EP2062000A2

EP2062000A2 - Household device with a water outlet

Info

Publication number: EP2062000A2
Application number: EP07788142A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Caglar Tansu Balci; Martin Eichler; Rudolf Schmidt
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2006-08-29
Filing date: 2007-08-01
Publication date: 2009-05-27
Also published as: CN101558272A; WO2008025636A3; WO2008025636A2; RU2434189C2; DE202006013228U1; RU2009109319A

Abstract

The invention relates to a household device comprising a housing, that surrounds an inner chamber, and is provided with an solid outer wall, a solid inner wall (13) and an intermediate chamber that is delimited by said walls. Said device also comprises a water discharge line (4) that extends through the intermediate chamber. A connection journal (1) is formed on the inner wall (13) and projects into the intermediate chamber and one end (5-7) of the water discharge line (4) is maintained on the connection journal (1) in a positive fit.

Description

Household appliance with water drainage

The present invention relates to a household appliance with a water drain line through which moisture that collects in the course of the operation of the refrigerator in its interior, can flow to the outside. Such household appliances, especially refrigerators, usually have a housing with a fixed outer wall, a fixed inner wall and limited by these walls, usually filled with an insulating material gap. The water drain line traverses in such a device, the inner wall, the gap and the outer wall and must be sealed against the gap, so that no water from the drain pipe into the gap and possibly wetting it contained insulation material and affect its insulation effect.

From DE-U 20 2005 014 380 a household appliance is known in which a water drain line extends through a fixed outer wall, a fixed inner wall and a gap between the two. The water drainage conduit, which is designed as a pipeline, extends through an opening cut in the inner wall. For anchoring to the opening, the pipe is provided with two circumferential ribs, which define between them a groove in which the edge of the opening is locked.

Although this drain is characterized by a simple and quick installation, but with this arrangement has the problem that water that flows directly over the inside of the inner wall, tends to infiltrate into the groove, and difficult to get into the drain line , In order to introduce condensate into the drain line, a separate from the inner wall collecting tray is provided which is provided with a dipping into an inlet opening of the water drain line drain. In order for the spout to meet the inlet of the water drain when assembling the appliance, it must precisely locate the opening of the internal wall through which it extends and the cross-section of the inlet must be large enough to allow for tolerances in the placement of the water To catch the opening and the shell or its drain neck. There is therefore a need for a household appliance, in which from the interior and water, which is reflected directly on the inner wall, can be safely dissipated, without the risk of leakage of water into the gap.

The object is achieved in a household appliance with a housing which surrounds an interior space and comprises a fixed outer wall, a fixed inner wall and a space bounded by these walls, as well as with a water drainage line extending through the gap, that on the inner wall a projecting in the interspace sloping connection pin is formed and one end of the water drain line is fitted form-fitting manner on the connecting pin. Since the terminal pin engages the drain line and water due to the downward orientation in the water drain line slopes outwards, water can be conveyed from the inside of the inner wall to the outside without the risk of seepage into the gap.

In order to ensure the positive connection and thus the secure hold of the water drain line to the connection pin, the latter preferably has a waist, and the water drain line preferably has a locally narrowed inlet portion which engages the waist.

In order to collect moisture from the interior effectively, a trench or trough is preferably formed on the inner wall, from where the connection pin emanates.

In order to be able to flexibly guide the water drain line in the intermediate space, the water drain line is preferably formed at least partially as a corrugated hose.

By the water drainage line having sections of different flexibility, the course of the water drainage line through the gap can be given to some extent, in particular to avoid a meandering between inner and outer walls, cold bridges forming course. If necessary, to achieve a desired course of the water drain line, this can be provided with at least one anchoring projection, for which a receptacle is attached to one of the walls.

Preferably, this anchoring projection is integrally formed on the water drain line.

Preferably, the anchoring projection has a dovetail profile.

In order to avoid an uncontrolled exchange of air between the interior of the household appliance and the environment via the water drain line, a valve is preferably integrated into the water drain line, which is permeable to water at least from the inside to the outside, but for air in at least one direction, from inside to outside or from outside to inside, impermeable.

The valve may be z. B. be a per se known lip valve. The lip valve opens under an on its interior facing the inside facing pending pressure, whether it is caused by running water or air, and locks in the event of a negative pressure.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the valve comprises a chamber having an interior-side opening and an environmental-side opening, and a buoyant body accommodated in the chamber closes the environment-side opening when the chamber contains no water and is buoyed by water contained in the chamber it is acted upon by the environment-side opening away. Such a valve is on the one hand permeable to water from the inside to the outside, when the buoyant body is made to float by water in the chamber and the environment-side opening is free. However, if the chamber contains no water, the buoyant body is pressed by a pressure prevailing in the interior against the environmental side opening and keeps them closed; on the other hand, in the case of an inside-side negative pressure, the body is pressed by the air pressure from the environment-side opening, so that air can flow from the environment into the internal space. In this way, it is avoided that a negative pressure arises in the interior, if after a door opening warm air in the interior has passed and cools in it. So the door can be opened again at any time without effort.

Under certain circumstances, the water drain line can offer favorable living conditions for bacteria, molds or the like, especially at its warm, ambient end. In order to prevent unwanted growth of such germs, the water drain line is preferably at least in places, in particular in the vicinity of its environment-side end, made with a germ-inhibiting material.

The environment-side end of the water drain line can be easily mounted by the water drain line is pushed through an opening in the outer wall and engages the edge of the opening in a circumferential groove of the water drain line. In order to seal the passage of the water drain line through the outer wall sufficiently, the edge of the opening between opposite flanks of the groove can be kept free of play.

In order to simplify the assembly of the water drain line in the opening, the groove is alternatively limited on one side by a rib whose cross-section gradually narrows at its side remote from the groove side.

To facilitate deformation of the rib as it passes through the opening, the rib is preferably hollow.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of an attached to a connecting pin of the inner wall inlet portion of the water drain line.

2 shows a longitudinal section through the connection pin and the inlet section of the water drain line. 3 shows a cross section through the inlet section of the water drain line along the plane designated III in FIG. 1 according to a modified embodiment;

4 is a partial section through the rear wall of a refrigerator with a coldwall

Evaporator and a water drain line according to the present invention;

5 shows a section through a refrigeration device with Nofrost evaporator according to the present invention.

Fig. 6, the downstream end of the water drain line

7 shows a longitudinal section through a portion of the water drain line with a ball valve.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the portion shown in Fig. 7

the water drain line of Figure 7 in anchored to a wall of the refrigerator state.

Fig. 9 and

10 is an external view of the line section shown in longitudinal section in FIG. 9.

1 and 2 illustrate the basic principle of the invention with reference to an external view and a longitudinal section of an inlet portion of a condensate drain line 4 for a refrigerator and a molded on the inner wall of the refrigerator connection pin 1. The inner wall can in one piece in a conventional manner a thermoformed plastic sheet, wherein the connecting pin 1 is preferably formed during the deep drawing as a sack-shaped closed protuberance and then opened by cutting one end. The terminal pin 1 has a head portion 2 of spherical or ellipsoidal shape and a root portion 3 whose diameter is slightly smaller than that of the head portion. A plastic-formed water drain line 4 comprises an inlet section 5 whose diameter is larger than the head section 2, around a simple, slip-proof placement of the water drain line 4 on the connecting pin 1 to allow a waist portion 6, which is narrower than the head portion 2, but can be expanded elastically to push the head portion 2 and the inlet portion 5 at the root portion 3 into engagement.

At the waist portion 6, a head receiving portion 7 connects in the present example ellipsoidal shape. The head receiving portion 7 has along a median plane 8 a larger diameter than the head portion 2 of the connecting pin and on both sides of the median plane 8 two contact planes 9, in which its diameter is at least as large as that of the root portion 3, but smaller than the maximum diameter of the head portion 2. Diameter and distance of the contact planes 9 are chosen so that in the plugged-on on the head section 2 state of the head receiving portion 7 is stretched elastically in length. Thus, a close, sealing contact between the connecting pin 1 and the head receiving portion 7 is ensured at the contact planes 9.

In which adjoining the head receiving portion 7 main part of the water drain line 4 can closely wavy, relatively easily flexible sections such as 10 and stiff, little or no undulated sections alternate. Most closely crimped portions 10 are formed in the vicinity of one end of the water drain line 4, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in order to simplify a curvature of the water drain line 4 at these locations, while stiff sections usually form the central part of the water drain line 4.

When the waist portion 6 is circular in cross-section and locally smaller in diameter than the head portion 2, it is necessary for the waist portion 6 to be slipped over the head portion 2 so that the material of the water drainage pipe 4 is elastically extensible. In order to avoid elastic stretching of the material and thus to increase the spectrum of materials usable for the water drain line 4, it is also conceivable, as shown in the cross section of Fig. 3, at the waist portion 6 in the longitudinal direction oriented, hollow ribs 1 1 to shapes, which are pulled over the head section 2 in the width when sliding over while temporarily bent, but not stretched appreciably. When the ribs 1 1 extend to the upper of the two contact planes 8 shown in FIG. 2, no contact is made at this contact plane 8 Sealing effect more, but this does not affect the effectiveness of the structure, since at the lower contact level 8, the sealing effect remains.

A practical application example is shown in FIG. 4. Fig. 4 shows a partial section through the rear wall of a coldwall refrigerator. In such a refrigeration appliance, an evaporator 12 is arranged on an outer side of the inner container 13 and comprises a metal plate 14 contacting the inner container 13 over a large area, on which a refrigerant tube 15 is laid meandering. At the foot of the evaporator 12, a step is formed in the rear wall with a transverse to the cutting plane 16 trench. In the trench 16 condensate collects, which is reflected in the cooled by the evaporator 12 region of the inner container 13. At the lowest point of the trench 16 of the connecting pin 1 is formed, on which the water drain line 4 is attached. The water drain line 4 extends through a space filled with insulation foam gap to an outer wall, not shown.

A second embodiment is shown in Fig. 5, which shows a section through a Nofrost refrigeration device. The interior of this refrigerator is divided by a partition 20 into a storage space 21 for refrigerated goods and an evaporator chamber 22, which fills the upper portion of the interior. The evaporator chamber 22 includes an evaporator 24 surrounded by a drip tray 23 and a fan 25 which draws air from the storage space 21 through an opening 27 adjacent the door 26 into the evaporator chamber and cooled air into a manifold 29 extending along the rear wall 28 of the appliance housing press, from where it spreads over several through holes 30 in the storage room 21.

In operation, ice accumulates on the evaporator 24 which is defrosted from time to time. Melting water drips into the drip tray 23. An outlet nozzle 31 extending from the lowest point of the drip tray 23 engages in a depression 32 formed in the rear wall of the inner container. To this in turn a not shown in FIG. For reasons of scale connecting pin 1 of the type shown in Fig. 1 and 2 is formed, from which a plugged water drain line 4 through the filled with insulating foam back wall to an evaporation tray 35 extends on a is mounted in a rear niche 36 of the housing arranged compressor 37. In the Evaporation tray 35 is evaporated using the waste heat of the compressor 37, the condensation.

The downstream end of the water drain line 4 is anchored in an opening 38 of a crossbar 39 which extends between two side walls across the niche 36 and forms part of the outer wall of the housing. Fig. 6 shows this anchoring on an enlarged scale. The traverse 39 is clamped between two circumferential ribs 40, 41 of the water drain line 4. The rib 41 has a flank 42 which tapers conically away from the crosspiece 39 and adjoins an end section 43 whose diameter is smaller than that of the opening 38. Thus, when assembling the refrigerator, the end portion 43 can be easily passed from the inside through the opening 38, and by pulling on the end portion 43 and a resulting longitudinal expansion of the rib 41, the outer diameter is temporarily reduced so far that it passes through the opening 38.

In Fig. 6, a lip valve 44 is further shown, which is inserted into the end portion 43 and latched thereto. Due to the pressure of standing in the line 4 water, the lips 45 of the valve 44 are driven apart so that the water can escape and get into the evaporation tray 35. An influx of warm ambient air through the water drain line 4 into the interior of the refrigerator is excluded by the lip valve 44.

According to a preferred development, the lip valve 44 is replaced by a ball valve, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8. The ball valve can be arranged at any, not frost-prone location in the water drain line 4. A valve chamber 47 is bounded by two bottlenecks of the water drain line 4, an environment-side, lower constriction 48 and an inner-side upper constriction 49. The lower throat 48 is followed by a conical portion, which is normally blocked by a buoyant ball 50. If water enters the valve chamber 47 from above, the ball 50 gets buoyant, so that it detaches from its conical seat and the water flows past the ball 50 as long until the buoyancy of the ball 50 is no longer sufficient and she the section 51 again seals. The upper constriction 48 prevents the ball 50 leaves the valve chamber 47, especially if before and during installation of the water drain line 4 of the refrigeration device, the water drain line can take any orientation.

The upper constriction 49 has a cross section similar to that shown in Fig. 3, with a plurality of radially projecting ribs 1 first The ribs 1 1 facilitate expansion of the upper constriction 49, so that the ball 50 can be pushed through the constriction 49 into the chamber 47.

So that the water drain line 4 does not form a cold bridge between the interior of the refrigerator and the environment, it is important that it does not meander back and forth between the inner container 13 and the outer wall of the housing. In many cases, this can already be achieved by a suitable arrangement of the differently flexible sections of the water drain line 4. In cases where this does not readily succeed, it can be provided that the water drain line 4 is fixed at one or more locations on the inner container 13 or the outer wall of the housing. For this purpose, in a further developed embodiment, the water drain line 4 is provided in places with anchoring projections 54 of trapezoidal cross-section. 9 shows a cross-section through the water drainage line 4 at the level of such an anchoring projection 54, and FIG. 10 shows a schematic perspective view of a section of the water drainage line 4 anchored by means of an anchoring projection 54, the section being shown partly transparent to the engagement of the anchoring projection 54 in a groove 55 of a support member 56 to show. The support member 56 is disposed on any solid surface of the refrigerator within the space filled with insulating material, or integrally formed from such a surface. The anchoring projection 54 and the groove 55 have dovetail cross-sections complementary to one another. When assembling the refrigerator, the anchoring projection 54 by displacement in the longitudinal direction of the water drain line 4 with the groove 55 is engageable.

Claims

claims

A household appliance comprising a housing surrounding an internal space (21, 22) and comprising a fixed outer wall (39), a fixed inner wall (13) and a space bounded by said walls (39, 13), and a bar through the intermediate space extending water drain line (4), characterized in that on the inner wall (13) in the space projecting connecting pin (1) is formed and one end (5-7) of the water drain line (4) positively and / or non-positively the connection pin (1) is held at least substantially liquid-tight.

2. Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection pin (1) has a waist (3) and that a locally narrowed portion (6) of the water drain line (4) engages the waist (3).

3. Household appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the waist (3) to the free end of the connecting pin (1) towards a ball-layer-shaped element (2) is pre-biased, which is releasably engageable with a form-fitting and liquid-tight on the water drain line.

4. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water drain line (4) is at least partially formed as a corrugated hose.

5. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water drain line has sections of different flexibility.

6. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water drain line at least one

Anchoring projection (54) carries and that a receptacle (55) for the anchoring projection (54) is attached to one of the walls.

7. Household appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that the

Anchoring projection (54) on the water drain line (4) is integrally formed.

8. Household appliance according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the

Anchoring projection (54) has a dovetail profile.

9. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a water at least from the inside to the outside permeable and impermeable to air in at least one direction valve

(44, 47-50) is integrated in the water drain line (4).

10. Household appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that the valve is a lip valve (44).

1 1. Household appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that the valve comprises a chamber (47) having an interior side opening (48) and a umgebungssei- term opening (49) and a buoyant body (50) in the chamber (47) The environment-side opening (49) closes when the chamber (47) contains no water, and buoyancy by water contained in the chamber (47), which continues to act on it from the environmental side opening (49).

12. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water drain line (4) is made at least in places from a germ-inhibiting material.

13. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water drain line through an opening (38) of the outer wall (39) is inserted, and in that the edge of the opening (38) engages in a circumferential groove of the water drain line (4).

14. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 13, characterized in that the edge of

Opening (38) between opposite flanks (41, 42) of the groove is held without play.

15. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the groove is bounded on one side by a rib (41) whose cross-section gradually narrows at its side facing away from the groove.

16. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 15, characterized in that the rib (41) is hollow.