Refrigeration appliance including a refrigerant line and water line extending through common pass-through of a vacuum-insulated structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449182-B2
Application number	US-202318098759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2023
Priority date	Jan 19, 2023
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A refrigeration appliance includes: (i) a vacuum-insulated structure defining a refrigerable compartment, the vacuum-insulated structure comprising a pass-through therethrough providing access from an external environment to the refrigerable compartment; (ii) an evaporator disposed within the refrigerable compartment, the evaporator configured to lower or maintain a temperature of the refrigerable compartment below ambient temperature; (iii) a refrigerant line that extends through the pass-through and into the refrigerable compartment, the refrigerant line in fluid communication with the evaporator; (iv) a water line extending through the pass-through and into the refrigerable compartment; and (v) a housing that at least partially houses the evaporator within the refrigerable compartment, the housing comprising a wall proximate the pass-through that separates the water line from the refrigerant line where the water line and the refrigerant line extend from the pass-through and into the refrigerable compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigeration appliance comprising:
a vacuum-insulated structure comprising (i) an outer wall, (ii) an inner wall facing the outer wall, the inner wall defining a refrigerable compartment, (iii) a space separating the outer wall from the inner wall, the space having a pressure that is less than ambient pressure of an external environment, and (iv) a pass-through through the vacuum-insulated structure providing access from the external environment to the refrigerable compartment, the pass-through comprising an outer aperture through the outer wall and an inner aperture through the inner wall that is aligned with the outer aperture;
an evaporator disposed within the refrigerable compartment, the evaporator configured to lower or maintain a temperature of the refrigerable compartment below ambient temperature;
one or more of a water dispenser and an ice-maker disposed within the refrigerable compartment;
a refrigerant line that extends through the pass-through and into the refrigerable compartment, the refrigerant line in fluid communication with the evaporator;
a water line extending through the pass-through and into the refrigerable compartment, the water line in liquid communication with the one or more of the water dispenser and the ice-maker; and
a housing that at least partially houses the evaporator within the refrigerable compartment, the housing comprising a wall directly adjacent the pass-through that entirely separates the water line from the refrigerant line where the water line and the refrigerant line extend from the pass-through and into the refrigerable compartment to at least partially thermally insulate the water line from the refrigerant line within the refrigerable compartment.

2. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising:
a drain line extending through the pass-through, the drain line configured and positioned to drain away condensate that forms upon the evaporator.

3. The refrigeration appliance of claim 2 , wherein
the refrigerant line is disposed closer to the drain line than to the water line within the pass-through.

4. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising:
a grommet disposed within the pass-through, the grommet maintaining an air-tight seal within the vacuum-insulated structure about the pass-through,
wherein, the water line and the refrigerant line extend through the grommet, the grommet forming an air-tight seal around the refrigerant line and the water line; and
wherein, the pass-through and the grommet are disposed elevationally below the evaporator.

5. The refrigeration appliance of claim 4 further comprising:
one or more electrical wires extending through the grommet,
wherein, the one or more electrical wires are disposed a distance of greater than or equal to 5 cm away from the water line while extending through the grommet.

6. The refrigeration appliance of claim 4 further comprising:
a drain line extending through the pass-through, the drain line configured and positioned to drain away condensate that forms upon the evaporator;
wherein, the drain line also extends through the grommet, with the grommet forming an air-tight seal around the drain line, and with the refrigerant line disposed closer to the drain line than the water line.

7. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising:
a heater disposed proximate the water line near where the water line enters the refrigerable compartment from the pass-through.

8. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising:
the water dispenser disposed within the refrigerable compartment;
wherein, the refrigerable compartment is configured to maintain a temperature within a range of from greater than 0° C. to 8° C.; and
wherein, the water line is in liquid communication with the water dispenser.

9. The refrigeration appliance of claim 1 further comprising:
the ice-maker disposed within the refrigerable compartment;
wherein, the refrigerable compartment is configured to maintain a temperature that is less than or equal to 0° C.; and
wherein, the water line is in liquid communication with the ice-maker.

10. A refrigeration appliance comprising:
a vacuum-insulated structure defining a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment, the vacuum-insulated structure comprising (i) a refrigerator pass-through therethrough providing access from an external environment to the refrigerator compartment and (ii) a freezer pass-through therethrough providing access from the external environment to the freezer compartment;
a refrigerator evaporator disposed within the refrigerator compartment, the refrigerator evaporator configured to lower or maintain a temperature of the refrigerator compartment below ambient temperature;
a freezer evaporator disposed within the freezer compartment, the freezer evaporator configured to lower or maintain a temperature of the freezer compartment below ambient temperature;
a refrigerator refrigerant line that extends through the refrigerator pass-through and into the refrigerator compartment, the refrigerator refrigerant line in fluid communication with the refrigerator evaporator;
a freezer refrigerant line that extends through the freezer pass-through and into the freezer compartment, the freezer refrigerant line in fluid communication with the freezer evaporator;
a refrigerator water line extending through the refrigerator pass-through and into the refrigerator compartment;
a freezer water line extending through the freezer pass-through and into the freezer compartment;
a refrigerator housing that at least partially houses the refrigerator evaporator within the refrigerator compartment, the refrigerator housing comprising a wall directly adjacent the refrigerator pass-through that entirely separates the refrigerator water line from the refrigerator refrigerant line where the refrigerator water line and the refrigerator refrigerant line extend from the refrigerator pass-through and into the refrigerator compartment to at least partially thermally insulate the refrigerator water line from the refrigerator refrigerant line within the refrigerator compartment; and
a freezer housing that at least partially houses the freezer evaporator within the freezer compartment, the freezer housing comprising a wall directly adjacent the freezer pass-through that entirely separates the freezer water line from the freezer refrigerant line where the freezer water line and the freezer refrigerant line extend from the freezer pass-through and into the freezer compartment to at least partially thermally insulate the freezer water line from the freezer refrigerant line within the freezer compartment.

11. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 further comprising:
a refrigerator grommet disposed within the refrigerator pass-through, the refrigerator grommet maintaining an air-tight seal within the vacuum-insulated structure about the refrigerator pass-through; and
a freezer grommet disposed within the freezer pass-through, the freezer grommet maintaining an air-tight seal within the vacuum-insulated structure about the freezer pass-through;
wherein, the refrigerator water line and the refrigerator refrigerant line extend through the refrigerator grommet, the refrigerator grommet forming an air-tight seal around the refrigerator water line and the refrigerator refrigerant line; and
wherein, the freezer water line and the freezer refrigerant line extend through the freezer grommet, the freezer grommet forming an air-tight seal around the freezer water line and the freezer refrigerant line.

12. The refrigeration appliance of claim 10 , wherein
the refrigerator refrigerant li

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• More Anup Bapu
• Chhajed Rahul Subhash
• Harinkhede Digeshwar Hemraj
• Chauhan Vishal Brahmanand
• Bet Kapil Devidas
• Sarma Abinash

Classifications

• F25B41/40 Primary

  Fluid line arrangements · CPC title

• F25D21/14

  Collecting or removing condensed and defrost water; Drip trays · CPC title

• F25D23/065 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• F25D11/022

  with two or more evaporators · CPC title

• F25D23/126

  Water cooler · CPC title