Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator may include: a body including an upper wall, a compartment in the body, a door to open or close the compartment, a thermoelectric element on the upper wall and including: a heating portion which generates heat and faces upward and a cooling portion which absorbs heat and faces downward, a cooling sink including a base contacting the cooling portion, and fins protruding from the base perpendicular to a lower surface of the base and extending parallel to the lower surface of the base so that the cooling sink is cooled by the cooling portion, a fan on the upper wall to blow air toward the fins so that the air is cooled, and a duct on the upper wall to guide the air into the compartment.

1 . A refrigerator comprising:
 a main body including an upper wall;   a storage compartment in the main body;   a door configured to open and close the storage compartment;   a thermoelectric element on the upper wall and including:
 a heating portion which generates heat and faces upward, and 
 a cooling portion which absorbs heat and faces downward, 
   a cooling sink including a cooling sink base in contact with the cooling portion, and a plurality of cooling fins protruding from the cooling sink base in a first direction which is perpendicular to a lower surface of the cooling sink base and extending in a second direction which is parallel to the lower surface of the cooling sink base so that the cooling sink is cooled by heat being absorbed by the cooling portion;   a cooling fan on the upper wall and configured to blow air toward the plurality of cooling fins in the second direction so that the air blown by the cooling fan is cooled by the cooling sink; and   a cooling duct on the upper wall and configured to guide the air cooled by the cooling sink into the storage compartment.   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein
 the cooling fan is a centrifugal fan configured to draw air into the centrifugal fan along an axial direction of the centrifugal fan and blow the air drawn into the centrifugal fan in a radial direction of the centrifugal fan, and   the cooling fan is on a lower surface of the upper wall so that a rotating shaft of the centrifugal fan is perpendicular to the lower surface of the upper wall and the cooling sink is positioned in the radial direction of the centrifugal fan.   
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an evaporator configured to evaporate refrigerant to generate cold air; and   an evaporator duct on a rear side of the storage compartment and configured to supply the cold air generated by the evaporator to the storage compartment,   wherein the cooling duct includes a duct coupling protrusion protruding rearwardly and coupled to the evaporator duct.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the main body includes:
 an inner case having an inner case opening,   an outer case having an outer case opening,   a connecting frame between the inner case and the outer case, and connecting the inner case opening and the outer case opening so that a through hole penetrating through the upper wall is formed, and   an insulation in an insulating space formed by the inner case, the outer case, and the connecting frame, and   the cooling duct is coupled to the connecting frame.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator of  claim 4 , wherein the connecting frame includes:
 a frame base connected to the inner case opening, and   a frame body protruding from an upper surface of the frame base and connected to the outer case opening, and   the cooling duct is coupled to the frame base.   
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , wherein the cooling duct includes an elastic coupling protrusion protruding upward from the cooling duct and elastically coupled to the frame base. 
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a cooling duct coupling member passing through the cooling duct and coupled to the frame base so that the cooling duct is coupled to the frame base.   
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator of  claim 5 , wherein the cooling duct includes a cooling duct body having a sink passage hole through which the cooling sink passes, and a cooling duct cover coupled to a lower side of the cooling duct body. 
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein the cooling fan is on the cooling duct body. 
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein
 the cooling duct body includes a fan installation portion protruding upwardly, and   a fan receiving space in which the cooling fan is received, and being below a lower surface of the fan installation portion.   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator of  claim 10 , wherein
 the frame base includes a base protrusion protruding upwardly, and   an installation portion accommodating space accommodating the fan installation portion, and being below a lower surface of the base protrusion.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein the cooling duct cover includes an internal air inlet configured so that air from an inside of the storage compartment is drawn into a cooling space between the cooling duct body and the cooling duct cover. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein
 the cooling duct includes an internal air outlet configured to discharge air, which was cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling sink, to an inside of the storage compartment, and   the internal air outlet is between a front portion of the cooling duct body and a front portion of the cooling duct cover.   
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator of  claim 8 , wherein
 the cooling duct cover includes:
 a bottom, 
 a rear portion extending upwardly from a rear edge of the bottom, and 
 a drain in the rear portion to drain the defrost water to an outside of the cooling duct, and 
   the bottom is inclined downwardly as the bottom approaches the drain.   
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator of  claim 14 , wherein the cooling duct cover further includes a defrost water guide protruding upwardly from the bottom to guide the defrost water to the drain.