EP0036238B1

EP0036238B1 - Refrigerator comprising several preservation compartments at different temperatures

Info

Publication number: EP0036238B1
Application number: EP81200295A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuliano Piva
Original assignee: IRE Industrie Riunite Eurodomestici SpA; Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV; Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
Current assignee: IRE Industrie Riunite Eurodomestici SpA; Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 1980-03-18
Filing date: 1981-03-16
Publication date: 1984-06-13
Also published as: ES500389A0; DE3164073D1; EP0036238A3; EP0036238A2; ES8207331A1

Description

The invention relates to a refrigerator having a substantially rectangular vertical cross-section and comprising preservation compartments at different temperatures, a freezer compartment thereof being formed by subdividing by means of horizontal and vertical partitions the lower part of the interior refrigerator housing thereby forming a refrigerator compartment laterally of and above the freezer compartment, the refrigerator compartment comprising a zone of a width equal to the maximum internal width of the refrigerator housing, the freezer compartment and the refigerator compartment being closable by their own doors.
Such refrigerator is known from U.S. patent No. 3 726 578. This known refrigerator includes a partition dividing the interior of the cabinet into side-by-side freezer and refrigerator compartments, the upper end section of the partition being movable between vertical and horizontal positions to vary the relative widths of either of the two compartments. In one particular position the refrigerator compartment is located laterally of and above the freezer compartment. The compartments are closable by their own doors.
The object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator with two freezer compartments and refrigerator compartment having two sections, one of each being used frequently and therefore easily accessable for the user, i.e. at chest- height, and to provide the refrigerator with a wide refrigerator compartment for the storage of large or bulky goods. It is also an object of the invention to optimise the control of the temperatures of the compartments.
According to the invention the above- identified refrigerator is provided with a further freezer compartment closable by its own door and formed in the upper part of the interior refrigerator housing, and that the freezer compartments are located at opposite ends of a diagonal of the refrigerator cross-section by maintaining the zone of maximum width of the refrigerator compartment formed by at least two communicating sections, each closed by its own door, the freezer compartments being associated with a common forced air circulation refrigeration circuit and the refrigerator compartment being associated with an independent refrigerator circuit.
This division of the refrigerator has the advantage of less frequent operation of the refrigeration circuit and thus lower electricity consumption, because only the freezer compartment which is situated at a higher level than the other freezer compartment and which is preferably of smaller capacity than the other, is subjected to frequent opening and therefore cold loss. Furthermore, the freezer compartment of greater capacity is disposed at the bottom, i.e in a position corresponding with the coldest zones of the environment in which the refrigerator is installed, and this helps to reduce cold losses.
The refrigerator according to the invention also comprises a refrigeration compartment, one zone of which has a width equal to the maximum width of the refrigerator, this being useful for preserving large products. In addition, the provision of two doors for the refrigeration compartment helps to reduce cold losses, so reducing electricity consumption for the reasons heretofore stated. Finally, if the evaporator of the refrigeration circuit for the refrigeration compartment is disposed in its highest part, a temperature can be attained by simple means in the lower part of said compartment which is optimum for preserving fruit and vegetables, e.g. around 8°C.
For the purpose of better temperature adjustment, two independent refrigeration circuits are provided, one for the freezer compartments and one for the refrigeration compartment, the former being of the forced air circulation type, and the latter of the natural circulation type. A combination refrigerator-freezer of the forced air circulation type is known from U.S 3 411 312. This known combination has three compartments, one of which has a cold air controller permitting operation selectively as a refrigerator or feezer section. The air controller is locked open when the convertible compartment is operated as freezer and is thermally responsive to modulate the cold air flow when the compartment is operated as a refrigerator.
In one embodiment of the invention, the air flow towards at least one of the freezer compartments can be reduced by interception means of adjustable position. By this it is possible to set one of the freezer compartments at a different temperature from the other freezer compartment.
As a refrigeration circuit of the forced air circulation type comprises an evaporator bank struck by an air current provided by a fan and fed towards the freezer compartments through ducts which open thereat, then returning through other ducts, the interception means of adjustable position can be merely a slide valve movable for example manually, or a hinged flap, by means of which the outlet mouth of the ducts which feed the cold air into the freezer compartment can be reduced in size to a varying degree.
The invention will be more apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter by way of example, with reference to the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents a central perspective view of a refrigerator according to the invention with all its access doors open.
Fig. 2 represents a front diagrammatic view of a refrigerator similar to that of the aforesaid utility model, and which is shown without doors.

The reference numeral 1 indicates overall the refrigerator housing or cabinet constructed according to the known art and of parallelepiped shape, so that its projection on to a vertical plane is a rectangle. Two freezer compartments 2, 3, in which the products preserved therein can be kept at a temperature of -18°C or below, are provided at opposite ends of a diagonal of this rectangle. The compartments 2, 3 are separated laterally (by means of normal internal insulating walls 6, 7) by a refrigeration compartment designed for preserving products at a higher temperature, e.g. +4°C, and formed from two sections 4, 5. Each freezer compartment 2, 3 is provided with its own insulating door 2A, 3A. These doors are constructed in accordance with the known refrigerator art. The upper freezer compartment 2 has a capacity less than the lower compartment 3, as it is provided for preserving products which are more frequently consumed, and is therefore subject to more frequent opening. The two freezer compartments possess a common refrigeration circuit of the known forced air circulation type, of which the compartment 2 comprises the fan 8 for circulating air between the two compartments 2, 3 through ducts present in the refrigerator housing 1. Preferably the compartment 2 is divided by shelves 9, whereas the other compartment comprises slidable drawers 10 to give better space organisation.
Each of the two sections 4 and 5, through which the refrigeration compartment extends, is provided with its own insulating door 4A, 5A. The section 4 lies to the side of the upper freezer compartment 2, has a height greater than this latter, and is superposed on the lower freezer compartment 3.
The section 5 is situated below the freezer compartment 2 to the side of the lower freezer compartment 3, and has a height greater than this latter. By virtue of the fact that the sections 4, 5 have a greater height than the freezer compartments 2 and 3, they communicate with each other in such a manner that their communicating parts form a preservation space 11 which extends over the entire inner width of the refrigerator.
A shelf 14 (preferably removable) can be provided in the section 5 at a level corresponding with the top of the lower freezer compartment 3, in order to create in the lower part of the section 5 a so-called "continuous zone" having a preservation temperature of the order of +8°C, which is the optimum temperature for wine and other products, such as vegetables.
The refrigeration circuit of the refrigeration compartment 4, 5 is independent from the preceding, and refrigeration circuit, and is of the natural circulation type. The evaporator 12 of this circuit can be seen in the top of the section 4.
The various doors are fitted with conventional seal gaskets where these abut against the surrounding edges of the inner and outer walls 1 A, 6 and 7 of the housing 1, whereas at least over the portion where no abutment is present and where the seal must be made against facing edges of the doors 4A and 5A, different gaskets can be provided of a type known in the art.
It should be noted that in the horizontal dividing wall between the compartments 2 and 5, a seat 13 is provided for receiving the electrical control devices, the control members of which are accessible to the user in the intermediate space between the doors 2A and 5A, without the need to open them.
The refrigeration circuit common to the freezer compartments 2, 3 and of the forced air circulation type comprises a) an evaporator bank 20 traversed by a refrigerant fluid and connected to a condenser bank and a motor compressor unit (these latter two items not shown), and carried in an insulated chamber 21 situated for example to the rear of the compartment 3; b) a fan 22, in this case a centrifugal fan, the suction side of which is connected to the chamber 21, the fan also being disposed in an insulated seat; it is to be noted that the embodiment of Figure 2 is slightly different from that of Figure 1, since the fan 8 in Figure 1 is located differently from the fan 22 in Figure 2; c) parallel feed ducts 23, 24 located inside the insulation of the housing 1, connected to the delivery side of the fan 22 and opening respectively into the compartments 3 and 2 by way of the feed mouths 25, 26; d) corresponding parallel suction ducts 27 opening into the chamber 21 in a position such that the air taken in is compelled to graze the evaporator bank 20 before reaching the fan 22, and beginning with the suction mouths 28, 29 which open respectively into the compartments 2 and 3. The suction duct for the compartment 3 is very short and is not shown in the figure because the chamber 21 is very close to the mouth 29.
At the delivery mouth 25 for the compartment 3 there is provided a slide valve 30 which can be moved manually in the directions of the arrows A by means of a grip 31. The rear of the slide valve comprises two parallel grooves 32, by means of which it is slidably guided on the opposing parallel flanges 33 present on two sides of the mouth 25. It is apparent that if the mouth 25 is completely closed, the cold air will not be able to enter the compartment 3, and the temperature thereof will then be determined by the leakage of cold from the compartment 4, 5 to the compartment 3, and from this latter to the outside environment, and will be greater than either freezing temperature (-18°C or less) or the refrigeration temperature (4°C). If the mouth 25 is only partly open, the compartment 3 can become a refrigeration compartment in which the temperature will be for example 4°C, or a freezer compartment but with a temperature greater than the temperature of compartment 2. Finally, with the mouth completely open, the same temperature can be attained in both compartments 2 and 3. Even though the freezer compartment may not be used at the freezing temperature due to adjustment of the valve 30, it is nevertheless capable of providing the freezing temperature and, for present purpose, the term "freezing compartment" is to be understood as meaning a compartment capable of providing a freezing temperature. It is apparent that instead of the slide valve, a butterfly valve hinged to the mouth 25 or a swivel-type flap valve can be provided.

Claims

1. A refrigerator having a substantially rectangular vertical cross-section and including preservation compartments at different temperatures, a freezer compartment thereof being formed by subdividing by means of horizontal and vertical partitions the lower part of the interior refrigerator housing thereby forming a refrigerator compartment laterally of and above the freezer compartment, the refrigerator compartment comprising a zone with a width equal to the maximum internal width of the refrigerator housing, the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment being closable by their own doors, characterized in that a further freezer compartment (2) closable by its own door (2A) is formed in the upper part of the interior refrigerator housing, and that the freezer compartments (2, 3) are located at opposite ends of a diagonal of the refrigerator cross-section by maintaining the zone (11) of maximum width of the refrigerator compartment formed by at least two communicating sections (4, 5), each closed by its own door (4A, 5A), the freezer compartments being associated with a common forced air circulation refrigeration circuit and the refrigeration compartment being associated with an independent refrigerator circuit.

2. A refrigerator as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the lower freezer compartment (3) is fitted with drawers (10).

3. A refrigerator as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a compartment for housing the electrical controls (13) is disposed between the upper freezer compartment (2) and the lower section (5) of the refrigeration compartment.

4. A refrigerator as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the air flow towards at least one of the freezer compartments can be reduced by interception means of adjustable position.

5. A refrigerator as claimed in Claim 4, characterised in that interception means (30) are disposed at delivery mouths (25) for the freezer compartments.

6. A refrigerator as claimed in Claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the interception means are constituted by a slide valve (30), a butterfly valve or a swivel-type valve.