Patent Description:
This section merely provides background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Vehicles, including but not limited to, camper vans, recreational vehicles ("RVs", in the United States and "Caravans" or "Mobile Homes" in Europe), trucks, tractor trailers, airplanes, boats, trains and the like, often incorporate refrigerators for the comfort and convenience of the occupants. For example, campers often find it convenient, or even necessary, to refrigerate food, drinks, and medicine during their journey and while at their campsites. Thus, a popular solution has been to equip the recreational vehicle with a refrigerator.

Known refrigerators for vehicles have proven to be generally acceptable for their intended uses. A continuous need for improvement to vehicle refrigerators and other refrigerators, however, is always desired.

The description <CIT> disclose a bottom-freezer-type refrigerator, particularly to an ice-making cold air passage structure in which an ice maker is insulatedly installed in a refrigerator compartment door and cold air is supplied to and discharged from the ice maker.

The <CIT> disclose a refrigerator according to the preamble of claim <NUM>. This document relates to refrigerator cabinets of the type having a freezing or frozen food storage compartment and a higher temperatured or unfrozen food storage compartment therein and insulated from the frozen food compartment wherein an insulated inner door, separate from an outer door which is common to and closes both compartments, is utilized to seal the open front of the frozen food compartment, food products stored on shelves on the common door adjacent to or opposite the insulated inner door are not refrigerated to a proper or satisfactory temperature. This is due to the fact that the space between the two insulated doors forms a dead air pocket, and air cooled and caused to be circulated by an evaporator of a refrigerating system in the unfrozen food compartment will not enter such pocket to chill the products on door shelves disposed therein. The present invention relates specifically to the provision of means in this type refrigerator for effectively chilling food products on a door shelf located in the space at the front of a door affording access to the frozen food compartment.

The <CIT> disclos the invention relates to refrigeration equipment, namely, to two-chamber refrigerators for household use with a top-mounted freezer.

It is a general object of the present teachings to provide more efficient cooling for an upper zone of the refrigerator.

It is a more particular, related object of the present teachings to provide air ducts that extend through a freezer door to route cooling air from an evaporator section of the refrigerator to an upper zone of the refrigerator. The present invention is defined by the wordings of claim <NUM>.

It is another general object of the present teachings to provide a refrigerator having a cooling unit that has better performance with lower energy consumption, is faster to install, has reduced noise, is easier to service and is easier to diagnose.

In accordance with one particular aspect, the present teachings provide a refrigerator including a housing defining an interior, a freezer disposed within the interior, and a cooling unit for cooling the interior of the refrigerator. The freezer has a freezer door. The cooling unit includes a heat exchanger disposed within the interior of the housing. At least one ventilation duct vertically extends through the freezer door. The at least one ventilation duct has a first end in communication with an upper zone of the interior of the refrigerator. An airflow path extends between the heat exchanger and a lower end of the at least one ventilation duct. A cooling fan is disposed within the interior of the refrigerator for directing a source of air across the heat exchanger, along the airflow path, through the at least one ventilation duct and into the upper zone of the interior of the refrigerator.

In accordance with another particular aspect, the present teachings provide a refrigerator a housing defining an interior, a heat exchanger disposed in the interior, and a cooling unit for cooling the interior. The cooling unit includes a cooling unit housing located at a rear side of the refrigerator. The cooling unit housing defines a U-shaped airflow path extending between an inlet and an outlet. The inlet and the outlet are located at a common lateral side of the refrigerator.

The present teachings will become more fully understood from the detailed description, any appended claims and the following drawings. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

With general reference to the <FIG> of the drawings, a refrigerator constructed in accordance with the present teachings is illustrated and generally identified at reference character <NUM>. As will be further appreciated below, the present teachings provide a refrigerator <NUM> particular suitable for use within a caravan or other vehicle. It will be understood, however, that the present teachings are not so limited and may be adapted for other, non-mobile applications. In <FIG>, the refrigerator <NUM> is shown built into a cabinet <NUM> of a motor vehicle.

Before addressing the particular aspects of the present teachings, a more general description of the refrigerator shown throughout the drawings is warranted. The refrigerator <NUM> is shown to generally include a housing <NUM> and a cooling unit <NUM> for cooling an interior <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The interior <NUM> of the housing <NUM> is accessed through a refrigerator door <NUM> pivotally connected to the housing <NUM> in a conventional manner. In the embodiment illustrated, the refrigerator <NUM> includes a single door <NUM>. In other embodiments within the scope of the present teachings, the refrigerator <NUM> may include two or more doors. The refrigerator <NUM> may include a bottom drawer <NUM>, a middle drawer <NUM>, a door bin <NUM> and a freezer <NUM>. The bottom drawer <NUM> may be slidably disposed in a lower zone 18A of the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. The door bin <NUM> may be carried by the door <NUM> and disposed in an upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. The middle drawer <NUM> may be vertically located between the bottom drawer <NUM> and the door bin <NUM> in an intermediate zone 18C of the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. The freezer <NUM> may be normally closed by a freezer door <NUM>. As illustrated, access to the freezer door <NUM> is horizontally behind the upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>.

The cooling unit <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM> generally includes a compressor <NUM>, a ventilator <NUM>, a condensation tray <NUM>, and a condenser <NUM>. In the embodiment illustrated, the condenser is a wire-style condenser <NUM>. The various components of the cooling unit <NUM> may be housed within a cooling unit housing <NUM>. The condenser <NUM> is in operative communication with a heat exchanger or evaporator <NUM> located a rear of the interior of the refrigerator <NUM>.

The present teachings provide for more efficient cooling of the upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM> with at least one ventilation duct <NUM> that vertically extends through the freezer door <NUM>. As shown perhaps most particularly in the cross section of <FIG>, in the embodiment illustrated the freezer door <NUM> includes a pair of ventilation ducts <NUM> vertically extending through the freezer door <NUM>. The freezer door <NUM> may define a freezer handle. The at least one ventilation duct <NUM> may pass through the freezer handle. An interior <NUM> of the freezer door <NUM> is otherwise shown foamed with an insulation <NUM>.

Each ventilation duct <NUM> has a first or upper end 42A in communication with the upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM> and a second or lower end 42B. An airflow path <NUM> extends between the heat exchanger <NUM> and the lower ends 42B of each ventilation duct <NUM>. More particularly, the airflow path <NUM> includes a vertically extending section adjacent to the heat exchanger <NUM>. The air from within the refrigerator <NUM> that is directed into the airflow path <NUM> by a cooling fan <NUM> is cooled within the vertically extending portion of the airflow path <NUM>. The airflow path <NUM> also include a horizontally extending portion below the freezer <NUM> that extends between the vertically extending portion and the ventilation ducts <NUM>. A guide blade <NUM> is provided at the lower end <NUM> of the ventilation ducts <NUM> to assist with the transition of airflow from the airflow path <NUM> to the ventilation ducts <NUM>.

The cooling fan <NUM> is disposed within the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. As illustrated, the cooling fan <NUM> is located horizontally behind the middle drawer <NUM> between the middle drawer <NUM> and the heat exchanger <NUM>. In this regard, the cooling fan <NUM> may be mounted on a forwardly facing wall defining a portion of the airflow path <NUM> immediately behind the middle drawer <NUM>. In other applications, the cooling fan <NUM> may be mounted to and carried by the middle drawer <NUM>. The cooling fan <NUM> operates to direct a source of air across the heat exchanger <NUM>, along the airflow path <NUM>, through the at least one ventilation duct <NUM> and into the upper zone 18A of the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. Cooling air may also be directed in an opposite, downward direction. The direction of air drawn into the cooling fan <NUM> is shown at arrow <NUM>. The other arrows of <FIG> show the flow of cooled air from the heat exchanger <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the cooling fan <NUM> may be oriented upwardly to direct a greater amount of cooled air to the upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM>.

In operation, the cooling fan <NUM> may be controlled to direct air against the heat exchanger <NUM> for cooling, upwardly along the airflow path <NUM>, through the ventilation ducts <NUM> of the freezer door <NUM> and into the upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the upper ends 42A of the ventilation ducts <NUM> may be in a front face of the freezer door <NUM>. Air may also be directed downwardly from the heat exchanger <NUM>. In this manner, internal airflow within the refrigerator <NUM> may be optimized to ensure that the various zones of the refrigerator <NUM> are efficiently cooled. The cooling fan <NUM> may be controlled to run both with and without operation of the compressor. In certain applications, it may be desired to continuously or almost continuously operate the cooling fan <NUM> to provide sufficient cooling to the upper zone <NUM> without overcooling other zones of the refrigerator.

The present teachings provide a solution for efficiently cooling an upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM> where the heat exchanger <NUM> is centrally located within the refrigerator <NUM> while avoiding the incorporation of complicated air ducting. This solution also provides a clean and desirable appearance within the refrigerator <NUM>. In one application, the upper zone 18B of the interior <NUM> may be maintained within a desired temperature range between <NUM> and <NUM> degrees Celsius.

The cooling unit housing <NUM> is located at a rear side <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. In the embodiment illustrated, the cooling unit housing <NUM> may have a U-shaped sidewall <NUM> having a first or top wall 56A, a second or bottom wall 56B and a third or intermediate side wall 56C connecting the top and bottom walls 56A and 56B. The first and third side walls 56A and 56C may be formed together. The second side wall 56B may be separately formed and may define a floor of the cooling unit <NUM>. The sidewall <NUM> cooling unit housing <NUM> is open to an interior <NUM> of the cooling unit <NUM> at an open side <NUM>. The open side <NUM> is located at a lateral side of the refrigerator <NUM>.

The cooling unit housing <NUM> defines an airflow path <NUM>. The airflow path may be a U-shaped airflow path <NUM> extending between an inlet <NUM> and an outlet <NUM>. The inlet and the outlet <NUM> and <NUM> are located at a common lateral side of the refrigerator <NUM>. The refrigerator of includes a side vent <NUM> removably attached to the cooling unit housing <NUM> and covering the inlet and the outlet <NUM> and <NUM>. As the removable side vent <NUM> is located on the lateral side of the refrigerator <NUM>, the components of the cooling unit <NUM> may be more easily accessed for diagnosis and repair from an interior of the vehicle without removing the refrigerator <NUM>. The cooling unit <NUM> may also include a removable shell <NUM> that closes an open rear side of the cooling unit housing <NUM>.

The airflow path <NUM> includes a first portion 62A horizontally extending into the cooling unit housing <NUM> from the inlet <NUM> and a second portion 66B horizontally extending to the outlet <NUM>. An arcuate portion 62C connects the first and second portions 62A and 62B. A divider wall <NUM> is horizontally oriented in the cooling unit housing <NUM> and separates the first and second portions 62A and 62B of the airflow path <NUM>. The compressor <NUM> is disposed within the first portion of the airflow path 62A. The condenser <NUM> is disposed in the second portion 62B of the airflow path <NUM>. The ventilator <NUM> located in the airflow path <NUM> at a transition between the third portion 62C and the second portion 62B.

The refrigerator <NUM> of the present teachings including cooling unit <NUM> provides the added benefit of a more secure fixation to the vehicle. As the installation point is freely accessible from the side, the installation point can be adapted per vehicle, making a stronger connection between the refrigerator <NUM> and the vehicle possible.

Turning to <FIG> and <FIG>, another refrigerator in accordance with the present teachings is illustrated and generally identified at reference character <NUM>. Given the similarities between the refrigerator <NUM> and the refrigerator <NUM>, like reference characters will be used throughout the drawings to identify like elements. The refrigerator <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG> primarily differs from the refrigerator <NUM> of <FIG> by incorporating a smaller, metal housing <NUM> instead of a larger, plastic housing <NUM>. This metal housing <NUM> is shown removed in <FIG> for purposes of illustration.

The cooling unit housing <NUM> is located at a rear side <NUM> of the refrigerator <NUM>. In the embodiment illustrated, the cooling unit housing <NUM> may have a U-shaped sidewall <NUM> having a first or top wall 56A, a second or bottom wall 56B and a third or intermediate side wall 56C connecting the top and bottom walls 56A and 56B. The first and third side walls 56A and 56C may be formed together. The second side wall 56B may be separately formed and may define a floor of the cooling unit <NUM>. The cooling unit housing <NUM> is open to an interior <NUM> of the cooling unit housing <NUM> at an open side <NUM>. The open side <NUM> is located at a lateral side of the refrigerator <NUM>.

As with the refrigerator <NUM>, the cooling unit housing <NUM> defines an airflow path <NUM>. The airflow path may be a U-shaped airflow path <NUM> extending between an inlet <NUM> and an outlet <NUM>. The inlet and the outlet <NUM> and <NUM> are located at a common lateral side of the refrigerator <NUM>. The airflow path <NUM> includes a first portion 62A horizontally extending into the cooling unit housing <NUM> from the inlet <NUM> and a second portion 66B horizontally extending to the outlet <NUM>. An intermediate portion 62C connects the first and second portions 62A and 62B.

Claim 1:
A refrigerator (<NUM>) comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) defining an interior (<NUM>);
a refrigerator door (<NUM>) providing access to the interior (<NUM>)
a freezer (<NUM>) disposed within the interior (<NUM>);
a freezer door (<NUM>) providing access to a freezer compartment of the freezer (<NUM>);
a cooling unit (<NUM>) for cooling the interior (<NUM>) of the refrigerator (<NUM>), the cooling unit (<NUM>) including a heat exchanger (<NUM>) disposed within the interior (<NUM>) of the housing (<NUM>); the freezer door (<NUM>) is arranged horizontally behind the upper zone (18B), characterized by
at least one ventilation duct (<NUM>) vertically extending through the freezer door (<NUM>), the at least one ventilation duct (<NUM>) having a first end in communication with an upper zone (18B) of the interior of the refrigerator (<NUM>);
an airflow path (<NUM>) extending between the heat exchanger (<NUM>) and a lower end of the at least one ventilation duct (<NUM>); and
a cooling fan (<NUM>) for directing a source of air across the heat exchanger (<NUM>), along the airflow path (<NUM>), through the at least one ventilation duct (<NUM>) and into the upper zone (18B) of the interior (<NUM>) of the refrigerator (<NUM>).