Beverage Zone Duct Layout for Frost-Safe Door Cooling

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing refrigerators with cooled door compartments face issues such as increased frost risk in the freezer and temperature imbalances between the fresh food and freezer compartments due to shared air supply, requiring additional energy expenditure to maintain desired humidity and temperature levels.

Innovation Solution

A duct system that directs chilled air from a dedicated fresh food compartment evaporator to a door compartment, minimizing energy use and frost risk by maintaining a separate air flow path with vacuum-insulation, allowing for a 'beverage zone' with controlled cooling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If air is supplied to the door compartment from the freezer evaporator, then the door compartment can be cooled, but frost risk in the freezer increases and temperature balance in the fresh food compartment is adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedoor compartment temperatureVSAvoidfrost risk in freezer

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The air supply system is segmented into separate pathways: one for the freezer compartment and another for the door compartment. The duct system creates a dedicated air flow path from the fresh food evaporator to the door compartment, preventing mixing of freezer and fresh food air streams, thus eliminating frost risk in the freezer while maintaining proper temperature balance in the fresh food compartment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A dedicated duct system acts as an intermediary component, channeling air from the fresh food evaporator to the door compartment. This intermediary pathway ensures that door compartment cooling is achieved without directly involving freezer air, thereby preventing frost accumulation in the freezer while maintaining the integrity of the fresh food compartment's temperature and humidity levels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Temperature

If freezer air is introduced to the fresh food compartment, then the door compartment can be cooled, but the temperature balance of the fresh food compartment is adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedoor compartment temperatureVSAvoidtemperature balance of fresh food compartment

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The air distribution system is divided into separate zones with dedicated ducts. The fresh food compartment maintains its own air circulation independent of the freezer, while the door compartment receives air specifically from the fresh food evaporator through a separate duct pathway, preserving the temperature balance and humidity levels in the fresh food compartment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If a common evaporator is used to cool both freezer and refrigerator, then device complexity is reduced, but energy expenditure increases to maintain temperature balance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveevaporator system complexityVSAvoidenergy expenditure for temperature balance

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The evaporator system is segmented into dedicated evaporators for the freezer and fresh food compartments. Each evaporator independently controls air supply to its respective compartment, eliminating the need for energy-consuming mixing and re-balancing operations that would be required with a common evaporator system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The duct system effectively cools the door compartment without compromising the fresh food compartment's temperature and humidity, reducing energy consumption and frost risk, while maintaining a lower temperature than the center of the fresh food compartment.

Implementation Method 1

A vacuum-insulated layer extends at least partially along the portion of the duct between the duct and the wrapper

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVacuum insulation: Thermal Insulation

Data Source

PatentUS11320188B2Beverage zone duct for triple evaporator refrigerator

Publication Date: 2022.05.03 WHIRLPOOL CORP

AI summary

A refrigerator includes an outer wrapper, a fresh food compartment defined by a liner within the wrapper and separated from an interior of the outer wrapper at least along a first side wall of the fresh food compartment to define a void, and a door at least partially enclosing an opening to the fresh food compartment when in a closed position. A door compartment is positioned along the door. The refrigerator further includes an evaporator compartment positioned at least partially within the fresh food compartment and a duct in fluid communication with the evaporator compartment at a first end thereof and in communication with the door compartment a second end thereof. The duct has a first portion that extends laterally from the first end along a portion of the evaporator compartment and a second portion extending through the void along the first side wall of the fresh food compartment.