초록 ▼

A refrigerator for rapidly cooling down and then maintaining a plurality of wine bottles of arbitrary configuration within a selected temperature range comprises a compression type refrigeration unit in association with the refrigerated compartment which receives the wine bottles. The refrigeration

A refrigerator for rapidly cooling down and then maintaining a plurality of wine bottles of arbitrary configuration within a selected temperature range comprises a compression type refrigeration unit in association with the refrigerated compartment which receives the wine bottles. The refrigeration unit includes a controllable expansion valve and a control system in which a microcontroller is arranged with a plurality of stored cooldown models as references for bringing the wine bottles to temperature without damage to the wine. Temperature, pressure and air flow measurements are used by a computer programmed to determine the status of the thermal load as affected by the number of wine bottles and their temperatures, and to adjust variations in the load compartment temperature for both cooldown modes and a steady state mode. Given an arbitrary thermal load, the refrigerator system lowers the wine temperature in a maximized but controlled manner so that chilled wine is available in no more than 30 minutes.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] The method of rapidly cooling wine in bottles of unpredictably different temperatures and numbers without damaging the wine comprising the steps of:placing the wine bottles in a confined volume;cooling a refrigerant to a variable temperature level;passing refrigerating ai

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] The method of rapidly cooling wine in bottles of unpredictably different temperatures and numbers without damaging the wine comprising the steps of:placing the wine bottles in a confined volume;cooling a refrigerant to a variable temperature level;passing refrigerating air after thermal exchange relation with the cooled refrigerant into the confined volume;measuring the air flow rate and temperature levels of incoming and outgoing air within the volume;computing thermal load conditions in the confined volume from the measured air flow rate and temperature levels in the volume;selecting a predetermined cooldown model for the temperature of wine in the bottles in accordance with predetermined criteria based on the computed thermal load condition;varying the temperature in the confined volume such that the temperature follows the cooldown model; andcontinuing to sense thermal load conditions and selecting different cooldown models in the event of change of the thermal load.