US20020184895A1 - Thermoelectric temperature controlled drawer assembly - Google Patents
Thermoelectric temperature controlled drawer assembly Download PDFInfo
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- US20020184895A1 US20020184895A1 US09/876,100 US87610001A US2002184895A1 US 20020184895 A1 US20020184895 A1 US 20020184895A1 US 87610001 A US87610001 A US 87610001A US 2002184895 A1 US2002184895 A1 US 2002184895A1
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- Prior art keywords
- drawer
- temperature controlled
- assembly according
- cabinet
- fan
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B21/00—Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects
- F25B21/02—Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
- F25B21/04—Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect reversible
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B2321/00—Details of machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects
- F25B2321/02—Details of machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects using Peltier effects; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effects
- F25B2321/021—Control thereof
- F25B2321/0211—Control thereof of fans
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
- F25B2700/21—Temperatures
- F25B2700/2104—Temperatures of an indoor room or compartment
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D25/00—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled
- F25D25/02—Charging, supporting, and discharging the articles to be cooled by shelves
- F25D25/024—Slidable shelves
- F25D25/025—Drawers
Definitions
- thermoelectric temperature controlled device including a drawer moveable within a cabinet designed to resemble a standard household end table, such as a night stand.
- Thermoelectric devices which can selectively maintain their contents at an elevated or reduced temperature are known in the art.
- Such a device traditionally contains a power supply which provides energy necessary to move electrons through energy states across a bimetallic heat sink. As the electrons move from a lower energy state to a higher energy state, a cold junction is produced. Heat absorbed at the cold side is pumped to a hot side in proportion to the current supplied. By reversing the direction of the current, and therefore the heat flow, it is possible to change from a cooling device to a heating device.
- Portable coolers could be used to store such items in potentially convenient locations, but this creates other problems.
- these passive coolers are typically only insulated boxes without any refrigeration systems and only function to maintain the difference between the internal and external temperatures. Therefore, in order to keep the contents at a reduced temperature, an additional cooling device must be used.
- the items could be placed in a refrigerator or freezer for a period before being placed in the cooler, or ice packs could be placed in the cooler to prolong the cooled state of the food items.
- non-refrigerated coolers only maintain the temperature of its contents. Because the cooler does not have any cooling device of its own, once the ice melts, or the items lose their initial cooled state, the entire cooler will cease to cool the items.
- thermoelectric cooling devices There have been developed systems for cooling using thermoelectric devices. These systems generally use a heat sink to dissipate heat from the device.
- a heat generating device is provided with a number of electrically conductive fingers or fins which conduct excess heat away from the heat generating device. The excess heat is dissipated through the fingers. The amount of heat dissipated can be increased by forming the fingers with greater surface areas and/or creating an air flow across the fingers.
- a fan draws air from inside a cooling chamber and blows the air across the cold side of a heat sink. Electric current flowing through the thermoelectric device causes heat to flow from the cold side to the hot side. As such, heat is extracted from the air inside the cooling chamber and drawn across the heat sink to the hot side, where the heat is dissipated.
- thermoelectric cooling element is on a wall adjacent to the opening. Therefore, when the cooler is opened, the fan inside the thermoelectric cooling element is drawing in ambient air. In addition, the thermoelectric unit does not efficiently distribute the cooled air throughout the chamber.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,836 to Corini discloses a cooling unit including an inner shell with a plurality of holes inside an associated cooling chamber. By positioning a thermoelectric device and fan between the inner shell and an outer shell, the fan distributes cooled air through the gap formed between the two shells. The cooled air then enters the cooling chamber through the holes. Although such a configuration works well for a device such as an ice cream cart, inserting a drawer into the cooling chamber would prevent adequate cooling of the chamber. Additionally, because air cannot flow across the hot side heat sink, the potential efficiency of the thermoelectric device is reduced.
- thermoelectric device particularly adapted for conveniently storing and cooling food items.
- compact thermoelectric cooling device which can be used in various environments, particularly in connection with conveniently storing food items in areas outside the kitchen.
- the present invention is particularly directed to a cooling unit using a thermoelectric device with a fan to circulate cooled air throughout a cooling chamber. More specifically, a first fan is provided to draw air from the cooling chamber and blow the air across a cold side heat sink. The electric current supplied to the thermoelectric device causes the cold side heat sink to draw heat from the air and pass the absorbed heat to the hot side heat sink where it can be dissipated.
- the entire apparatus is preferably designed to resemble an end table, such as a nightstand, found in a typical household.
- a drawer is installed inside the thermoelectric cooling device.
- the fan blows cooled air from between an inner liner and an outer liner, and the drawer is designed to allow for the circulation of air through the drawer.
- the same fan also draws air from inside the drawer, causes the air to flow over the cold side heat sink and then recycles the air back into the drawer.
- the drawer is designed with various ports and openings to accommodate the desired circulation.
- the drawer is essentially constituted by a frame with many holes, rather than a traditional drawer having solid side walls.
- the thermoelectric device is also provided with a second fan to increase system efficiency.
- the thermoelectric device draws the air from inside the cooling chamber and blows the air across the cold side heat sink prior to returning the cooled air to the cooling chamber, the thermoelectric device causes absorbed heat to travel to a hot side heat sink.
- the second fan is located near the hot side heat sink such that the excess heat can be more quickly dissipated. With both the cold side heat sink fan and the hot side heat sink fan running, the temperature regulating efficiency of the thermoelectric device can be greatly increased.
- thermoelectric cooling drawer of the invention can also be used to heat the contents of the drawer.
- a switch is provided to reverse the polarity of the power supply. This causes the heat flow direction to be reversed and heat to build up on the drawer side of the thermoelectric device.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the thermoelectric cooling device of the invention
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drawer, incorporated in the thermoelectric cooling device of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the cooling chamber portion of the thermoelectric cooling device of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional top view of a rear portion of the thermoelectric cooling device of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the rear portion of the thermoelectric cooling device of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a thermoelectric cooling device 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention.
- a cabinet 15 is provided which essentially resembles a nightstand used in a typical bedroom, but could equally constitute another type of end table such as that found in a living room or a family room.
- Cabinet 15 includes at least a top 16 , opposing side walls 17 and a front 18 .
- Inside cabinet 15 is defined a drawer space 20 which opens at front 18 of cabinet 15 .
- a drawer 22 Disposed inside drawer space 20 is a drawer 22 .
- the drawer 22 is shown to include a face 23 , two upstanding, spaced apart sides 25 and 26 , and a bottom 28 extending between sides 25 and 26 .
- Opposite drawer face 23 is a substantially parallel back 30 as best shown in FIG. 2.
- Drawer 22 is preferably suspended on rails 32 which mate with corresponding rail structure inside drawer space 20 to allow for sliding movement of drawer 22 in and out of cabinet 15 .
- Each of the sides 25 and 26 is provided with enlarged vent holes 35 , with enlarged vent holes 35 being preferably rectangular in shape and spaced along the length of a respective side 25 , 26 to allow for air flow.
- an annular magnetic strip 36 is At the front 18 of cabinet 15 , slightly spaced from and extending about drawer space 20 , arranged for sealing face 23 to front 18 when drawer 22 is closed, as will be discussed further below.
- FIG. 2 shows the entire structure of drawer 22 which has been removed from cabinet 15 .
- Drawer 22 basically constitutes a box, with the top removed and vent holes 35 provided.
- the main distinction between a standard cabinet drawer and drawer 22 of the invention is the structure of sides 25 and 26 , as well as back 30 .
- On each of sides 25 and 26 three pairs of vent holes 35 are preferably provided.
- Back 30 has an enlarged opening 54 .
- Vent holes 35 and opening 54 allow for the circulation of air, as will be detailed below.
- Drawer wheels 56 are shown below rails 32 on each of sides 25 and 26 . In general, the construction and operation of rails 32 and wheels 56 are widely known in the art and therefore will not be described in detail here.
- FIG. 2 also shows a gasket 58 disposed on an inside of face 23 . Because sides 25 and 26 are preferably elongated and parallel, drawer 22 is generally rectangular in shape. When drawer 22 is closed, gasket 58 abuts front 18 to effectively seal space 20 and prevent any influx of ambient air.
- gasket 58 has an internal metal member (not shown) which becomes seated against magnetic strip 36 upon closing of drawer 22 in order to provide a substantially air tight seal.
- other sealing arrangements could be used and the positioning of the gasket 58 and magnetic strip 36 could be reversed.
- FIG. 3 shows the inside of drawer space 20 , with drawer 22 removed.
- drawer space 20 is defined by two spaced apart side walls 70 and 71 , a bottom wall 72 and a back wall 73 , all of which are preferably, integrally formed by a single, thermoformed plastic liner.
- Located at each of side walls 70 , 71 is a vent 75 which is preferably flush with the respective side wall 70 , 71 .
- a plurality of fore-to-aft spaced outlets in the form of slits 78 are present along vents 75 .
- a first or inside fan 84 In the center of back wall 73 is a first or inside fan 84 . Attached to the sides of, and in fluid communication with, inside fan 84 are two plenums 85 and 86 . Where plenums 85 and 86 attach to inside fan 84 , each plenum 85 , 86 is defined by an enlarged section 87 . Each plenum 85 , 86 extends laterally from adjacent inside fan 84 completely to a respective side wall 70 , 71 within drawer space 20 , as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Below inside fan 84 is a drip pan 89 . In the embodiment shown, drip pan 89 has an associated drain 93 used to direct condensate through bottom wall 72 .
- drain 93 preferably leads to a collecting pan located within cabinet 15 below drawer space 20 .
- drain 93 need not be provided, wherein drip pan 89 will simply function to collect any condensate. As clearly shown in FIG. 3, drip pan 89 is readily accessible upon removing drawer 22 .
- roller 98 and rails 96 and 97 are of a conventional design and function to support/guide drawer 22 into and out of drawer space 20 in combination with rails 32 and drawer wheels 56 in a manner known in the art as discussed above.
- rails 96 , 97 and rollers 98 mate with drawer rails 32 and drawer wheels 56 to allow drawer 22 to slide in and out of drawer space 20 .
- heat sink 124 is divided into a cold side 126 and a hot side 128 .
- cold side 126 is located near inside fan 84
- hot side 128 is located near outside fan 120 .
- heat sink 124 is provided with a plurality of fingers or fins 129 and 130 to assist in heat dissipation and absorption.
- Adjacent hot side 128 of heat sink 124 is a power supply 140 which delivers electricity to heat sink 124 .
- Power supply 140 includes a standard three-prong plug 142 which is adapted to fit into a common household grounded socket. Via a switch wire 144 , a control box 145 , incorporating control circuitry and an adjustable control element or switch (not shown), is electrically connected to power supply 140 to direct power to heat sink 124 .
- Control box 145 is connected to both cold side 126 and hot side 128 through a cold side wire 146 and a hot side wire 148 , respectively.
- Switch box 145 is shown as being attached to a rear of cabinet 15 , but may be in any location, as long as the electrical connections are maintained.
- control box 145 preferably houses a rotary or other switching arrangement that is used to selectively regulate the power transferred from supply 140 to heat sink 124 .
- drip pan 89 extends below cold side 126 and is preferably accessible upon removing drawer 22 from drawer space 20 .
- a second drip pan 148 is located below hot side 128 to funnel any condensate into a second drain 150 .
- thermoelectric cooling device 10 When thermoelectric cooling device 10 , and hence control box 145 , is in a COOL mode, a maximum temperature is selected through control box 145 .
- control box 145 detects an over temperature condition, both inside fan 84 and outside fan 120 are activated to blow air across fins 129 and 130 of heat sink 124 .
- Inside fan 84 draws air from inside drawer 22 , through opening 54 , and blows the air across fins 129 of cool side 126 . Because the current is flowing from cold side 126 to hot side 128 and the current pulls the heat with it, cold side 126 draws heat from the air into heat sink 124 .
- the inclusion of fins 129 and 130 allows a more efficient transfer of heat at both sides of heat sink 124 .
- each vent hole 35 aligns with multiple slits 78 such that, as the air flowing out of slits 78 deaccelerates and expands in breadth, substantially the entire air flow will be directed into drawer 22 .
- the air is then recirculated within drawer 22 and drawn to inside fan 84 through opening 54 .
- the heat absorbed through fins 129 on cold side 126 is moved through heat sink 124 to hot side 128 .
- hot side 128 also has its own fins 130
- outside fan 120 assists in the dissipation of the absorbed heat by blowing air across fins 130 and out a plurality of louvers 152 provided at the back face of cabinet 15 .
- Thermoelectric cooling device 10 of the invention may also be used to heat the contents of drawer 22 .
- control box 145 can accessed to selectively determine the direction of the current flow through heat sink 124 . Because of the thermoelectric properties of heat sink 124 , when the current flows from cold side 126 to hot side 128 , the current pulls the heat with it. Therefore, when control box 145 is placed in a COOL setting, the current is caused to flow to cold side 126 of heat sink 124 . When a HOT setting is selected, the current flows in the opposite direction through heat sink 124 , and hot side 128 and cold side 126 actually flip, i.e., the side adjacent inside fan 84 becomes the hot side and the side adjacent outside fan 120 becomes the cold side.
- outside fan 120 draws in cool air through louvers 152 and blows the air across the fins on the cold side of heat sink 124 .
- Heat sink 124 absorbs heat from the air and pulls it across to the hot side. Air, which has been drawn through opening 54 from inside drawer 22 is then blown across fins 130 on the hot side, where it absorbs the excess heat which was pulled from the outside air. Finally, the treated air is then blown through plenums 85 and 86 and back into drawer 22 .
- drip pans 89 and 148 are located to collect any condensate which may develop on fins 129 and 130 on either side of heat sink 124 .
- ice will form on them.
- the temperature increases either because device 10 has been shut off or due to a low power state, the ice will melt.
- the melting ice will be collected in drip pans 89 and/or 148 .
- the invention requires two drip pans 93 and 148 because, depending upon the setting at control box 145 and the direction of current flow, ice and water may collect on either side of heat sink 124 . At this point, it should be realized that drip pans 89 and 148 may share a common drain.
- control box 145 may take on a variety of forms. In its simplest form, the switch would be a three-position switch, which can be set to COOL, HEAT, or OFF positions, with the current through heat sink 124 being constant, but the direction being alterable. In a more complex scheme, the switch can be constituted by a temperature dial, with control box 145 including electronic logic controls through which a user would select a desired temperature. Using the thermistor 160 , the controls would be able to determine the current temperature within drawer 22 and determine if device 10 should be placed in a COOL, HEAT or OFF mode. Therefore, control box 145 could automatically change the direction of current flow in response to the temperature reading from thermistor 160 . Control box 145 could also adjust the amount of current flowing through heat sink 124 to vary the amount of heat transfer. Alternatively, control box 145 may include a timer which would allow a user to set the apparatus to automatically start-up at a desired time.
- thermoelectric cooling device 10 may take the form of other household or office cabinetry. In any event, it is preferable that device 10 remain inconspicuous, while enabling the cabinet to perform multiple functions, i.e., as a cooling device and a table.
- thermoelectric cooling device 10 of the invention may include two temperature adjusting drawers, i.e., a cooling drawer and a warming drawer.
- the hot side for the cooling drawer would preferably be positioned such that when air is blown across its fins, the warmed air would be circulated through the warming drawer.
- the structure and function of the cooling drawer would be the same as in the embodiment discussed above.
- the warming drawer may contain an electric heater.
- the warming drawer would be defined by a separate liner arranged within the cabinet above the cooling drawer with sufficient insulation therebetween.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
- Devices For Blowing Cold Air, Devices For Blowing Warm Air, And Means For Preventing Water Condensation In Air Conditioning Units (AREA)
Abstract
A temperature controlled drawer assembly incorporates a thermoelectric device and a control system to selectively heat or cool the contents of a drawer which is selectively movable into and out of a cabinet designed to be part of an end table, such as a nightstand, or other cabinet remote from a household kitchen. In a cooling mode of operation, a fan, disposed in the cabinet, draws air from inside the drawer and blows the air over a cold side of a heat sink to cool the air. The treated air is blown through plenums, back into the drawer. At the same time, heat is drawn away from the cold side and directed out of the cabinet. The current through the heat sink may be reversed to flip the cold and hot sides of the heat sink to enable the contents of the drawer to be heated.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a thermoelectric temperature controlled device including a drawer moveable within a cabinet designed to resemble a standard household end table, such as a night stand.
- 2. Discussion of the Prior Art
- Thermoelectric devices which can selectively maintain their contents at an elevated or reduced temperature are known in the art. Such a device traditionally contains a power supply which provides energy necessary to move electrons through energy states across a bimetallic heat sink. As the electrons move from a lower energy state to a higher energy state, a cold junction is produced. Heat absorbed at the cold side is pumped to a hot side in proportion to the current supplied. By reversing the direction of the current, and therefore the heat flow, it is possible to change from a cooling device to a heating device.
- People normally keep their beverages and other food items in a refrigerator located in a kitchen because of the necessity, or simply the desire, to maintain the particular items at a reduced temperature. With such a typical arrangement, when a cooled beverage is desired, a person must travel through the house to the refrigerator in the kitchen. Under certain circumstances, it may not be convenient, or even possible, to obtain a beverage or the like from a kitchen refrigerator. It has also been known to place a mini-refrigerator in area of a household remote from a kitchen. However, such mini-refrigerator units are typically not aesthetically appealing, but rather stand out wherever they are placed.
- Portable coolers could be used to store such items in potentially convenient locations, but this creates other problems. First, these passive coolers are typically only insulated boxes without any refrigeration systems and only function to maintain the difference between the internal and external temperatures. Therefore, in order to keep the contents at a reduced temperature, an additional cooling device must be used. The items could be placed in a refrigerator or freezer for a period before being placed in the cooler, or ice packs could be placed in the cooler to prolong the cooled state of the food items. Of course, non-refrigerated coolers only maintain the temperature of its contents. Because the cooler does not have any cooling device of its own, once the ice melts, or the items lose their initial cooled state, the entire cooler will cease to cool the items.
- There have been developed systems for cooling using thermoelectric devices. These systems generally use a heat sink to dissipate heat from the device. In a typical heat sink arrangement, a heat generating device is provided with a number of electrically conductive fingers or fins which conduct excess heat away from the heat generating device. The excess heat is dissipated through the fingers. The amount of heat dissipated can be increased by forming the fingers with greater surface areas and/or creating an air flow across the fingers. Generally, in thermoelectric cooling devices, a fan draws air from inside a cooling chamber and blows the air across the cold side of a heat sink. Electric current flowing through the thermoelectric device causes heat to flow from the cold side to the hot side. As such, heat is extracted from the air inside the cooling chamber and drawn across the heat sink to the hot side, where the heat is dissipated.
- Accordingly, small devices have been developed which actively cool their contents without bulky traditional refrigeration systems. The system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,508 to Kahl et al. represents a portable container incorporating a cooling device. Essentially, the system represents a traditional passive cooler with a small removable refrigeration apparatus installed therein without any substantial air circulation apparatus. Although this system will actually cool the contents of the cooler, it is not very efficient. First, the location of the thermoelectric cooling element is on a wall adjacent to the opening. Therefore, when the cooler is opened, the fan inside the thermoelectric cooling element is drawing in ambient air. In addition, the thermoelectric unit does not efficiently distribute the cooled air throughout the chamber.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,836 to Corini discloses a cooling unit including an inner shell with a plurality of holes inside an associated cooling chamber. By positioning a thermoelectric device and fan between the inner shell and an outer shell, the fan distributes cooled air through the gap formed between the two shells. The cooled air then enters the cooling chamber through the holes. Although such a configuration works well for a device such as an ice cream cart, inserting a drawer into the cooling chamber would prevent adequate cooling of the chamber. Additionally, because air cannot flow across the hot side heat sink, the potential efficiency of the thermoelectric device is reduced.
- Based on the above, there exists a need for an efficient thermoelectric device particularly adapted for conveniently storing and cooling food items. In addition, there exists a need for a compact thermoelectric cooling device which can be used in various environments, particularly in connection with conveniently storing food items in areas outside the kitchen.
- The present invention is particularly directed to a cooling unit using a thermoelectric device with a fan to circulate cooled air throughout a cooling chamber. More specifically, a first fan is provided to draw air from the cooling chamber and blow the air across a cold side heat sink. The electric current supplied to the thermoelectric device causes the cold side heat sink to draw heat from the air and pass the absorbed heat to the hot side heat sink where it can be dissipated. The entire apparatus is preferably designed to resemble an end table, such as a nightstand, found in a typical household.
- In a preferred form of the invention, a drawer is installed inside the thermoelectric cooling device. The fan blows cooled air from between an inner liner and an outer liner, and the drawer is designed to allow for the circulation of air through the drawer. In accordance with the invention, the same fan also draws air from inside the drawer, causes the air to flow over the cold side heat sink and then recycles the air back into the drawer. Specifically, the drawer is designed with various ports and openings to accommodate the desired circulation. In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, the drawer is essentially constituted by a frame with many holes, rather than a traditional drawer having solid side walls.
- The thermoelectric device is also provided with a second fan to increase system efficiency. As the first fan draws the air from inside the cooling chamber and blows the air across the cold side heat sink prior to returning the cooled air to the cooling chamber, the thermoelectric device causes absorbed heat to travel to a hot side heat sink. The second fan is located near the hot side heat sink such that the excess heat can be more quickly dissipated. With both the cold side heat sink fan and the hot side heat sink fan running, the temperature regulating efficiency of the thermoelectric device can be greatly increased.
- Because the heat flow of a thermoelectric device depends upon the direction of current flow, the thermoelectric cooling drawer of the invention can also be used to heat the contents of the drawer. To change the thermoelectric device from a cooling mode to a heating mode, a switch is provided to reverse the polarity of the power supply. This causes the heat flow direction to be reversed and heat to build up on the drawer side of the thermoelectric device.
- Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the thermoelectric cooling device of the invention;
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drawer, incorporated in the thermoelectric cooling device of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the cooling chamber portion of the thermoelectric cooling device of the invention;
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional top view of a rear portion of the thermoelectric cooling device of FIG. 1; and
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the rear portion of the thermoelectric cooling device of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a
thermoelectric cooling device 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, acabinet 15 is provided which essentially resembles a nightstand used in a typical bedroom, but could equally constitute another type of end table such as that found in a living room or a family room.Cabinet 15 includes at least a top 16, opposingside walls 17 and a front 18. Insidecabinet 15 is defined adrawer space 20 which opens atfront 18 ofcabinet 15. Disposed insidedrawer space 20 is adrawer 22. Thedrawer 22 is shown to include aface 23, two upstanding, spaced apart sides 25 and 26, and a bottom 28 extending betweensides drawer face 23 is a substantially parallel back 30 as best shown in FIG. 2.Drawer 22 is preferably suspended onrails 32 which mate with corresponding rail structure insidedrawer space 20 to allow for sliding movement ofdrawer 22 in and out ofcabinet 15. Each of thesides respective side front 18 ofcabinet 15, slightly spaced from and extending aboutdrawer space 20, is an annularmagnetic strip 36, arranged for sealingface 23 tofront 18 whendrawer 22 is closed, as will be discussed further below. - FIG. 2 shows the entire structure of
drawer 22 which has been removed fromcabinet 15.Drawer 22 basically constitutes a box, with the top removed and ventholes 35 provided. The main distinction between a standard cabinet drawer anddrawer 22 of the invention is the structure ofsides sides enlarged opening 54. When inserted intospace 20, vent holes 35 andopening 54 allow for the circulation of air, as will be detailed below.Drawer wheels 56 are shown below rails 32 on each ofsides rails 32 andwheels 56 are widely known in the art and therefore will not be described in detail here. - FIG. 2 also shows a
gasket 58 disposed on an inside offace 23. Becausesides drawer 22 is generally rectangular in shape. Whendrawer 22 is closed,gasket 58 abutsfront 18 to effectively sealspace 20 and prevent any influx of ambient air. In a preferred embodiment,gasket 58 has an internal metal member (not shown) which becomes seated againstmagnetic strip 36 upon closing ofdrawer 22 in order to provide a substantially air tight seal. Of course, other sealing arrangements could be used and the positioning of thegasket 58 andmagnetic strip 36 could be reversed. - FIG. 3 shows the inside of
drawer space 20, withdrawer 22 removed. As shown,drawer space 20 is defined by two spaced apartside walls bottom wall 72 and aback wall 73, all of which are preferably, integrally formed by a single, thermoformed plastic liner. Located at each ofside walls vent 75 which is preferably flush with therespective side wall slits 78 are present along vents 75. - In the center of
back wall 73 is a first orinside fan 84. Attached to the sides of, and in fluid communication with, insidefan 84 are twoplenums plenums inside fan 84, eachplenum enlarged section 87. Eachplenum inside fan 84 completely to arespective side wall drawer space 20, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Belowinside fan 84 is adrip pan 89. In the embodiment shown,drip pan 89 has an associateddrain 93 used to direct condensate throughbottom wall 72. Although not shown, drain 93 preferably leads to a collecting pan located withincabinet 15 belowdrawer space 20. In the alternative, drain 93 need not be provided, whereindrip pan 89 will simply function to collect any condensate. As clearly shown in FIG. 3,drip pan 89 is readily accessible upon removingdrawer 22. - Below
slits 78 invent 75 on each ofside walls roller 98.Roller 98 and rails 96 and 97 are of a conventional design and function to support/guide drawer 22 into and out ofdrawer space 20 in combination withrails 32 anddrawer wheels 56 in a manner known in the art as discussed above. In general, whendrawer 22 is inserted intodrawer space 20, rails 96, 97 androllers 98 mate withdrawer rails 32 anddrawer wheels 56 to allowdrawer 22 to slide in and out ofdrawer space 20. - As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, immediately behind
drawer 22 is insidefan 84. Plenums 85 and 86 can be seen extending laterally fromadjacent fan 84. Behindinside fan 84 is anoutside fan 120. Betweeninside fan 84 andoutside fan 120 is aheat sink 124 which forms part of a thermoelectric temperature regulating device.Heat sink 124 is divided into acold side 126 and ahot side 128. Whenheat sink 124 is in cooling mode as shown in these figures,cold side 126 is located nearinside fan 84, andhot side 128 is located nearoutside fan 120. On at least the surface closest tofans heat sink 124 is provided with a plurality of fingers orfins - Adjacent
hot side 128 ofheat sink 124 is apower supply 140 which delivers electricity toheat sink 124.Power supply 140 includes a standard three-prong plug 142 which is adapted to fit into a common household grounded socket. Via aswitch wire 144, acontrol box 145, incorporating control circuitry and an adjustable control element or switch (not shown), is electrically connected topower supply 140 to direct power toheat sink 124.Control box 145 is connected to bothcold side 126 andhot side 128 through acold side wire 146 and ahot side wire 148, respectively.Switch box 145 is shown as being attached to a rear ofcabinet 15, but may be in any location, as long as the electrical connections are maintained. As indicated above,control box 145 preferably houses a rotary or other switching arrangement that is used to selectively regulate the power transferred fromsupply 140 toheat sink 124. As mentioned above and shown in FIG. 5,drip pan 89 extends belowcold side 126 and is preferably accessible upon removingdrawer 22 fromdrawer space 20. In addition, asecond drip pan 148 is located belowhot side 128 to funnel any condensate into a second drain 150. - When
thermoelectric cooling device 10, and hence controlbox 145, is in a COOL mode, a maximum temperature is selected throughcontrol box 145. When, viathermistor 160 which is linked to switch box 145 (see FIGS. 3 and 4),control box 145 detects an over temperature condition, both insidefan 84 andoutside fan 120 are activated to blow air acrossfins heat sink 124. Insidefan 84 draws air frominside drawer 22, throughopening 54, and blows the air acrossfins 129 ofcool side 126. Because the current is flowing fromcold side 126 tohot side 128 and the current pulls the heat with it,cold side 126 draws heat from the air intoheat sink 124. The inclusion offins heat sink 124. - Once the air is cooled, i.e., the heat is absorbed into
heat sink 124, the air is blown intoplenums plenums slits 78 ofvents 75 onside walls plenums drawer 22 is inserted intodrawer space 20, vent holes 35 line up withslits 78 to allow the air to directly enter the interior ofdrawer 22. Most preferably, eachvent hole 35 aligns withmultiple slits 78 such that, as the air flowing out ofslits 78 deaccelerates and expands in breadth, substantially the entire air flow will be directed intodrawer 22. The air is then recirculated withindrawer 22 and drawn toinside fan 84 throughopening 54. The heat absorbed throughfins 129 oncold side 126 is moved throughheat sink 124 tohot side 128. Becausehot side 128 also has itsown fins 130,outside fan 120 assists in the dissipation of the absorbed heat by blowing air acrossfins 130 and out a plurality oflouvers 152 provided at the back face ofcabinet 15. -
Thermoelectric cooling device 10 of the invention may also be used to heat the contents ofdrawer 22. Preferably,control box 145 can accessed to selectively determine the direction of the current flow throughheat sink 124. Because of the thermoelectric properties ofheat sink 124, when the current flows fromcold side 126 tohot side 128, the current pulls the heat with it. Therefore, whencontrol box 145 is placed in a COOL setting, the current is caused to flow tocold side 126 ofheat sink 124. When a HOT setting is selected, the current flows in the opposite direction throughheat sink 124, andhot side 128 andcold side 126 actually flip, i.e., the side adjacentinside fan 84 becomes the hot side and the side adjacentoutside fan 120 becomes the cold side. With the current reversed, outsidefan 120 draws in cool air throughlouvers 152 and blows the air across the fins on the cold side ofheat sink 124.Heat sink 124 absorbs heat from the air and pulls it across to the hot side. Air, which has been drawn through opening 54 frominside drawer 22 is then blown acrossfins 130 on the hot side, where it absorbs the excess heat which was pulled from the outside air. Finally, the treated air is then blown throughplenums drawer 22. - As indicated above, drip pans89 and 148 are located to collect any condensate which may develop on
fins heat sink 124. When the temperature offins 130 drops below 0° C., ice will form on them. When the temperature increases, either becausedevice 10 has been shut off or due to a low power state, the ice will melt. The melting ice will be collected in drip pans 89 and/or 148. The invention requires two drip pans 93 and 148 because, depending upon the setting atcontrol box 145 and the direction of current flow, ice and water may collect on either side ofheat sink 124. At this point, it should be realized that drip pans 89 and 148 may share a common drain. - It should also be realized that the switch associated with
control box 145 may take on a variety of forms. In its simplest form, the switch would be a three-position switch, which can be set to COOL, HEAT, or OFF positions, with the current throughheat sink 124 being constant, but the direction being alterable. In a more complex scheme, the switch can be constituted by a temperature dial, withcontrol box 145 including electronic logic controls through which a user would select a desired temperature. Using thethermistor 160, the controls would be able to determine the current temperature withindrawer 22 and determine ifdevice 10 should be placed in a COOL, HEAT or OFF mode. Therefore,control box 145 could automatically change the direction of current flow in response to the temperature reading fromthermistor 160.Control box 145 could also adjust the amount of current flowing throughheat sink 124 to vary the amount of heat transfer. Alternatively,control box 145 may include a timer which would allow a user to set the apparatus to automatically start-up at a desired time. - Although described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. For instance, a control switch could be placed in various locations, including on
drawer front 23 or on the side ofcabinet 15. Additionally, rather thancabinet 15 be incorporated into a nightstand,thermoelectric cooling device 10 may take the form of other household or office cabinetry. In any event, it is preferable thatdevice 10 remain inconspicuous, while enabling the cabinet to perform multiple functions, i.e., as a cooling device and a table. In addition,thermoelectric cooling device 10 of the invention may include two temperature adjusting drawers, i.e., a cooling drawer and a warming drawer. In such an arrangement, the hot side for the cooling drawer would preferably be positioned such that when air is blown across its fins, the warmed air would be circulated through the warming drawer. Otherwise, the structure and function of the cooling drawer would be the same as in the embodiment discussed above. Alternatively, the warming drawer may contain an electric heater. Preferably, the warming drawer would be defined by a separate liner arranged within the cabinet above the cooling drawer with sufficient insulation therebetween. In any event, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.
Claims (20)
1. A temperature controlled drawer assembly comprising:
a cabinet having at least top, front and side walls, said cabinet defining an interior drawer space;
a drawer selectively slidable into and out of said drawer space, said drawer including a back wall, opposing side walls, a bottom wall and a front wall;
a thermoelectric temperature adjusting device mounted inside said cabinet;
a power source connected to said temperature adjusting device;
a fan, disposed adjacent to said temperature adjusting device, said fan being adapted to generate a flow of air across said temperature adjusting device; and
a plenum defined inside said cabinet and extending from adjacent the fan to along a portion of the drawer, said plenum being formed with at least one outlet opening into the drawer space at a position remote from the fan, said plenum being adapted to receive the flow of air generated by the fan and to direct the flow of air into the drawer space through the at least one outlet.
2. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising: a control unit for regulating a temperature within the drawer space.
3. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 2 , further comprising: a thermistor thermally exposed to said drawer space, said thermistor being electrically linked to the control unit for signaling a current temperature within the drawer space.
4. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said plenum extends along at least one of said side walls of said cabinet.
5. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 4 , wherein said plenum includes a vent portion which defines the at least one outlet, said vent portion being flush with said at least one of said side walls of said cabinet.
6. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 4 , wherein said plenum includes first and second plenum sections, with each plenum section extending along a respective one of the side walls of the cabinet, each of said plenum sections including a plurality of fore-to-aft spaced outlets arranged along the respective one of said side walls of said cabinet.
7. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 6 , wherein each of the side walls of said drawer is formed with a multiple, spaced holes, said holes being arranged directly adjacent the outlets, at least when the drawer is wholly disposed within the drawer space.
8. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 7 , wherein each of the holes in the drawer is enlarged relative to each of the outlets such that each said hole spans a plurality of the outlets of the plenum.
9. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 6 , wherein each of the first and second plenum sections includes an enlarged section leading from the fan, with each of the first and second plenum sections tapering away from the enlarged section.
10. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 4 , further comprising: an enlarged opening, formed in the back wall of the drawer, opposing said fan, said fan being adapted to draw the flow of air from the drawer through said enlarged opening.
11. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising: a drip pan positioned below said temperature adjusting device for collecting moisture.
12. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 11 , wherein said drip pan is directly accessible from with said drawer space upon removal of said drawer.
13. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature adjusting device constitutes a heat sink including a cold side and a hot side, said fan being disposed directly adjacent said cold side.
14. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 13 , further comprising: an additional fan disposed directly adjacent the hot side of the heat sink for dissipating heat from the hot side.
15. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said drawer space is defined by a liner positioned within said cabinet.
16. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the liner is thermoformed of plastic.
17. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising: a magnetic seal between the front wall of the drawer and the cabinet.
18. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the magnetic seal includes a gasket disposed on said front wall of said drawer.
19. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the cabinet constitutes an end table.
20. The temperature controlled drawer assembly according to claim 19 , wherein the end table constitutes a night stand.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/876,100 US6484512B1 (en) | 2001-06-08 | 2001-06-08 | Thermoelectric temperature controlled drawer assembly |
CA002384943A CA2384943C (en) | 2001-06-08 | 2002-05-03 | Thermoelectric temperature controlled drawer assembly |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/876,100 US6484512B1 (en) | 2001-06-08 | 2001-06-08 | Thermoelectric temperature controlled drawer assembly |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US6484512B1 US6484512B1 (en) | 2002-11-26 |
US20020184895A1 true US20020184895A1 (en) | 2002-12-12 |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US09/876,100 Expired - Lifetime US6484512B1 (en) | 2001-06-08 | 2001-06-08 | Thermoelectric temperature controlled drawer assembly |
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US (1) | US6484512B1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2384943C (en) |
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Also Published As
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CA2384943A1 (en) | 2002-12-08 |
CA2384943C (en) | 2007-11-20 |
US6484512B1 (en) | 2002-11-26 |
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