Abstract: A refrigerator includes a valve assembly located at a refrigerant path from a condenser to at least one expansion valve for controlling flow of a refrigerant from the condenser to the at least one expansion valve. The valve assembly includes a valve chamber, wherein the refrigerant drawn from the condenser is held in the valve chamber; at least one outlet hole through which the refrigerant held in the valve chamber is discharged to a corresponding outlet path connected to the at least one expansion valve; and a valve body for selectively opening and closing the at least one outlet hole as the valve body rotates, such that the refrigerant held in the valve chamber is selectively discharged to the corresponding outlet path.

Abstract: A refrigerator is provided having a user avatar display function which can store avatars of each user, identify users, and display the avatars corresponding to the identified users. The refrigerator includes a photographing device that photographs images of users, a storing device that stores user information for identifying the users and avatar information having avatars corresponding to the users and/or user information, a display that displays the avatars, and a controller that reads the user information, compares the user information with the images of the users photographed by the photographing device, reads the avatar information according to the comparison result, and displays the avatars of the users included in the read avatar information on the display.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a refrigerator which can individually cool a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber by dividing a heat exchange region of an evaporator into a freezing chamber side region and a refrigerating chamber side region, forming individual circulation passages for supplying cool air from each region to the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and forming a freezing chamber fan and a refrigerating chamber fan on each circulation passage, and method for controlling operation of the same which can efficiently perform a cooling operation and reduce power consumption by effectively controlling the operations of each component.

Abstract: A refrigerator is provided which can individually cool a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber by dividing a heat exchange region of an evaporator into a freezing chamber side region and a refrigerating chamber side region, forming individual circulation passages for supplying cool air from each region to the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and forming a freezing chamber fan and a refrigerating chamber fan on each circulation passage. Further, a method for controlling operation of the same is provided which can efficiently perform a cooling operation and reduce power consumption by effectively controlling the operations of each component.

Abstract: Refrigerator for managing food by using RFID including a plurality of storage portions divided in the refrigerator for storing food, RFID devices each having storage information of each kind of food stored in the storage portions, and controller for reading the storage information and setting up the storage portion which maintains a storage condition suitable to the storage information read thus, thereby permitting easy storage of food in a storage portion having the storage condition by using the RFID device.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a refrigerator which can individually cool a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber by dividing a heat exchange region of an evaporator into a freezing chamber side region and a refrigerating chamber side region, forming individual circulation passages for supplying cool air from each region to the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and forming a freezing chamber fan and a refrigerating chamber fan on each circulation passage, and method for controlling operation of the same which can efficiently perform a cooling operation and reduce power consumption by effectively controlling the operations of each component.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a valve assembly located at a refrigerant path from a condenser to at least one expansion valve for controlling flow of a refrigerant from the condenser to the at least one expansion valve. The valve assembly includes a valve chamber, wherein the refrigerant drawn from the condenser is held in the valve chamber; at least one outlet hole through which the refrigerant held in the valve chamber is discharged to a corresponding outlet path connected to the at least one expansion valve; and a valve body for selectively opening and closing the at least one outlet hole as the valve body rotates, such that the refrigerant held in the valve chamber is selectively discharged to the corresponding outlet path.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a refrigerator having a user avatar display function which can store avatars of each user, identify users, and display the avatars corresponding to the identified users. The refrigerator having the user avatar display function includes a photographing means for photographing images of users, a storing means for storing user information for identifying the users, and avatar information having avatars corresponding to the users and/or user information, a display means for displaying the avatars, and a control means for reading the user information, comparing the user information with the images of the users photographed by the photographing means, reading the avatar information according to the comparison result, and displaying the avatars of the users included in the read avatar information on the display means.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a refrigerator which can individually cool a freezing chamber and a refrigerating chamber by dividing a heat exchange region of an evaporator into a freezing chamber side region and a refrigerating chamber side region, forming individual circulation passages for supplying cool air from each region to the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber, and forming a freezing chamber fan and a refrigerating chamber fan on each circulation passage, and method for controlling operation of the same which can efficiently perform a cooling operation and reduce power consumption by effectively controlling the operations of each component.