Abstract: A refrigerator having a cool air path and a cool air discharge control blade for distributing cool air and controlling the discharge direction thereof and a method for controlling refrigerator temperature by controlling a cool air discharge direction are provided. By placing a disk-shaped cool air guiding portion in a discharge hole, cool air is rapidly and uniformly distributed via the cool air path and by low-speed rotation of the cool air discharge control blade, thus keeping the refrigerator at a predetermined temperature. Temperature sensors are installed on each side of the refrigeration compartment and the sensed averages or representative temperatures are compared with control reference temperatures, so that cool air can be discharged to high temperature areas by controlling the cool air discharge direction such that the cool air discharge control blade is rotated to provide cool air flow depending on a sensed temperature difference.

Abstract: A refrigerator includes a food storage compartment having a rear wall. Mounted on the rear wall is a vertical air duct for conducting cool air to the compartment. The air duct includes first and second vertical air passages, and a row of vertically spaced discharge openings disposed between the air passages. Each discharge opening includes first and second horizontally adjacent discharge portions, one of which extends higher than the other. The higher discharge portion communicates with a respective air passage by a branch duct. One of the branch ducts of each discharge opening intersects both its respective discharge portion and its respective air passage at higher levels than does the other branch duct of that same discharge opening. Each branch duct includes vertically spaced upper and lower walls, the lower wall projecting farther into the respective air passage than the upper wall.