Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator capable of adjusting a discharge position and a quantity of cold air discharged into the refrigerator. The refrigerator includes an inner panel installed at a rear surface of a storage chamber and having cold air outlets for forming a cooling channel. The refrigerator also includes a variable duct installed at one of the cold air outlets such that the variable duct can move back and forth to vary a length of the cooling channel, and a plurality of cold air distribution holes formed in the variable duct.

1 . A refrigerator comprising: 
 an inner panel installed at a rear surface of the refrigerator including a plurality of cold air outlets, to form a cooling channel of the refrigerator;    a variable duct installed at one of the cold air outlets such that the variable duct moves back and forth to vary a length of the cooling channel; and    a plurality of cold air distribution holes formed in the variable duct.    
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the variable duct is installed at a cold air outlet of the cold air outlets formed at an upper portion of the storage chamber, such that the variable duct moves back and forth.    
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator of  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the inner panel comprises an extended portion extended forward from the cold air outlet formed at the upper portion of the storage chamber; wherein an opened end of the variable duct enters an inside of the extended portion, to move back and forth therein.    
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator of  claim 3 , wherein the variable duct comprises: 
 a rectilinear portion having an outer width at a rear end thereof corresponding to an inner width of the extended portion, wherein the rectilinear portion moves back and forth along the inner surface of the extended portion; and    a width-decreasing portion having side surfaces inclined such that an inner width of the width-decreasing portion is decreased from the rectilinear portion to the front part of the variable duct.    
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator of  claim 4 , wherein cold air distribution holes are formed through the side surfaces of the width-decreasing portion and the front end of the variable duct.  
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , further comprising a channel adjusting device, which is installed in the variable duct and interacts with an operation of the variable duct to vary a cross sectional area of a channel in the variable duct by a back and forth movement of the variable duct.  
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein the channel adjusting device increases a width of the channel in the variable duct when the variable duct is pulled forward to increase a length of the cooling channel, and decreases the width of the channel in the variable duct when the variable duct is pushed backwards to decrease the length of the cooling channel.  
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator of  claim 7 , wherein the channel adjusting device includes first and second air guide members, respectively provided with front ends rotatably connected with the front end of an inside of the variable duct and rear ends rotatably connected with the inner panel, the first and second air guide members respectively comprising refractive members between the front ends and the rear ends of the first and second air guide members.  
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second air guide members comprise a width corresponding to a width of the variable duct, to guide a circulation of the air into the variable duct.  
   
   
       10 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , further comprising a support pin, wherein the rear ends of the first and second air guide members are connected with each other by the support pin fixed to the inner panel such that the rear ends of the first and second air guide members are bent from each other.  
   
   
       11 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , further comprising protrusions installed between the first and second air guide members in the variable duct, wherein the protrusions prevent the first and second air guide members from being constricted to a central portion of the variable duct.  
   
   
       12 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second air guide members respectively include a front guide portion and a rear guide portion connected such that each of the rear guide portions and the corresponding one of the front guide portions are bent from each other.  
   
   
       13 . A refrigerator having a storage chamber, comprising: 
 a cooling channel at a rear surface of the storage chamber, to discharge cold air into the refrigerator; and    a variable duct movably installed at an upper portion of the cooling channel, to vary a discharge position and a discharge quantity of the cool air discharged into the refrigerator, thereby controlling a supply of the cold air.    
   
   
       14 . The refrigerator of  claim 13 , wherein the cooling channel comprises an extended portion to extend the cooling channel by a designated length, when varying the discharge position and the discharge quantity of the cold air.  
   
   
       15 . The refrigerator of  claim 14 , wherein an interior of the variable duct forms a channel and an opened end of the variable duct is inserted into the extended portion, to allow the variable duct to move backward and forward therein.  
   
   
       16 . The refrigerator of  claim 15 , wherein the variable duct comprises a rectilinear portion at a rear portion thereof, the rectilinear portion having an outer width corresponding to an inner width of the extended portion, wherein the rectilinear portion of the variable duct moves backward and forward along an inner surface of the extended portion of the cooling channel, when varying the discharge position and the quantity of cold air discharged into the storage chamber.  
   
   
       17 . The refrigerator of  claim 16 , further comprising a channel adjusting device installed in the channel of the variable duct, to vary a cross sectional area of the channel in accordance with a movement of the variable duct.  
   
   
       18 . The refrigerator of  claim 17 , wherein the variable duct further comprises air distribution holes to discharge the cold air into the storage chamber.  
   
   
       19 . The refrigerator of  claim 18 , wherein the channel adjusting device comprises: 
 first and second guide members having first end portions rotatably connected with a front inside portion of the variable duct and second end portions rotatably connected with the cooling channel.    
   
   
       20 . The refrigerator of  claim 19 , wherein when the variable duct moves in a backward direction toward the rear portion of the storage chamber, the channel adjusting device is refracted and a width of the channel in the variable duct decreases, thereby decreasing the discharge quantity of cold air discharged into a front portion of the storage chamber.  
   
   
       21 . The refrigerator of  claim 20 , wherein when the variable duct moves in a forward direction toward the front portion of the storage chamber, the channel adjusting device is stretched such that the width of the channel in the variable duct increases, thereby increasing the discharge quantity of cold air discharged into the front portion of the storage chamber.  
   
   
       22 . A refrigerator having a cooling channel, comprising: 
 a variable duct movably connected with the cooling channel, to vary a length of the cooling channel and to thereby control a supply of cold air to be discharged into the refrigerator from the cooling channel.