Refrigerators
AssigneeAerofoil Energy Limited
InventorPaul McAndrew
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refrigerator has an open front and an air curtain system having at least one upper air egress with an outer edge and at least one lower air-recovery ingress. The air curtain system is adapted to produce a substantially vertical air curtain over at least part of the open front of the refrigerator. The refrigerator comprises at least one shelf between the egress and the ingress, the shelf having a front edge, and at least one elongate air-guiding strip extending across at least part of the open front of the fridge. The strip is located substantially in the plane of the shelf and spaced from the front edge of the shelf. The strip is located substantially vertically beneath the outer edge of the upper air egress.
Claims30
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a body defining a storage space and an open front, the open front providing access to the storage space;
- an air curtain system including an air egress having an outer edge, the air curtain system configured to produce an air curtain over at least part of the open front in a direction;
- a plurality of shelves disposed within the storage space, each shelf from the plurality of shelves having a front edge disposed on a first side of the air curtain;
- and
- a plurality of asymmetrical airfoils, each airfoil from the plurality of airfoils having a pressure surface having a first camber facing the storage space and a curved suction surface having a second camber that is greater than the first camber opposite the pressure surface, each airfoil having a chord line substantially aligned with the direction of the air curtain;
- each airfoil from the plurality of airfoils coupled to and spaced from a shelf from the plurality of shelves such that at least a portion of the pressure surface of that airfoil is in a plane defined by that shelf and extending across at least part of the open front at least partially on a second side of the air curtain such that at least a portion of the air curtain is disposed between the front edge of that shelf and the pressure surface of that airfoil;
- an upper edge of each airfoil from the plurality of airfoils located vertically beneath the outer edge of the air egress;
- the pressure surface and the curved suction surface of each airfoil from the plurality of airfoils are collectively configured to create a pressure differential between a first portion of the air curtain located between the pressure surface and the storage space and a second portion of the air curtain located across the each airfoil opposite the first portion of the air curtain to stabilize a flow of the air curtain and straighten the flow of the air curtain towards vertical.
A refrigerator, comprising:
- a body defining a storage space and an open front, the open front providing access to the storage space;
- an air curtain system including an air egress having an outer edge and an air-recovery ingress, the air curtain system configured to produce an air curtain over at least part of the open front in a direction;
- a shelf disposed between the air egress and the air-recovery ingress, the shelf having a front edge;
- and
- an airfoil spaced from the front edge of the shelf having a chord line substantially aligned with the direction of the air curtain, a curved suction surface having a first camber, and a pressure surface opposite the curved suction surface and facing the storage space and having a second camber that is less than the first camber exposed to the air curtain, the airfoil having a thickness that increases from a leading edge of the airfoil to a point of maximum thickness and decreases from the point of maximum thickness to a trailing edge of the airfoil, the airfoil associated with the shelf and extending across an entire width of the open front, the pressure surface and the curved suction surface of the airfoil are collectively configured to create a pressure differential between a first portion of the air curtain located between the storage space and a second portion of the air curtain located across the airfoil opposite the first portion of the air curtain to stabilize a flow of the air curtain and guide air when the air is moving out of a stream of the air curtain back into the stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.