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US 11,686,523 B2Granted
Refrigeration unit
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsJuan Pablo Meza Silva, Hector Torres Gonzalez
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigeration unit having an evaporator tube, a heater tube in a spaced relationship with the evaporator tube, a wire that couples the evaporator tube to the heater tube, and a bracket having a first panel configured to contact the heater tube and a second panel that defines a recess configured to receive the heater tube therein.
Claims19
A refrigeration unit, comprising:
- a serpentine evaporator tube having a plurality of elongated portions, including a first elongated portion and a second elongated portion, and a plurality of U-shaped bends that connect the elongated portions;
- a heater tube in a spaced relationship with the serpentine evaporator tube and comprising:
- a bottom portion that includes first and second heater tube extents that are connected by a U-shaped end portion and that extend generally parallel to at least one of the plurality of elongated portions;
- and
- a side portion that extends upward from the bottom portion generally perpendicular to the at least one of the plurality of elongated portions;
- a wire that couples the serpentine evaporator tube to the bottom portion of the heater tube, the wire comprising:
- a first evaporator tube receiving section that wraps about a portion of a circumference of the first elongated portion of the serpentine evaporator tube;
- a second evaporator tube receiving section that wraps about a portion of a circumference of the second elongated portion of the serpentine evaporator tube;
- a first heater tube receiving section that wraps about a portion of a circumference of the first heater tube extent of the bottom portion of the heater tube;
- a second heater tube receiving section that wraps about a portion of a circumference of the second heater tube extent;
- and
- a first spacer section that extends between the first evaporator tube receiving section and the first heater tube receiving section and is configured to inhibit movement of the first evaporator tube receiving section relative to the first heater tube receiving section, wherein the first evaporator tube receiving section contacts the first elongated portion of the serpentine evaporator tube and the first heater tube receiving section contacts the bottom portion of the heater tube, such that movement of the bottom portion of the heater tube toward and away from the first elongated portion of the serpentine evaporator tube is inhibited;
- and
- a bracket comprising:
- a first panel that extends from a corner to a contact surface that is distal from the corner and configured to contact the side portion of the heater tube;
- and
- a second panel that extends outward from the corner, wherein the second panel defines at least one aperture configured to receive at least one of the plurality of U-shaped bends of the serpentine evaporator tube there through, and a recess configured to receive the bottom portion of the heater tube therein.
14 more elements
A wire for coupling an evaporator tube to a heater tube, the wire comprising:
- a first evaporator tube receiving section configured to wrap about a portion of a circumference of said evaporator tube;
- a second evaporator tube receiving section configured to wrap about a portion of a circumference of said evaporator tube;
- a first heater tube receiving section configured to wrap about a portion of a circumference of said heater tube;
- a second heater tube receiving section configured to wrap about a portion of a circumference of said heater tube;
- a first spacer section that extends between the first evaporator tube receiving section and the first heater tube receiving section and inhibits movement of the first evaporator tube receiving section relative to the first heater tube receiving section, wherein the first evaporator tube receiving section is configured to contact said evaporator tube and the first heater tube receiving section is configured to contact said heater tube, such that movement of said heater tube toward and away from said evaporator tube is inhibited;
- and
- a second spacer section that extends between the second evaporator tube receiving section and the second heater tube receiving section and inhibits movement of the second evaporator tube receiving section relative to the second heater tube receiving section, wherein the first heater tube receiving section is a first distance from the first evaporator tube receiving section, and the second heater tube receiving section is a second distance from the second evaporator tube receiving section, and wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.
4 more elements
A refrigeration unit, comprising:
- a serpentine evaporator tube having a plurality of elongated portions and a plurality of U-shaped bends that connect the plurality of elongated portions;
- a heater tube in a spaced relationship with the serpentine evaporator tube and comprising:
- a bottom portion that extends generally parallel to at least one elongated portion of the plurality of elongated portions;
- and
- a side portion that extends upward from the bottom portion generally perpendicular to the at least one elongated portion;
- and
- a bracket comprising:
- a first panel that extends from a corner to a contact surface that is distal from the corner and configured to contact the side portion of the heater tube;
- and
- a second panel that extends outward from the corner, wherein the second panel defines at least one aperture configured to receive at least one U-shaped bend of the plurality of U-shaped bends of the serpentine evaporator tube therethrough, and a recess configured to receive the bottom portion of the heater tube therein, and wherein the first panel forms the upward-most portion of the bracket and extends outward from the corner over the at least one U-shaped bend, such that the first panel is positioned above the at least one U-shaped bend.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.