CN108430277B - Refrigerated merchandiser - Google Patents
Refrigerated merchandiser Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN108430277B CN108430277B CN201580085491.7A CN201580085491A CN108430277B CN 108430277 B CN108430277 B CN 108430277B CN 201580085491 A CN201580085491 A CN 201580085491A CN 108430277 B CN108430277 B CN 108430277B
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- China
- Prior art keywords
- refrigerated sales
- door
- warm air
- air channel
- refrigerated
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
- A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
- A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
- A47F3/0404—Cases or cabinets of the closed type
- A47F3/0408—Cases or cabinets of the closed type with forced air circulation
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
- A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
- A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
- A47F3/0404—Cases or cabinets of the closed type
- A47F3/0426—Details
- A47F3/043—Doors, covers
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
- Freezers Or Refrigerated Showcases (AREA)
Abstract
A refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured for providing a cold air flow (C) which flows substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of a refrigerated sales space (28) and along an inside of a lower portion of at least one door (8). The refrigerated sales furniture (10) comprises at least one warm air channel (17) which extends into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) from a front side of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) below the at least one door (8). The warm air channel (17) is configured for letting warm air flow into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) and for keeping the temperature at the lower portion of the at least one door (8) above the dew point temperature. The refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured such that a warm air stream (W) is drawn through the at least one warm air channel (17) by a cold air stream (C) and merges with the cold air stream (C).
Description
The present invention relates to a refrigerated sales furniture (furniture), in particular to a refrigerated sales furniture comprising at least one door and at least one warm air channel configured for reducing the risk of condensation at the at least one door.
For more efficient operation, refrigerated sales furniture is often equipped with a door, in particular a glass door, so that a separation is established between the refrigerated space inside the furniture and the warm environment outside the furniture. A common problem is that condensate forms in the lower part of the door, which is undesirable and should be avoided.
It would therefore be beneficial to provide an improved refrigerated merchandiser that effectively avoids condensation on the lower portion of its door without the need to introduce active components.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a refrigerated sales furniture comprises: an appliance body providing a refrigerated sales space for storing products to be presented therein; at least one access area providing access to a refrigerated sales space; and at least one door disposed at the at least one access area and movable between a closed position closing the at least one access area and at least one open position allowing access to the refrigerated sales space via the at least one access area. The refrigerated merchandiser also includes a return air opening disposed at a bottom of the refrigerated sales space proximate the at least one door for receiving a flow of cold air that flows substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space. At least one warm air channel extends from the front side of the refrigerated sales furniture into the refrigerated sales furniture, in particular into the refrigerated sales space, below the at least one door. The warm air channel is configured for flowing warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated merchandiser into the refrigerated merchandiser when the door is in its closed position to maintain a temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door above the dew point temperature. The refrigerated merchandiser is further configured such that a flow of warm air is drawn through at least one warm air passage and merged with a flow of cool air (e.g., a curtain of cool air).
An exemplary embodiment of the invention also comprises a method of reducing the risk of condensation on the surface of a door of a refrigerated sales furniture, the refrigerated sales furniture comprising: an appliance body providing a refrigerated sales space for storing products to be presented therein; at least one access area providing access to a refrigerated sales space: and at least one door disposed at the at least one access area and movable between a closed position closing the at least one access area and at least one open position allowing access to the refrigerated sales space via the at least one access area; and at least one warm air channel extending into the refrigerated merchandiser from a front side thereof below the at least one door; wherein the method comprises the steps of: providing a flow of cold air flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction into a return air opening provided at a bottom of the refrigerated sales space in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space adjacent an inside of a lower portion of the at least one door; flowing warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated merchandiser into the refrigerated merchandiser through the warm air passage when the door is in its closed position to maintain a temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door above the dew point temperature; and drawing a stream of warm air through the at least one warm air channel and merging it with the stream of cool air by the stream of cool air.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the efficiency of convective heat transfer on the lower portion of the exterior surface of the door is increased by generating a flow of warm air along the lower portion of the door. The warm air flow causes a temperature increase at the lower portion of the outer surface of the door. This helps to keep the temperature of the lower portion above the dew point temperature and thus leaves the door free of condensation.
In particular, the warm air flow is generated without the use of an additional fan, but only by forming the warm air channel under the door, in particular in the door abutment profile, and using the bernoulli principle and the fan already present in the appliance.
A benefit of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is the simplicity with which the problem of condensation at the lower portion of the door can be solved without the need to modify the design of the door or add new active components, such as additional electric heaters or fans.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention reliably avoid the problem of condensation, particularly in refrigerated merchandisers in which a curtain of cool air flows close to the door.
Even if there is a thermal bridge caused by the spacers, the door frame, the hinges and other solid elements of the door ensuring the mechanical structure of the door, and despite the fact that the edges of the door, especially the lower part of the door, constitute an inherent weakness of the insulation, and despite the enhanced heat transfer occurring due to the local air curtain acceleration occurring at the return air grille arranged inside the refrigerator, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention reliably avoid the problem of condensation.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may replace other conceivable ways for maintaining the temperature in the lower portion of the door above the dew point temperature, including improving the thermal resistance of the door edge design and/or using air baffles to avoid cold air from directly contacting the door. Alternatively, in addition to this, exemplary embodiments of the present invention may also be provided.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:
figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a refrigerated sales furniture according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the region at the lower end of the glass door of the refrigerated sales furniture shown in fig. 1.
Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of a lower portion of the door support frame when used in the refrigerated merchandiser shown in figures 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the region at the lower end of a glass door of a refrigerated sales furniture according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 1 depicts a schematic cross-sectional view of a refrigerated merchandiser 10, which is an example of a refrigerated merchandiser 10. The refrigerated merchandiser 10 includes an appliance body 1, the appliance body 1 defining a refrigerated sales space 28, the refrigerated sales space 28 being configured for storing products (not shown) to be presented therein. A plurality of shelves or racks 22 are provided on top of each other within the refrigerated sales space 28 for receiving and supporting the products.
The evaporator 2, which is part of the refrigeration circuit, is disposed at the bottom of the refrigerated merchandiser 10 below the refrigerated sales space 28. Additional components of the refrigeration circuit, not shown in figure 1, such as a compressor, a condenser and an expansion device, may also be provided within the refrigerated merchandiser 10. Alternatively, one or more of these components may be located outside the refrigerated merchandiser 10, such as in a machine room or on the outside/roof of a building housing the refrigerated merchandiser 10 (not shown).
The access area 11, which is provided at the front side of the refrigerated sales space 28, can be closed by means of a door 8, in particular a glass door, which is pivotally supported by the upper and lower portions 6a, 6b and the upper and lower hinges 7 of the door support frame. In an alternative embodiment, not shown in the figures, the refrigerated merchandiser may be equipped with two or more doors including a sliding door mounted on ball bearings rolling on rails. In order to prevent cold air from flowing out of the refrigerated sales space 28, a sealing lip 9 is provided between the catch bar 12 formed at the portions 6a, 6b of the door support frame and the door 8. Further, an elastic buffer 13 is provided between the stopper rod 12 and the door 8 for buffering the impact of the door 8 against the stopper rod 12 when the door 8 is closed and for maintaining a defined gap between the door 8 and the stopper rod 12.
A return air duct 26 extending substantially horizontally is formed on the inlet side of the evaporator 2, which inlet side is located on the right side of the evaporator 2 in the exemplary configuration shown in fig. 1. The return air duct 26 houses a fan 3, which fan 3 is configured to draw air from the refrigerated sales space 28 into the return air duct 26 through a return air opening 34 provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28 and to convey said air to the evaporator 2, where said air is cooled. The return air openings 34 are covered by the return air grille 4 for preventing items and other objects from falling into the return air duct 26.
The cooled air exiting the evaporator 2 (to the left of the evaporator 2 in the exemplary configuration shown in fig. 1) is delivered into a vertical cooled air duct 24 extending vertically along the back side 29 of the refrigerated sales space 28.
The vertical cold air duct 24 may be provided with a number of cold air openings 30 for conveying cold air from the vertical cold air duct 24 into the refrigerated sales space 28.
A horizontal cold air duct 25 is fluidly connected to an upper end of the vertical cold air duct 24 for conveying cold air from the vertical cold air duct 24 to a front side of the refrigerated sales space 28. The front side end of the horizontal cold air duct 25 is provided with an air outlet 5 for discharging cold air from the horizontal cold air duct 25 into the upper front region of the refrigerated sales space 28.
The cold air discharged into the upper front region of the refrigerated sales space 28 through the air outlet 5 provides a cold air stream ("cold air curtain") C which flows substantially vertically along the inside of the door 8 facing the refrigerated sales space 28 from the top to the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28.
The cold air flow C reduces the temperature of the door 8. When the temperature of the outer surface of the door 8 facing the outside of the refrigerated merchandiser 10 falls below the dew point temperature, undesirable condensation from the humidity of the ambient air a will occur on the outside of the door 8. The risk of condensation is particularly high at the lower part of the door 8 due to the structural components supporting the door 8, in particular including the door supporting frame portion 6b and the hinge 7, and due to the enhanced heat transfer in said area.
In order to reduce the risk of condensation in said lower portion of the door 8, a warm air channel 17 is provided which extends from the outside into the refrigerated sales space 28. The relatively warm ambient air flow W flowing through the warm air channel 17 increases the temperature at the lower portion of the door 8. This reduces the risk that the temperature of said lower part of the door 8 falls below the dew point temperature and condensation occurs.
Hereinafter, the structure of the warm air passage 17 will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 2.
Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of a lower part of the front side of the refrigerated sales furniture 10, in particular of the area around the lower end of the door 8.
The door 8 is in particular a hollow glass door 8 comprising an inner glass pane 8a facing the refrigerated sales space 28 and an outer glass pane 8c facing the outside of the refrigerated sales furniture 10. The outer glass plate 8c is spaced apart from the inner glass plate 8a by means of a glass spacing element 8 d. As a result, an insulating cavity 8b is formed between the inner glass pane 8a and the outer glass pane 8c for providing insulation, which insulating cavity 8b may in particular be filled with an insulating gas such as argon or may be evacuated to a vacuum.
A lower door hinge 7 comprising a frame-side hinge element 7a and a door-side hinge element 7b pivotably connected by means of a connecting element 7c pivotably supports a door 8 at a lower portion 6b of the door support frame.
A stop rod 12 extends perpendicularly from the lower portion 6b of the support frame at a position inside the door 8. The warm air channel 17 extending between the outer front side of the refrigerated merchandiser 10 and the refrigerated sales space 28 includes: a first portion 17a extending horizontally below the lower edge of the door 8 and above the upper edge of the lower portion 6b of the support frame; a second portion 17b extending between the inner glass plate 8a and the stopper rod 12; and a third portion 17c provided by at least one warm air passage opening 14 through the stopper rod 12.
The height H of the first portion 17a of the warm air channel 17 may be between 5mm and 10mm, in particular between 6mm and 8 mm. The width D of the second portion 17b of the warm air channel 17 may be between 2mm and 10mm, in particular between 4mm and 8 mm.
The at least one warm air channel opening 14 usually comprises a plurality of warm air channel openings 14, which plurality of warm air channel openings 14 can in combination extend in the horizontal direction over the entire width of the glass door 8 and over a vertical region of the stop lever 12 having a height h of 3mm to 12mm, in particular a height h of 8mm to 10 mm.
Alternatively, the at least one warm air channel opening 14 may extend only in front of the weak point of the at least one door 8, for example in front of a block-shaped structural element with high thermal conductivity, such as the door hinge element 7. In this configuration, the warm air stream is drawn into the refrigerated sales space 28 only at locations where additional heat is required to maintain the surface temperature of the glass door 8 above the dew point.
A sealing element 9, which may be provided in particular in the form of a sealing lip, is arranged between the stop lever 12 and the inner glass pane 8a in order to avoid cold air, in particular from a cold air flow C flowing along the inner glass pane 8a, exiting from the refrigerated storage space 28 through the warm air channel 17.
In the cold air flow guide section 32 located in the lower region of the refrigerated sales space 28 close to the door 8, the cold air flowing vertically of the cold air flow C flowing along the inner glass plate 8a of the door 8 is deflected by the sealing element 9 and the stop lever 12. This deflection results in a reduction of the width of the space available for the cold air flow C. The reduction acts as a nozzle and thus causes an increase in the velocity of the cold air stream. This increase in the air flow rate causes a reduction in the static pressure in the low pressure region 36 located on the side of the stopper rod 12 facing the refrigerated sales space 28. The reduction in static pressure results in a pressure differential between the low pressure region 36 and the warm air channel 17. Due to this pressure difference, warm air W is drawn from the warm air channel 17 into the refrigerated sales space 28 through the at least one warm air channel opening 14.
Due to this relatively warm ambient air flow W, the temperature of the lower portion of the glass door 8, including the door-side hinge element 7b and the glass spacing element 8d, and in particular the lower portion 8e of the outer glass 8c, increases. This makes it easier to maintain the temperature of the area above the dew point temperature of the ambient air a, thereby greatly reducing the risk of undesired condensation in the area.
As previously described with reference to fig. 1, the relatively warm ambient air flow W entering the refrigerated sales space 28 via the warm air channel 17 and the at least one warm air channel opening 14 is conveyed, together with cold air from the vertically flowing cold air flow C, through a return air opening 34 provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28 into the return air duct 26 and to the evaporator 2 (not shown in fig. 2), where it is cooled and subsequently conveyed back to the refrigerated sales space 28.
Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the lower part 6b of the door support frame as it extends below the lower edge of the glass door 8 (see fig. 1 and 2).
Said lower portion 6b of the door supporting frame comprises a horizontal portion 15 provided with hinge openings 16 for receiving frame side hinge elements (7a) (see fig. 2). The vertical portion provided with the plurality of warm air passage openings 14a, 14b, 14c constitutes the stopper rod 12.
For illustrative purposes, three different types of warm air passage openings 14a, 14b, 14c are shown in FIG. 3. Generally, a single type of warm air passage opening 14a, 14b, 14c is employed in certain embodiments.
The first set of openings comprises two horizontal rows of circular warm air channel openings 14a, which are arranged one above the other. The pairs of warm air duct openings 14a may be arranged vertically above each other, or the warm air duct openings 14a may be offset with respect to each other in the horizontal direction. Of course, only one or more than two rows of circular warm air passage openings 14a may be provided.
The second set of openings includes four rectangular warm air channel openings 14b arranged side-by-side with one another. Of course, the rectangular warm air passage openings 14b may also be provided in a plurality of rows arranged vertically above each other.
The third set of warm air duct openings 14c includes two rows of longitudinal warm air duct openings 14c arranged one above the other. As shown in fig. 3, the pairs of longitudinal warm air channel openings 14c may be arranged vertically above each other, or the longitudinal warm air channel openings 14c may be offset with respect to each other in the horizontal direction. Of course, only one or more than two rows of longitudinal warm air channel openings 14c may be provided.
Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other shapes of warm air passage openings 14 than the example shown in FIG. 3 may be used.
The warm air duct openings 14, 14a, 14b, 14c are usually arranged in combination over an area having a height h of 3mm to 12mm (see fig. 2) and constitute an opening area of 25% to 55%, in particular 30% to 50%, and in particular 35% to 45%, of the vertical area of the stop lever 12 between the lower edge of the warm air duct 17 and the sealing element 9.
This configuration has proven to be very effective in avoiding condensation at the lower portion 8e of the outer glass sheet 8 c.
Fig. 4 depicts a schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, features corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference symbols and will not be described again herein.
In contrast to the first embodiment, no warm air passage opening 14 is provided in the detent lever 12, and no sealing element 9 is provided between the detent lever 12 and the inner glass plate 8a of the glass door 8.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 4, the deflecting element 20 is attached to the inner glass plate 8a of the glass door 8 at a height slightly above the upper end of the stop lever 12. In this embodiment, the warm air channel 18 includes: a first portion 18a, which is arranged between the lower side of at least one door 8 in its closed position and the upper side of the lower portion 6b of the door support frame; an adjacent second portion 18b extending generally vertically between the inner glass sheet 8a and the stop bar 12; and a substantially horizontally extending third portion 18c formed between the upper edge of the stop lever 12 and the lower first planar surface 20a of the deflecting member 20.
The height H of the first portion 18a of the warm air channel 181May be between 5mm and 10mm, in particular between 6mm and 8 mm.
The height H of the third portion 18c of the warm air channel 182May be between 2.5mm and 5.5mm, in particular between 3.5mm and 4.5 mm.
The width D of the vertical portion 18b of the warm air channel 18 may be between 2mm and 10mm, in particular between 4mm and 8 mm.
In particular the deflecting element 20, which extends over the entire width of at least one door 8, is provided with a lower first plane 20a facing the upper end of the stop bar 12, thereby defining a third portion 18c of the warm air channel 18, a second plane 20b attached to the inner glass panel 8a and a third surface 20c facing the refrigerated sales space 28. The third surface 20c may be an inclined plane surface. Alternatively, as exemplarily shown in fig. 4, the third surface 20c may be an arc-shaped surface.
In the cold air flow guiding section 32 near the lower portion of the door 8, the deflecting element 20 deflects the cold air flow C flowing substantially vertically (which flows substantially parallel to the surface of the inner glass plate 8 a). This deflection prevents cool air from the cool air stream C from flowing out of the refrigerated sales space 28 via the warm air channel 18.
In contrast, the deflection of the cold air flow C by the deflector element 20 causes a reduction of the static pressure in the low pressure area 36 located close to the bottom edge of the deflector element 20, similar to the deflection caused by the sealing element 9 in the first embodiment already described previously with reference to fig. 2.
Due to this pressure differential, a relatively warm ambient air flow W is drawn from outside the refrigerated merchandiser 10 into the refrigerated sales space 28 through the warm air duct 18.
As in the first embodiment, the relatively warm ambient air flow W flows along the lower portion of the glass door 8, thereby warming the portion. As a result, the temperature of the lower portion 8e of the outer glass pane 8c increases, making it easier to maintain the temperature in this region above the dew point temperature and greatly reducing the risk of condensation occurring in said region.
Similar to the situation shown in fig. 1, the warm air that has been drawn into the refrigerated sales space 28 merges with the cold air stream C and is drawn into the return air duct 26 provided below the refrigerated sales space 28 through the return air opening 34 and is conveyed to the evaporator 2 (not shown in fig. 4), where it is refrigerated before it is conveyed back into the refrigerated sales space 28.
A number of optional features are set forth below. These features may be implemented alone or in combination with any other features in a particular embodiment.
In an embodiment, the refrigerated merchandiser includes a cold air flow guide section having a reduced width to increase the cold air flow rate. This will create an inhalation effect that draws warm air into the refrigerated sales space through the at least one warm air channel. The cold air flow guiding section is in particular located between the front of the bottom of the refrigerated sales space and the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door and/or the rear side of the lower door frame portion for generating a suction effect at the lower portion of the at least one door substantially at the level of the warm air channel.
In an embodiment, the cold air flow guiding section is limited at its lower end by at least one return air opening of a return air duct configured for conveying air from the refrigerated sales space to an evaporator of the refrigeration circuit. The at least one return air opening may be covered by a return air grille in order to prevent items and other objects from falling into the return air duct.
In an embodiment, the warm air channel extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The generally horizontally extending warm air passageway is easy to implement and allows air outside the refrigerated merchandiser to be efficiently delivered into the refrigerated sales space.
In an embodiment, the refrigerated merchandiser is configured to provide a flow of cool air, i.e., a "cool air curtain," that flows substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space along the inner surface of the at least one door when in its closed position to provide additional insulation at the front of the refrigerated sales space and for protecting items stored in the refrigerated sales space from ambient air when the at least one door is open.
In an embodiment, the refrigerated merchandiser includes a deflector member secured to an inner surface of the at least one door above the at least one warm air channel to deflect the flow of cool air. The deflector element provides a simple and effective means for creating a cold air flow guiding section in order to increase the cold air flow rate and cause a suction effect at the inner end of the warm air channel.
In an embodiment, the warm air channel is formed by a substantially horizontal first portion disposed between a lower side of the at least one door in its closed position and an upper side of the lower door frame portion. The warm air duct further includes a substantially vertical second portion extending between a rear side of a lowermost portion of the at least one door and a front side portion of the stopper bar at the lower door frame portion. The warm air channel further comprises a substantially horizontal third channel portion formed between the lower side of the deflecting element and the upper side of the stop rod. This channel configuration provides a warm air channel that very efficiently delivers warm air into the refrigerated sales space while preventing the undesirable outflow of cool air from the refrigerated sales space.
In an embodiment, at least one elastic buffer is provided between the stopping rod and the door for buffering the impact of the door on the stopping rod when the door is closed, and for maintaining a defined gap between the door and the stopping rod so as to achieve a vertical warm air passage.
In an embodiment, the refrigerated sales furniture comprises a sealing element, in particular a sealing lip, which is provided at the stop bar at the lower door frame part and extends in a substantially horizontal direction to the door. The sealing element is particularly configured for abutting an inside of a lowermost portion of the at least one door to provide an air seal between the stop bar at the lower door frame portion and the at least one door to prevent cold air from flowing out of the refrigerated sales space.
In an embodiment, the sealing element and the stop bar at the lower door frame portion are configured to deflect the flow of cold air. This allows to create a cold air flow guiding section to increase the cold air flow rate without the need of additional deflecting elements and to cause a suction effect at the inner end of the warm air channel. The sealing element and the stop rod thus provide an effective structure that allows to simultaneously achieve the effect of deflecting the cold air flow and preventing it from leaving the refrigerated sales space.
In an embodiment, the at least one warm air channel is formed by a first channel portion formed between the lower side of the at least one door in its closed position and the upper side of the lower door frame portion, a second channel portion extending between an imaginary plane defined by the inner glass panel of the door and the stop lever, and a third portion, in particular provided by at least one warm air channel opening formed in the stop lever. This arrangement provides a warm air passage that is extremely effective for warming the lower portion of the door by delivering warm air to the refrigerated sales space and prevents the undesirable outflow of cold air from the refrigerated sales space.
In an embodiment, a plurality of openings are provided in the stopper rod to allow warm air to flow into the refrigerated sales space over the entire width thereof. By selecting the number and size of the openings, the amount of warm air flowing into the refrigerated sales space can be adjusted to the actual needs.
In an embodiment, the openings are distributed over the entire width of the at least one door, and/or the deflecting element and/or the sealing element extends over the entire width of the at least one door. In this configuration, warm air flows/is drawn into the refrigerated sales space over the entire width of the door.
In an embodiment, the opening is only locally provided in front of a weak point of at least one door, for example in front of a block structure element having a high thermal conductivity, such as a door hinge element. In this configuration, warm air flows/is drawn into the refrigerated sales space only at locations where additional heat is needed to maintain the surface temperature of the door above the dew point.
In an embodiment, the openings are distributed over an area having a height h of 3mm to 12mm, in particular between 8mm and 10 mm. This configuration has been found to be very effective for drawing a desired amount of warm air into the refrigerated sales space.
In embodiments, the opening comprises at least one of a circular opening, a rectangular opening, a square opening, a longitudinal opening, an oval opening, or any combination thereof. By selecting the shape and size of the opening, the amount of warm air flowing into the refrigerated sales space can be adjusted to the actual needs. The shape and size of the opening may be selected according to manufacturing requirements, i.e. the opening may preferably have a shape that is easy to produce, i.e. by drilling.
In an embodiment, the combination of openings provides an open area of 25% to 55%, in particular 30% to 50%, and more in particular 35% to 45% of the perforated vertical surface of the stop rod which is located below the sealing element and has a height h of 3mm to 12mm, in particular 8mm to 10 mm. This configuration has been found to be very effective for drawing a desired amount of warm air into the refrigerated sales space.
In an embodiment, the first portion of the warm air channel has a height of 5mm to 10mm, in particular 6mm to 8 mm. In an embodiment, the third portion of the warm air channel has a height of 2.5mm to 5.5mm, in particular 3.0mm to 5.0 mm.
In an embodiment, the refrigerated merchandiser further includes at least one return air opening within the refrigerated sales space disposed at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space proximate the at least one warm air channel and configured to receive warm air drawn through the at least one warm air channel and cold air from the refrigerated sales area. This allows for an efficient removal of warm air that has been drawn in from the refrigerated sales space through the at least one warm air channel.
In an embodiment, the at least one return air opening is fluidly connected to a return air duct housing at least one fan configured to deliver air that has been received through the at least one return air opening to an evaporator of the refrigeration circuit to cool a mixture of warm air and cold return air that has been drawn into the refrigerated sales space through the at least one warm air channel. This avoids an undesirable temperature increase within the refrigerated sales space caused by warm air that has been drawn in from outside the refrigerated sales furniture.
The air duct and/or the evaporator are arranged in particular below the refrigerated sales space.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Symbol of elements
1 apparatus body
2 evaporator
3 Fan
4 backflow air grille
5 exhaust port
Upper part of 6a door support frame
6b lower part of door supporting frame
7 door hinge
7a frame side hinge element
7b door side hinge element
7c connecting hinge element
8 door
8a internal glass plate
8b Heat insulation cavity
8c external glass plate
8d glass spacer element
8e lower part of the outer glass pane
9 sealing element
10 refrigerated merchandiser
11 into the area
12 stop lever
13 elastic buffer
14 warm air channel opening
14a circular warm air channel
14b Square Warm air channel
14c longitudinal warm air channel
15 horizontal part of lower part of door supporting frame
16 hinge opening
17 Warm air channel (first embodiment)
17a first part of the warm air passageway (first embodiment)
17b second part of the warm air passageway (first embodiment)
17c third portion of the warm air passageway (first embodiment)
18 Warm air channel (second embodiment)
18a first part of the warm air passageway (second embodiment)
18b second portion of the warm air passageway (second embodiment)
18c third portion of the warm air passageway (second embodiment)
20 deflecting element
20a first planar surface of a deflection element
20b second planar surface of deflection element
20c a third surface of the deflection element
22 shelf
24 vertical cold air duct
25 horizontal cold air pipeline
26 return air duct
28 refrigerated sales space
29 back side of refrigerated sales space
30 cool air opening
32 cold air flow guiding section
34 return air opening
36 low pressure region
A ambient air
C cold air flow
D width of vertical part of warm air channel
H、H1、H2Height of horizontal portion of warm air passageway
h height of vertical area of stopper rod with opening
W ambient air flow
Claims (23)
1. Refrigerated sales furniture (10), comprising:
an appliance body (1) providing a refrigerated sales space (28) for storing products to be presented therein;
at least one access area (11) providing access to the refrigerated sales space (28); and
at least one door (8) arranged at said at least one access area (11) and movable between a closed position closing said at least one access area (11) and at least one open position allowing access to said refrigerated sales space (28) via said at least one access area (11); wherein the refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured to provide a cold air flow (C) flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space (28) along an inside of the at least one door (8) when in its closed position;
a return air opening (34) provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space (28) near the at least one door (8) for receiving the cold air flow (C) flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space (28);
also comprising at least one warm air channel (17; 18) extending into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) from the front side of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) below the at least one door (8),
the warm air channel (17; 18) being configured for flowing warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) so as to keep the temperature at the lower portion of the at least one door (8) above the dew point temperature;
wherein the refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured such that the warm air stream (W) is drawn through the at least one warm air channel (17; 18) by the cold air stream (C) and merges with the cold air stream (C),
the refrigerated sales furniture (10) further comprises:
a cold air flow guiding section (32) having a reduced width to increase the speed of the cold air flow (C), the cold air flow guiding section (32) being located between the front of the bottom portion of the refrigerated sales space (28) and the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door (8) and/or the rear side of the lower portion (6 b) of the door support frame; and
a stop bar (12), the stop bar (12) being provided at a lower portion (6 b) of the door support frame, the at least one warm air channel comprising a third portion (17C), the third portion (17C) being provided by at least one warm air channel opening (14) extending through the stop bar (12) in a substantially horizontal direction.
2. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 1, further comprising a deflector element (20) fixed to an inner surface of the at least one door (8) above the at least one warm air channel (18) to deflect the cold air stream (C).
3. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 2, wherein the deflection element (20) extends over the entire width of the at least one door (8).
4. The refrigerated merchandiser (10) according to claim 2, wherein the warm air channel (18) comprises: -a first substantially horizontal portion (18 a) located between the lower side of said at least one door (8) in its closed position and the upper side of said lower portion (6 b) of the door supporting frame; a second portion (18 b) located between a rear side of a lower portion of said at least one door (8) and a front side portion of said stop lever (12); and a third, substantially horizontal portion (18 c) extending between the lower side of the deflecting element (20) and the upper edge of the stop lever (12).
5. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 4, wherein the first portion (18 a) of the warm air channel (18) has a height (H) of 5 to 10mm1) And/or the third portion (18 c) of the warm air channel (18) has a height (H) of 2.5mm to 5.5mm2）。
6. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 4, wherein the first portion (18 a) of the warm air channel (18) has a height (H) of 6 to 8mm1) And/or the third portion (18 c) of the warm air channel (18) has a height (H) of 3.0mm to 5.0mm2）。
7. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 1, further comprising a sealing element (9).
8. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 7, the sealing element (9) being a sealing lip, the sealing element being provided at the stop bar (12) and extending forward in a substantially horizontal direction, wherein the sealing element (9) is configured for abutting a rear side of a lower portion of an inner glass panel (8 a) of the at least one door (8) to provide a seal between the stop bar (12) and the at least one door (8).
9. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 7 or 8, wherein the sealing element (9) and/or the stop lever (12) are configured for deflecting the cold air flow (C).
10. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 7 or 8, wherein the sealing element (9) extends over the entire width of the at least one door (8).
11. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 8, wherein the at least one warm air channel (17) further comprises: a first portion (17 a) arranged between the lower side of said at least one door (8) in its closed position and the upper side of the lower portion (6 b) of the door supporting frame; and an adjacent second portion (17 b) extending between the stop lever (12) and an imaginary plane defined by the inner glass plate (8 a).
12. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 11, wherein a plurality of warm air channel openings (14 a, 14b, 14 c) are provided in the stop lever (12).
13. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 12, wherein the warm air channel openings (14, 14a, 14b, 14 c) are distributed over the entire width of the door (8) and/or wherein the warm air channel openings (14, 14a, 14b, 14 c) are distributed over an area having a height of 3 to 12 mm.
14. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 12, wherein the warm air channel openings (14, 14a, 14b, 14 c) are distributed over an area having a height h of 8 to 10 mm.
15. The refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 12, wherein the warm air channel opening (14, 14a, 14b, 14 c) comprises at least one of a circular warm air channel opening (14 a), a rectangular warm air channel opening, a square warm air channel opening (14 b), a longitudinal warm air channel opening (14 c), an oval warm air channel opening, or any combination thereof.
16. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 12, wherein the warm air channel openings (14, 14a, 14b, 14 c) in combination provide an open area of 25 to 55% of the perforated vertical surface of the stop lever (12) below the sealing element (9).
17. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 16, wherein the warm air channel openings (14, 14a, 14b, 14 c) in combination provide an open area of 30 to 50% of the perforated vertical surface of the stop lever (12) below the sealing element (9).
18. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 11, wherein the first portion (17 a) of the warm air channel (17) has a height (H) of 5 to 10 mm.
19. A refrigerated sales furniture (10) of the preceding claim 1, comprising at least one return air opening (34) within the refrigerated sales space (28), the at least one return air opening (34) being arranged close to the at least one warm air channel (17; 18) and being configured for receiving warm air from the refrigerated sales space (28) that has been sucked through the at least one warm air channel (17; 18) after merging with the cold air stream (C).
20. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) of claim 19, wherein the at least one return air opening (34) is fluidly connected to a return air duct (26) comprising at least one fan (3), the at least one fan (3) being configured for conveying air that has been received through the at least one return air opening (34) to the evaporator (2) being part of the refrigeration circuit.
21. A method of reducing the risk of condensation on the surface of a door (8) of a refrigerated sales furniture (10), the refrigerated sales furniture (10) comprising:
an appliance body (1) providing a refrigerated sales space (28) for storing products to be presented therein;
at least one access area (11) providing access to the refrigerated sales space (28): and
at least one door (8) provided at the at least one access area (11) and movable between a closed position closing the at least one access area (11) and at least one open position allowing access to the refrigerated sales space (28) via the at least one access area (11), wherein the refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured to provide a cold air flow (C) flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space (28) along an inside of the at least one door (8) when in its closed position; and
at least one warm air channel (17; 18) extending into the refrigerated merchandiser (10) from a front side of the refrigerated merchandiser (10) below the at least one door (8);
the refrigerated sales furniture (10) further comprises: a cold air flow guiding section (32) having a reduced width to increase the speed of the cold air flow (C), the cold air flow guiding section (32) being located between the front of the bottom portion of the refrigerated sales space (28) and the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door (8) and/or the rear side of the lower portion (6 b) of the door support frame; and a stop bar (12), the stop bar (12) being provided at a lower portion (6 b) of the door support frame, the at least one warm air channel comprising a third portion (17C), the third portion (17C) being provided by at least one warm air channel opening (14) extending through the stop bar (12) in a substantially horizontal direction;
wherein the method comprises the steps of:
-providing a flow (C) of cold air flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction into a return air opening (34) provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space (28) in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space (28) close to the inside of the lower portion of the at least one door (8);
-causing warm air to flow from the area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) through the warm air channel (17; 18) when the door (8) is in its closed position, for increasing the temperature at the lower portion of the at least one door (8) and thus maintaining the temperature above the dew point temperature;
the warm air flow (W) is drawn through the at least one warm air channel (17; 18) by the cold air flow (C) and merges with the cold air flow (C).
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of: drawing the cold air flow (C) into an evaporator (2) through a return air duct (26) after the cold air flow (C) has merged with the warm air flow (W), the return air duct (26) and/or the evaporator (2) being arranged below or behind the refrigerated sales space (28).
23. Method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the step of providing a flow of cold air (C) comprises causing the flow of cold air (C) to flow substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space (28) and along the inside of the at least one door (8) when in its closed position.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2015/081009 WO2017108101A1 (en) | 2015-12-22 | 2015-12-22 | Refrigerated sales furniture |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN108430277A CN108430277A (en) | 2018-08-21 |
| CN108430277B true CN108430277B (en) | 2021-04-02 |
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Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201580085491.7A Active CN108430277B (en) | 2015-12-22 | 2015-12-22 | Refrigerated merchandiser |
| CN201680075534.8A Active CN108463143B (en) | 2015-12-22 | 2016-11-16 | Refrigerated merchandiser |
Family Applications After (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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| CN201680075534.8A Active CN108463143B (en) | 2015-12-22 | 2016-11-16 | Refrigerated merchandiser |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
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| EP (2) | EP3393306B1 (en) |
| CN (2) | CN108430277B (en) |
| WO (2) | WO2017108101A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2584613B (en) * | 2019-05-16 | 2023-02-22 | Aerofoil Energy Ltd | Process for optimising the position of refrigerator air guides in order to achieve increased energy efficiency of the refrigerator |
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Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP3393307A1 (en) | 2018-10-31 |
| EP3393306A1 (en) | 2018-10-31 |
| EP3393307B1 (en) | 2020-01-01 |
| CN108430277A (en) | 2018-08-21 |
| CN108463143A (en) | 2018-08-28 |
| CN108463143B (en) | 2020-10-16 |
| EP3393306B1 (en) | 2020-09-16 |
| WO2017108101A1 (en) | 2017-06-29 |
| WO2017108281A1 (en) | 2017-06-29 |
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