Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator includes: a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and a door unit which opens and closes the opening, the door unit comprising: a first door which is rotatably attached to the cabinet and opens and closes a partial area of the opening, a second door which is rotatably attached to the first door and opens and closes the remaining area of the opening, and a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first door and the second door and a planar surface of the other of the first door and the second door and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit is closed.

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and   a door unit which opens and closes the opening,   the door unit comprising:   a first door which is rotatably attached to the cabinet and opens and closes a partial area of the opening,   a second door which is rotatably attached to the first door and opens and closes the remaining area of the opening, and   a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first door and the second door and a planar surface of the other of the first door and the second door and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first door and the second door while the door unit is closed.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and   a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable outward with respect to the first door.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a first gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the first door; and   a second gasket which is located along an edge of an inside planar surface of the second door.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the cool air blocking member has a length corresponding to the opening along a lengthwise direction of the second hinge and is attached to the inside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , further comprising an extension part that extends from opposite sides of one of the first gasket and the second gasket in a transverse direction of the lengthwise direction of the second hinge and prevents leakage of cool air between the first gasket and the second gasket. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 5 , further comprising a heating part disposed between the first door and the second door. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 6 , wherein the heating part comprises:
 a heater formed on at least one of surfaces of the first door and the second door, the surfaces facing each other; and   a heater cover to cover the heater.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the second hinge comprises:
 a hinge shaft located in one of the first door and the second door;   a hinge shaft accommodating part located on the other of the first door and the second door and accommodating the hinge shaft; and   a friction member which is disposed between the hinge shaft and the hinge shaft accommodating part, has a shape of a cylinder having a cutting part cut along a lengthwise direction of the hinge shaft, and provides frictional resistance to rotation of the hinge shaft.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 8 , wherein the friction member has elasticity in a direction of a radius thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 9 , further comprising a stopper to prevent the friction member from being rotated by rotation of the hinge shaft. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 10 , wherein the stopper comprises:
 a protrusion formed in one of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part; and   a protrusion accommodating part formed in the other of the friction member and the hinge shaft accommodating part and accommodating the protrusion.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , further comprising a shock-absorbing member disposed between the first door and the second door to reduce impact of the second door on the first door while the second door is open. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a first opening and closing sensor which senses whether the first door is open or closed; and   a second opening and closing sensor which senses whether the second door is open or closed.   
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the first opening and closing sensor comprises:
 a first magnet disposed in one of the cabinet and the first door; and   a first magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the cabinet and the first door to detect a magnetic field generated by the first magnet.   
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the second opening and closing sensor comprises:
 a second magnet disposed in one of the first door and the second door or one of the first door and the cool air blocking member; and   a second magnetic sensor disposed in the other of the first door and the second door or the first door and the cool air blocking member to detect magnetic field generated by the second magnet.   
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a cooling apparatus which generates cool air and distributes the cool air to the storage compartment; and   a controller which controls operation of the cooling apparatus on a basis of information sensed by the first opening and closing sensor and the second opening and closing sensor.   
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , further comprising a first hinge which attaches the first door to the cabinet to allow the first door to be rotatable outward with respect to the cabinet; and
 a second hinge which attaches the second door to the first door to allow the second door to be rotatable inward with respect to the first door.   
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator according to  claim 17 , wherein the cool air blocking member is attached to an outside planar surface of one of the first door and the second door. 
     
     
         19 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and   a reconfigurable folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet, having a first folding portion and a second folding portion, wherein each folding position opens and closes a section of the opening, and   a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a planar surface of one of the first folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and the second folding portion of the reconfigurable folding door unit and a planar surface of the other of the first folding portion and the second folding portion and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first folding portion and the second folding portion while the reconfigurable folding door unit is closed.   
     
     
         20 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a cabinet which comprises at least one storage compartment formed with an opening at one side thereof; and   a folding door unit rotatably attached to the cabinet to foldably open and close the opening in a portion-wise manner; and   a cool air blocking member which is disposed across a horizontal surface of a first portion of the folding door unit and prevents cool air from leaking from a gap between the first portion of the folding door unit and a second portion of the folding door while the folding door unit is closed.