refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator including a main body; a storage chamber provided in the main body; and a tray mountable in the storage chamber to form a separate storage space, wherein the trays comprise a cover tray which can support stored objects, a base tray which is arranged under the cover tray to support the cover tray, a cold air hole which is provided in one region of the tray so that air flows from the inside of the separate storage space to the outside of the separate storage, and a cold air adjusting lever for opening or closing the cold air hole to thereby control the air between the interior of the separate storage space and the exterior of the separate storage space.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of international application No. PCT / KR2024 / 017403, Nov. 6, 2024, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0169737, filed Nov. 29, 2023, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator including a cold air leakage prevention holeBACKGROUND ART

[0003] A refrigerator may be an apparatus for storing food or the like and may include a plurality of storage chambers maintained at different temperatures. For example, the refrigerator may be partitioned into a freezing chamber maintained at −18° C. or lower and a refrigerating chamber maintained at 0 to 10° C. However, among foods stored in the refrigerating chamber, some foods may need to be stored at a lower temperature than other foods. In particular, vegetables, fruits, or the like may need to maintain freshness compared to other stored foods, and accordingly, a conventional refrigerator has provided a separate space for storing vegetables and fruits. To control a temperature of the separate space, a configuration for directly opening or closing a portion through which cold air is discharged has been used in the conventional refrigerator. However, when the portion through which cold air is discharged is directly blocked, frost may occur on the corresponding configuration, thereby interfering with operation of a configuration for adjusting inflow of cold air and causing inconvenience in use.DISCLOSURE OF INVENTIONSolution to Problem

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, provided is a refrigerator including: a main body; a storage chamber to be disposed inside the main body; at least one cold air discharge port to be disposed in the storage chamber; and a tray, mountable in the storage chamber and forming a separate storage space.

[0005] The tray may include: a cover tray to support a stored item; a base tray to be disposed below the cover tray and to support the cover tray; a cold air hole to be disposed in one region of the tray and to allow air to flow from an interior of the separate storage space to an exterior of the separate storage space; and a cold air adjustment lever configured to open or close the cold air hole to thereby control the air between the interior of the separate storage space and the exterior of the separate storage space.

[0006] The refrigerator may further include: a cold air supply unit configured to generate cold air; and at least one cold air duct configured to connect the cold air supply unit to the cold air discharge port and to supply cold air to the storage chamber.

[0007] The cold air discharge port may be disposed above the tray not to be in contact with the tray and is configured to supply cold air to the separate storage space.

[0008] The tray may include: a tray handle disposed at a position facing the cold air discharge port and graspable by a user to insert or withdraw the tray.

[0009] The cold air hole may be formed in one region of the tray handle, and the cold air hole may include: at least one first cold air hole disposed in the cover tray; and at least one second cold air hole disposed in the base tray at a position corresponding to the first cold air hole.

[0010] The cover tray and the base tray may be coupled to each other while being spaced apart by a predetermined gap, and the cover tray and the base tray may each further include: a cold air blocking rib protruding toward each of the base tray and the cover tray, to block cold air passing through the first and second cold air holes from flowing into the gap.

[0011] The base tray may further include: a support rib disposed below the cover tray and configured to support the cover tray.

[0012] The cold air adjustment lever may include: a blocking portion including a blocking surface having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole; and a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking surface and exposed to an outside of the tray.

[0013] The cold air adjustment lever may be disposed in a space between the cover tray and the base tray.

[0014] The base tray may further include: a stopper protruding toward the cover tray and configured to limit a movable range of the cold air adjustment lever.

[0015] The cold air hole may be formed in one region of the tray adjacent to the cold air discharge port.

[0016] The cold air adjustment lever may further include: a blocking portion including a blocking surface having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole; a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking portion and exposed to an outside of the tray; and a connection portion configured to connect the blocking portion to the knob and configured to move the blocking portion to open or close the cold air hole according to a user operation on the knob.

[0017] The cold air adjustment lever may include: a blocking bar including a blocking portion having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole; a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking portion and exposed to an outside of the tray; and a hinge portion configured to connect the blocking bar to the knob and configured to rotate the blocking bar to open or close the cold air hole according to a user operation on the knob.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 3A is an exploded view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 3B is a bottom view of a cover tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air inside the tray in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 10A is a perspective view illustrating a stopper of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 10B is a perspective view illustrating an operation of the stopper of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 12A is an exploded view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 12B is a bottom perspective view of the cover tray according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12A.

[0033] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an embodiment in which the cold air hole is provided at a rear side portion of the tray.

[0035] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 16A is a perspective view of the tray according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 16B is a partially enlarged view illustrating the cold air hole of the tray illustrated in FIG. 16A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a hinge portion of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.MODE FOR INVENTION

[0040] It should be understood that various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used herein are not intended to limit the technical features of the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and are intended to include various modifications, equivalents, and substitutions thereof.

[0041] In describing the drawings, similar or related components may be designated by similar reference numerals.

[0042] A singular noun corresponding to an item is intended to include one or more of the items unless a relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0043] In the present disclosure, an expression such as “A or B,”“at least one of A and B,”“at least one of A or B,”“A, B, or C,”“at least one of A, B, and C,”“at least one of A, B, or C,” or the like may include any one of the items listed together or all possible combinations thereof.

[0044] A term “and / or” includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any one of the plurality of related described items.

[0045] Terms such as “first,”“second,” or the like may be used simply to distinguish one element and another element from each other, and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0046] When a component (for example, a first component) is mentioned to be “coupled with / to” or “connected to” another component (for example, a second component) with or without terms “operatively or communicatively,” it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled to another component (e.g., in a wired manner), in a wireless manner, or through a third component).

[0047] It should be further understood that terms “include,”“have” or the like, used in the specification specify the presence of features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts mentioned in the specification or combinations thereof, and do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0048] When a component is referred to as being “connected,”“coupled,”“supported,” or “in contact” with another component, it includes not only a case where the components are directly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact with each other. However, also a case where the components are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact with each other through a third component.

[0049] When a component is referred to as being disposed “on” another component, it includes not only a case where the component is in contact with another component. However, also a case where still another component is interposed between the two components.

[0050] Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 may include a main body 10, a storage chamber 20, a door 30, a machine room 40, and a tray 100.

[0052] The refrigerator 1 may be an apparatus for maintaining the storage chamber 20, which is an inner space of the main body 10, at a low temperature to delay deterioration of a stored item stored in the storage chamber 20. The refrigerator 1 may include a cold air supply unit 50 (see FIG. 5) configured to generate cold air to lower a temperature in the storage chamber 20. A detailed description of the cold air supply unit 50 is described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0053] The main body 10 may be a component for partitioning an inner space of the refrigerator 1 from an external environment. The main body 10 may include an outer case forming an exterior and an inner case forming an inner space.

[0054] The inner case of the main body 10 may include at least one of a case, a plate, a panel, or a liner forming the storage chamber 20. The inner case may be formed as a single body or may be formed by assembling a plurality of plates.

[0055] The outer case may form the exterior of the main body 10, and an insulating material may be foamed between the outer case and the inner case to maintain the temperature in the storage chamber 20.

[0056] The insulating material may insulate an inside and an outside of the storage chamber 20 to maintain the temperature in the storage chamber 20 at a set appropriate temperature without being affected by the external environment of the storage chamber 20. The insulating material may be molded by injecting and foaming urethane foam in which polyurethane and a foaming agent are mixed, and may further include a vacuum insulating material or may include only the vacuum insulating material. As the insulating material is disposed between the inner case and the outer case of the main body 10, the temperature in the storage chamber 20 may be maintained lower than an outside air temperature even when the outside air temperature is high.

[0057] The storage chamber 20 may be a component for storing a stored item requiring refrigeration. The storage chamber 20 may include a space defined by the inner case of the main body 10. When two or more storage chambers are formed in the refrigerator 1, each storage chamber 20 may have a different use and may be maintained at a different temperature. To this end, the respective storage chambers 20 may be partitioned from each other by a partition wall 11 including an insulating material.

[0058] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage chamber 20 may be partitioned into a refrigerating chamber 21 and a freezing chamber 22 by the partition wall 11 of the main body 10. The freezing chamber 22 may be disposed at an upper portion of the main body 10, and the refrigerating chamber 21 may be disposed at a lower portion of the main body 10.

[0059] Temperature ranges maintained in the refrigerating chamber 21 and the freezing chamber 22 may be set differently. The refrigerating chamber 21 may be maintained at a temperature appropriate for refrigerating storage of items, and the freezing chamber 22 may be maintained at a temperature appropriate for freezing storage of items. “Refrigerating” may indicate cooling an item to be cold without freezing the item, and, for example, the refrigerating chamber may be maintained in a range of 0° C. to 7° C. “Freezing” may indicate cooling an item to freeze the item or to maintain the item in a frozen state, and, for example, the freezing chamber may be maintained in a range of −20° C. to −1° C.

[0060] According to a use of the refrigerator 1, various items such as food, medicine, or cosmetics may be stored in the storage chamber 20, and the storage chamber 20 may have at least one openable side to allow items to be taken in and out.

[0061] The door 30 may be a component for sealing the storage chamber 20. The door 30 may be fixed to one side of an open surface of the storage chamber 20 by a hinge to be rotatable. However, a manner in which the door 30 is fixed to the main body 10 is not limited thereto, and the door 30 may be installed on the main body in a sliding manner.

[0062] The door 30 may be configured to open or seal the storage chamber 20 by a user or automatically. To this end, the door 30 may include an inner case forming a rear surface of the door 30 and facing the storage chamber 20, an upper cap, a lower cap, or the like.

[0063] The door 30 may include an insulating material disposed between an inner case and an outer case thereof similarly to the main body 10 to insulate the storage chamber 20. A gasket may be disposed at a rim of the inner case of the door 30 to seal the storage chamber 20 by coming into close contact with one surface of the main body 10 when the door 30 is closed. Accordingly, cold air leaking from the storage chamber 20 to the outside of the main body 10 may be minimized, thereby preventing a significant change in the temperature in the storage chamber 20.

[0064] The number of doors 30 may correspond to the number of storage chambers 20 partitioned by the partition wall 11. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when the storage chamber 20 is partitioned into the refrigerating chamber 21 and the freezing chamber 22, two doors 31 and 32 corresponding to the refrigerating chamber 21 and the freezing chamber 22, respectively, may be provided. Each of the doors 30 may be opened or closed independently corresponding to a corresponding storage chamber 20.

[0065] The configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the refrigerating chamber 21 or the freezing chamber 22 may each be partitioned into a plurality of spaces, and the door 30 may be further provided according to the number of refrigerating chambers 21 and the freezing chambers 22. Alternatively, in a case of a French-door type refrigerator, one storage chamber 20 may be implement to be opened or closed by two doors 30.

[0066] The machine room 40 may be a component for accommodating a part of the cold air supply unit 50 for supplying cold air to the storage chamber 20. Specifically, the machine room 40 may accommodate a compressor 1051 (see FIG. 5) for compressing a refrigerant and a condenser (not shown) for condensing the compressed refrigerant. In FIG. 1, the machine room 40 is illustrated as being provided at a lower portion of a rear surface of the main body 10, which is opposite to a side on which the door 30 is installed. However, a position of the machine room 40 may vary depending on a size, shape, type, or use of the refrigerator 1, and a plurality of machine rooms 40 may be provided.

[0067] The tray 100 may be a component provided inside the storage chamber 20 to support a stored item. At least one tray 100 may be disposed inside the storage chamber 20. The tray 100 may be supported by a groove or a protrusion formed at a side surface of the storage chamber 20 to partition the storage chamber into a plurality of regions. At least some of the trays 100 may be detachable or attachable by a user, or may be fixed to the interior of the storage chamber 20.

[0068] Specifically, the tray 100 may be disposed at a fixed position inside the refrigerating chamber 21 to be slidable toward the door 30.

[0069] In addition, the tray 100 may be disposed in a form easily detachable from and attachable to the inner case of the main body 10 partitioning the refrigerating chamber 21 to allow a user to adjust a height of the tray as desired.

[0070] When a plurality of trays 100 are provided, a user may store stored items in specific regions according to an intended use.

[0071] Meanwhile, at least one of the plurality of trays 100 may be disposed adjacent to a cold air discharge port.

[0072] For example, the cold air discharge port may include a plurality of ports such as a first cold air discharge port disposed above at least one tray 100 and a second cold air discharge port disposed inside the refrigerating chamber 21 at a position different from the first cold air discharge port.

[0073] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, the tray 100 may have one open surface facing the door 30 and an open upper portion. The open upper surface of the tray 100 may be in contact with an inner case of the main body 10 partitioning the storage chamber 20. A length L1 and a width L2 of the tray 100 may correspond to the storage chamber 20 in which the tray 100 is provided. However, the length L1 and the width L2 of the tray 100 are not limited thereto.

[0074] The tray 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 represents the tray 100 for partitioning a separate storage space inside the refrigerating chamber 21. To this end, a cover 110 for opening or closing a front surface of the tray 100 may be provided.

[0075] The separate storage space refers to a space provided inside the refrigerating chamber 21 to accommodate items, such as vegetables, fruits, meat, or dairy products, which are to be stored at a lower temperature than other stored foods. Such a separate storage space may be referred to by various names such as a fresh room, a vegetable room, or a special storage room. However, in the present disclosure, the separate storage space is referred to as a tray inner space S1 (see FIG. 4).

[0076] When a plurality of trays 100 are provided, the cover 110 may be provided only for the tray 100 partitioning the tray inner space S1. However, the number of trays 100 partitioning the tray inner space S1 is not necessarily limited to one tray. For example, in a refrigerator manufactured for a special purpose, such as a kimchi refrigerator, the cover 110 may be disposed on each tray 100 to partition the storage chamber 20 into a plurality of tray inner spaces.

[0077] Inside the refrigerating chamber 21, a volume of the tray inner space S1 and a volume of a remaining space of the refrigerating chamber 21 excluding the tray inner space S1 (tray outer space S2, see FIG. 4) may differ from each other. Therefore, even when cold air at the same temperature is discharged through first and second cold air discharge ports, a temperature in the tray inner space S1 and a temperature in the tray outer space S2 may be maintained differently.

[0078] For example, when a temperature in the refrigerating chamber 21 is maintained at 5° C., a temperature of a space partitioned by the tray 100, that is, the tray inner space S1, may be defined and maintained within a range of −1° C. to 1° C. Accordingly, even when a temperature of the entire refrigerating chamber 21 is not lowered to a range of −1° C. to 1° C., a user may store, in the tray inner space S1, a stored item requiring storage within the corresponding temperature range in a fresh state.

[0079] In addition, although FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which one tray 100 and one cover 110 are provided together to partition the tray inner space S1, a plurality of trays 100 may be disposed within one tray inner space S1, and in this case, one cover 110 may cover all of the plurality of trays 100. However, hereinafter, a case in which one tray 100 and one cover 110 are provided as illustrated in FIG. 2 is described.

[0080] Specifically, one side of the cover 110 may be hinge-coupled to one surface of the inner case of the main body 10 forming the storage chamber 20. Accordingly, the cover 110 may rotate when the tray 100 is withdrawn from or inserted into the storage chamber 20. For example, when the tray 100 is withdrawn from the storage chamber 20, the cover 110 may rotate in an X direction to be positioned above the tray 100. Conversely, when the tray 100 is inserted into the storage chamber 20, the cover 110 may rotate in a direction opposite to the X direction to be positioned to close the front surface of the tray 100 again.

[0081] FIG. 3A is an exploded view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the cover tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the tray 100 may include a cover tray 120, a base tray 130, a cold air adjustment lever 140, and a tray handle 150.

[0083] The cover tray 120 may be a component for supporting a stored item placed on the tray 100, and the base tray 130 may be a component for supporting the cover tray 120. The cover tray 120 may be coupled to the base tray 130 while being spaced apart from an upper surface of the base tray 130 by a predetermined gap G (see FIG. 4). That is, the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may be stacked and coupled to form one tray 100.

[0084] The base tray 130 may include a support rib 131. The support rib 131 may be a component disposed below the cover tray 120 and supporting the cover tray 120 in a state in which the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 are coupled to each other.

[0085] The support rib 131 may protrude from the base tray 130 toward the cover tray 120. A protrusion height H of the support rib 131 may be arbitrarily determined as needed. The gap G between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may be determined according to the protrusion height H of the support rib 131. The support rib 131 may be in contact with a lower surface of the cover tray 120. At least one support rib 131 may be provided. An insulating space S3 having a predetermined height may be formed between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 by the support rib 131, thereby achieving an insulating effect. Accordingly, heat exchange between the tray inner space S1 and the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100 may be prevented, thereby maintaining the temperature in the tray inner space S1 different from the temperature in the tray outer space S2

[0086] The tray handle 150 may be disposed at one side of each of the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130, the tray handle 150 being graspable by a user when withdrawing or inserting the tray 100 from or into the storage chamber 20. The tray handle 150 may be recessed from a lower portion of the base tray 130 toward the cover tray 120 (see FIG. 4) and may be disposed at a position facing the cold air discharge port. However, the tray handle 150 is not limited thereto. The tray handle 150 may be disposed adjacent to the cover 110 to facilitate a process in which a user opens the door 30 and withdraws or inserts the tray 100.

[0087] Each of the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may include a cold air hole 160 for communicating the inner space S1 partitioned by the tray 100 with the space S2 of the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100. At least one cold air hole 160 may be provided. The cold air hole 160 may be disposed at a front region 100a in which the tray handle 150 is formed.

[0088] The cold air hole 160 may include a first cold air hole 161 disposed in the cover tray 120 and a second cold air hole 162 disposed in the base tray 130 at a position corresponding to the first cold air hole 161. The first cold air hole 161 may penetrate the cover tray 120, and the second cold air hole 162 may penetrate the base tray 130. Accordingly, the cold air hole 160 may be a hole penetrating the tray 100.

[0089] As described above, the cold air hole 160 penetrating the tray 100 may communicate the space S1 partitioned by the tray 100 with the space S2 of the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100 to adjust an amount of cold air flowing from the tray inner space S1 to the tray outer space S2.

[0090] Specifically, when the cold air hole 160 is opened, cold air in the tray inner space S1 may flow into the tray outer space S2, and accordingly, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may increase. Conversely, when the cold air hole 160 is closed, cold air in the tray inner space S1 may not flow into the tray outer space S2. Accordingly, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may decrease.

[0091] Although four cold air holes 160 are illustrated in the drawings, the number of cold air holes 160 may be one or more, including a plurality other than four, as needed. As the number of cold air holes 160 increases, a rate of temperature change in the space S1 partitioned by the tray 100 may increase. Conversely, as the number of cold air holes 160 decreases, the rate of temperature change in the tray inner space S1 may decrease. Accordingly, a rate of temperature change in the tray inner space S1 may be predetermined by adjusting the number of cold air holes 160 based on a property of a main item to be stored in the tray 100.

[0092] Meanwhile, the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may each include a first cold air blocking rib 121 and a second cold air blocking rib 132. The first and second cold air blocking ribs 121 and 132 are configured to prevent cold air leaking from the tray inner space S1 through the first cold air hole 161 from flowing into a space S3 between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 without passing through the second cold air hole 162.

[0093] The first cold air blocking rib 121 may protrude from the cover tray 120 toward the base tray 130 adjacent to the first cold air hole 161. The first cold air blocking rib 121 may not be in contact with the base tray 130, and is not limited thereto. The second cold air blocking rib 132 may protrude from the base tray 130 toward the cover tray 120 adjacent to the second cold air hole 162 and may not be in contact with the cover tray 120. An arbitrary number of each of the first and second cold air blocking ribs 121 and 132 may be provided.

[0094] The first and second cold air blocking ribs 121 and 132 prevent cold air leaking from the first cold air hole 161 from flowing into the space S3 between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130, thereby preventing a decrease in an insulating effect of the space S3 between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130. Accordingly, power consumed to supply cold air for allowing the tray inner space S1 to have a temperature different from a temperature of the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100 may be reduced

[0095] As described above, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be a component for controlling whether cold air in the tray inner space S1 to flow into the tray outer space S2 by opening or closing the cold air hole 160.

[0096] The cold air adjustment lever 140 may be disposed between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130. The cold air adjustment lever 140 may have a shape corresponding to a region in which the cold air hole 160 is formed. That is, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may have a cross section corresponding to a cross section of the tray handle 150.

[0097] The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include a blocking portion 141 and a knob 142. The blocking portion 141 may include a blocking surface 1411 and an opening surface 1412 each having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160. Specifically, the blocking surface 1411 may have a size equal to or greater than a size of the cold air hole 160 and may cover the cold air hole 160. The number of blocking surfaces 1411 and the opening surfaces 1412 may each correspond to the number of cold air holes 160. The blocking surface 1411 may include an elastic member to maintain an airtight state in contact with the cold air hole 160. The opening surface 1412 may have a hole shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160.

[0098] The knob 142 may be a component for operating the blocking portion 141. The knob 142 may be disposed at a side opposite to the blocking surface 1411. That is, the knob 142 may protrude toward the door 30 from the front region 100a, which is a region in which the tray handle 150 is formed, to the outside of the tray 100. A user may conveniently set an opened state or a closed state of the cold air hole 160 by operating the protruding knob 142.

[0099] Specifically, the knob 142 may be disposed on one surface of the tray handle 150 on the same line as the cover 110 and exposed to the outside of the tray 100. Accordingly, it may be convenient for a user to operate the cold air adjustment lever 140. Specifically, the tray handle 150 may be disposed adjacent to the door 30 of the refrigerator 1, thereby facilitating a process in which a user opens the door 30 and operates the cold air adjustment lever 140 disposed at the tray handle 150.

[0100] As a user operates the knob 142 as described above, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may slide in a left-right direction. However, an operating manner of the knob 142 is not limited to a left-right sliding manner.

[0101] The blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 may be integrally formed with each other, and are not limited thereto.

[0102] Meanwhile, a more detailed description of a flow of cold air in the tray inner space S1 is described below.

[0103] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, the machine room 40 may be disposed at a position facing the door 30 provided at the open surface of the storage chamber 20.

[0104] The cold air supply unit 50 may include a compressor 51, a condenser (not shown), an expansion valve (not shown), an evaporator 54, and a fan 55. In addition, the cold air supply unit 50 may include a cold air duct 52 and a cold air discharge port 53.

[0105] The cold air duct 52 may be a component for forming a flow path through which cold air may flow to supply the refrigerating chamber 21 with cold air cooled by the evaporator 54 and flowing by the fan 55.

[0106] The cold air discharge port 53 may be a component for communicating the cold air duct 52 with the refrigerating chamber 21 to allow cold air flowing along the cold air duct 52 to flow into the refrigerating chamber 21. The cold air discharge port 53 may be disposed inside the refrigerating chamber 21 to supply cold air into the refrigerating chamber 21. A plurality of cold air discharge ports 53 may be provided as needed.

[0107] The cold air discharge port 53 may penetrate an upper space of the tray 100 without being in contact with one surface of the tray 100. As the cold air discharge port 53 protruding into the tray inner space S1 may be separately disposed as described above, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may be maintained differently from the temperature in the tray outer space S2.

[0108] The expansion valve for expanding a condensed refrigerant, the evaporator 54 for generating cold air, and the fan 55 for guiding cold air to the storage chamber 20 may be disposed at a rear surface of the storage chamber 20.

[0109] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air inside the tray in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, the plurality of cold air holes 160 may all be in the closed state by the blocking surface 1411. Referring to FIG. 7, cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may flow in the tray inner space S1 in a direction W1. Cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may stagnate in a closed region C formed by the cover 110 and the cover tray 120 and may not exit the tray inner space S1. Accordingly, the tray inner space S1 may be maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature in the tray outer space S2.

[0110] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 8, the plurality of cold air holes 160 may all be in the opened state. Accordingly, an opening penetrating the tray 100 may be formed by the first cold air hole 161 and the second cold air hole 162. Referring to FIG. 9, cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may flow in a direction W2. Among cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53, a part may stagnate in the tray inner space S1, and another part may leak into the tray outer space S2 through the cold air hole 160. Therefore, when the temperature in the tray inner space S1 is maintained at an excessively low temperature, a user may operate the cold air adjustment lever 140 to open the cold air hole 160 to leak cold air in the tray inner space S1 into the tray outer space S2.

[0111] As described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may be adjusted by opening or closing at least one cold air hole 160 disposed at a position spaced apart from the cold air discharge port 53, without a need to include a configuration for directly opening or closing the cold air discharge port 53 for supplying cold air to the tray inner space S1. No component faces cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53, and frost is unlikely to occur on a component partitioning the tray inner space S1, for example, the tray 100.

[0112] In addition, even when the cold air discharge port 53 is disposed deep inside the tray inner space S1, or when access to the cold air discharge port 53 is not facilitated, such as a case in which the cold air discharge port 53 is covered by stored items disposed above the tray 100, a position of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be varied by operating the knob 142 formed on the front surface of the tray 100, thereby easily adjusting the temperature in the tray inner space S1.

[0113] Meanwhile, the refrigerator 1 may include a temperature detection sensor (not shown) disposed at the inner case of the main body 10 partitioning the tray inner space S1 or disposed adjacent to the door 30. In this case, the temperature detection sensor may measure the temperature in the tray inner space S1. In addition, the refrigerator 1 may include a display unit (not shown) disposed at the outer case of the main body 10 and providing a user with information of the inner space of the storage chamber 20. The temperature in the tray inner space S1 measured by the temperature detection sensor may be displayed on the display unit of the main body 10. A user may determine whether cold air in the tray inner space S1 leaks into the tray outer space S2 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 based on temperature information of the tray inner space S1 displayed on the display unit to control whether the cold air hole 160 is opened or closed.

[0114] FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views illustrating a stopper of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the cold air adjustment lever 140 is disposed between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130, the base tray 130 may include a stopper 1301 disposed at an outer surface of the base tray 130 corresponding to a position of the cold air adjustment lever 140 and protruding toward the cover tray 120.

[0115] The stopper 1301 may be a component for limiting a movable range of the cold air adjustment lever 140. The base tray 130 may include at least one stopper 1301. The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include receiving grooves 1401 whose number corresponds to the number of stoppers 1301. In the drawings, four stoppers 1301 and four receiving grooves 1401 are illustrated as being provided. However, the number of stoppers 1301 and the number of receiving grooves 1401 are not limited thereto. In addition, the number of stoppers 1301 and the number of receiving grooves 1401 may be equal to the number of a plurality of cold air holes 160-1, 160-2, 160-3, and 160-4. However, in some cases, the different number of stoppers 1301 and receiving grooves 1401 may be provided.

[0116] Meanwhile, a width W1 of the receiving groove 1401 may be equal to or greater than a width W2 of the cold air hole 160. Accordingly, when a user operates the cold air adjustment lever 140 in an arrow direction to close the cold air hole 160, the cold air hole 160 may be prevented from being reopened. For example, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be moved by a distance equal to or greater than the width W2 of the cold air hole 160, thereby preventing the cold air hole 160-1, which is closed by the first blocking surface 1411-1, from being reopened by the second opening surface 1412-1. As shown in FIG. 10A, according to an embodiment blocking surfaces 1411-1, 1411-2, 1411-3 and 1411-4 and opening surface 1412-1, 1412-2, 1412-3 and 1412-4 may be provided. Referring to FIG. 10A, the tray 100 may include a base tray 1130, a support rib 11031, a cold air blocking rib 11032.

[0117] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 11, the cold air hole 160 may be disposed in a rear region 100b of the tray 100. In the drawings, the cold air hole 160 is illustrated as being provided at a central portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100. However, the cold air hole 160 may be disposed at a side portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0118] The rear region 100b of the tray 100 may be bent and extend from the cover tray 120 in a direction opposite to the base tray 130. In this case, the base tray 130 may extend to be bent only up to the lower surface of the cover tray 120 corresponding to a portion at which the cover tray 120 is bent.

[0119] In the drawings, an embodiment in which two cold air holes 160 are provided is illustrated. However, the number of cold air holes 160 is not limited thereto, and one cold air hole 160 or a plurality of cold air holes 160 other than two may be provided during a design and manufacturing process of the refrigerator 1 as needed. The number of cold air holes 160 and a rate of temperature change in the tray inner space S1 are the same as described above with reference to FIG. 3, and redundant descriptions thereof are thus omitted.

[0120] FIG. 12A is an exploded view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 12B is a bottom perspective view of the cover tray according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12A. Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, when the cold air hole 160 is provided in the rear region 100b of the tray 100, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the blocking portion 141, the knob 142, and a connection portion 143. The blocking portion 141 may include the blocking surface 1411 having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160. The knob 142 may be disposed adjacent to the tray handle 150.

[0121] Descriptions of the blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 are the same as described above, and redundant descriptions thereof are thus omitted.

[0122] The connection portion 143 may be a component for connecting the blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 spaced apart from each other by the length L1 of the tray 100. The blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 may be physically coupled to each other by the connection portion 143. Accordingly, the blocking portion 141 may open or close the cold air hole 160 by a user operation on the knob 142.

[0123] A detailed description of the cold air adjustment lever 140 is the same as described with reference to FIG. 13, which is described below.

[0124] Meanwhile, the cover tray 120 may further include a guide rib 122 disposed at a lower surface. The guide rib 122 may be a component for guiding a movement path of the cold air adjustment lever 140. The guide rib 122 may protrude from the lower surface of the cover tray 120 toward the base tray 130.

[0125] The guide rib 122 may be provided as a pair of ribs spaced apart from each other by a width of a guiding bar 14311 in a front-rear direction. Accordingly, the guide rib 122 may accommodate the guiding bar 14311 (see FIG. 13) between the pair of ribs.

[0126] As a movement path of the guiding bar 14311 is limited in a length direction of the guide rib 122, the movement path of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may also be limited by the guide rib 122. In the drawings, as the guide rib 122 has a length direction parallel to the width L2 of the tray 100 (see FIG. 2), when a user operates the cold air adjustment lever 140, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may move on an axis line parallel to the width L2 of the tray 100.

[0127] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 13, the connection portion 143 of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may include a first connection portion 1431 bent and extending from the knob 142 and a second connection portion 1432 bent and extending from the blocking portion 141 and coupled to the first connection portion 1431.

[0128] The first connection portion 1431 may include the guiding bar 14311 and a seating portion 14312. The guiding bar 14311 may be a component for guiding a movement direction of the cold air adjustment lever 140. The guiding bar 14311 may be accommodated in the guide rib 122 of the cover tray 120 to guide a movement direction of the cold air adjustment lever 140. A detailed description thereof is as the same described above with reference to FIG. 12B.

[0129] The seating portion 14312 may be a component for mounting the second connection portion 1432 thereon. As the second connection portion 1432 is mounted at an arbitrary position of the seating portion 14312, a total length L3 of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be determined.

[0130] The second connection portion 1432 may include an insertion portion 14321 and a coupling portion 14322. The insertion portion 14321 may be a component allowing the seating portion 14312 of the first connection portion 1431 to be inserted into the second connection portion 1432. The coupling portion 14322 may extend from the blocking portion 141 and connect the insertion portion 14321 to the blocking portion 141. The second connection portion 1432 may be supported by the first connection portion 1431 as the seating portion 14312 of the first connection portion 1431 is inserted from the insertion portion 14321 in a direction toward the blocking portion 141.

[0131] As described above, as the seating portion 14312 of the first connection portion 1431 is inserted into and mounted at an arbitrary position of the coupling portion 14322 of the second connection portion 1432 through the insertion portion 14321 of the second connection portion 1432, the length L3 of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be adjusted to correspond to the length L1 of the tray 100 (see FIG. 2). Accordingly, even when cold air adjustment levers 140 having lengths corresponding to the tray 100 having various lengths are not separately manufactured, the cold air adjustment levers 140 configured to correspond to the trays 100 having various lengths may be manufactured through a single injection molding process.

[0132] FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an embodiment in which the cold air hole is provided at a rear side portion of the tray. Referring to FIG. 14, the cover tray 120 may include the cold air hole 160. A pair of cold air holes 160 may be disposed at each of side portions of the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0133] The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the blocking portion 141, the knob 142, and the connection portion 143. The blocking portion 141 may include a pair of blocking surfaces 1411 of the cold air hole 160 to close the pair of cold air holes 160. The pair of blocking surfaces 1411 may be disposed at positions corresponding to the pair of cold air holes 160 to each have a shape corresponding to a shape of the cold air hole 160.

[0134] The connection portion 143 may include the first connection portion 1431 bent and extending from the knob 142 and the second connection portions 1432 bent and extending from each of the pair of blocking surfaces 1411.

[0135] The first connection portion 1431 may include the guiding bar 14311 and an intermediate portion 14313 branching and extending toward the pair of blocking surfaces 1411. The second connection portions 1432 may be mounted at branched both-end regions T1 and T2 of the intermediate portion 14313. As the second connection portions 1432 may be mounted at arbitrary positions of the end regions T, a length L4 of the intermediate portion 14313 may have various lengths corresponding to the length L1 of the tray 100.

[0136] Meanwhile, the cover tray 120 may include the guide rib 122 for accommodating the guiding bar 14311. However, descriptions of components that overlap with those described in other embodiments such as the guiding bar 14311 and the guide rib 122 are omitted.

[0137] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 15, cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may flow in a direction W3. Cold air may stagnate in the front region 100a of the tray 100 and then may flow toward the rear region 100b of the tray 100. Cold air flowing toward the rear region 100b of the tray 100 may leak into the tray outer space S2 through the opened cold air hole 160. Cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may leak into the tray outer space S2 through the opened cold air hole 160, thereby preventing a continuous decrease in the temperature in the tray inner space S1. That is, when the temperature in the tray inner space S1 decreases beyond necessity, a user may leak cold air from the tray inner space S1 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 to open the cold air hole 160 provided in the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0138] Meanwhile, a flow of cold air in a state in which the cold air hole 160 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15 is closed is the same as that illustrated in FIG. 7, and a redundant description thereof is thus omitted.

[0139] FIG. 16A is a perspective view of the tray according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16B is a partially enlarged view illustrating the cold air hole of the tray illustrated in FIG. 16A. Referring to FIG. 16A, the cold air hole 160 may protrude from the rear region 100b of the tray 100. The rear region 100b of the tray 100 may be bent upward and extending from the cover tray 120. The cold air hole 160 may extend to protrude outward from the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0140] The cold air hole 160 may include a discharge port 161a, a protrusion portion 161b, and an opening portion 161c. The discharge port 161a may be disposed at the central portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100. The protrusion portion 161b may extend from the discharge port 161a to the outside of the tray 100. An extension length P of the protrusion portion 161b may be smaller than a side portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100. The length P of the protrusion portion 161b may be arbitrarily determined as needed in a design or manufacturing stage of the tray 100. The opening portion 161c may be open toward the tray outer space S2 to allow the cold air hole 160 to communicate the tray inner space S1 with the tray outer space S2.

[0141] Referring to FIG. 16B, the opening portion 161c may have an arc-shaped plane. That is, a protrusion length P1 at one side of the protrusion portion 161b may be smaller than a protrusion length P2 at the other side of the protrusion portion 161b.

[0142] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a hinge portion of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the blocking portion 141, the knob 142, a blocking bar 144, and a hinge portion 145.

[0143] The knob 142 may be a component for allowing a user to operate the cold air adjustment lever 140. The knob 142 may be disposed at the front region 100a of the tray 100. A specific operating manner of the knob 142 is the same as described with reference to FIG. 3, and redundant contents are thus omitted.

[0144] The blocking portion 141 may have a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160. Specifically, the blocking portion 141 may have a shape corresponding to the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160. For example, when the opening portion 161c has an arc shape having a predetermined circumferential length, the blocking portion 141 may have an arc shape having a circumferential length corresponding thereto. The blocking portion 141 may be bent and extend from at one end of the blocking bar 144.

[0145] The blocking bar 144 may be a component for connecting the knob 142 and the blocking portion 141. The knob 142 and the blocking bar 144 may be connected by the hinge portion 145. The hinge portion 145 may be disposed at one side of the knob 142. The hinge portion 145 may be hinge-coupled to the blocking bar 144. That is, a hinge having a circular shape may protrude toward the blocking bar 144 from the hinge portion 145, and the blocking bar 144 may have, at one end thereof, a shape corresponding to the hinge of the hinge portion 145. As described above, as one end of the blocking bar 144 is hinge-coupled to the hinge portion 145, when a user operates the knob 142, the blocking bar 144 may rotate about the hinge of the hinge portion 145. As the blocking bar 144 rotates, the blocking portion 141 extending from the blocking bar 144 may also rotate together by the same angle. As the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160 and the blocking portion 141 each have an arc shape having a predetermined circumferential length, the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160 may be opened or closed by the blocking portion 141 as the blocking bar 144 rotates. A flow of cold air according to opening or closing of the cold air hole 160 is the same as described above in other embodiments.

[0146] As described above, when a user operates the knob 142, the blocking bar 144 may rotate, and the blocking portion 141 may open or close the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160 according to rotation of the blocking bar 144. Accordingly, a user may adjust the temperature in the tray inner space S1 separately from the tray outer space by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 to control an amount of cold air leaking from the tray inner space S1.

[0147] As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to the present disclosure may include the tray 100 for forming a separate storage space in the storage chamber 20. The tray 100 may include the cold air hole 160 for communicating the tray inner space S1 with the tray outer space S2 to allow cold air to flow. In addition, the tray 100 may include the cold air adjustment lever 140 including the blocking portion 141 having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160 to adjust an amount of cold air leaking from the tray inner space S1 into the tray outer space S2. The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the knob 142 to allow a user to conveniently operate the cold air adjustment lever 140. A user may control an operation of the blocking portion 141 connected to the knob 142 by operating the knob 142. Accordingly, whether the cold air hole 160 of the tray 100 is opened or closed may be determined. For example, when the temperature in the tray inner space S1 decreases beyond necessity, a user may open the cold air hole 160 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140. In this case, cold air in the tray inner space S1 may leak into the tray outer space S2 to prevent the temperature in the tray inner space S1 from continuously decreasing after an opening time point. Conversely, a user may close the cold air hole 160 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140. When the cold air hole 160 is closed, cold air supplied to the tray inner space S1 from the cold air discharge port 53 may stagnate in the tray inner space S1, and accordingly, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may decrease. Meanwhile, the cold air discharge port 53 may be disposed above the tray 100 not to be in contact with the rear surface 110b of the tray 100, thereby preventing frost from occurring on one surface of the tray 100 due to cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53. In addition, when the temperature detection sensor is disposed in the tray inner space S1 and the display unit is disposed at an outer case of the main body 10, a user may open or close the cold air hole 160 by checking the displayed temperature in the tray inner space S1 and operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 as needed.

[0148] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been individually described above, the respective embodiments are not necessarily implemented independently, and configurations and operations of the respective embodiments may be implemented in combination with at least one other embodiment.

[0149] In addition, although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims. Such modifications should also be understood to fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0040]It should be understood that various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used herein are not intended to limit the technical features of the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and are intended to include various modifications, equivalents, and substitutions thereof.

[0041]In describing the drawings, similar or related components may be designated by similar reference numerals.

[0042]A singular noun corresponding to an item is intended to include one or more of the items unless a relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0043]In the present disclosure, an expression such as “A or B,”“at least one of A and B,”“at least one of A or B,”“A, B, or C,”“at least one of A, B, and C,”“at least one of A, B, or C,” or the like may include any one of the items listed together or all possible combinations thereof.

[0044]A term “and / or” includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any one of the plurality of related described items.

[0045]Terms...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of international application No. PCT / KR2024 / 017403, Nov. 6, 2024, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0169737, filed Nov. 29, 2023, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator including a cold air leakage prevention holeBACKGROUND ART

[0003] A refrigerator may be an apparatus for storing food or the like and may include a plurality of storage chambers maintained at different temperatures. For example, the refrigerator may be partitioned into a freezing chamber maintained at −18° C. or lower and a refrigerating chamber maintained at 0 to 10° C. However, among foods stored in the refrigerating chamber, some foods may need to be stored at a lower temperature than other foods. In particular, vegetables, fruits, or the like may need to maintain freshness compared to other stored foods, and accordingly, a conventional refrigerator has provided a separate space for storing vegetables and fruits. To control a temperature of the separate space, a configuration for directly opening or closing a portion through which cold air is discharged has been used in the conventional refrigerator. However, when the portion through which cold air is discharged is directly blocked, frost may occur on the corresponding configuration, thereby interfering with operation of a configuration for adjusting inflow of cold air and causing inconvenience in use.DISCLOSURE OF INVENTIONSolution to Problem

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, provided is a refrigerator including: a main body; a storage chamber to be disposed inside the main body; at least one cold air discharge port to be disposed in the storage chamber; and a tray, mountable in the storage chamber and forming a separate storage space.

[0005] The tray may include: a cover tray to support a stored item; a base tray to be disposed below the cover tray and to support the cover tray; a cold air hole to be disposed in one region of the tray and to allow air to flow from an interior of the separate storage space to an exterior of the separate storage space; and a cold air adjustment lever configured to open or close the cold air hole to thereby control the air between the interior of the separate storage space and the exterior of the separate storage space.

[0006] The refrigerator may further include: a cold air supply unit configured to generate cold air; and at least one cold air duct configured to connect the cold air supply unit to the cold air discharge port and to supply cold air to the storage chamber.

[0007] The cold air discharge port may be disposed above the tray not to be in contact with the tray and is configured to supply cold air to the separate storage space.

[0008] The tray may include: a tray handle disposed at a position facing the cold air discharge port and graspable by a user to insert or withdraw the tray.

[0009] The cold air hole may be formed in one region of the tray handle, and the cold air hole may include: at least one first cold air hole disposed in the cover tray; and at least one second cold air hole disposed in the base tray at a position corresponding to the first cold air hole.

[0010] The cover tray and the base tray may be coupled to each other while being spaced apart by a predetermined gap, and the cover tray and the base tray may each further include: a cold air blocking rib protruding toward each of the base tray and the cover tray, to block cold air passing through the first and second cold air holes from flowing into the gap.

[0011] The base tray may further include: a support rib disposed below the cover tray and configured to support the cover tray.

[0012] The cold air adjustment lever may include: a blocking portion including a blocking surface having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole; and a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking surface and exposed to an outside of the tray.

[0013] The cold air adjustment lever may be disposed in a space between the cover tray and the base tray.

[0014] The base tray may further include: a stopper protruding toward the cover tray and configured to limit a movable range of the cold air adjustment lever.

[0015] The cold air hole may be formed in one region of the tray adjacent to the cold air discharge port.

[0016] The cold air adjustment lever may further include: a blocking portion including a blocking surface having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole; a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking portion and exposed to an outside of the tray; and a connection portion configured to connect the blocking portion to the knob and configured to move the blocking portion to open or close the cold air hole according to a user operation on the knob.

[0017] The cold air adjustment lever may include: a blocking bar including a blocking portion having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole; a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking portion and exposed to an outside of the tray; and a hinge portion configured to connect the blocking bar to the knob and configured to rotate the blocking bar to open or close the cold air hole according to a user operation on the knob.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 3A is an exploded view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 3B is a bottom view of a cover tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air inside the tray in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 10A is a perspective view illustrating a stopper of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 10B is a perspective view illustrating an operation of the stopper of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 12A is an exploded view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 12B is a bottom perspective view of the cover tray according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12A.

[0033] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an embodiment in which the cold air hole is provided at a rear side portion of the tray.

[0035] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 16A is a perspective view of the tray according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 16B is a partially enlarged view illustrating the cold air hole of the tray illustrated in FIG. 16A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a hinge portion of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.MODE FOR INVENTION

[0040] It should be understood that various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used herein are not intended to limit the technical features of the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and are intended to include various modifications, equivalents, and substitutions thereof.

[0041] In describing the drawings, similar or related components may be designated by similar reference numerals.

[0042] A singular noun corresponding to an item is intended to include one or more of the items unless a relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0043] In the present disclosure, an expression such as “A or B,”“at least one of A and B,”“at least one of A or B,”“A, B, or C,”“at least one of A, B, and C,”“at least one of A, B, or C,” or the like may include any one of the items listed together or all possible combinations thereof.

[0044] A term “and / or” includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any one of the plurality of related described items.

[0045] Terms such as “first,”“second,” or the like may be used simply to distinguish one element and another element from each other, and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0046] When a component (for example, a first component) is mentioned to be “coupled with / to” or “connected to” another component (for example, a second component) with or without terms “operatively or communicatively,” it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled to another component (e.g., in a wired manner), in a wireless manner, or through a third component).

[0047] It should be further understood that terms “include,”“have” or the like, used in the specification specify the presence of features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts mentioned in the specification or combinations thereof, and do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0048] When a component is referred to as being “connected,”“coupled,”“supported,” or “in contact” with another component, it includes not only a case where the components are directly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact with each other. However, also a case where the components are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact with each other through a third component.

[0049] When a component is referred to as being disposed “on” another component, it includes not only a case where the component is in contact with another component. However, also a case where still another component is interposed between the two components.

[0050] Hereinafter, a refrigerator according to various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 may include a main body 10, a storage chamber 20, a door 30, a machine room 40, and a tray 100.

[0052] The refrigerator 1 may be an apparatus for maintaining the storage chamber 20, which is an inner space of the main body 10, at a low temperature to delay deterioration of a stored item stored in the storage chamber 20. The refrigerator 1 may include a cold air supply unit 50 (see FIG. 5) configured to generate cold air to lower a temperature in the storage chamber 20. A detailed description of the cold air supply unit 50 is described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0053] The main body 10 may be a component for partitioning an inner space of the refrigerator 1 from an external environment. The main body 10 may include an outer case forming an exterior and an inner case forming an inner space.

[0054] The inner case of the main body 10 may include at least one of a case, a plate, a panel, or a liner forming the storage chamber 20. The inner case may be formed as a single body or may be formed by assembling a plurality of plates.

[0055] The outer case may form the exterior of the main body 10, and an insulating material may be foamed between the outer case and the inner case to maintain the temperature in the storage chamber 20.

[0056] The insulating material may insulate an inside and an outside of the storage chamber 20 to maintain the temperature in the storage chamber 20 at a set appropriate temperature without being affected by the external environment of the storage chamber 20. The insulating material may be molded by injecting and foaming urethane foam in which polyurethane and a foaming agent are mixed, and may further include a vacuum insulating material or may include only the vacuum insulating material. As the insulating material is disposed between the inner case and the outer case of the main body 10, the temperature in the storage chamber 20 may be maintained lower than an outside air temperature even when the outside air temperature is high.

[0057] The storage chamber 20 may be a component for storing a stored item requiring refrigeration. The storage chamber 20 may include a space defined by the inner case of the main body 10. When two or more storage chambers are formed in the refrigerator 1, each storage chamber 20 may have a different use and may be maintained at a different temperature. To this end, the respective storage chambers 20 may be partitioned from each other by a partition wall 11 including an insulating material.

[0058] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage chamber 20 may be partitioned into a refrigerating chamber 21 and a freezing chamber 22 by the partition wall 11 of the main body 10. The freezing chamber 22 may be disposed at an upper portion of the main body 10, and the refrigerating chamber 21 may be disposed at a lower portion of the main body 10.

[0059] Temperature ranges maintained in the refrigerating chamber 21 and the freezing chamber 22 may be set differently. The refrigerating chamber 21 may be maintained at a temperature appropriate for refrigerating storage of items, and the freezing chamber 22 may be maintained at a temperature appropriate for freezing storage of items. “Refrigerating” may indicate cooling an item to be cold without freezing the item, and, for example, the refrigerating chamber may be maintained in a range of 0° C. to 7° C. “Freezing” may indicate cooling an item to freeze the item or to maintain the item in a frozen state, and, for example, the freezing chamber may be maintained in a range of −20° C. to −1° C.

[0060] According to a use of the refrigerator 1, various items such as food, medicine, or cosmetics may be stored in the storage chamber 20, and the storage chamber 20 may have at least one openable side to allow items to be taken in and out.

[0061] The door 30 may be a component for sealing the storage chamber 20. The door 30 may be fixed to one side of an open surface of the storage chamber 20 by a hinge to be rotatable. However, a manner in which the door 30 is fixed to the main body 10 is not limited thereto, and the door 30 may be installed on the main body in a sliding manner.

[0062] The door 30 may be configured to open or seal the storage chamber 20 by a user or automatically. To this end, the door 30 may include an inner case forming a rear surface of the door 30 and facing the storage chamber 20, an upper cap, a lower cap, or the like.

[0063] The door 30 may include an insulating material disposed between an inner case and an outer case thereof similarly to the main body 10 to insulate the storage chamber 20. A gasket may be disposed at a rim of the inner case of the door 30 to seal the storage chamber 20 by coming into close contact with one surface of the main body 10 when the door 30 is closed. Accordingly, cold air leaking from the storage chamber 20 to the outside of the main body 10 may be minimized, thereby preventing a significant change in the temperature in the storage chamber 20.

[0064] The number of doors 30 may correspond to the number of storage chambers 20 partitioned by the partition wall 11. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when the storage chamber 20 is partitioned into the refrigerating chamber 21 and the freezing chamber 22, two doors 31 and 32 corresponding to the refrigerating chamber 21 and the freezing chamber 22, respectively, may be provided. Each of the doors 30 may be opened or closed independently corresponding to a corresponding storage chamber 20.

[0065] The configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the refrigerating chamber 21 or the freezing chamber 22 may each be partitioned into a plurality of spaces, and the door 30 may be further provided according to the number of refrigerating chambers 21 and the freezing chambers 22. Alternatively, in a case of a French-door type refrigerator, one storage chamber 20 may be implement to be opened or closed by two doors 30.

[0066] The machine room 40 may be a component for accommodating a part of the cold air supply unit 50 for supplying cold air to the storage chamber 20. Specifically, the machine room 40 may accommodate a compressor 1051 (see FIG. 5) for compressing a refrigerant and a condenser (not shown) for condensing the compressed refrigerant. In FIG. 1, the machine room 40 is illustrated as being provided at a lower portion of a rear surface of the main body 10, which is opposite to a side on which the door 30 is installed. However, a position of the machine room 40 may vary depending on a size, shape, type, or use of the refrigerator 1, and a plurality of machine rooms 40 may be provided.

[0067] The tray 100 may be a component provided inside the storage chamber 20 to support a stored item. At least one tray 100 may be disposed inside the storage chamber 20. The tray 100 may be supported by a groove or a protrusion formed at a side surface of the storage chamber 20 to partition the storage chamber into a plurality of regions. At least some of the trays 100 may be detachable or attachable by a user, or may be fixed to the interior of the storage chamber 20.

[0068] Specifically, the tray 100 may be disposed at a fixed position inside the refrigerating chamber 21 to be slidable toward the door 30.

[0069] In addition, the tray 100 may be disposed in a form easily detachable from and attachable to the inner case of the main body 10 partitioning the refrigerating chamber 21 to allow a user to adjust a height of the tray as desired.

[0070] When a plurality of trays 100 are provided, a user may store stored items in specific regions according to an intended use.

[0071] Meanwhile, at least one of the plurality of trays 100 may be disposed adjacent to a cold air discharge port.

[0072] For example, the cold air discharge port may include a plurality of ports such as a first cold air discharge port disposed above at least one tray 100 and a second cold air discharge port disposed inside the refrigerating chamber 21 at a position different from the first cold air discharge port.

[0073] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, the tray 100 may have one open surface facing the door 30 and an open upper portion. The open upper surface of the tray 100 may be in contact with an inner case of the main body 10 partitioning the storage chamber 20. A length L1 and a width L2 of the tray 100 may correspond to the storage chamber 20 in which the tray 100 is provided. However, the length L1 and the width L2 of the tray 100 are not limited thereto.

[0074] The tray 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 represents the tray 100 for partitioning a separate storage space inside the refrigerating chamber 21. To this end, a cover 110 for opening or closing a front surface of the tray 100 may be provided.

[0075] The separate storage space refers to a space provided inside the refrigerating chamber 21 to accommodate items, such as vegetables, fruits, meat, or dairy products, which are to be stored at a lower temperature than other stored foods. Such a separate storage space may be referred to by various names such as a fresh room, a vegetable room, or a special storage room. However, in the present disclosure, the separate storage space is referred to as a tray inner space S1 (see FIG. 4).

[0076] When a plurality of trays 100 are provided, the cover 110 may be provided only for the tray 100 partitioning the tray inner space S1. However, the number of trays 100 partitioning the tray inner space S1 is not necessarily limited to one tray. For example, in a refrigerator manufactured for a special purpose, such as a kimchi refrigerator, the cover 110 may be disposed on each tray 100 to partition the storage chamber 20 into a plurality of tray inner spaces.

[0077] Inside the refrigerating chamber 21, a volume of the tray inner space S1 and a volume of a remaining space of the refrigerating chamber 21 excluding the tray inner space S1 (tray outer space S2, see FIG. 4) may differ from each other. Therefore, even when cold air at the same temperature is discharged through first and second cold air discharge ports, a temperature in the tray inner space S1 and a temperature in the tray outer space S2 may be maintained differently.

[0078] For example, when a temperature in the refrigerating chamber 21 is maintained at 5° C., a temperature of a space partitioned by the tray 100, that is, the tray inner space S1, may be defined and maintained within a range of −1° C. to 1° C. Accordingly, even when a temperature of the entire refrigerating chamber 21 is not lowered to a range of −1° C. to 1° C., a user may store, in the tray inner space S1, a stored item requiring storage within the corresponding temperature range in a fresh state.

[0079] In addition, although FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which one tray 100 and one cover 110 are provided together to partition the tray inner space S1, a plurality of trays 100 may be disposed within one tray inner space S1, and in this case, one cover 110 may cover all of the plurality of trays 100. However, hereinafter, a case in which one tray 100 and one cover 110 are provided as illustrated in FIG. 2 is described.

[0080] Specifically, one side of the cover 110 may be hinge-coupled to one surface of the inner case of the main body 10 forming the storage chamber 20. Accordingly, the cover 110 may rotate when the tray 100 is withdrawn from or inserted into the storage chamber 20. For example, when the tray 100 is withdrawn from the storage chamber 20, the cover 110 may rotate in an X direction to be positioned above the tray 100. Conversely, when the tray 100 is inserted into the storage chamber 20, the cover 110 may rotate in a direction opposite to the X direction to be positioned to close the front surface of the tray 100 again.

[0081] FIG. 3A is an exploded view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the cover tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the tray 100 may include a cover tray 120, a base tray 130, a cold air adjustment lever 140, and a tray handle 150.

[0083] The cover tray 120 may be a component for supporting a stored item placed on the tray 100, and the base tray 130 may be a component for supporting the cover tray 120. The cover tray 120 may be coupled to the base tray 130 while being spaced apart from an upper surface of the base tray 130 by a predetermined gap G (see FIG. 4). That is, the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may be stacked and coupled to form one tray 100.

[0084] The base tray 130 may include a support rib 131. The support rib 131 may be a component disposed below the cover tray 120 and supporting the cover tray 120 in a state in which the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 are coupled to each other.

[0085] The support rib 131 may protrude from the base tray 130 toward the cover tray 120. A protrusion height H of the support rib 131 may be arbitrarily determined as needed. The gap G between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may be determined according to the protrusion height H of the support rib 131. The support rib 131 may be in contact with a lower surface of the cover tray 120. At least one support rib 131 may be provided. An insulating space S3 having a predetermined height may be formed between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 by the support rib 131, thereby achieving an insulating effect. Accordingly, heat exchange between the tray inner space S1 and the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100 may be prevented, thereby maintaining the temperature in the tray inner space S1 different from the temperature in the tray outer space S2

[0086] The tray handle 150 may be disposed at one side of each of the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130, the tray handle 150 being graspable by a user when withdrawing or inserting the tray 100 from or into the storage chamber 20. The tray handle 150 may be recessed from a lower portion of the base tray 130 toward the cover tray 120 (see FIG. 4) and may be disposed at a position facing the cold air discharge port. However, the tray handle 150 is not limited thereto. The tray handle 150 may be disposed adjacent to the cover 110 to facilitate a process in which a user opens the door 30 and withdraws or inserts the tray 100.

[0087] Each of the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may include a cold air hole 160 for communicating the inner space S1 partitioned by the tray 100 with the space S2 of the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100. At least one cold air hole 160 may be provided. The cold air hole 160 may be disposed at a front region 100a in which the tray handle 150 is formed.

[0088] The cold air hole 160 may include a first cold air hole 161 disposed in the cover tray 120 and a second cold air hole 162 disposed in the base tray 130 at a position corresponding to the first cold air hole 161. The first cold air hole 161 may penetrate the cover tray 120, and the second cold air hole 162 may penetrate the base tray 130. Accordingly, the cold air hole 160 may be a hole penetrating the tray 100.

[0089] As described above, the cold air hole 160 penetrating the tray 100 may communicate the space S1 partitioned by the tray 100 with the space S2 of the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100 to adjust an amount of cold air flowing from the tray inner space S1 to the tray outer space S2.

[0090] Specifically, when the cold air hole 160 is opened, cold air in the tray inner space S1 may flow into the tray outer space S2, and accordingly, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may increase. Conversely, when the cold air hole 160 is closed, cold air in the tray inner space S1 may not flow into the tray outer space S2. Accordingly, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may decrease.

[0091] Although four cold air holes 160 are illustrated in the drawings, the number of cold air holes 160 may be one or more, including a plurality other than four, as needed. As the number of cold air holes 160 increases, a rate of temperature change in the space S1 partitioned by the tray 100 may increase. Conversely, as the number of cold air holes 160 decreases, the rate of temperature change in the tray inner space S1 may decrease. Accordingly, a rate of temperature change in the tray inner space S1 may be predetermined by adjusting the number of cold air holes 160 based on a property of a main item to be stored in the tray 100.

[0092] Meanwhile, the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 may each include a first cold air blocking rib 121 and a second cold air blocking rib 132. The first and second cold air blocking ribs 121 and 132 are configured to prevent cold air leaking from the tray inner space S1 through the first cold air hole 161 from flowing into a space S3 between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130 without passing through the second cold air hole 162.

[0093] The first cold air blocking rib 121 may protrude from the cover tray 120 toward the base tray 130 adjacent to the first cold air hole 161. The first cold air blocking rib 121 may not be in contact with the base tray 130, and is not limited thereto. The second cold air blocking rib 132 may protrude from the base tray 130 toward the cover tray 120 adjacent to the second cold air hole 162 and may not be in contact with the cover tray 120. An arbitrary number of each of the first and second cold air blocking ribs 121 and 132 may be provided.

[0094] The first and second cold air blocking ribs 121 and 132 prevent cold air leaking from the first cold air hole 161 from flowing into the space S3 between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130, thereby preventing a decrease in an insulating effect of the space S3 between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130. Accordingly, power consumed to supply cold air for allowing the tray inner space S1 to have a temperature different from a temperature of the storage chamber 20 outside the tray 100 may be reduced

[0095] As described above, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be a component for controlling whether cold air in the tray inner space S1 to flow into the tray outer space S2 by opening or closing the cold air hole 160.

[0096] The cold air adjustment lever 140 may be disposed between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130. The cold air adjustment lever 140 may have a shape corresponding to a region in which the cold air hole 160 is formed. That is, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may have a cross section corresponding to a cross section of the tray handle 150.

[0097] The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include a blocking portion 141 and a knob 142. The blocking portion 141 may include a blocking surface 1411 and an opening surface 1412 each having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160. Specifically, the blocking surface 1411 may have a size equal to or greater than a size of the cold air hole 160 and may cover the cold air hole 160. The number of blocking surfaces 1411 and the opening surfaces 1412 may each correspond to the number of cold air holes 160. The blocking surface 1411 may include an elastic member to maintain an airtight state in contact with the cold air hole 160. The opening surface 1412 may have a hole shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160.

[0098] The knob 142 may be a component for operating the blocking portion 141. The knob 142 may be disposed at a side opposite to the blocking surface 1411. That is, the knob 142 may protrude toward the door 30 from the front region 100a, which is a region in which the tray handle 150 is formed, to the outside of the tray 100. A user may conveniently set an opened state or a closed state of the cold air hole 160 by operating the protruding knob 142.

[0099] Specifically, the knob 142 may be disposed on one surface of the tray handle 150 on the same line as the cover 110 and exposed to the outside of the tray 100. Accordingly, it may be convenient for a user to operate the cold air adjustment lever 140. Specifically, the tray handle 150 may be disposed adjacent to the door 30 of the refrigerator 1, thereby facilitating a process in which a user opens the door 30 and operates the cold air adjustment lever 140 disposed at the tray handle 150.

[0100] As a user operates the knob 142 as described above, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may slide in a left-right direction. However, an operating manner of the knob 142 is not limited to a left-right sliding manner.

[0101] The blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 may be integrally formed with each other, and are not limited thereto.

[0102] Meanwhile, a more detailed description of a flow of cold air in the tray inner space S1 is described below.

[0103] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, the machine room 40 may be disposed at a position facing the door 30 provided at the open surface of the storage chamber 20.

[0104] The cold air supply unit 50 may include a compressor 51, a condenser (not shown), an expansion valve (not shown), an evaporator 54, and a fan 55. In addition, the cold air supply unit 50 may include a cold air duct 52 and a cold air discharge port 53.

[0105] The cold air duct 52 may be a component for forming a flow path through which cold air may flow to supply the refrigerating chamber 21 with cold air cooled by the evaporator 54 and flowing by the fan 55.

[0106] The cold air discharge port 53 may be a component for communicating the cold air duct 52 with the refrigerating chamber 21 to allow cold air flowing along the cold air duct 52 to flow into the refrigerating chamber 21. The cold air discharge port 53 may be disposed inside the refrigerating chamber 21 to supply cold air into the refrigerating chamber 21. A plurality of cold air discharge ports 53 may be provided as needed.

[0107] The cold air discharge port 53 may penetrate an upper space of the tray 100 without being in contact with one surface of the tray 100. As the cold air discharge port 53 protruding into the tray inner space S1 may be separately disposed as described above, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may be maintained differently from the temperature in the tray outer space S2.

[0108] The expansion valve for expanding a condensed refrigerant, the evaporator 54 for generating cold air, and the fan 55 for guiding cold air to the storage chamber 20 may be disposed at a rear surface of the storage chamber 20.

[0109] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air inside the tray in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is closed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, the plurality of cold air holes 160 may all be in the closed state by the blocking surface 1411. Referring to FIG. 7, cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may flow in the tray inner space S1 in a direction W1. Cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may stagnate in a closed region C formed by the cover 110 and the cover tray 120 and may not exit the tray inner space S1. Accordingly, the tray inner space S1 may be maintained at a temperature lower than the temperature in the tray outer space S2.

[0110] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of cold air in a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 8, the plurality of cold air holes 160 may all be in the opened state. Accordingly, an opening penetrating the tray 100 may be formed by the first cold air hole 161 and the second cold air hole 162. Referring to FIG. 9, cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may flow in a direction W2. Among cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53, a part may stagnate in the tray inner space S1, and another part may leak into the tray outer space S2 through the cold air hole 160. Therefore, when the temperature in the tray inner space S1 is maintained at an excessively low temperature, a user may operate the cold air adjustment lever 140 to open the cold air hole 160 to leak cold air in the tray inner space S1 into the tray outer space S2.

[0111] As described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may be adjusted by opening or closing at least one cold air hole 160 disposed at a position spaced apart from the cold air discharge port 53, without a need to include a configuration for directly opening or closing the cold air discharge port 53 for supplying cold air to the tray inner space S1. No component faces cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53, and frost is unlikely to occur on a component partitioning the tray inner space S1, for example, the tray 100.

[0112] In addition, even when the cold air discharge port 53 is disposed deep inside the tray inner space S1, or when access to the cold air discharge port 53 is not facilitated, such as a case in which the cold air discharge port 53 is covered by stored items disposed above the tray 100, a position of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be varied by operating the knob 142 formed on the front surface of the tray 100, thereby easily adjusting the temperature in the tray inner space S1.

[0113] Meanwhile, the refrigerator 1 may include a temperature detection sensor (not shown) disposed at the inner case of the main body 10 partitioning the tray inner space S1 or disposed adjacent to the door 30. In this case, the temperature detection sensor may measure the temperature in the tray inner space S1. In addition, the refrigerator 1 may include a display unit (not shown) disposed at the outer case of the main body 10 and providing a user with information of the inner space of the storage chamber 20. The temperature in the tray inner space S1 measured by the temperature detection sensor may be displayed on the display unit of the main body 10. A user may determine whether cold air in the tray inner space S1 leaks into the tray outer space S2 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 based on temperature information of the tray inner space S1 displayed on the display unit to control whether the cold air hole 160 is opened or closed.

[0114] FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views illustrating a stopper of the tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the cold air adjustment lever 140 is disposed between the cover tray 120 and the base tray 130, the base tray 130 may include a stopper 1301 disposed at an outer surface of the base tray 130 corresponding to a position of the cold air adjustment lever 140 and protruding toward the cover tray 120.

[0115] The stopper 1301 may be a component for limiting a movable range of the cold air adjustment lever 140. The base tray 130 may include at least one stopper 1301. The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include receiving grooves 1401 whose number corresponds to the number of stoppers 1301. In the drawings, four stoppers 1301 and four receiving grooves 1401 are illustrated as being provided. However, the number of stoppers 1301 and the number of receiving grooves 1401 are not limited thereto. In addition, the number of stoppers 1301 and the number of receiving grooves 1401 may be equal to the number of a plurality of cold air holes 160-1, 160-2, 160-3, and 160-4. However, in some cases, the different number of stoppers 1301 and receiving grooves 1401 may be provided.

[0116] Meanwhile, a width W1 of the receiving groove 1401 may be equal to or greater than a width W2 of the cold air hole 160. Accordingly, when a user operates the cold air adjustment lever 140 in an arrow direction to close the cold air hole 160, the cold air hole 160 may be prevented from being reopened. For example, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be moved by a distance equal to or greater than the width W2 of the cold air hole 160, thereby preventing the cold air hole 160-1, which is closed by the first blocking surface 1411-1, from being reopened by the second opening surface 1412-1. As shown in FIG. 10A, according to an embodiment blocking surfaces 1411-1, 1411-2, 1411-3 and 1411-4 and opening surface 1412-1, 1412-2, 1412-3 and 1412-4 may be provided. Referring to FIG. 10A, the tray 100 may include a base tray 1130, a support rib 11031, a cold air blocking rib 11032.

[0117] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 11, the cold air hole 160 may be disposed in a rear region 100b of the tray 100. In the drawings, the cold air hole 160 is illustrated as being provided at a central portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100. However, the cold air hole 160 may be disposed at a side portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0118] The rear region 100b of the tray 100 may be bent and extend from the cover tray 120 in a direction opposite to the base tray 130. In this case, the base tray 130 may extend to be bent only up to the lower surface of the cover tray 120 corresponding to a portion at which the cover tray 120 is bent.

[0119] In the drawings, an embodiment in which two cold air holes 160 are provided is illustrated. However, the number of cold air holes 160 is not limited thereto, and one cold air hole 160 or a plurality of cold air holes 160 other than two may be provided during a design and manufacturing process of the refrigerator 1 as needed. The number of cold air holes 160 and a rate of temperature change in the tray inner space S1 are the same as described above with reference to FIG. 3, and redundant descriptions thereof are thus omitted.

[0120] FIG. 12A is an exploded view of the tray according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 12B is a bottom perspective view of the cover tray according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12A. Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, when the cold air hole 160 is provided in the rear region 100b of the tray 100, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the blocking portion 141, the knob 142, and a connection portion 143. The blocking portion 141 may include the blocking surface 1411 having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160. The knob 142 may be disposed adjacent to the tray handle 150.

[0121] Descriptions of the blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 are the same as described above, and redundant descriptions thereof are thus omitted.

[0122] The connection portion 143 may be a component for connecting the blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 spaced apart from each other by the length L1 of the tray 100. The blocking portion 141 and the knob 142 may be physically coupled to each other by the connection portion 143. Accordingly, the blocking portion 141 may open or close the cold air hole 160 by a user operation on the knob 142.

[0123] A detailed description of the cold air adjustment lever 140 is the same as described with reference to FIG. 13, which is described below.

[0124] Meanwhile, the cover tray 120 may further include a guide rib 122 disposed at a lower surface. The guide rib 122 may be a component for guiding a movement path of the cold air adjustment lever 140. The guide rib 122 may protrude from the lower surface of the cover tray 120 toward the base tray 130.

[0125] The guide rib 122 may be provided as a pair of ribs spaced apart from each other by a width of a guiding bar 14311 in a front-rear direction. Accordingly, the guide rib 122 may accommodate the guiding bar 14311 (see FIG. 13) between the pair of ribs.

[0126] As a movement path of the guiding bar 14311 is limited in a length direction of the guide rib 122, the movement path of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may also be limited by the guide rib 122. In the drawings, as the guide rib 122 has a length direction parallel to the width L2 of the tray 100 (see FIG. 2), when a user operates the cold air adjustment lever 140, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may move on an axis line parallel to the width L2 of the tray 100.

[0127] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 13, the connection portion 143 of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may include a first connection portion 1431 bent and extending from the knob 142 and a second connection portion 1432 bent and extending from the blocking portion 141 and coupled to the first connection portion 1431.

[0128] The first connection portion 1431 may include the guiding bar 14311 and a seating portion 14312. The guiding bar 14311 may be a component for guiding a movement direction of the cold air adjustment lever 140. The guiding bar 14311 may be accommodated in the guide rib 122 of the cover tray 120 to guide a movement direction of the cold air adjustment lever 140. A detailed description thereof is as the same described above with reference to FIG. 12B.

[0129] The seating portion 14312 may be a component for mounting the second connection portion 1432 thereon. As the second connection portion 1432 is mounted at an arbitrary position of the seating portion 14312, a total length L3 of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be determined.

[0130] The second connection portion 1432 may include an insertion portion 14321 and a coupling portion 14322. The insertion portion 14321 may be a component allowing the seating portion 14312 of the first connection portion 1431 to be inserted into the second connection portion 1432. The coupling portion 14322 may extend from the blocking portion 141 and connect the insertion portion 14321 to the blocking portion 141. The second connection portion 1432 may be supported by the first connection portion 1431 as the seating portion 14312 of the first connection portion 1431 is inserted from the insertion portion 14321 in a direction toward the blocking portion 141.

[0131] As described above, as the seating portion 14312 of the first connection portion 1431 is inserted into and mounted at an arbitrary position of the coupling portion 14322 of the second connection portion 1432 through the insertion portion 14321 of the second connection portion 1432, the length L3 of the cold air adjustment lever 140 may be adjusted to correspond to the length L1 of the tray 100 (see FIG. 2). Accordingly, even when cold air adjustment levers 140 having lengths corresponding to the tray 100 having various lengths are not separately manufactured, the cold air adjustment levers 140 configured to correspond to the trays 100 having various lengths may be manufactured through a single injection molding process.

[0132] FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an embodiment in which the cold air hole is provided at a rear side portion of the tray. Referring to FIG. 14, the cover tray 120 may include the cold air hole 160. A pair of cold air holes 160 may be disposed at each of side portions of the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0133] The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the blocking portion 141, the knob 142, and the connection portion 143. The blocking portion 141 may include a pair of blocking surfaces 1411 of the cold air hole 160 to close the pair of cold air holes 160. The pair of blocking surfaces 1411 may be disposed at positions corresponding to the pair of cold air holes 160 to each have a shape corresponding to a shape of the cold air hole 160.

[0134] The connection portion 143 may include the first connection portion 1431 bent and extending from the knob 142 and the second connection portions 1432 bent and extending from each of the pair of blocking surfaces 1411.

[0135] The first connection portion 1431 may include the guiding bar 14311 and an intermediate portion 14313 branching and extending toward the pair of blocking surfaces 1411. The second connection portions 1432 may be mounted at branched both-end regions T1 and T2 of the intermediate portion 14313. As the second connection portions 1432 may be mounted at arbitrary positions of the end regions T, a length L4 of the intermediate portion 14313 may have various lengths corresponding to the length L1 of the tray 100.

[0136] Meanwhile, the cover tray 120 may include the guide rib 122 for accommodating the guiding bar 14311. However, descriptions of components that overlap with those described in other embodiments such as the guiding bar 14311 and the guide rib 122 are omitted.

[0137] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the cold air hole of the tray is opened according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 15, cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may flow in a direction W3. Cold air may stagnate in the front region 100a of the tray 100 and then may flow toward the rear region 100b of the tray 100. Cold air flowing toward the rear region 100b of the tray 100 may leak into the tray outer space S2 through the opened cold air hole 160. Cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53 may leak into the tray outer space S2 through the opened cold air hole 160, thereby preventing a continuous decrease in the temperature in the tray inner space S1. That is, when the temperature in the tray inner space S1 decreases beyond necessity, a user may leak cold air from the tray inner space S1 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 to open the cold air hole 160 provided in the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0138] Meanwhile, a flow of cold air in a state in which the cold air hole 160 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15 is closed is the same as that illustrated in FIG. 7, and a redundant description thereof is thus omitted.

[0139] FIG. 16A is a perspective view of the tray according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16B is a partially enlarged view illustrating the cold air hole of the tray illustrated in FIG. 16A. Referring to FIG. 16A, the cold air hole 160 may protrude from the rear region 100b of the tray 100. The rear region 100b of the tray 100 may be bent upward and extending from the cover tray 120. The cold air hole 160 may extend to protrude outward from the rear region 100b of the tray 100.

[0140] The cold air hole 160 may include a discharge port 161a, a protrusion portion 161b, and an opening portion 161c. The discharge port 161a may be disposed at the central portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100. The protrusion portion 161b may extend from the discharge port 161a to the outside of the tray 100. An extension length P of the protrusion portion 161b may be smaller than a side portion of the rear region 100b of the tray 100. The length P of the protrusion portion 161b may be arbitrarily determined as needed in a design or manufacturing stage of the tray 100. The opening portion 161c may be open toward the tray outer space S2 to allow the cold air hole 160 to communicate the tray inner space S1 with the tray outer space S2.

[0141] Referring to FIG. 16B, the opening portion 161c may have an arc-shaped plane. That is, a protrusion length P1 at one side of the protrusion portion 161b may be smaller than a protrusion length P2 at the other side of the protrusion portion 161b.

[0142] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a hinge portion of the cold air adjustment lever according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the blocking portion 141, the knob 142, a blocking bar 144, and a hinge portion 145.

[0143] The knob 142 may be a component for allowing a user to operate the cold air adjustment lever 140. The knob 142 may be disposed at the front region 100a of the tray 100. A specific operating manner of the knob 142 is the same as described with reference to FIG. 3, and redundant contents are thus omitted.

[0144] The blocking portion 141 may have a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160. Specifically, the blocking portion 141 may have a shape corresponding to the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160. For example, when the opening portion 161c has an arc shape having a predetermined circumferential length, the blocking portion 141 may have an arc shape having a circumferential length corresponding thereto. The blocking portion 141 may be bent and extend from at one end of the blocking bar 144.

[0145] The blocking bar 144 may be a component for connecting the knob 142 and the blocking portion 141. The knob 142 and the blocking bar 144 may be connected by the hinge portion 145. The hinge portion 145 may be disposed at one side of the knob 142. The hinge portion 145 may be hinge-coupled to the blocking bar 144. That is, a hinge having a circular shape may protrude toward the blocking bar 144 from the hinge portion 145, and the blocking bar 144 may have, at one end thereof, a shape corresponding to the hinge of the hinge portion 145. As described above, as one end of the blocking bar 144 is hinge-coupled to the hinge portion 145, when a user operates the knob 142, the blocking bar 144 may rotate about the hinge of the hinge portion 145. As the blocking bar 144 rotates, the blocking portion 141 extending from the blocking bar 144 may also rotate together by the same angle. As the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160 and the blocking portion 141 each have an arc shape having a predetermined circumferential length, the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160 may be opened or closed by the blocking portion 141 as the blocking bar 144 rotates. A flow of cold air according to opening or closing of the cold air hole 160 is the same as described above in other embodiments.

[0146] As described above, when a user operates the knob 142, the blocking bar 144 may rotate, and the blocking portion 141 may open or close the opening portion 161c of the cold air hole 160 according to rotation of the blocking bar 144. Accordingly, a user may adjust the temperature in the tray inner space S1 separately from the tray outer space by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 to control an amount of cold air leaking from the tray inner space S1.

[0147] As described above, the refrigerator 1 according to the present disclosure may include the tray 100 for forming a separate storage space in the storage chamber 20. The tray 100 may include the cold air hole 160 for communicating the tray inner space S1 with the tray outer space S2 to allow cold air to flow. In addition, the tray 100 may include the cold air adjustment lever 140 including the blocking portion 141 having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole 160 to adjust an amount of cold air leaking from the tray inner space S1 into the tray outer space S2. The cold air adjustment lever 140 may include the knob 142 to allow a user to conveniently operate the cold air adjustment lever 140. A user may control an operation of the blocking portion 141 connected to the knob 142 by operating the knob 142. Accordingly, whether the cold air hole 160 of the tray 100 is opened or closed may be determined. For example, when the temperature in the tray inner space S1 decreases beyond necessity, a user may open the cold air hole 160 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140. In this case, cold air in the tray inner space S1 may leak into the tray outer space S2 to prevent the temperature in the tray inner space S1 from continuously decreasing after an opening time point. Conversely, a user may close the cold air hole 160 by operating the cold air adjustment lever 140. When the cold air hole 160 is closed, cold air supplied to the tray inner space S1 from the cold air discharge port 53 may stagnate in the tray inner space S1, and accordingly, the temperature in the tray inner space S1 may decrease. Meanwhile, the cold air discharge port 53 may be disposed above the tray 100 not to be in contact with the rear surface 110b of the tray 100, thereby preventing frost from occurring on one surface of the tray 100 due to cold air supplied from the cold air discharge port 53. In addition, when the temperature detection sensor is disposed in the tray inner space S1 and the display unit is disposed at an outer case of the main body 10, a user may open or close the cold air hole 160 by checking the displayed temperature in the tray inner space S1 and operating the cold air adjustment lever 140 as needed.

[0148] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been individually described above, the respective embodiments are not necessarily implemented independently, and configurations and operations of the respective embodiments may be implemented in combination with at least one other embodiment.

[0149] In addition, although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims. Such modifications should also be understood to fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0040]It should be understood that various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used herein are not intended to limit the technical features of the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and are intended to include various modifications, equivalents, and substitutions thereof.

[0041]In describing the drawings, similar or related components may be designated by similar reference numerals.

[0042]A singular noun corresponding to an item is intended to include one or more of the items unless a relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0043]In the present disclosure, an expression such as “A or B,”“at least one of A and B,”“at least one of A or B,”“A, B, or C,”“at least one of A, B, and C,”“at least one of A, B, or C,” or the like may include any one of the items listed together or all possible combinations thereof.

[0044]A term “and / or” includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any one of the plurality of related described items.

[0045]Terms...

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:a main body;a storage chamber to be disposed inside the main body;at least one cold air discharge port to be disposed in the storage chamber; anda tray, mountable in the storage chamber, forming a separate storage space,wherein the tray includes:a cover tray to support an item;a base tray, to be disposed below the cover tray, to support the cover tray;a cold air hole to be disposed in one region of the tray to allow air to flow from an interior of the separate storage space to an exterior of the separate storage space; anda cold air adjustment lever configured to open or close the cold air hole to thereby control the air between the interior of the separate storage space and the exterior of the separate storage space.

2. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:a cold air supply unit configured to generate cold air; andat least one cold air duct configured to connect the cold air supply unit to the at least one cold air discharge port and to supply cold air to the storage chamber,wherein the at least one cold air discharge port is disposed above the tray, not to be in contact with the tray, and is configured to supply cold air to the separate storage space.

3. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tray includes:a tray handle disposed at a position facing the at least one cold air discharge port and graspable by a user to insert or withdraw the tray,the cold air hole is formed in one region of the tray handle, andthe cold air hole is at least one first cold air hole disposed in the cover tray; andat least one second cold air hole is disposed in the base tray at a position corresponding to the at least one first cold air hole.

4. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cover tray and the base tray are coupled to each other while being spaced apart by a predetermined gap,the cover tray and the base tray each further include:a cold air blocking rib protruding toward each of the base tray and the cover tray, to block cold air passing through the at least one first cold air hole and the at least one second cold air hole from flowing into the predetermined gap, andthe base tray further includes:a support rib disposed below the cover tray and configured to support the cover tray.

5. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cold air adjustment lever includes:a blocking portion including a blocking surface having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole; anda knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking surface and exposed to an outside of the tray.

6. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cold air adjustment lever is disposed in a space between the cover tray and the base tray,and the base tray further includes:a stopper protruding toward the cover tray and configured to limit a movable range of the cold air adjustment lever.

7. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cold air hole is formed in one region of the tray adjacent to the at least one cold air discharge port.

8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cold air adjustment lever further includes:a blocking portion including a blocking surface having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole;a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking portion and exposed to an outside of the tray; anda connection portion configured to connect the blocking portion to the knob and configured to move the blocking portion to open or close the cold air hole according to a user operation on the knob.

9. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cold air adjustment lever includes:a blocking bar including a blocking portion having a shape corresponding to the cold air hole and configured to close the cold air hole;a knob disposed at a side opposite to the blocking portion and exposed to an outside of the tray; anda hinge portion configured to connect the blocking bar to the knob and configured to rotate the blocking bar to open or close the cold air hole according to a user operation on the knob.

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