WO2007029171A1

WO2007029171A1 - A cooling device

Info

Publication number: WO2007029171A1
Application number: PCT/IB2006/053109
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arif Bilal Ozer; Turgay Ercan; Fatih Demiray; Emre Arisoy
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2005-09-05
Filing date: 2006-09-05
Publication date: 2007-03-15
Also published as: TR200801413T1

Abstract

By way of the present invention, the cooling of one or simultaneously more than one compartment (2) can be achieved by providing air flow as a result of moving only one plate (6).

Description

Description A COOLING DEVICE

[1] The present invention relates to a cooling device that comprises one or more compartments, the temperatures of which can be controlled.

[2] The cooling device comprises more than one compartment that is kept at different temperature values, into which the air cooled by the evaporator is blown. In this type of cooling devices, the amount and the timing of refrigeration required by each compartment is different. These compartments can be cooled by means of the air blown through the air channels each extending into a separate compartment.

[3] In some of the state of the art implementations, the structures that provide to blow cold air only to the required region are described.

[4] In state of the art Japanese Patent Application no. JP2005173852, two plates having air holes are moved to slide on one another to change the opening rate of the holes to adjust the amount of the air flowing through the holes.

[5] In the state of the art United States of America Patent no. US6401482, a refrigerator is described wherein two cooling air separating ducts disposed at respective opposite sides of the body and a cooling air switching unit selectively allowing the flow of air from both of the cooling air separating ducts.

[6] The object of the present invention is to design a cooling device wherein the temperature of more than one compartment can be controlled separately.

[7] In the cooling device designed to fulfill the object of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, there is a plate comprising one or more flow control groups having one or more holes corresponding to the combinations of the inlets that are opened or closed according to the cooling requirements in the compartments, allowing the flow air when positioned opposite the inlets, and/or having one or more walls that don't allow the flow of air.

[8] Each flow control group is arranged on the plate in the linear, curvilinear or radial direction. Upon each movement of the plate, only the flow control group that is opposite the inlets is activated. Depending on the positioning of the holes and/or the walls of the flow control group, air flow is allowed for some compartments while being blocked for some others.

[9] The number of the holes and/or the walls and the positioning of these holes or walls in the flow control group are calculated according to the number of inlets and the number of the compartments that will be cooled simultaneously.

[10] In the cooling device of the present invention, more than one compartment can be cooled simultaneously or each one separately. Furthermore the refrigeration of the compartments desired to be cooled simultaneously can be provided with the movement of only one plate by various combinations.

[11] The plate can move on the vertical plane or the horizontal plane along one of its sides since it is shaped like a quadrilateral. However the dimensions of the quadrilateral shaped plate are enlarged when the number of the inlets increase due to the increase of all the combinations between the inlets and the flow control groups, therefore the space required for it and its movement also increases. Furthermore the number of components required for the linear movement of this type of plate is much more.

[12] In order to prevent these adversities, the plate is made circular. In this embodiment, the flow control groups are positioned in the radial direction. Consequently the space required to be allocated for the plate and its movement is reduced as compared to the other embodiment. Furthermore a lesser number of mechanical components are used since the rotational movement of this type of plate can be provided by only mounting it on a motor.

[13] By way of realizing the air flow into more than one air channel by controlling only one plate, the number of mechanical and electrical connections is minimized and the mechanic-electronic control processes are simplified.

[14] The cooling device designed to fulfill the object of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[15] Figure 1 - is the sideways schematic view of the cooling device.

[16] Figure 2 - is the front schematic view of the cooling device.

[17] Figure 3 - is the schematic view of a plate, the inlets and the movement mechanism.

[18] Figure 4 - is the schematic view of the plate and the inlets when one inlet is in the open position.

[19] Figure 5 - is the schematic view of the plate and the inlets when two inlets are in the open position.

[20] Figure 6 - is the schematic view of the plate and the inlets when three inlets are in the open position.

[21] Figure 7 - is the schematic view of the plate in another embodiment of the present invention.

[22] Figure 8 - is the schematic view of the plate in the position of closing all the inlets in another embodiment of the present invention.

[23] Elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

[24] 1. Cooling device

[25] 2. Compartment

[26] 3. Evaporator

[27] 4. Fan

[28] 5. Air channel [29] 6. Plate

[30] 7. Hole

[31] 8. Movement mechanism

[32] 9. Inlet

[33] lO.Outlet

[34] 11. Row control group

[35] The cooling device (1) comprises one or more compartments (2) wherein items are stored for cooling and/or freezing, each kept at a different temperature value, an evaporator (3) that cools the compartment (2) by providing transfer of heat between the environment and the refrigerant fluid, a fan (4) to activate the air in the vicinity of the evaporator (3) to be blown into the compartment (2), more than one air channel (5) to convey the air circulated by the fan (4) into the compartment (2), each having an inlet (9) extending to the area of the fan (4) and an outlet (10) to transfer the air blown by the fan (4) into the compartment (2), a plate (6) composed of a single piece, positioned between the fan (4) and the inlets (9) of the air channels (5), moved between certain positions and a movement mechanism (8) mounted to the plate (6) to provide the movement of the plate (6) (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

[36] The plate (6) comprises more than one flow control groups (11), corresponding to the combinations of the inlets (9) that will be opened or closed according to the refrigeration required in the compartments (2), having one or more holes (7) that allow the inflow of air into the air channel (5) when positioned opposite the inlets (9), and/or one or more walls that don't allow the flow of air (Figure 3).

[37] The plate (6) is moved such that the flow control group (11) corresponding to the suitable combination for the required cooling is positioned opposite the inlets (9).

[38] The hole (7) and the wall in each of the flow control group (11) are arranged according to the combination of the cooling requirement of the compartments (2) and each flow control group (11) is different from the other. The flow control group (11) provides to deliver and/or not to deliver the cool air circulated by the fan (4) to one compartment (2), to all the compartments (2) or to more than one compartment (2) simultaneously.

[39] The movement of the plate (6) is adjusted such that the flow control group (11) that is suitable for the combination of the cooling requirement in the compartments (2) is selected and positioned opposite the inlets (9). At each movement of the plate (6) only the flow control group (11) that is positioned opposite the inlets (9) is activated, and the air flow into the compartments (2) is either allowed or prevented according to the arrangement of the holes (7) and/or the walls of the flow control group (11).

[40] When only one compartment (2) is required to be cooled, the flow control group

(11) having the suitable combination for delivering air to that compartment (2) is selected and the plate (6) is moved such that the flow control group (11) is positioned opposite the inlets (9). There is a hole (9) in this flow control group (11) that overlaps with the inlet (9) of the air channel (5) that delivers air into the compartment (2) desired to be cooled and walls that provide to keep closed the inlets (9) of the air channels (5) allowing flow of air to the other compartments (2). Accordingly flow of air is allowed from only the air channel (5) having an inlet (9) that overlaps with the hole (7), providing to cool only one compartment (2) into which the outlet (10) of the said air channel (5) extends.

[41] When all the compartments (2) situated in the cooling device (1) are desired to be cooled simultaneously, another flow control group (11) having the suitable combination for delivery of air to all the compartments (2) is selected and this flow control group (11) is moved such that it is positioned opposite the inlets (9). There are more than one holes (7) in this flow control group (11) that overlap with the inlets (9) of the air channel (5) that will deliver air to all the compartments (2). In this embodiment, there are no walls in this flow control group (11) since the flow of air is desired from all the inlets (9). Accordingly air flow is allowed from the air channels (5) having inlets (9) corresponding to all the holes (7) of the flow control group (11), providing to cool simultaneously all the compartments (2) into which the outlets (10) of the air channels (5) extend.

[42] When some of the compartments (2) in the cooling device (1) are desired to be cooled simultaneously, another flow control group (11) having the suitable combination for delivering air to these compartments (2) is selected, and the plate (6) is moved such that this flow control group (11) is opposite the inlets (9). This flow control group (11) comprises more than one hole (7) that overlap with the inlet (9) of the air channels (5) providing passage of air into the compartments (2) and at least one wall that keep closed the inlets (9) of the air channels (5) providing passage of air to the compartment (2) and/or compartments (2) that are not desired to be cooled. Consequently air flow is allowed from only the air channels (5) having inlets (9) that are opposite to the holes (7), providing to cool simultaneously more than one compartment (2) into which the outlets (10) of the air channels (5) extend.

[43] The cooling device (1) comprises one or more heat sensors, situated inside the compartment (2) for detecting the temperature, and a control unit that controls the movement of the plate (6) and the operation of the fan (4) according to the data received from the heat sensor. The information, about which flow control group (11) will be opposite the inlets (9) when the plate (6) is moved, is also stored.

[44] When cooling is required in one, some or all of the compartments (2) the movement mechanism (8) and the plate (6) are moved by the control card until the flow control group (11) corresponding to the suitable combination of the required cooling comes opposite the inlets (9). When the said flow control group (11) is aligned opposite the inlets (9), the movement mechanism (8) is stopped and the plate (6) keeps its position until the cooling requirement of the said compartments (2) change. When the compartments (2) reach the temperature desired by the producer, the flow of cold air to the compartments (2) that no longer need cooling has to be cut off. In order to provide this, the plate (6) is moved such that another predetermined flow control group (11) is opposite the inlets (9) to close the inlets (9) to block air passage into the compartments (2) that do not require to be cooled.

[45] For example, in a cooling device (1) comprising three compartments A, B and C, each having different temperatures, and when only the compartment (2) A is desired to be cooled, the plate (6) is moved such that the X coded flow control group (11), comprising a hole (7) corresponding to the inlet (9) of the air channel (5) providing air flow into compartment (2) A and two walls closing the inlets (9) of compartments (2) B and C, is activated. When the X coded flow control group (11) is opposite the inlets (9), the movement mechanism (8) stops the plate (6) and keeps this position until compartment (2) A reaches the temperature value determined by the producer (Figure 4). Similarly when only the compartments (2) A and B are desired to be cooled simultaneously, this time the Y coded flow control group (11), having two holes (7) to open the inlets (9) providing air passage into only the compartments (2) A and B and a wall closing the inlet (9) to block air passage into compartment (2) C is activated (Figure 5). When three compartments (2) are desired to be cooled simultaneously, this time Z coded flow control group (11) having three holes (7) to open the three inlets (9) is activated to provide air passage into the three compartments (2) (Figure 6).

[46] During all these movements, only one flow control group (11) is activated to be positioned opposite the inlets (9) with the movement of the plate (6).

[47] If all the compartments (2) are at the temperature values determined by the producer, the plate (6) is at the position wherein the predetermined flow control group (11) having a wall on is opposite the inlets (9), closing all the inlets (9), preventing the air blown by the fan (4) from flowing into the air channel (5). In this position, the control unit preferably stops the fan (4) also.

[48] In an embodiment of the present invention, the plate (6) is a flat, polygonal sheet. In this embodiment, the flow control groups (11) are positioned one on top of another or side by side, and the movement mechanism (8) provides the plate (6) to move from top to bottom, bottom to top or from right to left or left to right along one of its sides (Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6).

[49] In another embodiment of the present invention, the plate (6) is circular. In this embodiment, the flow control groups (11) are positioned in the radial direction and the movement mechanism (8) provides the plate (6) to move clockwise or counter- clockwise (Figure 7 and Figure 8). [50] In another embodiment of the present invention, the movement mechanism (8) comprises a motor and a transmitter that transfers the movement delivered from the motor to the plate (6). [51] By way of the present invention, cooling is realized by moving only one plate (6) to provide air flow to only one or simultaneously to more than one compartment (2) each time.

Claims

[1] A cooling device (1) comprising one or more compartments (2) wherein items are stored for cooling and/or freezing, each kept at different temperature values, an evaporator (3) that cools the compartment (2) by providing transfer of heat between the environment and the refrigerant fluid, a fan (4) providing to activate the air in the vicinity of the evaporator (3) to be blown into the compartment (2), more than one air channel (5) providing to deliver the air circulated by the fan (4) into the compartment (2), each having an inlet (9) extending to the area of the fan (4) and an outlet (10) providing to deliver the air blown by the fan (4) into the compartment (2), and characterized by a plate (6) composed of a single piece, positioned between the fan (4) and the inlets (9) of the air channels (5), comprising more than one flow control groups (11) that correspond to the suitable combinations of the inlets (9) to be opened or closed according to the required cooling in the compartments (2) , having one or more holes (7) that allow the inflow of air into the air channel (5) when positioned opposite the inlets (9), and/or one or more walls that don't allow the flow of air, moved such that the flow control group (11) having the suitable combination for the required cooling comes opposite the inlets (9).

[2] A cooling device (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by a movement mechanism (8) mounted on the plate (6) to provide the movement of the plate (6).

[3] A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a plate

(6), when only one compartment (2) is desired to be cooled, that is moved such that the predetermined flow control group (11) having the suitable combination for delivering air only to this compartment (2) is opposite the inlets (9), having a hole (9) that overlaps with the inlet (9) of the air channel (5) that conveys air into the compartment (2) desired to be cooled and walls that close the inlets (9) of the air channels (5) that deliver flow of air to the other compartments (2).

[4] A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a plate

(6), when all the compartments (2) are desired to be cooled simultaneously, that is moved such that the flow control group (11) having the suitable combination to provide air passage to all the compartments (2) is opposite the inlets (9), having more than one hole (7) that overlap with the inlet (9) of the air channels (5), having no walls.

[5] A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a plate

(6), when some of the compartments (2) in the cooling device (1) are desired to be cooled, that is moved such that the flow control group (11) having the suitable combination to provide air passage to the compartments (2) is opposite the inlets (9), having more than one ore more holes (7) that overlap with the inlet (9) of the air channels (5), and walls that provide to keep closed the inlets (9) of the air channels (5) delivering air flow into the compartment (2) and/or compartments (2) that are not desired to be cooled.

[6] A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a plate

(6) shaped like a flat, polygonal sheet comprising a movement mechanism (8) providing it to move from top to bottom, bottom to top or from right to left or left to right along one of its sides and flow control groups (11) positioned one on top of another or side by side.

[7] A cooling device (1) as in any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized by a circular plate (6) comprising a movement mechanism (8) providing it to move rotatably clockwise or counterclockwise and flow control groups (11) that are positioned in the radial direction.

[8] A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims characterized by a plate

(6) that is moved so that only one flow control group (11) is activated to come opposite the inlets (9).

[9] A cooling device (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by a plate

(6) comprising more than one flow control group (11), each one different from the other, arranged according to the cooling requirement combinations of the compartments (2).