Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator comprises a cabinet providing a refrigerating compartment and a machine compartment isolated from the refrigerating compartment, said cabinet installed with a door for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment; and a refrigerating unit detachably installed in the machine compartment, for supplying cool air into the refrigerating compartment, and including mechanisms performing a refrigerating cycle of compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation, said mechanisms integrally installed in the machine compartment. Accordingly, a fabrication process of a refrigerator is simplified and cost and operating time for installation, maintenance and repair of the refrigerating unit can be reduced.

1 . A refrigerator comprising: 
 a cabinet providing a refrigerating compartment and a machine compartment isolated from the refrigerating compartment, said cabinet installed with a door for opening and closing the refrigerating compartment; and    a refrigerating unit detachably installed in the machine compartment, supplying cool air into the refrigerating compartment, and including mechanisms performing a refrigerating cycle of compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation, said mechanisms integrally installed in the machine compartment.    
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the cabinet comprises: 
 a first plate bent for providing an internal space therein; and    a second plate coupled to the first plate for sealing one side of the internal space of the first plate and bent for divide the internal space of the first plate into the refrigerating compartment and the machine compartment.    
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein a groove of which an internal angle is about 90 degrees is formed at each bending portion of the first and the second plates.  
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein the first plate defines an upper wall of the refrigerating compartment and defines a left and a right side walls of the refrigerating and the machine compartments; and 
 the second plate defines a rear wall of the refrigerating compartment and defines a dividing wall dividing the internal space of the first plate into the refrigerating compartment and the machine compartment.    
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator of  claim 4 , wherein the dividing wall includes: 
 a first passage through which cool air in the machine compartment is introduced into the refrigerating compartment; and    a second passage through which circulated air in the refrigerating compartment is introduced into the machine compartment.    
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein the refrigerating unit comprises: 
 a casing fixed to the dividing wall and dividing the machine compartment into a first chamber communicating with an outside of the cabinet and a second chamber communicating with the first passage and the second passage of the dividing wall and sealed from the outside;    a compressor installed in the first chamber, for compressing a refrigerant;    a condenser installed in the first chamber, for condensing a refrigerant compressed in the compressor;    an expansion valve installed in the first chamber, for changing high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant condensed in the condenser into a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant;    an evaporator installed in the second chamber, for evaporating the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant passed through the expansion valve for absorbing heat around the evaporator;    a circulation fan installed in the second chamber, for supplying air cooled while passing through the evaporator into the refrigerating compartment; and    a driving motor fixed to the casing, for driving the circulation fan.    
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein a condenser fan for circulating air in the first chamber to cool the condenser is installed in the first chamber.  
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator of  claim 7 , wherein the driving motor includes a pair of rotary shafts which are respectively extended toward the first chamber and the second chamber and connected to the circulation fan and the condenser fan.  
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein a cover is installed at a side of the machine compartment; and 
 a ventilating opening is formed in the cover, for communicating the outside of the cabinet and the first chamber.    
   
   
       10 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , further comprising a base plate for supporting the refrigerating unit at a lower portion of the machine compartment.  
   
   
       11 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the cabinet comprises: 
 a first plate bent for providing an upper wall and an rear wall of the refrigerating compartment and a dividing wall partitioning into the refrigerating compartment and the machine compartment;    a pair of second plates respectively coupled to left and right sides of the first plate, for providing left and right side walls of the refrigerating compartment and the machine compartment.    
   
   
       12 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein the first and the second plates respectively comprise at least two panels attached to each other; and a heat insulator is filled between the panels of the first and the second plates.