Abstract:
A refrigerator includes a body defining a refrigerated compartment and an air duct, and an airflow system configured to circulate air between the refrigerated compartment and the air duct. The air flow system includes a fan configured to move air between the refrigerated compartment and the air duct, an evaporator configured to cool air passing through the air duct, and an air diverter assembly. The air diverter assembly includes a diverter provided at least partially within the air duct and configured to divert at least a portion of the air within the air duct into the refrigerated compartment, and a baffle provided at least partially within the refrigerated compartment and configured to direct air upward within the refrigerated compartment.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of air flow systems for appliances, and more specifically, to an improved system for circulating and/or cooling air in a refrigerated appliance. 
         [0002]    Refrigerated appliances are generally known. However, there are many challenges associated with effectively circulating and/or cooling air within refrigerated compartments of such appliances. 
         [0003]    Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved air flow system for appliances that provides one or more advantages over conventional systems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    One embodiment relates to a refrigerator comprising a body defining a refrigerated compartment and an air duct; and an airflow system configured to circulate air between the refrigerated compartment and the air duct, the air flow system comprising a fan configured to move air between the refrigerated compartment and the air duct; an evaporator configured to cool air passing through the air duct; and an air diverter assembly comprising a diverter provided at least partially within the air duct and configured to divert at least a portion of the air within the air duct into the refrigerated compartment; and a baffle provided at least partially within the refrigerated compartment and configured to direct air upward within the refrigerated compartment. 
         [0005]    Another embodiment relates to a method of circulating air within a refrigerated appliance, comprising directing air upward to a top portion of a refrigerated compartment; directing the air downward through an air duct in fluid communication with the refrigerated compartment; directing substantially all of the air over an evaporator to cool the air within the air duct; directing a first portion of the air out of the air duct and back into the refrigerated compartment; and directing the first portion of the air upward within the refrigerated compartment upon the air exiting the air duct. 
         [0006]    Another embodiment relates to an air flow system for an appliance having a refrigerated compartment and an air duct in fluid communication with the refrigerated compartment, the air flow system comprising a fan configured to direct air upward through the refrigerated compartment and downward through the air duct; an evaporator provided within the air duct and configured to cool the air passing through the air duct; and an air diverter assembly provided at least partially within the air duct and configured to divide the air within the air duct into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of air exiting the air duct via a first outlet and the second portion of air exiting a second outlet below the first outlet; wherein the evaporator is positioned below the fan and a static pressure column is formed within the air duct above the evaporator. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an appliance according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the appliance of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a cutaway perspective view of a portion of the appliance of  FIG. 1  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a detailed cross-sectional view of a portion of the appliance of  FIG. 1  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a wall portion of the appliance of  FIG. 1  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , an appliance is shown as a refrigerator  10  according to an exemplary embodiment. According to various alternative embodiments, the teachings herein may extend to a variety of appliances such as a refrigerator, a freezer, a combination refrigerator/freezer, or other appliance. As shown in  FIG. 1 , refrigerator  10  includes a body  12 , one or more doors  14 , and an interior or refrigerated compartment  16  (e.g., a refrigerated space, a freezer space, a cooled space, etc.). One or more shelves  20  (e.g., removeable, slidable, and/or adjustable shelves, etc.) and one or more drawers  18  (e.g., crisper drawers, ripening drawers, storage drawers, etc.) may be provided within refrigerated compartment  16  to provide for storage of various food or other items. 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , according to an exemplary embodiment, refrigerator  10  may include an air flow system  22  (an air circulation system, an air cooling/refrigeration system, an air treatment system, etc.). As shown in  FIG. 2 , air flow system  22  includes one or more inlets  26  (e.g., apertures, vents, etc.), a fan  24 , an air duct  28  (e.g., a conduit, an air flow channel, a rear portion of the refrigerator, etc.), an evaporator  30 , an air diverter assembly  32 , and a lower outlet  40  (e.g., an aperture, vent, etc.). Air flow system  22  may include other features and components not shown herein according to various alternative embodiments. 
         [0014]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , inlets  26  are provided at a top portion of refrigerated compartment  16  and permit fan  24  to draw air upward through refrigerated compartment  16  and into air duct  28 . Inlets  26  may take any suitable form or shape, such as apertures, holes, slits, slots, and the like. Inlets  26  may be positioned at one or more suitable locations at or near a top portion of refrigerated compartment  16 , and may be sized according to particular applications, fan size/placement, etc. 
         [0015]    Referring further to  FIG. 2 , according to one embodiment, fan  24  is positioned above refrigerated compartment  16  and is configured such that air is directed or pulled upward through refrigerated compartment  16  and into an upper portion of air duct  28 . Any suitable fan may be used to direct air through air flow system  22 , and more than one fan may be used. According to various alternative embodiments, the position of fan  24  may be varied to suit a particular application. 
         [0016]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , according to one embodiment, air duct  28  is provided within a rear wall of body  12  and generally extends from a top portion of refrigerator  10  to a bottom portion of refrigerator  10 . In some embodiments, air duct  28  may have a height and width generally corresponding to the height and width of refrigerated compartment  16 . In other embodiments, air duct  28  may take other shapes and/or sizes. For example, as discussed in greater detail below, air duct  28  may narrow and/or widen along its length to facilitate directing air across components such as an evaporator, etc. 
         [0017]    According to one embodiment, evaporator  30  is provided within air duct  28 . As shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , evaporator  30  may extend along all or a portion of the width of air duct  28 . Any suitable evaporator may be used, and the position of evaporator  30  may be varied according to various exemplary embodiments. According to one embodiment, evaporator  30  has a width that is less than the width of air duct  28 . One or more baffles  42  (e.g., air diverters, directers, etc.) may be provided on one or both sides of evaporator  30  to prevent air from passing around evaporator  30 , and forcing substantially all of the air passing through air duct  28  to also pass over evaporator  30 . This may help to ensure effective and efficient cooling of the air passing through air duct  28 . 
         [0018]    According to one embodiment, air diverter assembly  32  is provided at lease partially within air duct  28  and below evaporator  30 . In some embodiments, air diverter assembly  32  may be provided proximate an outlet portion of evaporator  30 . As shown in  FIGS. 3-4 , air diverter assembly  32  includes a diverter  34 , an outlet  36 , and a baffle  38 . In some embodiments, one or more components of air diverter assembly  32  may be made and/or formed as an integrated component. According to one embodiment, diverter  34  may be an angled member or plate that extends downward within air duct  28  and directs (e.g., divides, distributes, etc.) a portion of the air flowing through air duct  28  toward outlet  36 . Diverter  34  may extend along all or a portion of the width of air duct  28 , and may be made of any suitable material, such as a variety of metals, polymers/plastics, and the like. Diverter  34  may be configured to achieve different distributions of air (e.g., to vary the amounts of air that exit/stay within air duct  28 ). According to one embodiment, diverter  34  is a generally longitudinally extending member having a first portion attached to a surface of air duct  28  and a second portion extending downward at an angle from the first portion. 
         [0019]    Outlet  36  is positioned such that a portion of the air (e.g., a first portion) directed by diverter  34  re-enters refrigerated compartment  16 . The remaining air (e.g., a second portion) flowing through air duct  28  continues to flow past outlet  36  downward through air duct  28 . In one embodiment, outlet  36  includes a generally flat member having a series of generally parallel apertures (e.g., slits, slots, vents, etc.) that permit air to re-enter refrigerated compartment  16  in a generally uniform manner across the width of refrigerated compartment  16 . The size and/or positioning of the various apertures along outlet  36  may be varied to adjust and/or control the air flow accordingly. 
         [0020]    According to one embodiment, air entering refrigerated compartment  16  via outlet  36  is redirected upward by baffle  38 . According to one embodiment, baffle  38  is provided wholly or partially within refrigerated compartment  16 , and is shaped (e.g., formed, bent, etc.) to direct air from outlet  36  upward through refrigerated compartment  16 . For example, a portion of baffle  38  may be generally “L”-shaped so as to direct air upward. According to various alternative embodiments, other shapes and/or sizes for baffle  38  may be utilized. As shown in  FIG. 2  by arrows  46 , air exiting outlet  36  is directed upward toward shelves  20  within refrigerated compartment  16 . In various alternative embodiments, air exiting outlet  36  may redirected at, below, or above a shelf, drawer, or other component within refrigerated compartment  16 . 
         [0021]    Referring further to  FIG. 2 , a lower outlet  40  is provided at or near a bottom portion of air duct  28 . After the air flowing through air duct  28  is divided by diverter  34 , the air remaining in air duct  28  continues to travel downward toward lower outlet  40 , where it re-enters refrigerated compartment  16 . Lower outlet  40  may include one or more apertures that may be shaped, sized, and/or spaced to provide a desired air flow back into refrigerated compartment  16 . For example, according to one embodiment, lower outlet  40  may include a single aperture extending generally along all or substantially all of the width of refrigerated compartment  16 . As shown in  FIG. 2  by arrows  46 , air exiting lower outlet  40  is directed toward drawers  18  within refrigerated compartment  16 . In some embodiments, additional baffles and/or diverters may be utilized to properly direct the air exiting from outlet  40 . 
         [0022]    In operation, air flow system  22  circulates and/or cools air within refrigerator  10  by drawing air upward though refrigerated compartment  16 , and pushing the air downward through air duct  28  (and over evaporator  30 ) such that the air re-enters refrigerated compartment  16  via outlets  38 ,  40 . According to one embodiment, as air exits fan  24  and travels downward through air duct  28  above evaporator  30 , baffles  42  (see  FIG. 5 ) act to force substantially all of the air within air duct  28  to travel over evaporator  30 . In some embodiments, this causes a static pressure column (e.g., an area of increased air pressure, etc.) to develop generally at an area  44  (see  FIG. 2 ) within air duct  28 . Formation of the static pressure column may tend to cause the air flowing through air duct  28  to spread or “fan” out along the width of air duct  28  above evaporator  30  and flow generally evenly over the entirety of evaporator  30 . This “fanning out” of the air within air duct  28  may facilitate heat transfer between the air and evaporator  30  and, subsequently, improve the overall energy efficiency of refrigerator  10 . 
         [0023]    After passing over evaporator  30 , the air is strategically divided by diverter assembly  32 . Diverter  34  divides the air between a first portion, which exits air duct  28  via outlet  36 , and a second portion, which continues to travel through air duct  28  and exits via outlet  40 . The first portion of air exiting air duct  28  via outlet  36  is directed upward into refrigerated compartment  16 . The second portion of air exiting air duct  28  via outlet  40  is directed into a bottom portion of refrigerated compartment  16 , where it is drawn upward by fan  24  and/or may be directed upward by one or more additional baffles. Eventually, both the first and second portions of air are drawn upward through refrigerated compartment  16  and back to fan  24 . 
         [0024]    The various features of the air flow system shown in the embodiments provided herein may provide various advantages over more traditional air flow systems. For example, many conventional air flow systems push/pull air downward through a refrigerated compartment, such that the air is pushed/pulled upward through an air duct and evaporator (e.g., in a manner reverse to that shown, e.g., in  FIG. 2 ). In such traditional systems the air flowing through the air duct may tend to converge toward a middle portion of the air duct, resulting in inefficient use of the evaporator within the air duct. In contrast, the formation of the static pressure column in the present disclosure, resulting in part from the “reverse” air flow configuration (e.g., such that air flows upward through refrigerated compartment  16  and downward through air duct  28 ), may tend to increase the efficiency of the evaporator, and in turn, the refrigerator as a whole. Furthermore, utilizing an air diverter assembly to strategically divide the air flow may provide a more uniform temperature profile within the refrigerator, assist in more efficient cooling of food or other items on various shelves (e.g., shelves positioned at or near outlet  36 ) within the refrigerator, and avoid over-cooling of crisper drawers or other drawers (e.g., drawers positioned at or near outlet  40 , that without diverter assembly  32  would receive all of the air flow from air duct  28 ). 
         [0025]    It should be noted that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the air flow system as shown in the exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and/or omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.