EP2087303B1 - Cooling device for drinking water integrated into a refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a cooling device explained in the preamble of claim 1 Art.

Such a cooling device is from the DE 200 11 682 U1 known. The known cooling device is integrated in a conventional refrigerator and contains a tapping point on the outside of the refrigerator door, which is accessible from the outside. The tapping point is located above a depression, which is adjusted in height to the height of conventional drinking glasses. The tapping point is connected to a carbonator, which in turn is connected to either a cooled water storage tank or a local water supply network. The water supply can be passed on the cooling unit of the refrigerator. There are also provided on the outside of the refrigerator keys or other controls, with which a filling process is initiated. To prepare a serving of carbonated drinking water, the user places a jar in the tap recess and actuates the actuating means. In an arrangement outside the refrigerator, however, the tapping point is not cooled, so that can accumulate in case of insufficient cleaning germs, which can lead to a risk to the health of the user. In addition, only small amounts can be output with the known device, since for larger vessels for attaching the pin recess outside of the refrigerator wall is not enough space available without the insulation effect of the wall is too narrowed.

Although it is already out of the US 2,103,479 known to move a tapping point for drinking water in the interior of a refrigerator, which greatly reduces the problem of microbial contamination. There, however, the tapping must be initiated via an actuator, which is also located in the interior of the refrigerator. This means that the user is likely to leave the refrigerator door open during the entire filling process, which will reduce the cooling of both the tap and the tap other foodstuffs still in the refrigerator in an unacceptable manner.

The WO 2005 / 07323A discloses a cooling device according to the preamble of claim 1.

The invention is therefore based on the object, a cooling device of the type mentioned so that a contamination of the tap is largely avoided.

The object is solved by the features specified in claim 1.

The inventive arrangement of the tap inside an interior and the ability to automatically initiate the issue of drinking water, neither the cooling of the tap nor the cooling of the drinking water is interrupted in a way that can lead to bacterial contamination. In addition, the user is no longer tempted to have to supervise the progress of the filling process by visual inspection, which eliminates a motive to leave the refrigerator door open during the filling process.

Advantageous developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

Since the door always has to be opened for the removal and consumption of drinking water, it is particularly expedient to activate a filling process when closing the door, i. pretend or initiate. In this case, the output of the drinking water does not take place immediately when closing the door, it is, for example, by a suitable circuit, a time-delayed filling or automatic filling even after a release by the user conceivable.

Preferably, the tapping point is a fixed location, so that the user can be sure even without personal inspection that the vessel to be filled is located directly below the tapping point.

Preferably, the stand with the door is movable, so that the user, as he is used to this from household refrigerators, can park the containers to be filled directly into a door compartment.

The stand is preferably associated with a means for determining the Befüllzustandes, which may have either a means for determining the weight or a level sensor or similar elements. This prevents in a simple way that a filled or partially full vessel is refilled and that overflows drinking water.

The construction is simplified when the tapping point is outside the door, i. Do not have to move with the door.

The risk of contamination is further reduced if the tap is associated with a closure device for a vessel to be filled, wherein the closure device preferably closes the vessel automatically as soon as the vessel has been moved under the tap.

Another measure to prevent microbial contamination is to move the tapping point to a location as cool as possible inside the interior, which is usually the upper area of the interior.

It is particularly advantageous to guide the water line serving to supply the tapping point through a shock-cooling device which is able to noticeably cool the water even during the passage.

The spent drinking water is preferably mixed simultaneously with a gas, preferably carbon dioxide or oxygen. If this device is arranged in the interior, the mixing can be carried out with cooling, which leads to a very good absorption capacity of the water for the gas.

In order to prevent the vessel and tapping point from being separated during filling, it is expedient to use a device which prevents this. This can be, for example This can be done by locking the door as long as the filling process lasts. This can be further done by stopping the filling process as soon as the door is opened.

The stand for the vessel to be filled may be assigned to either a conventional refrigerator door or a revolving door located at any point in the wall. The latter has the advantage that when adjusting the vessel, the penetration of warm air is further reduced.

Preferably, the cooling device according to the invention is designed as a conventional household refrigerator, as it is used in private households, but also for restaurants or canteens.

Fig.1

eine schematische Teildarstellung eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels einer erfindungsgemäßen Kühleinrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine schematische Teildarstellung eines weiteren Ausführungsbeispiels einer erfindungsgemäßen Kühleinrichtung,

Fig. 3

den Schnitt III-III aus Fig. 2 in einer ersten Stellung, und

Fig. 4

den Schnitt III-III aus Fig. 2 in einer zweiten Stellung.

An embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. Show it:

Fig.1

FIG. 2 a schematic partial representation of a first exemplary embodiment of a cooling device according to the invention, FIG.

Fig. 2

a schematic partial view of another embodiment of a cooling device according to the invention,

Fig. 3

the section III-III Fig. 2 in a first position, and

Fig. 4

the section III-III Fig. 2 in a second position.

Fig. 1 shows in a schematic, partially sectioned partial representation of a cooling device 1 according to the invention, which is designed as a container, for example as a conventional refrigerator, and contains an enclosed by a wall 2 and a door 3 interior 4. The interior 4 may be provided with other, the storage of other food serving internals, but contains a total of 5 designated means for dispensing drinking water. In the simplest Case contains the device 5 only a tapping point 6, which is connected via a line 7 with a suitable water supply, in particular a water pipe network 8, but also a larger water tank or the like .. The connection is made detachable via a valve, for example a water tap 8a. Conveniently, a conveyor for the drinking water is still provided, which is formed in the simplest case by the line pressure of the water pipe network 8, but may also be a pump.

The tapping point 6 is arranged in the interior 4 and is located there preferably at or in the vicinity of a low-temperature point, i. a location within the interior 4, where normally the coldest zone is located. This is the case with normal cooling devices in the upper area.

The tapping point 6 is formed by an outlet opening 6a to be opened and closed in some way. For opening and closing the outlet opening 6a either a valve or another obturator can be used, but it is also possible to turn on and off the flow through the outlet opening 6a via the conveyor, ie in particular the pump.

If the cooling device 1 according to the invention is connected to the local water network 8, an adjustment device 9 should preferably be provided in the line 7, with which a substantially constant pressure is generated in the line 7. The device 9 may be, for example, a pressure reducing valve, a pump or the like. The device 9 also ensures that pressure fluctuations keep within predetermined limits. In line 7, a check valve 10 may further be provided, which prevents water that has already entered the line 7, is fed back into the water pipe network 8.

The line 7 leads through a shock-cooling device 11. The shock-cooling device 11 is preferably integrated in the wall 2 of the cooling device 1. The shock-cooling device 11 is provided with a cooling, which is provided in addition to the cooling unit, not shown, of the cooling device 1 for cooling the water and / or the interior 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the shock-cooling device includes 11 a helically extending portion 7a of the conduit 7 which leads through a cold storage 12. The cold accumulator 12 may be formed with any suitable material, but preferably includes a phase change material having a suitable phase change temperature, preferably at or a few degrees above 273K to prevent freezing of the water in the conduit 7, and fixed for a phase change. is designed to be liquid. A preferred phase change material are salts known for phase change properties, which should be selected so that the phase change temperature is 0 to 10 ° C, preferably 3 to 5 ° C. The shock-cooling device 11 further contains a heat-conducting material, which is preferably expanded graphite in plate or preferably granular form, which has been impregnated with the phase change material. The cold storage 12 is withdrawn by a suitable cooling unit, the absorbed heat again. A suitable cooling unit may be, for example, the existing for cooling the interior 4 absorber or compressor cooling unit or an additional cooling unit, which operates according to conventional cooling techniques and is preferably a Peltier element (not shown).

Instead of the helix, the line 7 may also be placed inside the shock-cooling device 11 in a spiral, loop or meander shape, these line patterns being preferred if at least one layer of the line region 7a is inserted between two layers of the plate-shaped cold storage material 12 and compressed therewith. The shock-cooling device 11 thereby forms a kind of refrigeration battery, which can be installed at a suitable location in the cooling device and can then be connected to the line 7 leading to the tapping point 6 as well as to the water line network 8.

Alternatively or additionally, a further shock-cooling device 11a may be provided, which is accommodated in the upper region of the inner space 4 and may likewise have the above-described cold accumulator 12, which is penetrated by another region 7b of the conduit 7 guided in a wedgelike manner.

At a distance vertically below the tapping point 6 is a footprint 13 for setting up a vessel 14, a bottle is shown provided. The floor space 13 For example, as shown in the figure, it may be the bottom of an internal compartment normally provided in the door of a household refrigerator. However, the base 13 may also be formed as a bottom of a receiving recess that holds the vessel 14 even with a movement of the door safely. However, the base 13 can also be provided on a not moving with the door 3 space.

The vessel 14 is preferably standardized, i. specially adapted to the means 5 for dispensing drinking water with regard to certain dimensions. On the one hand, these dimensions relate to the height of the vessel 14 and, on the other hand, may relate to its outer diameter in the area of the base 13, especially if the base 13 is formed as the bottom of a receiving depression, as shown in the figure.

The base 13 is arranged so that the vessel 14 with its filling opening 14a is located vertically below the tapping point 6 and in particular the outlet opening 6a when the door 3 is closed in the usual way.

The tapping point 6 may be associated with a sealing closure 15 with a downwardly facing sealing ring 15a. The closure 15 is arranged and its dimensions are matched to the dimensions of the vessel 14 and its filling opening 14 a, that the filling opening 14 a of the vessel 14 is pushed when closing the door 3 with slight pressure under the elastic sealing edge 15 a, so that a good seal is achieved as long as the vessel 14 is located on the base 13 below the tapping point 6.

The device 5 for dispensing drinking water further contains a controller 16. The controller 16 takes over the opening and closing of the tap 6 and includes a device 17 which determines whether the door 3 is closed. In the simplest case, the device 17 is a contact.

The vessel 14 is further associated with a device 18 for determining a filling state of the vessel 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the device 18 includes a commercially available pressure measuring foil or an electronic balance, which is connected to the controller 16 via the contact 17. However, the device 18 may also include a level sensor or the like.

The controller 16 may further include an operator 19 that is manually operable by the user. Via the operating device 19, the user can set, for example, that a filling process can be omitted or that a filling process should be started as soon as the door 3 is closed and this has been detected via the contact 17. Furthermore, the controller 16 asks the device 18 how much drinking water still fits into the vessel 14. If then the door is closed, a filling process is automatically started until the vessel 14 is refilled.

It may further be provided a device not shown, which prevents a filling operation is running when the door 3 is open. This can be done by a locking device that prevents the opening of the door 3, as long as the filling process is running. This can continue to happen by stopping the filling process as soon as the door 3 is opened.

The cooling device according to the invention can be used to provide pre-cooled and kept cool, pure drinking water, but is preferably used to provide with gas, especially with carbon dioxide and / or oxygenated drinking water. For this purpose, a mixing device 20 is provided for mixing the water with a gas. The mixing device 20 includes in the illustrated embodiment, not shown, in the shock cooling device 11 a integrated and connected to the line portion 7 b mixing unit. This has the advantage that thereby the mixing device 20 can be cooled, which improves the absorption capacity of the gas in the water. The mixing device 20 further contains a gas supply, which in the illustrated embodiment contains a gas cartridge or bottle 21, which is connectable via a self-coupling valve 22 with the mixing unit. The gas cylinder 21 may, as shown in the figure, also be accommodated in the interior 4, but may also be provided outside the cooling device or may also be accommodated in the cold storage 12.

Advantageously, the operating device 19 contains operating elements that allow the user to preselect the gas content of the drinking water. The operating device 19 is provided in the illustrated embodiment in the interior 4, but can also be moved to the outside of the cooling device.

In order to produce a strong flow counteracting the contamination, the pipe 7 preferably has a diameter between 3 to 11 mm, in particular 4 to 10 mm. This diameter, in conjunction with the remaining water pressure of a water supply network between 1.5 and 4.5 bar, ensures good flushing. When gas is mixed, the device 9 should provide only slightly fluctuating (± 0.5 bar) pressure to maintain a constant, predictable gas content.

Fig. 2 shows a further embodiment of a cooling device 31 according to the invention, which, like the cooling device 1 as a container, for example as a conventional refrigerator with a cooling unit 32, such as an absorber or a compressor-cooling unit is formed. The cooling device 31 corresponds in essential features of the cooling device 1, wherein the same or comparable features are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not explained again.

The cooling device 31 differs in the cooling area of the cooling device 1 on the one hand by a located in the interior 4 fine filter 33, which is not housed in the cold storage 12. In this way, the filter is easier to clean and easy to replace. In contrast, there is a mixing unit 34 for mixing gas, such as carbon dioxide or oxygen, embedded in the cold storage 12, directly above the bleed opening. 6

The bleed opening 6 of the cooling device 31 is not provided in the illustrated embodiment with the sealing device 15, although this is quite possible.

However, the cooling device 31 differs mainly from the cooling device 1 by the arrangement of a stand 35 for the vessel 14 to be filled in a kind of lock, preferably a revolving door 36, which is provided in an opening 37 in any wall of the cooling device 31, preferably in the door 38 of the refrigerator. The revolving door 36 includes a turntable 39, on which the standing surface 35 is formed, and a rotary flap 40, which is rotatably mounted about a preferably vertical axis 41 in the wall 38. The axis 41 is arranged in the illustrated embodiment in the vertical center line of the rotary valve 40. The revolving door 36 is between a filling position ( Fig. 3 ) and a removal position ( Fig. 4 ) rotatable. In the filling position, the turntable 39 is located on the standing surface 35 below the tap opening 6a vessel 14 in the interior 4 of the cooling device 31, while the flap 40 is aligned with the wall or the door 38 and the opening 37 closes.

In the removal position, the turntable 39 is located with the vessel 14 outside the interior 4 of the cooling device 31, while the flap 40 in turn closes the opening 37. The revolving door 36 can be used in the same way as this Fig. 1 described, be designed for automatic filling, wherein the automatic filling the controller, the contact, the means for determining the Befüllzustandes and optionally also contain the operating device or may be equipped with proximity sensors or the like.

In a modification of the described and illustrated embodiments, details of the figures can be interchanged. If necessary, the tapping point can be located inside the door. The shock-cooling device is not absolutely necessary where already sufficiently cooled drinking water is available for introduction into the tapping point, for example at a water storage tank arranged in the interior of the cooling device. The cooling device does not necessarily have to be designed as a household refrigerator and also suitable for other tasks, but instead can be designed as a separate drinking water dispenser.

Claims (12)

1. A cooling device with a wall, an interior accessible via a door and a device (5) containing a tap for dispensing of drinking water into a vessel, wherein the tap (6) is arranged in the interior (4) and the dispensing of drinking water can be initiated automatically, characterized in that the door is a revolving door (36), pivot-mounted in an opening (37) of a wall (38) of the cooling device (31).
2. The cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispensing of the drinking water can be initiated via an actuating device (19) which can be activated during the closing of the door (3, 36).
3. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that below the tap (6) a predetermined stand (13, 35) is provided for the vessel (14).
4. The cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that the stand (13, 35) is movable with the door (3, 36) and that it is located at a position which is below the tap (6) when the door (3, 36) is closed.
5. The cooling device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that a device (18) for determining the filling stated is associated to the stand (13, 35).
6. The cooling device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the tap (6) is located in the interior (4) outside of the door (3, 36).
7. The cooling device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the tap (6) is arranged in an upper portion of the cooling device (1, 31).
8. The cooling device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the device (5) for dispensing of drinking water comprises a gas-water mixer (20) which is arranged in the interior (4).
9. The cooling device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a device (17) is provided, which prevents the opening of the door (3, 36) during the filling operation.
10. The cooling device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the door is designed as a door (3) of a household refrigerator.
11. The cooling device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the revolving door (36) includes a flap (40) covering the opening (37).
12. The cooling device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by a configuration as a household refrigerator.

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