Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator is provided, including a refrigerator body having first and second cooling chambers formed therein, partitioned by a barrier wall, an evaporator provided within the barrier wall, a first cooling fan disposed at one side of the evaporator to blow cooling air into the first cooling chamber, and a second cooling fan provided at the other side of the evaporator to blow cooling air to the second cooling chamber. First and second suction openings are formed at upper and lower surfaces of the barrier wall, respectively, such that air drawn into the barrier wall through the first and second suction openings are brought into contact with different regions of the evaporator and is not mixed, so that the first and second cooling chambers may be separately or simultaneously cooled to appropriate temperatures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a main body having a storage space formed therein;   a barrier wall provided in the storage space that partitions the storage space into first and second cooling chambers;   an evaporator provided within the barrier wall;   a first cooling fan provided at a first side of the evaporator so as to blow cooling air into the first cooling chamber;   a second cooling fan provided at a second side of the evaporator so as to blow cooling air into the second cooling chamber;   at least one first suction opening formed in an upper surface of the barrier wall; and   at least one second suction opening formed in a lower surface of the barrier wall,   wherein the first and second suction openings are configured such that air drawn into the barrier wall through the at least one first suction opening contacts a first region of the evaporator and air drawn into the barrier wall through the at least one second suction opening contacts a second region of the evaporator that is different from the first region.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the evaporator is positioned at an incline within the barrier wall such that the evaporator slopes downward from a front end of the barrier wall corresponding to an opening in the storage space to a rear end of the barrier wall. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one first suction opening comprises a pair of first suction openings formed at opposite side end portions of the barrier wall. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one second suction opening comprises an opening that extends along a central region of the lower surface of the barrier wall. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the evaporator comprises:
 a plurality of heat transfer pipes positioned in parallel along a horizontal direction of the barrier wall; and   a plurality of heat transfer plates coupled to the plurality of heat transfer pipes.   
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , wherein the evaporator further comprises a first heat exchanger positioned at a first height and a second heat exchanger positioned at a second height such that there is a height difference therebetween. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein the evaporator is configured to alternately provide refrigerant the first and second heat exchangers. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 6 , wherein the evaporator is configured to provide refrigerant to the first heat exchanger and then to the second heat exchanger sequentially. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , wherein a pitch between adjacent heat transfer plates at a refrigerant inlet end of the evaporator is less than a pitch between adjacent heat transfer plates at a refrigerant outlet end of the evaporator. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a separation guide that guides air drawn into the barrier wall through the first and second suction openings into separate flow paths.   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 10 , wherein the evaporator comprises:
 a heat transfer pipe through which refrigerant flows; and   a heat transfer plate coupled to the heat transfer pipe, wherein the separation guide is coupled to the heat transfer pipe.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 11 , wherein the separation guide comprises a bent portion of the heat transfer plate. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the evaporator includes a refrigerant inlet positioned at a front portion of the barrier wall corresponding to an opening in the storage space and a refrigerant outlet at a rear portion of the barrier wall. 
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator of  claim 13 , further comprising a trap provided at the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator, wherein the trap comprises a bent pipe that extends upward from the refrigerant outlet and then downward in a U-shape. 
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the barrier wall comprises:
 a main wall body;   a recess formed in the main wall body such that an upper face of the recess is open, wherein the evaporator is received in the recess; and   a cover that is selectively positioned on the open upper face of the recess so as to selectively cover the evaporator received in the recess.   
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator of  claim 15 , wherein a bottom surface of the recess is inclined downward from a front end thereof corresponding to an opening in the storage space to a rear end thereof so as to guide fluid generated by the evaporator to a rear portion of the recess and out of the barrier wall. 
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator of  claim 16 , further comprising a grill positioned adjacent to a bottom rear portion of the barrier wall so as to enclose the second cooling fan, wherein the grill comprises:
 an upper plate having an upper end thereof that extends downward from the bottom rear portion of the barrier wall;   a lower plate that extends downward from the lower plate, wherein the upper and lower plates are positioned corresponding to and spaced apart from the second cooling fan;   a plurality of discharge openings formed in the lower plate so as to guide cooling air into the freezing chamber; and   a drain pipe that extends downward from a bottom portion of the lower plate.   
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator of  claim 17 , wherein fluid generated by the evaporator flows out of the rear portion of the recess, through a space defined by the upper and lower plates of the grill, and is discharged through the discharge pipe. 
     
     
         19 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a main body including a first cooling chamber positioned above a second cooling chamber and partitioned by a barrier wall;   an evaporator provided in the barrier wall;   first and second cooling fans provided at first and second sides of the evaporator so as to blow cooling air into the first and second cooling chambers, respectively;   a first suction opening formed in an upper surface of the barrier wall;   a second suction opening formed in a lower surface of the barrier wall; and   a trap that extends upward from a refrigerant outlet of the evaporator and then downward.   
     
     
         20 . A refrigerator, comprising:
 a main body including a first chamber and a second chamber partitioned by a barrier wall;   an evaporator provided in the barrier wall;   first and second cooling fans provided at first and second sides of the evaporator so as to blow cooling air into the first and second chambers, respectively;   a first suction opening that extends through the barrier wall such that a first end is formed at a lower surface of the barrier wall and a second end is connected with a lower region of the evaporator; and   a second suction opening that extends through the barrier wall such that a first end is formed at a lower surface of the barrier wall and a second end is connected with a lower region of the evaporator.   
     
     
         21 . The refrigerator of  claim 19 , wherein the first suction opening comprises a pair of first suction openings formed at two opposite end portions of the upper surface of the barrier wall, and the second suction opening extends along a central region of the lower surface of the barrier wall.