# US 12,111,097 B2 · Refrigeration apparatus

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- Number: US 12,111,097 B2
- Document ID: US12111097B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/580,338
- Filed: 2022-01-20
- Published: 2022-05-12
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2019-07-22
- Assignees: Phc Holdings Corporation
- Applicants: Phc Holdings Corporation
- Inventors: Takashi Toyooka; Minoru Suto; Fumihiro Asayama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111097B2

## CPC

- F25B 7/00: Compression machines, plants or systems, with cascade operation, i.e. with two or more circuits, the heat from the condenser of one circuit being absorbed by the evaporator of the next circuit (F25B9/00 takes precedence)
- F25D 23/061: {with conduit means}
- F25B 6/04: arranged in series
- F25B 39/02: Evaporators
- F25D 11/02: with cooling compartments at different temperatures
- F25B 2339/023: Evaporators consisting of one or several sheets on one face of which is fixed a refrigerant carrying coil
- F25D 11/04: specially adapted for storing deep-frozen articles (F25D11/02 takes precedence)
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)

## Abstract

This refrigeration apparatus comprises: an inner box having a top surface and side surfaces; and an evaporator constituted by bent pipes comprising a top surface portion in contact with the top surface, an upper side-surface portion in contact with the side surfaces, and a lower side-surface portion in contact with the side surfaces below the upper-side surface portion. The pipes constituting the upper side-surface portion are more densely arranged than the pipes constituting the lower side-surface portion. The total length of the pipes constituting the top surface portion and the upper side-surface portion is 62.5% or more of the lengths of the pipes in contact with the inner box.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A refrigeration apparatus comprising:
an inner box with an internal space enclosed by a top surface, a side surface, and a bottom surface; and
a two-way refrigeration circuit including a high-temperature side refrigeration circuit and a low-temperature side refrigeration circuit, which are configured to exchange heat with each other, wherein:
the internal space is partitioned by a partition plate into a plurality of cooling chambers, among which ventilation is enabled,
the low-temperature side refrigeration circuit includes a low-temperature side evaporator that is a pipe disposed outside the inner box, the pipe including a top surface part in contact with the top surface, an upper side surface part in contact with the side surface, and a lower side surface part in contact with the side surface at a position lower than the upper side surface part so as to surround the internal space,
the upper side surface part includes a plurality of pipe sections arranged at even intervals of a first pitch in a vertical direction,
the lower side surface part includes a plurality of pipe sections arranged at even intervals of a second pitch greater than the first pitch in the vertical direction,
the upper side surface part is directly connected to the lower side surface part at the side surface of the inner box,
a sum of lengths of a pipe forming the top surface part and the pipe forming the upper side surface part is equal to or greater than 62.5% of a length of the pipe in contact with the inner box, and
a length of a pipe in contact with the bottom surface is smaller than 8.0% of the length of the pipe in contact with the inner box.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sum of the lengths of the pipe forming the top surface part and the pipe forming the upper side surface part is equal to or smaller than 90% of the length of the pipe in contact with the inner box.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the length of the pipe forming the upper side surface part is equal to or greater than 44.0% and equal to or smaller than 80% of the length of the pipe in contact with the inner box.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein no part of the pipe of the low-temperature side evaporator is in contact with the bottom surface.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a compressor disposed on a lower side of the inner box; and
a vacuum heat insulating panel provided between the compressor and the inner box.