser recess part 431 may be disposed below the water dispensing part 433 and the ice dispensing part 432. In addition, a manipulation member 434 for manipulating the water or ice dispensing part may be provided in the dispenser recess part 431. The dispenser recess part 431 may be a portion of the door storage part 42.

[0091] The user may manipulate the manipulation member 434 while placing a cup or container in the dispenser recess part 431 to dispense water or ice through the water dispensing part 433 and the ice dispensing part 432.

[0092] In addition, the dispenser 43 may be shielded by the second door 30. In addition, the dispenser 43 may be selectively visualized by passing through the transparent panel assembly 32.

[0093] The first door 40 may be provided with a water tank 441 and a valve 443. The water tank 441 may store water to be supplied to the ice maker. In addition, the valve 443 may be connected to the water tank 441 and may operate to selectively supply water to the ice maker 53.

[0094] The water tank 441 and the valve 443 may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 40 and may be disposed at a rear side of the dispenser recess part 431. The positions of the water tank 441 and valve 443 may vary depending on an arrangement of a path of water supplied to the ice maker 53 and the dispenser 43.

[0095] The first door 40 may be further provided with a display 435. The display 435 may display an operation status of the refrigerator 1 including the dispenser 43. The display 435 may be provided above the dispenser 43. The display 435 may be disposed between the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43. The display 435 may also shield a portion of the dispenser 43. The water dispensing part 433 and the ice dispensing part 432 may be disposed on a bottom surface of the display 435. In addition, the display 435 may be shielded by the second door 30. In addition, the display 435 may be selectively visualized through the panel assembly 32.

[0096] The door storage part 42 may be recessed into the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, the door storage part 42 may be defined as the entire opened space in the front surface of the first door 40, which is opened and closed by the second door 30.

[0097] In this case, at least one of the accommodation member 421, the dispenser 43, and the display 435 may be provided inside the door storage part 42. Here, the door storage part 42 may be separated by the insulation material 413 within the first door 40 to define an independent space.

[0098] The second door 30 may define the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door 21 in the state in which the second door 30 is closed. In addition, the second door 30 may shield the door storage part 42 of the first door 40, the dispenser 43, and the display 435.

[0099] The second door 30 may include a door frame 31 defining a circumference and a panel assembly 32 mounted on the door frame 31. The door frame 31 may have an opening that is penetrated to communicate with the door storage part, and the panel assembly 32 may shield the opening. In addition, the inside of the door frame 31 disposed along the circumference of the panel assembly 32 may be filled with the insulating material 311.

[0100] In addition, the panel assembly 32 may overlap at least a portion of the door storage part 42. In addition, the panel assembly 32 may overlap at least a portion of the door storage part 42 and the display 435.

[0101] For example, the panel assembly 32 may be provided as a combination of a plurality of transparent plates 322, 323, and 324. For example, the transparent plates 322, 323, and 324 may be made of tempered glass or insulating glass and may be spaced apart from each other in a forward and backward direction. In addition, the first door 40 may be provided with a door light 46 that illuminates the door storage part 42. A rear side of the second door 30 may be brighten depending on on / off of the door light 46 and may be visualized through the viewing part 321. The door light 46 may be provided within the door storage part 42. In addition, the door light 46 may be provided on the second door 30. The door light 46 may be turned on and off by the user's manipulation or be turned on and off by detecting the user's proximity.

[0102] Thus, when the door light 46 is turned on, the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 may be viewed from the outside through the viewing part 321. In addition, when the display 435 is turned on, a status of the display 435 may be checked through the viewing part 321.

[0103] For example, a transparent display may be provided between the plurality of transparent plates 322, 323, and 324 to output a screen. Thus, both the viewing and the screen display of the door storage part 42 may be possible through the second door 30. Here, the transparent display may be disposed at only one side of the refrigerating compartment doors 21 at both the left and right sides.

[0104] In addition, the second door 30 may not include the panel assembly 32. The second door 30 may be configured so that the inside of the second door 30 is entirely filled with the insulation material 311, as illustrated in FIG. 8 described below, and may be provided so that the door storage part 42 is not seen from the outside.

[0105] Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator having the above-described structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0106] As illustrated in the drawings, the ice-making chamber 50 may be cooled by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14. The ice-making chamber 50 may have an outer surface defined by an ice-making chamber body 51, and the ice-making chamber body 51 may be made of an insulating material to insulate the inside of the ice-making chamber 50. Thus, it may not affect the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment 11 and may be cooled to a temperature at which ice is made by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14.

[0107] The ice maker 53 inside the ice-making chamber 50 may perform ice-making to make ice and separate the ice downward. The ice maker 53 may be an automatic ice maker having various structures in which the water supply, the ice-making, and the ice separation are performed automatically.

[0108] The ice separated from the ice maker 53 may fall downward and then be stored inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, a transfer device 54 may be provided below the ice maker 53 to transfer the ice separated from the ice maker 53 toward the ice discharge port 511. That is, at least a portion of the ice-making chamber 50 may serve as an ice bank that stores and separates the ice made in the ice maker 53.

[0109] When the first door 40 is closed, the ice discharge port 511 may communicate with the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414. Thus, the ice discharged from the ice-making chamber 50 may be supplied to the dispenser 43 through the ice chute 414.

[0110] The door storage part 42 may be cooled by the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11. When the second door 30 is closed, the door storage part 42 may be defined between the rear surface of the second door 30 and the front surface of the first door 40.

[0111] In addition, when the accommodation part fan 455 is driven, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 is supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 451. Here, the inlet 453 may be disposed at an upper portion of the door storage part 42, and the cold air passing through the inlet 453 flows downward along the rear surface of the second door 30, that is, the rear surface of the panel assembly 32 and the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, the cold air flowing downward through the door storage part 42 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 by passing through the outlet 454 and the discharge duct 452 provided at the lower end of the dispenser recess part 431.

[0112] If necessary, a damper that opens and closes the supply duct 451 or the discharge duct 452 may be further provided, and the door storage part 42 may be controlled to a temperature different from that of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0113] The user may check the door storage part 42 even when the second door 30 is closed, open the second door storage part 42, and take out food stored in the door storage part 42. In addition, the user may open the second door 30 to expose the dispenser 43 and manipulate the manipulation member 434, thereby dispensing the ice of the ice-making chamber 50 through the dispenser 43.

[0114] In addition to the foregoing embodiment, various embodiments may be exemplified. Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, since configurations that are not described below are the same as those in the foregoing embodiment, their detailed description and illustration are omitted to avoid duplication of description, and the same drawing reference numerals are used for description. In addition, the configuration that are not shown may refer to the foregoing embodiment. That is, hereinafter, only configurations that are different from the foregoing embodiment will be described in detail.

[0115] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in the drawing, a refrigerator 1c according to a third embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21c that opens and closes a storage space of the cabinet 10.

[0116] The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0117] The door 21c may be rotatably mounted on the cabinet 10 and may have a double door structure. In detail, the door 21c may include a first door 40c that shields the storage space and a second door 30 provided in front of the first door 40c. The second door 30 may open and close a front surface of the first door 40c by rotation.

[0118] The inside of the first door 40c is filled with an insulation material 413. Thus, a space between a door storage part 42 and the storage space 11 may be separated by the insulating material 413 and insulated from each other, The first door 40c may be provided with a supply duct 451, The supply duct 451 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c and may be provided so that the door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other.

[0119] The supply duct 451 may pass through front and rear surfaces of the first door 40c. The supply duct 451 may be opened at the upper portion of the door storage part 42 to provide an inlet 453. Thus, cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 451 and the inlet 453. The supply duct 451 may be further provided with an accommodation part fan 455 to forcibly supply the cold air from the refrigerating compartment 11 to the door storage part 42.

[0120] An opened rear end of the supply duct 451, which is exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40c, may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side as in the first embodiment described above. Thus, when the first door 40c is closed, a front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may not cover the opened rear end of the supply duct 451, and when the first door 40c is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly supplied to the door storage part 42.

[0121] In addition, air introduced into the door storage part 42 through the inlet 453 may flow downward along a front surface of the first door 40d and a rear surface of the second door 30.

[0122] The first door 40c may be provided with a dispenser 43. The dispenser43 may be provided below the door storage part 42 and may communicate with an ice chute 414 protruding from the rear surface of the first door 40. In addition, when the first door 40 is closed, the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with an ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0123] The dispenser 43 may include a dispenser recess part 431c recessed in the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, a water dispensing part 433 and an ice dispensing part 432 may be disposed in a top surface of the dispenser recess part 431c. In addition, a manipulation member 434 for manipulating the water or ice dispensing part may be provided in the dispenser recess part 431c.

[0124] An manipulation member mounting part 436 may be disposed in the dispenser recess part 431. The manipulation member mounting part 436 may be provided at a rear side of the manipulation member 434. In addition, the manipulation member mounting part 436 may extend upward to be spaced apart from a bottom surface of the dispenser recess part 431c. In addition, the manipulation member mounting part 436 may extend to a position at which at least a portion of the manipulation member mounting part 436 overlaps the manipulation member 434 to ensure the mounting and operation of the manipulation member 434.

[0125] In addition, a water tank 441 and a valve 443 may be provided in the rear surface of the first door 40c corresponding to the manipulation member mounting part 436. In addition, water stored in the water tank 441 may be selectively supplied to a dispenser 43 and an ice maker 53 by the operation of the valve 443.

[0126] A penetration part 456c that passes through the first door 40c in the forward and backward direction may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c. The penetration part 456c may be provided inside the display recess part 431c. In addition, the penetration part 456c may be provided below the manipulation member mounting part 436. For example, the penetration part 456c may be defined by a bottom surface of the manipulation member mounting part 436 in the bottom surface of the dispenser recess part 431c.

[0127] The door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 may communicate with each other through the penetration part 456c. Thus, the cold air introduced into the door storage part 42 through the inlet 453 may flow downward through the door storage part 42 and then be discharged into the refrigerator compartment 11 through the penetration part 456c. Thus, the refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may communicate with each other and may be maintained at the same temperature.

[0128] The penetration part 456c may extend from the manipulation member mounting part 436 to a lower end of the first door 40c. In addition, the penetration part 456c may be opened in a remaining horizontal portion, except for a portion of left and right ends of the first door 40c. Thus, access to the inside of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be possible through the penetration part 456c.

[0129] A separate accommodation member 457 such as a door basket may be disposed inside the penetration part 456c. That is, the accommodation member 457 capable of accommodating food may be disposed in an inner bottom surface of the penetration part 456c. The penetration part 456 may provide a separate accommodation space in the first door 40c. Thus, the door storage part 42 may be called a first door storage part, and the penetration part 456c may be called a second door storage part. In addition, when the entire recessed space of the first door 40c, which is shielded by the second door 30, may be referred to as the door storage part 42, the penetration part 456c may be viewed as a portion of the door storage part 42.

[0130] In addition, the second door 30 may be provided in front of the first door 40c, and the second door 30 may shield the door storage part 42, the display 435, and the penetration part 456c. The second door 30 may include a transparent panel assembly 32, and the door storage part 42, the display 435, and the penetration part 456 may be visible even when the second door 30 is closed.

[0131] The first door 40c may be further provided with a display 435.

[0132] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0133] As illustrated in the drawing, a refrigerator 1d according to a third embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21d, which open and close a storage space of the cabinet 10.

[0134] The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through t an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0135] The door 21d may have a double door structure. The door 21d may include a first door 40c that opens and closes a refrigerating compartment 11, and a second door 30d that opens and closes the first door 40c from the front.

[0136] The first door 40c may be the same as that according to the foregoing first or second embodiment. The first door 40c may have a door storage part 42 provided in a front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c. An insulating material 413 may be provided inside the first door 40c, and the door storage part 42 provided at a front side and the refrigerator compartment 50 provided at a rear side may be insulated from each other by the insulating material 413. In addition, a dispenser 43 may be provided in a front surface of the first door 40c. The dispenser 43 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c.

[0137] A supply duct 451 passing through the first door 40c may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c so that cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 is supplied to the first door 40c. Here, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451, which is exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40c, may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side as in the foregoing first and second embodiments. Thus, when the first door 40c is closed, a front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may not cover the opened rear end of the supply duct 451, and when the first door 40c is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly supplied to the door storage part 42.

[0138] The dispenser 43 may be provided below the door storage part 42 and may communicate with an ice chute 414 protruding from the rear surface of the first door 40. In addition, when the first door 40 is closed, the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with an ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0139] In addition, a penetration part 456c passing through the first door 40c may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c, that is, at a dispenser recess part 431c. The penetration part 456d may communicate with the storage space 11 and may provide a passage through which the cold air of the door storage part 42 is discharged.

[0140] In addition, the penetration part 456c may also serve as the accommodation space. For this purpose, an accommodation member 457 such as a door basket may be disposed in the penetration part 456c.

[0141] The second door 30d may be provided in front of the first door 40c and may be rotatably mounted on the first door 40c. The second door 30d may shield the entire front surface of the first door 40c and open and close the door storage part 42. An outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator may be defined in the state in which the second door 30d is closed.

[0142] The front surface of the second door 30d may be defined by an opaque door panel 32. The door panel 32 may be made of various materials such as opaque glass, a metal, plastic, and a composite material. In addition, the inside of the second door 30d may be filled with an insulating material 311. Thus, the door storage part 42 may be thermally insulated by the insulation material 31. In addition, the cold air introduced into the door storage part 42 may move along a rear side 33 of the second door 30d.

[0143] Thus, the door storage part 42 may be insulated from the refrigerator compartment 11 disposed at the rear side by the insulation material 413 of the first door 40c and also be insulated from outside air at a front side by the insulation material 311 of the second door 30c. Thus, the cold air supplied into the door storage part 42 may flow between the second door 30d and the first door 40c. In addition, the inside of the door storage part 42 may be maintained at a set temperature by the supplied cold air.

[0144] The second door 30d may shield the door storage part 42 when being closed, and may shield the dispenser 43 and the penetration part 456c.

[0145] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0146] A refrigerator le according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21e that opens and closes a storage space of the cabinet 10, The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50e may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53e and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50e. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50e may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50e may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0147] In addition, a cold air supply port 512 and a cold air collection port 513 that communicate with a supply duct 451e and a discharge duct 452e, which will be described below, may be provided in the ice-making chamber 50e. For example, the cold air supply port 512 and the cold air collection port 513 may be provided to pass through a front surface of the ice-making chamber body 51e. In addition, when the first door 40e is closed, the cold air supply port 512 and the cold air collection port 513 may communicate with the supply duct 451e and the discharge duct 452e. Thus, cold air of the ice-making chamber 50e may be supplied to the door storage part 42 to be described below.

[0148] The door 21d may have a double door structure. The door 21e may include a first door 40e that opens and closes a refrigerating compartment 11, and a second door 30e that opens and closes the first door 40e from the front.

[0149] The first door 40e may be the same as that according to the foregoing first embodiment, except for the arrangement of the supply duct 451e and the discharge duct 452e. The first door 40e may have a door storage part 42 provided in a front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be recessed from a front side to a rear side of the first door 40e.

[0150] An insulating material 413 may be provided inside the first door 40e, and the door storage part 42 provided at a front side and the refrigerator compartment 50 provided at a rear side may be insulated from each other by the insulating material 413. In addition, the dispenser 43 may be provided in a front surface of the first door 40e.

[0151] The supply duct 45le may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40e. The supply duct 451e may pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40e. A front end of the supply duct 451e may communicate with an inlet 453e at an upper end of the door storage part 42, and the cold air may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 42.

[0152] In addition, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451e may be exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40e. Here, a rear end of the supply duct 451e may be disposed at a position corresponding to the cold air supply port 512 and may communicate with the cold air supply port 512 when the first door 40e is closed.

[0153] The discharge duct 452e may be provided below the supply duct 451e. The discharge duct 452e may pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40e. The front end of the discharge duct 452e may communicate with the outlet 454e at a lower end of the door storage part 42, and air in the door storage part 42 may be discharged from the lower end of the door storage part 42.

[0154] In addition, an opened rear end of the discharge duct 452e may be exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40e. Here, the rear end of the discharge duct 452e may be disposed at a position corresponding to the cold air collection port 513 and may communicate with the cold air collection port 513 when the first door 40e is closed.

[0155] Thus, the cold air of the ice-making chamber 50e may be supplied to an upper end of the door storage part 42 through the cold air supply port 512 and the supply duct 451e. In addition, the inside of the door storage part 42 may be cooled by the cold air flowing downward from the upper end of the door storage part 42. In addition, the air that is heat exchanged in the door storage part 42 may be collected to the ice-making chamber 50e through the discharge duct 452e and the cold air collection port 513 at the lower end of the door storage part 42. Due to this path, the cold air of the ice-making chamber 50e may be supplied to the door storage part 42 to cool the door storage part 42.

[0156] A damper 455 may be provided inside the supply duct 451e or the discharge duct 452e. Selective supply of the cold air to the door storage part 42 may be possible by opening and closing the damper 455. The damper may also be provided in each of the cold air supply port 512 and cold air collection port 513. In addition, an accommodation part fan may be provided in the supply duct 451e or the discharge duct 452e to enable forced supply of the cold air.

[0157] The dispenser 43 may be provided below the door storage part 42. The dispenser 43 may communicate with an ice chute 414 protruding from the rear surface of the first door 40. In addition, when the first door 40 is closed, the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with an ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0158] In addition, a water dispensing port 433, an ice dispensing port 432, and an manipulation member 434 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c, that is, a dispenser recess part 431c, and thus, water or ice may be dispensed by manipulating the dispenser 43.

[0159] In addition, a valve 443 and a water tank 441 may be provided at a rear side of the dispenser recess part 431. The valve 443 and the water tank 441 may be detached from the rear surface of the first door 40e and may be embedded so as to be surrounded by the insulation material 413.

[0160] The second door 30e may be provided in front of the first door 40e and may be rotatably mounted on the first door 40e. The second door may have the same structure as foregoing first embodiment or the third embodiment.

[0161] The second door 30e may shield the entire front surface of the first door 40e and open and close the door storage part 42. In addition, the second door 30 may also open and close the dispenser 43. An outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator le may be defined in the state in which the second door 30d is closed.

[0162] In addition, the second door 30 may be provided with a transparent door panel 32, and the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 disposed at the rear side may be viewed through the door panel 32 even when the second door 30 is closed. Alternatively, the second door 30 may be fully filled with the insulation material 311 as in the third embodiment to shield the front surface of the first door 40e from being visible.

[0163] FIG. 12 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 of FIG. 12. In addition, FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B2-B2 of FIG. 12. As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator If according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention may have a structure in which a refrigerating compartment 11 and a freezing compartment 12 are provided at upper and lower portions of a cabinet 10, respectively, and the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 are opened and closed by a refrigerating compartment door 21 and a freezing compartment door 22, respectively.

[0164] In addition, the refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided with an ice-making chamber 50 where ice is made and stored. The ice-making chamber 50 may be disposed above an ice chute 714 described below. For example, the ice-making chamber 50 may be disposed at edges of a top surface and a side surface of the refrigerating compartment 11. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may be defined by an ice-making chamber body 51 made of an insulating material and may be insulated from the refrigerating compartment.

[0165] In addition, an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0166] The ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with a space in which an evaporator 14 is disposed by an ice-making chamber duct 55 as in the foregoing first embodiment, Thus, cold air circulation may be achieved between the cabinet 10 and the space in which the evaporator 14 is disposed, and the inside of the ice-making chamber 50 may be cooled to a temperature at which ice making is possible.

[0167] In addition, the refrigerating compartment 11 may be cooled by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14 as in the foregoing first embodiment. A blower fan 15 and a multi-duct 16 may be provided above the evaporator 14. The cold air of the evaporator 14 may flow upward along the multi-duct 16 and then be guided to the refrigerating compartment 11 by driving the blower fan 15.

[0168] The multi-duct 16 may be provided in a rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The multi-duct 16 may be covered by the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11 and thus may not be exposed to the outside. In addition, a cold air discharge port 16 communicating with the multi-duct 16 may be provided in the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The cold air discharge port 16 may be provided in plurality. Thus, the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may flow along the multi-duct 16 and then may be evenly discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through the cold air discharge port 161.

[0169] The cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 discharged from the cold air discharge port. 161 may be supplied to a door storage part 42 provided in the first door 21 through a supply duct 451 that is opened at a rear surface of the first door 21f constituting the refrigerating compartment door 21f. In addition, air inside the door storage part 42 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through a discharge duct 452 provided in the rear surface of the first door 70.

[0170] An opening of the supply duct 451 exposed to the rear surface of a first door 70 may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side away from a rotation axis of the first door 70 with respect to a center of the first door 70. Thus, even when the first door 70 is closed, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451 is not covered by the ice-making chamber 50. Thus, when the first door 70 is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly introduced into the door storage part 42.

[0171] Each of the refrigerating compartment doors 21f and 21 and the freezing compartment door 22 may be configured as a pair of doors disposed at left and right sides. In addition, the refrigerating compartment doors 21f and 21 and the freezing compartment door 22 may open and close the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 by rotating. At least one of the refrigerating compartment doors 21f and 21 may have a double door structure. In detail, the refrigerating compartment door 21 may include a left door 21f and a right door 21b, which are disposed at the left and right sides, respectively. In addition, each of the left door 21f and the right door 21b may have a double door structure.

[0172] For example, the right door 21b may include a first door 40b that shields the refrigerating compartment 11 and a second door 30b that opens and closes a door storage part 42b provided in the first door 40b. The door storage part 42b may be provided in the right door 21b, and the door storage part 42b may extend from an upper portion to a lower portion of the first door 40b. In addition, the door storage part 42b of the right door 21b may be configured to pass through the first door 40b and communicate with the refrigerating compartment 11. The second door 30b may shield the entire front surface of the first door 40b and may open and close the door storage part 42b. In addition, the second door 30b may be provided with a transparent panel assembly 32b, and may provide a viewing part 321b that allows the inside of the door storage part 42b to be viewed.

[0173] The left door 21f may include a first door 70 that shields the refrigerating compartment 11 and a second door 60 that opens and closes the door storage part 72 provided in the first door 70. The first door 21f may be provided with the dispenser 73 and the door storage part 72. In addition, the second door 60 may be provided with transparent panel assembly 62 and may provide a viewing part 621 that allows the inside of the door storage part 72 to be viewed.

[0174] Referring to the left door 21f in more detail, an ice chute 714 that communicates with the ice-making chamber 50 to transfer ice to the dispenser 73 may be provided in the rear surface of the first door 70. The ice chute 714 may be provided to protrude backward from the rear surface of the first door 70. With the first door 70 closed, the ice chute 714 may overlap the ice-making chamber 50 while at least portion thereof is in contact with the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, an inlet 716 of the ice chute 714 may communicate with the ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50 so that ice moves.

[0175] In addition, the door storage part 72 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 70. The door storage part 72 may be disposed at the upper portion of the first door 70 and may be disposed higher than a protrusion 715 described below. In addition, the door storage part 72 may be disposed behind the protrusion 715. The door storage part 72 may be provided by recessing the front surface of the first door 70. A accommodation member such as a basket may be disposed in the door storage part 72. In addition, the inside of the first door 70 may be filled with the insulating material 713 to insulate a space between the front door storage part 72 and the rear refrigerator compartment 11.

[0176] In addition, the dispenser 73 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 70. The dispenser 73 may include a dispenser recess part 731 that is recessed from the front surface of the first door 70. In addition, a water dispensing port 732 and an ice dispensing port 733 may be provided in the dispenser recess part 731 to enable dispensing of the water or ice. The dispenser 73 may be configured to be always exposed without being shielded by the second door 60.

[0177] The dispenser 73 may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 70. The dispenser 73 may be disposed below the door storage part 72 and may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 70. A protrusion 715 that protrudes further than the door storage part 72 may be disposed at the lower portion of the first door 70. In addition, the dispenser may be provided in a front surface of the protrusion 715 to define a portion of an outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door 21.

[0178] In addition, a display 735 exposed to the outside may be further provided on the front surface of the first door 70. The display 735 may also be provided together with a portion of the dispenser 73.

[0179] The second door 60 may be provided to have a size less than that of the first door 70 and may shield a portion of the first door 70. For example, the second door 60 may be disposed above the protrusion 715 and be rotatably mounted on the first door 70 to open and close the door storage part 72. The second door 60 may provide the same plane as the front surface of the protrusion 715 when being closed.

[0180] That is, the second door 60 and the door storage part 72 may be disposed above the dispenser 73. When the second door 60 is closed, the front surface of the second door 60 may provide the same plane as the front surface of the dispenser 73, The upper portion of the first door 70 in which the second door 60 is disposed may be provided to be stepped. The door storage part 72 may be disposed in front of the ice-making chamber 50 and may at least partially overlap an area of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0181] The first door 70 may include a supply duct 751 and a discharge duct 752. The refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 72 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 751 and the discharge duct 752, and the door storage part 72 may be cooled to a set temperature by circulation of the cold air. Here, the temperature of the door storage part 72 may be the same as the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0182] The supply duct 751 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 70 and may be provided so that the door storage part 72 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The supply duct 751 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40.

[0183] Here, an opening of the supply duct 751 may be defined so as not to be covered by the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 when the first door 70 is closed. Thus, even when the first door 70 is closed, and the ice chute 714 and the ice-making chamber 50 communicate with each other, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 751. For example, the opening of the supply duct 751 exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40 may be disposed so as not to overlap the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0184] The supply duct 751 may be opened to the upper portion of the door storage part 72 to provide an inlet 753. The inlet 753 may be provided in an upper end or top surface of the door storage part 72. In addition, the inlet 753 may extend in the left and right direction of the door storage part 72. Thus, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11, which is introduced through the supply duct 751, may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 72 through the inlet 753.

[0185] The discharge duct 752 may be provided below the supply duct. For example, the discharge duct 752 may be provided at the lower portion of the door storage part 72 and may provide an outlet 754. The outlet 754 may be provided in the lower end of the door storage part 72. In addition, the discharge duct 752 may be configured so that the door storage part 72 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The discharge duct 752 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 70, and thus, the air in the door storage part 72 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0186] The discharge duct 752 may be provided above the dispenser 73. The discharge duct 752 may be provided between the door storage part 72 and the dispenser 73. In addition, the discharge duct 752 may extend in a direction intersecting the ice chute 555 connecting the ice-making chamber 50 to the dispenser 73. In addition, the discharge duct 752 may be provided between the door storage part 72 and a lower end of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0187] The cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the upper portion of the door storage part 72 through the supply duct 751. In addition, the air flowing to the lower portion of the door storage part 72 may be discharged to the refrigerator compartment 11 through the discharge duct 752. A accommodation part fan 755 may be provided in the supply duct 751 or the discharge duct 752. Thus, the cold air of the refrigerator may be effectively supplied to the door storage part 72. In addition, the refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 72 may be maintained at the same temperature by supplying the cold air from the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0188] The second door 60 may include a door frame 61 defining a circumference of the second door 60 and a panel assembly 62 mounted at an opened center of the door frame 61. The inside of the door frame 61 may be filled with an insulating material 611. The panel assembly 62 may be configured to selectively view the door storage part 72 by being constituted by a plurality of transparent plates.

[0189] The second door 60 may omit the panel assembly 62. The second door 60 may be filled with the insulating material 611 throughout the entire second door 60 as in the foregoing third embodiment. Here, the second door 60 may open and close the door storage part 72, but may not see through the door storage part 72, and the cold air may be guided along the rear surface of the second door 60.

[0190] FIG. 17 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 18 is a front view of the refrigerator with a door opened. In addition, FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating a freezing compartment door, in which a second door is opened, of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along C-C of FIG. 17.

[0191] As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1g according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10g defining a storage space and a door 20g that opens and closes the cabinet 10g.

[0192] The cabinet 10f may be partitioned into left and right sides by a barrier 13 to define a freezing compartment 12g and a refrigerating compartment 11g. The cabinet 10g may be provided with an evaporator 14, and cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may be supplied to the refrigerating compartment 11g and the freezing compartment 12g to cool the refrigerating compartment 11g and the freezing compartment 12g. For example, the evaporator 14 may be provided in the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, a blower fan 15 and a multi-duct 16 may be provided above the evaporator 14. When the blower fan 15 is driven, the cold air of the evaporator 14 may be guided through the multi-duct 16. The multi-duct 16 may be provided in a rear surface of the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, the multi-duct 16 may extend to the ice-making chamber 50.

[0193] The multi-duct 16 may be shielded by a rear wall surface of the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, a cold air discharge port 161 exposed to the rear wall surface of the freezing compartment 12g may be provided in the multi-duct 16. The cold air discharge port 161 may be provided in plurality to discharge the cold air into the freezing compartment 12g, thereby cooling the freezing compartment 12g.

[0194] An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided at an upper portion of the freezing compartment 12g. The ice-making chamber 50 may include an ice-making chamber body 51 that defines a space in which an ice maker 53 is accommodated inside the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, a transfer device 54 that stores and transfers ice may be provided inside the ice-making chamber body 51. In addition, an ice discharge port 511 may be provided in the ice-making chamber body 51 to communicate with an ice chute 914 to be described below, and thus, the ice inside the ice-making chamber 50 may be discharged to the dispenser 93. The ice-making chamber 50 may directly communicate with the space in which the evaporator 14 is disposed by the ice-making chamber duct, and the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may be supplied to the ice-making chamber 50 to cool the inside of the ice-making chamber 50 to a temperature at which the ice making is possible. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with the freezing compartment 12g and may be cooled to a temperature at which ice is made by the cold air of the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with an upper end of the multi-duct 16 to receive the cold air for the ice making, The door 20g may include a refrigerating compartment door 21G that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 11g and a freezing compartment door 22G that opens and closes the freezing compartment 12G. In addition, at least one of the doors 20G may have a double door structure.

[0195] For example, the freezing compartment door 22G may include a first door 90 that shields the freezing compartment 12g and a second door 80 that opens and closes a door storage part 92 provided in the first door 90. In addition, a viewing part 821 may be provided in the second door 80 to allow the door storage part 92 disposed at the rear side to be visible.

[0196] In addition, the refrigerating compartment door 21G may also be configured as a double door. That is, the refrigerating compartment door 21G may include a first door 90b that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 11G, and a second door 90b that opens and closes a door storage part 82b provided in the first door 90b. In addition, viewing part 821b may be provided in the second door 80b so that the door storage part 82b disposed at the rear side is visible.

[0197] Referring to the freezing compartment door 22G in more detail, a door storage part 92 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 90. The door storage part 92 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 90.

[0198] A lower portion of the front surface of the first door 90 may include a protrusion 916 that protrudes further forward than the door storage part 92. In addition, the upper portion of the front surface of the first door 90 in which the door storage part 92 is provided may be stepped with respect to the protrusion 916. In addition, when the second door 80 is closed, the front surface of the second door 80 and the front surface of the protrusion 916 may provide the same plane.

[0199] In addition, a handle 915 may be provided between the protrusion 916 and a lower end of the second door 80 so that the user manipulate the handle 915 when opening and closing the freezing compartment door 22G. The door storage part 92 may be disposed higher than the handle 915.

[0200] The door storage part 92 may be provided by recessing the front surface of the first door 90. A accommodation member 921 such as a basket may be disposed in the door storage part 92. The door storage part 92 may be provided with a door light 96. When the door light 96 is turned on, the door storage part 92 may be visualized through the viewing part 821.

[0201] The first door 90 may include a door body 91 filled with an insulation material 913. The front door storage part 92 and the rear freezing compartment 12g may be insulated from each other by the insulation material 913.

[0202] In detail, the door body 91 may include a door case 911 defining the front surface and a door liner 912 defining the rear surface. In addition, the door storage part 92 that is opened forward may be provided in the door case 911. In addition, the door liner 912 may provide an ice chute 914 protruding backward.

[0203] A dispenser 93 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 90. The dispenser 93 may be provided below the door storage part 92. In addition, the dispenser 93 may be provided inside the door storage part 92. That is, the door storage part 92 may be defined as the entire area shielded by the second door 80.

[0204] The dispenser 93 may include a dispenser recess part 931 that is recessed from the front surface of the first door 90. In addition, a water dispensing port 933, an ice dispensing port 932, and an manipulation member 934 may be provided in the dispenser recess part 931 to enable dispensing of the water or ice.

[0205] A display 935 exposed to the outside may be further provided on the front surface of the first door 90. The display 935 may also be provided together with a portion of the dispenser 93. In addition, the display 935 may be disposed inside the door storage part 92.

[0206] An ice chute 914 that communicates with the ice-making chamber 50 to transfer ice to the dispenser 93 may be provided in the rear surface of the first door 90. The ice chute 914 may be provided to protrude backward from the rear surface of the first door 90. With the first door 90 closed, the ice chute 914 may overlap the ice-making chamber 50 while at least portion thereof is in contact with the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, an inlet 916 of the ice chute 914 may communicate with the ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50 so that ice moves.

[0207] The first door 90 may include a supply duct 951 and a discharge duct 952. The freezing compartment 12g and the door storage part 92 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 951 and the discharge duct 952, and the door storage part 92 may be cooled to a set temperature by the supply of the cold air. Here, a temperature of the door storage part 92 may be maintained higher than a temperature of the freezing compartment 12g by controlling an amount of cold air supplied to the door storage part 92.

[0208] The supply duct 951 may be provided at the upper portion of the first door 90 and may be provided so that the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g communicate with each other. The supply duct 951 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 90.

[0209] The supply duct 951 may provide an inlet 953 that is opened at an upper portion of the door storage part 92. The inlet 953 may be provided in an upper end or top surface of the door storage part 92. Thus, the cold air of the freezing compartment 12g, which is introduced through the supply duct 951, may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 92 through the inlet 953.

[0210] The supply duct 951 may include a damper 955. The damper 955 may adjust the opening and closing or a degree of opening of the supply duct 951. It is possible to control whether and how much cold air is introduced into the door storage part 92 through the supply duct 951 depending on the operation of the damper 955. Thus, a temperature inside the door storage part 92 may be controlled by the operation of the damper 955. In addition, an accommodation part fan may be provided in the supply duct 951 to ensure smooth supply of the cold air to the door storage part 92.

[0211] In addition, an opened rear end of the supply duct 951 may be exposed toward the freezing compartment 12g through the rear surface of the first door 90. Here, an opened rear end of the supply duct 951 may be disposed further downward than the ice-making chamber 50. That is, the opened rear end of the supply duct 951 may be disposed lower than the inlet 953.

[0212] The supply duct 951 may extend to be inclined or rounded to pass through the inside of the first door 90. In addition, the supply duct 951 may extend in a multiple-bent shape inside the first door 90. In addition, the supply duct 951 may be provided to bypass a passage through which ice moves inside the ice chute 914.

[0213] The discharge duct 952 may be provided below the supply duct 951. For example, the discharge duct 952 may be provided at the lower portion of the door storage part 92 and may provide an outlet 954. The outlet 954 may be provided in the lower end of the door storage part 92. In addition, the discharge duct 952 may be configured so that the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g communicate with each other. The discharge duct 952 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 90, and thus, the air in the door storage part 92 may be discharged into the freezing compartment 12g.

[0214] The discharge duct 952 may be configured to communicate with the dispenser recess part 931, The outlet 954 may be provided in a lower end of the dispenser recess part 931. In addition, an opened rear end of the discharge duct 952 may be opened to the rear surface of the first door 90. In addition, the opened rear end of the discharge duct 952 may be exposed toward the freezing compartment 12g. If necessary, the discharge duct 952 may be provided at another side of the door storage part 92 other than the dispenser 93, and may be provided at another position, at which the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g communicate with each other.

[0215] In addition, the discharge duct 952 may be provided with a damper 955 to selectively block the flow of the cold air between the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g. The damper 955 may also be called an opening / closing member.

[0216] The cold air inside the freezing compartment 12g is supplied to the upper portion of the door storage part 92 through the supply duct 951 in the state in which the damper 955 is opened. In addition, the air flowing to the lower portion of the door storage part 92 may be discharged to the freezing compartment 12g through the discharge duct 952. In addition, when the door storage part 92 reaches set temperature, the damper 955 may be closed to block the supply of the cold air to the door storage part 92. Thus, the door storage part 92 may be maintained at a different temperature from that of the freezing compartment 12g. An accommodation part fan may be provided in the supply duct 951 or discharge duct 952 to more effectively supply the cold air to the door storage part 92.

[0217] In addition, a water tank 941 and a valve 943, which supply water to the water dispensing port 933 of the dispenser 93 may be provided inside the first door 90.

[0218] The second door 80 may be provided to have a size less than that of the first door 90 and may shield a portion of the first door 90. For example, the second door 80 may be disposed above the protrusion 916 and be rotatably mounted on the first door 90 to open and close the door storage part 92. The second door 80 may provide the same plane as the front surface of the protrusion 916 when being closed.

[0219] In addition, the second door 80 may shield the door storage part 92 and the dispenser 93 when being closed. In addition, the second door 80 may further shield the display 935.

[0220] In detail, the second door 80 may include a door frame 81 defining a circumference of the second door 80 and a panel assembly 82 mounted at an opened center of the door frame 81. The inside of the door frame 81 may be filled with an insulating material 1. The panel assembly 82 may be configured to selectively view the door storage part 92 by being constituted by a plurality of transparent plates 822, 823, and 824. A viewing part 821 may be provided by the panel assembly 82. In addition, at least a portion of the door storage part 92, the dispenser 93, and the display 935 may be viewed through the viewing part 821.

[0221] The second door 80 may omit the panel assembly 82. The second door 80 may be filled with the insulating material 811 throughout the entire second door 80 as in the foregoing third embodiment. Here, the second door 80 may open and close the door storage part 92, but may not see through the door storage part 92 and the dispenser 93, and the cold air may be guided along the rear surface of the second door 80.

[0222] FIG. 21 is a partial front view of a door opened according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 22 is a view illustrating a cold air flow state in a door storage part of the refrigerator.

[0223] As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1h according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention has an overall similar structure to the foregoing sixth embodiment, and portions that are not described or illustrated may be the same as those of the sixth embodiment. The refrigerator 1h may include a cabinet 10g in which a storage space is defined, and a door 20g that closes the storage space. In addition, the storage space of the cabinet 10g may be partitioned into left and right sides by a barrier to provide a freezing compartment 12g and a refrigerating compartment 11g.

[0224] In addition, the freezing compartment 12g may be provided with an ice-making chamber 50. An ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may be maintained at a temperature for ice making by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 or the freezing compartment 12g.

[0225] The door 20g may be constituted by a refrigerating compartment door 21g and a freezing compartment door 22h. The freezing compartment door 22h may include a first door 90h that opens and closes the freezing compartment 12g and a second door 80 provided in a front surface of the first door 90h. In addition, a door storage part 92 and a dispenser 93 may be provided in the first door 90h. The second door 80 may open and close the door storage part 92 and the dispenser 93 by rotation.

[0226] The first door 90h may include a door liner 912 defining a rear surface. The inside of the first door 90h may be filled with an insulation material 913. Thus, the door storage part 92 provided in the front surface of the first door 90h may be insulated from the freezing compartment 12g disposed at a rear side by the insulating material.

[0227] The door storage part 92 may be provided to be recessed toward the rear side and may be provided with an accommodation member 921 that stores food therein. In addition, a dispenser 93 may be provided below the door storage part 92. The dispenser 93 may be provided inside the door storage part 92.

[0228] The door liner 912 may protrude backward to provide an ice chute 914. The ice chute 914 may communicate with the ice-making chamber 50 in the state in which the first door 90h is closed. Thus, the ice in the ice-making chamber 50 may be guided through the ice chute 914 and then dispensed to the dispenser 93.

[0229] The door storage part 92 may be cooled by cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g. In detail, a supply duct 956 and a discharge duct 957 may be provided in one surface of the door storage part 92 that is closer to a barrier 13.

[0230] The supply duct 956 may communicate with an upper portion of the door storage part 92 and may be opened to an inner surface of the door storage part 92. In addition, the discharge duct 957 may be provided below the supply duct 956. In addition, the discharge duct 957 may communicate with a lower portion of the door storage part 92 and may be opened to the inner surface of the door storage part 92. Thus, the cold air introduced into the supply duct 956 moves downward to cool the door storage part 92 and may be discharged through the discharge duct 957, The cold air inside the door storage part 92 may flow downward along a space between the rear surface of the second door 80 and the front surface of the first door 90h.

[0231] A supply passage 131 and a discharge passage 132 may be provided in the barrier 13. The supply passage 131 and the discharge passage 132 may be provided to pass through both sides of the barrier 13. In addition, the supply passage 131 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the supply duct 956, and the discharge passage 132 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the discharge duct 957. Thus, when the first door 90h is closed, the supply duct 956 may communicate with the supply passage 131 so that the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g is supplied to the door storage part 92. In addition, when the first door 90h is closed, the discharge duct 957 may communicate with the discharge passage 132 so that the air in the door storage part 92 is discharged to the refrigerating compartment 11g. Thus, an internal temperature of the door storage part 92 may be maintained at the same temperature as the refrigerator compartment 11g.

[0232] A damper 133 may be provided between the supply passage 131 and the discharge passage 132. The cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g may be selectively supplied to the door storage part 92 by opening and closing the damper 133. In addition, when the damper 133 is closed, even if the refrigerating compartment door 21g or the freezing compartment door 22h is opened, a flow of the cold air between the freezing compartment 12g and the refrigerating compartment 11g may be blocked. The damper 133 may be provided in the supply duct 956 and the discharge duct 957. In addition, an accommodation part fan may be provided in a supply passage 131 and the discharge duct 957 so that the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g is supplied to the door storage part 92 more effectively.

[0233] In the barrier 13, the supply passage 131 and the discharge passage 132 may not be provided, and a separate cold air duct may be provided in the cabinet 10g so that the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g is directed to the door storage part 92. For example, the cold air duct may be disposed in a top surface of the cabinet 10g and may be configured so that a top surface of the refrigerating compartment 11g and a top surface of the door storage part 92 communicate with each other.INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0234] The refrigerator according to the embodiments of the present invention has high industrial applicability because the convenience of use is improved.

Examples

first embodiment

[0054]FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to the present invention. In addition, FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator with a door opened. In addition, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cold air passage structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0055]As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 10 in which a storage space is defined and a door 20 that opens and closes the storage space.

[0056]For example, the storage space may be partitioned vertically, and also, a refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided at an upper portion, and a freezing compartment 12 may be provided at a lower portion. Each of the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 may be maintained a set temperature by supplying cold air generated from an evaporator 14. For example, the evaporator 1...

third embodiment

[0132]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to the present invention.

[0133]As illustrated in the drawing, a refrigerator 1d according to a third embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21d, which open and close a storage space of the cabinet 10.

[0134]The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through t an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0135]The door 21d may have a double door structure. The door 21d may include a first door 40c that opens and closes a refrigerating comp...

second embodiment

[0136]The first door 40c may be the same as that according to the foregoing first or The first door 40c may have a door storage part 42 provided in a front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c. An insulating material 413 may be provided inside the first door 40c, and the door storage part 42 provided at a front side and the refrigerator compartment 50 provided at a rear side may be insulated from each other by the insulating material 413. In addition, a dispenser 43 may be provided in a front surface of the first door 40c. The dispenser 43 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c.

[0137]A supply duct 451 passing through the first door 40c may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c so that cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 is supplied to the first door 40c. Here, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451, which is exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40c, may be disposed...

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator.BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In general, refrigerators are home appliances for storing foods at a low temperature in a storage space that is covered by a door. For this, the refrigerator cools the inside of the storage space using cool air generated by heat-exchanging with a refrigerant that circulates a cooling cycle to store the foods in an optimum state.

[0003] Such a refrigerator is becoming larger and multifunctioned as dietary changes and user's preferences become more diverse, and thus, a refrigerator having various structures and convenience devices for user's convenience and freshness of stored foods has been introduced.

[0004] For example, a refrigerator may be provided with an ice maker that automatically makes and stores ice. In addition, a refrigerator provided with a dispenser that dispenses ice made in the ice maker is being developed.DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTIONTechnical Problem

[0005] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which a door accommodation space and a dispenser, which are provided in a first door, are selectively opened and closed by a second door to improve convenience of use.

[0006] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which a door accommodation space and a dispenser, which are provided in a first door, are viewed through a second door.

[0007] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which ice made in an ice-making chamber is dispensed through a dispenser provided in a first door that is opened and closed by a second door.

[0008] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator, in which a door storage part that is independent of a freezing compartment door having a double door structure is provided to efficiently supply cold air into the door storage part.Technical Solution

[0009] A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a cabinet in which a storage space having opened front surface is defined; an ice-making chamber which is provided in the cabinet and in which an ice maker is disposed; a door configured to open and close the storage space, wherein the door may include: a first door rotatably mounted on the cabinet and configured to open and close the storage space; and a second door provided in front of the first door to rotate in the same direction as the first door and configured to open and close at least a portion of a front surface of the first door, wherein the first door may include: a door storage part provided in the first door to accommodate food; and a dispenser provided in the first door to dispense ice supplied from the ice-making chamber, wherein the second door may be configured to cover the door storage part.

[0010] The door storage part may be recessed from the front surface of the first door.

[0011] An ice chute protruding backward and communicating with the ice-making chamber in a state in which the first door is closed to supply ice may be provided in the rear surface of the first door.

[0012] The dispenser may be provided in the front surface of the first door and provided below the door storage part, The second door may be configured to cover all the door storage part and the dispenser.

[0013] The second door may be provided with a panel assembly that overlaps at least an area of the door storage part and the dispenser and is transparent so that a rear side of the second door is seen through the panel assembly.

[0014] The refrigerator may further include: a supply duct passing through the first door and configured to supply cold air of the storage space to the door storage part; and a discharge duct provided below the supply duct to pass through the first door so that the cold air of the door storage part is discharged to the storage space.

[0015] The refrigerator may further include: a supply duct configured to allow the storage space and the door storage part to communicate with each other; and a penetration part that passes through a lower portion of the first door in a recess part of the dispenser, wherein cold air of the storage space may be introduced into the door storage part through the supply duct, and cold air of the door storage part may be discharged to the storage space through the penetration part.

[0016] A second door storage part, in which food is accommodated, may be further provided in the penetration part.

[0017] The cabinet may include a refrigerating compartment, which is disposed at an upper side, and a freezing compartment that is disposed at a lower side, wherein the ice-making chamber may be provided in the refrigerating compartment and is thermally insulated from the refrigerating compartment by being surrounded by an insulating material.

[0018] The dispenser may be provided below the door storage part, and the second door may be disposed above the dispenser to open and close the door storage part.

[0019] A lower portion of the first door may be provided with a protrusion protruding further forward than the door storage part, and the dispenser may be disposed in the protrusion.

[0020] The cabinet may include a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment, which are divided into both sides by a barrier, and the ice-making chamber may be provided in the freezing compartment.

[0021] The first door may be configured to open and close the freezing compartment and is provided with: a supply duct passing through the door storage part and a rear surface of the first door and configured to supply cold air of the freezing compartment to the door storage part; and a discharge duct passing through the door storage part and the rear surface of the first door and configured to discharge air of the door storage part to the freezing compartment.

[0022] The first door may include a supply duct communicating with the door storage part to supply cold air and a discharge duct through which the cold air is discharged, a supply passage communicating with the supply duct and a discharge passage communicating with the discharge duct may be provided in the barrier, and the cold air may be circulated between the freezing compartment and the door storage part.Advantageous Effects

[0023] The following effects may be expected in the refrigerator according to the proposed embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] The refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention may have the structure in which the ice chute communicating with the ice-making chamber is provided at the rear surface of the first door, the door storage part and the dispenser is provided at the front surface of the first door, and the door storage part is covered by the second door.

[0025] Thus, there may be the advantage in that the door accommodation space, the ice chute, and the dispenser are efficiently disposed in one door, and there may be the advantage in that the convenience of use is improved.

[0026] In addition, when the second door is closed, the door storage part and the dispenser may not be exposed to the outside, and thus, there may be the advantage in that the convenience of use is maintained while the outer appearance is improved to be neater.

[0027] In addition, even when the second door is closed, the door storage part and / or the dispenser may be selectively visualized through the viewing part of the second door by the user's manipulation, thereby improving the convenience of use.

[0028] In addition, there may be the advantage in that the door storage part is cooled by supplying the cold air from the refrigerating compartment or the ice making compartment to the door storage part, thereby enabling the efficient cooling of the door storage part.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator with a door opened,

[0031] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cold air passage structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a refrigerating compartment door with the second door opened when viewed at one side.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 Of FIG. 1.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 12 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0042] FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator.

[0043] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 of FIG. 12.

[0044] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B2-B2 of FIG. 12.

[0045] FIG. 17 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] FIG. 18 is a front view of the refrigerator with a door opened.

[0047] FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating a freezing compartment door, in which a second door is opened, of the refrigerator.

[0048] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along C-C of FIG. 17.

[0049] FIG. 21 is a partial front view of a door opened according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] FIG. 22 is a view illustrating a cold air flow state in a door storage part of the refrigerator.MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0051] Hereinafter, detailed embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to proposed embodiments of the present invention, and other regressive inventions or other embodiments included in the scope of the spirits of the present disclosure may be easily proposed through addition, change, deletion, and the like of other elements.

[0052] In the description of the elements of the present invention, the terms first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are used merely for distinguishing one component from another component and do not limit the component to the essence, sequence, order, etc., of the component. It should be understood that when an element is described as being “connected,”“coupled”, or “joined” to another element, the former may be directly connected or jointed to the latter or may be “connected”, coupled” or “joined” to the latter with a third component interposed therebetween.

[0053] Before explaining, directions will be defined, In embodiments of the present invention, a direction that is directed to a front surface of a door illustrated in FIG. 2 may be defined as a front direction, a direction that is directed to a cabinet may be defined as a rear direction on the basis of the front surface of the door, a direction that is directed to a bottom surface on which a refrigerator is installed may be defined as a downward direction, and a direction that is away from the bottom surface may be defined as an upward direction.

[0054] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator with a door opened. In addition, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cold air passage structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0055] As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 10 in which a storage space is defined and a door 20 that opens and closes the storage space.

[0056] For example, the storage space may be partitioned vertically, and also, a refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided at an upper portion, and a freezing compartment 12 may be provided at a lower portion. Each of the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 may be maintained a set temperature by supplying cold air generated from an evaporator 14. For example, the evaporator 14 may be installed in the freezing compartment 12, and the cold air may be supplied to the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 by driving a blower fan 15 installed in the freezing compartment 12.

[0057] For example, the blower fan 15 and a multi-duct 16 may be provided above the evaporator 14. The cold air of the evaporator 14 may flow upward along the multi-duct 16 and then be guided to the refrigerating compartment 11 by driving the blower fan 15.

[0058] The multi-duct 16 may be provided in a rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The multi-duct 16 may be covered by the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11 and thus may not be exposed to the outside. In addition, a cold air discharge port 16 communicating with the multi-duct 16 may be provided in the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The cold air discharge port 16 may be provided in plurality. Thus, the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may flow along the multi-duct 16 and then may be evenly discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through the cold air discharge port 161.

[0059] The cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 discharged from the cold air discharge port 161 may be supplied to a door storage part 42 provided in the refrigerating compartment door 21 through a supply duct 451 that is opened at a rear surface of a refrigerating compartment door 21. In addition, air inside the door storage part 42 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through a discharge duct 452 provided in the rear surface of the refrigerating compartment door 21.

[0060] An opening of the supply duct 451 exposed to the rear surface of a first door 40 may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side away from a rotation axis of the first door 40 with respect to a center of the first door 40. Thus, even when the first door 40 is closed, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451 is not covered by the ice-making chamber 50. Thus, when the first door 40 is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly introduced into the door storage part 42.

[0061] The refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided with an ice-making chamber 50. The ice-making chamber 50 defines a space, in which ice is made and stored, and may define a space that is insulated from the refrigerating compartment 11. In addition, a space for accommodating an ice maker (see reference numeral 53 in FIG. 6) may be defined inside the ice-making chamber 50. For example, the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided at one side of an edge defined by a top surface and a side surface of the refrigerating compartment 11. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may extend forward from the rear surface of the refrigerating compartment 11 and may extend to communicate with an ice chute 414 of the refrigerating compartment door 21 when the refrigerating compartment door 21 is closed.

[0062] For example, an ice discharge port 511 may be provided in the bottom surface of the ice-making chamber 50 and may communicate with the ice chute 414 when the refrigerating compartment door is closed. Thus, the ice in the ice-making chamber 50 may be directed to the dispenser 43 through the ice discharge port 511 and the ice chute 414.

[0063] The ice-making chamber 50 may be cooled by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14. For this, a cabinet 10 may be provided with an ice-making chamber duct 55 that communicates with the ice-making chamber 50 to provides the cold air for an ice-making operation. The ice-making chamber duct 55 may include an ice-making chamber supply duct 551 that supplies the cold air to the ice-making chamber 50 and an ice-making chamber return duct 552 that discharges air in the ice-making chamber 50 toward the evaporator 14.

[0064] A supply duct inlet 551a communicating with the space, in which the evaporator 14 is disposed, may be provided in an end of the ice-making chamber supply duct 551, and a supply duct outlet 551b communicating with a rear surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the other end of the ice-making supply duct 551. In addition, a return duct inlet 552a communicating with the rear surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in one end of the ice-making chamber return duct 552, and a return duct outlet 552b communicating with the space, in which the evaporator 14 is accommodated, may be provided in the other end of the ice-making chamber return duct 552.

[0065] Thus, the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may be supplied to the ice-making chamber 50 through the ice-making chamber supply duct 551, and the air that is heat-exchanged for the ice making inside the ice-making chamber 50 may be collected toward the evaporator 14 through the ice-making chamber return duct 552. Thus, the inside of the ice-making chamber 50 may be maintained at a temperature for the ice making operation. The evaporator 14 may be provided in each of the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12, and the ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with the space in which one evaporator is disposed.

[0066] The door 20 may include a refrigerating compartment door 21 that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 11 and a freezing compartment door 22 that opens and closes the freezing compartment 12. The refrigerating compartment door 21 and the freezing compartment door 22 may be provided in pair at each of left and right sides and may open and close the refrigerating compartment 11 or the freezing compartment 12.

[0067] At least one of the doors 20 may have a double door structure constituted by a first door 40 and a second door 30. The first door 40 may be called an inner door, and the second door 30 may be called an outer door. The present invention may be applied to various types of refrigerators having the double door structure in addition to the refrigerator 1 having the exemplified structure. As another example, the present invention may be applied to a refrigerator having a structure, in which a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment door are disposed at left and right sides, and as further another example, the present invention may be applied to a refrigerator having a structure, in which freezing compartment is provided at a lower side, and a refrigerating Compartment is provided at an upper side.

[0068] An upper end and a lower end of the first door 40 may be axially coupled to the cabinet 10 by a hinge device. Thus, the first door 40 may be rotatably mounted on the cabinet 10. In addition, the first door 40 may open and close the refrigerating compartment il by rotation. In addition, the second door 30 may be rotatably mounted on the first door 40. The second door 30 may be provided in front of the first door 40 and may shield a front Surface of the first door 40 by rotation.

[0069] The first door 40 may be provided with a door storage part 42 and a dispenser 43 in the front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40, and the dispenser 43 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40. In addition, an ice chute 414 may be provided in a rear surface of the first door 40. The ice chute may provide a passage 415 that passes through the second door 40 to guide ice from the ice-making chamber 50 toward the dispenser 43, An opened inlet 416 of the ice chute may be opened to the rear surface of the first door 40, and the opened other end of the ice chute 414 may communicate with the ice dispensing port 433.

[0070] The ice chute 414 may protrude backward to be disposed below the ice-making chamber 50 in the state in which the first door 40 is closed. In addition, in the state in which the first door 40 is closed, the ice discharge port 511 and the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with each other. Thus, the ice inside the ice-making chamber 50 provided in the cabinet 10 may be dispensed to the outside of the first door 40 through the dispenser 43 via the ice chute 414.

[0071] When the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 are disposed in the first door 40, the second door 30 may shield the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43. That is, when the second door 30 is closed, the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 are not visible, and thus, a simple and neat outer appearance may be presented by the second door 30. Here, when the second door 30 is opened, auxiliary accommodation of food is possible through the door storage part 42, and water or ice may be dispensed through the dispenser 43. Thus, the refrigerator 1 may simultaneously satisfy both improvement in outer appearance and improvement in usability.

[0072] Even when the second door 30 is closed, a rear side of the second door 30, that is, the door storage part 42 may be seen therethrough. A viewing part 321 that allows viewing of the rear side may be provided on at least a portion of a front surface of the second door 30. When the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43, which will be described below, are disposed in the first door 40, the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 may be viewed through the viewing part 321 without opening the second door 30. The viewing part 321 may be provided by a panel assembly 32 defining the front surface of the second door 30.

[0073] The double door structure like this may be applied to the refrigerating compartment door 21. In addition, all the pair of refrigerating compartment doors 21 may have the double door structure.

[0074] For example, the refrigerating compartment door 21 may be constituted by a left door 21a and a right door 21b. In addition, the left door 21a may be constituted by a first door 40 and a second door 30. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in a rear surface of the first door 40, and the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, the second door 30 may open and close the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43.

[0075] The right door 21b may be constituted by a first door 40b and a second door 30b. In additional, a door storage part 42b may be provided in the first door 40b. In addition, the second door 30b may open and close the door storage part 42b.

[0076] Here, the door storage part 42b of the right door 21b may have a structure that is longer in a vertical length and more deeply recessed than the door storage part 42 of the left door 21a. In addition, viewing parts 321 and 321b may be provided on the second doors 30 and 30b at the left and right sides, respectively, and thus, the door storage parts 42 and 42b and the dispenser 43 at the left and right sides may be viewed through the viewing parts 321 and 321b even when the second doors 30 and 30b are closed, respectively.

[0077] The ice-making chamber 50 and the dispenser 43 may be provided in one of the left door 21a and the right door 21b. Hereinafter, the structure in which the left door 21a of the refrigerating compartment door 21 is provided with the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 is described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the left door 21a may be referred to as a refrigerating compartment door 21, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the refrigerating compartment door with the second door opened when viewed at one side. In addition, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1. In addition, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1.

[0078] As illustrated in the drawings, the door storage part 42 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 40. The door storage part 42 may be recessed into the front surface of the first door 40. The door storage part 42 may be called a door storage space. The door storage part 42 may be provided with a plurality of accommodation members 421. For example, the accommodation member 421 may be a basket. The door storage part 42 may be recessed into the rear surface of the second door 30, and the accommodation member 421 may be provided in the second door 30. In addition, the door storage part 42 may be provided by recessing both the first door 40 and the second door 30. That is, the door storage part 42 may be defined as a space between the first door 40 and the second door 30, which is defined when the second door 30 is closed.

[0079] The first door 40 may include a door body 41 filled with an insulation material 413. The door body 41 may include a door case 411 defining the front surface and a door liner 412 defining a rear surface. In addition, the door storage part 42 that is opened forward may be provided in the door case 411. In addition, the door liner 412 may protrude backward to provide the ice chute 414.

[0080] In addition, the cold air may be supplied to the door storage part 42. For example, the door storage part 42 may communicate with the refrigerating compartment 11, and the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied.

[0081] For example, the first door 40 may include a supply duct 451 and a discharge duct 452. The refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 451 and the discharge duct 452, and the door storage part 42 may be cooled to a set temperature by circulation of the cold air. Here, the temperature of the door storage part 42 may be the same as the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0082] The supply duct 451 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40 and may be provided so that the door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The supply duct 451 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40. Here, an opening of the supply duct 451 may be defined so as not to be covered by the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 when the first door 40 is closed. Thus, even when the first door 40 is closed, and the ice chute 414 and the ice-making chamber 50 communicate with each other, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 451. For example, the opening of the supply duct 451 exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40 may be disposed so as not to overlap the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50, The supply duct 451 may be opened to the upper portion of the door storage part 42 to provide an inlet 453. The inlet 453 may be provided in an upper end or top surface of the door storage part 42, In addition, the inlet 453 may extend in the left and right direction of the door storage part 42. Thus, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11, which is introduced through the supply duct 451, may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 42 through the inlet 453.

[0083] The discharge duct 452 may be opened to the lower portion of the first door 40 and may be configured so that the door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The discharge duct 452 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40.

[0084] The discharge duct 452 may be opened to the lower portion of the door storage part 42 to provide an outlet 454. The outlet 454 may be provided in the lower end of the door storage part 42. The outlet 454 may extend in the left and right direction of the door storage part 42. Thus, the air in the door storage part 42, which is discharged through the outlet 454 and discharge duct 452, may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11. The outlet 454 may be provided in a dispenser recess part 431.

[0085] The first door 40 may be provided with an accommodation part fan 455. The accommodation part fan 455 may force the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 to be supplied to the door storage part 42. The accommodation part fan 455 may be provided in the supply duct 451 or the discharge duct 452. Alternatively, the accommodation part fan 455 may be disposed in both the supply duct 451 and the discharge duct 452.

[0086] Due to the operation of the accommodation part fan 455, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be forcibly supplied to the door storage part 42, and the cold air introduced into the door storage part 42 may flow along the rear surface of the second door 30, Here, the rear surface of the second door 30 may be a rear surface of the panel assembly 32 or a plate 324. Thus, the door storage part 42 may be cooled by the cold air supplied to the inside thereof.

[0087] The refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 451 and the discharge duct 452, and the forced circulation of the cold air may be enabled by the accommodation part fan 455. Thus, the refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may be maintained at the same temperature. In addition, the temperature of the door storage part 42 may be controlled according to the operation of the accommodation part fan 455. Here, the temperature of the door storage part 42 may be higher than the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 11, The dispenser 43 may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 40. The door storage part 42 may be provided at the upper portion of the first door 40, and the dispenser 43 may be provided at the lower portion of the door storage part 42.

[0088] The door storage part 42 may be disposed in front of the ice-making chamber 50 and may at least partially overlap the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the dispenser 43 may be disposed below the ice-making chamber 50.

[0089] When the first door 40 is closed, the dispenser 43 may communicate with the ice-making chamber 50, and ice inside the ice-making chamber 50 may be dispensed through the dispenser 43. In addition, purified water may be extracted through the dispenser 43. For this purpose, the dispenser 43 may include a water dispensing part 433 and an ice dispensing part 432.

[0090] In detail, the dispenser 43 may include a dispenser recess part 431 recessed from the front surface of the first door 40. The dispenser recess part 431 may be disposed below the water dispensing part 433 and the ice dispensing part 432. In addition, a manipulation member 434 for manipulating the water or ice dispensing part may be provided in the dispenser recess part 431. The dispenser recess part 431 may be a portion of the door storage part 42.

[0091] The user may manipulate the manipulation member 434 while placing a cup or container in the dispenser recess part 431 to dispense water or ice through the water dispensing part 433 and the ice dispensing part 432.

[0092] In addition, the dispenser 43 may be shielded by the second door 30. In addition, the dispenser 43 may be selectively visualized by passing through the transparent panel assembly 32.

[0093] The first door 40 may be provided with a water tank 441 and a valve 443. The water tank 441 may store water to be supplied to the ice maker. In addition, the valve 443 may be connected to the water tank 441 and may operate to selectively supply water to the ice maker 53.

[0094] The water tank 441 and the valve 443 may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 40 and may be disposed at a rear side of the dispenser recess part 431. The positions of the water tank 441 and valve 443 may vary depending on an arrangement of a path of water supplied to the ice maker 53 and the dispenser 43.

[0095] The first door 40 may be further provided with a display 435. The display 435 may display an operation status of the refrigerator 1 including the dispenser 43. The display 435 may be provided above the dispenser 43. The display 435 may be disposed between the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43. The display 435 may also shield a portion of the dispenser 43. The water dispensing part 433 and the ice dispensing part 432 may be disposed on a bottom surface of the display 435. In addition, the display 435 may be shielded by the second door 30. In addition, the display 435 may be selectively visualized through the panel assembly 32.

[0096] The door storage part 42 may be recessed into the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, the door storage part 42 may be defined as the entire opened space in the front surface of the first door 40, which is opened and closed by the second door 30.

[0097] In this case, at least one of the accommodation member 421, the dispenser 43, and the display 435 may be provided inside the door storage part 42. Here, the door storage part 42 may be separated by the insulation material 413 within the first door 40 to define an independent space.

[0098] The second door 30 may define the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door 21 in the state in which the second door 30 is closed. In addition, the second door 30 may shield the door storage part 42 of the first door 40, the dispenser 43, and the display 435.

[0099] The second door 30 may include a door frame 31 defining a circumference and a panel assembly 32 mounted on the door frame 31. The door frame 31 may have an opening that is penetrated to communicate with the door storage part, and the panel assembly 32 may shield the opening. In addition, the inside of the door frame 31 disposed along the circumference of the panel assembly 32 may be filled with the insulating material 311.

[0100] In addition, the panel assembly 32 may overlap at least a portion of the door storage part 42. In addition, the panel assembly 32 may overlap at least a portion of the door storage part 42 and the display 435.

[0101] For example, the panel assembly 32 may be provided as a combination of a plurality of transparent plates 322, 323, and 324. For example, the transparent plates 322, 323, and 324 may be made of tempered glass or insulating glass and may be spaced apart from each other in a forward and backward direction. In addition, the first door 40 may be provided with a door light 46 that illuminates the door storage part 42. A rear side of the second door 30 may be brighten depending on on / off of the door light 46 and may be visualized through the viewing part 321. The door light 46 may be provided within the door storage part 42. In addition, the door light 46 may be provided on the second door 30. The door light 46 may be turned on and off by the user's manipulation or be turned on and off by detecting the user's proximity.

[0102] Thus, when the door light 46 is turned on, the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 may be viewed from the outside through the viewing part 321. In addition, when the display 435 is turned on, a status of the display 435 may be checked through the viewing part 321.

[0103] For example, a transparent display may be provided between the plurality of transparent plates 322, 323, and 324 to output a screen. Thus, both the viewing and the screen display of the door storage part 42 may be possible through the second door 30. Here, the transparent display may be disposed at only one side of the refrigerating compartment doors 21 at both the left and right sides.

[0104] In addition, the second door 30 may not include the panel assembly 32. The second door 30 may be configured so that the inside of the second door 30 is entirely filled with the insulation material 311, as illustrated in FIG. 8 described below, and may be provided so that the door storage part 42 is not seen from the outside.

[0105] Hereinafter, the operation of the refrigerator having the above-described structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0106] As illustrated in the drawings, the ice-making chamber 50 may be cooled by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14. The ice-making chamber 50 may have an outer surface defined by an ice-making chamber body 51, and the ice-making chamber body 51 may be made of an insulating material to insulate the inside of the ice-making chamber 50. Thus, it may not affect the temperature inside the refrigerating compartment 11 and may be cooled to a temperature at which ice is made by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14.

[0107] The ice maker 53 inside the ice-making chamber 50 may perform ice-making to make ice and separate the ice downward. The ice maker 53 may be an automatic ice maker having various structures in which the water supply, the ice-making, and the ice separation are performed automatically.

[0108] The ice separated from the ice maker 53 may fall downward and then be stored inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, a transfer device 54 may be provided below the ice maker 53 to transfer the ice separated from the ice maker 53 toward the ice discharge port 511. That is, at least a portion of the ice-making chamber 50 may serve as an ice bank that stores and separates the ice made in the ice maker 53.

[0109] When the first door 40 is closed, the ice discharge port 511 may communicate with the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414. Thus, the ice discharged from the ice-making chamber 50 may be supplied to the dispenser 43 through the ice chute 414.

[0110] The door storage part 42 may be cooled by the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11. When the second door 30 is closed, the door storage part 42 may be defined between the rear surface of the second door 30 and the front surface of the first door 40.

[0111] In addition, when the accommodation part fan 455 is driven, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 is supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 451. Here, the inlet 453 may be disposed at an upper portion of the door storage part 42, and the cold air passing through the inlet 453 flows downward along the rear surface of the second door 30, that is, the rear surface of the panel assembly 32 and the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, the cold air flowing downward through the door storage part 42 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 by passing through the outlet 454 and the discharge duct 452 provided at the lower end of the dispenser recess part 431.

[0112] If necessary, a damper that opens and closes the supply duct 451 or the discharge duct 452 may be further provided, and the door storage part 42 may be controlled to a temperature different from that of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0113] The user may check the door storage part 42 even when the second door 30 is closed, open the second door storage part 42, and take out food stored in the door storage part 42. In addition, the user may open the second door 30 to expose the dispenser 43 and manipulate the manipulation member 434, thereby dispensing the ice of the ice-making chamber 50 through the dispenser 43.

[0114] In addition to the foregoing embodiment, various embodiments may be exemplified. Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, since configurations that are not described below are the same as those in the foregoing embodiment, their detailed description and illustration are omitted to avoid duplication of description, and the same drawing reference numerals are used for description. In addition, the configuration that are not shown may refer to the foregoing embodiment. That is, hereinafter, only configurations that are different from the foregoing embodiment will be described in detail.

[0115] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in the drawing, a refrigerator 1c according to a third embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21c that opens and closes a storage space of the cabinet 10.

[0116] The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0117] The door 21c may be rotatably mounted on the cabinet 10 and may have a double door structure. In detail, the door 21c may include a first door 40c that shields the storage space and a second door 30 provided in front of the first door 40c. The second door 30 may open and close a front surface of the first door 40c by rotation.

[0118] The inside of the first door 40c is filled with an insulation material 413. Thus, a space between a door storage part 42 and the storage space 11 may be separated by the insulating material 413 and insulated from each other, The first door 40c may be provided with a supply duct 451, The supply duct 451 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c and may be provided so that the door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other.

[0119] The supply duct 451 may pass through front and rear surfaces of the first door 40c. The supply duct 451 may be opened at the upper portion of the door storage part 42 to provide an inlet 453. Thus, cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 451 and the inlet 453. The supply duct 451 may be further provided with an accommodation part fan 455 to forcibly supply the cold air from the refrigerating compartment 11 to the door storage part 42.

[0120] An opened rear end of the supply duct 451, which is exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40c, may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side as in the first embodiment described above. Thus, when the first door 40c is closed, a front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may not cover the opened rear end of the supply duct 451, and when the first door 40c is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly supplied to the door storage part 42.

[0121] In addition, air introduced into the door storage part 42 through the inlet 453 may flow downward along a front surface of the first door 40d and a rear surface of the second door 30.

[0122] The first door 40c may be provided with a dispenser 43. The dispenser43 may be provided below the door storage part 42 and may communicate with an ice chute 414 protruding from the rear surface of the first door 40. In addition, when the first door 40 is closed, the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with an ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0123] The dispenser 43 may include a dispenser recess part 431c recessed in the front surface of the first door 40. In addition, a water dispensing part 433 and an ice dispensing part 432 may be disposed in a top surface of the dispenser recess part 431c. In addition, a manipulation member 434 for manipulating the water or ice dispensing part may be provided in the dispenser recess part 431c.

[0124] An manipulation member mounting part 436 may be disposed in the dispenser recess part 431. The manipulation member mounting part 436 may be provided at a rear side of the manipulation member 434. In addition, the manipulation member mounting part 436 may extend upward to be spaced apart from a bottom surface of the dispenser recess part 431c. In addition, the manipulation member mounting part 436 may extend to a position at which at least a portion of the manipulation member mounting part 436 overlaps the manipulation member 434 to ensure the mounting and operation of the manipulation member 434.

[0125] In addition, a water tank 441 and a valve 443 may be provided in the rear surface of the first door 40c corresponding to the manipulation member mounting part 436. In addition, water stored in the water tank 441 may be selectively supplied to a dispenser 43 and an ice maker 53 by the operation of the valve 443.

[0126] A penetration part 456c that passes through the first door 40c in the forward and backward direction may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c. The penetration part 456c may be provided inside the display recess part 431c. In addition, the penetration part 456c may be provided below the manipulation member mounting part 436. For example, the penetration part 456c may be defined by a bottom surface of the manipulation member mounting part 436 in the bottom surface of the dispenser recess part 431c.

[0127] The door storage part 42 and the refrigerating compartment 11 may communicate with each other through the penetration part 456c. Thus, the cold air introduced into the door storage part 42 through the inlet 453 may flow downward through the door storage part 42 and then be discharged into the refrigerator compartment 11 through the penetration part 456c. Thus, the refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 42 may communicate with each other and may be maintained at the same temperature.

[0128] The penetration part 456c may extend from the manipulation member mounting part 436 to a lower end of the first door 40c. In addition, the penetration part 456c may be opened in a remaining horizontal portion, except for a portion of left and right ends of the first door 40c. Thus, access to the inside of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be possible through the penetration part 456c.

[0129] A separate accommodation member 457 such as a door basket may be disposed inside the penetration part 456c. That is, the accommodation member 457 capable of accommodating food may be disposed in an inner bottom surface of the penetration part 456c. The penetration part 456 may provide a separate accommodation space in the first door 40c. Thus, the door storage part 42 may be called a first door storage part, and the penetration part 456c may be called a second door storage part. In addition, when the entire recessed space of the first door 40c, which is shielded by the second door 30, may be referred to as the door storage part 42, the penetration part 456c may be viewed as a portion of the door storage part 42.

[0130] In addition, the second door 30 may be provided in front of the first door 40c, and the second door 30 may shield the door storage part 42, the display 435, and the penetration part 456c. The second door 30 may include a transparent panel assembly 32, and the door storage part 42, the display 435, and the penetration part 456 may be visible even when the second door 30 is closed.

[0131] The first door 40c may be further provided with a display 435.

[0132] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0133] As illustrated in the drawing, a refrigerator 1d according to a third embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21d, which open and close a storage space of the cabinet 10.

[0134] The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through t an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0135] The door 21d may have a double door structure. The door 21d may include a first door 40c that opens and closes a refrigerating compartment 11, and a second door 30d that opens and closes the first door 40c from the front.

[0136] The first door 40c may be the same as that according to the foregoing first or second embodiment. The first door 40c may have a door storage part 42 provided in a front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c. An insulating material 413 may be provided inside the first door 40c, and the door storage part 42 provided at a front side and the refrigerator compartment 50 provided at a rear side may be insulated from each other by the insulating material 413. In addition, a dispenser 43 may be provided in a front surface of the first door 40c. The dispenser 43 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c.

[0137] A supply duct 451 passing through the first door 40c may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c so that cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 is supplied to the first door 40c. Here, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451, which is exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40c, may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side as in the foregoing first and second embodiments. Thus, when the first door 40c is closed, a front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 may not cover the opened rear end of the supply duct 451, and when the first door 40c is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly supplied to the door storage part 42.

[0138] The dispenser 43 may be provided below the door storage part 42 and may communicate with an ice chute 414 protruding from the rear surface of the first door 40. In addition, when the first door 40 is closed, the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with an ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0139] In addition, a penetration part 456c passing through the first door 40c may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c, that is, at a dispenser recess part 431c. The penetration part 456d may communicate with the storage space 11 and may provide a passage through which the cold air of the door storage part 42 is discharged.

[0140] In addition, the penetration part 456c may also serve as the accommodation space. For this purpose, an accommodation member 457 such as a door basket may be disposed in the penetration part 456c.

[0141] The second door 30d may be provided in front of the first door 40c and may be rotatably mounted on the first door 40c. The second door 30d may shield the entire front surface of the first door 40c and open and close the door storage part 42. An outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator may be defined in the state in which the second door 30d is closed.

[0142] The front surface of the second door 30d may be defined by an opaque door panel 32. The door panel 32 may be made of various materials such as opaque glass, a metal, plastic, and a composite material. In addition, the inside of the second door 30d may be filled with an insulating material 311. Thus, the door storage part 42 may be thermally insulated by the insulation material 31. In addition, the cold air introduced into the door storage part 42 may move along a rear side 33 of the second door 30d.

[0143] Thus, the door storage part 42 may be insulated from the refrigerator compartment 11 disposed at the rear side by the insulation material 413 of the first door 40c and also be insulated from outside air at a front side by the insulation material 311 of the second door 30c. Thus, the cold air supplied into the door storage part 42 may flow between the second door 30d and the first door 40c. In addition, the inside of the door storage part 42 may be maintained at a set temperature by the supplied cold air.

[0144] The second door 30d may shield the door storage part 42 when being closed, and may shield the dispenser 43 and the penetration part 456c.

[0145] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0146] A refrigerator le according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21e that opens and closes a storage space of the cabinet 10, The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50e may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53e and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50e. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50e may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50e may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0147] In addition, a cold air supply port 512 and a cold air collection port 513 that communicate with a supply duct 451e and a discharge duct 452e, which will be described below, may be provided in the ice-making chamber 50e. For example, the cold air supply port 512 and the cold air collection port 513 may be provided to pass through a front surface of the ice-making chamber body 51e. In addition, when the first door 40e is closed, the cold air supply port 512 and the cold air collection port 513 may communicate with the supply duct 451e and the discharge duct 452e. Thus, cold air of the ice-making chamber 50e may be supplied to the door storage part 42 to be described below.

[0148] The door 21d may have a double door structure. The door 21e may include a first door 40e that opens and closes a refrigerating compartment 11, and a second door 30e that opens and closes the first door 40e from the front.

[0149] The first door 40e may be the same as that according to the foregoing first embodiment, except for the arrangement of the supply duct 451e and the discharge duct 452e. The first door 40e may have a door storage part 42 provided in a front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be recessed from a front side to a rear side of the first door 40e.

[0150] An insulating material 413 may be provided inside the first door 40e, and the door storage part 42 provided at a front side and the refrigerator compartment 50 provided at a rear side may be insulated from each other by the insulating material 413. In addition, the dispenser 43 may be provided in a front surface of the first door 40e.

[0151] The supply duct 45le may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40e. The supply duct 451e may pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40e. A front end of the supply duct 451e may communicate with an inlet 453e at an upper end of the door storage part 42, and the cold air may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 42.

[0152] In addition, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451e may be exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40e. Here, a rear end of the supply duct 451e may be disposed at a position corresponding to the cold air supply port 512 and may communicate with the cold air supply port 512 when the first door 40e is closed.

[0153] The discharge duct 452e may be provided below the supply duct 451e. The discharge duct 452e may pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40e. The front end of the discharge duct 452e may communicate with the outlet 454e at a lower end of the door storage part 42, and air in the door storage part 42 may be discharged from the lower end of the door storage part 42.

[0154] In addition, an opened rear end of the discharge duct 452e may be exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40e. Here, the rear end of the discharge duct 452e may be disposed at a position corresponding to the cold air collection port 513 and may communicate with the cold air collection port 513 when the first door 40e is closed.

[0155] Thus, the cold air of the ice-making chamber 50e may be supplied to an upper end of the door storage part 42 through the cold air supply port 512 and the supply duct 451e. In addition, the inside of the door storage part 42 may be cooled by the cold air flowing downward from the upper end of the door storage part 42. In addition, the air that is heat exchanged in the door storage part 42 may be collected to the ice-making chamber 50e through the discharge duct 452e and the cold air collection port 513 at the lower end of the door storage part 42. Due to this path, the cold air of the ice-making chamber 50e may be supplied to the door storage part 42 to cool the door storage part 42.

[0156] A damper 455 may be provided inside the supply duct 451e or the discharge duct 452e. Selective supply of the cold air to the door storage part 42 may be possible by opening and closing the damper 455. The damper may also be provided in each of the cold air supply port 512 and cold air collection port 513. In addition, an accommodation part fan may be provided in the supply duct 451e or the discharge duct 452e to enable forced supply of the cold air.

[0157] The dispenser 43 may be provided below the door storage part 42. The dispenser 43 may communicate with an ice chute 414 protruding from the rear surface of the first door 40. In addition, when the first door 40 is closed, the inlet 416 of the ice chute 414 may communicate with an ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0158] In addition, a water dispensing port 433, an ice dispensing port 432, and an manipulation member 434 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c, that is, a dispenser recess part 431c, and thus, water or ice may be dispensed by manipulating the dispenser 43.

[0159] In addition, a valve 443 and a water tank 441 may be provided at a rear side of the dispenser recess part 431. The valve 443 and the water tank 441 may be detached from the rear surface of the first door 40e and may be embedded so as to be surrounded by the insulation material 413.

[0160] The second door 30e may be provided in front of the first door 40e and may be rotatably mounted on the first door 40e. The second door may have the same structure as foregoing first embodiment or the third embodiment.

[0161] The second door 30e may shield the entire front surface of the first door 40e and open and close the door storage part 42. In addition, the second door 30 may also open and close the dispenser 43. An outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerator le may be defined in the state in which the second door 30d is closed.

[0162] In addition, the second door 30 may be provided with a transparent door panel 32, and the door storage part 42 and the dispenser 43 disposed at the rear side may be viewed through the door panel 32 even when the second door 30 is closed. Alternatively, the second door 30 may be fully filled with the insulation material 311 as in the third embodiment to shield the front surface of the first door 40e from being visible.

[0163] FIG. 12 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a refrigerating compartment door of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 of FIG. 12. In addition, FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B2-B2 of FIG. 12. As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator If according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention may have a structure in which a refrigerating compartment 11 and a freezing compartment 12 are provided at upper and lower portions of a cabinet 10, respectively, and the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 are opened and closed by a refrigerating compartment door 21 and a freezing compartment door 22, respectively.

[0164] In addition, the refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided with an ice-making chamber 50 where ice is made and stored. The ice-making chamber 50 may be disposed above an ice chute 714 described below. For example, the ice-making chamber 50 may be disposed at edges of a top surface and a side surface of the refrigerating compartment 11. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may be defined by an ice-making chamber body 51 made of an insulating material and may be insulated from the refrigerating compartment.

[0165] In addition, an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0166] The ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with a space in which an evaporator 14 is disposed by an ice-making chamber duct 55 as in the foregoing first embodiment, Thus, cold air circulation may be achieved between the cabinet 10 and the space in which the evaporator 14 is disposed, and the inside of the ice-making chamber 50 may be cooled to a temperature at which ice making is possible.

[0167] In addition, the refrigerating compartment 11 may be cooled by the cold air supplied from the evaporator 14 as in the foregoing first embodiment. A blower fan 15 and a multi-duct 16 may be provided above the evaporator 14. The cold air of the evaporator 14 may flow upward along the multi-duct 16 and then be guided to the refrigerating compartment 11 by driving the blower fan 15.

[0168] The multi-duct 16 may be provided in a rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The multi-duct 16 may be covered by the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11 and thus may not be exposed to the outside. In addition, a cold air discharge port 16 communicating with the multi-duct 16 may be provided in the rear wall of the refrigerating compartment 11. The cold air discharge port 16 may be provided in plurality. Thus, the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may flow along the multi-duct 16 and then may be evenly discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through the cold air discharge port 161.

[0169] The cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 discharged from the cold air discharge port. 161 may be supplied to a door storage part 42 provided in the first door 21 through a supply duct 451 that is opened at a rear surface of the first door 21f constituting the refrigerating compartment door 21f. In addition, air inside the door storage part 42 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11 through a discharge duct 452 provided in the rear surface of the first door 70.

[0170] An opening of the supply duct 451 exposed to the rear surface of a first door 70 may be disposed at a position that is biased to one side away from a rotation axis of the first door 70 with respect to a center of the first door 70. Thus, even when the first door 70 is closed, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451 is not covered by the ice-making chamber 50. Thus, when the first door 70 is closed, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be smoothly introduced into the door storage part 42.

[0171] Each of the refrigerating compartment doors 21f and 21 and the freezing compartment door 22 may be configured as a pair of doors disposed at left and right sides. In addition, the refrigerating compartment doors 21f and 21 and the freezing compartment door 22 may open and close the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 by rotating. At least one of the refrigerating compartment doors 21f and 21 may have a double door structure. In detail, the refrigerating compartment door 21 may include a left door 21f and a right door 21b, which are disposed at the left and right sides, respectively. In addition, each of the left door 21f and the right door 21b may have a double door structure.

[0172] For example, the right door 21b may include a first door 40b that shields the refrigerating compartment 11 and a second door 30b that opens and closes a door storage part 42b provided in the first door 40b. The door storage part 42b may be provided in the right door 21b, and the door storage part 42b may extend from an upper portion to a lower portion of the first door 40b. In addition, the door storage part 42b of the right door 21b may be configured to pass through the first door 40b and communicate with the refrigerating compartment 11. The second door 30b may shield the entire front surface of the first door 40b and may open and close the door storage part 42b. In addition, the second door 30b may be provided with a transparent panel assembly 32b, and may provide a viewing part 321b that allows the inside of the door storage part 42b to be viewed.

[0173] The left door 21f may include a first door 70 that shields the refrigerating compartment 11 and a second door 60 that opens and closes the door storage part 72 provided in the first door 70. The first door 21f may be provided with the dispenser 73 and the door storage part 72. In addition, the second door 60 may be provided with transparent panel assembly 62 and may provide a viewing part 621 that allows the inside of the door storage part 72 to be viewed.

[0174] Referring to the left door 21f in more detail, an ice chute 714 that communicates with the ice-making chamber 50 to transfer ice to the dispenser 73 may be provided in the rear surface of the first door 70. The ice chute 714 may be provided to protrude backward from the rear surface of the first door 70. With the first door 70 closed, the ice chute 714 may overlap the ice-making chamber 50 while at least portion thereof is in contact with the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, an inlet 716 of the ice chute 714 may communicate with the ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50 so that ice moves.

[0175] In addition, the door storage part 72 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 70. The door storage part 72 may be disposed at the upper portion of the first door 70 and may be disposed higher than a protrusion 715 described below. In addition, the door storage part 72 may be disposed behind the protrusion 715. The door storage part 72 may be provided by recessing the front surface of the first door 70. A accommodation member such as a basket may be disposed in the door storage part 72. In addition, the inside of the first door 70 may be filled with the insulating material 713 to insulate a space between the front door storage part 72 and the rear refrigerator compartment 11.

[0176] In addition, the dispenser 73 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 70. The dispenser 73 may include a dispenser recess part 731 that is recessed from the front surface of the first door 70. In addition, a water dispensing port 732 and an ice dispensing port 733 may be provided in the dispenser recess part 731 to enable dispensing of the water or ice. The dispenser 73 may be configured to be always exposed without being shielded by the second door 60.

[0177] The dispenser 73 may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 70. The dispenser 73 may be disposed below the door storage part 72 and may be provided at the lower portion of the first door 70. A protrusion 715 that protrudes further than the door storage part 72 may be disposed at the lower portion of the first door 70. In addition, the dispenser may be provided in a front surface of the protrusion 715 to define a portion of an outer appearance of the front surface of the refrigerating compartment door 21.

[0178] In addition, a display 735 exposed to the outside may be further provided on the front surface of the first door 70. The display 735 may also be provided together with a portion of the dispenser 73.

[0179] The second door 60 may be provided to have a size less than that of the first door 70 and may shield a portion of the first door 70. For example, the second door 60 may be disposed above the protrusion 715 and be rotatably mounted on the first door 70 to open and close the door storage part 72. The second door 60 may provide the same plane as the front surface of the protrusion 715 when being closed.

[0180] That is, the second door 60 and the door storage part 72 may be disposed above the dispenser 73. When the second door 60 is closed, the front surface of the second door 60 may provide the same plane as the front surface of the dispenser 73, The upper portion of the first door 70 in which the second door 60 is disposed may be provided to be stepped. The door storage part 72 may be disposed in front of the ice-making chamber 50 and may at least partially overlap an area of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0181] The first door 70 may include a supply duct 751 and a discharge duct 752. The refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 72 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 751 and the discharge duct 752, and the door storage part 72 may be cooled to a set temperature by circulation of the cold air. Here, the temperature of the door storage part 72 may be the same as the temperature of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0182] The supply duct 751 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 70 and may be provided so that the door storage part 72 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The supply duct 751 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 40.

[0183] Here, an opening of the supply duct 751 may be defined so as not to be covered by the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50 when the first door 70 is closed. Thus, even when the first door 70 is closed, and the ice chute 714 and the ice-making chamber 50 communicate with each other, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the door storage part 42 through the supply duct 751. For example, the opening of the supply duct 751 exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40 may be disposed so as not to overlap the front surface of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0184] The supply duct 751 may be opened to the upper portion of the door storage part 72 to provide an inlet 753. The inlet 753 may be provided in an upper end or top surface of the door storage part 72. In addition, the inlet 753 may extend in the left and right direction of the door storage part 72. Thus, the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11, which is introduced through the supply duct 751, may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 72 through the inlet 753.

[0185] The discharge duct 752 may be provided below the supply duct. For example, the discharge duct 752 may be provided at the lower portion of the door storage part 72 and may provide an outlet 754. The outlet 754 may be provided in the lower end of the door storage part 72. In addition, the discharge duct 752 may be configured so that the door storage part 72 and the refrigerating compartment 11 communicate with each other. The discharge duct 752 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 70, and thus, the air in the door storage part 72 may be discharged into the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0186] The discharge duct 752 may be provided above the dispenser 73. The discharge duct 752 may be provided between the door storage part 72 and the dispenser 73. In addition, the discharge duct 752 may extend in a direction intersecting the ice chute 555 connecting the ice-making chamber 50 to the dispenser 73. In addition, the discharge duct 752 may be provided between the door storage part 72 and a lower end of the ice-making chamber 50.

[0187] The cold air inside the refrigerating compartment 11 may be supplied to the upper portion of the door storage part 72 through the supply duct 751. In addition, the air flowing to the lower portion of the door storage part 72 may be discharged to the refrigerator compartment 11 through the discharge duct 752. A accommodation part fan 755 may be provided in the supply duct 751 or the discharge duct 752. Thus, the cold air of the refrigerator may be effectively supplied to the door storage part 72. In addition, the refrigerating compartment 11 and the door storage part 72 may be maintained at the same temperature by supplying the cold air from the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0188] The second door 60 may include a door frame 61 defining a circumference of the second door 60 and a panel assembly 62 mounted at an opened center of the door frame 61. The inside of the door frame 61 may be filled with an insulating material 611. The panel assembly 62 may be configured to selectively view the door storage part 72 by being constituted by a plurality of transparent plates.

[0189] The second door 60 may omit the panel assembly 62. The second door 60 may be filled with the insulating material 611 throughout the entire second door 60 as in the foregoing third embodiment. Here, the second door 60 may open and close the door storage part 72, but may not see through the door storage part 72, and the cold air may be guided along the rear surface of the second door 60.

[0190] FIG. 17 is a front view of a refrigerator according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 18 is a front view of the refrigerator with a door opened. In addition, FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating a freezing compartment door, in which a second door is opened, of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along C-C of FIG. 17.

[0191] As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1g according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10g defining a storage space and a door 20g that opens and closes the cabinet 10g.

[0192] The cabinet 10f may be partitioned into left and right sides by a barrier 13 to define a freezing compartment 12g and a refrigerating compartment 11g. The cabinet 10g may be provided with an evaporator 14, and cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may be supplied to the refrigerating compartment 11g and the freezing compartment 12g to cool the refrigerating compartment 11g and the freezing compartment 12g. For example, the evaporator 14 may be provided in the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, a blower fan 15 and a multi-duct 16 may be provided above the evaporator 14. When the blower fan 15 is driven, the cold air of the evaporator 14 may be guided through the multi-duct 16. The multi-duct 16 may be provided in a rear surface of the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, the multi-duct 16 may extend to the ice-making chamber 50.

[0193] The multi-duct 16 may be shielded by a rear wall surface of the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, a cold air discharge port 161 exposed to the rear wall surface of the freezing compartment 12g may be provided in the multi-duct 16. The cold air discharge port 161 may be provided in plurality to discharge the cold air into the freezing compartment 12g, thereby cooling the freezing compartment 12g.

[0194] An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided at an upper portion of the freezing compartment 12g. The ice-making chamber 50 may include an ice-making chamber body 51 that defines a space in which an ice maker 53 is accommodated inside the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, a transfer device 54 that stores and transfers ice may be provided inside the ice-making chamber body 51. In addition, an ice discharge port 511 may be provided in the ice-making chamber body 51 to communicate with an ice chute 914 to be described below, and thus, the ice inside the ice-making chamber 50 may be discharged to the dispenser 93. The ice-making chamber 50 may directly communicate with the space in which the evaporator 14 is disposed by the ice-making chamber duct, and the cold air generated in the evaporator 14 may be supplied to the ice-making chamber 50 to cool the inside of the ice-making chamber 50 to a temperature at which the ice making is possible. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with the freezing compartment 12g and may be cooled to a temperature at which ice is made by the cold air of the freezing compartment 12g. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may communicate with an upper end of the multi-duct 16 to receive the cold air for the ice making, The door 20g may include a refrigerating compartment door 21G that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 11g and a freezing compartment door 22G that opens and closes the freezing compartment 12G. In addition, at least one of the doors 20G may have a double door structure.

[0195] For example, the freezing compartment door 22G may include a first door 90 that shields the freezing compartment 12g and a second door 80 that opens and closes a door storage part 92 provided in the first door 90. In addition, a viewing part 821 may be provided in the second door 80 to allow the door storage part 92 disposed at the rear side to be visible.

[0196] In addition, the refrigerating compartment door 21G may also be configured as a double door. That is, the refrigerating compartment door 21G may include a first door 90b that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 11G, and a second door 90b that opens and closes a door storage part 82b provided in the first door 90b. In addition, viewing part 821b may be provided in the second door 80b so that the door storage part 82b disposed at the rear side is visible.

[0197] Referring to the freezing compartment door 22G in more detail, a door storage part 92 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 90. The door storage part 92 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 90.

[0198] A lower portion of the front surface of the first door 90 may include a protrusion 916 that protrudes further forward than the door storage part 92. In addition, the upper portion of the front surface of the first door 90 in which the door storage part 92 is provided may be stepped with respect to the protrusion 916. In addition, when the second door 80 is closed, the front surface of the second door 80 and the front surface of the protrusion 916 may provide the same plane.

[0199] In addition, a handle 915 may be provided between the protrusion 916 and a lower end of the second door 80 so that the user manipulate the handle 915 when opening and closing the freezing compartment door 22G. The door storage part 92 may be disposed higher than the handle 915.

[0200] The door storage part 92 may be provided by recessing the front surface of the first door 90. A accommodation member 921 such as a basket may be disposed in the door storage part 92. The door storage part 92 may be provided with a door light 96. When the door light 96 is turned on, the door storage part 92 may be visualized through the viewing part 821.

[0201] The first door 90 may include a door body 91 filled with an insulation material 913. The front door storage part 92 and the rear freezing compartment 12g may be insulated from each other by the insulation material 913.

[0202] In detail, the door body 91 may include a door case 911 defining the front surface and a door liner 912 defining the rear surface. In addition, the door storage part 92 that is opened forward may be provided in the door case 911. In addition, the door liner 912 may provide an ice chute 914 protruding backward.

[0203] A dispenser 93 may be provided in the front surface of the first door 90. The dispenser 93 may be provided below the door storage part 92. In addition, the dispenser 93 may be provided inside the door storage part 92. That is, the door storage part 92 may be defined as the entire area shielded by the second door 80.

[0204] The dispenser 93 may include a dispenser recess part 931 that is recessed from the front surface of the first door 90. In addition, a water dispensing port 933, an ice dispensing port 932, and an manipulation member 934 may be provided in the dispenser recess part 931 to enable dispensing of the water or ice.

[0205] A display 935 exposed to the outside may be further provided on the front surface of the first door 90. The display 935 may also be provided together with a portion of the dispenser 93. In addition, the display 935 may be disposed inside the door storage part 92.

[0206] An ice chute 914 that communicates with the ice-making chamber 50 to transfer ice to the dispenser 93 may be provided in the rear surface of the first door 90. The ice chute 914 may be provided to protrude backward from the rear surface of the first door 90. With the first door 90 closed, the ice chute 914 may overlap the ice-making chamber 50 while at least portion thereof is in contact with the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, an inlet 916 of the ice chute 914 may communicate with the ice discharge port 511 of the ice-making chamber 50 so that ice moves.

[0207] The first door 90 may include a supply duct 951 and a discharge duct 952. The freezing compartment 12g and the door storage part 92 may communicate with each other by the supply duct 951 and the discharge duct 952, and the door storage part 92 may be cooled to a set temperature by the supply of the cold air. Here, a temperature of the door storage part 92 may be maintained higher than a temperature of the freezing compartment 12g by controlling an amount of cold air supplied to the door storage part 92.

[0208] The supply duct 951 may be provided at the upper portion of the first door 90 and may be provided so that the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g communicate with each other. The supply duct 951 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 90.

[0209] The supply duct 951 may provide an inlet 953 that is opened at an upper portion of the door storage part 92. The inlet 953 may be provided in an upper end or top surface of the door storage part 92. Thus, the cold air of the freezing compartment 12g, which is introduced through the supply duct 951, may be supplied from the upper end of the door storage part 92 through the inlet 953.

[0210] The supply duct 951 may include a damper 955. The damper 955 may adjust the opening and closing or a degree of opening of the supply duct 951. It is possible to control whether and how much cold air is introduced into the door storage part 92 through the supply duct 951 depending on the operation of the damper 955. Thus, a temperature inside the door storage part 92 may be controlled by the operation of the damper 955. In addition, an accommodation part fan may be provided in the supply duct 951 to ensure smooth supply of the cold air to the door storage part 92.

[0211] In addition, an opened rear end of the supply duct 951 may be exposed toward the freezing compartment 12g through the rear surface of the first door 90. Here, an opened rear end of the supply duct 951 may be disposed further downward than the ice-making chamber 50. That is, the opened rear end of the supply duct 951 may be disposed lower than the inlet 953.

[0212] The supply duct 951 may extend to be inclined or rounded to pass through the inside of the first door 90. In addition, the supply duct 951 may extend in a multiple-bent shape inside the first door 90. In addition, the supply duct 951 may be provided to bypass a passage through which ice moves inside the ice chute 914.

[0213] The discharge duct 952 may be provided below the supply duct 951. For example, the discharge duct 952 may be provided at the lower portion of the door storage part 92 and may provide an outlet 954. The outlet 954 may be provided in the lower end of the door storage part 92. In addition, the discharge duct 952 may be configured so that the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g communicate with each other. The discharge duct 952 may be provided to pass through the front and rear surfaces of the first door 90, and thus, the air in the door storage part 92 may be discharged into the freezing compartment 12g.

[0214] The discharge duct 952 may be configured to communicate with the dispenser recess part 931, The outlet 954 may be provided in a lower end of the dispenser recess part 931. In addition, an opened rear end of the discharge duct 952 may be opened to the rear surface of the first door 90. In addition, the opened rear end of the discharge duct 952 may be exposed toward the freezing compartment 12g. If necessary, the discharge duct 952 may be provided at another side of the door storage part 92 other than the dispenser 93, and may be provided at another position, at which the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g communicate with each other.

[0215] In addition, the discharge duct 952 may be provided with a damper 955 to selectively block the flow of the cold air between the door storage part 92 and the freezing compartment 12g. The damper 955 may also be called an opening / closing member.

[0216] The cold air inside the freezing compartment 12g is supplied to the upper portion of the door storage part 92 through the supply duct 951 in the state in which the damper 955 is opened. In addition, the air flowing to the lower portion of the door storage part 92 may be discharged to the freezing compartment 12g through the discharge duct 952. In addition, when the door storage part 92 reaches set temperature, the damper 955 may be closed to block the supply of the cold air to the door storage part 92. Thus, the door storage part 92 may be maintained at a different temperature from that of the freezing compartment 12g. An accommodation part fan may be provided in the supply duct 951 or discharge duct 952 to more effectively supply the cold air to the door storage part 92.

[0217] In addition, a water tank 941 and a valve 943, which supply water to the water dispensing port 933 of the dispenser 93 may be provided inside the first door 90.

[0218] The second door 80 may be provided to have a size less than that of the first door 90 and may shield a portion of the first door 90. For example, the second door 80 may be disposed above the protrusion 916 and be rotatably mounted on the first door 90 to open and close the door storage part 92. The second door 80 may provide the same plane as the front surface of the protrusion 916 when being closed.

[0219] In addition, the second door 80 may shield the door storage part 92 and the dispenser 93 when being closed. In addition, the second door 80 may further shield the display 935.

[0220] In detail, the second door 80 may include a door frame 81 defining a circumference of the second door 80 and a panel assembly 82 mounted at an opened center of the door frame 81. The inside of the door frame 81 may be filled with an insulating material 1. The panel assembly 82 may be configured to selectively view the door storage part 92 by being constituted by a plurality of transparent plates 822, 823, and 824. A viewing part 821 may be provided by the panel assembly 82. In addition, at least a portion of the door storage part 92, the dispenser 93, and the display 935 may be viewed through the viewing part 821.

[0221] The second door 80 may omit the panel assembly 82. The second door 80 may be filled with the insulating material 811 throughout the entire second door 80 as in the foregoing third embodiment. Here, the second door 80 may open and close the door storage part 92, but may not see through the door storage part 92 and the dispenser 93, and the cold air may be guided along the rear surface of the second door 80.

[0222] FIG. 21 is a partial front view of a door opened according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 22 is a view illustrating a cold air flow state in a door storage part of the refrigerator.

[0223] As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1h according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention has an overall similar structure to the foregoing sixth embodiment, and portions that are not described or illustrated may be the same as those of the sixth embodiment. The refrigerator 1h may include a cabinet 10g in which a storage space is defined, and a door 20g that closes the storage space. In addition, the storage space of the cabinet 10g may be partitioned into left and right sides by a barrier to provide a freezing compartment 12g and a refrigerating compartment 11g.

[0224] In addition, the freezing compartment 12g may be provided with an ice-making chamber 50. An ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may be maintained at a temperature for ice making by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 or the freezing compartment 12g.

[0225] The door 20g may be constituted by a refrigerating compartment door 21g and a freezing compartment door 22h. The freezing compartment door 22h may include a first door 90h that opens and closes the freezing compartment 12g and a second door 80 provided in a front surface of the first door 90h. In addition, a door storage part 92 and a dispenser 93 may be provided in the first door 90h. The second door 80 may open and close the door storage part 92 and the dispenser 93 by rotation.

[0226] The first door 90h may include a door liner 912 defining a rear surface. The inside of the first door 90h may be filled with an insulation material 913. Thus, the door storage part 92 provided in the front surface of the first door 90h may be insulated from the freezing compartment 12g disposed at a rear side by the insulating material.

[0227] The door storage part 92 may be provided to be recessed toward the rear side and may be provided with an accommodation member 921 that stores food therein. In addition, a dispenser 93 may be provided below the door storage part 92. The dispenser 93 may be provided inside the door storage part 92.

[0228] The door liner 912 may protrude backward to provide an ice chute 914. The ice chute 914 may communicate with the ice-making chamber 50 in the state in which the first door 90h is closed. Thus, the ice in the ice-making chamber 50 may be guided through the ice chute 914 and then dispensed to the dispenser 93.

[0229] The door storage part 92 may be cooled by cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g. In detail, a supply duct 956 and a discharge duct 957 may be provided in one surface of the door storage part 92 that is closer to a barrier 13.

[0230] The supply duct 956 may communicate with an upper portion of the door storage part 92 and may be opened to an inner surface of the door storage part 92. In addition, the discharge duct 957 may be provided below the supply duct 956. In addition, the discharge duct 957 may communicate with a lower portion of the door storage part 92 and may be opened to the inner surface of the door storage part 92. Thus, the cold air introduced into the supply duct 956 moves downward to cool the door storage part 92 and may be discharged through the discharge duct 957, The cold air inside the door storage part 92 may flow downward along a space between the rear surface of the second door 80 and the front surface of the first door 90h.

[0231] A supply passage 131 and a discharge passage 132 may be provided in the barrier 13. The supply passage 131 and the discharge passage 132 may be provided to pass through both sides of the barrier 13. In addition, the supply passage 131 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the supply duct 956, and the discharge passage 132 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the discharge duct 957. Thus, when the first door 90h is closed, the supply duct 956 may communicate with the supply passage 131 so that the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g is supplied to the door storage part 92. In addition, when the first door 90h is closed, the discharge duct 957 may communicate with the discharge passage 132 so that the air in the door storage part 92 is discharged to the refrigerating compartment 11g. Thus, an internal temperature of the door storage part 92 may be maintained at the same temperature as the refrigerator compartment 11g.

[0232] A damper 133 may be provided between the supply passage 131 and the discharge passage 132. The cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g may be selectively supplied to the door storage part 92 by opening and closing the damper 133. In addition, when the damper 133 is closed, even if the refrigerating compartment door 21g or the freezing compartment door 22h is opened, a flow of the cold air between the freezing compartment 12g and the refrigerating compartment 11g may be blocked. The damper 133 may be provided in the supply duct 956 and the discharge duct 957. In addition, an accommodation part fan may be provided in a supply passage 131 and the discharge duct 957 so that the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g is supplied to the door storage part 92 more effectively.

[0233] In the barrier 13, the supply passage 131 and the discharge passage 132 may not be provided, and a separate cold air duct may be provided in the cabinet 10g so that the cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11g is directed to the door storage part 92. For example, the cold air duct may be disposed in a top surface of the cabinet 10g and may be configured so that a top surface of the refrigerating compartment 11g and a top surface of the door storage part 92 communicate with each other.INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0234] The refrigerator according to the embodiments of the present invention has high industrial applicability because the convenience of use is improved.

Examples

first embodiment

[0054]FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to the present invention. In addition, FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator with a door opened. In addition, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a cold air passage structure of an ice-making chamber of the refrigerator. In addition, FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating a second door of the refrigerator.

[0055]As illustrated in the drawings, a refrigerator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 10 in which a storage space is defined and a door 20 that opens and closes the storage space.

[0056]For example, the storage space may be partitioned vertically, and also, a refrigerating compartment 11 may be provided at an upper portion, and a freezing compartment 12 may be provided at a lower portion. Each of the refrigerating compartment 11 and the freezing compartment 12 may be maintained a set temperature by supplying cold air generated from an evaporator 14. For example, the evaporator 1...

third embodiment

[0132]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. 1 according to the present invention.

[0133]As illustrated in the drawing, a refrigerator 1d according to a third embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet 10 and a door 21d, which open and close a storage space of the cabinet 10.

[0134]The cabinet 10 may include at least a refrigerating compartment 11. An ice-making chamber 50 may be provided in the refrigerating compartment 11, and an ice maker 53 and a transfer device 54 may be provided inside the ice-making chamber 50. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may satisfy a temperature for an ice-making operation by supplying cold air from an evaporator 14 through t an ice-making chamber duct 55. In addition, the ice-making chamber 50 may provide an insulation space independent of the refrigerating compartment 11.

[0135]The door 21d may have a double door structure. The door 21d may include a first door 40c that opens and closes a refrigerating comp...

second embodiment

[0136]The first door 40c may be the same as that according to the foregoing first or The first door 40c may have a door storage part 42 provided in a front surface thereof. The door storage part 42 may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c. An insulating material 413 may be provided inside the first door 40c, and the door storage part 42 provided at a front side and the refrigerator compartment 50 provided at a rear side may be insulated from each other by the insulating material 413. In addition, a dispenser 43 may be provided in a front surface of the first door 40c. The dispenser 43 may be provided at a lower portion of the first door 40c.

[0137]A supply duct 451 passing through the first door 40c may be provided at an upper portion of the first door 40c so that cold air of the refrigerating compartment 11 is supplied to the first door 40c. Here, an opened rear end of the supply duct 451, which is exposed to the rear surface of the first door 40c, may be disposed...

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:a cabinet in which a storage space having an opened front surface is defined;an ice-making chamber which is provided in the cabinet and in which an ice maker is disposed;a door configured to open and close the storage space,wherein the door comprises:a first door rotatably mounted on the cabinet and configured to open and close the storage space; anda second door provided in front of the first door to rotate in the same direction as the first door and configured to open and close at least a portion of a front surface of the first door,wherein the first door comprises:a door storage part provided in the first door to accommodate food; anda dispenser provided in the first door to dispense ice supplied from the ice-making chamber,wherein the second door is configured to cover the door storage part,2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the door storage part is recessed from the front surface of the first door.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein an ice chute protruding backward and communicating with the ice-making chamber in a state in which the first door is closed to supply ice is provided in the rear surface of the first door.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser is provided in the front surface of the first door and provided below the door storage part.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the second door is configured to cover all the door storage part and the dispenser.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the second door is provided with a panel assembly that overlaps at least an area of the door storage part and the dispenser and is transparent so that a rear side of the second door is seen through the panel assembly,7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:a supply duct passing through the first door and configured to supply cold air of the storage space to the door storage part; anda discharge duct provided below the supply duct to pass through the first door so that the cold air of the door storage part is discharged to the storage space.

8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the door storage part and a rear side of the dispenser are covered by an insulating material.

9. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the supply duct is disposed on an upper end of the door storage part, and the discharge duct is disposed on a lower end of the door storage part.

10. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising:a supply duct configured to allow the storage space and the door storage part to communicate with each other; anda penetration part that passes through a lower portion of the first door in a recess part of the dispenser,wherein cold air of the storage space is introduced into the door storage part through the supply duct, andcold air of the door storage part is discharged to the storage space through the penetration part.

11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein a second door storage part, in which food is accommodated, is further provided in the penetration part.

12. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the cabinet comprises a refrigerating compartment, which is disposed at an upper side, and a freezing compartment that is disposed at a lower side,wherein the ice-making chamber is provided in the refrigerating compartment and is thermally insulated from the refrigerating compartment by being surrounded by an insulating material.

13. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser is provided below the door storage part, andthe second door is disposed above the dispenser to open and close the door storage part.

14. The refrigerator according to claim 13, wherein a lower portion of the first door is provided with a protrusion protruding further forward than the door storage part, andthe dispenser is disposed in the protrusion.

15. The refrigerator according to claim 14, wherein the second door is provided above the dispenser, andthe dispenser is exposed to a lower side of the second door.

16. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet comprises a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment, which are divided into both sides by a barrier, andthe ice-making chamber is provided in the freezing compartment.

17. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the first door is configured to open and close the freezing compartment and is provided with:a supply duct passing through the door storage part and a rear surface of the first door and configured to supply cold air of the freezing compartment to the door storage part; anda discharge duct passing through the door storage part and the rear surface of the first door and configured to discharge air of the door storage part to the freezing compartment.

18. The refrigerator according to claim 15, wherein the first door comprises a supply duct communicating with the door storage part to supply cold air and a discharge duct through which the cold air is discharged,a supply passage communicating with the supply duct and a discharge passage communicating with the discharge duct are provided in the barrier, andthe cold air is circulated between the freezing compartment and the door storage part.

19. The refrigerator according to claim 16 wherein a rear surface of the first door is in contact with a front surface of the ice-making chamber, andthe first door comprises:a supply duct configured to supply cold air of the ice-making chamber by allowing the door storage part and the ice-making chamber to communicate with each other; anda damper configured to open and close the supply duct so as to adjust the cold air supplied from the ice-making chamber.

20. The refrigerator according to claim 19, wherein the first door comprises a discharge duct configured to discharge the cold air of the door storage part to the ice-making chamber by allowing the door storage part and the ice-making chamber to communicating with each other,wherein the discharge duct is provided below the supply duct.

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