U.S. patent application number 12/328299 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-10 for refrigerator with an improved air handler for quickly chilling a bin.
Invention is credited to Rajesh Narayan Kulkarni, Martin Mitchell Zentner.
Application Number | 20100139307 12/328299 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42229550 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100139307 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kulkarni; Rajesh Narayan ;
et al. |
June 10, 2010 |
REFRIGERATOR WITH AN IMPROVED AIR HANDLER FOR QUICKLY CHILLING A
BIN
Abstract
A refrigerator with an improved air handler for a quick chill
bin is disclosed. The refrigerator includes a first compartment, a
second compartment and a bin disposed in the second compartment.
The air handler includes a first conduit for supplying cooling air
from the first compartment to the bin, and a second conduit for
returning air from the bin to the first compartment. The second
conduit substantially covers the first conduit.
Inventors: |
Kulkarni; Rajesh Narayan;
(Karnataka, IN) ; Zentner; Martin Mitchell;
(Prospect, CT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
General Electric Company;GE Global Patent Operation
2 Corporate Drive, Suite 648
Shelton
CT
06484
US
|
Family ID: |
42229550 |
Appl. No.: |
12/328299 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/407 ;
62/441 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2400/28 20130101;
F25D 17/065 20130101; F25D 2317/061 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/407 ;
62/441 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/04 20060101
F25D017/04; F25D 11/02 20060101 F25D011/02 |
Claims
1. A refrigerator comprising: a first compartment; a second
compartment; a bin disposed in the second compartment; and an air
handler comprising: a first conduit for supplying cold air from the
first compartment to the bin; and a second conduit for returning
air from the bin to the first compartment, wherein the first
conduit is disposed within the second conduit.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the first conduit and the
second conduit are disposed in a substantially concentric
relationship to one another.
3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first
conduit and the second conduit comprises a flexible material.
4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the air handler occupies no
greater than 0.2 cubic feet of space in the second compartment.
5. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a fan for
causing cooling air to flow from the first compartment into the
first conduit or causing air to flow from the bin into the second
conduit.
6. The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the fan is disposed in the
first conduit.
7. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the first conduit has an
output end, the fan being disposed adjacent to the output end.
8. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a damper for
controlling at least one of an amount of the cooling air flowing
into the first conduit from the first compartment and an amount of
the air flowing into the second conduit from the bin.
9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein during operation, the air
in the second conduit is warmer than the dew point of moistures in
the second compartment so that no condensation or frost is formed
on an external surface of the air handler.
10. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a mullion which
separates the first compartment from the second compartment, the
air handler passing through the mullion.
11. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the first compartment is a
freezer compartment and the second compartment is a fresh food
compartment.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator that
includes an air handler that provides for an increased amount of
storage space in a compartment of a refrigerator. More
particularly, the present disclosure relates to an air handler with
two ducts in a compact and thermally insulated relationship.
[0002] Many refrigerators include a freezer compartment and a
refrigerator or fresh food compartment. Within the fresh food
compartment, there is a quick chill bin usually located at a bottom
of the compartment. A user can open the bin, place certain food
items in the bin, close the bin, and chill the food items to a
desired temperature in a relatively rapid manner. The rapid
chilling is typically accomplished by using an air handler, which
includes a supply duct for supplying cooling air from the freezer
compartment to the bin, and a return duct for returning the air in
the bin to the freezer compartment. The air handler usually
occupies space above and behind the bin. The ducts are placed in a
side-by-side fashion. Because of the temperature difference between
the cooling air and the air in the fresh food compartment, a
relatively heavy thermal insulation is required around the ducts in
order to prevent the formation of condensation or frost on the
external surface of the air handler. The insulation undesirably
increases the total volume or size of the air handler. As a result,
the air handler occupies additional space in the fresh food
compartment that would be useful for storage. Accordingly, there is
a need in the art for a relatively small air handler that occupies
less space in the fresh food compartment so that more space in the
fresh food compartment can be used for storing food items while
providing the same or greater quick chilling capabilities.
[0003] Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown a fresh produce tray
10 used in a fresh food compartment of a refrigerator. The fresh
produce tray 10 has an interior space 12 and first, second and
third walls 14, 16 and 18 respectively extending from a base 20.
The tray 10 also has a frontal opening 22 that is relatively wide.
The tray 10 also has a number of ridges 24 for supporting
refrigerated items. The rear side 26 of the tray 10 has a curvature
and the base 20 has a protrusion 28 extending upwardly from the
base 20. Essentially, the protrusion 28 and the curvature define a
space for receiving an air handler for quickly chilling a bin
disposed immediately below the tray 10.
[0004] The consumers negatively perceive the loss of space
attributed to the protrusion 28 and the curvature of the tray
10.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0005] As described herein, the exemplary embodiments of the
present disclosure overcome one or more of the above or other
disadvantages known in the art.
[0006] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a
refrigerator that includes a first compartment; a second
compartment; a bin disposed in the second compartment; and an air
handler including a first conduit for supplying cold air from the
first compartment to the bin, and a second conduit for returning
air from the bin to the first compartment. The first conduit is
disposed within the second conduit. By this arrangement, the air
handler occupies less volume in the second compartment than do
conventional air handler configurations.
[0007] These and other aspects and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description considered in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are
designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a
definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference
should be made to the appended claims. Moreover, the drawings are
not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise
indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the
structures and procedures described herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 shows a fresh produce tray of the prior art.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator in accordance with
an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 2A is a partial, perspective, cut-away view of the
lower portion of the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator of
FIG. 2.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic, top view of the air handler used in
the refrigerator of FIG. 2.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the air handler of FIG.
2A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
[0013] The present disclosure is directed to a refrigerator such as
refrigerator 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 that has a relatively small
ducting arrangement for quickly chilling a quick chill bin 122
provided in the fresh food compartment 106. The ducting arrangement
provides the communication of cooling air from the freezer
compartment 104 to the bin 122. At the same time, the ducting
arrangement returns the relatively warm air from the bin 122 back
to the freezer compartment. This ducting functionality is provided
by an air handler 300 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The air handler 300
occupies less than 0.2 cubic feet in the fresh food compartment.
Thus, compared with the conventional air handler with the
side-by-side ducting arrangement, which uses about 0.5 cubic feet,
the air handler 300 has a size that reclaims some usable storage
space in the fresh food compartment.
[0014] Turning now to FIG. 2, the unit 100 includes a freezer door
132 and a refrigerator door 134 that selectively close a freezer
compartment 104 and a fresh food compartment 106, respectively.
Each of the doors 132, 134 is mounted by a top hinge 136 and a
bottom hinge (not shown) to rotate about its outer vertical edge
between an open position, as shown in FIG. 2, and a closed position
(not shown) closing the respective compartment. An insulated
partition wall or mullion 114 separates the fresh food compartment
106 from the freezer compartment 104. Disposed on the freezer door
132 are a number of shelves 138. The freezer door 132 has a sealing
gasket 140 surrounding the periphery edge of the inner surface of
the door 132. The freezer compartment 104 preferably has an ice bin
110, one or more shelves 126, and a number of wire baskets 128.
Disposed in the fresh food compartment 106 are a number of slidable
trays or bins 120, which are disposed in a stacked arrangement
along with shelves 118 for the storage of items. On the
refrigerator door 134, there are a number of shelves 142 and a
sealing gasket 144 surrounding the periphery edge of the inner
surface of the door 134. The freezer compartment 104 may house a
dispenser assembly (not shown), whereby ice and/or water can be
dispensed through the door 132. The unit 100 may further have other
optional assemblies to advance the functionality of the unit 100
and therefore is not limited as shown.
[0015] In the illustrated embodiment, the unit 100 further includes
the bin 122 which is positioned in the lower section of the fresh
food compartment 106, and the air handler 300 of FIGS. 3 and 4. As
illustrated in FIG. 2A, the air handler 300 occupies some space in
the area between the upper tray 120 and the bin 122, and the upper
tray 120 has a back configuration that substantially matches at
least part of the air handle unit 300 so that the upper tray 120
can fully slide back into the fresh food compartment 106.
[0016] Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a top, schematic view
of the air handler 300. Dotted lines are used to show the freezer
and the fresh food compartments 104, 106. In the exemplary
embodiment, the air handler 300 serves two main functions. First,
it establishes a supply flow connection so that cold freezer air
can flow from the freezer compartment 104 to the bin 122 to quickly
chill the bin 122 and items placed therein. Second, the air handler
300 establishes a return flow connection so that relatively warm
air can flow from the bin 122 back to the freezer compartment 104.
In this embodiment, the air handler 300 has a ducting arrangement,
which includes a first duct or conduit 325, and a second duct or
conduit 330. As clearly shown in FIG. 3, the first duct 325 is
disposed inside the second duct 330. The first duct 325 and the
second duct 330 form a duct manifold 331, one end 331 a of which is
in fluid or flow communication with the freezer compartment 104
through an opening 114a formed on the mullion 114, and the other
end 331b of which is in fluid or flow communication with the bin
122 through an opening 122a preferably formed on the back wall of
the bin 122. In one non-limiting embodiment, the ducts 325 and 330
are concentrically aligned. Concentric means that a center of the
first duct 325 is approximately shared with a center of the second
duct 330. Other arrangements are possible too, provided the second
duct 330 substantially covers the first duct 325. For example, the
second duct 330 can have cross section which substantially
surrounds the first duct 325. In FIG. 3, several items 310, such as
soda cans, are shown placed in the bin 122. However, this
arrangement is not limiting, and any food items can be stored
therein. Cold freezer air flows into the first duct 325 through its
inlet 325a, passes through it along path A, and exits at its outlet
325b. As the cold freezer air circulates among the items 310, which
are warmer, the items 310 then become cooler, and the cold freezer
air becomes warmer. The warmer air exits bin 122 and returns to the
freezer compartment 104 through second duct 330. In the exemplary
embodiment, the warmer air contacts the walls of the bin 122, and
is directed into the second duct 330 through its inlet 330a, passes
through it along path B, exits at the outlet 330b
[0017] In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus 300 includes a
fan 320, which is preferably placed in the first duct 325, adjacent
its outlet end. The fan 320 is used to move the cold freezer air
from the freezer compartment 104 to the bin 122 and to return the
warmed air from the bin 122 back to the freezer compartment.
However it should be appreciated that the air handler 300 is not
limited to one fan 320 as multiple fans can be used as needed. For
example, a second fan can be placed inside the second conduit 325.
Furthermore, the air handler 300 may use other known circulation
mechanisms for introducing cold freezer air into the bin 122 and
for removing the warm air from the bin 122.
[0018] The air handler 300 preferably includes an air damper 335
for selectively controlling the airflow in the first duct 325
and/or the second duct 330. The air damper 335 can be operatively
coupled and controlled by a microprocessor (not shown) that
receives temperature signals from one or more sensors, for example,
a thermistor (not shown) in or near the bin 122. In response to the
temperature signals, the microprocessor can provide control signals
to selectively open or close the damper (or slightly open or close)
as required to maintain temperature control over the bin 122. The
air damper arrangement is known in the art, and therefore will not
be discussed in detail here.
[0019] The ducts 325, 330 can include a suitable insulating
material positioned therebetween. It should be appreciated that by
arranging the ducts 325, 330 in a concentric relationship that a
reduced amount or thickness of insulation can be used because the
second duct 330 functions as a cold air buffer. That is, the
relatively warm air in the second duct 330 can be used to ensure
that the temperature of the second duct (and of the air handler 300
that is disposed in the fresh food compartment) is above the dew
point of the moistures in the fresh food compartment 104, which
will substantially reduce or eliminate any condensation or frost on
the external surface of the air handler 300.
[0020] Although the ducts 325, 330 are shown positioned mainly
inside the fresh food compartment 106, the ducts 325, 330 can be
alternatively positioned to extend substantially inside the freezer
compartment 104. The ducts 325, 330 can be made from a rigid or
flexible/resilient material. In addition, each of the duct 325, 330
can have differently shaped cross section, such as circular,
elliptical, rectangular, square, triangle, trapezoidal,
polygonal.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the air handler 300,
separated from the unit 100. The air handler 300 of the exemplary
embodiment is made of plastic, however, other materials known in
the art that can withstand the temperatures experienced in the
compartments 104, 106 could be employed. The ducts 325, 330 are
housed in a resilient housing 340, which has a relatively small
profile so as to not occupy too much space in the fresh food
compartment 106. In the exemplary embodiment, the housing 340
occupies less than 0.2 cubic feet (about 5.66 liters) in the fresh
food compartment 106. This compact size results in an increased
amount of storage space in the fresh food compartment. For example,
compared with a similar chilling capacity prior art air handler
with a side-by-side duct arrangement and insulation, this compact
size can increase the useful storage space of the lower tray 120,
which is usually used as a vegetable tray, by about 0.1 cubic feet
(2.83 liters).
[0022] Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out
fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to exemplary
embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions
and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the
devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those
skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the
invention. For example, the cooling air can be drawn from the
compartment that houses the evaporator instead of the freezer
compartment. Moreover, it is expressly intended that all
combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform
substantially the same function in substantially the same way to
achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention.
Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements
and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any
disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated
in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment
as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention,
therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the
claims appended hereto.
* * * * *