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US 2018/0080702 A1Published application
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.
Claims27
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;
- a temperature sensor configured to sense at least a temperature of the object;
- a fan in fluid communication with said outlet, said fan having a variable speed motor configured to adjust flow rate of the cooling air;
- 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 decreases towards a desired temperature value.
2 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;
- sensing one or more temperature values associated with a targeted cooling zone with a temperature sensor;
- and
- 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 the cooling zone decreases towards a desired temperature value.
1 more element
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;
- a temperature sensor configured to sense at least a temperature of the object;
- and
- a controller coupled to said temperature sensor and at least one of said fan and said one or more dampers to dynamically vary the air flow rate of cooling air towards said cooling zone based upon said temperature value of the object sensed by said temperature sensor, wherein the air flow rate decreases as the temperature of the object decreases towards a desired temperature value.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.