The present invention relates to refrigeration appliances and, more particularly, to configurations that control and mitigate the effects of external condensation on the mullions and exterior surfaces of the fresh food and freezer compartments.
Condensation on the exterior surfaces of refrigerator appliances is not aesthetically pleasing to consumers. It also may cause water to pool around the refrigerator, leading to safety problems. In addition, water condensation may enter the compartments of the appliance potentially causing a mess, a reduction in food quality, and components of the appliance to rust. Accordingly, there exists a need to manage condensation on the exterior surfaces of various refrigerator appliance configurations.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide an appliance that includes a cabinet having an exterior surface; a refrigeration compartment located within the cabinet; and a hydrophilic structure disposed on the exterior surface. The hydrophilic structure is configured to spread condensation. The appliance further includes a wicking structure located in proximity to the hydrophilic structure, and the wicking structure is configured to receive the condensation.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide an appliance that includes a cabinet having an exterior surface; a refrigeration compartment located within the cabinet; and a hydrophilic structure disposed on the exterior surface. The hydrophilic structure is configured to spread condensation. The appliance further includes a wicking finger in contact with the hydrophilic structure, and wicking finger transfers the condensation from the hydrophilic structure to a wicking structure located on the cabinet that is configured to receive the condensation from the wicking finger.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an appliance that includes a cabinet having an exterior surface; a refrigeration compartment located within the cabinet; and a hydrophilic structure disposed on the exterior surface. The hydrophilic structure is configured to spread condensation. The appliance further includes a wicking structure comprising a sponge-like material, and the wicking structure is configured to receive the condensation from the hydrophilic structure.
For purposes of description herein, the invention may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. The specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
Managing external water condensation is an issue for many refrigerator appliance configurations. Condensation may be observed on the flip mullion of French door bottom mount refrigerators (FDBM). Similarly, condensation can also be present on the exterior surfaces of the fresh food and freezer cabinets, and the mullion that divides them. Control of exterior condensation on a refrigerator appliance without additional energy usage is also desirable.
In particular, FDBM refrigerators describe a category of refrigerator appliances with a refrigeration compartment (i.e., fresh food compartment) that includes a pair of doors that open and close in a French-style. FDBM refrigerators usually have a flip mullion in the middle of the fresh food compartment. Typically, the mullion is attached to one of the fresh food compartment doors and configured to flip behind one of the doors when both doors are moved into a closed position. The mullion provides a resting place for the compartment doors when the doors are closed. It also seals the fresh food compartment in concert with the doors.
Usually the flip mullion is not well-insulated relative to other components in the fresh food compartment. Consequently, the mullion may experience external condensation, particularly in refrigerators that are used in high-humidity locations. Refrigerator appliance manufacturers often try to remedy this condensation problem by adding heater coils or other types of resistive-heating elements to the inside of the mullion. The heater brings the surface temperature of the mullion to a temperature above the dew point of the ambient air, ensuring that condensation does not form on the mullion. The heater, however, uses energy above and beyond the energy required for the cooling function of the appliance. This adds significant energy usage costs to the operation of the appliance over its life.
Similarly, condensation may form on certain portions of the exterior surfaces of the fresh food and freezer compartments of various refrigerator appliance configurations. Condensation may also form on the mullion that divides the compartments. Many fresh food and freezer cabinets have a well-insulated inner liner and a seam that separates the liner from the exterior cabinet surface. The seam is near the seal between the compartment and the door and usually is not well insulated. This location on the cabinet is frequently subject to exterior condensation. Accordingly, appliance manufacturers include heater coils in the portion of the fresh food and/or freezer compartment cabinets near these seams, including portions of the cabinet comprising the mullion between the compartments. These heaters prevent the formation of exterior condensation and, like the heaters used in the flip mullion in FDBM-type refrigerators, require significant energy usage.
In
During standard operation of refrigerator appliance 10, condensation may form on the external surfaces of mullion assembly 30, divider mullion 31 and portions of the cabinet 2 (see
As depicted in
Mullion bar 32 may be fabricated in various shapes and configurations to accommodate refrigeration compartment 20 and doors 22 and 24. Further, mullion assembly 30 may include one or more mullion bar 32 components to accomplish the intended function. In addition, mullion bar 32 may be fabricated from various materials, including but not limited to food-safe polymers, metals, alloys, composites and other materials with adequate thermal insulation.
The hydrophilic structure 38 acts to drain condensation and/or spread it in a sheet-like form along exterior surfaces 35 downward toward receptacle 40. The hydrophilic structure 38 possesses a surface energy associated with high affinity for water. Accordingly, water tends to grip the hydrophilic structure 38, spreading in a nearly invisible film. Put another way, water does not bead on structure 38 and agglomerate into large, visible water droplets. After spreading in a film along hydrophilic structure 38, the condensation flows down surface 35, beads on face 33, and then drips into receptacle 40 and wicking medium 19 according to the embodiment depicted in
Hydrophilic structure 38 may include various structures arranged over the desired surfaces of appliance 10, including the mullion bar surface 35 as shown in
In addition, different regions of mullion bar 32 may be arranged with different hydrophilic structures 38 to preferentially direct water toward desired locations. For example, a water affinity gradient can be configured along the exterior surfaces 35 of bar 32 to preferentially direct water downward toward receptacle 40. This can be accomplished via the selection and positioning of materials for hydrophilic structure 38 along exterior surfaces 35 that have an increasingly hydrophilic property (e.g., increased water affinity) toward the bottom face 33 of mullion bar 32.
Receptacle 40 may be coupled to the bottom face 33 of mullion bar 32 as shown in
Referring to
In the embodiment depicted in
Wicking medium 19 used on the bottom of doors 24 and 22 has the same or similar properties as the wicking medium 19 described in connection with the receptacle 40 (see
In addition, the bottom face 16 of the cabinet of appliance 10 is configured with a wicking medium 19 and cabinet feet 11, arranged to raise the cabinet of appliance 10 above the floor. Wicking medium 19 along bottom face 16 is configured in contact with the hydrophilic structures 18 arranged along the right side 14 and left side 15 of the cabinet. Condensation that has spread along hydrophilic structure 18 on portions of the right side 14 and left side 15 of the cabinet is drawn up into wicking medium 19. Here, wicking medium 19 is arranged with substantial surface area beneath the cabinet of appliance 10 along bottom face 16. Condensation within wicking medium 19 is readily evaporated by virtue of this surface area, along with the air flow and heat dissipation associated with certain components of refrigerator appliance 10, including the condenser and the compressor (both not shown).
Another condensation management embodiment is depicted in
In the embodiment depicted in
Various configurations can be employed to give wicking bulb 8 an extension capability from within pocket 7. In particular, these configurations allow wicking bulb 8 to extend from the pocket 7 to touch the divider mullion 31 when door 6 is moved to a closed position. In one approach, a magnet (not shown) is configured within wicking bulb 8. As door 6 is moved to a closed position, the magnet within bulb 8 causes bulb 8 to extend toward the cabinet of appliance 10. This approach is viable for most configurations of appliance 10, provided that the appliance contains an appreciable amount of ferrous material within the exterior portions of its cabinet.
As depicted in
As also shown in
During standard operation of refrigerator appliance 60, condensation may form on the external surfaces of divider mullion 61 and portions of the right side 14 and left side 15 of the cabinet of appliance 60 (
Embodiments for managing condensation in the appliance 60 are depicted in
Second, as shown in
It should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that these condensation management and control features described above and depicted in
Other variations and modifications can be made to the aforementioned structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present invention. For example, other refrigerator appliance configurations can be used with these condensation management arrangements. These concepts, and those mentioned earlier, are intended to be covered by the following claims unless the claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
This application is a continuation that claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/562,628, filed on Jul. 31, 2012, entitled “HYDROPHILIC STRUCTURES FOR CONDENSATION MANAGEMENT IN REFRIGERATOR APPLIANCES,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention was made with government support under Award No. DE-EE0003910, awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20150008815 A1 | Jan 2015 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13562628 | Jul 2012 | US |
Child | 14493399 | US |