US3365118A

US3365118A - Circulating system

Info

Publication number: US3365118A
Application number: US551612A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Howard E Winfield
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1966-05-20
Filing date: 1966-05-20
Publication date: 1968-01-23
Anticipated expiration: 1985-01-23

Description

1968 H. E. WINFIELD, JR 3,365,118

CIRCULATING SYSTEM Filed May 29, 1966 Fig. 2

I NVE N TOR. Q H0 Ward E. Mnfie/aj J! Fig.

BY ,7 His Afforney United States Patent 3,365,118 CIRCULATING SYSTEM Howard E. Winfield, Jr., Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 20, 1966, Ser. No. 551,612 3 Claims. (Cl. 230-47) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the preferred form, a propeller type fan is mounted in an aperture in a shroud. This shroud flares outwardly and curves forwardly above and below the aperture. A baflle is provided in front of the fan and spaced away from the forwardly curved portions of the shroud to provide outlets above and below. In addition, the shroud is provided with an aperture in the forwardly curved portion which may be connected to a duct providing an additional outlet.

This invention pertains to a circulating system such as may be used to circulate air through the evaporator and the below and above freezing compartments of frost-free household refrigerators.

While centrifugal fans have occasionally been provided with dual or multiple outlets as illustrated in Patent 3,05 0,- 961 issued Aug. 28, 1962, this arrangement requires a relatively complicated and expensive scroll for eflicient air circulation. There apparently has been no arrangement for providing dual or multiple outlets for a propeller type fan.

It is an object of this invention to provide an efficient, inexpensive circulation system employing a propeller type fan which provides a plurality of outlets arranged to proportion the air delivered in desired proportions.

It is another object of this invention to provide an efficient, inexpensive circulating arrangement employing a propeller type fan, shroud and duct arrangement which will efliciently provide a plurality of outlets delivering gas or air in different desired proportions at different velocities and pressures.

These and other objects are attained in the form shown in the drawings in which a propeller type fan is mounted in an aperture in a shroud. This shroud flares outwardly and forwardly above and below the aperture in which the fan is located. A bafiie is provided in front of the fan so that the air flows upwardly and downwardly around the baffle and between the edges of the baffle and the flared portions of the shroud. The shroud and baffle may be arranged so as to deliver the air through two or more outlets. In addition, the shroud is provided with an aperture in its flared portion which may be connected to a duct providing an additional outlet.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View through the rear wall portion of a two-compartment refrigerator embodying a circulating system illustrating one form of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary inclined sectional view through the fan and adjacent portions of the circulating system taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is an inclined front view of the fan and circulating system perpendicular to the line 2--2 of FIG- URE l as indicated by the arrow 3.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated a household refrigerator cabinet 20 having an insulated rear wall 22, insulated top and

bottom walls

24 and 26, and an insulated horizontal partition wall 28 dividing the interior of the cabinet into an upper compartment 30 and a lower compartment 32. At the rear of the compartment 32 there is located an inclined fin and tube evaporator 34 normally maintained at below freezing temperatures by a suitable motor compressor and condenser refrigerant liquefying system. In front of the evaporator 34 is a vertical partition wall 36 extending between the side walls of the compartment 32 and having an upper inclined portion 38 extending to the partition wall 28. The evaporator 34 has its lower rear edge substantially in contact with the rear wall 22 and its upper front edge substantially in contact with the partition wall 36. With this evaporator arrangement, the partition wall 36 will not be cooled substantially belowfreezing temperatures at any point. In front of the evaporator 34 the vertical partition wall 36 is provided with entrance louvers 40 through which air may pass from the compartment 32 into the chamber 42 provided between the vertical partition wall 36 and the rear wall 22 above the bottom wall 26.

According to my invention, in the upper inclined portion 38 of the partition wall 36 there is provided an opening 44 which receives a shroud 46 which may be formed of sheet plastic. This shroud 46 is provided with a center aperture 48 having an inturned circular flange 50. The propeller type fan 52 is concentrically located within the opening 48 with the rear edges of its blades substantially in alignment with the rear face of the shroud 46. The propeller type fan 52, as well as its drive shaft and drive motor 54, are perpendicular to the upper inclined portion 38 as the shroud 46 which is inclined at the same angle as the upper inclined portion 38. The shroud 46 has substantially straight side walls 56- substantially parallel to the axis of the fan 52 and parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the plane of the inclined upper portion 38. The shroud 46 is generally rectangular and has upper and lower

concave wall portions

58 and 60 which flare outwardly and curve forwardly from the inlet opening 48 as shown in FIGURE 1.

Extending between the front edges of the side walls 56 of the shroud 46 is a rectangular baffle 62 having outwardly extending projections 64 which snap into place in apertures 66 in the side walls 56 to provide a removable snap locking arrangement. This 'baffle 62 may also have side flanges 68 having a gasket 70 between them and the adjacent upper portion 38 to prevent rattling and air leakage. The upper and lower edges of the baflle 62 are spaced a substantial distance away from the upper and

lower portions

58 and 60 of the shroud 46 so as to provide upper and

lower outlets

72 and 74. However, if desired, the sides of the shroud could be flared similarly to the upper and

lower portions

58 and 60 with the baffle similarly spaced from the adjacent edges of the shroud to provide two additional outlets. In addition, the upper portion 58 is provided with a rectangular opening 76 located substantially radially of the propeller fan 52. Some of the air propelled by the fan is thrown radially to force air through the opening 76 into the duct 78 having its entrance above the opening 76 and extending upwardly through the rear wall 22 to an opening 80 which opens into the top of the compartment 30. The rear wall 22 is also provided with a return duct 82 extending from the outlet opening 84- in the lower portion of the compartment 30 to the discharge opening 86 at the bottom of the chamber 42. If desired, additional openings could be provided in the upper and

lower portions

58 and 60 and the sides 56 of the shroud 46 to provide additional outlets.

With this circulating system, the operation of the fan 52 will draw air from the compartment 30 through the inlet 84, the duct 82, and the outlet 86 into the chamber 42 while additional air will flow from the compartment 32 through the louvers 40 into the chamber 42. This air will then be drawn upwardly through the evaporator 34 and particularly between its fins and around the tubing thereof into the chamber 38 above the evaporator 34 to the rear side of the fan 52;. This air will be drawn by the fan 52 in through the inlet 48 and a major portion will be discharged upwardly and downwardly in front of the shroud 46 and around the bafile 62 for flow through the

outlets

72 and 74 into the compartment 32. A minor portion of air will be discharged from the propeller 52 radially upwardly through the opening 58 and the duct 78 and discharged through the outlet opening 60 into the compartment 30. The air circulates through the compartments 3E) and 32 and will maintain these compartments at their different desired temperatures with the compartment 32 being maintained at a temperature substantially below the temperature of the compartment 30 by the greater and more free air flow provided for it.

The evaporator 34, the fan 52 and its motor 54 may be a part of a refrigerator of the type shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 of Patent 3,000,186 issued Sept. 19, 1961.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A gas circulating system including a rotatable fan, a shroud having a portion flared outwardly and curved forwardly surrounding a substantial portion of the periphery of the fan, said shroud being provided with inlet means at one side of the fan, a baflle on the opposite side of said fan from said inlet means, said bafile being spaced away from said forwardly curved area of said shroud to form a first discharge opening between it and said shroud, said shroud in its forwardly curved portion having a second discharge opening located in radial alignment with said fan.

2. A gas circulating system as defined in claim 1 in which the shroud has a portion curved forwardly and outwardly above and below said fan from said inlet to the plane of said baffie, said curved shroud portion being spaced above and below said bafile to provide first upper and lower discharge openings.

3. A gas circulating system as defined in claim 1 in which the shroud has a portion curved forwardly and outwardly from said inlet to the plane of said bafile, said curved shroud portion being spaced from said baffie to provide said first discharge opening, said second discharge opening being located in said portion curved outwardly and forwardly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,197,144 9/1916 Montague 230-47 1,575,447 3/1926 Moore 230-47 2,959,936 11/1960 Mann et a1 62- 419 2,982,115 5/1961 Wortz et al 62-419 3,310,957 3/1967 Saunders et a1. 62419 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,148,803 7/1957 France.

HENRY F. 'RADUAZO, Primary Examiner.