Refrigerated cabinet with ventilation device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerated cabinets with open removal sides experience significant loss of cooled air, which accumulates near the floor, making the area unpleasant for customers and reducing shopping time, thus impacting revenue.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration cabinet design featuring a circulation channel with a fan that creates a vortex by blowing air at specific angles to recirculate cooled air, combined with a suction device to extract air before it reaches the floor, reducing air accumulation near the open removal side.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the open removal side is used for customer access, then ease of operation is improved, but cooled air accumulates near the floor causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pneumatic principles by using fans to create controlled air flows that prevent cold air accumulation. The circulation fan generates a vortex flow that actively manages air movement in front of the cabinet, while the extraction fan creates negative pressure to draw cold air away from the floor area, replacing passive thermal accumulation with active pneumatic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of air flow by introducing controlled velocities and directions through fan systems. The circulation fan creates rotational flow with specific velocity patterns, while the extraction fan establishes negative pressure zones, transforming the static cold air accumulation into dynamic controlled air movement that prevents discomfort.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If airflow-influencing baffles are used on shelves, then cold air accumulation is reduced, but the effect is limited and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the air flow control function from the shelf baffles and relocates it to dedicated fan systems positioned at strategic locations. Instead of modifying shelf structures with complex baffle arrangements, the extraction fan is positioned to directly address cold air accumulation at its source near the floor, separating the air management function from the storage function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces fans as intermediary devices that mediate between the cold air generation inside the cabinet and the floor area in front. Rather than using shelf baffles as intermediaries with limited effectiveness, the fan system acts as a more powerful intermediary that actively controls air movement patterns and prevents cold air from reaching the floor accumulation zone.
3Loss of energy
If doors are used to enclose the dispensing side, then cold air loss is reduced, but ease of operation and customer convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the refrigerated cabinet to self-regulate its air environment through integrated fan systems. The circulation fan continuously manages air flow patterns, and the extraction fan automatically removes cold air that escapes, allowing the system to maintain its thermal environment without requiring door enclosures, thus preserving customer access convenience while achieving energy conservation.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If fans are positioned to create vortex flow, then cold air accumulation is reduced, but device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using two fans with specific functions rather than a single high-power fan. The circulation fan creates vortex flow in specific zones, and the extraction fan operates at controlled negative pressure levels, using just enough energy to achieve cold air management without excessive power consumption that would result from more aggressive air movement systems.
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 effectively minimizes the accumulation of cold air near the floor, enhancing customer comfort and increasing shopping time, thereby improving revenue generation by maintaining a cooler environment without the need for impractical door closures.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one fan in the top area of the refrigerated cabinet creates a flow vortex around the refrigerated cabinet, particularly in the area near the floor in front of the removal side of the refrigerated cabinet
Implementation Method 2
The at least one fan is designed and oriented to draw in air from the top area of the refrigerated unit or the area near the floor and to blow it out in a central blow-out direction at a horizontal angle φ relative to a front plane parallel to the removal side
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a ventilation device for a refrigerated display case (20) that is open at least on one dispensing side (21) or can be opened via a door, for reducing the accumulation of cooled air flowing from the refrigerated display case (20) in a floor-level area (10) in front of the refrigerated display case (20) on its dispensing side (21), with at least one fan (7) arranged, in particular, in a top surface area (5) of the refrigerated display case opposite the floor-level area (10), wherein the at least one fan (7) is designed and oriented to blow air out at a horizontal angle ϕ relative to a front plane parallel to the dispensing side (21) along the refrigerated display case (20) and at a vertical angle β relative to a top surface parallel to the top surface of the refrigerated display case and perpendicular to the front plane, wherein ϕ and β are given by 20°≤ϕ,β≤70° or alternatively by -20°≥ϕ≥-70° and 20°≤β≤70°.