Curd maker and refrigerator having the same

A refrigerator comprising a curd maker provided in a refrigerating compartment to ferment milk into curd, wherein the curd maker comprises:

• a case comprising an outer case forming an external appearance of the case and an inner case provided in the outer case;
• an insulation member provided between the outer case and the inner case;
• a curd container received in the inner case to store milk;
• a heater provided at left and right sides and a bottom of the inner case to heat the curd container;
• a fan provided at a lower end of a rear of the outer case to supply cool air from the refrigerating compartment to the curd container;
• and
• a flow channel surrounding a front, rear, and left and right sides of the curd container such that the cool air supplied by the fan is transferred to the curd container, and wherein
• the flow channel comprises a first flow channel and a second flow channel respectively provided at an upper part and a lower part of the left and right sides of the curd container in a divided state, the first flow channel and the second flow channel communicating with each other such that the cool air is uniformly transferred to the curd container.

A curd maker provided in a refrigerating compartment to make and store curd through heating and cooling, the curd maker comprising:

• a case comprising an outer case forming an external appearance of the case and an inner case provided in the outer case;
• an insulation member provided between the outer case and the inner case;
• a curd container received in the inner case to store milk;
• a heater provided at left and right sides and a bottom of the inner case to heat the curd container;
• a fan provided at a lower end of a rear of the outer case to supply cool air from the refrigerating compartment to the curd container;
• a temperature sensor provided at a top of the inner case to measure temperature;
• and
• a flow channel surrounding a front, rear, and left and right sides of the curd container such that the cool air supplied by the fan is transferred to the curd container, wherein the flow channel comprises:
• a first flow channel, along which cool air suctioned by the fan circulates around lower parts of the left and right sides and the front of the curd container;
• a second flow channel, divided from the first flow channel by division ribs provided at the left and right sides of the inner case and a rear of a curd door, along which the cool air having circulated along the first flow channel circulates around upper parts of the left and right sides and the front of the curd container;
• a third flow channel, via which the first flow channel and the second flow channel communicate with each other;
• and
• a fourth flow channel communicating with the second flow channel such that the cool air having circulated along the second flow channel is discharged outside.

A refrigerator comprising:

• a main body;
• a refrigerating compartment provided in the main body such that a front of the refrigerating compartment is open;
• and
• a curd maker provided in the refrigerating compartment to ferment milk into curd, wherein the curd maker comprises:
• a curd container to store milk;
• a heater to heat the curd container to ferment the milk;
• a fan to supply cool air from the refrigerating compartment to the curd container to cool the curd container;
• a temperature sensor to measure temperature in the curd maker;
• and
• a controller to control operation of the curd maker, and wherein
• the controller controls the heater to be turned on to heat the curd container, when fermentation of the milk is completed, the controller controls the heater to be turned off and simultaneously controls the fan to be turned on to cool the curd container, and, when cooling of the milk is completed, the controller controls the fan to be turned off and then controls the fan to be repeatedly turned fan on/off such that curd made by fermenting the milk is stored in a refrigerated state.