Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B39/00—Evaporators; Condensers
  • F25B39/02—Evaporators
  • F25B39/022—Evaporators with plate-like or laminated elements
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
  • F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
  • F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
  • F25D17/062—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators
  • F25D17/065—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation in household refrigerators with compartments at different temperatures
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D23/00—General constructional features
  • F25D23/06—Walls
  • F25D23/069—Cooling space dividing partitions
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
  • F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
  • F25D2317/067—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by air ducts
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
  • F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
  • F25D2317/068—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the fans
  • F25D2317/0682—Two or more fans
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
  • F25D2400/16—Convertible refrigerators
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2500/00—Problems to be solved
  • F25D2500/02—Geometry problems

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a different temperature refrigeration apparatus, particularly for home use, comprising a first compartment for storing food at a predefined temperature and at least a second compartment for storing food at a corresponding temperature that may be different from said pre-defined temperature. At least one partition wall defining and separating two of said compartments. Said apparatus also comprises an evaporator consisting at least two portions, each one of these portions being arranged in a respective one of said compartments. Said apparatus also comprising at least two fans working in a respective one of said compartments and adapted to activate a respective air flow through a respective one of said evaporator portions.
• a refrigeration apparatus comprising a lower refrigerating compartment and an upper freezing compartment, i.e. cold storage compartment, in which said two compartments are provided with a relevant fan and are separated from each other by a horizontal partition wall.
• said wall is fixed and therefore the volume and shape of the two compartments cannot be modified and adapted to different and changing requirements.
• the US 5,678,416 solution also has a cooling system developed for this specific apparatus. This means that the cooling system had to be fully adapted to this specific solution with two separated compartments, meaning for instance that the evaporator is divided and that the channels for enabling air circulation is designed in a specific way.
• a refrigeration apparatus preferably for residential use, i.e. of the household type, that is provided with at least two distinct storage compartments arranged close of each other, i.e. an upper storage compartment and a lower compartment for storing food at a lower temperature, preferably at approx. 0°C, which do away with all of the afore described drawbacks, while at the same time enabling the possibility of interchanging the volumes of the two compartments, and also through the use of a single evaporator and by forcing the air to individually circulate throughout both compartments. It would also be desirable to provide a refrigerator apparatus with said at least two distinct storage compartments, which apparatus uses a standard cooling system platform to enable temperature storage compartments.
• such an apparatus shall be capable of being easily implemented and manufactured with the use of existing, readily available techniques, and shall be competitive in both its construction and its use. In particular it shall be capable of using a single and same refrigerating circuit as a source of cold.
• the present invention relates to a different temperature refrigeration apparatus, particularly for home use, comprising a first compartment for storing food at a predefined temperature and at least a second compartment for storing food at a corresponding temperature that may be different from said pre-defined temperature.
• Said apparatus comprising at least one partition wall defining and separating two of said compartments.
• Said apparatus also comprises an evaporator consisting at least two portions, each one of these portions being arranged in a respective one of said compartments.
• Said apparatus also comprising at least two fans working in a respective one of said compartments and adapted to activate a respective airflow through a respective one of said evaporator portions.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic prospective front view of an embodiment of a refrigerator according to the present invention
• Fig. 2 is a simplified front view of the two compartment of the refrigerator of fig. 1, in different configuration of the partition walls,
• Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of an evaporator according the invention.
• Fig. 4 is a schematic front view of the evaporator in fig. 3, after its mounting into the refrigerator according to the invention,
• Fig. 5 is the view along the horizontal Z-Z section of fig. 1 , with the partition wall partially extracted
• Fig. 6 is a symbolic simplified representation of the airflows through the evaporator illustrated in the previous figures
• Fig. 7 corresponds to fig. 5 but with the partition wall fully inserted
• Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 do show corresponding symbolic views of the airflow paths with different positioning of a partition wall
• Fig. 10 shows a view of a preferred embodiment of the mounting of the evaporator
• Fig. 11 shows a symbolic view of a simplified embodiment of the evaporator and of the positioning of the partition walls
• Fig 12 shows a general view of the refrigerator in fig. 1, but with some parts and components partially exploded or transparent.
• Fig. 13 is a simplified front view of a second embodiment with three compartment of the refrigerator according to the present invention.
• Fig. 14 shows symbolic views of the airflow paths with different positioning of a second embodiment with two partition walls
• a first embodiment of a refrigeration apparatus comprises an upper storage compartment 1, a lower storage compartment 2, an outer casing provided with an insulated rear wall 3, at least a door 4 providing access to said compartments, said compartment being separated from each other by a partition wall 5.
• Such a partition wall is fully removable and can be displaced vertically into a plurality of distinct positions 5 A, 5B and 5C lying above each other, for instance by providing to such a purpose appropriate pairs of slide grooves 6, 7, 8, or similar support provisions, arranged above each other vertically on the internal side walls of said two compartments and adapted to support said partition wall (see Figure 2).
• said two compartments form jointly a single main compartment, which is subdivided in a variable manner into said two compartments by selectively displacing said partition wall 5 accordingly.
• a single evaporator 10 In the rear wall 3 of said main compartment there is arranged a single evaporator 10; such evaporator is provided with following characteristics (see Figures 3 and 4): - it is a vertically arranged element having a markedly elongated shape along a rectilinear axis; it is a continuous element, in the sense that each portion thereof, even a limited one, along said axis is constituted by an evaporating means; it is preferably made using the largely known technique of evaporator batteries, which, if associated to an appropriate ventilation, are commonly known in the art to ensure a far higher refrigerating capacity than conventional evaporators, even fan-assisted ones, for a same space requirement (although it can be readily appreciated that such an evaporator may also be made according to any such other technique as widely known and used in the art).
• the main compartment formed by said two separate compartments 1 and 2 is provided with an evaporator as described above and a planar covering member 11, which covers said evaporator on the surface thereof from the interior of the compartment, and which also covers a portion 3 A of said rear wall 3 lying on a single side of said evaporator.
• said planar covering member 11 covers, at a certain distance "d" corresponding to the thickness of the evaporator 10, a side vertical section of said rear wall, including said evaporator, and can join up with a single side wall 9 delimiting said two compartments laterally.
• the evaporator itself is free laterally, in the sense that a flow of air is capable of passing over and through it horizontally from the sides thereof, as this is indicated by way of example by the arrow "A" in Figures 5 and 6.
• the zone indicated at 3B lying in front of said rear wall, on the other side of said planar covering member 11, is free and accessible (Figure 5).
• the partition wall 5 is substantially illustrated in Figure 5, showing a plan view thereof, and has a rectangular shape with a co-planar, itself rectangular appendix 12 provided on an edge thereof and facing said rear wall.
• the dimensions of said partition wall and said appendix 12 thereof are such that, when said partition wall is fully inserted in a pair of said side support grooves 6, 7, 8, it completely separates said main compartment, thereby delimiting said two compartments 1, 2, with the rear edge 13 thereof abutting against said planar covering member 11, while said appendix 12 is able to extend into said zone 3B of said main compartment which is delimited laterally by said evaporator and the portion of rear wall that is not covered by said planar covering member 11.
• a configuration as illustrated symbolically in Figure 7 is thus obtained.
• a main scope of the invention is to design the covering member 11 in a suitable way to achieve a cabinet having compartments with different temperatures.
• the cooling system of the cabinet is preferably a standard dynamic cooling system platform widely used in different kind of cabinets.
• an evaporator 10 is used, the evaporator being positioned at the rear wall of the cabinet.
• Such a standard system is further described in WO 0212809 Al.
• the covering member in the WO document has only one fan providing circulation of cooled air.
• the covering member 11 can easily be adapted for the specific cabinet type. Comparing WO 0212809 with the solution according to fig. 1 disclosed in the present application, the covering member in fig. 1 is adapted to be used when the cabinet is separated into at least two different compartments. Instead of one fan, the member has two fans 16 and 17. By only develop a new covering member the costs savings are dramatic since there is no need for a new design of the cooling system (evaporator, tubes etc.). Instead the standard cooling system platform is used and a new covering member is introduced. Together with this new member, extra temperature sensors are implemented to control the fans in order to achieve the proper temperature. Moreover, the control system is adapted to handle the dividing of the compartment. See also fig. 12 and 13.
• the covering member 11 also falls within the scope of the invention.
• the member has three fans 16,17,18 providing an appliance with three compartments instead of two.
• a solution within the scope if the invention is to position at least one of the fans on the other side of the evaporator. This means that the fan instead will pull the air through the evaporator through the evaporator.
• the advantage is that the airflow that passes through the fins of the evaporator is controlled in a better way.
• Such a solution could improve the functionality of the cooling system.
• the air from the compartment could for instance flow back to the evaporator through an opening in the same compartment 1 or 2.
• the air instead flows back to the evaporator via one of the other fans. In such a case, at least one air duct will enable said flow.
• the covering member 11 is not designed to cooperate with the shape of a specific evaporator. This means that the member is substantially flat without any shaping that needs to correspond with the shape of the evaporator. This solution provides the option to position the fans and air inlets/outlets on the member more freely.
• the space 15 formed between the covering member and the rear wall 3 enables for a free flow of air depending on how the member is designed.
• the covering member 11 may constitute in more than one part. Such a system could preferably be used to make the manufacturing or design easier. Moreover, one great advantage is that different standard covering member modules can be combined to provide a specific cabinet. For instance in fig. 12, the member is divided into two parts. In relation to fig. 13-14 three standard modules may be used instead.
• the covering member enables such an effect since the air flows out as illustrated by arrow A, see fig. 5 (bottom drawing).
• the same effect could be achieved by providing a larger inlet back to the evaporator.
• drawers could be used around which the air flows. The crucial issue is to avoid that the air takes a shortcut back to the evaporator. This could be enables is different ways.
• the partition wall 5A, 5B, 5C is preferably movable.
• the wall could preferably not be movable.
• the wall may or may not be removable.
• the manufacturing is simplified, while in case of a fixed shelf more time needs to be spent.
• the advantage with a partition wall in general is that the inner liner is kept unchanged, while the wall designed to separate the compartment is simply inserted during manufacturing.
• the partition wall 5 in a first configuration thereof (see Figure 8), the partition wall 5 is positioned so as to lie in a first position 5 A thereof on the respective side support grooves 6, the two fans 16 and 17 are energized and generate two respective flows of air taken in from the interior of the compartment and blown into said duct 15; as already hinted above, these two air flows follow mutually opposite directions and are indicated by the reference letters C and D, respectively.
• the partition wall therefore, does not actually only perform as a member to separate the compartments, but also as an air-flow separator to divert said air flows into the respective compartments; in addition, it can be readily appreciated that the actual portion of evaporator being affected by the individual flow of air depends on the position of the partition wall, so that a substantially direct, although not linear correspondence is established between the volume of each compartment and the related portion of evaporator transferring cold into said compartment.
• such a partition wall 5 does in this way not only separate the two compartments, but also determines the corresponding volume thereof by varying the positioning thereof; at the same time it also determines the portions of evaporator that are involved in cooling down said compartments according to the actual volume ratio thereof.
• a first one of these improvements refers to the manner in which said evaporators can be controlled. Owing to the fact that an evaporator, in particular a battery-type one, is adapted to transfer cold in a manner that is closely dependent on the kind of air circulation which it is exposed to, it of course proves advantageous and effective to provide a device or arrangement that is capable to control the rotating speed or the operating time of each fan in accordance with the temperature that should desirably be established in the corresponding compartment.
• a second improvement is directed at the evaporator itself. Since said evaporator can be defrosted cyclically, in view of being able to most simply and effectively collect the resulting defrost water it is arranged in a slightly slanting manner within said hollow space delimited by said rear wall 3 and said planar covering member 11, as this is shown by way of example in Figure 10.
• a kind of "gutter effect” is in this way obtained, which facilitates defrost water dripping off the evaporator and then collecting into a pan that is suitably provided there below, from which it can be conveniently let off.
• a main compartment may be thought of, in which the partition wall can be alternatively displaced merely into two positions 5A and 5B, as shown schematically and by way of example in Figure 11.
• the evaporator can be divided into three distinct portions 10A, 10B and 10C connected to each other by two non-evaporating conduits 101 and 102.
• a second embodiment of a refrigeration apparatus comprises an upper storage compartment 1, a lower storage compartment 2, a middle storage compartment 3, outer casing provided with an insulated rear wall 3, at least a door 4 providing access to said compartments, which are separated from each other by partition walls 5 A and 5C.
• the use of three compartments requires three mouths 21 - 23, each with a fan, instead of two.
• the partition walls are correspondingly fully removable and can be displaced vertically into a plurality of distinct positions lying above each other. Said three compartments form jointly a single main compartment, which is subdivided in a variable manner into said compartments by selectively displacing said partition wall 5 accordingly.
• the same kind of single evaporator 10 is used as the one disclosed earlier in this document.
• the planar covering member 11 corresponds to the one earlier used, which covers said evaporator on the surface thereof from the interior of the compartment, and which also covers a portion 3 A of said rear wall 3 lying on a single side of said evaporator.
• a single sidewall 9 correspondingly delimits said compartments laterally.
• Three respective mouths 21, 22, 23 are adapted to enable the air to flow through said covering member from the interior of the compartment into the duct 15 mentioned earlier.
• the zone 3B has the same properties as in the earlier mentioned embodiment, which also is the case with the partition walls 5 A and 5C, which has corresponding appendix 12 by which said compartments are separated.
• said mouths 21, 22 and 23 of said duct 15, and inside the latter are provided with three respective fans 16, 17, 18 adapted to take in air from the interior of the compartment and blow it into said duct.
• the middle placed fan 18 will instead blow air into both directions, causing these flows to meet the airflows generated by fans 16 and 17.
• the partition walls therefore, does not actually only perform as a member to separate the compartments, but also as an air-flow separator to divert said air flows into the respective compartments; in addition, it can be readily appreciated that the actual portion of evaporator being affected by the individual flow of air depends on the position of the partition walls, so that a substantially direct, although not linear correspondence is established between the volume of each compartment and the related portion of evaporator transferring cold into said compartment.
• the most general solution which at the same time is also the most advantageous one, consists of course in providing a substantially continuous evaporator extending as far as possible into both compartments, since this allows for a better adjustability of the volume ratio of the two compartments, as well as an easier, more convenient manufacturability of a suitable continuous-type evaporator.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)

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• 2003
  • 2003-07-04 SE SE0302001A patent/SE0302001D0/xx unknown
• 2004
  • 2004-07-01 WO PCT/SE2004/001073 patent/WO2005003659A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2004-07-01 AT AT04749109T patent/ATE533014T1/de active
  • 2004-07-01 EP EP04749109A patent/EP1644676B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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