AU2004245585A1

AU2004245585A1 - Arrangement for air distribution in a freezer compartment

Info

Publication number: AU2004245585A1
Application number: AU2004245585A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Publio Otavio Oliveira Duarte; Marco Eduardo Marques; Moacyr Marangone Mezavila
Original assignee: Multibras SA
Current assignee: Whirlpool SA
Priority date: 2003-06-05
Filing date: 2004-06-03
Publication date: 2004-12-16
Also published as: KR20060056897A; WO2004109202A1; MXPA05013153A; ATE414248T1; EP1629239A1; ES2316988T3; US20070137242A1; BR0301597A; PL1629239T3; EP1629239B1; DE602004017717D1; CN1820171A

Abstract

An arrangement for air distribution in a freezer compartment of the type closed by a front door ( 11 ) and to which is generally mounted, close to a respective rear wall, an air cooling compartment ( 30 ) in which an evaporator ( 40 ) and a fan ( 50 ) are lodged, said arrangement comprising at least one distributing tube ( 60 ) provided in an upper portion of the freezer compartment ( 10 ) and having: a rear end ( 61 ) maintained in fluid communication with the interior of the air cooling compartment ( 30 ); a front end ( 62 ) disposed in the front region of the freezer compartment ( 10 ) adjacent to the front door ( 11 ) thereof and provided with at least one front opening ( 63 ) facing said front region of the freezer compartment ( 10 ) and the region of the front door ( 11 ) of the latter.

Description

WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 1 ARRANGEMENT FOR AIR DISTRIBUTION IN A FREEZER COMPARTMENT Field of the Invention The present invention refers to an arrangement for air 5 distribution and circulation in a freezer compartment with forced ventilation. The invention is specifically directed to a tube arrangement to equalize the air circulation inside the freezer compartment, as well as to intensify the air supply to determined regions of 10 said compartment. Background of the Invention Some freezer constructions with forced ventilation are usually provided with an air insufflating tube, disposed on the rear wall of the freezer compartment 15 and which is provided with air outlet front openings facing the interior of the compartment to be refrigerated. In general, these compartments are refrigerated by a forced air distribution through the operation of a fan 20 located in the rear part of the appliance. In the known solutions, when the freezer compartment is very loaded, or provided with baskets that hinder the air circulation, it is difficult for the cool air to reach the front region of the compartment. For this reason, 25 it is difficult to make use of the door of the freezer compartment by providing shelves thereon when baskets are used, which are commonly found in the vertical freezers and in the combined appliances in which the freezer is located in the lower portion thereof. 30 In the prior art constructions, cool air is supplied to the freezer compartment through front openings in a distributing tube provided adjacent to a rear wall of the freezer compartment between the latter and a compartment in which are lodged the evaporator and 35 generally a fan, which forces the cool air to the WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 2 distributing tube. The cool air is thus supplied to the spaces or gaps between the recipients provided in the freezer compartment toward its front door, close to which it is converted in a downward vertical flow, 5 developed between the door and the front edge of the shelves and which is collected, for example in the front lower region of the freezer compartment, and conducted to the evaporator region. The prior art system for forced air circulation 10 mentioned above presents the disadvantage of producing a distribution of cool air which is not adequately uniform for the different regions of the freezer compartment, due to the fact that the insufflation of cool air is only effected from the rear wall of said 15 compartment. Another negative aspect of the known solutions results from the low refrigeration to which the internal region of the front door is submitted, since this region receives a lower amount of the cool airflow. 20 Objects of the Invention By reason of the disadvantages mentioned above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for air distribution in a freezer compartment of the forced ventilation type, which can 25 provide a uniform distribution of the forced cool airflow to different regions of said compartment. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an air tube arrangement such as mentioned above, which allows intensifying, selectively, the 30 supply of cool air to different regions of the freezer compartment, including the region adjacent to the internal face of the front door. Summary of the Invention These and other objects of the present invention are 35 attained through an arrangement for air distribution WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 3 in a freezer compartment of the type closed by a front door and to which is generally mounted, close to a respective rear wall, an air cooling compartment, in which an evaporator and a fan are lodged, said 5 arrangement comprising at least one distributing tube, disposed in an upper portion of the freezer compartment and which presents: a rear end maintained in fluid communication with the interior of the air cooling compartment; a front end, disposed in the 10 front region of the freezer compartment adjacent to the front door of the latter and which is provided with at least one front opening, facing said front region of the freezer compartment and the region of the front door. 15 The new construction proposed by the invention allows the forced cool airflow, which is coming from the air cooling compartment, to be also supplied to the front portion of the freezer compartment and to the region of the internal face of the door, which are thus 20 adequately refrigerated. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be described below, with reference to the enclosed drawings, given by way of example of possible embodiments of the invention and in which: 25 Figure 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a possible construction for a refrigerating appliance, having a freezer compartment adjacent to an air cooling compartment including an evaporator and a fan, illustrating the arrangement for air distribution 30 of the present invention; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the freezer compartment, taken according to a plane orthogonal to that of figure 1, but illustrating another construction for the distributing 35 tube; and WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 4 Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to that of figure 2, but illustrating three more possible constructions for the distributing tube. Detailed Description of the Invention 5 In order to comply with the objects proposed above, the arrangement of the present invention is applied to a refrigerating appliance of the type which comprises, in the interior of a cabinet, at least one freezer compartment 10 closed by a door 11 and provided with a 10 distributing tube 20, which is mounted close to a rear wall of the respective freezer compartment 10, in order to receive a forced cool airflow from an air cooling compartment 30 in which are provided an evaporator 40 and a fan 50 usually mounted close to a 15 rear wall of the freezer compartment 10. The present invention will be described in relation to a known usual construction of a combined refrigerating appliance, having a lower freezer compartment 10 and presenting forced ventilation, as illustrated in 20 figure 1 of the enclosed drawings. To the interior of the freezer compartment 10 is insufflated cool air, which is coming from front openings 21 located in the distributing tube 20 generally located in the region of the rear wall of 25 the freezer compartment 10 and having an end, for example the upper end, receiving a forced cool airflow coming from the air cooling compartment 30. However, though not illustrated, the arrangement of present invention can be applied to a refrigerating 30 appliance other than that of the illustrated combined type, as long as it comprises a freezer compartment 10 provided with a front door 11 and, close to a rear wall, with a distributing tube 20. The arrangement of the present invention comprises at 35 least one distributing tube 60 located in an upper WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 5 portion of the freezer compartment 10 and having: a rear end 61 opened to the inside of the air cooling compartment 30; a front end 62 disposed in the front region of the freezer compartment 10 adjacent to the 5 front door 11 of the latter and which is provided with at least one front opening 63 facing said front region of the freezer compartment 10 and the region of the front door 11. In the illustrated construction, the freezer 10 compartment 10 is provided with only one distributing tube 60 situated close to the upper wall 12 of the freezer compartment 10 or defined in the interior of said upper wall 12 of the freezer compartment 10, as illustrated in figure 1, and presenting a rectilinear 15 longitudinal tube extension 64 disposed along the upper wall 12 of the freezer compartment 10, for example in the middle thereof. As illustrated in figure 2, the distributing tube 60 can be placed adjacent or close to the upper wall 12 of the freezer 20 compartment 10 and being defined, for example by a chute, with a "U" shaped section, which is superiorly closed by the upper wall 12 itself of the freezer compartment. In figure 3, the distributing tube 60 takes the form 25 of a chute, similar to that of figure 2 but with a lower height, which is mounted below a longitudinal recess 13 provided in the lower face of the upper wall 12 of the freezer compartment 10. In figure 4, the distributing tube 60 is defined by a 30 longitudinal recess 13, provided in the lower face of the upper wall 12 of the freezer compartment 10 and presenting a depth that is sufficient to define the adequate cross-section for the distributing tube 60, said longitudinal recess 13 having a closing lower 35 wall 13a in the form of a plate which is seated and WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 6 secured below the upper wall 12 of the freezer compartment 10. It should be understood that in the embodiment of figure 2, the chute that defines the distributing tube 5 60 can present a height sufficient to assume the function of a shelf, onto whose bottom wall can be seated products with reduced height, such as ice molds. As illustrated in figure 5, the distributing tube 60 10 can take the form of an "U" shaped chute, superiorly closed by the upper wall 12 itself of the freezer compartment 10 and whose side walls, or other parts of its structure, are slidingly supported on rails 15 which are provided, for example, on the opposite side 15 walls of the freezer compartment 10, or on the upper wall 12 of the latter. In this case, the distributing tube 60 defines a kind of drawer, which can have its height dimensioned so as to store products of low height, without impairing the forced cool airflow 20 directed to the front region of the freezer compartment 10. It should be further understood that said drawer could take the form of a tubular chute. The longitudinal tube extension 64 can incorporate, frontally, at least one tube extension 65, which is 25 downwardly inclined and provided with at least one front opening 63. In a constructive option of the present invention, the tube extension 65 is provided inside the upper wall of the freezer compartment 10. In one construction, the longitudinal tube extension 30 64 of the distributing tube 60 can incorporate, frontally, a plurality of front openings 63 forwardly facing towards the front door 11 of the freezer compartment 10, in order to insufflate cool air to the front region of the latter. 35 According to the present invention, the front openings WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 7 63 can have different inclinations directed to at least one of the forward and downward directions, in order to direct respective forced cool airflow respectively towards the front door 11 of the freezer 5 compartment 10 and to the front portion of the interior of the freezer compartment 10. In the embodiment illustrated in figure 1, the distributing tube 60 is also provided with at least one ascending rear tube extension 66, which is opened 10 to the air cooling compartment 30 so as to receive from the latter the cool air to be conducted to the front region of the freezer compartment 10. The construction proposed by the present invention allows obtaining an improved distribution of cool air 15 into the interior of selected regions of the freezer compartment 10, providing better and safer conditions for food preservation. Besides the above-described aspect, the construction proposed herein makes the temperatures of the region 20 of the front door 11 approximate the temperatures observed inside the freezer compartment 10, promoting a better preservation of the food stored therein. While the invention has been described and illustrated in relation to certain embodiments, it should be 25 understood that changes in the form and in the physical arrangement of the elements could be made, without departing from the constructive concept defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An arrangement for air distribution in a freezer compartment of the type closed by a front door (11) and to which is generally mounted, close to a 5 respective rear wall, an air cooling compartment (30) in which an evaporator (40) and a fan (50) are lodged, characterized in that it comprises at least one ,distributing tube (60) disposed in an upper portion of the freezer compartment (10) and having: a rear end 10 (61) maintained in fluid communication with the interior of the air cooling compartment (30) ; a front end (62) disposed in the front region of the freezer compartment (10) adjacent to the front door (11) of the latter and provided with at least one front 15 opening (63) facing said front region of the freezer compartment (10) and the region of the front door (11) of the latter.

2. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) is 20 provided close to an upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment (10).

3. The arrangement as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) is defined in the interior of the upper wall (12) of the 25 freezer compartment (10).

4. The arrangement as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) comprises a longitudinal tube extension (64) disposed along the upper wall of the freezer compartment (10) 30 and frontally incorporating at least one tube extension (65) downwardly facing and provided with front openings (63).

5. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that the front openings (63) are 35 turned to at least one of the forward and downward WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 9 directions, in order to direct respective forced cool airflows, respectively, toward: the front door (11) of the freezer compartment (10) and the front portion of the freezer compartment (10). 5

6. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that the tube extension (65) is downwardly inclined and provided in the interior of the upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment (10).

7. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, 10 characterized in that the distributing tube (60) is provided with at least one ascending rear tube extension (66) which is opened to the air cooling compartment (30) so as to receive, from the latter, the air to be conducted to the tube extension (65). 15

8. The arrangement as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) takes the form of a chute, with a "U" shaped section, which is superiorly closed by the upper wall (12) itself of the freezer compartment (10). 20

9. The arrangement as set forth in claim 8, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) in the form of a chute is mounted below a respective longitudinal recess (13) provided in the lower face of the upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment (10). 25

10. The arrangement as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) comprises a longitudinal recess (13) provided in the lower face of the upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment (10) and defining the cross section of the 30 distributing tube (60), said longitudinal recess (13) having a closing lower wall (13a) in the form of a plate which is seated and secured below the upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment.

11. The arrangement as set forth in claim 2, 35 characterized in that the distributing tube (60) takes WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 10 the form of a chute which is slidingly seated, like a drawer, on rails (15) provided in the inside of the freezer compartment (10). WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 11 AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 11 October 2004 (11.10.04); original claim 1 amended; original claims 3, 8, 9 and 11 deleted; remaining claims renumbered] CLAIMS 1. An arrangement for air distribution in a freezer compartment of the type closed by a front door (11) and to which is generally mounted, close to a 5 respective rear wall, an air cooling compartment (30) in which an evaporator (40) and a fan (50) are lodged, characterized in that it comprises at least one distributing tube (60) defined in the interior of an upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment (10) and 10 having: a rear end (61) maintained in fluid communication with the interior of the air cooling compartment (30) ; a front end (62) disposed in the front region of the freezer compartment (10) adjacent to the front door (11) of the latter and provided with 15 at least one front opening (63) facing said front region of the freezer compartment (10) and the region of the front door (11) of the latter. 2. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) is 20 provided close to an upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment (10). 3.The arrangement as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) comprises a longitudinal tube extension (64) disposed 25 along the upper wall of the freezer compartment (10) and frontally incorporating at least one tube extension (65) downwardly facing and provided with front openings (63). 4. The arrangement as set forth in claim 3, 30 characterized in that the front openings (63) are turned to at least one of the forward and downward directions, in order to direct respective forced cool airflows, respectively, toward: the front door (11) of the freezer compartment (10) and the front portion of 35 the freezer compartment (10) . AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19) WO 2004/109202 PCT/BR2004/000084 12 5. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the tube extension (65) is downwardly inclined and provided in the interior of the upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment (10). 5 6. The arrangement as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the distributing tube (6o) is provided with at least one ascending rear tibe extension (66) which is opened to the air cooling compartment (30) so as to receive, from the latter, 10 the air to be conducted to the tube extension (65). 7. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the distributing tube (60) comprises a longitudinal recess (13) provided in the lower face of the upper wall (12) of the freezer 15 compartment (10) and defining the cross section of the distributing tube (60), said longitudinal recess (13) having a closing lower wall (13a) in the form of a plate which is seated and secured below the upper wall (12) of the freezer compartment. AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19)