US2038434A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

p f 1936- c. E. L. 'LIPMAN 2,0 34

REFRIGERATOR Filed July so, 1932 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 .75 F000 COMP/4197075? A ril 21, 1936. c, E. l..* LIPMAN 2,038,434 REFRIGERATOR Filed July so, 1932 e Sheets-Sheet a A ril 21; 1936. y c. E; L. LIPMAN REFRIGERATOR Filed July 50, 1932 -6 Sheets-Sheet 4 UUUU April 21, 1936:

CE; LIPMAN- REFRIGERATOR Filea-July'so, 1952.

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aril 1936. c. E. L. LIPMAN 2,038,434

REFRIGERATOR Filed July so, 1952 s 'Sheets-Shet e I .4 V I.

Patented Apr. 21, 1936 PATENT. oer-ice REFRIGERATOR Carl E. L. Lipman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Lip,-

man Patents Corporation, Chicago,

poration of Delaware Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,301

111., a cor- 9 Claims. 401.62-116) This invention pertains to refrigerators and in particular to refrigerators having two or more compartments in which different temperatures are maintained.

At present the refrigerators, particularly household and small commercial refrigerators are provided'with one coil only, which surrounds the ice, cube trays and which not only freezes the cubes'but serves also to cool the main food compartment in which the coil and ice trays are suspended. Because of the low temperature required for freezing of watersuch systems are inemcient for producing the refrigerating effect in the food compartment where no such low tem- 5 perature is required or desired. a

. According to the present invention separate coils are provided for the food compartment and the ice making compartment, thelatter being regulated to freeze water and to operate only when more freezing effect on the ice cubes is required while the food compartment coil,.constructed to produce refrigeration at a somewhat higher minimum temperature, will be operated only when further refrigeration is needed in the 25 food compartment. It is quite apparent that further refrigeration may frequently be required in either compartment when not required in the other compartment. As is made possible through this invention, the production of refrigerating effect is controlled in each compartment solely in accordance with the needs therein.

The general object of this invention is to pro-' vide improvements in refrigerators to yield higher efiiciency in the production of the necessary refrigeration and to make possible various advantages and conveniences both from'the standpoint of manufacture and operation. These advantages and. various objects of this invention will be alluded to or will become apparent hereinafter.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 represents a diagrammatic illustration of the refrigeration apparatus utilized in one embodiment of this invention,

Fig. 2 is.a front elevationof a refrigerator cabinet containing the apparatus shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view showing the left side of the food compartment in section,- Fig. 4 is a view showing the ice making compartment in section,

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the removable apparatus unit employed in the refrigerator. shown in Fig. 2,

-' lowed to accumulate.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view largely in section of a thermostatic valve employed in this refrigerator, a Fig. 7 is a central sectional view of a packless valve included in the refrigerator, j Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of a por- 5 tion of a direct expansion system which may be substituted for the flooded system portions of Fig. 1,. p

Fig. 9 is a detailed view of another embodiment of an expansion coil coupled with a fan, and 10 Fig. 10 is a central sectional view of another form of valve which may be used in the system and in an evaporator header.

One form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 'I inclusive and is shown as it is embodied in a household refrigerator which includes a cabinet generally indicated as I, comprising a large food compartment 2 and a smaller ice-making compartment 3. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 indicate that the food compartment is provided with outside insulated walls 4 and doors 5 while the inner ice making compartment 2 has insulating walls 6 and upper and lower doors I and 8 respectively.

The ice making compartment is spaced inwardly from all of the interior surfaces of the food compartment, not only at the sides'but as well at the bottom and the top, and is supported in any suitable manner (not illustrated) with its top margins tightly sealed against a bottom of an insulated coil supporting platform 9, a rubber sealing strip I0 being preferably employed at this juncture. At the bottom of the ice compartment a drain valve H is provided for draining water 4 resulting from defrosting or washing.

\The apparatus employed in this preferred em- 'bodiment is shown in Fig. 5 arranged in its actual structural relationship, while the same apparatus is shown diagrammatically in Fig. l. The description of the operative parts of the apparatus may be best made with reference to Fig. 1 and read with that figure in view.

A compressor I2 is employed for compressing any suitablegaseous refrigerant and for delivering it to a condenser l3 which is subjected to a draft of air from the surrounding atmosphere by means of a fan It. An .oil cooling device 15 is also. connected with compressor and is likewise subjected to the fan air draft. The condenser delivers the liquefied refrigerant through a pipe l8'to a receiver I! where a supply of it is al- An evaporator generally indicated as 18 is mounted in the foot compartp ment 2, and being a coil in a flooded type system is provided with afloat I9 for controlling the valve 2} at the inlet of the coil. The float valve will be consrtucted to maintain the liquid level .in the coil. at about the position indicated. A

suction pipe 22 leads from the top of the coil to a safety shutoff valve 23 which is shown in detailin Fig. 7. From that valve the suction pipe continues as the pipe 24 to a thermostatically controlled valve 25 which may be actuated by a thermostatic bulb 26, or instead may be connected by the pipe 21 to the thermostatic bulb 28. It should be understood that whichever bulb is used for operating the valve. 25, it is to be located in the food compartment itself or in or on the evaporator therein. The valve 25 is shown in detail in Fig. 6, and is so arranged that any temperature higher than a predetermined temperature will, through expansion of the fluid in the bulb, open the valve 25 to permit suction caused. by the compressor to draw gas from the coil l8 through the pipe 29.

Whenever the temperature in the food compartment rises to a predetermined maximum, it is intended that the bulb 28 shall close a thermostatically operated switch 3l,-which in turn will 4 a close a circuit leading through the wall 'plug 32,

overload safety device 33,-starting relay 34 and the motor of the compressor. The motor is preferably sealed within the compressor housing. The valve 25 is at the same time opened either by its own separate bulb 26 or by the bulb 28 to permit the compressor to draw gas from the food compartment coil. .The valve 23 is always open excepting when manuallyclosed for the purpose of shutting oif the food compartment'coil. As the gas is drawn off from the latter coil, the tem- 'perature in the food compartment will be lowered and eventually, when the desired minimum temperature in the food compartment has'been'at tained, the thermostatic bulb r bulbs in that compartment-will 'open switch 3|, shut off the compressor motor and close the valve 25.

The ice compartment 3 is providedwith its .own separate coil 35, which receives liquid refrigerant either from the'bottom of the food com-v partment coil through the pipes 36 and 31 or directly from the liquid receiver I! through the pipes 38 and 31. Themanuall'y operated packless valves 39 and 4| enable the user to select either source'of liquid supply for the ice compartment coil. If liquid refrigerant is drawn from the food compartment coil it will, of course, already be at low temperature which will be ofadva'ntage in promoting quick freezing in the ice compartment.

The ice compartment coil header is provided with .55 a float valve 42 to regulate the liquid level there in. The suction pipe 43 has interposed therein a check valve 44 constructed to permit flow therethrough only away from the ice compartment coil. There is also interposed in this suction pipe a safety shut-off valve 23' enabling the user to shut off manually the ice compartment coil when he desire s to defrost that coil or to put the coil temporarily out of service for any reason whatsoever. Another check valve 45 is located in the common suction'line 46, preferably close to the compressor to prevent refrigerant gas, or any oil from leaking or flowing from the compressor unit back into the suction linewhen the compressor is idle.

The ice compartment coil is controlled by means of a thermostatic bulb 41 located in that compartment or in or on the evaporator therein. Whenthetemperature of the bulb rises to a predetermined degree it will actuate a thermostatically controlled switch 48 and cause the compressor motor to start. When the icecompartment reaches a desired minimum temperature, this bulb will then operate to open the circuit to shut off the compressor. It should be understood that the thermostatically controlled switches 3| and 48 may be any of several at present com mercially available thermostatically controlled switches. Their construction does not form a part of this invention and therefore is not illustrated.

It should be understood that because water freezing temperatures are maintained in the ice l0 compartment the gas pressure therein will naturally be much lower than the gas pressures in the food compartment coil for in the latter compartment temperatures of 38 to 45 F. will ordinarily be maintained for the preservation of food. Hence whenever the compressor is started bymeans of the food compartment thermostat 28 the relatively high pressure in the suction pipe 29 and 46 will cause the check valve 44 to close,

hence at that time no suction can be exerted on the ice compartment coil. This latter coil must wait its turn until the food compartment has been sufliciently cooled to cause the closing of the valve 25. Thereafter the check valve 44 will be opened when continued operation of the compressor produces a lower pressure in the suction line 45 than exists in the ice compartment coil It will be perceived that the relatively higher backpressure in the food compartment coil will enable that coil to operate in the refrigeration system at a" higher efficiency than is possible with the coils now employed in most household refrigerators for cooling food compartments, for the reason that at present food compartments are invariably cooled by coils which are capable of freezing water and which operate at a much lower back pressure. In view of thefact that the ice making compartment is well insulated v from the food compartment. whenever the ice' cubes have been frozen the ice compartment coil will not again operate for a long period of time and the compressor from that time on will only have to operate in connection with the more efficient food compartment coil. -This will natural- 1y result in a considerable saving in the cost of electricity consumed. Should one desire to freeze a large number of ice cubes rapidly he may manually close the food compartment shut off valve 23 and concentrate all the refrigerating efforts on the ice making coil, and likewise if no ice 50 cubes are required over a considerable period of time the ice compartment coil may be shut of! manually "and the food compartment coil only be operated. Furthermore, the ice compartment coil may be defrosted by shutting it ofl-without Another advantage arising from this arrangement of coils is that no frostlformation occurs in the food compartment coil by reason of the fact that it is not necessary in maintaining a temperature of about 40 in that compartment to cool the refrigerant any lower than 32 F.

In a practical installation of the system shown in Fig. 1, I prefer to mount the hand valves 23 and 23' adjacent their. respective coils where they may be readily reached, and not confused one with the other. Each compartment will designated in Figs. 3 and 4. This platform is preferably made in part of insulating materialand will seat down into the top of the food compartment '2 to close and seal the top aperture therein and will carry suspended from it the auxiliary insulated platform 9 which contacts the rubber insulating strip l9 and closes the top open end of the ice makingcompartment 3. The compressor, condenser coils and oil cooling coils, to-

gether with the fan and switches will be mounted The air inlet supply to thefan will be provided through an aperture 5| and the air may exhaust through any suitable opening in the top 52 of the refrigerator cabinet or may be discharged through another aperture in the rear of the refrigerator adiacent the aperture 5|.

, It will be observed that the platform 9 forming the top of the ice making compartment is spaced downwardly from the top. of the food compartment, hence air circulation is provided entirely around the ice compartment; As this entire surrounding atmosphere will be maintained at a temperature in the low forties, ordinarily it will be a relatively easy matter to make and preserve ice in the inner compartment. Additional racks 53 may be provided in the ice compartment for holding trays of ice cubes or frozen desserts or any articles required to be kept at freezing temperatures. The walls of the ice making compartment may be attached by any suitable brackets such as those indicated by the numeral 54 to the walls of the food compartment.

Two of the valves employed in the preferred embodiment shownin Fig. l are illustrated in detail in Figs. 6 and 7. The thermostatic valve 25, shown in Fig. 6, includes a casing 55 to which is attached a valve housing 56 provided with a valve seat 51 adjacent the inlet 58 on which seats a valve59. This valve is provided with a central passage 6| which is normally closed by a ball valve 52 under-compression of the' spring 63 pressing against a follower 64. The ball valve wil: be opened by an excessive gas pressure which may accumulate in the food compartment coil and will permit the gas to escape through the stud 51 having a shoulder 59 adjacent which is ---positioned a flexible disc 69 provided to give the valve a snap action function.- This-disc bears The outer end of the post 61 is secured to end of the post also carries a bellows type diaphragm 16, one end of which is sealed about." the post and the other end of which is securedin sealed relation to an annular plate 'I'I which .ln turn is sealed against the walls of the .casi'nge 4 15. This diaphragm thus furnishes a fluidseal I which prevents the escape of refrigerant beyond the limits of the diaphragm and thus obviates; the necessity for a stufllng box about the" post 91. Also secured to the post 81 is a metal bellows I! closed at its outer end butopening at itsinner end into the chamber'l9 to whiclii'syconnectedthe tube leadingeither to the. thermostaticbulb 29 or 29. Surrounding thev compression spring and metal bellows is a cap ilth'readedly engaged with the casing 55.. The spring 15 serves tourge the main valve 59 towards its seat while the snap action diaphragm 69 functions to cooperate with 93,.avalve seat 84 and a main valve 95. A pressure relief valve is provided within the main valve and carried thereby, consisting of a ball 96, spring 81 and follower 99. A. bellows type diaphragm 99 is sealed at one end on the movable valve stem 9| by welding or soldering and has its other 'end similarly sealed to a. disc 90 clamped between the ends of the valve casing 92 and the valve casing cap 93. This diaphragm furnishes a fluid seal about the valve stem and eliminates any needfor a stufling box. The packless valves 39 and 4| shown in Fig. 1 are preferably constructed in a similar manner.

The main valve- 35 is intended to be operated manually and its valve stem is provided with a recess 94 and an enlarged portion 95 abutting against a similar enlarged portion 96 on the valve handle stem 91. An annular collar 98 has its opposite edges crimped inwardly one to seat in the recess 94 and the other to seat in the recess 99, thus enabling the valve handle to be rotated relatively to the non-rotatable valve stem 9| to seat or unseat th main valve. The end face of the valve stem is provided with a centrally located conical projection 95' seating in a corresponding recess in the adjacent face of the valve handle stem 91, to keep these stems in alignment with each other. At the outer end of the valve handle stem 91 there is afilxed the usual valve handle Fig. 8 shows diagrammatically a preferred arrangement of the apparatus in the event that one desires to use a direct expansion system in carrying out the purposes of this invention. As shown, a'pipe 46 corresponds to the pipe 46 in Fig. 1 and leads to the .compressor.. A pipe l6 corresponding to pipe IS in 'Fig. 1 leads from the condenser and carries the vcondensed refrigerant into a liquid receiver H from whence it flows either to a food compartment expansion coil ill or to an ice making compartment expansion coil 35'. interposed in the liquid inlet pipe i 92 is an expansion valve generally indicated as I93 while in the inlet pipe 14 is a. similar expansion valve I03. Whereas various forms of expansion valves may be used, I have chosen to illustrate herein a valve consisting of the casing I95, a metal bellows" I06 to which is connected 2. bell crank I91, the opposite end of which carries a needle I08 which is seatedon the valve seat I09 by contraca cup shaped spring retainer against which 'j-tion of'thernetal bellows or lifted from the seat the compression spring 15 rests and the outer byf'expanslon of the metal bellows. A spring I H aids urging the needle valve to remain seated.

' .The valves on the suction side of both coils are 'ejpreferably exactly like those on those of the flooded system coil in Fig. 1 and consist of the check valve 44;", the combined safety and shut-off valye..123"; check valve 45, a thermostatically controlled. shut-off valve 25 and another comflbinedsafetyandshut-off valve 23. The-same thermostats 41in the ice making compartment 29 and the'food compartment are'used for controll ling the stopping andstarting of the compressor "ifiotor; The restof the, refrigeration apparatus t'o be cbnr'iected to the parts shown in Fig. 8 is shown inFig. 1 and its connection herewith re- 'i uires no explanation. .The expansion coil in the food compartment is preferably provided with heat absorbing fins 2 to provide for space economy and is a continuous pipe leading from the associated expansion valve to the suction pipe 29' to the compressor. 7

Fig. 9 illustrates another-type of expansion coil which may be substituted for the expansion coil I8 shown in Fig. 8. In this case the 0011 consists of a continuous pipe I I3 having a large number of heat absorbing fins Ill thereon and connected in an obvious manner at one end with an expansion valve and at the other end to the suction pipe which leads through the control valve to the compressor. As a further means of economizing onspace in the food compartment, I prefer to mount a fan motor H5 on the top of the apparatus platform 49 and have the fan shaft I I6 extend downwardly through the platform and carry at its lower end fan blades] I'I. Thus the fan motor is mountedoutside of the food compartment where the heat which it produces will not interfere with refrigeration. The fan blades, revolving preferably at low, speed, will force a gentle circulation of air through the fin type expansion coil to provide more efliciently the necessary cooling in the food compartment.

Preferably the fan motor will operate whenever the compressor is pulling gas through this coil, although it is obvious thata special thermostat could be provided to cause the fan motor to operate at other times without reference to the operation of the compressor. An open ended cylinder I I8 surrounds the expansion coil to confine the air delivery from the fan within the space occupiedby the coils and fins while a central cylinder I I8 closed at its upper end further aids in effectively directing the air flow against the of Fig. 1.

Fig. .10 discloses the top portion of a coil for a flooded system, the top of the coil only being shown, it being understood that this may be substituted for the food compartment coil I8 or 35 In'this case a float valve II9 controls the inlet of liquid refrigerant to the top of the header while the exit of gas therefrom is regulated byv a thermostatically controlledsnap 'action valve.

A block I20, which may be a casting, mounted 'in one end of the header is drilled to form a 50 as inlet passage I2I' leading through a port I22 into a valve chamber I23- A valve I24 to be seated upon the valve seat I25 is fastened in any suitable manner to a snap action diaphragm I28. This diaphragm is composed of two layers of metal of dissimilar expansion characteristics, of

the character commonly known as a bi-metallic diaphragm which, under the influence of temperature changes, will snap upwardly past dead center or downwardly past dead center as viewed in Fig. 10. In its upward movement, it will seat the valve I24 and in the opposite movement will open the valve.

When the valve is open the refrigerant vapor can then pass-through-the port I21 to the suction outlet I28 and may thence flow to the compressor. This snap action valve being mounted in the expansion coil header, is subject to the influence of the temperature in that header, and as the internal temperature of. the coil bears a known relation to the temperature in the associated compartment, this valve serves thento control the suction from that coil and hence the tem-.

= -peratu re in the compartment where it is mounted.

Referri n'g.:.to Fig. I, the switch 3| is provided with a knot or button 2| which should be to disconnect the switch 3| whenever the valve 23 is closed to put the food compartment coil out of service. Thus the thermostat 28 will be prevented from starting the compressor motor. A similar knot 48' on switch 48 is provided for a similar purpose in rendering the ice coil inoperative. The atfiustment of all switches, thermostats and valves is preferably accomplished at the factory to discourage unskilled persons from meddling with these devices.

It should be understood that the invention in its various aspects is herein described in connection with its embodiment in one or more presently preferred or approved forms but that it is nevertheless capable of being embodied and utilized in other forms differing in many details from the constructions herein shown and described.

Having shown and described the invention, I

- claim:

' 1. A refrigerator comprising an insulated food compartment, an insulated ice making compartment within the first compartment, apertures being provided in the tops of both compartments, removable insulated closure means constructed for sealing said apertures, a refrigeration coil for each compartment carried by said means, and

refrigeration apparatus including a'. compressor connected with said coils, and means regulated by the temperature in the respective compartments for controlling the producing of refrigera tion in the respective compartments.

3. In a refrigerator, the combination of an insulated food'containing compartment and an insulated ice making compartment wholly enclosed'thereby, both compartments provided with apertures at their tops, a removable apparatus platform constructed to be lowered into place to seal and insulate said apertures, a separate cooling coil for .each compartment carried on the bottom of said platform, and apparatus including a compressor and condenser connected with said coils mounted on the top of said platform.

4. In a refrigerator, the combination of'separate insulated'ice making and food cooling compartments, the former being disposed within the latter, separate cooling coils in the compartments and a single refrigeration producing unit connected therewith, means separately controlled by the temperatures in the respective compartments for maintaining ice making temperatures in the first compartment and non-frost forming temperatures in the second compartment, and manually controlled means for rendering one coil inoperative without so affecting the other coil.

5. A refrigerating apparatus comprising a compressor, a condenser, a high working pressure evaporator, a low working pressure evaporator, means for supplying refrigerant to said evaporators from said condenser, means for connecting each evaporator with the suction chem-- ber of said compressor, thermostatic means con.-

trolled byeac h evaporator for starting and stopping the compressor independently of the other evaporator, means controlled by the temperature" produced by the high working pressure evaporator for permitting or preventing the application of compressor suction to said evaporator,

and suction pressure controlled, means for preventing application of compressor suction to said low working pressure evaporator during the 'ap--. plication of said suction to said high working pressure evaporator.

6. A refrigerating apparatus comprising a compressor, a condenser, a high working pressure evaporator and a low working pressure evaporator connected to said compressor and condenser, means controlled by the temperature produced by each of said evaporators for independently starting and stopping said compressor, suction pressure controlled means for preventing refrigerative operation of the low working pressure evaporator during refrigerative operation tive for refrigerative work'during the operative period of said high working pressure evaporator and permitting refrigerative workthereby during the inoperative period of the high working pressure evaporator.

1 8. A refrigeratin apparatus comprising a compressor, a condenser, a high working pressure evaporator, and a low working pressure evaporator connected to receive refrigerant from said condenser, means including a common suction 'line for conducting refrigerant from said evaporators to the suction chamber of said compressor, thermostatically controlled means associated with each evaporator for independently starting and stopping the compressor, thermostatically controlled means associated with the high working pressure evaporator for controlling the application of compressom uction thereto, and suction pressure actuated m ans in the sucworking pressure evaporator for con tion line between the compressor an? the low liing the application of compressor suction there 9. A. refrigerating apparatus comprising an ice compartment, a storage compartment, an evaporator in each of said compartments, a driving motor, a compressor having the suction side thereof connected to said evaporators, means co ntrolled by the temperatures in said storage compartment for starting and stopping said-motor, a thermostatically controlled valve in the suction line to said storage compartment evaporator for shutting 03 the application of suction to said evaporator when a predetermined low temperature is created in said compartment, means controlled by the temperatures in said ice compartment for starting and stopping said motor, and pressure controlled means in the suction line to said ice compartment evaporator for preventing the application of suction to said evaporator-when the suction line to the storage compartment evaporator is open. CARL E. L. LIPMAN.

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