WO2005054763A1

WO2005054763A1 - Combined refrigerating device

Info

Publication number: WO2005054763A1
Application number: PCT/CN2004/001298
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jianmin Li
Original assignee: Jianmin Li
Priority date: 2003-12-02
Filing date: 2004-11-15
Publication date: 2005-06-16

Abstract

The present invention relates to a improved multi-functional combined refrigerating device. The refrigerating device may be used as a refrigerator for preserving fruits and vegetables, a humidifying unit, a purified water supply device, a drinking machine, and an ice making machine. So the improved device increases the usage of the key unit, reduces the number of parts needed and improves reliability.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a combined refrigeration device, and more particularly, to a combined water tank. The invention also relates to the application of a combined water tank.

Background technique

Conventional refrigeration devices such as domestic or commercial refrigerators or water cabinets have been widely used in various applications. This conventional refrigerator usually includes a case, a space defined by the case (such as a refrigerating compartment and a freezer compartment), and a complete refrigerant circulation circuit for freezing and refrigerating the storage items in the water tank.

However, in this conventional water tank, since the air in the water tank is at a lower temperature

(Usually -20- + 10 ^D C), so the moisture in the air, ie the moisture content of the air, is correspondingly low. This is detrimental to the storage of the items in the water tank, because the dry air in the water tank easily absorbs moisture, especially from the items being stored. Loss of water (ie, dehydration) not only causes the appearance of the food to deteriorate, it can even render the food inedible. If the items are foods such as fruits and vegetables that need to be kept under high humidity, such refrigerators cannot provide freshness to these foods. According to the applicant's knowledge, although fresh-keeping devices and fresh-keeping methods for refrigeration devices such as water tanks have been proposed in the prior art in order to prevent the humidity in the water tank from decreasing, so far there has been no proposal to increase the Air freshness keeping device and freshness keeping method.

On the other hand, water dispensers that can provide hot and cold drinking water have also been widely used in a variety of civilian and commercial applications. Although this water dispenser includes a cooling device and a heating device for cooling and heating drinking water, this cooling device and heating device can only be applied to drinking water, and cannot cool and heat other items. The cooling and heating devices have low utilization, and because the refrigerant circuit for refrigerators and

(That is, refrigerators and water dispensers are redundant to some extent. Moreover, although this water dispenser can provide pure drinking water, it cannot produce pure water by itself, but is used to store pure water in the water dispenser. Container to provide pure water.

Summary of the invention

In order to overcome or alleviate the problems and disadvantages involved in the prior art, the present invention provides a An improved combined refrigeration device with multiple functions.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a combined refrigeration device is provided, including:

A refrigerator unit including an insulated casing, at least one of a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment defined by the casing, and a door for closing the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, and a refrigerant circulation circuit to the water tank Frozen and refrigerated;

A purified water supply device includes a processing unit and a purified water storage container provided in the refrigeration device, the processing unit includes at least one of a filter unit and a disinfection unit, and performs at least one filtering or disinfection treatment on the water so that Obtaining purified water, and storing the purified water in the water storage container;

A humidifying unit provided in the refrigerating device, the humidifying unit humidifying the air in the refrigerator using pure water from the water storage container so as to increase the humidity of the air in the water tank; and

A water dispenser unit provided in the refrigerating device, the water dispenser unit including at least one of a heater, a cooler, and a water maker for the purified water to provide heated or cooled purified water or Water made of water, wherein the refrigerant circulation circuit of the cooler and / or the ice maker for providing cooling capacity and the refrigerant circulation circuit used in the refrigeration device are the same refrigerant circulation circuit.

By means of the combined refrigeration device of the present invention, a combined refrigeration device capable of actively humidifying and a combined refrigeration device capable of obtaining cooling water and / or ice made from the cooled water can be basically realized, And a combined refrigeration device capable of actively humidifying and obtaining cooled water and / or ice made from the cooled water, and also realizes a fresh-keeping refrigerator, a humidification unit, a purified water supply device, a water dispenser, and The overall function of the water machine. At the same time, the utilization of the main key components is increased, the number of required components is saved, and the reliability is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other and further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention can be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings:

1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a combined water tank according to the present invention;

2 is a schematic structural diagram of the combined refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a combined refrigerator according to the present invention;

4 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of a combined water tank according to the present invention; 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the combined refrigerator shown in FIG. 3;

6 is a schematic structural diagram of the combined refrigerator shown in FIG. 4;

Figure 7 shows the main components of the combined water tank of the present invention;

8 illustrates a basic structure of a humidifying unit of the combined refrigerator of the present invention; and FIG. 9 illustrates a filter unit and a water dispenser unit of the combined refrigerator of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent components.

detailed description

The combined refrigeration device of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Although in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, description is made with reference to a refrigerator, those skilled in the art should understand that the combined refrigeration device of the present invention includes a refrigerator, an ice refrigerating device, a freezing / refrigerating device, a fresh-keeping storage device, or other Any suitable cooling device.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator part of a combined water tank of the present invention includes a heat-insulating casing, a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment defined by the casing, and a door for closing the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, and Refrigerant circulation circuit for freezing and refrigerating stored items in the refrigerator. The refrigerant circulation circuit may use a conventional vapor compression cycle including a compressor 11, a condenser, a throttle valve (ie, a capillary tube), and an evaporator. For the sake of simplicity, the above components are not shown in the figure.

In order to maintain the freshness of the food (such as vegetables, fruits, etc.) stored in the refrigerator, it is desirable that the temperature of the air in the refrigerating room is low and the humidity is high, so as to prevent the water in the food from evaporating into the air in the refrigerating room. In order to prevent dehydration of vegetables and fruits. Therefore, the combined refrigerator of the present invention is provided with a humidifying unit 10 in a lower portion of the refrigerator compartment to increase the humidity of the air in the refrigerator compartment. It should be noted that after the humidification unit performs humidification, the absolute humidity of the air in the water tank, that is, the moisture content of the air is increased.

As shown in FIG. 8, the humidifying unit 10 includes: a water inlet pipe with a solenoid valve 21, an ultrasonic atomizing unit 22, a humid air outlet 23, and a liquid level control device 24. When the liquid level control device 24 detects that the liquid level in the humidifying unit 10 is lower than a predetermined liquid level, the liquid level control device 24 sends a signal to a (not shown) control unit to open the solenoid valve 21, so that Purified water flows from the purified water storage container to the humidification unit, and the purified water storage container will be described below.

When one or more air humidity sensors (not shown) detect that the air humidity in the water tank has decreased to a predetermined value, the control unit issues a command to activate the ultrasonic atomizing unit

twenty two. The water mist generated by the ultrasonic atomizing unit 22 then flows out from the humid air outlet 23, This increases the humidity of the air in the refrigerator. When the air humidity sensor detects that the air humidity in the refrigerator reaches a predetermined value, the control unit issues a command to cause the ultrasonic atomization unit

22 shutdown. In this embodiment, the humidifying unit 10 uses an ultrasonic atomizing unit to achieve humidification, but those skilled in the art should understand that other types of humidifiers may be used, such as a natural evaporation humidifier, a forced convection humidifier, Or wet film humidifier.

As for the items stored in the refrigerator, different items may need to be kept in different humidity. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit is further provided with a regulator to set the humidity in the water tank. To set the predetermined humidity value of the humidity sensor. In this way, the desired humidity can be obtained in the water tank as needed. For example, when most of the items stored in the water tank are fruits and vegetables, the humidity can be set to a higher humidity, thereby avoiding the evaporation of water in fruits and vegetables and maintaining the freshness of fruits and vegetables to prolong Its freshness time; when most of the items stored in the refrigerator are canned or bottled drinks, the humidity can be set to, for example, a lower humidity, so that the humidification unit is basically inoperative to save energy consumption. Of course, such a control manner may also be implemented by other appropriate manners known in the art.

On the other hand, if the air in the refrigerator is kept at a high humidity for a long time, this environment is conducive to the growth of microorganisms in the refrigerator, which is generally undesirable by the user. In addition, it is desirable for a particular user that the contents of the water tank are kept in a clean environment and that essentially no bacteria grow in the refrigerator. In this case, the user is required to regularly disinfect the environment in the water tank, and the items stored in the water tank are themselves sterile. For these situations, the present invention also provides a device and method to further reduce the possibility of microorganisms existing and growing in the water tank, that is, supplying sterile pure water to the humidification unit for humidification.

The pure water supply device and method of the combined refrigerator of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 9. The purified water supply device includes a water pump, a filter unit, and a purified water storage container. Water, such as city tap water, is pressurized by means of a water pump and pumped into a filter unit. The filter unit includes, for example, a PP pre-filter, a PP pre-filter, a granular activated carbon filter, and a composite reverse osmosis filter.

The PP pre-filter is equipped with a 5 micron p. P cotton fiber filter. According to the US NSF standard, the PP pre-filter can remove coarse impurities in water, such as rust, sand, microorganisms, rubber substances, sludge, etc. The water filtered by the pre-filter then flows into the PP pre-filter. The PP pre-filter is equipped with a 5 micron ρ · ρ Yellian fiber filter. The PP pre-filter can remove smaller impurities such as bleach, metal particles, etc., and improve the taste of water. The water filtered by the pre-filter then flows into the granular activated carbon filter.

The UDF granular activated carbon filter is provided with a compressed granular activated carbon filter element. The activated carbon filter element has high-performance absorption and a very large absorption area, and can fully absorb chemical pollutants in the water and can deodorize, for example, it can remove heterochromatic substances, bleach, residual chlorine, carcinogens, trichloromethane Alkanes, etc. The water filtered by the granular activated carbon filter then flows into the composite reverse osmosis filter.

A composite reverse osmosis filter, for example, contains a sintered activated carbon filter element and a multilayered multi-stage RO processing reverse osmosis membrane. Among them, the sintered activated carbon filter element adsorbs organic substances in water, such as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, vinyl chloride and other carcinogens; the R0 reverse osmosis membrane has an ultra-small pore of 0.001 μm. With the help of reverse osmosis principle, when water passes through these ultra-miniature pores, almost all impurities remaining in the water can be filtered out, such as viruses, bacteria, toxins, compounds, heavy metals (arsenic, cobalt, cadmium, mercury, etc.) Shields that are harmful to human health, such as ions and ions, and completely isolate these impurities from pure water in order to provide sterile pure water, which is completely drinkable for the human body. The water filtered by the composite reverse osmosis filter then flows into a purified water storage tank for storage of purified water.

The entire filter unit can be integrated into a single unit to be placed in the middle of the combined freezer, as shown in Figure 9. During the entire filtration process, the produced sewage and other impurities can be discharged from the combined refrigerator of the present invention through a drainage pipe by another water pump. Of course, those skilled in the art can also conceive of using other filtering devices within the scope of the present invention in order to obtain the same effect and replace the filter of the above-mentioned form.

By using the purified water thus obtained for humidification, a clean environment can be maintained in the refrigerator and bacteria can be prevented from growing. Since the purified water is potable water, the device for supplying purified water of the combined refrigerator of the present invention can be used as a device for supplying drinking water, such as a water dispenser unit. Since the refrigerant circuit for a water tank and the refrigerant circuit for a conventional water dispenser are similar in terms of working principle and practical operation, the present invention is combined

^ The combination of pure water supply and installation: so that you can get ^ according to the hair dispenser; ^. The refrigerant circulation circuit of the water tank is used to cool the drinking water.

Since this combination eliminates the need for a refrigerant circuit in the water dispenser unit and uses the refrigerant circuit of the refrigerator to cool drinking water, the utilization of the refrigerant circuit of the refrigerator is improved Rate, it also avoids the refrigerant circuit of the water tank and the refrigerant circuit of the water dispenser to some extent.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a heater is further provided in the water dispenser unit of the combined water tank of the present invention, so as to provide heated pure water. Since the condenser in the refrigerant circuit dissipates heat to the outside during operation, this part of the heat can be used to preheat pure water, which is then supplied to the heater. In addition, if needed, a water maker can also be set in the water dispenser unit, which condenses pure water into water cubes, and the water cubes are stored in the ice box 5, which is very advantageous for the case where ice cubes need to be added to the beverage . Similar to the case of water dispensers, the refrigeration effect required for ice making is provided by the refrigerant circuit of the refrigerator, which further improves the utilization rate of the refrigerant circuit of the water tank. Therefore, the dispenser unit of the combined refrigerator can provide purified water at normal temperature, heated purified water, cooled purified water, and ice cubes made of purified water. As shown in Fig. 1-6, a water outlet switch for normal temperature, heated, and cooled purified water and a water box for taking out a water block may be provided on the outer wall of the combined refrigerator of the present invention.

Taking into account factors such as convenience of use or aesthetic appearance, the above-mentioned water outlet switch for normal temperature, heated, and cooled pure water and a water tank for taking out water blocks can be arranged as required. Figures 1-6 show three different arrangements (types A, B, and C), but one of ordinary skill in the art should understand that any other suitable arrangement is also within the scope of the present invention.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an oxygen generator is further provided in the water dispenser unit, so as to oxygenate the pure water in the purified water storage container and increase the pressure in the water storage container. The purified water leaving the water storage container can also pass through an activated carbon filter at the back. The activated carbon filter element of the activated carbon filter can instantly sterilize and inhibit the proliferation of bacteria, remove chlorine, abnormal colors, odors, and pollutants from the agricultural industry. It adsorbs the residual minimal organics that pass through the R0 film, and adjusts the water quality and taste of the purified water to make it more sweet and sweet. If necessary, an ultraviolet disinfection device, such as an ultraviolet lamp, may be provided to irradiate the purified water passing through the rear activated carbon filter for final disinfection treatment to ensure that the purified water is stored aseptically. In this embodiment, the water treated above can then flow out of the water outlet switch.

Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the combined water tank of the present invention is a refrigeration device with multiple functions, which actually realizes the preservation of fresh water tanks, humidification units, purified water supply devices, water dispensers, and water dispensers. Total functions. The combined refrigerator of the present invention can Provide fresh storage of food and other conveniences and provide pure drinking water. The water maker can be used for home or business, such as home, office, restaurant, school, entertainment place, etc.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art can make modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and alterations within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

Rights request

A combined refrigeration device comprising:

A refrigerator unit including an insulated casing, at least one of a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment defined by the casing, and a door for closing the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment, and a refrigerant circulation circuit to the water tank Frozen and refrigerated storage items; and

A humidifying unit provided in the refrigeration device, the humidifying unit humidifies the air in the water tank in order to increase the humidity of the air in the water tank

2.—A combined refrigeration device comprising:

Water storage container for pure water;

A humidifying unit provided in the refrigerating device, the humidifying unit humidifying the air in the water tank using pure water from the water storage container so as to increase the humidity of the air in the refrigerator; and

A water dispenser unit provided in the refrigerating device, the water dispenser unit supplies purified water using purified water from the water storage container.

3.—A combined refrigeration device comprising:

A purified water supply device including a processing unit and a purified water storage container provided in the refrigeration device, the processing unit including at least one of a filter unit and a disinfection unit, and performing at least one filtering or disinfection treatment on the water, In order to obtain purified water, the purified water is stored in the water storage container;

A humidifying unit provided in the refrigerating device, the humidifying unit humidifying the air in the refrigerator using pure water from the water storage container so as to increase the humidity of the air in the refrigerator; and

A water dispenser unit provided in the refrigerating device, the water dispenser unit including at least one of a heater, a cooler, and a water maker for the purified water to provide heated or cooled purified water or Ice made from water, wherein said cooler and / or said The refrigerant circulation circuit of the water maker for providing cooling capacity is the same refrigerant circulation circuit as the refrigerant circulation circuit used for the refrigeration device.

The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the humidification unit comprises at least one of the following group: an ultrasonic humidifier, a natural evaporation humidifier, and a forced convection humidifier , And wet film humidifier.

The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the filter unit comprises at least one of the following group: a pre-filter for filtering out coarse impurities, and a filter for filtering out Particulate pre-filters, granular activated carbon filters for adsorbing chemical contaminants in water, and composite reverse osmosis filters.

The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein the composite reverse osmosis filter comprises a sintered activated carbon filter element and a multilayered multi-stage R0 treatment reverse osmosis membrane, wherein the sintered activated carbon filter element adsorbs organic matters in water The R0 reverse osmosis membrane has ultra-fine pores. When water passes through these ultra-miniature pores, almost all impurities remaining in the water can be filtered off, and these impurities are separated from pure water to provide sterile pure water. .

The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an oxygen generator is further provided in the water dispenser unit, so as to oxygenate the pure water in the pure water storage container, And increase the pressure in the water storage container.

8. The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the purified water leaving the water storage container can pass through a rear activated carbon filter, and the activated carbon filter element of the activated carbon filter can be sterilized instantly. It also inhibits the reproduction of bacteria, removes chlorine, peculiar colors, odors, agricultural and industrial pollutants, etc., and can also adsorb the residual small organic matter passing through the R0 film, while adjusting the water quality and taste of the purified water.

The refrigerating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the refrigerating device can further be provided with an ultraviolet disinfection device, preferably an ultraviolet lamp, so as to irradiate pure water passing through the activated carbon filter in order to ensure Pure water is stored sterile.

The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the purified water supply device further comprises a water pump for pumping water to the processing unit, and / or a filtered impurity pump for discharging the Water pump for refrigeration unit.

The refrigerating device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that during operation, the condenser of the refrigerant circulation circuit is used to discharge heat to the outside to preheat pure water, and then the water is preheated. Preheated purified water is supplied to the heater.

The refrigeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The combined refrigeration device includes a water tank, ice rejection, freezing / refrigeration device, fresh-keeping storage device, or any other suitable form of refrigeration device.

13. A fresh-keeping refrigerator as claimed in any preceding claim.

14. Use of a combined refrigeration device according to any one of the preceding claims.