Refrigerator and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

A refrigerator uses a vacuum heat insulation material. The refrigerator includes a door including a space part having a predetermined volume and a housing having a hole to allow communication between inner and outer sides of the space part. The space part includes, as a core material, an open cell polyurethane foam formed by a foam material injected via the hole to fill the space part.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a main body;   a storage compartment defined in the main body; and   a door configured to selectively open or close the storage compartment,   wherein the door comprises:
 a housing that defines an external appearance of the door and that has a space part within the housing to define an interior space of the door; 
 a hole that allows communication between inner and outer sides of the space part; and 
 an open cell polyurethane foam that is filled in the space part by introducing 
   a foam material into the space part through the hole,   wherein the space part is vacuum evacuated and sealed in a state in which the space part is filled with the open cell polyurethane foam.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the foam material is injected into the space part through a pipe inserted into the hole and the space part is evacuated through the pipe. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , further comprising a sealing member configured to seal the hole. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the hole comprises an injection hole that enables injection of the foam material and an exhaust hole that enables exhaust of air present in the space part. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein the injection hole and the exhaust hole are located at a same position, and the foam material is injected through the injection hole and, at a same time, air inside the space part is discharged to an outside thereof via the exhaust hole. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein the injection hole and the exhaust hole are arranged at a same surface of the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the space part comprises a getter configured to absorb gas or moisture. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a body part having an opening and a cover configured to close the opening of the body part,
 wherein the body part and the cover are formed of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 8 , wherein the hole is defined in the body part. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 8 , wherein the body part and the cover are adhered to each other by thermal fusion. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 8 , wherein inner circumferential surfaces of the body part and the cover are plated or deposited with a metal. 
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed of a metal material, and a boundary portion between adjacent surfaces of the housing is welded. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the open cell polyurethane foam is formed by reaction between a polyol composition comprising a polyol and a cell opening agent in combination and a polyisocyanate composition comprising a polyisocyanate compound,
 wherein the cell opening agent is a metal salt of a fatty acid having a hydroxyl group capable of reacting with isocyanate.   
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the cell opening agent of the open cell polyurethane foam reacts with an isocyanate group and chemically combines to a polyurethane chain. 
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the open cell polyurethane foam has a cell opening rate of 90% or more. 
     
     
         16 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the open cell polyurethane foam has an average cell size of 100 μm or less. 
     
     
         17 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a main body;   a storage compartment defined in the main body;   an outer case that defines an external appearance of the main body;   an inner case disposed in the outer case and defining the storage compartment in the main body;   a space part disposed between the outer case and the inner case and having a predetermined volume;   a hole that is defined in at least one of the outer case or the inner case and that allows communication between inner and outer sides of the space part; and   an open cell polyurethane foam that is filled in the space part by introducing a foam material into the space part through the hole,   wherein the space part is evacuated and sealed in a state in which the space part is filled with the open cell polyurethane foam.   
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator according to  claim 17 , wherein foam material is injected into the space part through a pipe inserted into the hole and the space part is vacuum evacuated through the pipe. 
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator according to  claim 17 , further comprising a sealing member configured to seal the hole. 
     
     
         20 . The refrigerator according to  claim 17 , wherein the hole comprises an injection hole that enables injection of the foam material and an exhaust hole that enables exhaust of air present in the space part. 
     
     
         21 . The refrigerator according to  claim 20 , wherein the injection hole and the exhaust hole are located at a same position, and the foam material is injected via the injection hole and, at a same time, air inside the space part is discharged to an outside thereof via the exhaust hole. 
     
     
         22 . A method of manufacturing a refrigerator comprising a door that includes a housing that defines an external appearance of the door and that has a hole that allows communication between inner and outer sides of a space part defined in the housing, the method comprising:
 inserting a pipe into the hole;   injecting foam material into the space part through the pipe;   forming an open cell polyurethane foam in the space part of the housing by foaming a foaming solution;   evacuating the space part through the hole to establish a vacuum state within the space part of the housing; and   after injecting the foam material into the space part through the pipe, forming the open cell polyurethane foam in the space part of the housing, and evacuating the space part through the hole, sealing the hole.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , further comprising adding, after injecting the foam material into the space part through the pipe, a cell opening agent that enables formation of an open cell. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22 , further comprising inserting a getter before injecting the foam material into the space part through the pipe. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the housing comprises an injection hole and an exhaust hole, the injecting is performed through the injection hole, and the evacuating is performed through the exhaust hole. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein injecting the foam material into the space part through the pipe is performed simultaneously with an exhaust process that removes air inside the space part through the exhaust hole. 
     
     
         27 . A method of manufacturing a refrigerator door comprising a space part having a predetermined volume and a housing that defines an external appearance of the door and that has a foaming agent injection hole and a vacuum exhaust hole to allow communication between inner and outer sides of the space part, the method comprising:
 filling the space part with an open cell polyurethane foam as a core material by injecting a foaming agent via the foaming agent injection hole;   sealing the foaming agent injection hole after completing the filling;   discharging air inside the space part via the vacuum exhaust hole; and   sealing the vacuum exhaust hole after the discharging.