Samsung patents fridge top that cools using heat pumps
Samsung describes a refrigerator design that uses a thermoelectric element on the upper wall to move heat from the inside to the outside. This setup includes specific heat sinks and a sealing component to manage the temperature difference and protect the electrical connections.
In the filing’s own words
A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a main body, a thermoelectric element including a heat generating portion and a heat absorbing portion, the thermoelectric element being provided on an upper wall of the main body such that the heat generating portion faces upward of the thermoelectric element and the heat absorbing portion faces downward of the thermoelectric element, a heat sink provided on an upper side of the thermoelectric element to contact the heat generating portion, a cooling sink provided on a lower side of the thermoelectric element to contact the heat absorbing portion, and a thermoelectric element sealing portion configured to cover an outer surface of the thermoelectric element and to seal between the heat sink and the cooling sink, wherein the thermoelectric element sealing portion includes a wire cover portion configured to cover at least a portion of a wire connected to the thermoelectric element.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A refrigerator, comprising: a main body; a thermoelectric element comprising a heat generating portion and a heat absorbing portion, the thermoelectric element being provided on an upper wall of the main body such that the heat generating portion faces upward of the thermoelectric element and the heat absorbing portion faces downward of the thermoelectric element; a heat sink provided on an upper side of the thermoelectric element to contact the heat generating portion; a cooling sink provided on a lower side of the thermoelectric element to contact the heat absorbing portion; and a thermoelectric element sealing portion configured to cover an outer surface of the thermoelectric element and to seal between the heat sink and the cooling sink, wherein the thermoelectric element sealing portion comprises a wire cover portion configured to cover at least a portion of a wire connected to the thermoelectric element.
Facts
- Company
- Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
- Official title
- REFRIGERATOR
- Publication number
- US20260258987A1
- Application number
- 19653812
- Filed
- Apr 21, 2026
- Published
- Sep 3, 2026
- Inventors
- 4
- Claims
- 15
Classified under
F25B 21/02 Mechanical engineeringF25B 2321/023 Mechanical engineeringF25B 2321/0251 Mechanical engineeringF25D 2400/40 Mechanical engineeringMore from Samsung in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.