RV KITCHEN WITH OUTDOOR REFRIGERATOR

Abstract

An absorption refrigerator installed in an outward facing kitchenette in a recreational vehicle. The food compartment of the refrigerator is accessible from outside the vehicle. An air passage directs air from outside the vehicle to the back of the refrigerator by drawing air up through an opening located below the refrigerator and out of an opening located above the refrigerator.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recreational vehicles, also called RVs, commonly use absorption style refrigerators to keep food cool. These refrigerators use a heat source that can be powered with propane or electricity to initiate a reaction which permits the coolant to absorb heat from the refrigerator compartment, causing it to cool. Absorption refrigerators have heat exchange units, typically located in the back of the refrigerator. Adequate air flow over the heat exchange unit is required for the refrigerator to function.

A conventionally installed RV refrigerator as shown in FIG. 5 has a food compartment door 11 which opens toward the inside of the RV 18 so that occupants within the RV can access food stored within the refrigerator. The back 13 of the refrigerator 10 faces the outer wall 17 of the vehicle. A vent 14 in the outer wall 17 of the vehicle is located immediately adjacent'to the heat exchange unit 12 so that air can flow directly from outside the vehicle onto the heat exchange. Typically, an opening 16 in the vehicle is provided adjacent to the heat exchange unit to provide access for repairs to the refrigerator, a door or cover is provided to cover that opening, and a vent is formed in the cover. An additional opening 14 to the outside of the vehicle is placed above the refrigerator's heat exchange so that cool air flows through the lower opening and onto the heat exchanger and then rises as indicated by arrow 19 through a passage 15 toward the upper opening 14 and flows through the upper vent and outside the vehicle.

The RV industry has relatively recently begun providing outdoor cooking options for operators of recreational vehicles so that meals can be cooked outside the vehicle. These options include kitchenettes equipped with at least some kitchen appliances and which are permanent installations of the vehicle but which face the outside of the vehicle. These integral outdoor kitchenettes typically include portable 120 volt auxiliary refrigerators of residential design which use condensers to cool their interiors. These auxiliary refrigerators cannot be operated with the 12 volt direct current RV power available from vehicle batteries, and cannot use propane as a power source. They require the use of a generator as a source of alternating current electrical power in any campsite which does not provide 120 volt electrical power source. Generators are noisy, are prohibited in some campgrounds between certain hours, and require that a user also bring gasoline to power it. Moreover, these auxiliary 120 volt refrigerators cannot be operated when the vehicle is in motion. Consequently, before the vehicle is moved, the contents of the auxiliary refrigerator must be removed and placed in the primary, absorption refrigerator located inside the vehicle which can be continuously powered by the vehicle's batteries or propane.

This shortcoming has been recognized by RV users and RV manufacturers, but the RV industry before now has not been able to offer a better alternative. It is conventionally believed that an absorption refrigerator must be positioned immediately proximate to an opening to the outside of the vehicle in order to receive adequate ventilation. Such a refrigerator installation is shown in FIG. 5.

An outward facing RV refrigerator would have a heat exchange unit which faced the inside of the RV, and it would be impossible to place it next to a vent to the outside so that it could receive adequate ventilation. Additionally, such an arrangement would place a heat source—the heat exchange unit—inside the living area of the RV, impacting the RV's air conditioner performance. Any leaking propane from the heat exchange unit will leak into the living area of the RV.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is an absorption refrigerator installed in a recreational vehicle, said refrigerator having a front and a back, said front accessible from outside the vehicle, said back in communication with a passage having a first end and a second end, each said end defined by an opening to the outside of said vehicle, said passage adapted to direct air from outside the vehicle to contact said back of said refrigerator, wherein said first end of said passage has a location within said vehicle which is lower than a location of said refrigerator.

Also disclosed herein is a recreational vehicle having an integral outdoor kitchenette, said kitchenette including a stove and a refrigerator, wherein said refrigerator is an absorption refrigerator, said refrigerator having a front and a back, said front accessible from outside the vehicle, said back communicating with a passage having a first end and a second end, each said end defined by an opening to the outside of said vehicle, said passage adapted to cause air from outside the vehicle to contact said back of said refrigerator, wherein a first end of said passage has a location within said vehicle which is lower than a location of said refrigerator.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a recreational vehicle having an integral outdoor kitchenette enclosed with a cover.

FIG. 2 is a lateral view of a recreational vehicle having an integral outdoor kitchenette with cover in an open position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a refrigerator installed in accordance with the methods disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a refrigerator installed in accordance with the methods disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a refrigerator installed in accordance with the conventional methods of installing refrigerators in recreational vehicles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed herein is an installation for an outward facing refrigerator which can either be installed on its own or as part of an outdoor kitchen integral with an RV. The inventors herein have discovered that, contrary to the conventional understanding of refrigerator installation, an absorption refrigerator can be adequately ventilated without providing an opening to the exterior of the vehicle adjacent to the heat exchange unit and without placing the heat exchange unit within a duct which extends in a straight line between the lower duct and the upper duct in order to enhance the “chimney effect” that draws air straight up from the lower duct to the upper duct. This discovery has permitted the inventors to provide an outward facing absorption style refrigerator as part of an outdoor kitchenette installed in a recreation vehicle.

Recreational vehicle 20 has a refrigerator 24 installed in accordance with the disclosure provided herein. Refrigerator 20 may be part of an exterior kitchenette 22, which is covered by a door 30 which encloses the exterior kitchenette when it is not in use, protecting it from exposure or tampering. Kitchenette 20 may also include a stove top 23a or other cooking apparatus and a sink 23b, as well as shelves or cabinets or other storage.

As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator 24 is an absorption refrigerator which can operate on 12 volt direct current power, such as that supplied by vehicle batteries, or on propane, as well as on 120 volt alternating current power which can be supplied by electrical outlets. Refrigerator 24 has a door 28 which faces outward, providing access to the contents of the refrigerator from outside the vehicle. The refrigerator 24 is absorption refrigerator with a heat exchange unit (not shown) on its back external wall 48. The refrigerator resides in a cabinet which opens toward the outside of the vehicle and is enclosed on two sides, the top 52, the bottom 54, and the back 56. Proximal to the back wall 56 of the cabinet, the bottom 54 of the cabinet defines an opening 60. The opening 60 is in fluid communication with a passage 36 which has an opening to the outside of the vehicle at each end, an intake end and an exhaust end. An intake opening to the outside of the vehicle is located below the refrigerator. The intake opening may be in the bottom of the vehicle (not shown). This intake opening is preferably covered with a vented cover or with screens to keep insects, vermin, and debris from entering the opening but permit the flow of air from under the vehicle up through the passage 36 in the direction shown by arrow 46. One or more air dams or other structures which divert the flowing air into the passage when the vehicle is in motion may also be used.

The passage 36 directs air flow over the back of the refrigerator 48 where the heat exchange unit is located and then continues up past the back of the refrigerator, bends toward the sidewall 50 of the vehicle, and terminates in an exhaust opening 64 located above the refrigerator, and may be located in the sidewall of the vehicle. The exhaust opening 64 is preferably covered with a vented cover 58 or with screens. Alternatively, the passage may terminate in an exhaust opening in the top of the vehicle (not shown); however this roof vent may lead to a greater risk that precipitation will leak into the vehicle, and the chimney takes up space inside the vehicle and thus reduces the space available for storage cabinets or other uses.

One or more fans 38 may be provided in the passage 36 in order to actively draw air up the passage, which may be especially advantageous when the RV is not in motion. Baffles 44 or partitions ensure that the passage 36 is continuous and enclosed to better facilitate air flow and to prevent pockets of dead, hot air from accumulating, for example against the top of the refrigerator.

A service opening 40 may be provided in the back wall of the cabinet in order to provide access to the heat exchange unit of the refrigerator in order to facilitate servicing of the refrigerator. The service opening should be sealable with gaskets surrounding the opening and a solid cover 41 so that hot air and any propane that leaks out of the refrigerator cannot enter the living space of the RV. Such propane is heavier than air, and can fall out of the vent located in the bottom of the vehicle.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the intake opening 42 in the passage 36 may be located in the sidewall 50 under the refrigerator 24 instead of in the bottom of the vehicle. That configuration does raise the level of the refrigerator so that it may be more difficult for shorter people to use, and it requires at least one 90 degree bend 66 in the passage 36 and thus in the path of travel of the air as shown by arrow 68. The upper vent 34 can also be placed in the sidewall of the vehicle 50 or can be in the roof. Baffles 44 can be used to define a passage that angles toward the sidewall of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 3 or which makes an additional 90 degree bend 70 toward the sidewall as shown in FIG. 4.

This method of installation of a refrigerator does not permit the positioning of a vent immediately proximate to the heat exchange unit, as is conventionally thought to be necessary in order to provide an absorption refrigerator with adequate ventilation. It also requires ventilation using a duct which is not straight. Manufacturers of refrigerators typically advise against installing absorption refrigerators without positioning vents immediately proximal to the heat exchange unit. However, the inventors herein have determined that if the passage, including both openings, is several inches deep and the width of the refrigerator, it provides sufficient ventilation, especially if a fan is also used to actively draw air up through the lower vent. This discovery permits the inventors of the method of installation herein to provide outdoor facing absorption refrigerators which can operate on battery power or propane and thus can operate continuously even when the vehicle is in motion and can be accessed from the outside of the vehicle.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. An absorption refrigerator installed in a recreational vehicle, said refrigerator having a front and a back, said front accessible from outside the vehicle, said back in communication with a passage having a first end and a second end, each said end defined by an opening to the outside of said vehicle, said passage adapted to direct air from outside the vehicle to contact said back of said refrigerator, wherein said first end of said passage has a location within said vehicle which is lower than a location of said refrigerator.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein said second end of said passage has a location which is higher than a location of said refrigerator.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein said recreational vehicle has a sidewall, and said second end of said passage is defined by an opening in said sidewall.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein said recreational vehicle has a roof, and second end of said passage is defined by an opening in said roof.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1 further including at least one fan located in said passage.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein said vehicle has a floor, and said first end of said passage is defined by an opening in said floor.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein said recreational vehicle has a sidewall, and said first terminal end of said passage is defined by an opening in said sidewall.

8. A recreational vehicle having an integral outdoor kitchenette, said kitchenette including a stove and a refrigerator, wherein said refrigerator is an absorption refrigerator, said refrigerator having a front and a back, said front accessible from outside the vehicle, said back communicating with a passage having a first end and a second end, each said end defined by an opening to the outside of said vehicle, said passage adapted to cause air from outside the vehicle to contact said back of said refrigerator, wherein a first end of said passage has a location within said vehicle which is lower than a location of said refrigerator.

9. The recreational vehicle of claim 8 wherein said second end of said passage has a location which is higher than a location of said refrigerator.

10. The recreational vehicle of claim 8 wherein said recreational vehicle has a sidewall, and said second end of said passage is defined by an opening in said sidewall.

11. The recreational vehicle of claim 8 wherein said recreational vehicle has a roof, and second end of said passage is defined by an opening in said roof

12. The recreational vehicle of claim 8 further including at least one fan located in said passage.

13. The recreational vehicle of claim 8 wherein said vehicle has a floor, and said first end of said passage is defined by an opening in said floor.

14. The recreational vehicle of claim 8 wherein said recreational vehicle has a sidewall, and said first end of said passage is defined by an opening in said sidewall.

15. The recreational vehicle of claim 8 wherein said refrigerator is installed in a cabinet, and said passage communicates with said refrigerator through openings in said cabinet.