GB2043226A

GB2043226A - A small refrigerator utilizable in motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner

Info

Publication number: GB2043226A
Application number: GB8004240A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: DIAVIA SpA
Current assignee: DIAVIA SpA
Priority date: 1979-02-12
Filing date: 1980-02-08
Publication date: 1980-10-01
Also published as: IT1120309B; DE3004716A1; FR2448446A1; IT7903320A0; DE8003377U1

Abstract

A small refrigerator, particularly for motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner, comprising a chamber 3 provided with an access door 4 and at least one shutter-baffle device 6 by means of which it is possible to determine and regulate the inflow of air to the inside of the chamber 3 via an inlet mouth 2 with which the latter is provided, connected directly to the delivery duct of an air conditioner C installed in the motor vehicle. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A small refrigerator utilizable in motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner The invention relates to a small refrigeratorutiliz- able in motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner, through which it is possible to create a small, force cooled, compartment that is particularly suitable to contain foodstuffs, drinks and medicines etcetera, with use being made, in part, of the units of refigeration forthcoming from the said air conditioner.

The refrigerator in question can, out of preference, be placed to the front of the gear lever, and take the place of the glove compartment with which many motor vehicles are provided. The refrigerator has a door at the top which gives access to the inside thereof, is connected at the front to the delivery of the air conditioner, by means of a special duct, whilst the rear part of the refrigerator is provided with at least one shutter-baffle device through which it is possible to regulate the flow of fresh air that passes across the refrigerator and, therefore, to regulate the degree of coldness of the items placed therein.

The said small refrigerator according to the invention is characterized substantially by the fact that it is formed by at least one chamber made in one single unit or made out of a number of interconnected units, provided at the top with at least one door to gain access thereto, and at the side with at least one adjustable opening shutter-baffle device, and having, furthermore, an inlet mouth placed in direct connection with the delivery duct of the air conditioner, the inflow of air passing in the delivery duct of the air conditioner to the inside of the said chamber being determined and regulated by the major or minor opening position of the said shutterbaffle device.

A solution of this nature advantageously eliminates the need to have to install complex devices for cooling the refrigerator which would obviously take up a considerable amount of space inside the motor vehicle and, additionally, would drain a lot of electricity from the supply circuit of the vehicle.

The characteristics of the invention and the advantages derived therefrom will now be outlined in the description that follows of one preferred form of embodiment, illustrated purely as an unlimited example on the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows, in longitudinal sectional form, the refrigerator in question connected to an air conditioner of the type used in the motor vehicles known commercially under the name FIAT-RITMO; Figure 2 shows, diagrammatically and in a perspective view, the refrigerator in question disconnected from the conditioner.

The air conditioner shown at C in Figure 1 is composed of a composite chamber inside which is mounted an electric fan D, the air intake of which is via openings, such as that shown at F and others not illustrated herein, the said air being obliged to pass through a vaporizer group E and to then exit fresh from the front opening G.

According to the invention, in the lower part of the body of the conditioner, downstream with respect to the vaporizer, there is an opening 1 into which is precision inserted a connecting mouthpiece 2 at the top front of a chamber 3, of any suitable shape and material, that constitutes the small refrigerator in question.

The said chamber 3 is provided at the top with a door 4 provided with a handle 104 that is pivoted at 5 to the body of the chamber 3. The latter has at the rear a shutter-baffle device 6 of any suitable type (best seen in Figure 2).

The air exiting from the vapori er E, because of the load loss that takes place in the delivery duct of the conditioner, issues in part from the front opening G of the said conditioner and, via the connecting mouthpiece 2, enters in part the chamber 3. By moving the shutter-baffle device 6 it is possible to regulate the flow of fresh air that can pass through the chamber 3 and, therefore, to regulate the cooling degree and time of the products stored in the chamber 3 that constitutes the small refrigerator.

The air that issues from the shutter-baffle device 6 goes into the inside of the motor vehicle and it can be suitably orientated to cool both passengers at the front and at the rear in the best possible way.

In one preferred form of embodiment, the chamber 3 constituting the small refrigerator is, out of preference, composed of two parts 103 and 203 that slot in superposed one over the other and are fixed by the screws 7. Any suitable thermal insulating material can be used to line the inside of the complete assembly.The chamber 3 constituting the small refrigerator can preferably have its front part (seen on the right in Figure 2), the shape of which virtually follows that of the conditioner in order to make full use of all possible space, underneath the latter, whilst the other extremity thereof can be provided with a sort of handle 8 having a hole 9 in it through which the bell of the gear lever L passes, this being to conceal vacant spaces between the said small refrigerator 3 and the gear lever Land to prevent, due to its being accidentally knocked at the sides, the said refrigerator 3 from becoming detached from the conditioner.

It should be understood that the description refers to one preferred form of embodiment for the device, to which numerous variants and modifications, above all of a constructional nature, may be made in relation to a different conformation for the refrigerator or to a different arrangement for the refrigerator in the inside of the vehicle, as well as to a different connection of said refrigerator to conditioners that may also differ from and be installed in a different manner from that illustrated in Figure 1, all this, however, without deviating from the informatory principles of the invention as outlined above, as illustrated and as claimed hereunder.

A small refrigerator particularly suitable for motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner, essential features of which are that it is formed by at least one chamber 3 made in one single unit or made out of a number of interconnected units 103-203, provided

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

SPECIFICATION A small refrigerator utilizable in motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner The invention relates to a small refrigeratorutiliz- able in motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner, through which it is possible to create a small, force cooled, compartment that is particularly suitable to contain foodstuffs, drinks and medicines etcetera, with use being made, in part, of the units of refigeration forthcoming from the said air conditioner.

The refrigerator in question can, out of preference, be placed to the front of the gear lever, and take the place of the glove compartment with which many motor vehicles are provided. The refrigerator has a door at the top which gives access to the inside thereof, is connected at the front to the delivery of the air conditioner, by means of a special duct, whilst the rear part of the refrigerator is provided with at least one shutter-baffle device through which it is possible to regulate the flow of fresh air that passes across the refrigerator and, therefore, to regulate the degree of coldness of the items placed therein.

The said small refrigerator according to the invention is characterized substantially by the fact that it is formed by at least one chamber made in one single unit or made out of a number of interconnected units, provided at the top with at least one door to gain access thereto, and at the side with at least one adjustable opening shutter-baffle device, and having, furthermore, an inlet mouth placed in direct connection with the delivery duct of the air conditioner, the inflow of air passing in the delivery duct of the air conditioner to the inside of the said chamber being determined and regulated by the major or minor opening position of the said shutterbaffle device.

A solution of this nature advantageously eliminates the need to have to install complex devices for cooling the refrigerator which would obviously take up a considerable amount of space inside the motor vehicle and, additionally, would drain a lot of electricity from the supply circuit of the vehicle.

The characteristics of the invention and the advantages derived therefrom will now be outlined in the description that follows of one preferred form of embodiment, illustrated purely as an unlimited example on the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows, in longitudinal sectional form, the refrigerator in question connected to an air conditioner of the type used in the motor vehicles known commercially under the name FIAT-RITMO; Figure 2 shows, diagrammatically and in a perspective view, the refrigerator in question disconnected from the conditioner.

The air conditioner shown at C in Figure 1 is composed of a composite chamber inside which is mounted an electric fan D, the air intake of which is via openings, such as that shown at F and others not illustrated herein, the said air being obliged to pass through a vaporizer group E and to then exit fresh from the front opening G.

According to the invention, in the lower part of the body of the conditioner, downstream with respect to the vaporizer, there is an opening 1 into which is precision inserted a connecting mouthpiece 2 at the top front of a chamber 3, of any suitable shape and material, that constitutes the small refrigerator in question.

The said chamber 3 is provided at the top with a door 4 provided with a handle 104 that is pivoted at 5 to the body of the chamber 3. The latter has at the rear a shutter-baffle device 6 of any suitable type (best seen in Figure 2).

The air exiting from the vapori er E, because of the load loss that takes place in the delivery duct of the conditioner, issues in part from the front opening G of the said conditioner and, via the connecting mouthpiece 2, enters in part the chamber 3. By moving the shutter-baffle device 6 it is possible to regulate the flow of fresh air that can pass through the chamber 3 and, therefore, to regulate the cooling degree and time of the products stored in the chamber 3 that constitutes the small refrigerator.

The air that issues from the shutter-baffle device 6 goes into the inside of the motor vehicle and it can be suitably orientated to cool both passengers at the front and at the rear in the best possible way.

In one preferred form of embodiment, the chamber 3 constituting the small refrigerator is, out of preference, composed of two parts 103 and 203 that slot in superposed one over the other and are fixed by the screws 7. Any suitable thermal insulating material can be used to line the inside of the complete assembly.The chamber 3 constituting the small refrigerator can preferably have its front part (seen on the right in Figure 2), the shape of which virtually follows that of the conditioner in order to make full use of all possible space, underneath the latter, whilst the other extremity thereof can be provided with a sort of handle 8 having a hole 9 in it through which the bell of the gear lever L passes, this being to conceal vacant spaces between the said small refrigerator 3 and the gear lever Land to prevent, due to its being accidentally knocked at the sides, the said refrigerator 3 from becoming detached from the conditioner.

It should be understood that the description refers to one preferred form of embodiment for the device, to which numerous variants and modifications, above all of a constructional nature, may be made in relation to a different conformation for the refrigerator or to a different arrangement for the refrigerator in the inside of the vehicle, as well as to a different connection of said refrigerator to conditioners that may also differ from and be installed in a different manner from that illustrated in Figure 1, all this, however, without deviating from the informatory principles of the invention as outlined above, as illustrated and as claimed hereunder.

A small refrigerator particularly suitable for motor vehicles equipped with an air conditioner, essential features of which are that it is formed by at least one chamber 3 made in one single unit or made out of a number of interconnected units 103-203, provided at the top with at least one door 4 to gain access thereto, and at the side with at least one adjustable opening shutter-baffle device 6, the said chamber 3 having, furthermore, an inlet mouth 2 placed in direct connection with the delivery duct of the air conditioner C, the inflow of air passing in the delivery duct of the air conditioner C to the inside of the said chamber 3 being determined and regulated by the major or minor opening position of the said shutter-baffle device 6.