Island type refrigeration display cabinet

• US 4,840,040 A
• Filed: 09/22/1988
• Issued: 06/20/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tyler Refrigeration Corp. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: American Standard Inc. (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Fung, Kwok K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tapolcai, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/247,543
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 62/256, 62/255, 98/36
• US Class Current: 62/255
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0447 with air curtains
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2347/021 Alternate defrosting

Abstract

In an island type refrigeration display cabinet, a top aperture containing two oppositely disposed louvers for discharging oppositely directed coplanar air curtain sections, to form a single air curtain of multiple section in the top aperture of the display cabinet. Preferably, the cabinet also includes means for withdrawing air from the interior display space of the cabinet and forcing the air through a bifurcated conduit. Each bifurcation of the conduit is flowably connected to one of the respective louvers in the top opening of the display cabinet. Each bifurcation of the conduit also includes means for refrigerating the air flowing through the conduit to the louvers.

Claims

1. An island-type refrigeration display cabinet comprised of:

a cabinet having an interior display space therein and a top wall with an access opening therethrough;

means for forceably discharging at least two oppositely directed co-planar convergent air streams into said access opening, said air streams generating a multisectional single air curtain across said access opening, said forceable discharge means further comprises of a bifurcated conduit disposed in said cabinet, said bifurcated conduit including two discharge louvers in parallel spaced relationship, each said louver disposed at a respective side of said access opening for discharging one of said oppositely directed co-planar convergent air streams;

a motor driven fan element disposed in said bifurcated conduit; and

means for providing return air to said conduit from said interior display space, said return air means including a plurality of interior walls defining said interior display space, said interior walls having a plurality of return air apertures therethrough, and said return air means further including a return air conduit in said cabinet in flow communication with said return air apertures, said return air conduit having an aperture for flow communication with said bifurcated conduit.

2. An island-type refrigeration display cabinet comprised of:

a cabinet having exterior top, bottom, front and rear walls and an interior display space defined by interior walls having airflow apertures therethrough, said exterior top wall having a front portion, a rear portion, and an access opening for access to said interior display space;

a separation member in spaced relation between said interior walls and said exterior walls to form a first conduit and a second conduit, said second conduit having a first and second bifurcation, said separation member further having an aperture for permitting airflow from said first conduit to said second, bifurcated conduit;

means for forcing air from said first conduit to said second conduit;

means for refrigerating air in at least one of said conduits;

means for directing at least two oppositely directed co-planar convergent air streams into said access opening, said air streams generating a multisectional single air curtain across said top aperture.

3. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 2 wherein each said bifurcation of said second conduit is further comprised of a discharge louver discharging one of said oppositely directed co-planar convergent air streams.

4. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 3 wherein each said louver is disposed at a respective side of said access opening opposite from the other said louver.

5. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 4 wherein said means for refrigerating air is further comprised of:

a first refrigerant evaporator in the first bifurcation of said second conduit;

a second refrigerant evaporator in the second bifurcation of said second conduit;

a refrigerant compressor in flow connection with said evaporators;

a refrigerant condensor for receiving refrigerant from said compressor;

an expansion device for receiving condensed refrigerant from said condensor and directing expanded refrigerant to said first and second evaporators.

6. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means for refrigerating air is further comprised of a control system for selectively causing defrost of one of said refrigerant evaporators.

7. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 6 wherein said means for forcing air is further comprised of a motor driven fan element disposed in said aperture between said first conduit and said second conduit.

8. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 6 wherein said means for forcing air is further comprised of a motor driven fan element disposed in each bifurcation of said second conduit.

9. An island-type refrigeration display cabinet comprised of:

a cabinet having exterior top wall, front side wall, rear side wall and a bottom wall and an interior display space defined by interior side walls having airflow apertures and an interior bottom panel, said exterior top wall having a front portion, a rear portion, and an access opening for access to said interior display space;

a plurality of intermediate side walls in spaced relation between said interior side walls and said exterior walls, and an intermediate bottom panel in spaced relation between said interior bottom panel and said exterior bottom wall, to form a return air conduit and a bifurcated air supply conduit, said bifurcated air supply conduit having a first and second bifurcation extending along said front wall, said rear wall, and said bottom exterior wall, said separation member further having an aperture for permitting airflow from said return air conduit to said bifurcated air supply conduit;

means for forcing air through said bifurcated air supply conduit;

means for refrigerating air in said bifurcated air supply conduit;

a first louver flowably connected to the first bifurcation of said bifurcated air supply conduit, said first louver discharging a first planar air curtain in said access opening toward said rear portion of said top wall; and

a second louver flowably connected to the second bifurcation of said bifurcated air supply conduit, said second louver discharging a second planar air curtain in said access opening toward said front portion of said top wall, said first air curtain and said second air curtain being co-planar and oppositely directed to form a single, multisectional air curtain in said access opening.

10. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 9 wherein said means for refrigerating air is further comprised of:

a first refrigerant evaporator in the first bifurcation of said second conduit;

a second refrigerant evaporator in the second bifurcation of said second conduit;

a refrigerant compressor in flow connection with said evaporators;

a refrigerant condensor for receiving refrigerant from said compressor;

an expansion device for receiving condensed refrigerant from said condensor and directing expanded refrigerant to said first and second evaporators.

11. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for refrigerating air is further comprised of a control system for selectively causing defrost of one of said refrigerant evaporators.

12. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means for forcing air is further comprised of a motor driven fan element disposed in said aperture between said first conduit and said second conduit.

13. The island-type refrigeration display cabinet as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means for forcing air is further comprised of a motor driven fan element disposed in each bifurcation of said second conduit.

14. An airflow circuit for an islandtype refrigeration cabinet comprised of:

a cabinet having exterior front, rear and bottom walls, an interior display space, and an access opening for access to said interior display space, said cabinet further having a bifurcated conduit extending along said front, rear and bottom exterior walls;

a return air conduit disposed in said cabinet having a return air aperture for flow communication with said bifurcated conduit;

a plurality of interior walls having apertures for flow communication from said interior display space to said return air conduit;

a motor driven fan element disposed in said return air aperture; and

an air curtain in said access opening, said air curtain discharged in a plane by a first discharge flowably connected to a first bifurcation of said bifurcated conduit and a second discharge flowably connected to a second bifurcation of said bifurcated conduit, said second discharge disposed in a spaced, parallel relationship for directing air toward said first discharge.