Refrigeration apparatus for refrigeration appliance and method of minimizing frost accumulation
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F25D-017/04
F25D-021/06
F25D-021/04
F25D-017/06
F25C-005/18
F25D-011/02
F25D-021/14
F25C-005/00
F25D-023/06
F25C-005/08
F25C-001/08
출원번호
US-0712689
(2010-02-25)
등록번호
US-8978406
(2015-03-17)
발명자
/ 주소
Candeo, Marcelo
출원인 / 주소
Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Pearne & Gordon LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
2인용 특허 :
32
초록▼
Provided is a refrigeration appliance including a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade, and a freezer compartment disposed vertically below the fresh food compartment for storing food items below zero de
Provided is a refrigeration appliance including a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade, and a freezer compartment disposed vertically below the fresh food compartment for storing food items below zero degrees Centigrade. A return air duct returns air from the fresh food compartment to the freezer compartment, and a bracket supporting an evaporator includes an air barrier extending between the air duct and a bottom portion of the evaporator to minimize introduction of air returning from the fresh food compartment to a lateral side portion of the evaporator. A fan is rotatable about an axis having a substantially-horizontal orientation to circulate air, and a heater extends along a bottom portion, and beyond the lateral extents of the bottom portion of the evaporator in an upward direction along lateral sides of the evaporator.
대표청구항▼
1. A refrigeration appliance comprising: a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade;a freezer compartment disposed at an elevation vertically below said fresh food compartment for storing food items in a sub
1. A refrigeration appliance comprising: a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade;a freezer compartment disposed at an elevation vertically below said fresh food compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below zero degrees Centigrade;a pair of return air ducts arranged at opposite lateral boundaries of said freezer compartment, disposed adjacent to a ceiling portion of a liner defining the freezer compartment, and extending between said fresh food compartment and said freezer compartment for introducing air returning from said fresh food compartment into said freezer compartment adjacent opposed lateral boundaries of said freezer compartment;a refrigeration system that is operable to provide a cooling effect to the freezer compartment, said refrigeration system comprising an evaporator located in the freezer compartment adjacent a back wall of the freezer compartment and in thermal communication with said freezer compartment, the evaporator comprising a pair of lateral sides and a bottom side and a top side;a cover placed in front of the evaporator to conceal at least a portion of the evaporator from view, the evaporator being interposed between the back wall of the freezer compartment and the cover; anda pair of laterally spaced brackets coupled to the pair of lateral sides of the evaporator and coupled to the liner defining the freezer compartment to thereby physically support the evaporator within the freezer compartment,a first pair of deformable gaskets, each first gasket being disposed between one bracket and the back wall of the freezer compartment;a second pair of deformable gaskets, each second gasket being disposed between one bracket and the cover placed in front of the evaporator,wherein said brackets, said cover, said first pair of deformable gaskets, and said second pair of deformable gaskets together comprise an air barrier extending from the ceiling portion of the freezer compartment and along substantially both of the entire lateral sides of said evaporator between said respective return air ducts and the bottom side of said evaporator to minimize introduction of air returning from the fresh food compartment to said lateral sides of the evaporator such that substantially all of said air returning from the fresh food compartment is directed to said bottom side of said evaporator,wherein said pair of return air ducts each terminate at a respective return aperture formed through the ceiling portion of the liner defining said freezer compartment, said air barrier extending from adjacent each of said return apertures in a generally downward direction into said freezer compartment along respective lateral sides of said evaporator to an elevation adjacent said bottom portion of said evaporator;an air mover and a motor that is operable to rotate said air mover for urging air in a direction over said evaporator to be chilled, said air mover disposed above said top side of the evaporator and between said pair of laterally spaced brackets to thereby encourage air flow upwards from the bottom side of the evaporator towards the top side of the evaporator,wherein the cover is placed in front of the air mover and motor such that the air mover and motor are interposed between the back wall of the freezer compartment and the cover; anda defrost heater arranged exterior of said pair of laterally spaced brackets and extending continuously along one lateral side of said evaporator, along said bottom side of the evaporator, and then along the other lateral side of the evaporator, wherein the defrost heater is operable to melt frost accumulated on both of said lateral sides and said bottom side of said evaporator. 2. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said brackets further comprises an aperture adapted to receive a modular electrical connector that establishes an electrical connection between an electric power source and the defrost heater adjacent said evaporator that is operable to melt frost accumulated on a surface of said evaporator. 3. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said brackets comprises an aperture with a dimension that closely approximates an external dimension of a coil provided to said evaporator through which a refrigerant passes, said coil comprising a generally U-shaped end portion extending through said aperture formed in said bracket, and a portion of the defrost heater is disposed immediately adjacent said U-shaped end portion to melt frost accumulated thereon. 4. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 1, wherein said deformable gasket comprises a substantially-elastically deformable foam material. 5. A refrigeration appliance comprising: a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade;a freezer compartment disposed at an elevation vertically below said fresh food compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below zero degrees Centigrade;a refrigeration system that is operable to provide a cooling effect to said freezer compartment, said refrigeration system comprising an evaporator located in the freezer compartment adjacent a back wall of the freezer compartment and in thermal communication with said freezer compartment, the evaporator comprising a top side, a bottom side, and a pair of lateral sides;a pair of laterally spaced brackets coupled to the pair of lateral sides of the evaporator and secured to a liner defining said freezer compartment to thereby physically support said evaporator within the freezer compartment;a cool air duct extending between said freezer compartment and said fresh food compartment through which air chilled by said evaporator can enter and provide a cooling effect to said fresh food compartment;an air mover for urging air in a direction over said evaporator to be chilled, said air mover disposed above said top side of the evaporator and between said pair of laterally spaced brackets to thereby encourage air flow upwards from the bottom side of the evaporator towards the top side of the evaporator; anda motor that is operable to rotate said air mover, said motor comprising a drive shaft with an axis of rotation that is not parallel to said direction in which said air mover urges air to be chilled over said evaporator; anda U-shaped defrost heater arranged exterior of said pair of laterally spaced brackets and extending continuously along one lateral side of said evaporator, along said bottom side of said evaporator, and then along the other lateral side of the evaporator, wherein said defrost heater is operable to melt frost accumulated on both of said lateral sides and said bottom side of said evaporator; anda cover placed in front of the evaporator to conceal at least a portion of the evaporator from view, wherein all of the air mover, the motor, and the evaporator are interposed between the back wall of the freezer compartment and the cover,wherein said brackets and said cover together comprise an air barrier extending from a ceiling portion of the liner defining said freezer compartment along substantially both of the entire lateral sides of said evaporator between respective return air ducts formed through the ceiling portion of the liner defining said freezer compartment and the bottom side of said evaporator to minimize introduction of air returning from the fresh food compartment to said lateral sides of the evaporator such that substantially all of said air returning from the fresh food compartment is directed to said bottom side of said evaporator. 6. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 5, wherein said motor is at least partially recessed within foam insulation separating a liner defining said freezer compartment and an external cabinet of said refrigeration appliance. 7. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 6, wherein: said cool air duct extends in a generally upward direction through a ceiling of said freezer compartment adjacent a rear wall of said liner, and said motor is recessed within said rear wall to an extent that said motor is outside of a region vertically below said cool air duct. 8. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 5 further comprising an air shield disposed in a path of air from said air mover to direct at least a portion of said air from said air mover in a generally upward direction into said cool air duct. 9. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 8, wherein said motor comprises an axis of rotation that is substantially horizontal for driving said air mover to blow said air in a direction generally towards a front of said freezer compartment, said air shield being disposed in front of said air mover to conceal said air mover and at least a portion of said evaporator and to direct at least a portion of said air blown generally towards said front of said freezer compartment in an upward direction generally towards said cool air duct. 10. A refrigeration appliance comprising: a fresh food compartment for storing food items in a refrigerated environment having a target temperature above zero degrees Centigrade;a freezer compartment disposed at an elevation vertically below said fresh food compartment for storing food items in a sub-freezing environment having a target temperature below zero degrees Centigrade;a refrigeration system that is operable to provide a cooling effect to said freezer compartment, said refrigeration system comprising an evaporator located in the freezer compartment adjacent a back wall of the freezer compartment and in thermal communication with said freezer compartment, wherein said evaporator comprises a bottom portion supported above a floor of said freezer compartment and two laterally spaced sides;a cover placed in front of the evaporator to conceal at least a portion of the evaporator from view, the evaporator being interposed between the back wall of the freezer compartment and the cover;an air barrier provided adjacent to both of said lateral sides of said evaporator and extending substantially from a ceiling portion of the freezer compartment and entirely along both of said lateral sides of said evaporator for minimizing introduction of return air returning from said fresh food compartment to said evaporator along either of said lateral sides such that substantially all of said air returning from the fresh food compartment is directed to said bottom portion of said evaporator; anda U-shaped heater that is operable to provide a heating effect to melt frost accumulated on both of said lateral sides of said evaporator adjacent said air barrier and said bottom portion of said evaporator, wherein said heater comprises a continuous, elongated electric heating element that extends continuously along one lateral side of said evaporator, along said bottom side of the evaporator, and then along the other lateral side of said evaporator; anda pair of laterally spaced brackets coupled to the pair of lateral sides of the evaporator and coupled to a liner defining the freezer compartment to thereby physically support the evaporator within the freezer compartment; anda pair of return air ducts extending between said freezer compartment and said fresh food compartment through which air returning from said fresh food compartment can travel to be returned to said freezer compartment, wherein each of said return air ducts terminates in an aperture formed through the ceiling portion of the liner defining said freezer compartment, said apertures being disposed vertically above at least one lateral side of said evaporator adjacent said air barrier such that said air barrier is interposed between each of the apertures and the evaporator to thereby inhibit airflow returning through the apertures to flow over the lateral sides of said evaporator. 11. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, wherein said heater comprises an electrical termination adjacent each end of said electric heating element. 12. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10 further comprising a controller and a temperature sensor operatively connected to said controller for sensing a triggering temperature adjacent at least one of said lateral sides of said evaporator, wherein said controller operates said heater in response to said temperature sensor transmitting a signal indicative of said triggering temperature. 13. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 10, wherein said heater is coupled to said air barrier and spaced a distance from said evaporator.
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