Feature for accelerating evacuation of a vacuum insulated structure

Abstract

A vacuum insulated appliance includes a cabinet with an outer wrapper and an inner liner coupled to the outer wrapper. A vacuum insulated cavity is defined between the outer wrapper and the inner liner. A trim breaker is coupled to the outer wrapper and the inner liner and seals the vacuum insulated cavity. An evacuation port is defined by the outer wrapper. An insulation powder is disposed in the vacuum insulated cavity. An open-cell foam is coupled to at least one of an inner surface of the outer wrapper and an inner surface of the inner liner. The open-cell foam defines a first plurality of pores that define a first plurality of airflow paths in fluid communication with the vacuum insulated cavity and the evacuation port for evacuating air from the vacuum insulated cavity, through the first plurality of airflow paths, and through the evacuation port.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vacuum insulated structure for a refrigerator, comprising:
 a door wrapper including an exterior surface and an interior surface;   a door liner coupled to the door wrapper to form a door assembly configured to be pivotally coupled to a cabinet, the door liner including an exterior surface and an interior surface, wherein a door evacuation port is defined by the door liner;   a sidewall including an exterior surface and an interior surface and extending between a periphery of the door wrapper and a periphery of the door liner, wherein the interior surface of the door wrapper, the interior surface of the door liner, and the interior surface of the sidewall define a door vacuum insulated cavity, and wherein the door evacuation port is in fluid communication with the door vacuum insulated cavity for evacuating air from the door vacuum insulated cavity to form an at least partial vacuum within the door vacuum insulated cavity;   an insulation powder disposed within the door vacuum insulated cavity and forming a continuous layer in the door vacuum insulated cavity; and   a porous foam coupled to the interior surface of the door liner, the porous foam defining a plurality of pores that together define at least one airflow path in fluid communication with the door evacuation port, wherein the porous foam defines a continuous layer including a first portion extending along the interior surface of the door liner and a second portion extending from the first portion along the interior surface of the sidewall.   
     
     
         2 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the insulation powder is disposed between the interior surface of the door wrapper and the porous foam, and wherein the second portion of the continuous layer defined by the porous foam is disposed between the interior surface of the sidewall and the insulation powder. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 2 , wherein the first portion of the continuous layer defined by the porous foam spans the interior surface of the door liner within the periphery of the door liner. 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 3 , wherein the continuous layer defined by the porous foam defines a uniform thickness. 
     
     
         5 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 3 , wherein the continuous layer defined by the porous foam includes a central region and an outer region, and wherein the central region has a thickness less than a thickness of the outer region. 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous layer defined by the porous foam is bonded to both the interior surface of the door liner and the interior surface of the sidewall. 
     
     
         7 . A vacuum insulated structure for an appliance, comprising:
 a door wrapper defining an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a periphery;   a door liner coupled to the door wrapper and defining an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a periphery, wherein a door vacuum insulated cavity is at least partially defined by the interior surface of the door wrapper and the interior surface of the door liner;   a sidewall coupled to the door wrapper and the door liner and extending along the periphery of the door wrapper and the periphery of the door liner, the sidewall at least partially defining the door vacuum insulated cavity;   a door evacuation port defined by one of the door wrapper and the door liner, wherein the door evacuation port is in fluid communication with the door vacuum insulated cavity for evacuating air from the door vacuum insulated cavity;   an insulation powder filling the door vacuum insulated cavity; and   a porous foam coupled to and spanning at least one of the interior surface of the door liner and the interior surface of the door wrapper, the porous foam including a plurality of pores that define an airflow path configured to direct the air from the door vacuum insulated cavity toward the door evacuation port in a direction parallel to at least one of the door wrapper and the door liner, wherein the airflow path defines:
 a plurality of airflow channels that are each in fluid communication with the door vacuum insulated cavity and the door evacuation port; and 
 a plurality of inlets at which the air from the door vacuum insulated cavity is configured to be pulled into the airflow path and toward the evacuation port, wherein at least one of the plurality of inlets is a distal inlet distal from the door evacuation port, and wherein the air from the door vacuum insulated cavity is configured to enter the distal inlet in a direction toward the sidewall, travel parallel to the sidewall thereafter, and then travel toward the door evacuation port in the direction parallel to the at least one of the door wrapper and the door liner. 
   
     
     
         8 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 7 , wherein the porous foam is an open-cell foam, and wherein the open-cell foam is directly bonded to the interior surface of the door liner or the interior surface of the door wrapper. 
     
     
         9 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 8 , wherein the porous foam has a central region and an outer region, and wherein a plurality of cells of the central region define a greater number of pores than a plurality of cells of the outer region. 
     
     
         10 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 7 , wherein the insulation powder includes insulation particles, and wherein each particle of the insulation powder has a width greater than a width of each pore of the plurality of pores. 
     
     
         11 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 7 , wherein the airflow path directs the air from the door vacuum insulated cavity toward the door evacuation port in the direction parallel to the at least one of the door wrapper and the door liner in multiple directions based on a configuration of the plurality of airflow channels. 
     
     
         12 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 7 , wherein the porous foam has a first portion that is spaced from one of the interior surface of the door wrapper and the interior surface of the door liner and a second portion that spans a distance between the interior surface of the door wrapper and the interior surface of the door liner. 
     
     
         13 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 12 , wherein the first portion and the second portion form a continuous layer. 
     
     
         14 . The vacuum insulated structure of  claim 13 , wherein the second portion of the porous foam is directly bonded to the interior surface of the sidewall. 
     
     
         15 . A vacuum insulated door assembly, comprising:
 a wrapper defining an interior surface;   a liner coupled to the wrapper, the liner defining an interior surface and an evacuation port, wherein a vacuum insulated cavity is defined between the interior surface of the wrapper and the interior surface of the liner and is in fluid communication with the evacuation port;   a sidewall extending from the interior surface of the liner at a periphery thereof;   insulation powder disposed within the vacuum insulated cavity; and   a continuous layer of porous foam coupled to the interior surface of the liner and defining a plurality of pores, the plurality of pores defining a plurality of airflow paths in fluid communication with the vacuum insulated cavity and the evacuation port for evacuating air from the vacuum insulated cavity through the plurality of airflow paths and then through the evacuation port, the continuous layer of porous foam including:
 a first portion extending along the interior surface of the liner, wherein the first portion is spaced from the wrapper; and 
 a second portion extending from the first portion toward the interior surface of the wrapper. 
   
     
     
         16 . The vacuum insulated door assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the second portion of the continuous layer of porous foam is coupled to an interior surface of the sidewall. 
     
     
         17 . The vacuum insulated door assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the insulation powder is contained between the interior surface of the wrapper, the first portion of the continuous layer of porous foam, and the second portion of the continuous layer of porous foam. 
     
     
         18 . The vacuum insulated door assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of airflow paths defined by the first portion of the continuous layer of porous foam direct the air from the vacuum insulated cavity toward the evacuation port in a direction parallel to the interior surface of the liner. 
     
     
         19 . The vacuum insulated door assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of airflow paths defined by the second portion of the continuous layer of porous foam direct the air from the vacuum insulated cavity toward the first portion of the continuous layer of porous foam in a direction perpendicular to the interior surface of the liner. 
     
     
         20 . The vacuum insulated door assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the first portion of the continuous layer of porous foam defines a thickness that is equal to a thickness of the second portion of the continuous layer of porous foam.