Patent Application
20070042698
Vehicles, including but not limited to recreational vehicles (“RVs” in the United States and “Caravans” in Europe), tractor trailers, airplanes, boats, trains, and the like, often incorporate refrigerators for the comfort and convenience of the occupants. These refrigerators are usually absorption-type refrigerators.
An absorption refrigerator includes a heat generator for heating a solution of refrigerant and an absorbent. Heat releases the refrigerant from the absorbent to form a high pressure refrigerant vapor. The refrigerant vapor is condensed in a cooling condenser. Low pressure solution from the heat generator is sprayed on the refrigerant vapor in an absorber to absorb the vapor. The absorption causes the pressure of the vapor to be reduced. Evaporation occurs in an evaporator between the condenser and the absorber. The refrigerant vapor expands in the evaporator which causes a temperature drop in the refrigerant. This temperature drop is used to provide cooling to the refrigerator. The solution of refrigerant and absorbent is then pumped back to the heat generator.
Airflow over the condenser and absorber is conventionally used for cooling of these elements. To create this airflow, which is also used to supply air for the combustion at the burner, a first duct or vent is conventionally provided through the vehicle wall for air intake. An exhaust is conventionally provided through a second duct or vent in the vehicle wall.
Another venting arrangement includes a lower vent assembly that provides ventilation intake, an upper vent assembly that provides ventilation exhaust, and a flue exhaust assembly that causes the combustion exhaust gases to mix with the ventilation air prior to being exhausted near the upper vent assembly and away from the refrigerator components. One such arrangement is shown in commonly assigned U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 10/805,510. These applications are both hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Conventional venting arrangements for vehicle refrigerators provide air intake from the bottom of the vehicle with air exiting through the side or top of the vehicle, or air intake from the side of the vehicle with air exiting from the top of the vehicle. Such arrangements may restrict the choices of positioning the refrigerator relative to the floor plan of the vehicle, because they require access to a side wall or to a floor of the vehicle.
There is, therefore, a need for a vehicle refrigerator venting system that is efficient, cost-effective and provides more freedom in positioning the refrigerator relative to the floor plan of the vehicle.
The present teachings provide a venting system for a refrigerator of a vehicle having a roof top. The venting system includes a substantially continuous venting chamber defining a ventilation intake and a ventilation exhaust at the roof top of the vehicle.
The present teachings also provide a method for venting a refrigerator of a vehicle having a roof top. The method includes the steps of providing a venting chamber defining a ventilation intake and a ventilation exhaust at the roof top, and creating a ventilation flow from the ventilation intake to the ventilation exhaust for venting the refrigerator.
The present teachings also provide a venting system for a vehicle refrigerator. The venting system includes an intake duct defining a ventilation intake from the roof top of the vehicle, a plenum duct defining a ventilation exhaust at the roof top, and a connector coupling the intake and plenum ducts. The connector is adapted to create a ventilation flow from the ventilation intake to the ventilation exhaust for venting the refrigerator.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
Referring to
The venting system 100 includes means for intaking a source of combustion air from the roof top 42 and means for venting exhaust gases to the roof top 46. The venting system 100 may include a venting chamber 102 coupled to the rear surface 52 of the refrigerator 50. The venting chamber 102 may be substantially U-shaped, and define a ventilation intake 104 and a ventilation exhaust 106, which are both vented at the roof top 42 of the vehicle 40 through a roof vent assembly 120. The vent assembly 120 may include a roof jack 122 and a roof jack base 124 coupled to the roof top 42.
The venting chamber 102 may include an intake duct 108 terminating at the ventilation intake 104 and a plenum duct 110 terminating at the ventilation exhaust 106. The intake duct 108 may be formed as a hollow tube coupled to the plenum duct 110 by an integral or modular connector 112. The plenum duct 110, which may be formed as a cover for the rear surface 52 of the refrigerator 50, encloses the cooling system of the refrigerator 50, including, for example, the condenser, the evaporator, the absorber and the heater, among other components that require ventilation and access to the atmosphere. The intake duct 108 with the connector 112 and the plenum duct 110 define the U-shape of the venting chamber 102.
Referring to
The venting chamber 102 allows the refrigerator 50 to be placed in any orientation relative to the floor plan of the vehicle 40. There is no need to place the refrigerator near a wall of the vehicle 40 because intake and exhaust venting are provided through the roof top 42. Accordingly, the refrigerator 50 can be placed facing the rear the vehicle 40, the front of the vehicle 40 or a side /isle of the vehicle 40. Representing the forward direction of the vehicle 40 by an arrow “V”,
Referring to
To take advantage of the airflow generated by the forward motion of the vehicle 40 in the direction V, the intake port 144 can be directed to face the front of the vehicle 40, regardless of the orientation of the refrigerator 50 relative to the front of the vehicle 40. For example, three different roof jacks 122 can be provided corresponding to the three orientations illustrated in
Although air intake may be by natural flow while the vehicle 40 is stationary or moving, a fan or similar blower 160 may be provided to facilitate air flow. The fan 160 may be activated manually, or may be automatically activated as needed, based, for example, on the temperature of the cooling air passing through the plenum duct 110 over the rear surface 52 of the refrigerator. A commercially available sensor can be used for this purpose. Thus, venting air is pulled into the intake duct 108 by natural convection or by the fan 160 and is channeled by the connector 112 to the plenum duct 110, extracting heat and the products of combustion before exiting from the roof top 42 of the vehicle 40.
Referring to
Referring to
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary arrangements of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
