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US 10,563,899 B2Granted
Refrigerator with targeted cooling zone
AssigneeMidea Group Co., Ltd.
InventorMark Wilson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator appliance and method of dispensing cooling air towards a targeted cooling zone for cooling objects within a fresh-food compartment. The dispensing of cooling air may be based in part on the temperature of the object within the targeted cooling zone.
Claims21
A refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a fresh-food compartment disposed within a housing, wherein said fresh-food compartment includes a targeted cooling zone, and wherein said fresh-food compartment has a temperature;
- an outlet disposed in said housing of said fresh-food compartment configured to direct cooling air to an object within said targeted cooling zone of said fresh-food compartment;
- a temperature sensor configured to sense at least a temperature of the object, wherein said temperature sensor is an infrared sensor spaced from the object within said targeted cooling zone;
- a fan in fluid communication with said outlet, said fan having a variable speed motor configured to adjust flow rate of the cooling air;
- and
- a controller coupled to said motor and said temperature sensor, said controller configured to dynamically vary the speed of said motor based upon at least said temperature value of the object sensed by said temperature sensor, wherein the speed of said motor decreases as the temperature of the object within said targeted cooling zone of said fresh-food compartment decreases towards an off temperature limit, wherein the off temperature limit is higher than the temperature of said fresh-food compartment, and wherein the speed of the motor is zero when the temperature of the object is at the off temperature limit.
3 more elements
A method of operating a refrigerator appliance of the type including a fresh-food compartment within a housing and an air outlet configured to dispense cooling air towards a targeted cooling zone, the method comprising:
- initiating a cooling cycle by controlling the cooling air exiting said air outlet into said fresh-food compartment, wherein said targeted cooling zone is a portion of said fresh-food compartment;
- sensing one or more temperature values associated with said targeted cooling zone with an infrared temperature sensor;
- dynamically operating a fan in fluid communication with said air outlet based upon said one or more temperature values, wherein output of said fan decreases as said one or more temperature values of said targeted cooling zone decreases towards an off temperature limit, wherein the off temperature limit is higher than a temperature of the fresh-food compartment;
- and
- deactivating said cooling cycle when said one or more temperature values is at the off temperature limit, wherein deactivating said cooling cycle includes turning off said fan.
2 more elements
A refrigerator appliance comprising:
- a fresh-food compartment disposed within a housing, wherein said fresh-food compartment includes a targeted cooling zone;
- an outlet configured to direct cooling air to an object within said targeted cooling zone of said fresh-food compartment, wherein said outlet is in fluid communication with at least one of a fan and one or more dampers;
- an infrared temperature sensor configured to sense at least a temperature of the object within said targeted cooling zone of said fresh-food compartment, wherein said outlet includes said infrared temperature sensor;
- and
- a controller coupled to said temperature sensor and at least one of said fan and said one or more dampers configured to dynamically vary the air flow rate of cooling air towards said targeted cooling zone of said fresh food compartment based upon said temperature of the object sensed by said temperature sensor, wherein the air flow rate decreases as the temperature of the object decreases towards an off temperature limit, wherein the off temperature limit is higher than a temperature of said fresh-food compartment, and wherein the air flow rate of the cooling air is zero when the temperature of the object is at the off temperature limit.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.