ES2393265T3 - Air blowing arrangement for a combined refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

A refrigerator combined with an air blowing arrangement of the type with forced ventilation and comprising: a cabinet formed by an outer casing (1) and two inner housings (2, 3), each equipped with a rear wall (2nd, 3rd) and separated from each other and from the outer casing (1) by an insulating thermal filling (4), said inner housings (2, 3) respectively defining a freezing compartment (FC) and a cooling compartment (RC); and an air diffusion element (10) mounted in the cabinet and defining at least one air distribution duct (12), which has an air inlet (12a) in communication with the interior of the inner casing (2) of the freezing compartment (FC), in order to receive a cold air flow, the air diffusion element (10) being arranged inside the thermal insulating filler (4), between the outer shell (1) and the rear wall (3a) of the inner housing (3) of the cooling compartment (RC), against which it sits and is held, characterized in that the air distribution duct (12) has a plurality of open air outlets (12b) towards the interior of the cooling compartment (RC), said back wall (3a) is provided with a plurality of windows (3d) with which the respective air outlets (12b) of the air distribution duct (12) defined in the inside the element (10) of di air fusion, and the air diffusion element (10) has a front face (10b) that sits and is fixed against the rear wall (3a) of the inner housing (3) of the cooling compartment (RC).

Description

Air blowing arrangement for a combined refrigerator

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a combined refrigerator of the forced ventilation type with an air blowing arrangement, the refrigerator presenting a single cabinet that internally defines a freezing compartment and a cooling compartment, usually separated by a horizontal partition wall.

Prior art

Combined refrigerators are generally made up of a cabinet that is formed by an outer shell, usually made of sheet metal, and two inner shells molded in plastic material, for example EPS, which are separated from each other and also from the shell exterior by a thermal insulating padding in general in polyurethane foam that is injected between said outer shell and said inner housings. The inner housings respectively define the freezing compartment and the cooling compartment, and the freezing compartment may be disposed above or below the cooling compartment and be separated therefrom by the partition wall.

These refrigerators combined with forced ventilation are equipped with ducts to drive cold air from the evaporator to the freezing and air cooling compartments.

Considering that cold air is produced in an air cooling compartment that houses an evaporator and a fan and is arranged inside the freezing compartment, it is necessary to provide ducts that allow cold air, which is produced after the passing through the evaporator, drive not only to the freezing compartment inside which the air cooling compartment is located, but also to the cooling compartment arranged below or above the freezing compartment, depending on the construction that applies to the combined refrigerator.

Typically, the conduction of cold air from the air cooling compartment to the cooling compartment is carried out through air passages provided in the horizontal partition wall that separates the freezing compartment with respect to the cooling compartment. After passing through said partition wall, the flow of cold air, which is to be released inside the refrigeration compartment, is conducted through a diffusion duct mounted inside the refrigeration compartment and which sits and is fixed against a rear wall of the latter, this diffusion duct being defined, in general, by an EPS body that is provided with at least one longitudinal groove open towards its rear face, against which it sits and an adhesive blanket that functions as a seal between the diffusion duct and the rear wall of the respective inner shell is fixed. The diffusion duct body is provided with a plurality of air outlet openings rotated towards its front face and which are maintained in communication with the rear groove, in order to allow the forced air flow that is admitted into the interior of The groove, by means of a suitably placed inlet, is released through said openings at different levels of the cooling compartment.

In this type of prior art construction, the diffusion duct is arranged inside the refrigeration compartment, therefore being exposed to the user after opening the respective front door of the cabinet. With this assembly, it is necessary to provide a finishing coating for its fixation on the diffusion duct, giving the latter an aesthetic appearance determined in the refrigeration apparatus project. In addition to being developed to aesthetically minimize the presence of the diffusion duct inside the cooling compartment, the finish coating is designed to present openings or windows that match the air outlet openings of the diffusion duct and also, optionally, an end portion with an increased depth, in order to define a chamber in which air flow control means for the diffusion duct will be mounted, which can be defined by a shutter or a fan, depending on the design of the refrigeration apparatus.

This known construction requires the provision of a finishing coating to cover the entire extent of the diffusion duct, with the consequent costs in material and investments in molds with considerable dimensions.

In addition to the above drawback, this prior art construction requires special care to assemble the diffusion duct and its finishing coating, which makes difficult and expensive assembly operations and requires a design for both the diffusion duct and the coating. Finishing for each model of combined refrigerator.

Finally, the fact that the diffusion duct-finish coating assembly is exposed inside the refrigeration compartment restricts or hinders the introduction of new aesthetic features in the combined refrigerator.

A refrigerator according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from EP-A-0 184

241

Summary of the invention

Due to the inconveniences presented by the solutions known to date, it is an objective of the

The present invention provides a combined refrigerator of the type considered above, with an air blowing arrangement having a construction that is simple to assemble and of relatively reduced cost, and that can be applied to different refrigerator models.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator with an air blowing arrangement, which requires a finishing element of reduced dimensions and which very little interferes with the aesthetic design 10 of the interior of the refrigeration compartment of the combined apparatus.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator in which the temperature losses along the rear wall of the refrigerator are reduced.

In accordance with the invention, the foregoing objectives are achieved by a combined refrigerator as defined in claim 1. The basic construction defined in claim 1 allows the body of

Air diffusion is arranged behind the rear wall of the inner housing of the refrigeration compartment and, therefore, is not visible to the user. In this state, the assembly of the diffusion body is carried out concomitantly with the assembly of the outer casing and the inner housings, during the injection phase of the thermal insulating filler, dispensing aesthetic finishes and leaving the interior of the free cooling compartment of cover pieces and susceptible to variations in their ornamental appearance.

20 Although only one air distribution duct is provided in the air diffusion body, it is to be understood, as described below, that the air diffusion body may have two or more air distribution ducts. air and also at least one air inlet duct having an air inlet in communication with the inside of the inner housing of the freezing compartment, and an air outlet in selective communication with the air inlet of the duct (s) of air distribution, said being

25 selective communication controlled by the manual or automatic actuation of a shutter or by the automatic actuation of a fan, the automatic actuation being achieved, both for the shutter and for the fan, by means of actuating means whose operation is controlled by means of temperature sensor mounted inside the inner housing of the cooling compartment. The provision of an air inlet duct along the air diffusion body is recommended for

30 keep the shutter away from the defined air cooling compartment inside the freezing compartment, when the latter is disposed below the cooling compartment.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of example of the possible embodiments of the invention and in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a refrigerator combined with forced ventilation, with the freezing compartment disposed below the refrigeration compartment and using the present air blowing arrangement, in accordance with one of its embodiments; Figure 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a combined refrigerator of the type illustrated in Figure 1 and showing the air blowing arrangement object of the present invention;

Figure 3 is an exploded front perspective view of the inner housing of the cooling compartment of Figures 1 and 2, which further illustrates the air diffusion body and a housing for housing the air blow control means ; Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the air diffusion body used in the arrangement of Figures 1, 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a partial front perspective view of the inner housing of the refrigeration compartment with the blowing arrangement illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3; Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, illustrating a combined refrigerator with forced ventilation, also with the freezing compartment arranged lower, although the upper air cooling compartment uses another embodiment for the arrangement of air blow;

Figure 7 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a combined refrigerator of the type illustrated in Figure 6 and presenting the air blowing arrangement according to said other embodiment; Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the air diffusion body used in the arrangement of Figures 6 and 7; Figure 9 is a partial front perspective view of the inner housing of the refrigeration compartment,

55 with the air blowing arrangement illustrated in Figures 6–8; Figure 10 is a view similar to those of Figures 1 and 6, but illustrating a combined refrigerator with forced ventilation, which has the freezing compartment disposed above the refrigeration compartment using said other embodiment for the blowing arrangement of air;

Figure 11 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a combined refrigerator of the type illustrated in Figure 11 and presenting the air blowing arrangement according to said other embodiment; Figure 12 is a perspective view of a flow control means in the form of a shutter; and Figure 13 is a perspective view of a flow control means in the form of a fan.

Detailed description of the invention

As already mentioned, the present air blowing arrangement can be applied to combined refrigerators of the "no frost" type (without frost) and with forced ventilation, which have the freezing compartment FC arranged above or below the compartment RC cooling.

Figures 1–5 illustrate a combined refrigerator of the type considered herein and in which the freezing compartment FC is disposed below the cooling compartment RC. In these exemplary applications, the refrigerator comprises a cabinet that is defined by an outer shell 1 generally made of sheet metal, an inner shell 2 arranged in a lower manner, which defines the freezing compartment FC, and an inner shell 3 arranged in a superior way, which defines the RC cooling compartment. The two inner housings 2, 3 are separated from each other and also from the outer casing 1 by a thermal insulating pad 4, generally made of injected and expanded polyurethane (foam), said thermal insulating pad 4 also defining a wall 5 of division that is arranged horizontally between the inner 2, 3 enclosures.

The combined refrigerator further comprises an air cooling compartment 6, which is provided in a rear region of the freezing compartment FC and which houses an evaporator 7 and a fan 8. The air cooling compartment 6 has a circulated air inlet ( not illustrated) and a cold air outlet 6b, arranged downstream of the fan 8.

It is to be understood that the circulated air inlet and the cold air outlet 6b can be multiple and arranged in different ways, according to each refrigerator design, without being part of the present invention.

As can be seen, in the different ways of carrying out the invention, the inner housings 2 and 3 have a respective rear wall 2a, 3a which is kept separated from the outer casing 1 by a respective extension of the thermal insulating filler 4.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1–5, the cold air outlet 6b is open towards the inside of an air chamber P, which usually occupies the entire width and height of the freezing compartment FC and is separated thereof by a thin wall 9, which is generally vertical and which is provided with openings 9a sized and positioned properly to allow cold air to be supplied to the freezing compartment FC in the evaporator 7.

The forced cold air flow is supplied to the cooling compartment RC, through the air chamber P in cases where the blowing arrangement has the construction illustrated in Figures 1–5, or from the compartment itself 6 for air cooling, in cases where said arrangement has the construction illustrated in Figures 6–9, further providing conductors (not illustrated) to promote the return of air from the freezing compartments FC and Cooling RC to air cooling compartment 6.

The air blowing arrangement of the invention comprises an air diffusion element 10, in general in the form of a parallelepiped shaped body of a low height, which is constructed in EPS or other suitable material of low thermal conductivity and of easy moldability, which is to be housed inside the thermal insulating padding 4 between the rear wall 3a of the inner housing 3 of the cooling compartment RC and the outer shell 1, before the structure of the refrigerator cabinet is filled with the material thermal insulation in polyurethane foam.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 1–5, the air diffusion element 10 has the function of driving the forced cold air flow, which comes from the air chamber P that is provided inside the housing 2 inside the freezing compartment FC, to the inside of the cooling compartment RC, in an initially ascending and then downward path. In the present construction, the air diffusion element 10 defines an air inlet duct 11, in the form of a longitudinal central channel, and a pair of air distribution ducts 12, in the form of a longitudinal side channel, presenting the air distribution ducts 12 a longitudinal extension shorter than that of the air diffusion element 10 and all the ducts being open towards a rear face 10a of the air diffusion element 10. In order to form said air inlet and distribution ducts 11, 12, completed with the subsequent closure of the respective channel, a closing plate 20 is seated tightly and is held against the rear face 10a of the air diffusion element 10 . In general, the closure plate 20 is made of PS and is fixed and sealed against the air diffusion element 10 by means of adhesive tape, which is not illustrated because this is a well known solution of the prior art.

In all the constructive forms illustrated herein, the air diffusion element 10 has a front face 10b that sits and is fixed, in general by adhesive tape (not illustrated), against the rear wall 3a of the inner housing 3 of the cooling compartment RC, before the thermal insulating filler 4 is injected.

In the construction of Figures 1–5, the air inlet duct 11 has an air inlet 11a which is defined next to an end edge of the air diffusion element 10 and which is maintained in communication with the interior of the inner casing 2 of the freezing compartment FC, more specifically with the air chamber P defined downstream of the fan 8, in order to receive a respective cold air flow coming from the air cooling compartment 6. It is to be understood that the communication of fluids between the air chamber P and the air inlet 11a is carried out through a conduit arrangement D which is suitably provided through the partition wall 5. In the present constructive form, cold air is forced upwardly along the air inlet duct 11 by the fan 8 until the opposite end of the air inlet duct 11 is reached, in which it is provided with a air outlet 11b rotated and opened towards the front face 10b of the air diffusion element 10 and aligned with a respective opening 3b provided in the rear wall 3a of the inner housing 3 of the cooling compartment RC, in the upper region of this last.

The cooling compartment RC is internally provided with a housing 30 that is fixed against the rear wall 3a of the respective inner housing 3, in order to keep its interior in fluid communication with the air outlet 11b of the inlet passage 11 air, through the opening 3b provided in said rear wall 3a.

Each of the two air distribution ducts 12 has an air inlet 12a rotated and opened towards the front face 10b of the air diffusion element 10 and aligned with a respective opening 3c (see Figure 7) provided in the rear wall 3a of the inner housing 3 of the RC cooling compartment. Therefore, the flow of cold air, which enters the housing 30, through the ascending inlet duct 11, is directed downwardly through the interior of the two distribution ducts 12, which are provided with a plurality of air outlets 12b, rotated and open towards the front face 10b of the air diffusion element 10 and aligned with the respective windows 3d provided on the rear wall 3a of the respective inner housing 3.

In the construction of Figures 1–5, the forced air flow system is provided with only one fan 8, disposed between the air chamber P and the air cooling compartment 6, and which is responsible for the air supply cool both to the freezing FC compartment and the RC cooling compartment. In the present construction, the supply of cold air to the cooling compartment RC is controlled by means of flow control means CM, which can be in the form of a shutter 40 mounted inside the housing 30 and which is to be operated selectively from a flow release condition, in which it communicates the housing 30 and, consequently, the air outlet 11b of the air inlet duct 11, with the air inlets 12a of the ducts 12 of air distribution, and a flow blocking condition, in which it prevents communication. The movement of the shutter 40 can be manual or obtained by actuator means 50 operatively associated with a temperature sensor 60 mounted in the cooling compartment RC.

When the temperature inside the cooling compartment drops to a certain value, the temperature sensor 60 activates the actuation means 50, which move the shutter 40 to the closed position. When the temperature of the cooling compartment RC rises again, reaching a certain value, the temperature sensor activates the drive means 50 again, which causes the latter to return the shutter 40 to the open position. The actuation means 50 are generally defined by a thermostat, the adjustment of which is carried out by means of adjustment 55, manually operated by the user.

As can be seen in Figure 3, a cover 35 is adapted on the housing 30, which is provided with an opening 36 for mounting the adjustment means 55 and also the air outlet openings 37.

In the embodiment of Figures 6–9, the freezing compartment FC is also disposed below the cooling compartment RC. In the present construction, the air diffusion element 10 has a construction similar to that of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1–5, except for the fact that it does not have the inlet duct 11 and the fact that the air inlets 12a of the two air distribution ducts 12 are arranged in a lower region and are maintained in communication with the interior of the housing 30 located next to the partition wall 5, in the lower region of the cooling compartment RC , and are maintained in fluid communication with the air cooling compartment 6, by means of a conduit D which is provided through the partition wall 5. In the present mounting arrangement, the air flow that reaches the housing 30 is forced upwardly through the interior of the distribution ducts 12, by operating a second fan 70, mounted inside the housing 30 and whose drive means, which are defined by a respective electric motor 75, are activated by the temperature sensor 60 mounted inside the refrigerator compartment RC, through a known control module of the different functions of the apparatus and which can be constructed in any suitable manner known in the prior art.

The excitation of the second fan 70 is removed, which blocks the passage of cold air to the air distribution ducts 12, when the temperature of the cooling compartment RC drops to a certain value.

In the present construction, the housing 30 does not have the air outlet openings 37.

In the construction exemplified in Figures 10 and 11, the freezing compartment FC is provided by

5 above the cooling compartment RC and the air diffusion element 10 has a construction practically equal to that of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 6–9, with only the investment in the assembly of the housing 30 taking place, which it is located in the present case in the upper region of the cooling compartment RC, just below the partition wall 5. In the present embodiment, the air coming from the air chamber P or the air cooling compartment 6 is conducted to the interior of the housing 30 and, from this

10 last, to the air inlets 12a of the air distribution ducts 12, flowing down therethrough and discharging into different levels of the cooling compartment RC, through the air outlets 12b already through the windows 3d of the rear wall 3a of the respective inner housing 3. In the present construction, the housing 30 can accommodate a flow control means CM that can be defined by either a shutter or a second fan 70.

15 It is to be understood that, in the embodiments illustrated in Figures 6–9 and 10 and 11, the diffusion element 10 is subsequently completed by means of the closing plate 20, its front face 10b being hermetically seated and fixed against the rear wall 3a of the respective inner housing 3, which is also provided with openings 3c aligned with the air inlets 12a of the distribution ducts 12, and also with the windows 3d aligned with the air outlets 12b of the ducts 12 distribution.

20 Although only some embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that alterations in the shape and physical arrangement of the elements may be made, provided that they fall within the scope of the attached claims.

Claims (11)

1. A refrigerator combined with an air blowing arrangement of the type with forced ventilation and comprising: a cabinet formed by an outer housing (1) and two inner housings (2, 3), each provided with a wall (2a, 3a) rear and separated from each other and from the outer casing (1) by a thermal insulating filler (4), said inner housings (2, 3) respectively defining a freezing compartment (FC) and a compartment (RC) of refrigeration; and an air diffusion element (10) mounted in the cabinet and defining at least one air distribution duct (12), which has an air inlet (12a) in communication with the interior of the housing (2 ) inside the freezing compartment (FC), in order to receive a cold air flow, the air diffusion element (10) disposed inside the thermal insulating filler (4), between the housing

(one)

 exterior and the rear wall (3a) of the interior (3) of the cooling compartment (RC), against which it sits and is held, characterized in that the air distribution duct (12) has a plurality of outlets ( 12b) of open air into the cooling compartment (RC), said rear wall (3a) is provided with a plurality of windows (3d) with which the respective air outlets (12b) of the duct (12) are aligned air distribution defined inside the air diffusion element (10), and the element

(10)

 Air diffusion has a front face (10b) that sits and is fixed against the rear wall (3a) of the inner housing (3) of the cooling compartment (RC).

2.

 The refrigerator according to claim 1, characterized in that the air diffusion element (10) comprises a parallelepiped shaped body of a low height and made of a low thermal conductivity material and having a rear face (10a) and a front face (10b) that is to be hermetically seated and externally fixed against the rear wall (3a) of the respective inner housing (3), said air distribution duct (12) being defined by a respective channel that is provided for along part of the longitudinal extension of the air diffusion element (10) and open towards the rear face (10a) of the latter, the formation of said air distribution duct (12) being completed by closing the channel with a closing plate (20) that sits tightly and is held against the rear face (10a) of the air diffusion element (10).

3.

 The refrigerator according to claim 2, characterized in that the air distribution duct (12) has an air inlet (12a) rotated and opened towards the front face (10b) of the air diffusion element (10), the rear wall (3a) of the inner housing (3) of the refrigeration compartment (RC) provided with an opening (3c) aligned with said air inlet (12a), and the refrigeration compartment (RC) being internally provided with a housing (30) fixed against the rear wall (3a) of the respective inner casing (3), in order to keep its interior in fluid communication with the air inlet (12a) of the air distribution duct (12) air through the respective opening (3c) that is provided in said rear wall (3a) and the housing (30) being kept in communication with the inside of the inner housing (2) of the freezing compartment (FC) to receive the cold air flow

Four.

 The refrigerator according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises: flow control means (CM) mounted in the housing (30) and which are to be selectively actuated from a flow release condition to a blocking condition of housing flow (30) with respect to the air distribution duct (12).

5.

 The refrigerator according to claim 4, characterized in that it further comprises drive means (50) operatively associated with the flow control means (CM) for modifying the operating condition of the latter; and a temperature sensor (60) mounted in the cooling compartment (RC), in order to activate the actuation means (50) to drive the flow control means (CM) to one of its operating conditions due to the temperature prevailing in the refrigeration compartment (RC).

6.

 The refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuation means (50) are defined by a thermostat.

7.

 The refrigerator according to any one of claims 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the flow control means (CM) are defined by a shutter (40) mounted inside the housing (30).

8.

 The refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that the flow control means (CM) are defined by a fan (70) mounted inside the housing (30), the drive means (50) being defined by a electric motor (75).

9.

 The refrigerator according to any one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the element

(10)

 Air diffusion comprises an air inlet duct (11) also in the form of a channel and having an open air inlet (11a) towards one of the ends of the air diffusion element (10) and in communication with the inside of the housing (2) inside the freezing compartment (FC), and an air outlet (11b) rotated and opened towards the front face (10b) of the air diffusion element (10), the wall (3a) being ) back of the case

(3)

 inside the cooling compartment (RC) provided with an opening (3b) aligned with said air outlet (11b) and in communication with the inside of the housing (30).

The refrigerator according to claim 9, characterized in that the air inlet (11a) of the air inlet duct (11) is disposed at a lower end of the air diffusion element (10), the outlet (11b being) ) of air disposed in an upper region of both the air diffusion element (10) and the cooling compartment (RC). The refrigerator according to claim 10, characterized in that the air diffusion element (10) comprises an air inlet duct (11) that is centrally arranged, and two air distribution ducts (12) arranged each on each side of the air inlet duct (11).