Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
  • A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
  • A47F3/0439—Cases or cabinets of the open type
  • A47F3/0443—Cases or cabinets of the open type with forced air circulation

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a horizontal and open sales refrigeration unit, intended for frozen or refrigerated products.
• both horizontal and vertical refrigeration cabinets tend to be open, that is, without a cover or protective door, to facilitate and encourage the spontaneous purchase of food by consumers.
• the foodstuffs are directly exposed to the ambient air which is generally at a temperature of about 25-30 ° C and are subjected to infrared radiation from the external environment which heats them.
• These refrigeration units have a main cold air circuit to form one or more curtains of cold air on the exposed surface of frozen or refrigerated products, in order to keep them in a satisfactory state.
• cold air has generally been blown on the exposed surface of the foodstuffs at a temperature of, for example, between -28 and -30 ° C and at a speed of about 0.8- 1 m / s for example, to extract by forced convection the heat absorbed by radiation by foodstuffs.
• the cold air curtain blows little with the ambient air, thus minimizing the heating of the cold air curtain by convective heat transfer with the ambient air, which reduces the amount of energy that must supply the main circuit evaporator for each refrigeration cycle,
• the small amount of air mixed above the curtain of cold air is weakly entrained by the circulation of the cold air flow and remains confined in the cabinet due to its low speed, thus forming a "bathtub" filled with relatively cooler air than ambient air, which reduces heat transfer with the air curtain.
• the aforementioned bathtub is generally materialized by the side walls of the refrigerating cabinet which protrude by a certain height from the surface of the foodstuffs.
• the present invention therefore aims to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a horizontal and open refrigerated sales cabinet, intended for frozen or refrigerated products, ensuring optimum refrigeration of the latter while limiting energy expenditure and despite higher cold air flow rates.
• the subject of the present invention is a horizontal and open refrigerated sales cabinet, intended for frozen or refrigerated foodstuffs, of the type comprising a main cold air circuit having nozzles for blowing cold air at a higher speed. , for example of the order of 2 m / s, to form at least one curtain of cold air on the surface of the products which are exposed to ambient air and a return of this cold air, characterized in that comprises a deflector at the level of the cold air return to return a flow of mixed air relatively cooler than the ambient air in the opposite direction above the aforementioned curtain of cold air, forming a loop of relatively mixed air cold intermediate between the curtain of cold air and the ambient air, which reconstitutes the "bathtub" effect mentioned above.
• the deflector has in section a substantially U-shaped shape whose opening is oriented towards the interior of the cabinet.
• the deflector has a substantially flattened C or chistera shape in section, the opening of which is oriented towards the inside of the cabinet, the deflector then also having the function of partially shielding infrared radiation.
• the upper part of the deflector is equipped with an internal lining and spaced therefrom, said lining defining with said upper part of the deflector a divergent channel or with increasing section in the opposite direction to the flow of cold air flow, which slows down the flow speed of the surface layer of mixed air in the bathtub and thus reduces turbulence at the interface between ambient air and the above-mentioned intermediate air loop .
• the lower part of the deflector is equipped with a separator to separate the flow of air sucked in by the main circuit from the flow of mixed air returned in the opposite direction in the cabinet, which reduces thus the turbulence at the level of the separation zone of the two flows.
• the separator is a plate curved in the direction of the flow of mixed air entering the deflector, said plate being spaced from the lower part of the deflector to define a secondary passage with the air intake.
• the separator is a plate curved in the direction of the flow of cold air drawn in by the main circuit, said plate being spaced from the lower part of the deflector to define a secondary passage with the air intake.
• the glazing may functionally be part of the aforementioned deflector.
• a vertical panel can be mounted above the above-mentioned deflector to form a second bathtub above the above-mentioned intermediate loop.
• the furniture of the invention comprises a structure with multiple layers of air, more and more cold, starting for example from a layer of surface air slowed down to the main curtain of cold air , passing through the mixed cooler intermediate air loop.
• Figure 1 is a schematic view, in vertical section and in elevation of a refrigeration unit according to one invention.
• Figure 2 is a schematic view in vertical section of the upper part of another embodiment of the furniture of the invention.
• Figure 3 is a schematic view in vertical section of the air return portion of yet another embodiment of the furniture of the invention.
• Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Figure 3, but showing alternative embodiments in which the separator is respectively curved upward and downward.
• Figures 6 to 8 show the same deflector as that of Figure 4, on which is mounted respectively a vertical panel, a transparent horizontal plate and the combined assembly of the panel and the plate.
• the refrigerated display cabinet of the invention comprises a box 1 with a double wall containing an insulator 2, by example made of polyurethane, and having for example a substantially elongated shape and open upwards- defining a horizontal upper opening 3.
• an insulator 2 by example made of polyurethane, and having for example a substantially elongated shape and open upwards- defining a horizontal upper opening 3.
• a tank 4 for storing frozen or refrigerated products 5 (shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 2 to 8) is mounted inside the box 1, so that a sheath 6 for the main circulation of recycled cold air is defined between the internal wall of the box 1 and the external wall of the tank 4.
• a suction fan 7 and an evaporator 8 are mounted through the sheath 6, the evaporator being supplied with refrigerant.
• the above-mentioned sheath 6 opens at the upper opening 3 into blowing nozzles 9 which produce at least one curtain of cold air R on the surface of the tank 4.
• the heat absorbed by the food by radiation from the ambient environment is extracted from it by forced convection between the surface of the frozen or refrigerated food contained in the tank 4 and the curtain of cold air R.
• the curtain of cold air R is recycled into the sheath 6 by suction at an air intake 10.
• the upper part of the box 1 at the level of the cold air intake 10 here consists of triple vertical transparent glazing 11 to facilitate the viewing of the food by the consumer.
• the innermost glazing of the aforementioned triple glazing 11 is functionally part of the deflector Dl of the invention which here comprises an upper wall 12 equipped with an internal lining 13, and a separation plate 14 in the form of a longitudinal fin and curved downwards or in the direction of the cold air intake, in the vicinity of the glazing 11.
• the profiled fin 14 promotes the directional flow of the curtain of cold air R towards the main circuit 6 and of the mixed air flow entrained by the turbulent flow of the curtain R towards the deflector Dl to cause it to return in the opposite direction to the - above curtain R, following loop B.
• the lining 13 which is in the form of a sheet metal curved downwards and towards the glazing 11, is spaced therefrom to define a divergent channel C or with increasing section through which a layer d superficial mixed air S whose speed is low to reduce turbulence at the interface with the external ambient air.
• the curved end of the separation fin 14 is also spaced from the glazing 11 to define a secondary passage Pi towards the main circuit 6.
• this secondary passage PI facilitates the separation of the flow of cold air and of mixed air at the level of the return air.
• the T-shaped floor is shown in FIG. 1 to define the orientation of the aforementioned panoramic sales refrigeration unit.
• FIG. 2 schematically shows the upper part of another embodiment of the furniture of the invention.
• the deflector D2 has in vertical section perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the piece of furniture, a substantially flattened C or chistera shape, the opening of which is oriented towards the inside of the piece of furniture.
• the deflector D2 here extends over a large part of the upper opening 3 of the box 1 to partially protect the foodstuffs 5 from infrared radiation, while in FIG. 1, the deflector Dl is clearly smaller and confined at the level of the air intake.
• the deflector D2 here has neither separator nor lining.
• the deflector D2 could alternatively be much smaller and confined to the level of the air intake zone 10.
• FIG. 3 partially represents yet another embodiment of the cabinet of the invention, in which the deflector D3 has a substantially U-shaped shape, the opening of which is oriented towards the interior of the cabinet.
• the deflector D3 here has a larger size than the deflector Dl of FIG. 1 and is distinguished from the latter in particular by the fact that the separator 15 is here a plate ensuring a continuous connection both with the internal wall of the deflector D3 and with the inner wall of the box 1, so that the aforementioned passage PI is here deleted.
• FIG. 4 represents a variant of the embodiment represented in FIG. 3, in which the separator 16 is a plate in the shape of a profiled fin curved upwards in the direction of the flow of mixed air B.
• the curved end of the fin 16 is spaced here from the lower part of the deflector D3 to define a secondary passage P2 communicating with the main circuit 6.
• FIG. 5 represents a variant of FIG. 3, in which the separator 14 has a shape substantially identical to that of FIG. 1.
• Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6, except that the panel 17 has been removed and replaced by a horizontal transparent plate, for example glass or plastic such as polymethacrylate, fixed on the deflector D3 in the plane of its upper wall 12 , to facilitate the visualization of food 5.
• a horizontal transparent plate for example glass or plastic such as polymethacrylate
• FIG. 8 groups together the variants of FIGS. 6 and 7, with the panel 17 mounted on the aforementioned plate 18.
• the flows of cold or relatively cold air with respect to the ambient air define a stratified structure or with a multiple layer of air ensuring minimal energy loss at the opening 3.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Freezers Or Refrigerated Showcases (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9484456

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1995
  • 1995-11-10 FR FR9513359A patent/FR2741141B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1996
  • 1996-10-31 DE DE69623061T patent/DE69623061T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-10-31 EP EP96937385A patent/EP0957732B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-10-31 WO PCT/FR1996/001725 patent/WO1997017003A1/fr not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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