The present invention relates to a merchandiser including a fan apparatus that discharges an airflow into two separate airflow paths to generate a primary air curtain and a secondary air curtain.
Generally, air is directed through one or more air passageways in a merchandiser to provide cooling to the product display area of the merchandiser. Often, a primary air curtain is provided to cool the product display area, and one or more secondary air curtains can be provided to buffer the primary air curtain and the product display area from ambient air surrounding the merchandiser. Conventional merchandisers typically utilize one fan assembly to generate a first airflow through the merchandiser (e.g., for the primary air curtain) and another, separate fan assembly to generate a second airflow through the merchandiser (e.g., for the secondary air curtain).
The invention provides, among other things, a refrigerated merchandiser including a fan assembly that has an airflow divider to direct air discharged from a single fan into separate passageways to generate primary and secondary air curtains.
In one embodiment, a refrigerated merchandiser includes a case defining a product display area and having a base, a lower flue, a first air passageway, and a second air passageway. The first air passageway and second air passageway are in fluid communication with the lower flue and with the product display area. The refrigerated merchandiser also includes an evaporator positioned in the first air passageway and a fan assembly positioned in the base in fluid communication with the lower flue to generate an airflow. A fan plenum into which the fan assembly is disposed includes an airflow divider to direct a first portion of the airflow to the first air passageway and to direct a second portion of the airflow to the second air passageway. The proportion of air between the first portion and the second portion is a function of the position and geometry of the airflow divider.
In one embodiment a refrigerated merchandiser includes a case defining a product display area, a first air passageway, and a second air passageway, in which the first air passageway and second air passageway are in fluid communication with the product display area. A fan has a plurality of fan blades and is operable to generate an airflow. An airflow divider is positioned adjacent the plurality of fan blades to direct a first portion of the airflow to the first air passageway and to direct a second portion of the airflow to the second air passageway. The proportion of air between the first portion and the second portion is a function of the position and geometry of the airflow divider.
In one embodiment of a fan plenum for a refrigerated merchandiser, in which the refrigerated merchandiser includes a case defining a product display area and a lower flue, a first air passageway, and a second air passageway, and in which the first air passageway and second air passageway are in fluid communication with the lower flue and with the product display area, the fan plenum includes a top wall including a fan aperture for receiving a fan having a plurality of fan blades. The fan plenum further includes a side wall and a plenum base. An airflow divider partitions the fan plenum into a first duct and a second duct. The first duct is fluidly couplable with the first air passageway and the second duct is fluidly couplable with the second air passageway.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. As used herein and in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, and other directional terms are not intended to require any particular orientation, but are instead used for purposes of description only.
The base 104 defines a lower portion 130 of the product display area 116 and can support a portion of the food product in the case 100. The base 104 further defines a lower flue 134 and includes an inlet 138 located adjacent the opening 120. As illustrated, the lower flue 134 is in fluid communication with the inlet 138 and conducts an airflow 144 substantially horizontally through the base 104 from the inlet 138. The inlet 138 is positioned to receive surrounding air in a substantially vertical direction to direct it into the lower flue 134.
With continued reference to
The canopy 112 defines a primary upper flue 158 and a secondary upper flue 160. The primary upper flue 158 is in fluid communication with the primary rear flue 148, and the secondary upper flue 160 is in fluid communication with the secondary rear flue 150. The primary upper flue 158 directs the primary airflow 152 substantially horizontally through the canopy 112 toward a primary outlet 162. The secondary upper flue 160 directs the secondary airflow 154 substantially horizontally through the canopy 112 toward a secondary outlet 166.
The lower flue 134, the primary rear flue 148, and the primary upper flue 158 are fluidly coupled to each other to define a primary air passageway that directs a portion of the airflow 144 (i.e., the primary airflow 152) from the inlet 138 to the primary outlet 162. The lower flue 134, the secondary rear flue 150, and the secondary upper flue 160 are fluidly coupled to each other to define a secondary air passageway that directs the remaining portion of the airflow 144 (i.e., the secondary airflow 154) from the inlet 138 to the secondary outlet 166.
The primary airflow 152 that is discharged from the primary outlet 162 forms a primary air curtain 174 that is directed generally downward across the opening 120 to cool the food product within a desired or standard temperature range (e.g., 32 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit). Generally, the inlet 138 receives at least some air from the primary air curtain 174. The secondary airflow 154 that is discharged from the secondary outlet 164 forms a secondary air curtain 176 (e.g., refrigerated or non-refrigerated) that is directed generally downward across the opening 120 to buffer the primary air curtain 174 to minimize infiltration of ambient air into the product display area 116.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
The primary duct base 248 is disposed below and spaced from the top wall 240 to accommodate the fan assembly 170. The primary duct base 248 spans an area from the front rim 280 of the top wall 240 rearward to an edge 300 that is substantially coincident with the centerline M of the fan aperture 272. The primary duct base 248 is positioned substantially parallel to the top wall 240 and includes tabs 304 that removably secure the primary duct base 248 to the side wall 244 at an adjustable intermediate height H1 above a bottom edge 312 of the side wall 244.
The secondary duct base 252, which is located below the primary duct base 248, spans the entirety of the area partially enclosed by the side wall 244. The secondary duct base 252 is coupled to a plurality of bottom tabs 316 extending from the bottom edge 312 of the side wall 244.
With continued reference to
Referring to
In some constructions, two separate fan assemblies 170 can be used within a single plenum 172. In these constructions, the discharged airflow of each fan 200 is separated by a respective divider 260 into the primary and secondary ducts 264, 266. Also, while the divider 260 is illustrated as being integrated into the plenum 172, the divider 260 can instead be integrated into the fan assembly 170. In yet another construction, the fan assembly 170 and plenum 172 can be positioned at the rear of the case 100 or at the top of the case 100 (with modifications made as necessary to the flues 148, 150, 158, 160 and the heat exchanger 190).
With reference to
The fan assembly 470 has a fan 500 (e.g., a centrifugal fan) with an inlet 504, an outlet 508, and a hub 512 that is powered by a motor (not shown). The hub 512 supports a plurality of fan blades 516. Support arms 524 form a basket that surrounds the fan blades 516. Each support arm 524 adjoins a flange 530 that couples the fan assembly 470 to the plenum 472.
With reference to
The divider 548 is disposed below and spaced from the top wall 540. The divider 548 spans the entirety of the area partially enclosed by the side wall 544 and includes an opening 570, the perimeter 574 of which uniformly surrounds the support arms 524 adjacent the outlet 508 of the fan 500. The divider 548 is positioned substantially parallel to the top wall 540 and is removably secured at its lateral edges 578, 582 and back edge 586 to the side wall 544 at an intermediate height H2 above the bottom edge 512 of the side wall 544. As described in detail below, this intermediate height H2 can be changed to adjust the quantity of air directed into each of the primary and secondary rear flues 148, 150.
Referring to
In some constructions, two separate fan assemblies 470 can be used within a single plenum 472. In these constructions, the discharged airflow of each fan 500 is separated by a divider 548 into the primary and secondary ducts 564, 566. Also, while the divider 548 is illustrated as being integrated into the plenum 472, the divider 548 can instead be integrated into the fan assembly 470. In yet another construction, the fan assembly 470 and plenum 472 can be positioned at the rear of the case 100 or at the top of the case 100 (with modifications made as necessary to the flues 148, 150, 158, 160 and the heat exchanger 190).
With regard to the fan apparatus 169, in operation, the rotating fan 200 draws the airflow 144 through the lower flue 134 to the fan inlet 204. The plenum 172 and the divider 260 cooperate to split the airflow 144 into the primary airflow 152 and the secondary airflow 154 at the outlet 208. The primary airflow 152 flows through the primary duct 264, the heat exchanger 190, the primary rear flue 148, the primary upper flue 158, and the outlet 162 to form the cooled or refrigerated primary air curtain 174.
The secondary airflow 154 flows through the secondary duct 264, the secondary rear flue 150, the secondary upper flue 160, and the outlet 166, bypassing the heat exchanger 190, to form the secondary air curtain 176. As described, the secondary air curtain 176 buffers the primary air curtain 174 to limit infiltration of ambient air into the product display area 116. At least some air from either or both the primary air curtain 174 and the secondary air curtain 176 is drawn into the lower flue 134 through the inlet 138, which in turn forms the airflow 144.
The fan apparatus 169 can be adjusted or modified based on desired characteristics for the primary airflow 152 and the secondary airflow 154 (e.g., how much air defines each airflow). For example, the distances associated with one or more of the clearances C1, C2, C3 can be adjusted to control the interaction between the primary and secondary airflows 152, 154. If a greater level of interaction is desired (i.e., more mixing of the airflows 152, 154 prior to entry into the ducts 264, 266), the distance of any or all of the clearances C1, C2, C3 can be enlarged. Conversely, if a lower level of interaction is desired, (i.e., more independence between the airflows 152, 154), the distance of any or all of the clearances C1, C2, C3 can be reduced.
Generally, smaller distances for the clearances C1, C2, C3 result in greater independence between the airflows 152, 154 by limiting airflow crossover from one duct to the other. As a result, different static pressures can be maintained in each duct 264, 266. Therefore, a relatively constant air volume can be maintained in one of the primary and secondary ducts 264, 266 regardless of changes to static pressure in the other of the primary and secondary ducts 264, 266. As illustrated, the airflows 152, 154 are substantially independent such that the primary airflow 152 is relatively unaffected by changing air pressures or air volumes of the secondary airflow 154. Likewise, the secondary airflow 154 is relatively unaffected by changing air pressures or air volumes of the primary airflow 152.
The quantity of air discharged as the primary airflow 152 and the secondary airflow 154 is proportional to the angle α. As the angle α increases, more air flows to the secondary duct 266 and less air flows to the primary duct 264, increasing the quantity of air defining the secondary airflow 154 (and thus the quantity of air defining the secondary air curtain 176), and decreasing the quantity of air defining the primary airflow 152 (and thus the quantity of air defining the primary air curtain 174). As the angle α decreases, less air flows to the secondary duct 266 and more air flows to the primary duct 264, increasing the quantity of air defining the primary airflow 152 and the primary air curtain 174 and decreasing the quantity of air defining the secondary airflow 154 and the secondary air curtain 176.
The configuration of the plenum 172 with the divider 260 allows a single fan assembly 170 to create two distinct air curtains 174, 176 for maintaining the product display area 116 at desired predetermined conditions. Using one fan rather than two fans reduces component and electrical power costs and simplifies assembly and maintenance of the merchandiser 10.
Except as described below, the fan apparatus 469 including the fan assembly 470 and the plenum 472 described with regard to
In particular, the fan apparatus 469 can be adjusted or modified based on desired characteristics for the primary airflow 152 and the secondary airflow 154 (e.g., how much air defines each airflow). For example, the distance associated with the clearance C4 can be adjusted to control the interaction between the primary and secondary airflows 152, 154. If a greater level of interaction is desired (i.e., more mixing of the airflows 152, 154 prior to entry into the ducts 564, 566), the dimension of the clearance C4 can be enlarged. Conversely, if a lower level of interaction is desired, (i.e., more independence between the airflows 152, 154), the dimension of the clearance C4 can be reduced.
Generally, a smaller dimension for the clearance C4 results in greater independence between the airflows 152, 154 by limiting airflow crossover from one duct to the other. As a result, different static pressures can be maintained in each duct 564, 566. Therefore, a relatively constant air volume can be maintained in one of the primary and secondary ducts 564, 566 regardless of changes to static pressure in the other of the primary and secondary ducts 564, 566. As illustrated, the airflows 152, 154 are substantially independent such that the primary airflow 152 is relatively unaffected by changing air pressures or air volumes of the airflow 154. Likewise, the secondary airflow 154 is relatively unaffected by changing air pressures or air volumes of the primary airflow 152.
The quantity of air discharged as the primary airflow 152 and the secondary airflow 154 is proportional to the vertical position of the divider 548 within the plenum 472 (i.e., the height H2). As the dimension of the height H2 increases, more air flows to the enlarged secondary duct 566 and less air flows to the reduced primary duct 564, which in turn affects the amount of air defining the primary and secondary air curtains 174, 176. Specifically, the enlarged secondary duct 566 increases the quantity of air defining the secondary air curtain 176 and the reduced primary duct 564 decreases the quantity of air defining the primary air curtain 174. Conversely, as the height H2 decreases, less air flows to the reduced secondary duct 566 and more air flows to the enlarged primary duct 564, increasing the quantity of air defining the primary air curtain 174 and decreasing the quantity of air defining the secondary air curtain 176.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/768,230, filed Feb. 15, 2013, which published as U.S. Publication No. 2013/0213074 on Aug. 22, 2013, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/600,349, filed Feb. 17, 2012. The entire contents of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference.
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EP13155659.9 Extended Search Report and Written Opinion dated May 15, 2013 (6 pages). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170013973 A1 | Jan 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61600349 | Feb 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13768230 | Feb 2013 | US |
Child | 15280559 | US |