U.S. patent application number 14/901305 was filed with the patent office on 2016-07-14 for air circulation system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Whirlpool S.A.. Invention is credited to Luiz Afranio Alves Ferreira, Ederson Adriano dos Santos, Julio Cesar Schmidt, Rodrigo Alexandre Sigwalt.
Application Number | 20160201972 14/901305 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51210928 |
Filed Date | 2016-07-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160201972 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sigwalt; Rodrigo Alexandre ;
et al. |
July 14, 2016 |
AIR CIRCULATION SYSTEM
Abstract
The present invention refers to an air circulation system,
particularly intended to be applied in household appliances of
refrigerator type, comprising the innovative technical and
functional features, which are capable of improving air flow
circulation inside these apparatuses as well as optimizing the
space occupied by the fan. More preferably, the present invention
refers to an air flow circulation system comprising a refrigerating
equipment (R) containing at least one air passage channel (A),
within which there is a radial fan (1) disposed in a inclined form
at an angle (a) so as to divide said air passage channel (A) in a
suction duct (2) and sprinkling duct (3).
Inventors: |
Sigwalt; Rodrigo Alexandre;
(Joinville, SC, BR) ; Ferreira; Luiz Afranio Alves;
(Joinville, SC, BR) ; Santos; Ederson Adriano dos;
(Joinville, SC, BR) ; Schmidt; Julio Cesar;
(Joinville, SC, BR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Whirlpool S.A. |
Sao Paulo - SP |
|
BR |
|
|
Family ID: |
51210928 |
Appl. No.: |
14/901305 |
Filed: |
June 28, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
June 28, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/BR2014/000213 |
371 Date: |
December 28, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/419 ;
454/233 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2317/0683 20130101;
F25D 17/06 20130101; F25D 2500/02 20130101; F25D 23/065 20130101;
F25D 17/062 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/06 20060101
F25D017/06; F25D 23/06 20060101 F25D023/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 28, 2013 |
BR |
BR1020130167436` |
Claims
1-8. (canceled)
9. Air flow circulation system, comprising a refrigerating
equipment (R) provided with at least an air passage channel (A),
within which a fan (1) is disposed, said system wherein said fan
(1) is of radial type and inclined at an angle (.alpha.), dividing
said air passage channel (A) into two ducts, a suction duct (2) and
a sprinkling duct (3), the system being characterized in that: a
wall of an outer box (E) of said refrigerating equipment (R) is
provided with at least one recess (4) aligned with an inlet (5) of
said fan (1); the fan (1) is secured inside the air passage channel
(A) by fixing its structure (6), wherein a lower end (7) is secured
only onto a wall of an inner box (C) while an upper end (8) is
adjustably secured between the walls of said inner box (C) and
outer box (E).
10. Air flow circulation system, in accordance with claim 9,
characterized in that said structure (6) of fan (1) has a
configuration whose motor (9) is disposed in a rear region of rotor
(10) of the fan (1).
11. Air flow circulation system, in accordance with claim 9,
characterized in that said structure (6) of fan (1) comprises a
configuration whose motor (9) is disposed in a front region of said
rotor (10) of fan (1).
12. Air flow circulation system, in accordance with claim 9,
characterized in that said structure (6) of fan (1) comprises a
configuration whose motor (9) is arranged in the center of the
rotor (10) of fan (1).
13. Air flow circulation system, in accordance with claim 9,
characterized in that said suction duct (2) comprise an equivalent
proportion ratio ranging from 2 to 3,5 times the size of the
sprinkling duct (3).
14. Air flow circulation system, in accordance with claim 9,
characterized in that said angle (.alpha.) varies between
10.degree. and 30.degree., and more preferably around 15.degree..
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention refers to an air circulation system,
particularly intended for application in household appliances of
refrigerator type, said system comprising innovative technical and
functional aspects capable of improving air flow circulation, in
addition to optimizing the space occupied by the fan. More
preferably, the present invention discloses a system comprising a
radial fan coupled to a panel, both disposed in a configuration
which allows for reducing the noise caused by the operation of the
system components as well as for increasing the capacity and
efficiency of the air flow circulation inside household
appliances.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] According to the state of the art, it is of general
knowledge that refrigeration apparatuses are normally integrated by
an air circulation system to cool the contents of the refrigeration
housing, either in the refrigeration compartment or in the freezer
of the apparatus. More particularly, this system can be defined by
the concept of thermal gas convection, which postulates that denser
cold air tends to go down and less dense air tends to go up. Thus,
the ascending cold air is cooled by a refrigerated plate coupled to
the structural refrigerating equipment housing, and the descending
cold air gains heat from the bottom of the refrigeration
housing.
[0003] The structure of a refrigerating equipment comprises at
least one inner box and a structural housing, which in turn
comprises the outer structure of said refrigerating equipment,
defining not only structural but also aesthetic aspects. Therefore,
it is known that conventional refrigeration systems are basically
composed of at least one compressor, at least one condenser, at
least one expansion device and at least one evaporator.
[0004] Also a person skilled in the art is aware of the fact that
the evaporator is disposed between the refrigerated housing and the
structural housing of a refrigerating equipment, which is then
capable of refrigerating the air contained between said
refrigerated housing and the structural housing of said
refrigerating equipment. Hence, cooling of the refrigerated housing
is effected through air passing through the evaporator and then
blown within the refrigerated housing.
[0005] To this effect, according to the state of the art, there has
been used a system comprising an axial fan arranged between the
refrigerated housing and a region near the evaporator, whose main
purpose is to carry out a constant air exchange between these two
environments. By this way, a suction zone in the region near the
evaporator and a discharge zone inside the refrigerated housing are
created.
[0006] Therefore, it is noted that many models of refrigerating
equipments known in the art comprise high volume refrigerated
housings which demand high capacity air circulation systems and,
consequently, the use of large axial fans is required.
Nevertheless, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art,
fans of this type produce high intensity noise, in addition to
presenting considerable restrictions for installation because they
occupy large spaces.
[0007] In order to reduce these noise drawbacks, there have been
developed refrigerating equipments having air circulation systems,
which fan speed is reduced. However, as it should also be known by
a person skilled in the art, in these cases, it is necessary to
increase the fan diameter to make up for refrigeration efficiency,
which brings up more problems relative to space for installation of
such air circulation systems.
[0008] In this sense, in order to solve these drawbacks concerning
space, some models of refrigerating equipments which air
circulation system comprises centrifugal fans, permitting to reduce
dimensions and space occupied by These components and also
partially reducing work noises are also known from the state of the
art.
[0009] Nevertheless, in spite of improving the operation conditions
compared to axial fans, it was observed that these air circulation
systems with centrifugal fans present other drawbacks, particularly
concerning the air circulation capacity and efficiency. This is due
to the fact that such fans are disposed in parallel to the walls of
the refrigeration housing and the refrigerating equipment
structural housing, effectively occupying the region formed by the
suction duct and air discharge of said refrigerating equipment.
Such a construction arrangement causes the air flow in the suction
duct to face barriers and/or sudden contacts with the inner walls
of said duct, thus causing energy loss and forcing in the air flow
prior to reaching the fan itself.
[0010] Moreover, among the models of air circulation systems with
centrifugal fans most of which, if not all, have a configuration
whose fan is disposed at the front portion of the fan, in the
region of the suction duct air flow passage. This stems from the
fact that these systems present a drawback of optimizing space,
mainly due to the parallelism between ventilation mechanisms with
suction and discharge ducts. As a result, problems of air flow
charge loss in the suction duct increase before effective actuation
of the fan and, consequently, the air flow capacity and efficiency
responsible for the refrigeration of the refrigerating equipment
housings are affected.
[0011] By this way, it is observed that there is a need in the
state of the art for air circulation system which is capable of
providing suitable cooling for the refrigeration housings, without
substantially affecting the capacity and efficiency of the air flow
generated to refrigerate the refrigerating equipments. In addition,
by virtue of the construction arrangements known in the art, it is
noted that there are still problems concerning power consumption
and complexity in the manufacture and mounting of the components of
these systems.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In view of the foregoing, one object of the present
application is to provide an air circulation system which is
capable of mitigating and/or effectively solving the problems,
drawbacks and restrictions disclosed by the state-of-the-art
systems.
[0013] More particularly, one object of the present invention is to
provide an air circulation system that is capable of promoting air
flow with elevated cooling capacity and efficiency, mainly allowing
for reducing power consumption during air flow distribution
process.
[0014] Furthermore, the air circulation system, according to the
present invention, intends to minimize noises produced by the fan
which is a component of the circulation system, but mainly to
improve the air flow circulation conditions inside the
refrigerating equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] These and other objects of the present invention are
achieved by means of an air circulation system, particularly
intended to be used in household appliances of refrigerating
equipment type, which is provided with at least one air passage
channel, within which a radial fan is installed in an inclined
position and dividing said air passage channel into two ducts, that
is, one suction duct that pulls air from within the refrigerating
equipment and a sprinkling duct which returns the cold air to
within the refrigerating equipment.
[0016] Additionally, in a preferred embodiment the outer box wall
of said refrigerating equipment comprises a recess aligned with the
radial fan inlet to improve the air flow direction conditions.
[0017] According to an alternative embodiment of the present
invention, said fan is fixed inside the air passage channel of the
refrigerating equipment by securing its structure, respectively,
with the lower end only to the inner box walls while the upper end
is adjustably secured between the walls of the inner box and the
outer box of the refrigerating equipment.
[0018] Further, according to another preferred embodiment of the
present invention, said fan structure comprises a configuration
which motor is disposed in the rear region of its rotor, increasing
the yield and efficiency of the present air circulation system.
Logically, said motor can also be disposed in the front region or
in the center of said rotor.
[0019] Another alternative embodiment of said air circulation
system, in accordance with the present invention, comprises a
suction duct having an equivalent proportion ratio ranging between
2 and 3.5 times the size of the sprinkling duct and then it is
possible to ensure that the air flow is integrally directed inward
the refrigerating equipment.
[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, said fan is inclined at an angle which can vary between
10 and 30.degree., and more preferably around 15.degree., wherein
said inclination combined with disposition of the recess at the
outer box wall permits to further enhance the efficiency and yield
of the present system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] Features, advantages and technical effects of the present
invention, as disclosed above, are better understood by a person
skilled in the art from the following merely exemplary, not
limitative, detailed description of the preferred embodiments, and
referring to the attached schematic drawings, in which:
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary refrigerating equipment of
side-by-side type;
[0023] FIG. 1A illustrates an enlarged cut view of a portion of the
refrigerated housing--freezer--within which the air circulation
system is arranged, in accordance with the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged cut view of the inner region
of the refrigerator which constitutes the structural assembly of
the air circulation system in accordance with the present
invention.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the
air flow through the air circulation system in accordance with the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] According to the schematic drawings above, some examples of
possible embodiments of the present invention will be described in
further detail below, wherein it should be emphasized that it
refers to a merely, not limitative, exemplary description, once the
present air circulation system can comprise and be configured by
means of different technical, structural and dimensional features
without departing from the intended scope of protection.
[0027] According to the above-mentioned figures, the air
circulation system of the present invention is particularly
intended to be used in a refrigerating equipment (R) comprising an
outer box (E) surrounding an inner box (C), which can be divided
into two refrigerated housings, for example, the freezer housing
(F) and the refrigerator housing (G). Said two inner (C) and outer
(E) boxes are disposed to form in the rear region of the
refrigerating equipment an air flow passage channel (A) to pull air
at a more elevated temperature and to carry it toward the
refrigeration system evaporator so that it is then sent back to the
refrigerated housing of the apparatus at lower temperatures.
[0028] More specifically, the air circulation system of the present
invention comprises a refrigerating equipment (R) provided with an
air flow passage channel (A), inside which a radial fan 1 is
arranged at an inclined position at a angle (g) and separating said
air flow passage channel (A) into two ducts, a suction duct 2 and a
sprinkling duct 3.
[0029] Further, in accordance with an advantageous embodiment of
the present invention, the wall of said outer box (E) of the
refrigerating equipment (R) is provided with a recess 4 positioned
such that it is aligned with said fan 1 to allow the air flow in
the suction duct 2 to be smoothly directed toward the inlet 5 of
fan 1. More particularly, the main purpose of said recess 4 is to
guide the air flow to the radial fan so as to reduce loss of energy
along the path that the air flow travels.
[0030] More specifically, in accordance with the present invention,
the inclination of said fan 1 within the air flow passage channel
(A) is obtained by securing the structure 6 of said fan 1,
particularly the lower end 7 of said structure 6 is secured only to
the wall of the inner box (C) while the upper end 8 of the fan
structure is adjustably fixed between the walls of said inner box
(C) and the outer box (E) to ensure that the entire air flow is
conducted to the sprinkling duct 3.
[0031] Furthermore, as can be seen from the attached figures, said
structure 6 of fan 1 comprises a configuration which motor 9 is
arranged in the rear portion of the fan, that is, it is completely
out of contact with the air flow generated by the system of the
present invention. Hence, it is observed that there is no loss of
loads in the air flow and as a result excessive power consumption
is avoided once rotor 10 can work continuously and with no need to
make up for any loss of energy from the air flow caused by
collision shock with walls and surfaces alive within the suction
duct 2. Clearly, depending on the refrigerating equipment model,
there would be eventually the case of adapting said motor to the
front region or to the center of said rotor.
[0032] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, said
suction duct 2 has an equivalent proportion ratio ranging from 2 to
3.5 times the size of the sprinkling duct and therefore it allows
for said structure 6 of fan 1 to be duly positioned inside the air
flow passage channel (A) to ensure the appropriate operation of the
air circulation system of the present invention to occur.
[0033] Additionally, said fan 1 is inclined at angle (.alpha.) that
may vary between 10 and 30.degree., more preferably around
15.degree., which will enhance the air flow conduction and guiding
conditions, mainly by virtue of the disposition of said recess 4,
which substantially facilitates to guide the air toward the inlet 5
of fan 1. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the air flow conduction
through the air circulation system of the present invention. More
specifically, as can be noted, the air flow at hotter temperature
is suctioned from the lower portion of the refrigerated housing and
conducted through the air passage air flow channel (A) up to fan 1.
At this time, as illustrated by indicative arrows, the air flow
direction is guided by the configuration of the recess 4 of the
wall of the outer box E so as to force all air flow to the inlet 5
of fan 1. Next, after passing by rotor 10, the air flow is directed
to the sprinkling duct 3 and finally returned to the refrigerated
housing (F), and restarting the air flow circulation of the
refrigerating equipment.
[0034] As appreciated by a person skilled in the art, along the air
flow circulation, preferably within the air flow passage channel
(A) there are provided refrigeration system components responsible
for cooling the air flow, for example, an evaporator, which is not
shown in the figures, once it refers to a conventionally element
widely used in the apparatuses known in the art, and therefore no
further details about it are required.
[0035] It is important to clarify that, despite the fact that the
attached figures illustrate a refrigerating equipment comprising
two independent refrigerated housings, with a freezer and a
refrigerator, the air circulation system of the present invention
can be easily applied in any refrigerating equipment type, either
being of single housing or eventually being modem models having
more than two exclusive or complementary refrigeration housings
and/or compartments.
[0036] Furthermore, it should also be clear that the description
above only intends to describe in an exemplificative form some of
the preferred embodiments of the air flow circulation system of the
present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will
understand that many construction and structural modifications,
variations and combinations of elements having substantially the
same function to achieve the same results will be within the scope
of protection limited by the appended claims.
* * * * *