Patent Application
20240230203
The present disclosure generally pertains to refrigeration appliances, and, more specifically, temperature and humidity control systems and methods for temperature and humidity control.
Refrigeration appliances, such as beverage chilling and humidity control systems, may include multiple climate zones, such as temperature zones, configured to provide different temperatures at different portions of the appliance. However, air leakages between climate zones may inhibit or prohibit providing or maintaining desired temperature, humidity, or both, at respective climate zones. Air leakages may further result in increased power usage and decreased efficiency at the appliance, which are undesired.
Utilizing multiple cooling systems, such as a cooling system per climate zone, may help provide temperature and humidity for each climate zone. However, utilizing multiple cooling systems is complex, may require increased power usage, and may decrease efficiency.
As such, an appliance and method for operation that addresses one or more of these issues and deficiencies is desired.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be understood from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a refrigeration appliance. The appliance includes a cabinet forming a first compartment and a second compartment. A damper assembly is configured to selectively flow conditioned air to the first compartment and the second compartment. An evaporator is configured to condition air and flow the conditioned air to the damper assembly. A selectively-activatable flow device is positioned in fluid communication with the first compartment. A first return conduit is extending in fluid communication between the first compartment and the evaporator.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a controller configured to operate a refrigeration appliance. The controller includes a processor configured to execute instructions that cause the refrigeration appliance to perform operations. The operations include generating, at an evaporator, conditioned air comprising a first temperature and a second temperature; flowing the conditioned air comprising the first temperature to a first compartment; flowing the conditioned air comprising the second temperature to a second compartment; and actuating a flow device positioned in fluid communication between the first compartment and the evaporator.
Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method for multiple zone temperature and humidity control at a refrigeration appliance. The method includes selectively generating, at an evaporator, conditioned air comprising a first temperature and a second temperature; flowing the conditioned air comprising the first temperature to a first compartment; flowing the conditioned air comprising the second temperature to a second compartment positioned below the first compartment; and actuating a flow device positioned in fluid communication between the first compartment and the evaporator, wherein actuating the flow device generates a pressure balance between the first compartment and the second compartment.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, the terms “first”, “second”, and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components.
The terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the direction to which the fluid flows.
Embodiments of a refrigeration appliance and method for operation are provided herein. Embodiments of the appliance may include a beverage cooler appliance (e.g., a wine cooler, hard drink cooler, soft drink cooler, or other desired beverage, etc.) configured with multiple environmental condition zones, such as dual temperature zone between an upper chamber (e.g., first compartment) and a lower chamber (e.g., a second compartment). Embodiments of the appliance and method provided herein mitigate leakage between the temperature zones or compartments, which may promote maintaining humidity within the compartments within a desired range. Embodiments provided herein may further mitigate leakage between the compartments while maintaining humidity within the desired humidity range while further providing or maintaining temperature at each zone at extremes of a temperature range. Embodiments of the appliance and method provided herein may balance pressure between the first compartment and the second compartment, such as to reduce or mitigate leakage between the compartments. For instance, embodiments provided herein may allow for maintaining humidity within the humidity range and maintaining respective temperatures at extremes of a temperature range, such as a first temperature (e.g., approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit) at a first compartment and a second temperature (e.g., approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit) at a second compartment.
Referring to
The appliance 100 includes a utility compartment 108 at which operational components 150 (
Referring to
Controller 130 may include a user interface panel through which a user may select various operational features and operating modes and monitor progress of the appliance 100. The user interface may represent a general purpose I/O (“GPIO”) device or functional block. Additionally, the user interface may include input components 134, such as one or more of a variety of electrical, mechanical, or electro-mechanical input devices including rotary dials, push buttons, and touch pads. The user interface may also include a display component 132, such as a digital or analog display device designed to provide operational feedback (e.g., compartment temperature, humidity, etc. to a user. The user interface may be in communication with the controller 130 via one or more signal lines or shared communication busses, such as wired or wireless communications devices.
Referring still to
Controller 130 may include one or more processing devices and one or more memory devices. As used herein, the terms “processing device,” “computing device,” “controller,” or the like may generally refer to any suitable processing device, such as a general or special purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a logic device, one or more central processing units (CPUs), a graphics processing units (GPUs), processing units performing other specialized calculations, semiconductor devices, etc. In addition, these “controllers” are not necessarily restricted to a single element but may include any suitable number, type, and configuration of processing devices integrated in any suitable manner to facilitate appliance operation. Alternatively, controller 130 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND/OR gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software.
Controller 130 may include, or be associated with, one or more memory elements or non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums, such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, EPROM, flash memory devices, magnetic disks, or other suitable memory devices (including combinations thereof). These memory devices may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. In addition, these memory devices can store information and/or data accessible by the one or more processors, including instructions that can be executed by the one or more processors, such as one or more steps of a method for operating an appliance such as provided herein. It should be appreciated that the instructions can be software written in any suitable programming language or can be implemented in hardware. Additionally, or alternatively, the instructions can be executed logically and/or virtually using separate threads on one or more processors. Executed instructions cause the appliance 100 to perform operations, such as one or more steps of method 1000 provided further herein.
Controller 130 may include a wired or wireless communications device configured to send or receive instructions e.g., through a network, such as, but not limited to, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), the Internet, a cellular network, or any suitable short- or long-range networks, etc. Communications may be transmitted using any suitable communications devices or protocols, such as via Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, wireless radio, laser, infrared, Ethernet type devices and interfaces, etc. In addition, such communication may use a variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g., HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).
Referring to
Embodiments of the appliance 100 include a damper assembly 300 configured to selectively distribute conditioned air from the heat exchanger system 200 to either the first compartment 110, the second compartment 120, both the first and second compartments 110, 120, or neither the first compartment 110 nor the second compartment 120. The damper assembly 300 may include any type of valve, manifold, or flow control device configured to selectively permit flow to the first compartment 110 and the second compartment 120. Accordingly, the damper assembly 300 may form a four-way damper assembly.
In various embodiments, the appliance 100 may include a damper supply conduit 250 configured to flow conditioned air from the heat exchanger system 200 (e.g., the evaporator 210) to the damper assembly 300. Various supply and return conduits may form walled pipes, manifolds, flowpaths, and openings for fluidly communicating air to and from the compartments 110, 120. Embodiments of the appliance 100 may include a first supply conduit 111 configured to fluidly communicate air from the damper assembly 300 to the first compartment 110. Embodiments of the appliance 100 may include a second supply conduit 121 configured to fluidly communicate air from the damper assembly 300 to the second compartment 120. Some embodiments of the appliance 100 may position the damper assembly 300 adjacent to one or both compartments 110, 120, such that a common wall or double-wall structure may separate the damper assembly 300 from the first compartment 110 and/or the second compartment 120.
Referring still to
The appliance 100 may include a second return conduit 123 extending in fluid communication between the second compartment 120 and the heat exchanger system 200, such as the evaporator 210. In some embodiments, the second return conduit 123 forms openings or orifices through the evaporator 210 to the second compartment 120. In such embodiments, the second return conduit 123 has substantially little to no pressure drop between the second compartment 120 and the evaporator 210, e.g., a second pressure drop or pressure difference. In still some embodiments, a first pressure difference from the first compartment 110 to the evaporator 210 is at least 1.3 times greater, or up to ten (10) times greater, than the second pressure difference when the flow device 201 is non-operating. For instance, a structure of the first return conduit 113, such as, but not limited to, a length, diameter, or changes in area along the length, etc., may correspond to approximately 1.3 times to ten times greater pressure drop compared to a structure of the second return conduit 123.
For instance, referring to
The appliance 100 may include a sensor 160 configured to determine, measure, or otherwise obtain an environmental condition corresponding to the first compartment 110 and the second compartment 120. As described further herein, the environmental condition may include a first environmental condition corresponding to the first compartment 110. The first environmental condition may include a first temperature and/or a first humidity corresponding to the first compartment. The environmental condition may include a second environmental condition corresponding to the second compartment 120. The second environmental condition may include a second temperature and/or a second humidity corresponding to the second compartment. Sensor 160 may be operably coupled to controller 130, such as via wired or wireless communication, to communicate the first environmental condition and the second environmental condition to the controller 130.
Embodiments of the sensor 160 may be configured to obtain a first pressure corresponding to the first return conduit 113 and a second pressure corresponding to the second return conduit 123. The sensor 160 may include a pressure sensor, a differential pressure sensor, or other appropriate device for determining pressure at the conduits 113, 123, or a difference in pressure between conduits 113, 123. Sensor 160 may be operably coupled to controller 130, such as via wired or wireless communication, to communicate the first pressure, the second pressure, or a differential pressure between the first pressure and the second pressure, to the controller 130.
Some embodiments of the sensor 160 may include a plurality of sensors 160. One or more sensors may be configured to obtain temperature, humidity, pressure, or other parameters that may correspond or calculate or otherwise determine pressure or an environmental condition such as described herein. Sensor 160 may be positioned in operable communication at one or more of the first return conduit 113, the second return conduit 123, the first compartment 110, the second compartment 120, the first supply conduit 111, the second supply conduit 121, the damper assembly 300, or the flow control device(s) 201, 202, or combinations thereof.
In various embodiments, the appliance 100 may further include a second flow device 202, such as, but not limited to, a fan, nozzle, or pump, configured to flow air from the heat exchanger system 200 (e.g., from the evaporator 210) to the damper assembly 300. For instance, the second flow device 202 may be positioned at the damper supply conduit 250, or at the evaporator 210 to push air to the damper assembly 300, or at the damper assembly 300 to pull air from the evaporator 210.
Referring now to
Method 1000 includes at 1010 generating (e.g., at heat exchanger system 200, or evaporator 210) conditioned air including a first environmental condition and a second environmental condition, such as described in regard to appliance 100. Method 1000 includes at 1020 flowing the conditioned air including the first environmental condition to a first compartment (e.g., first compartment 110), and at 1030 flowing the conditioned air including the second environmental condition to a second compartment (e.g., second compartment 120). Generating conditioned air may include selectively generating conditioned air having the first environmental condition (e.g., a first temperature, a first humidity, or both) or the second environmental condition (e.g., a second temperature, a second humidity, or both) such as based on whether the conditioned air is provided to the first compartment or the second compartment. The heat exchanger system (e.g., heat exchanger system 200) may receive (e.g., from controller 130) a command signal relative to a desired environmental condition (e.g., temperature and/or humidity) at the first compartment or the second compartment. Flowing the conditioned air at 1020, 1030 may include at 1015 actuating a damper assembly (e.g., damper assembly 300) to selectively flow the conditioned air to the first compartment or the second compartment, or to both the first and second compartments, or to neither the first compartment nor the second compartment.
Method 1000 includes at 1040 actuating a flow device (e.g., flow device 201) positioned in fluid communication between the first compartment and the evaporator. In some embodiments, actuating the flow device includes selectively operating a fan, nozzle, or pump to balance the pressure between the first compartment and the second compartment. In still some embodiments, the flow device (e.g., flow device 201) is configured to balance or equalize a pressure drop or differential pressure between the first and second compartments when the first compartment (e.g., upper chamber) is cooled. The equalized pressure between the first and second compartments may mitigate air and/or moisture migration between the first and second compartments. Mitigated air or moisture migration may facilitate setting and achieving the first environmental condition at the first compartment. Various embodiments of the method 1000 and appliance 100 may further facilitate achieving the first environmental condition at the first compartment 110 (e.g., as the upper chamber) without adding heat to the second compartment 120 (e.g., as the lower chamber). Various embodiments such as provided herein may facilitate achieving desired humidity in the first and second compartments 110, 120 when each compartment 110, 120 is set to different temperatures (e.g., first temperature versus second temperature).
In some embodiments, method 1000 includes at 1050 maintaining, at the first compartment, a first environmental condition having a first humidity within a first humidity range, and at 1060 maintaining, at the second compartment, a second environmental condition having a second humidity within a second humidity range. In various embodiments, the humidity range is between approximately 50% and approximately 80%, or between approximately 50% and approximately 75%, or between approximately 50% and approximately 70%, or between approximately 50% and approximately 65%.
In still some embodiments, method 1000 includes at 1052 maintaining, at the first compartment, a first environmental condition having a first temperature, and at 1062 maintaining, at the second compartment, a second environmental condition having a second temperature. In various embodiments, the first and second temperatures are between approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit and approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit. In some embodiments, maintaining the first temperature and the second temperature corresponds to maintaining a first set environmental condition and a second set environmental condition.
In various embodiments, maintaining the environmental conditions at 1050, 1052, 1060, 1062 include actuating the damper assembly (e.g., at 1015) to selectively flow the conditioned air having the first environmental condition (e.g., having the first humidity, the first temperature, or both) and the second environmental condition (e.g., having the second humidity, the second temperature, or both) to the first compartment or the second compartment, respectively, or to both the first and second compartments, or to neither the first compartment nor the second compartment.
Embodiments of method 1000 may include at 1002 determining a set environmental condition based at least on a current environmental condition at the first compartment, the second compartment, or both. In some embodiments, step 1010 generates conditioned air including the first environmental condition and the second environmental condition based on the set environmental condition. Step 1002 may include determining the current environmental condition at the first compartment and the second compartment.
In an exemplary embodiment of a method for operation of a refrigeration appliance, such as a beverage cooler appliance, a user may operate a display component (e.g., display component 132) or input component (e.g., input component 134) to generate and transmit a command signal. A controller (e.g., controller 130) transmits a control signal to a heat exchanger system (e.g., heat exchanger system 200) to generate conditioned air including a first environmental condition and a second environmental condition. A sensor (e.g., sensor 160) may determine a current environmental condition (e.g., step 1002) at the first compartment (e.g., first compartment 110) and the second compartment (e.g., second compartment 120) and generating conditioned air (e.g., step 1010) based on a set environmental condition.
In one embodiment, the set environmental condition (e.g., a first set environmental condition) at the first compartment is 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the set environmental condition (e.g., a second set environmental condition) is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The appliance may selectively generate and flow conditioned air to the first compartment, the second compartment, or both, or neither (e.g., step 1015, 1020, 1030), or further maintain the temperature at the first compartment and the second compartment (e.g., step 1052, 1062). An exemplary embodiment of the method 1000 may include maintaining humidity between 50% and 80% (e.g., step 1050, 1060). Maintaining humidity between 50% and 80% may include selectively actuating the flow device (e.g., flow device 201) to balance the pressure between the first compartment and the second compartment (e.g., step 1040).
Pressure balance between the first compartment and the second compartment may mitigate air leakage and promote maintaining humidity within the desired range. Additionally, or alternatively, selectively actuating the flow device, such as embodiments of flow device 201 depicted and described herein, may allow for different temperatures (e.g., the first temperature and the second temperature). Embodiments provided herein may allow for a single evaporator (e.g., evaporator 210) to generate environmental conditions at the first compartment 110 and the second compartment 120, such as within the temperature and humidity ranges provided herein.
Embodiments of the appliance 100 and method 1000 depicted and described herein may include two or more environmental condition zones, such as embodiments of the first compartment 110 and the second compartment 120 provided herein. Various embodiments may include three or more, or four or more, or six or more, etc. environmental condition zones, such as separately controllable temperature zones, and methods for control based on one or more steps of method 1000 provided herein or including components or arrangements such as depicted and described herein in regard to appliance 100.
Further aspects of the invention are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
