Refrigeration – Article moving means – Continuous longitudinal-type conveyor
Patent
1997-08-21
1998-08-25
Doerrler, William
Refrigeration
Article moving means
Continuous longitudinal-type conveyor
62266, 312401, 312236, F25D 2504, A47B 9604
Patent
active
057972788
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention generally relates to an air treatment apparatus and especially concerns such an apparatus as is intended for the refrigeration of food.
Conventional food-refrigerating plants using air for the refrigeration take up quite a lot of space. It is true that the size of the refrigerating plant can be considerably reduced by using e.g. liquid nitrogen instead of air as cooling agent, but this substantially increases the running expenses.
The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a compact air treatment apparatus, which is of the type comprising a housing, which includes an elongate trough for receiving products that are to be air-treated, a heat-exchanging battery for conditioning the air used in the air treatment, and a fan assembly for generating an air flow which, for the purposes of the air treatment, circulates along a closed path that, apart from the fan assembly, extends up through the elongate trough and through the heat-exchanging battery.
According to the invention, this object is attained by an air treatment apparatus whose housing has a casing comprising three elements which are pivotable in relation to each other about axes parallel to a longitudinal direction of the elongate trough and which are made up of a one-piece lower element supporting the elongate trough, the heat-exchanging battery and the fan assembly, a one-piece rear element forming a first side wall and being pivotable about an upper edge so as to provide access to the heat-exchanging battery and the fan assembly from outside, as well as a one-piece upper element forming at least part of a second side wall and being pivotable in relation to the lower element so as to provide access to the elongate trough from outside.
By thus enabling direct access from outside to all the component parts of the air treatment apparatus, the space otherwise required therein for this purpose may be dispensed with in its entirety. As a result, the size of the air treatment apparatus may be considerably reduced, and the air treatment apparatus may thus be very compact, especially when the air treatment capacity is fairly restricted, thereby enabling, among other things, the apparatus to be transported in a standard-size container.
According to the invention, each of the three elements suitably consists of a double-walled plastic shell with an insulating filling. This enables a substantial reduction of the weight of the casing, which considerably facilitates the transport of the air treatment apparatus.
In a preferred embodiment, the upper element is pivotable about an axis at the bottom of the lower element. This position of the axis enables maximum access to the elongate trough as well as to the adjoining component parts of the closed path for the circulating air flow.
To likewise enable maximum access to the heat-exchanging battery and the fan assembly, the rear element is, in the preferred embodiment, pivotable about an axis at the top of the upper element.
By preferably having, in accordance with the invention, the heat-exchanging battery and the fan assembly form a first integral unit which can be mounted on the lower element, the mounting operation is much facilitated, i.e. the different units forming part of the air treatment apparatus need not be assembled on site in the housing, but may be assembled entirely outside the housing.
Likewise, a belt conveyor may suitably be mounted as an integral unit in the lower element, so as to form a for aminated bottom for the elongate trough.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of one embodiment of a refrigerating apparatus for food according to the invention,
FIGS. 3-5 are perspective views of the refrigerating apparatus, showing the latter in various states of openness,
FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the refrigerating apparatus of FIGS. 1-5, and
FIG. 7 is a cross-section of another embodiment of the refrigerating apparatus according to the invention.
The refrigerating apparatus illu
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patent: 5222363 (1993-06-01), Allen et al.
patent: 5365572 (1994-11-01), Coffre
patent: 5415013 (1995-05-01), Rothstein
Doerrler William
Frigoscandia Equipment AB
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