Zone cooling in a refrigerated merchandiser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9737156-B2
Application number	US-201314138630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A refrigerated merchandiser including a case that defines a product display area and an access opening. The case has an air inlet and an air outlet, and a passageway fluidly connects the air inlet with the air outlet to direct a refrigerated airflow across the customer access opening in the form of an air curtain. The merchandiser also includes shelves that are coupled to the case. Each shelf includes an inlet, an outlet, a fan unit disposed in the shelf, and a heat exchanger. The fan unit is in communication with the passageway to draw air through the inlet to direct a portion of the airflow through the shelf toward the outlet. The heat exchanger is disposed in the shelf to cool the airflow in the shelf to provide independent zone cooling to a predetermined region of the product display area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigerated merchandiser comprising:
a case defining a product display area and a customer access opening, the case including an air inlet and an air outlet in communication with the product display area;
a passageway fluidly connecting the air inlet with the air outlet to direct a refrigerated airflow through the air outlet across at least a portion of the customer access opening in the form of an air curtain; and
a plurality of shelves coupled to the case within the product display area to support product, each shelf including:
an inlet disposed adjacent a rear of the shelf;
an outlet disposed adjacent a front of the shelf;
a fan unit disposed in the shelf and in communication with the passageway to draw air from the passageway through the inlet from directly below the shelf to direct a portion of the airflow through the shelf toward the outlet; and
a heat exchanger disposed in the shelf to cool the airflow in the shelf to provide independent zone cooling to a predetermined region of the product display area,
wherein the air drawn into the shelf by the fan unit is drawn from the product display area directly below the shelf.

2. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1 , wherein the fan unit includes two or more fans, and the heat exchanger is disposed between the fans.

3. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a thermoelectric cooler.

4. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 3 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a plurality of fins, and wherein the thermoelectric cooler is disposed adjacent and in contact with the plurality of fins.

5. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a plate heat exchanger adapted to receive a refrigerant.

6. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1 , wherein each shelf includes a front wall and two side walls that cooperate to direct the cooled airflow generally downward from the associated shelf in the form of a three-dimensional air curtain having airflows only along the front wall and along one or both of the side walls.

7. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1 , wherein each shelf further includes an adjustable temperature control element.

8. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1 , further comprising a canopy disposed substantially above the product display area, wherein the canopy includes the air outlet.

9. A refrigerated merchandiser comprising:
a case defining a product display area and a customer access opening, the case including an air inlet and an air outlet in communication with the product display area;
a passageway fluidly connecting the air inlet with the air outlet to direct a refrigerated airflow through the air outlet across at least a portion of the customer access opening in the form of a primary air curtain; and
a shelf including one or more fans, an inlet disposed adjacent a rear of the shelf, a first outlet disposed adjacent a front of the shelf, and one or more second outlets disposed along the sides of the shelf and in fluid communication with the inlet to form a three-sided secondary air curtain directed downward from the first outlet and the second outlets only along a perimeter of the shelf into the product display area to provide independent zone cooling to a particular region of the product display area,
wherein the air drawn into the shelf by the one or more fans is drawn from the product display area directly below the shelf.

10. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 9 , wherein the shelf includes two fans positioned to direct air toward the outlets, and a heat exchanger disposed between the two fans.

11. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 10 , wherein one of the fans is disposed adjacent the inlet.

12. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 10 , wherein the heat exchanger includes a thermoelectric cooler.

13. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 12 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is disposed adjacent and in contact with a plurality of fins of the heat exchanger.

14. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 9 , wherein the shelf further includes an adjustable temperature control element.

15. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1 , wherein the airflow is discharged from the shelf in the form of a three-sided secondary air curtain to provide an independent cooling zone within the product display area.

16. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 15 , wherein the heat exchanger includes fins and a thermoelectric cooler.

17. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 16 , wherein the thermoelectric cooler is disposed adjacent and in contact with the fins.

18. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 16 , wherein the fins are disposed on an underside of the shelf.

Assignees

• Hussmann Corp

Inventors

• Twohy Raymond P

Classifications

• A47F3/0491

  Cooled shelves · CPC title

• A47F3/0482 Primary

  Details common to both closed and open types · CPC title

• A47F3/0447 Primary

  with air curtains · CPC title

• A47F2003/046

  with shelves having air ducts · CPC title

• F25D25/028

  Cooled supporting means · CPC title