DISPLAY REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS

Abstract

A display refrigerator or freezer comprises a refrigerated storage space. Air in the refrigerated storage space is separated from air exterior to the display refrigerator or freezer by an air curtain established by one or more fans which blow air towards one or more air outlets via a cooling heat exchanger and which recover air in the air curtain via one or more air inlets for recirculation to the one or more air outlets. The refrigerated storage space has a base shelf. One or more air inlet ducts are arranged between the one or more air inlets and the one or more fans such that the air recovered via the one or more air inlets is directed by the one or more air inlet ducts towards the one or more fans. The one or more air inlet ducts, in combination with at least a portion of the base shelf, define at least a portion of a cavity beneath the base shelf, the cavity being sealed from the air recovered via the one or more air inlet.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising: a housing defining a refrigerated storage space; an air outlet configured to produce an air curtain that separates air in the refrigerated storage space from air exterior to the housing; a cooling heat exchanger and which recovers air in the air curtain via an air inlet such that air can be recirculated to the air outlet; a shelf disposed within the refrigerated storage space; and a duct fluidically coupling the air inlet and the air outlet, at least a portion of the duct and, at least a portion of the shelf defining at least a portion of a cavity beneath the shelf that is sealed from air recovered via the air inlet.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the air outlet is from one or more air outlets, the air inlet is from one or more air inlets, and the duct is from a one or more ducts, the apparatus further comprising: one or more fans, each fan from the one or more fans configured to blow air towards an air outlet from the one or more air outlets, the apparatus includes an equal number of ducts from the plurality of ducts and fans from the plurality of fans, each duct from the one or more ducts fluidically couples an air inlet from the one or more air inlets to one fan from the one or more fans.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cavity is evacuated.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duct is an air inlet duct, the apparatus further comprising: a fan configured to blow air towards the air outlet; and an outlet duct disposed between the fan and the cooling heat exchanger such that air blown by the fan is directed towards the cooling heat exchanger.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cavity is defined at least in part by a portion of the outlet duct.

6. The display refrigerator or freezer of claim 1, wherein the cavity is defined at least in part by insulation material.

7.-8. (canceled)

9. An apparatus, comprising: a housing defining a refrigerated storage space; a cooling heat exchanger; a fan configured to blow air towards an air outlet via the cooling heat exchanger to form an air curtain that separates the refrigerated storage space from air exterior to the housing, the cooling heat exchanger configured to recover air in the air curtain via an air inlet for recirculation to the air outlet; and a duct arranged between the fan and the cooling heat exchanger such that air blown by the fan is directed towards the cooling heat exchanger.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein: the duct is from one or more ducts and the fan is from one or more fans; the apparatus includes the same number of ducts and fans; and each duct from the one or more ducts is arranged to direct air to one fan from the one or more fans.

11. A method of modifying a display refrigerator or freezer, wherein the display refrigerator or freezer includes a refrigerated storage space, air in the refrigerated storage space being separated from air exterior to the display refrigerator or freezer by an air curtain established by one or more fans which blow air towards one or more air outlets via a cooling heat exchanger, the cooling heat exchanger configured to recover air in the air curtain via one or more air inlets for recirculation to the one or more air outlets, the refrigerated storage space having a base shelf, the method comprising: arranging one or more air inlet ducts between the one or more air inlets and the one or more fans such that the air recovered via the one or more air inlets is directed by the one or more air inlet ducts towards the one or more fans such that the one or more air inlet ducts, in combination with at least a portion of the base shelf, define at least a portion of a cavity beneath the base shelf, the cavity being sealed from the air recovered via the one or more air inlets.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising arranging the same number of air inlet ducts between the air inlets and the fans as the number of fans such that each air inlet duct from the one or more air inlet ducts is configured to direct air to one fan from the one or more fans.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising evacuating the cavity.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising arranging one or more outlet ducts between the one or more fans and the cooling heat exchanger such that air blown by the one or more fans is directed towards the cooling heat exchanger.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising arranging the one or more outlet ducts such that the cavity is defined at least in part by a portion of the one or more outlet ducts.

16.-19. (canceled)

Description

[0033] Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a side cross-section of the bottom portion of a display refrigerator according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a display refrigerator according to the first aspect of the invention from underneath the base shelf of the refrigerator.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the bottom portion of a display refrigerator according to the first aspect of the invention from above the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a side cross-section of the bottom portion of a display refrigerator according to the third aspect of the invention.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a display refrigerator according to the third aspect of the invention from underneath the base shelf of the refrigerator.

[0039] FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the bottom portion of a display refrigerator according to the third aspect of the invention from above the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a side cross-section of the bottom portion of a display refrigerator 100. The display refrigerator 100 has a refrigerated storage space 102 that is maintained at a lower than ambient temperature. Within the refrigerated storage space 102, there is a base shelf 116. Various embodiments may have one, two, three, four, five or any number of additional shelves (not shown) disposed above the base shelf, which may be flat, may be at an angle or may be mixture of angled and flat shelves. A typical angle for the angled storage shelves is 20°, however shelves at other angles may be used, as long as the product being refrigerated does not slide off the shelves. The display refrigerator 100 establishes an air curtain 106 by fans 108 within the display refrigerator 100 which blow cold air towards an air outlet (not shown), out of the air outlet to form the air curtain 106, the air from which is recovered by the fans 108 through an air inlet 114. Air inlet ducts 118 arranged between the air inlet 114 and the fans 108 direct the warm air recovered through the air inlet 114 towards the fans 108. The air inlet ducts 118 in combination with a portion of the base shelf 116 defines a cavity 120. Air in the cavity 120 is sealed from the warm air recovered by the air inlet 114. This means that the relatively warm air recovered by the air inlet 114 is separated from the base shelf 116, thus avoiding warming of the underside of the base shelf 116. This has the effect that the refrigerator can operate at a lower power to maintain a required temperature in the storage space 102, decreasing energy consumption. Further, the presence of the air inlet 114 causes a reduction in the turbulence of the air passing into the fans 108 which increases the efficiency of the display refrigerator 100, again decreasing energy consumption required to maintain the required temperature in the storage space 102. Air directed by the air inlet ducts 118 to the fans 108 is recirculated by the fans 108 to the air outlet via a cooling heat exchanger 112 within the display refrigerator 100. The cooling heat exchanger 112 maintains the recirculated air (and hence the air blown through the air outlet to form the air curtain 106) at a desired temperature. The desired temperature is chosen to be lower than ambient and acts to prevent cold air in the refrigerated storage space 102 from mixing with warm air exterior to the refrigerator 104.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the same display refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 1 from underneath the bottom of the display refrigerator 100. FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the bottom portion of the same display refrigerator 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 from above the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. These views show the shape of the air inlet ducts 118 in more detail.

[0042] FIG. 4 shows a side cross-section of the bottom portion of a display refrigerator 100. The display refrigerator 100 has a refrigerated storage space 102 that is maintained at a lower than ambient temperature. Within the refrigerated storage space 102, there is a base shelf 116. Various embodiments may have one, two, three, four, five or any number of additional shelves (not shown) disposed above the base shelf, which may be flat, may be at an angle or may be mixture of angled and flat shelves. A typical angle for the angled storage shelves is 20°, however shelves at other angles may be used, as long as the product being refrigerated does not slide of the shelves. The display refrigerator 100 establishes an air curtain 106 by fans 108 within the display refrigerator 100 which blow cold air towards an air outlet (not shown), out of the air outlet to form the air curtain 106, the air from which is recovered by the fans 108 through an air inlet 114. Fans 108 within the display refrigerator 100 recirculate the warm air recovered through the air inlet 114 to the air outlet via a cooling heat exchanger 112. Outlet ducts 122 arranged between the fans 108 and the cooling heat exchanger 112 ensure that air blown by the fans 108 is directed towards the cooling heat exchanger 112. This ensures that air passes more evenly through the cooling heat exchanger 112 which increases the efficiency of the display refrigerator 100, decreasing energy consumption.

[0043] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the same display refrigerator 100 shown in FIG. 4 from underneath the bottom of the display refrigerator 100. FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the bottom portion of the same display refrigerator 100 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 from above the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. These views show the shape of the outlet ducts 122 in more detail.

[0044] It should be understood that although the air inlet ducts and outlet ducts are shown in separate exemplary figures above, the invention also includes further embodiments where the display refrigerator or freezer includes both air inlet ducts and outlet ducts.