Food cooling appliance

There is described a food cooling appliance (1) having an outer casing (2) extending along a vertical reference axis (A); a food cooling chamber (3) housed inside the outer casing (2) and of a given length (L1) measured along the reference axis; at least one food-supporting shelf (5) positioned firmly, m but in easily removable manner, inside the cooling chamber; a primary inductor (8) extending in a direction parallel to the reference axis, and of a length (L2) substantially equal or less than the length of the cooling chamber; one or more light-emitting units (18) located along an outer peripheral edge of the shelf and coplanar with the shelf; and at least on secondary inductor (9) housed in the shelf to supply the light-emitting diodes (18) with electric current.

The present invention relates to a food cooling appliance.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a food cooling appliance corresponding to an electric household appliance, such as a freezer or refrigerator, to which the following description refers purely by way of example.

As is known, currently marketed refrigerators are equipped with a lighting system for lighting the inside of the refrigerator cooling/storage compartment or chamber, to enable the user to see the food items arranged on the shelves normally housed inside the cooling/storage chamber.

Lighting systems of the above type normally comprise a number of lighting devices fixed inside the cooling chamber and powered by an external electric line over a number of electric wires connecting the external electric line to the lighting devices by means of a number of electric connectors inside the cooling chamber.

Lighting systems of the above type have the major drawback of being electrically unsafe when the cooling chamber is accessed by the user. That is, the electric connectors inside the cooling chamber are supplied permanently with operating voltage, which, also on account of the high level of humidity inside the cooling chamber, may result in current dispersion and, hence, the risk of indirect electric contact by the user inside the cooling chamber.

To eliminate the above drawback, refrigerators have been devised featuring a contactless lighting system, which supplies electric power to the lighting devices on the shelves by electromagnetic power transmission.

More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,779 describes a refrigerator with a power system comprising a number of primary coils, which are spaced apart successively on a number of horizontal shelf supporting bars inside the cooling chamber to generate a number of magnetic fields at the ends of the bars; and a number of secondary coils, each located in a respective shelf and connected electrically to a relative lighting device.

In actual use, when the shelf is placed on a pair of horizontal supporting bars, with its secondary coil adjacent to the relative primary coil, current is induced in the secondary coil to power the lighting device in the shelf.

Though effective in terms of electrical safety and/or instilling a sense of electrical safety in the user, the refrigerator lighting system described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,779 has the major drawback of the position of the shelves inside the cooling chamber being dictated by the position of the primary coils.

That is, to supply the current necessary to operate the lighting device, the shelf must be positioned inside the cooling chamber in such a manner as to ensure correct magnetic coupling between the secondary coil and relative primary coil, so that the secondary coil is subjected to a sufficiently strong magnetic field.

To ensure correct positioning of the secondary coils with respect to the corresponding primary coils, and hence magnetic coupling as described above, the refrigerator described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,779 employs a mechanism for connecting the shelves to the supporting bars. That is, each shelf has a pair of projecting lateral pins, which, when the shelf is housed inside the refrigerator, fit inside two seats formed on the ends of the supporting bars, so as to align the secondary coil with the relative primary coil.

Besides employing a particularly user-awkward connecting mechanism, the above power system does not allow the shelf to be positioned inside the cooling chamber at any height with respect to the bottom wall of refrigerator. In fact, the shelf can only be positioned at certain predetermined heights, i.e. determined by location of the seats in the bars, where the secondary and primary coils are coupled magnetically.

Moreover, the supporting bars inside the cooling chamber are particularly user-awkward by reducing the available food storage space.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a food cooling appliance, which ensures sufficient electrical safety for the user, while at the same time enabling the shelves to be positioned at any height inside the cooling chamber.

According to the present invention, there is provided a food cooling appliance as claimed in Claim1, and preferably in any one of the following Claims depending directly or indirectly on Claim1.

With reference toFIGS. 1 and 2, number1indicates as a whole a food cooling appliance, particularly suitable for home use.

In theFIGS. 1 and 2embodiment, cooling appliance1is a refrigerator, which substantially comprises a preferably, though not necessarily, parallelepiped-shaped outer casing2extending along a vertical reference axis A and resting on the floor; and at least one cooling chamber3located inside outer casing2and for housing food items for cooling.

Cooling appliance1also comprises a door4closing cooling chamber3, and which is hinged to one side of outer casing2, alongside the access opening to cooling chamber3, to rotate, about an axis parallel to vertical reference axis A, to and from a position closing cooling chamber3.

Cooling chamber3is preferably, though not necessarily, parallelepiped-shaped, and extends inside outer casing2to a predetermined length l1, measured along vertical axis A.

In theFIGS. 1 and 2example, cooling chamber3houses a number of food-supporting shelves5, and substantially comprises a vertical rear wall3aparallel to axis A and opposite the access opening to cooling chamber3; and two opposite, parallel lateral walls3bon opposite sides of rear wall3a.

Shelves5are alternatively positionable firmly, but in easily removable manner, in a substantially horizontal position inside cooling chamber3in a plurality of consecutive operative positions vertically spaced inside said cooling chamber3to support the food items for cooling.

Cooling appliance1also comprises a lighting devices6incorporated in shelves5to light cooling chamber3; and a contactless power system7for supplying the electric power necessary to operate each lighting devices6in shelves5.

More specifically, unlike the contactless power systems of known cooling appliances, power system7of cooling appliance1substantially comprises a primary inductor8located adjacent to cooling chamber3to generate a magnetic field, and extending in a direction parallel to said vertical reference axis A to a predetermined length l2so as to be faced to the supporting shelf5, when the supporting shelf5is located inside the cooling chamber3in at last two different operative positions.

More specifically, in the example shown, the primary inductor8extends parallel to vertical axis A to a length l2which is substantially equal to the vertical length l1of cooling chamber3so as to be faced to the supporting shelf5, when the supporting shelf5is located inside the cooling chamber3in any operative positions.

It should be pointed out that the length l2of the primary inductor8could be less than the vertical length l1of cooling chamber3such that to be faced to the supporting shelf5, when the supporting shelf5is located inside the cooling chamber3in a few consecutives operative positions.

Power system7also comprises, for each shelf5, a secondary inductor9for supplying induced electric current to relative lighting device6.

More specifically, the electric current circulating in secondary inductor9is induced in the secondary inductor9by the magnetic field generated by the elongate primary inductor8, when shelf5is housed inside cooling chamber3.

It should be pointed out that using a single primary inductor8, extending vertically along the cooling chamber3, has the advantage of generating a single elongate magnetic field; the magnetic flux lines of which travel along a path extending along the whole of cooling chamber3, thus regardless of how the corresponding shelves5are positioned inside cooling chamber3.

On the other words the elongate primary inductor8, induces current in secondary inductors9such that the shelves5can be positioned in different operative position, and at any height inside the cooling chamber3.

With reference toFIG. 2, primary inductor8is located inside the gap between vertical rear wall3aof cooling chamber3and outer casing2, and is connected to an electric power source outside cooling appliance1, e.g. an electric line20, to receive the current, preferably alternating current, necessary to generate the induction magnetic field.

More specifically, primary inductor8comprises at least one coil10located directly facing the outside of rear wall3aof cooling chamber3, and which comprises a number of windings or turns of conducting material.

More specifically, the winding or turns of coil10are wound to form a loop, which is substantially elongated in a predetermined direction parallel to vertical axis A. The loop formed by the turns of coil10has a length l2, in the predetermined direction parallel to vertical axis A, substantially equal or less to the length l1of cooling chamber3measured along vertical axis A so as to be faced to the shelf5when the shelf5in located inside of the cooling chamber3in the operative positions.

In the example shown, the turns of coil10are wound into a loop, so that the two long sides10aextend substantially parallel to axis A and cover a length substantially equal to the length l1of cooling chamber3.

Each secondary inductor9preferably, though not necessarily, comprises a core11of ferromagnetic material housed inside shelf5so as to face primary inductor8; and at least one coil12comprising a number of windings or turns of conducting material.

The windings or turns of coil12are preferably, though not necessarily, wound about core11, and have terminals connected to lighting device6to supply the lighting device with the electric current induced in secondary inductor9by the magnetic field generated by primary inductor8.

In theFIGS. 1 and 2example, each shelf5comprises a rear edge13positioned facing rear wall3a; two lateral edges14substantially perpendicular to rear edge13and positioned contacting lateral walls3b; and a front edge15positioned facing the access opening to cooling chamber3.

In theFIG. 1example, secondary inductor9is located along rear edge13of shelf5. More specifically, core11of secondary inductor9is located along rear edge13of shelf5so that, when shelf5is seated in the relative horizontal position inside cooling chamber3in any operative position, core11and, hence, the secondary coil12are substantially aligned with the main coil10so that the magnetic field generated by primary inductor8travels through them.

Lighting device6comprises a flat, substantially rectangular plate16positioned horizontally to define a front portion of shelf5; and one or more light emitting units18located on a rear portion of shelf5so as to be positioned facing and parallel to a peripheral edge of flat plate16.

More specifically, flat plate16may be made of glass and/or transparent or semitransparent plastic material capable of optically guiding and diffusing the light beams generated by light-emitting units18into cooling chamber3.

In theFIGS. 1 and 2example, the lighting device6comprises a number of light-emitting diodes18which are housed inside rear edge13of shelf5so as to be positioned facing and parallel to a peripheral edge16aof plate16, and to project the light beams through peripheral edge16aof plate16and through plate16itself.

In the example shown, light-emitting diodes18are aligned successively in a direction parallel to and facing peripheral edge16aof plate16, so that the light beams generated by them travel through plate16in a direction substantially coplanar with plate16, and are diffused from both the major surfaces of plate16.

Cooling appliance1has the major advantage of enabling the shelves to be positioned at any height inside the cooling chamber, i.e. in any operative position, while at the same time providing for optimum light diffusion inside the cooling chamber, by using a row of light-emitting diodes along one edge of the plate.

Clearly, changes may be made to the cooling appliance as described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the accompanying Claims.