Evaporator and Refrigerator Having the Same

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a main body including a storage chamber therein; a door on the main body configured to open or close the storage chamber; and an evaporator on one side of the storage chamber, configured to cool air and/or exchange heat between the air and a refrigerant flowing in the evaporator. The evaporator includes a plurality of cooling fins at predetermined intervals, comprising a plurality of rows; a refrigerant tube providing a path through which the refrigerant flows and being configured to exchange heat with the cooling fins; and a supporting part on at least one side of the plurality of rows of the cooling fins, perpendicular to the ground or other horizontal plane. At least two of the rows of cooling fins include a first cooling fin parallel to the supporting part; a second cooling fin inclined in one direction with respect to the first cooling fin; and a third cooling fin inclined in another direction with respect to the first cooling fin. The second cooling fin is on one side of the first cooling fin in one of the at least two rows, and the second cooling fin is on another side of the first cooling fin in another of the at least two rows.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a main body including a storage chamber therein;   a door on the main body configured to open or close the storage chamber; and   an evaporator on one side of the storage chamber configured to cool air and/or exchange heat between the air and a refrigerant flowing in the evaporator,   wherein the evaporator includes:
 a plurality of cooling fins at predetermined intervals, comprising a plurality of rows; 
 a refrigerant tube providing a path through which the refrigerant flows and being configured to exchange heat with the plurality of cooling fins; and 
 a supporting part on at least one side of the plurality of rows of cooling fins and perpendicular to a horizontal plane, at least two of the plurality of rows of cooling fins include:
 a first cooling fin parallel to the supporting part; 
 a second cooling fin inclined in one direction with respect to the first cooling fin; and 
 a third cooling fin inclined in another direction with respect to the first cooling fin, and 
 
   the second cooling fin is on one side of the first cooling fin in a first one row of the at least two rows, and on another side of the first cooling fin in a second one of the at least two rows.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the second cooling fin and the third cooling fin are symmetric with respect to the first cooling fin. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of second cooling fins adjacent to each other and a plurality of third cooling fins adjacent to each other. 
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the second cooling fins and the third cooling fins are vertically symmetrical. 
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second and third cooling fins are planar or plate-shaped and have a predetermined area. 
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 5 , wherein the refrigerant tube passes through each of the plurality rows of cooling fins at least once. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the second cooling fin and the third cooling fin of an upper side or uppermost one of the at least two of the plurality of rows are inclined so that, for each of the second and third cooling fins, an uppermost edge is closer to the first cooling fin than a lowermost edge, and
 the second cooling fin and the third cooling fin of a lower side or lowermost one of the at least two of the plurality of rows are inclined so that, for each of the second and third cooling fins, a lowermost edge is closer to the first cooling fin than an uppermost edge.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein the air is collected toward a center of the evaporator, spread to opposite sides of the evaporator when passing through the lower side or lowermost one of the at least two of the plurality of rows, and discharged from the center of the evaporator after passing through the upper side or uppermost one of the at least two of the plurality of rows. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of rows further comprises a third row between the upper side or uppermost one of the at least two of the plurality of rows and the lower side or lowermost one of the at least two of the plurality of rows. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 9 , wherein the third row comprises a plurality of first cooling fins. 
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 10 , wherein the air moves vertically when passing through the third row. 
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the second cooling fin and the third cooling fin are vertically symmetrical when viewing the evaporator from a front face or a rear face thereof 
     
     
         13 . An evaporator configured to generate cool air, comprising:
 a repeatedly bent refrigerant tube configured to transport a refrigerant therein;   a plurality of cooling fins along one or more unbent sections or segments of the refrigerant tube at predetermined intervals; and   a supporting part configured to fix the refrigerant tube to another object,   wherein:
 each of the plurality of cooling fins is planar or has a plate form, and has a predetermined area, 
 the plurality of cooling fins includes a first cooling fin, a second cooling fin and a third cooling fin, and the second cooling fin is inclined in one direction with respect to the refrigerant tube to induce an air flow in one direction, 
 the third cooling fin is inclined in another direction with respect to the refrigerant tube to induce the air flow in the other direction, 
 each of the first, second and third cooling fins is in each of a plurality of rows. 
   
     
     
         14 . The evaporator according to  claim 13 , wherein air entering the evaporator is collected and/or discharged in a center of the evaporator by the second cooling fin and the third cooling fin in a downstream one of the plurality of rows, after being spread to opposite sides of the evaporator by the second cooling fin and the third cooling fin in an upstream one of the plurality of rows. 
     
     
         15 . The evaporator according to  claim 13 , wherein the first cooling fin is parallel to the supporting part and between the second cooling fin and the third cooling fin in each of the plurality of rows. 
     
     
         16 . The evaporator according to  claim 15 , wherein each of the first, second and third cooling fins is in each of at least two of the plurality of rows,
 a first or upstream one of the at least two of the plurality of rows includes the first cooling fin at a center thereof, and a first plurality of the second cooling fins and a first plurality of third cooling fins are adjacent to and/or on opposite sides of the first cooling fin, and/or are inclined toward a lower side or lowermost edge of the first cooling fin, and   a second or downstream one of the at least two of the plurality of rows includes the first cooling fin, and a second plurality of the second cooling fins and a second plurality of third cooling fins are adjacent to and/or on opposite sides of the first cooling fin and/or inclined toward an upper side or uppermost edge of the first cooling fin.   
     
     
         17 . The evaporator according to  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of rows includes a third row, and the third row comprises a plurality of first cooling fins. 
     
     
         18 . The evaporator according to  claim 14 , wherein the downstream one of the plurality of rows includes the first cooling fin, a plurality of the second cooling fins adjacent to and on a first side of the first cooling fin, and a plurality of third cooling fins adjacent to and on a second side of the first cooling fin. 
     
     
         19 . The evaporator according to  claim 18 , wherein each of plurality of the second cooling fins and plurality of the third cooling fins is inclined to an uppermost edge of the first cooling fin.