US20020121095A1

US20020121095A1 - Controlled temperature compartment apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20020121095A1
Application number: US10/115,709
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph Adamski; Zhihui Jin
Original assignee: Distinctive Appliances Inc
Current assignee: Clear With Computers LLC
Priority date: 2000-09-08
Filing date: 2002-04-03
Publication date: 2002-09-05
Also published as: US6370882B1; CA2356419A1; GB2371677A; MXPA01009093A; GB0121746D0; IL145160A0

Abstract

A temperature controlled compartment apparatus in the form of a kitchen drawer mounted in an interior compartment that is cooled by one or more thermoelectric heat pump modules in the rear portion of a housing surrounding the drawer. A fan circulates air from the drawer past each thermoelectric heat pump module for cooling the air for the drawer and another fan or fans circulates external air past each thermoelectric heat pump module for removing heat from each module by that external air.

Description

This is a Continuation-In-Part of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/659,433, filed on Sep. 8, 2000, which is incorporated herein by this reference.[0001]

This invention relates to an apparatus having a temperature controlled compartment within the apparatus and, in particular, is directed to a kitchen drawer apparatus that may be heated or cooled for warming or cooling, respectively, plates, containers, food products, and the like or holding the same at a desired temperature.

Many residential kitchens are provided with warming ovens, usually in the form of a drawer, that is heated to a moderate temperature by a simple electric heating element controlled by a thermostat but cooling drawers are far less common and more complicated in requiring a normal refrigeration system with a compressor, condenser and evaporator. While the present invention is applicable to a heating drawer or a cooling drawer or selectable as either, it's principal utility is as a cooling drawer and therefore will be described in that manner.

Often it is desirable to chill plates, such as for serving salad or a cold soup, or to maintain a food product cold, such as desserts, leaf salads, beverages or the like. While a conventional residential refrigerator may be used for such a chilling or cooling function, there may be inadequate space or shelving in a residential refrigerator to accommodate plates, bowls, and chilled food products that may be prepared for subsequent service. Further, while an extra small refrigerator may be provided in a residential kitchen for these chilling and cooling functions, conventional refrigerators employ a vapor compression/evaporation cycle requiring a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator which are slow in reducing the interior temperature and, therefore, are normally left on at all times, which is wasteful of energy. Moreover, an extra refrigerator that is maintained at a cold temperature usually attracts the storage of items thereby making it unavailable for special cooling uses. Further, heretofore conventional residential refrigerators have not been capable of selectively cooling or heating the interior of the refrigerator.

Therefore, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a temperature-controlled compartment apparatus that may be operated to heat or cool an interior compartment. Specifically, it is a more detailed object of this invention to provide such a cooling apparatus wherein a thermoelectric heat pump is provided for operation to draw heat from the interior compartment for creating a cooling compartment. Still another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus in the form of a highly insulated cooling compartment for receiving a kitchen drawer through which cold air is circulated from a thermoelectric heat pump and then back to the thermoelectric heat pump for cooling the air.

Other and more detailed objects and advantages of the present invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment in connection with the drawings, wherein: [0006]
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the temperature controlled compartment apparatus of the present invention in the form of a kitchen drawer for mounting in a cabinet or wall; [0007]
FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view of the temperature controlled compartment apparatus of FIG. 1 taken on the line [0008] 2-2 in FIG. 3 and illustrating the air circulation paths of the kitchen drawer apparatus;
FIG. 3 is a side sectional elevation view of the temperature controlled compartment apparatus of FIG. 1 taken substantially on the line [0009] 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a front sectional elevation view taken substantially on the line [0010] 4-4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a rear elevation view of the temperature controlled compartment apparatus; [0011]
FIG. 6 is a rear sectional elevation view taken substantially on the line [0012] 6-6 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a rear sectional elevation view taken substantially on the line [0013] 7-7 of FIG. 3
FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional elevation of one of the thermoelectric heat pump modules used in the apparatus as shown in the [0014] circle 8 in the FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional elevation of one of the condensate drains used in the apparatus as shown at the [0015] circle 9 in the FIG. 4;
FIG. 10 is a rear elevation view of the cooling drawer removed from the apparatus; [0016]
FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the air intake passage used in the apparatus as shown at the circle [0017] 11 in the FIG. 3;
FIG. 12 is a view of the temperature controls for the temperature controlled compartment apparatus of FIG. 1; [0018]
FIG. 13 is a rear isometric view of the rear of a modified form of the temperature controlled compartment apparatus; [0019]
FIG. 14 is a side sectional elevation view taken substantially on the line [0020] 14-14 of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional elevation of a modified form of the exhaust fans and air passages used in the apparatus as shown at the circle in the FIG. 14; [0021]
FIG. 16 is a side sectional elevation view similar to FIG. 14 and illustrating another modified form of the exhaust fans and air passages used in of the temperature controlled compartment apparatus; and [0022]
FIG. 17 is a side sectional elevation view of still another modified form of the temperature controlled compartment apparatus. [0023]
The preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. [0024] 1-12 is illustrated as a temperature controlled compartment apparatus 10 having a drawer 12 so that the apparatus may be conveniently mounted in an opening in a wall or in the front of a kitchen cabinet, similar to mounting of conventional warming ovens, but the apparatus may be constructed in other configurations, such as merely having a front door, without departing from the present invention. The apparatus 10 includes a double-walled housing 14 with insulation 16 between the walls on all sides, top and bottom, where possible, for reducing undesirable heat transfer between the exterior of the housing and interior compartment 18 formed within the housing 14. The drawer 12 is supported in the housing 14 by rollers 20 in a conventional manner for ease in sliding the drawer 12 in and out of the interior compartment 18, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The drawer may have a slidable or hinged top (not shown) for minimizing the loss of cold air from the drawer as the drawer is rolled in and out of the housing. The front 12 a of the drawer 12 also includes insulation 16. Preferably, the insulation 16 in the housing and also in the front 12 a of the drawer 12 is made of vacuum panels, such as made by Dow Chemical Company under their trademark “Instill”, which greatly reduces the heat transfer between the exterior of the housing and the interior compartment 18. Presently, such vacuum panels are normally available only in flat regularly shaped panels which are well suited for the front, top, bottom and side walls but not the rear wall which is of an irregular shape, as discussed below. The vacuum panels provide greater insulation while allowing for a much thinner wall for the housing to thereby increase the volume of the interior compartment 18 and drawer 12 for the same exterior size of the apparatus 10.
A heat exchange assemblage, generally designated [0025] 22, is provided as the rear portion of the apparatus 10 and housing 14 for creating the heat exchange between the interior compartment 18 and the atmosphere around the apparatus 10. In this preferred embodiment, the heat exchange assemblage 22 is provided with two thermoelectric heat pump modules 24 a and 24 b (hereinafter simply “thermoelectric module”) although a single thermoelectric module or more than two thermoelectric modules may be used without departing from the invention. The thermoelectric modules 24 a and 24 b are located in the rear wall between the center of the housing 14 and the left and right, respectively, side walls of the housing 14 and approximately in the center in the top to bottom direction.
As shown in FIG. 8, each thermoelectric module [0026] 24 is provided with a pair of heat sinks 26 and 28 in horizontally spaced relationship with the rear heat sink 26 having a multiplicity of vertically extending fins 26 a and the front heat sink 28 having a multiplicity of generally horizontally extending fins 28 a. Fins 26 a all extend vertically from top to bottom, as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 7, and for the full height of the thermoelectric module 24. Further, the fins 28 a all extend in the lateral direction from right to left, as viewed in FIGS. 2, 4, and 8, and for the full width of the thermoelectric module 24. As installed in the heat exchange assemblage 22, the outer (rearward) edges of the vertically extending fins 26 a are adjacent to a cluster of air intake fans 30, four on each side being shown in FIG. 6, for quiet but effective air circulation passed the heat sinks 26. The horizontally extending fins 28 a are adjacent to the rear panel 19 of the interior compartment 18. Each thermoelectric module 24 includes a conventional thermocouple heat pump device 34 sandwiched between the heat sinks 26 and 28 with a heat transfer block 36 on one or both sides. Insulation 38 also is sandwiched between the heat sinks 26 and 28 at all locations other than the location of the thermocouple heat pump device 34. The heat sinks 26 and 28 are held together by screws 40 surrounded by thermal washers 42 for minimizing the heat transfer between heat sinks 26 and 28, except through the thermocouple heat pump device 34 and heat transfer block 36.
Referring again more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, [0027] 3, and 4, the apparatus 10 will be described in connection with its operation. A motorized impeller fan 50 is provided in a cavity 51 adjacent a circular opening 52 in panel 19 in the heat exchange assemblage 22 at approximately the center (left to right) for drawing air from the interior compartment 18 and drawer 12 through openings 61 in the back wall 12 b of drawer 12. A pair of ducts 54 conduct the air from the fan 50 laterally in both directions, as shown by the arrows 56, between and along the fins 28 a of the thermoelectric modules 24 a and 24 b where heat is absorbed from the circulating air by the fins. The cooled air is discharged from between the fins into laterally spaced plenums 58, through openings 59 in the rear panel 19, and then through a plurality of openings or louvers 60 in the back wall 12 b of drawer 12 back into the interior compartment 18 and drawer 12. The cooled air is also discharged from between the fins into air passages 70, which are between the side walls 12 c, 12 d of drawer 12 and the side walls forming the interior compartment 18, and then through a plurality of openings or louvers 72, located at the front of the side walls 12 c and 12 d, as indicated by arrows 74. Thus, with the thermoelectric modules 24 a, 24 b and fan 50 energized, the air within interior compartment 18 is continually circulated and cooled for cooling the contents throughout the drawer 12. The heat exchange assemblage 22 preferably includes a thick, molded wall 75 of insulating material, such as polystyrene foam, with openings for the thermoelectric modules 24 a and 24 b and forming the cavity 51 and ducts 54 and 58 whereby maximum insulation is provided at the back wall of the interior compartment 18.
As shown in FIG. 4, generally the horizontally extending [0028] fins 28 a are preferably positioned at a slight angle to horizontal. Preferably, the angle is approximately 5°. By having the fins 28 a inclined at a slight angle gravity allows the condensation, which accumulates during the cooling process to run along the fins to a drain 110, as shown in FIG. 9. The condensate drain 110 is positioned in the back wall 75 of the housing such that the condensate that runs off of the fins 28 a will collect in the drain 110. The drain 110 has a p-trap 112, such that there will always be water within the drain to prevent warmer air from passing through the drain and into the cooler air above the drain. Preferably, the drain consists of a plastic pipe 114 and the p-trap 112, however, any other type of material may be used and other drainage systems may be used to remove the condensate from the fins 28 a. The condensate drains from drain 110 into lower air passage 68 (described below) through which warm exhaust airflows that evaporates and thereby removes that condensate.
In order to improve the efficiency of and capacity for cooling by the [0029] heat exchange assemblage 22, means are provided for circulating external air past the vertically extending fins 26 a of the thermoelectric modules 24 a and 24 b. Specifically, motorized impeller fan sets 62 a and 62 b are provided in the heat exchange assemblage 22 at laterally spaced locations directly adjacent to the vertically extending fins 26 a. Each motorized impeller fan set 62 a and 62 b preferably comprises four fans 30, as shown in FIG. 6, to circulate the external air past the fins 26 a. The fans 30 of sets 62 a and 62 b are positioned adjacent the louvers 64, as shown in FIG. 5, in the rear panel 31 for drawing in air from behind the apparatus 10. The external air also is drawn in from the front of the apparatus 10 and drawer 12 at the top of the drawer through vent openings or louvers 87 and into an air passage 80, which is between the top of the insulation 16 and the top panel 82 of the apparatus 10, as shown by arrows 84. As the air from the front of the apparatus 10 is drawn to the back, it combines with the air drawn in from behind the apparatus and passes through the fans 30 of sets 62 a and 62 b and is then discharged by fans 62 a and 62 b to and through the spaces between the vertically extending fins 26 a on the thermoelectric modules 24 a and 24 b, as shown by arrows 85, where the circulating external air absorbs heat from the fins that has been conducted or pumped through the thermoelectric modules by the thermocouple heat pump device 34. An air passage 68 is formed along the bottom of apparatus 10 between the insulation panel 16 and bottom wall 67 which then conducts the heated air toward and through the bottom of the apparatus 10 to the front of the drawer 12, as shown by arrows 69. The heated air is then discharged to atmosphere through vent 89, located at the bottom of the drawer front 12 a at a sufficient distance from the inlet 87 at the top of drawer front 12 a and the fan sets at 62 a and 62 b to avoid any direct recirculation of the heated air. Thus, with the fans 62 a, 62 b and the thermoelectric heat pump modules 24 a and 24 b activated for cooling the internal compartment 18, the fins 26 a of the heat sink 26 are continually cooled by the circulating air and the efficiency of the heat exchange assemblage 22 is maximized. By drawer passages 80 and 64 for drawing air into and exhaust air from the apparatus 10 for cooling the fins 26 a, the apparatus can be mounted in an enclosed cabinet that has little or no air circulation at the back of apparatus 10. The external air is preferably circulated in this manner from above to below the apparatus 10, even though heated air naturally rises, in order to avoid discharging the heated air at the top where it would impinge on a person opening the drawer 12 and tend to mix with the cold air in the drawer when its open. While an arrangement with two fan sets 62 a and 62 b has been described for effectively at least doubling the air circulated past the heat sink fins 26 a over the quantity of air circulated past the heat sink fins 28 a to the interior compartment 18 for improving the efficiency, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that a single set of fans or more than two sets of fans, or a single larger fan or two larger fans may be used. Also, it even may be possible to omit the external air fans 62 a, 62 b if convection air circulation of a continuous and reliable supply of cool air at the rear of the apparatus is adequate for the magnitude of heat transfer.
As shown in FIG. 11, the [0030] louver opening 87 at the top of the front 12 a of the drawer allows the external air to pass from outside the drawer to air passage 80 and then to the fans. To prevent the external air from passing downward between the front 12 a of the drawer 12 and the housing 14, and into the interior compartment 18, a seal 90 is located on the housing 14, just below the bottom of the air passage 80. The seal 90 preferably encircles the entire front opening of the interior compartment 18 to engage the front 12 a of the drawer to minimize any loss of cold air when the drawer 12 is closed.
The [0031] rear wall 12 b of drawer 12, which is juxtaposed to panel 19 of the interior compartment 18, is shown in FIG. 10. The rear wall 12 b contains a plurality of openings 60 located at each lateral side. In the center of the wall 12 b there are a plurality of openings 61 which, when the drawer is closed, are adjacent to the opening 52 for the fan 50. Surrounding the plurality of openings 61 on the exterior (back) of rear wall 12 b is a seal 100. The seal 100 seals the air passage from the interior of drawer 12 through openings 60 and circular opening 52 around the fan 50, so that the air the fan 50 draws in comes from within drawer 12 and does not come from the air surrounding the drawer 12 in the interior compartment 18.
A [0032] temperature probe 102 is provided in the apparatus, such as in the back wall 75 at plenum 58 (see FIG. 4) or elsewhere in the interior compartment 18, and is connected to a thermostat (not shown) for selectively controlling the temperature within the interior compartment 18 and drawer 12 by a selection switch 76, as shown in FIG. 12. An additional insulation panel 17 is located on the side of the housing 14 containing the selection switch 76. This insulation panel 17 is adjacent to insulation 16 and allows for the placement of the wires extending between the selection switch 76, the thermostat, an electrical source and temperature probe 102. The selection switch 76 preferably has an On/Off switch 77 and a temperature control switch 78 for setting the drawer to the desired temperature. The selection switch also has a number of available temperatures 79 to which the drawer can be set. The temperature is set by first turning the drawer on, using the on/off switch 77. The user then presses the temperature control switch 78, to select the desired temperature. By repeatedly pressing the temperature control switch 78, the temperature selection is cycled through the available temperatures 79, to which the drawer may be cooled. The temperature at which the interior compartment 18 is currently set to is indicated by the LED light being illuminated next to the selected temperature. Other controls, such as a timer (not shown) also may be provided. Preferably, the selection switch 76 is located on the front and on the side of the housing 14, such that the front 12 a of the drawer 12 will cover the selection switch 76, as shown in FIG. 1.
A modification of the preferred embodiment is shown in FIGS. [0033] 13-15. In this embodiment, a pair of “squirrel cage” blower units 120 replace the pair of external air fan sets 62 a and 62 b. As shown in FIG. 14, each of the “squirrel cage” blower units contains a pair of blowers 121 a and 121 b at the top and bottom, respectively. The blower 121 a draws the external air through the front vents 87 and into the air passage 80 at the top of the apparatus 10, represented by arrows 122. As the air reaches the blower 121 a, the air passes through the blower and is then directed downward towards the vertically extending fins 26 a, represented by arrow 123. The blower 121 a then blows the external air over the vertically extending fins 26 a, to cool the fins and warm the air. The blower 121 b draws the air from the vertically extending fins 26 a and then redirects the air and blows it down air passage 68 to discharge at the front of the drawer 12 through vent 89. A modified blower arrangement is shown in FIG. 15 where the blower 121 a draws the air from the top-rear portion of the ducting, rather than the front as in FIG. 14, and discharges the air directly downward through the fins 26 a.
Another modification of the preferred embodiment is represented in FIG. 16, wherein the external air passed through the [0034] fins 26 a of the thermoelectric modules 24 a and 24 b is drawn into and through the unit using both fans and “squirrel cage” blowers. As shown, the fan set 130, similar to fan sets 62 a, 62 b, is placed adjacent to the vertically extending fins 26 a and the “squirrel cage” blower 140 is placed at the bottom of the apparatus 10. The fan set 130 draws air from behind the apparatus through louvers 64 and from the front 12 a of the drawer 12 through air passage 80. The air from the air passage 80 and the rear of the apparatus is mixed as it passes through the fan set 130. The fan set 130 blows the air over and along the vertically extending fins 26 a where the air is warmed by the heat from the fins 26 a. The blower 140 then blows the external hot air that passed over the fins 26 a through air passage 68 and out of the front of the drawer through vent 89.
In still another modification of the preferred embodiment, the apparatus is shown as comprising a pair of [0035] apparatus 10′ and 10″ in a stacked installation in FIG. 17. In this embodiment, the apparatus 10′, 10″ contain the “squirrel cage” blowers 121 a and 121 b as in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14. In the apparatus 10 on the top, the “squirrel cage” blowers 121 a and 121 b operate in the same manner as in the FIG. 14 embodiment. The external air circulation is from the top-front of the drawer through vents 87, through air passage 80, down through the fins 26 a, through the lower air passage 68 and out the bottom-front vent 89. In the apparatus 10″ on the bottom, the external air intake is reversed, such that air intake is through the bottom-front vent 89 and the warmer air is exhausted through top-front vent 87 of the drawer. In this manner, the bottom apparatus 10″ will intake cool room air rather than the warmer air that is exhausted from the top apparatus 10′ through vent 89, thereby enhancing the cooling of fins 26 a with the cooler air from below the bottom apparatus 10″. Further, both apparatus 10′, 10″ will exhaust the warmer air in the same location.
While the present invention has been described in connection with a specific preferred embodiment with various modifications of a kitchen drawer that may be either cooled or heated and a specific construction of the heat exchange assemblage for accomplishing heating and cooling, it will really appear to those skilled in the art that various other modifications and additions may be made for providing an apparatus for a purpose other than a kitchen drawer or with different components without departing from the invention as claimed below. [0036]

Claims

The claimed invention is:

1. A controlled-temperature compartment apparatus, comprising,

a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a back wall forming an interior compartment with an open front;

a drawer mounted in said interior compartment of said housing and selectively movable into and out of said interior compartment through said open front, said drawer having a bottom, a pair of sides, a back and a front wall for closing said housing open front;

a heat exchanger assembly mounted in said housing back wall and having at least one thermoelectric module operable to transfer heat through said back wall, said heat exchanger assembly including first and second heat exchange fins on opposite sides of said thermoelectric module, said first heat exchange fins projecting inwardly toward said interior compartment and said second heat exchange fins projecting rearwardly away from said interior compartment, a first fan positioned adjacent said first heat exchange fins and operable to draw air from said interior compartment and circulate that air passed said first heat exchange fins and then back into said interior compartment, and a second fan positioned adjacent said second heat exchange fins and operable to draw air from externally of said housing through a housing inlet and circulate that air passed said second heat exchange fins and then back out to externally of said housing through a housing outlet;

said drawer back being juxtaposed to said first fan in the closed condition of said drawer and said drawer back having outlet openings communicating with said first fan, a seal surrounding said outlet openings and an inlet to said first fan for sealing said drawer back to said first fan inlet and drawing air directly from the interior of the drawer, and said drawer back also having inlet openings spaced from said outlet openings for allowing air circulated passed said first heat exchange fins to enter said drawer; and

said drawer sides being spaced from said housing side walls and having inlet openings adjacent said drawer front wall for allowing air circulated passed said first heat exchange fins to pass from the housing back wall along the space between said drawer sides and said housing side walls and enter said drawer.

2. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first fan is centrally located laterally from side-to-side of said housing, a said thermoelectric module is located on each lateral side of said first fan, and said first heat exchange fins extend laterally.

3. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 2, wherein a said second fan is positioned directly rearwardly of said second heat exchange fins of each thermoelectric module.

4. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 3, wherein said second heat exchange fins extend in a substantially vertical direction.

5. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 4, wherein said housing inlet for the external air is in the housing top wall and said housing outlet for the external air is in the housing bottom wall.

6. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 4, wherein said housing inlet for the external air is in the housing bottom wall and said housing outlet for the external air is in the housing top wall.

7. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 1, wherein said housing back wall includes a panel which is adjacent said drawer back in the closed condition of said drawer, said panel having a circular opening forming said inlet to said first fan.

8. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 7, wherein said housing back wall panel includes vertically extending openings on each lateral side for causing the internal air that has passed the first heat exchange fins to be discharged toward said inlet openings and sides of said drawer.

9. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 8, wherein a temperature probe is positioned in said housing back wall adjacent one of said vertically extending openings in said panel.

10. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 8, wherein said housing back wall includes a molded insulation body with a cavity for receiving said first fan and forming passageways for the internal air from said first fan passed said first heat exchange fins to said vertically extending openings in said panel.

11. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 10, wherein said molded insulation body includes a through hole that surrounds said thermoelectric module.

12. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 10, wherein said molded insulation body includes a drain below said first heat exchange fins for receiving and draining condensate formed on said first heat exchange fins.

13. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first heat exchange fins extend laterally at a small downward angle to horizontal away from said first fan for condensation occurring on said first heat exchange fins to migrate laterally away from said first fan, and a drain passage is provided adjacent the lowest end of said first heat exchange fins for receiving the condensation, said drain passage extending downwardly and opening into said housing bottom wall for evaporating the condensation.

14. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 1, wherein said housing top wall includes an inlet air passage from the front to the back of said housing for supplying external air to said second fan, and said housing bottom wall includes an outlet air passage from the back to the front of said housing for exhausting the air circulated by said second fan passed said second heat exchange fins.

15. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 1, wherein vacuum insulating panels are positioned within and extend throughout said housing top wall, bottom wall and at least one side wall, insulation in said back wall surrounding said thermoelectric module and extending throughout the remainder of said back wall, and a vacuum insulating panel is positioned within and extends throughout said drawer front wall.

16. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 1, wherein said housing top wall includes an inlet air passage from the front to the back of said housing for supplying external air to said second fan, said housing bottom wall includes an outlet air passage from the back to the front of said housing for exhausting the air circulated by said second fan passed said second heat exchange fins; vacuum insulating panels are positioned within and extend throughout said housing top wall, bottom wall and at least one side wall, said vacuum insulating panel in said top wall being below said inlet air passage, and said vacuum insulating panel in said bottom wall being above said outlet air passage; and insulation in said back wall surrounding said thermoelectric module and extending throughout the remainder of said back wall.

17. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 16, wherein a vacuum insulating panel is positioned within and extends throughout said drawer front wall, and a seal surrounds said housing open front and is positioned between said housing and said drawer front wall.

18. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 1, wherein temperature controls are positioned on a front end of one of said housing side walls and operatively connected to said first and second fans and said thermoelectric module for selectively setting a temperature for said interior compartment.

19. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 18, wherein a seal surrounds said housing open front and is positioned between said housing and said drawer front walls, said seal located laterally inwardly of said temperature controls.

20. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 18, wherein a temperature probe is mounted in said interior compartment and is operatively connected to said temperature controls.

21. A controlled-temperature compartment apparatus, comprising,

a heat exchanger assembly mounted in said housing back wall and having at least one thermoelectric module operable to transfer heat through said housing back wall, said heat exchanger assembly including first and second heat exchange fins on opposite sides of said thermoelectric module, said first heat exchange fins projecting inwardly toward said interior compartment and said second heat exchange fins projecting rearwardly away from said interior compartment, a first fan positioned adjacent said first heat exchange fins and operable to draw air from said interior compartment and circulate that air passed said first heat exchange fins and then back into said interior compartment, and a second fan positioned adjacent said second heat exchange fins and operable to draw air from externally of said housing through a housing inlet and circulate that air passed said second heat exchange fins and then back out to externally of said housing through a housing outlet;

said drawer back being juxtaposed to said first fan in the closed condition of said drawer and said drawer back having outlet openings communicating with said first fan for drawing air directly from the interior of the drawer;

at least one of said drawer back and pair of sides having inlet openings spaced from said outlet openings in said drawer back for causing air circulated passed said first heat exchange fins to enter said drawer;

said housing top wall including an external air passage from the front to the back of said housing for communicating with said second fan;

said housing bottom wall including an external air passage from the back to the front of said housing for communicating with said second fan; and

said second fan circulating external air passed said second heat exchange fins through said external air passages.

22. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 21, wherein said external air passage in said housing top wall provides an inlet passage from said housing inlet to said second fan.

23. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 21, wherein said external air passage in said housing top wall provides an outlet passage from said second fan to said housing outlet.

24. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 21, wherein said first fan is centrally located laterally from side-to-side of said housing, a said thermoelectric module is located on each lateral side of said first fan, and said first heat exchange fins extend laterally.

25. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 24, wherein a said second fan is positioned directly rearwardly of said second heat exchange fins of each thermoelectric module.

26. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 25, wherein said second heat exchange fins extend in a substantially vertical direction.

27. A controlled-temperature compartment apparatus, comprising,

said drawer back being juxtaposed to said first fan in the closed condition of said drawer and having outlet openings communicating with said first fan for drawing air directly from the interior of the drawer;

said housing top wall including an external air passage from the front to the back of said housing;

said housing bottom wall including an external air passage from the back to the front of said housing;

said second fan circulation external air passed said second heat exchange fins through said external air passages;

vacuum insulating panels positioned within and extending throughout said housing top wall, bottom wall and at least one side wall, said vacuum insulating panel in said top wall being below said external air passage, and said vacuum insulating panel in said bottom wall being above said external air passage;

insulation in said back wall surrounding said thermoelectric module and extending throughout the remainder of said back wall; and

a vacuum insulating panel positioned within and extending throughout said drawer front wall.

28. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 27, wherein said first fan is centrally located laterally from side-to-side of said housing, a said thermoelectric module is located on each lateral side of said first fan, and said first heat exchange fins extend laterally.

29. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 28, wherein a said second fan is positioned directly rearwardly of said second heat exchange fins of each thermoelectric module.

30. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 29, wherein said second heat exchange fins extend in a substantially vertical direction.

31. A controlled-temperature compartment apparatus, comprising,

at least one of said drawer back and pair of sides having inlet openings spaced from said outlet opening in said drawer back for causing air circulated passed said first heat exchange fins to enter said drawer; and

said first heat exchange fins extending laterally at a small downward angle to horizontal away from said first fan for condensation occurring on said first heat exchange fins to migrate laterally away from said first fan, and a drain passage adjacent the lowest end of said first heat exchange fins for receiving the condensation, said drain passage extending downwardly through said bottom wall of said housing.

32. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 31, wherein said housing top wall includes an inlet air passage from the front to the back of said housing for supplying external air from said housing inlet at the front of said housing to said second fan, and said housing bottom wall includes an outlet air passage from the back to the front of said housing for exhausting the air circulated by said second fan passed said second heat exchange fins to said housing outlet at the front of said housing, said drain passage opening into said outlet air passage for the exhausting air to evaporate the drained condensate.

33. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 31, wherein said drain passage includes a trap shape for retaining condensate and thereby inhibiting the flow of air through the drain passage.

34. A controlled-temperature compartment apparatus, comprising,

a heat exchanger assembly mounted in said housing back wall and having a pair of laterally spaced thermoelectric modules operable to transfer heat through said housing back wall, each said thermoelectric module having first and second heat exchange fins on opposite sides, said first heat exchange fins projecting inwardly toward said interior compartment and said second heat exchange fins projecting rearwardly away from said interior compartment, a first fan positioned between said pair of thermoelectric modules and adjacent said first heat exchange fins, said first fan operable to draw air from said interior compartment and circulate that air laterally in both directions passed said first heat exchange fins of both said thermoelectric modules and then back into said interior compartment, and a pair of second fans with each said second fan positioned adjacent one of said second heat exchange fins and operable to draw air from externally of said housing through a housing inlet and circulate that air passed said second heat exchange fins and then back out to externally of said housing through a housing outlet;

said drawer back being juxtaposed to said first fan in the closed condition of said drawer and said drawer back having outlet openings communicating with said first fan, a seal surrounding said outlet openings and an inlet to said first fan for sealing said drawer back to said first fan inlet and drawing air directly from the interior of the drawer, and said drawer back also having inlet openings spaced from said outlet opening for causing air circulated passed said first heat exchange fins to enter said drawer;

said drawer sides being spaced from said housing side walls and having inlet openings adjacent said drawer front wall for causing air circulated passed said first heat exchange fins to pass from the housing back wall through the space between said drawer sides and said housing side walls and enter said drawer;

said housing top wall including an inlet air passage from the front to the back of said housing for supplying external air from said housing inlet at the front of said housing to said second fans;

said housing bottom wall including an outlet air passage from the back to the front of said housing for exhausting the air circulated by said second fans passed said second heat exchange fins to said housing outlet at the front of said housing;

vacuum insulating panels positioned within and extending throughout said housing top wall, bottom wall and at least one side wall, said vacuum insulating panel in said top wall being below said inlet air passage, and said vacuum insulating panel in said bottom wall being above said outlet air passage;

insulation in said back wall surrounding said pair of thermoelectric modules and extending throughout the remainder of said back wall;

a vacuum insulating panel positioned within and extending throughout said drawer front wall;

a seal surrounding said housing open front and positioned between said housing and said drawer front wall; and

each of said first heat exchange fins extending laterally at a small downward angle to horizontal away from said first fan for condensation occurring on said first heat exchange fins to migrate laterally away from said first fan, and a drain passage adjacent the lowest end of each of said first heat exchange fins for receiving the condensation, said drain passages extending downwardly and opening into said housing outlet air passage for evaporating the condensation.

35. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 34, wherein temperature controls are positioned on a front end of one of said housing side walls and operatively connected to said first and second fans and said thermoelectric modules for selectively setting a temperature for said interior compartment.

36. The controlled temperature compartment apparatus of claim 35, wherein a temperature probe is mounted in said interior compartment and is operatively connected to said temperature controls.