Refrigerator appliance with flexible door-in-door compartments
A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet that defines a chilled chamber. A door is rotatably mounted to the cabinet at a front portion of the chilled chamber. A plurality of flexible chambers are defined within the door. The refrigerator appliance also includes a sealed system configured for generating chilled air. The sealed system is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of flexible chambers to selectively provide the chilled air to at least one of the plurality of flexible chambers.
1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction and a transverse direction, the vertical, lateral and transverse directions being mutually perpendicular, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet extending from a top to a bottom along the vertical direction, the cabinet also extending from a left side to a right side along the lateral direction, the cabinet defining a fresh food chamber, the fresh food chamber extending along the vertical direction between the top and the bottom of the cabinet, along the lateral direction between the left and right sides of the cabinet, and along the transverse direction between a front portion and a back portion, the front portion of the fresh food storage chamber defining an opening for receipt of food items;
a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the fresh food storage chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses at least a portion of the fresh food storage chamber and an open position to permit access to the fresh food chamber, the door comprising an outer casing comprising a thermally insulated wall that defines a plurality of flexible chambers within the outer casing, the door further comprising a front panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the plurality of flexible chambers when the door is in the closed position;
a sealed system configured for generating chilled air, the sealed system in fluid communication with each of the plurality of flexible chambers to selectively provide the chilled air to at least one of the plurality of flexible chambers;
a plurality of ducts, each duct extending between the sealed system and an outlet in a corresponding one of the plurality of flexible chambers; and
a valve configured to selectively direct the chilled air from the sealed system to one or more of the plurality of flexible chambers.
2. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the valve comprises a rotary damper disposed in a housing.
3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , wherein the housing comprises an inlet and a plurality of outlets, each outlet of the plurality of outlets in fluid communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of ducts, and wherein the rotatable damper is rotatable to selectively provide fluid communication from the inlet of the housing to at least one of the plurality of outlets of the housing.
4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of flexible chambers comprises a first flexible chamber, a second flexible chamber, and a third flexible chamber, the plurality of ducts comprises a first duct having an outlet in the first flexible chamber, a second duct having an outlet in the second flexible chamber, and a third duct having an outlet in the third flexible chamber, and the housing comprises a first outlet in fluid communication with the first duct, a second outlet in fluid communication with the second duct, and a third outlet in fluid communication with the third duct, wherein the rotary damper is rotatable between a first position providing fluid communication from an inlet of the housing to the first outlet, a second position providing fluid communication from the inlet of the housing to the second outlet, and a third position providing fluid communication from the inlet of the housing to the first outlet, the second outlet and the third outlet.
5. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the valve comprises a cylindrical body defining an axial direction, a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a circumferential direction extending around the axial direction, the cylindrical body including an axially-oriented inlet defined in an end face of the cylindrical body and a plurality of radially-oriented outlets defined in a side surface of the cylindrical body.
6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 5 , further comprising a motor connected to the valve and operable to rotate the valve about the axial direction, wherein the plurality of radially-oriented outlets are spaced apart along the circumferential direction, whereby rotating the valve about the axial direction selectively provides fluid communication from at least one of the radially-oriented outlets to at least one corresponding duct of the plurality of ducts.
7. The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the outlets are spaced apart by about ninety degrees, and the motor is operable to rotate the valve in increments of about forty-five degrees.
8. The refrigerator appliance of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of radially-oriented outlets comprises a first radially-oriented outlet, a second radially-oriented outlet spaced apart from the first radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction by about ninety degrees, a third radially-oriented outlet spaced apart from the second radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction by about ninety degrees and spaced apart from the first radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction by about one hundred and eighty degrees, a fourth radially-oriented outlet spaced apart from the third radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction by about ninety degrees, spaced apart from the second radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction by about one hundred and eighty degrees, and spaced apart from the first radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction by about ninety degrees, and a fifth radially-oriented outlet aligned with the fourth radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction and spaced apart from the fourth radially-oriented outlet along the axial direction.
9. The refrigerator appliance claim 8 , wherein the fourth radially-oriented outlet is aligned with the first radially-oriented outlet along the axial direction and the fifth radially-oriented outlet is aligned with the second radially-oriented outlet along the axial direction.
10. The refrigerator appliance claim 8 , wherein the fourth radially-oriented outlet is aligned with the first radially-oriented outlet along the axial direction and the fifth radially-oriented outlet is aligned with the third radially-oriented outlet along the axial direction.
11. The refrigerator appliance claim 8 , further comprising a sixth radially-oriented outlet aligned with the fourth radially-oriented outlet and the fifth radially-oriented outlet along the circumferential direction and spaced apart from the fourth radially-oriented outlet and the fifth radially-oriented outlet along the axial direction.
12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of ducts are spaced apart along the axial direction and the plurality of radially-oriented outlets are spaced apart along the axial direction and each of the plurality of radially-oriented outlets is aligned with one of the plurality of ducts along the axial direction.
13. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the door is a first fresh food chamber door, further comprising a second fresh food chamber door mirrored with the first fresh food chamber door whereby the first fresh food chamber door and the second fresh food chamber door cooperatively sealingly enclose the fresh food chamber when the first fresh food door is in the closed position and the second fresh food door is in a closed position, the second fresh food door comprising a second outer casing and a second thermally insulated wall defining a fresh food storage chamber within the second outer casing.
14. A refrigerator appliance, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, the chilled chamber comprising a front portion and an opening for receipt of food items defined at the front portion;
a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the front portion of the chilled chamber such that the door rotates between a closed position where the door sealingly encloses at least a portion of the chilled chamber and an open position to permit access to the chilled chamber, the door comprising an outer casing comprising a thermally insulated wall that defines a plurality of flexible chambers within the outer casing, the door further comprising a front panel rotatably mounted to the outer casing of the door such that the front panel of the door permits access to the plurality of flexible chambers when the door is in the closed position;
a sealed system configured for generating chilled air, the sealed system in fluid communication with each of the plurality of flexible chambers to selectively provide the chilled air to at least one of the plurality of flexible chambers;
a plurality of ducts, each duct extending between the sealed system and an outlet in a corresponding one of the plurality of flexible chambers; and
a valve configured to selectively direct the chilled air from the sealed system to one or more of the plurality of flexible chambers.
15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 14 , wherein the valve comprises a rotary damper disposed in a housing.
16. The refrigerator appliance of claim 15 , wherein the housing comprises an inlet and a plurality of outlets, each outlet of the plurality of outlets in fluid communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of ducts, and wherein the rotatable damper is rotatable to selectively provide fluid communication from the inlet of the housing to at least one of the plurality of outlets of the housing.
17. The refrigerator appliance of claim 14 , wherein the valve comprises a cylindrical body defining an axial direction, a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a circumferential direction extending around the axial direction, the cylindrical body including an axially-oriented inlet defined in an end face of the cylindrical body and a plurality of radially-oriented outlets defined in a side surface of the cylindrical body.
18. The refrigerator appliance of claim 14 , further comprising a motor connected to the valve and operable to rotate the valve about the axial direction, wherein the plurality of ducts are spaced apart along the axial direction, wherein the plurality of radially-oriented outlets are spaced apart along the circumferential direction and the axial direction such that each of the plurality of radially-oriented outlets is aligned with one of the plurality of ducts along the axial direction, whereby rotating the valve about the axial direction selectively provides fluid communication from at least one of the radially-oriented outlets to at least one corresponding duct of the plurality of ducts.