Refrigerated display cabinet

Abstract

A refrigerated display cabinet has a front opening over which air curtain producing means generate an air curtain. The means for air wall creation includes an air outlet 7 at an upper portion of the cabinet adjacent the front opening and an air inlet at a lower portion of the cabinet front opening. At least one shelf 5 is provided between the upper and lower portions. At least one vane (14, figure 3), defining a strip member, extends in the same plane as a corresponding shelf 5 across the front opening and is disposed at an outer edge of the air curtain 21. This strip has a lower portion 15 angled inwardly towards the one or more shelves 5, directing air inside the cabinet. The air guide 14 may be held by one or more spacers 16 attached to the front of the shelf 5. At least one spacer and vane may be provided as a kit of parts.

Description

This invention relates to a multideck refrigerated display cabinet of the type having an open front but can also relate to a multideck refrigerated display cabinet fitted with doors. Refrigerated display cabinets of the open-front type have a product display area where products are supported on shelves to be visible and accessible through an opening in front of the cabinet. Such display cabinets are used in, for example, supermarkets and grocery stores, where consumables such as food or drink are to be held in a refrigerated condition. The refrigeration process incorporates either a remote (externally located) or integral compressor system which cools air that is circulated by the use of fans from the base of the display cabinet through a rear and upper (top) duct toward the front of the display cabinet where the air forms a cooling air curtain that is blown from an outlet at the top of the display cabinet down the front face of the display cabinet to be returned through an inlet at the bottom of the display cabinet to an evaporator of the refrigeration system for re-cooling and recirculation. Retail refrigerated display cabinets are typically one of the largest energy consumers within a food retail outlet. With the high cost of energy, there is a desire for more energyefficient refrigerated display cabinets and there has been a trend towards fitting doors over the cabinet opening, but this is seen by many as a barrier to the customer who is less likely to open the door to select an item off a shelf within the display cabinet. Even when doors are fitted there can still be a significant amount of energy used when the doors are opened. Typically, the air curtain is discharged from the top of the cabinet outlet above and slightly in front of the shelves, which then drops down to be drawn into the cabinet by the lower inlet, typically through a grill. Because the height (throat) of the cabinet is typically approximately 1.5 metres, this air curtain tends to spread out and a high percentage of the chilled air is lost outside of the cabinet. This loss of air, in turn, leads to an ingress of warmer ambient air which then has to be refrigerated, adding to the overall cabinet energy consumption. Control of the air curtain in a steady flow down the front of the shelves has been proven to reduce the amount of spillage and, thus, reduce energy requirements. One solution to the problem is disclosed in EP2984424, which discloses an elongated air guiding strip extending across the open front of the display cabinet in the form of an aero-foil having a leading edge forming a pressure surface which faces the front edge of the shelf and a suction surface that faces outwardly from the storage space of the refrigerator, the aero-foil being distanced from the shelf by spacers. The construction of such an aero-foil requires complicated aerodynamic calculations and is not easy to produce. An alternative solution is disclosed in EP2959805, which discloses a pair of strips spaced from one another in front of a shelf with the intention that the air curtain is confined between two strips, but this, like the aero-foil in EP2984424, is costly to produce and not highly efficient. The present invention seeks to overcome the foregoing difficulties to provide an efficient and less costly manner of constraining the air curtain within the refrigerated display cabinet. According to a first aspect of this invention there is provided a refrigerated display cabinet having a front opening, including air curtain producing means having an air outlet at an upper portion of the display cabinet adjacent the front opening and an air inlet at a lower portion of the display cabinet front opening, whereby an air curtain is produced over said front opening, at least one shelf between the upper and lower portions, at least one vane in the form of a strip member extending in the same plane as the at least one shelf across the front opening and disposed at an outer edge of the air curtain, said at least one strip member having a lower portion angled inwardly of the display cabinet in the direction of the at least one shelf to direct the air curtain inwardly of the display cabinet. Preferably, the at least one vane extends across the entire width of the front opening. Alternatively, the at least one vane extends across the width of the at least one shelf. Advantageously, the at least one vane is attached to a respective shelf in the same plane as the shelf and forwardly of the shelf so as to be positioned in said air curtain. Conveniently, the at least one vane is held by one or more spacers attached to a front edge of a respective shelf, e.g., by a nut and bolt. Alternatively, the at least one vane may be attached to a side wall of the display cabinet. Advantageously, the at least one vane is made of aluminum, nylon or plastics material, which may be 2 - 4mm thick. Preferably, the at least one vane is a solid strip or is formed of extruded material. Advantageously, the at least one vane is anodized or painted. Conveniently, the spacers are made of oval or rectangular or circular cross-sectional moulding or tubing through which said bolt extends into said respective shelf. Advantageously, the at least one vane is formed of a hollow extrusion and end caps are provided to close opposing end openings thereof. Conveniently, the at least one vane is spaced 75mm - 90mm from a respective shelf. Advantageously, the at least one vane has a width in the plane of the air curtain of 50mm - 60mm. Conveniently, a pricing / label / ticket strip is secured to a front face of the at least one vane. In EP 3373771, there is disclosed a refrigerated display cabinet and a night cover covering the opening of the display cabinet, the night cover being made from flexible material having a first height (hl), and having a plurality of apertures arranged in a vertical and horizontal grid in an upper first section, and a lower second section which is unapertured, the upper first section having a range of second heights (a) which is 30% - 40% of said first height (hl), the apertures having a constant diameter (D) chosen to be a fixed dimension in the range 9mm -11mm, the spacing between the apertures centres in the vertical direction of the grid being 3D, and the spacing between apertures centres in the horizontal direction of the grid being chosen to be in the range 2D to 4D. The present invention has particular efficacy and energy efficiency saving when used with the night cover of the said EP 3373771. In a feature of this invention, there is provided a refrigerated display cabinet, as hereinbefore defined, in combination with a night cover covering the opening of the display cabinet, the night cover being made from flexible material having a first height (hl), and having a plurality of apertures arranged in a vertical and horizontal grid in an upper first section, and a lower second section which is unapertured, the upper first section having a range of second heights (a) which is 30% - 40% of said first height (hl), the apertures having a constant diameter (D) chosen to be a fixed dimension in the range 9mm - 11mm, the spacing between the apertures centres in the vertical direction of the grid being 3D, and the spacing between apertures centres in the horizontal direction of the grid being chosen to be in the range 2D to 4D. According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a kit of parts arranged to be connected to a refrigerated display cabinet including a single vane in the form of an elongated strip member having opposed major planar surfaces which are substantially parallel to one another, a lower portion of the vane being bent to be angled inwardly when connected to the cabinet, one or more spaces arranged to be connected to one end of the vane and at an opposing end thereof to a shelf of the cabinet, and fixing means for securing the at least one spacer to the shelf. Preferably, the at least one spacer has a length to support the vane in an outer edge of an air curtain produced by the cabinet when in operation. The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a known refrigerated display cabinet with air spillage, Figure 2 shows a display cabinet in accordance with this invention, Figure 3 shows a side view of a shelf having spaced angled vanes in accordance with this invention, Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a shelf having a vane in accordance with this invention and a ticket strip, Figure 5 shows a perspective partial view of a shelf and vane in accordance with this invention, Figure 6 shows a schematic side view of the air curtain bent inwardly of the display cabinet by virtue of the angled vanes of this invention, Figure 7 shows a partial perspective view of the vane of this invention having an end cap, Figure 8 shows a detail of the end cap fitment of Figure 7, and Figure 9 shows a side view of attachment of the vane and spacer assembly to a shelf. In the Figures, like reference numerals denote like parts. Figure 1 shows an open-fronted refrigerated display cabinet 1 with the side walls removed for clarity. The cabinet has a base 2, a rear wall 3, a top cover 4 and adjustably locatable shelves 5 mounted on brackets 6. In the embodiment shown there are five shelves, but this number may vary depending on the requirements of the merchandiser. The side wall may be transparent plastics or glass, but may be of metal or, if two display cabinets are joined together, open where they are joined. Located beneath a base tray 40 is a refrigeration system (not shown) comprising an evaporator and fans. The refrigeration system produces cooled air which is blown by the fans (not shown) through a channel at the bottom, rear and top of the display cabinet to exit through a grill of an outlet 7 to spread over each of the shelves 5, the flow of cooled air being shown by arrow-headed lines 8. The cooled air enters the base of the display cabinet through a grill of an inlet 9, whereupon the air is re-cooled by the refrigeration system and recirculated. A riser 10 assists to retain the cooled air through the inlet 9, but, despite this, there is air spillage, as shown by arrow-headed line 11. Because the cabinet is open-fronted, ambient air, shown by broken arrow-headed line 12, mixes with the cooled air 8, which leads to a loss of efficiency requiring an increased duty cycle and, thus, higher energy consumption by the refrigeration system. The cabinet may have an energy saving blind mounted on a roller 13 which is retractable to provide the display cabinet with an open front when wound up, but when unwound to be lowered it is attached at or near the base to conserve energy, usually at night. The night cover may be such as disclosed in EP 3373771 and the use of such a night cover has particular efficacy and energy efficiency when used with the present invention. The cabinet of the present invention is will now be described with reference to Figures 2-9. Referring to Figure 2 at least the upper shelf is provided with a vane 14 in the form of an elongated, angled strip member, more particularly shown in Figure 3. The vane has a rectangular cross section with substantially parallel planar major sides with an upper portion which is substantially orthogonal to the major plane of the shelf of the shelf to which it is attached. A lower portion of the vane is bent to be angled inwardly of the cabinet so as to direct the cooled air toward the next, lower, shelf. The vane is, preferably, attached to a front, outer edge of a respective shelf in the same plane as the shelf and located forwardly of the shelf so as to be positioned in an outer edge of the air curtain 8. In Figure 2, the upper three shelves are provided with the vane 14, although the invention is not intended to be restricted; it is preferable that the vane is not affixed to the lower shelves, since that tends to block viewing, access and merchandising of items located in the base 40 of the display cabinet. The vane extends across the entire width of the front opening and at least across the width of the shelf to which it is, preferably, attached. As shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9, the elongated strip member of the vane 14, has a lower portion 15 which is angled inwardly of the display cabinet to thereby direct the air curtain inwardly and over the next lowermost shelf. The vane is attached to the shelf by one or more spacers 16, four being shown in Figure 4. The manner of fixing the spacer to the cabinet and to the vane will be described hereinafter. The vane, preferably, has a depth in the range 50mm - 60mm, but this depth will depend upon the display cabinet requirement, and the vane may be made of aluminium, nylon or plastics material, which may be 2 - 4 mm thick. The spacer is, preferably, 75mm - 90mm in length. A ticket strip 17 is, advantageously, secured to a front face of the vane, the ticket strip being used to hold product information, such as price. A forward edge of the shelf 5 may be provided with a ledge (shelf riser / product retainer, usually of acrylic material) 18 (shown in broken lines in Figure 3) which is held in position by a plate 19 (acting as retaining strip / product limiter when a ledge / shelf riser / product retainer riser 18 is not fitted) the ledge 18 resisting the flow of cooled air off the front edge of the shelf and holding back the cooled air back onto the shelf. Referring to Figure 6, as the cooled air 8 exits outlet 7 it moves downwardly and encounters the first vane on the uppermost shelf. Because the vane 14 protrudes into the air curtain, the lower portion 15 directs the air inwardly, as shown by arrow-headed broken lines 21, and any part of the air curtain that passes on the outer side of the vane 14, as shown by arrow-headed broken line 22, is drawn inwardly due to the lower air pressure created below the vane by the deflected inner part of the air curtain 21. The spacers, particularly shown in Figure 9, are made of oval or rectangular or circular cross-sectional moulding or tubing having a closed inner end 30 through which a bolt extends or the bolt may be fixedly secured to the closed inner end 30. A bolt 31 extends through end 30 and through an outermost end of a shelf and is secured to the shelf by a nut 32. An outermost end of the spacer 16 is attached to a generally S-shaped flexible clip 33 having opposed ll-shaped ends 34 into which the vane 14 is clipped. The vane may be formed of a hollow extrusion and so as to close off the end openings of the extrusion, end caps 35 are, preferably, provided. The vane may be made of aluminum, nylon or plastic material, which may be 2-4mm thick and the vane may be anodized, self-colored or painted. The spacers may be injection-molded nylon or plastics, with similar material being used for the end caps 35. In a typical multi-deck cabinet of 1.5m internal throat height, there would usually be four to six shelves, depending on the type of products on display. For this type of cabinet, there would usually be a requirement to fit the vanes to the shelves in the upper two thirds of the cabinet. Thereafter, the cooled air has dropped sufficiently so that it is retained within the cabinet, although testing has proven that the fitting of vanes to all shelves adds a small additional benefit, but, as aforesaid, fitting a vane to the lowermost shelf can impede access to products in the bottom of the cabinet. In EP 33373771, there is disclosed a night cover for a refrigerated display cabinet and having a plurality of apertures arranged in a vertical and horizontal grid in an upper first section of the night cover and a lower section which is unapertured, the upper first section and unapertured section having specified dimensions. The night cover disclosed in the said patent produces energy savings, thereby producing a more efficient refrigerated display cabinet, and the use of such a night cover, in combination with the angled vanes of this invention, has great efficacy producing significant energy savings. In this specification, an apparatus / method / product "comprising" certain features is intended to be interpreted as meaning that it includes those features, but that it does not exclude the presence of other features. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerated display cabinet having a front opening, including air curtain producing means having an air outlet at an upper portion of the display cabinet adjacent the front opening and an air inlet at a lower portion of the display cabinet front opening, whereby an air curtain is produced over said front opening, at least one shelf between the upper and lower portions, at least one vane in the form of a strip member extending in the same plane as the at least one shelf across the front opening and disposed at an outer edge of the air curtain, said at least one strip member having a lower portion angled inwardly of the display cabinet in the direction of the at least one shelf to direct the air curtain inwardly of the display cabinet.

2. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one vane extends across the entire width of the front opening.

3. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one vane extends across the width of the at least one shelf.

4. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one vane is attached to a respective shelf in the same plane as the shelf and forwardly of the shelf so as to be positioned in said air curtain.

5. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one vane is held by one or more spacers attached to a front edge of a respective shelf, e.g., by a nut and bolt.6.A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at leastone vane is made of aluminium, nylon or plastics material, which may be 2-4mm thick.

7. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one vane is a solid strip or is formed of extruded material.

8. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one vane is anodized, self-colored or painted.

9. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spacers are made of oval or rectangular or circular cross-sectional moulding or tubing through which said bolt extends into said respective shelf.

10. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one vane is formed of a hollow extrusion and end caps are provided to close opposing end openings thereof.

11. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one vane is spaced 75mm - 90mm from a respective shelf.

12. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one vane has a width in the plane of the air curtain of 50mm - 60mm.

13. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a pricing / label / ticket strip is secured to a front face of the at least one vane.

14. A refrigerated display cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in combination with a night cover covering the opening of the display cabinet, the night cover being made from flexible material having a first height (hl), and having a plurality of apertures arranged in a vertical and horizontal grid in an upper first section, and a lower second section which is unapertured, the upper first section having a range of second heights (a) which is 30% - 40% of said first height (hl), the apertures having a constant diameter (D) chosen to be a fixed dimension in the range 9mm - 11mm, the spacing between the apertures centres in the vertical direction of the grid being 3D, and the spacing between apertures centres in the horizontal direction of the grid being chosen to be in the range 2D to 4D.

15. A kit of parts arranged to be connected to a refrigerated display cabinet including a single vane in the form of an elongated strip member having opposed major planar surfaces which are substantially parallel to one another, a lower portion of the vane being bent to be angled inwardly when connected to the cabinet, one or more spaces arranged to be connected to one end of the vane and at an opposing end thereof to a shelf of the cabinet, and fixing means for securing the at least one spacer to the shelf.

16. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one spacer has a length to support the vane in an outer edge of an air curtain produced by the cabinet when in operation.

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