Patent ID: 9347694
Filing Date: 2016-05-24
CPC Classification: F25B,F25D,Y02B

Claim Text:
1. An appliance comprising: a cabinet having an internal volume and comprising a first compartment having an internal volume spaced within the cabinet and a second compartment having an internal volume spaced within the cabinet where the first compartment and the second compartment within the cabinet are separated by a mullion to form the first compartment and the second compartment within the cabinet and wherein the first compartment has a first compartment thermal load and the second compartment has a second compartment thermal load; a coolant system comprising: a compressor having a housing, a cooling capacity, and operably connected to a plurality of evaporators for regulating a temperature of the first compartment and a temperature of the second compartment; a shared coolant fluid connection system that interconnects at least the compressor, a first compartment evaporator associated with and capable of providing cooling to the first compartment and a second compartment evaporator associated with and capable of providing cooling to the second compartment; a coolant fluid spaced within the shared coolant fluid connection system used to regulate both the temperature of the first compartment and the second compartment; and a switching mechanism operably connected to a first fluid conduit that provides shared coolant fluid to the compressor at a first pressure level and a second fluid conduit that provides shared coolant fluid to the compressor at a second pressure level where the second pressure level is less than the first pressure level wherein the switching mechanism regulates and switches shared coolant flow to the compressor from the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit and switches shared coolant flow to the compressor between the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit in less than about 10 milliseconds by controlling the switching mechanism by a controller; wherein the first compartment is at a first temperature and the second compartment is at a second temperature below the first temperature when the appliance is in operation; and wherein the switching mechanism at least substantially matches the first compartment and second compartment thermal loads with the cooling capacity provided by the compressor.