Covered Fin Pack Assembly for Cabinet Cooling Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need to enhance thermal transfer efficiency within appliance cabinets while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing interior by minimizing clutter and interference with stored products, which existing cooling mechanisms fail to achieve effectively.
Innovation Solution
An extruded fin pack assembly is positioned within the appliance cabinet, featuring vertically oriented fins with a cover that hides the fins from view and enhances airflow, creating flowpaths for improved convection heat transfer and heat removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If cooling mechanisms are added to improve thermal transfer efficiency, then cooling efficiency is improved, but interior clutter and aesthetic appearance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function with the cabinet interior design by integrating fin packs into the cabinet walls and using decorative covers that double as functional components. The covers serve both to protect the fins and to provide an aesthetically pleasing surface, eliminating the need for separate decorative elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The fin packs are nested within the cabinet structure, with fins embedded in channels formed in the cabinet walls. The decorative covers then nest over these fins, creating a compact integrated assembly that occupies minimal space while providing effective cooling.
2Use of energy by moving object
If fin packs are installed to improve heat transfer, then thermal efficiency is improved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates due to visible fins
Solution Approach 1:
Decorative covers are introduced as intermediary elements that mediate between the functional fins and the visual environment. These covers are designed to be aesthetically pleasing while allowing thermal transfer to occur through them, effectively hiding the industrial appearance of the fins while maintaining their cooling function.
Solution Approach 2:
The covers are designed with surface treatments, colors, and textures that match the surrounding cabinet interior, making the cooling mechanism visually blend with the aesthetic environment. This camouflaging effect allows the functional components to become visually imperceptible.
3Shape
If covers are added to hide fins, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but airflow efficiency may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The covers are designed as thin-walled structures that are visually substantial but physically permeable to airflow. The thin film construction allows air to pass through while maintaining the visual continuity and aesthetic appearance of the cabinet interior surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The covers feature localized variations in opacity and permeability, with more open structures in areas requiring high airflow and more solid appearances in areas where aesthetics are prioritized. This spatial variation in properties allows simultaneous optimization of both appearance and airflow efficiency.
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 solution significantly improves thermal transfer efficiency within the cabinet, reducing interior temperatures by up to 3 degrees Celsius, while maintaining a clean and clutter-free appearance.
Implementation Method 1
The cover also increases efficiency of the flowpaths between the fins thereby increasing convection heat transfer and increasing removal of heat from within the cabinet
Implementation Method 2
an extruded fin pack in thermal communication with a heat exchanger used to remove heat from the cabinet
Data Source
AI summary
An extruded fin pack assembly is provided which is positioned within an appliance cabinet. In the embodiments, the fin pack includes a plurality of fins which are mounted in a substantially vertical plane and create flowpaths for air flow currents therethrough. A cover is provided to attach to the fins and hide the fins from view when the cabinet of the refrigerator or freezer is open. The cover also increases efficiency of the flowpaths between the fins thereby increasing convection heat transfer and increasing removal of heat from within the cabinet.