EP2694894A1

EP2694894A1 - Combination refrigerator

Info

Publication number: EP2694894A1
Application number: EP12713054.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rainer Weser
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2011-04-05
Filing date: 2012-03-28
Publication date: 2014-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2032-03-28
Also published as: DE102011006807A1; CN103620326A; CN103620326B; WO2012136532A1; EP2694894B1

Abstract

A refrigerator, in particular a domestic refrigerator, has two storage chambers, which are designed for different operating temperatures, and an evaporator which is accommodated in a separating wall between the storage chambers. An outlet end of the evaporator is connected to the relatively cold storage chamber, and an inlet end of the evaporator is connected to the relatively warm storage chamber. The inlet end is separated from the relatively cold storage chamber, and an edge of the separating wall bounds a gap which connects the two storage chambers.

Description

Combination refrigeration device

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a domestic refrigeration appliance, with an upper and a lower storage chamber and accommodated in a partition between the storage chambers, both storage chambers cooling

Evaporator.

In a refrigerator known from DE 1 501 260 A of this type, inlet openings of an evaporator chamber accommodated in the dividing wall are formed on their front edge and outlet openings on a rear edge. Such a refrigerator tends to form a strong temperature stratification, especially in the upper

Storage chamber, as from the evaporator chamber in the upper storage chamber

blown cold air tends to remain in the lower area of the storage chamber, so that it is sucked up again soon.

From US 5,787,725 A, a refrigerator according to the preamble of claim 1 is known. The air circulation through the evaporator is here driven by a fan mounted in an upper rear corner of the freezer, which sucks air from the freezer and pushes it through the evaporator located in the partition below the freezer. The cooled air returns to the freezer compartment via an outlet opening at the front edge of the partition. In order to cool the cooling compartment arranged below the partition wall, a channel leading to the cooling compartment and closable by a flap is additionally provided on the rear wall of the freezing compartment. When the flap is open, part of the air drawn in by the fan from the freezer flows through the channel into the freezer compartment, and in turn, air from the freezer compartment enters

Passage of the partition and mixes with the air sucked from the freezer before passing through the evaporator. To completely replace the air in the cooling compartment, due to this mixing, the fan must circulate a much larger amount of air than the volume of the cooling compartment, so that a powerful fan is required. Due to the mixing of air from the refrigerating compartment and the freezer compartment at the inlet side of the evaporator, the temperature at the evaporator inlet is low even when air circulates through the refrigerating compartment, and accordingly the temperature of the refrigerant when it is the evaporator is low leaves. Both the required high performance of the fan and the low

Outlet temperature of the refrigerant on the evaporator affect the efficiency of the device. The object of the invention is to improve the efficiency of the refrigerating appliance according to the preamble.

The object is achieved by the inlet side is separated from the colder storage chamber, and limited at the edge of the partition, a gap connecting the two storage chambers. Thus, by allowing the evaporator chamber to take in air only from the warmer chamber and deliver it to the colder one, a high temperature gradient across the evaporator is ensured so that the refrigerant in the evaporator can reach a relatively high temperature. Since the circulating air can not bypass the heat chamber, a low air flow through the evaporator is sufficient to ensure sufficient cooling of the warmer storage chamber.

In order to avoid a temperature stratification in the warmer chamber, if this is arranged above the colder, the inlet side of the evaporator with a

Be connected intake passage, which has an inlet opening in an upper region of the warmer storage chamber.

In order to use the evaporator as evenly as possible over its entire cross-sectional area, the intake duct should have the same width as the evaporator, at least in a lower area.

A centrifugal fan can save space in height of the partition between a

Outlet side of the evaporator and one of the outlet side opposite

Be arranged outside wall of the refrigerator. By attaching the fan in the amount of the partition is not lost or at best to a small extent usable depth of the storage chambers.

The axis of the centrifugal fan is preferably perpendicular to the outer wall to suck in the axial direction of the intermediate wall air and parallel to the outer wall, about to blow into a along a wall of the colder chamber extending manifold.

Preferably, the distribution channel and the intake channel are arranged on the same outer wall of the refrigeration device. Preferably, an airway runs in the partition wall

hairpin-shaped, wherein an adjoining the intake duct upstream branch of the air passage from one of the outer wall facing edge of the partition to the opposite edge and a downstream branch extends in the opposite direction to the distribution channel. Preferably, the airway extends at least in

Essentially across the width of the partition.

The said outer wall opposite edge of the partition can in

space-saving way also be the edge bordering the gap. Preferably, between the downstream branch and the upstream branch, there is provided a heat-insulating partition having an air passage for connecting the two branches provided with a gap-facing side of the partition wall.

In order to improve the carrying capacity of the intermediate wall, one of the two branches, which does not contain the evaporator, may be stiffened by ribs. These are lost

preferably longitudinally so as not to allow air circulation in the branch

affect.

The evaporator is preferably housed in the lower branch. One reason for this may be that, when no air is circulating in the dividing wall with the fan stopped, the upstream branch of the air path isolates the evaporator from the overlying warmer storage chamber.

Preferably, a heat-insulating partition wall is provided between the downstream branch and the colder chamber.

Further, it is particularly possible if the evaporator is housed in the lower branch, space-saving possible, the branch containing the evaporator to the outer wall make downhill, so that from the evaporator effluent condensate can be brought to the outer wall and discharged via this.

If the branch containing the evaporator is sloping as described, a light for the lower of the two storage chambers can be arranged in a space-saving manner under a region of the evaporator remote from the outer wall.

Further, when the fan is located at the level of the bulkhead, it is desirable for one of the branches to diverge vertically toward the outside wall to provide a streamlined transition to the fan.

The evaporator may extend substantially over the entire depth of the dividing wall, but should not have a small height to unnecessarily restrict the volume of the storage chamber. Therefore, a refrigerant line of the evaporator is preferably guided in one layer.

Preferably, an illumination (42) for the lower (5) of the two bearing chambers is arranged under a region of the evaporator (16) remote from the outer wall (7). Preferably, the two storage chambers have a common inner container, in which the partition wall is inserted. This facilitates the assembly of the device, since the evaporator, instead of having to be inserted into a narrow gap between the storage chambers, mounted freely between the storage chambers and then with the

Partition can be clad or pre-assembled with the partition to form an assembly, which is then mounted between the storage chambers.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. From this description and the figures are also features of the

Embodiments, which are not mentioned in the claims. Such features may also occur in combinations other than those specifically disclosed herein. The fact that several such features are mentioned in the same sentence or in a different type of textual context therefore does not justify that Conclusion that they can occur only in the specifically disclosed combination;

instead, it must be assumed that, of several such characteristics, it is also possible to omit or modify individual ones, provided that this is the case

Functionality of the invention is not in question. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a schematic vertical section through an inventive

Combination refrigeration device;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the refrigerator along the level II-II

Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a radial fan in a partially sectioned perspective

View;

4 shows a perspective, partially sectioned view of part of a body of the refrigerator according to the invention according to a first embodiment; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 according to a second embodiment of the

Invention.

Fig. 1 shows a vertical section in the depth direction through the housing of a combination refrigerator according to the invention. The housing includes an in

Substantially cuboidal body 1 and a hinged to the front of the body 1 door 2, which delimit an interior, which is divided by a horizontal partition 3 into two storage chambers, a normal refrigeration compartment 4 above the partition wall 3 and a cold storage compartment 5 below the partition wall 3 Body 1 comprises in known manner a deep-drawn plastic inner container, a solid outer skin, which may be composed of plates of different materials, as well as a filling the space between the inner container and outer skin

Insulation material layer. The partition 3 is at levels 6 of the side walls of the

Supported inner container.

A parallel to a rear wall 7 of the body 1 extending wall plate 8 divides from the normal refrigeration compartment 4 from an intake passage 9, which extends from an inlet opening 10 in the vicinity of the ceiling 1 1 of the body 1 extends to the level of the partition wall 3 and covers the rear wall 7 over its entire width. At the lower end of the intake passage 9, a first branch 12 of a hairpin extending through the partition wall 3 connects to the air. This first branch 12 is after by a loadable with refrigerated goods

Base plate 13 delimited from the normal refrigeration compartment 4. The bottom plate 13 may e.g. Made of glass, which releases the view into the branch 12, from a solid opaque

Plastic or metal. The first branch 12 extends horizontally forward into the immediate vicinity of a front edge 14 of the partition wall 3 and there goes over into a second branch 15, which slopes slightly towards the rear wall 7. A front region of constant height of the branch 15 is completely filled by a vane evaporator 16.

In a subsequent to the fin evaporator 16 section 17 of the branch 15 whose height increases with increasing approach to a suction port of a mounted on the rear wall 7 centrifugal fan 18 continuously to allow a laminar, low-loss flow of air from the evaporator 16 to the fan 18.

In the perspective view of FIG. 3, a rotor 19 of the centrifugal fan 18 is shown in half to show the hidden behind a hat-shaped bottom plate 20 of the rotor 19, fixed to the rear wall 7 motor 21 can. In an edge region of the bottom plate 20 radially and axially aligned air blades 22 are attached. The edges of the air blades 22 which are remote from the base plate 20 may be connected to one another by a ring 23 parallel to the base plate 20. Radial inner edges of the air blades 22 and, in the case shown here, an opening 24 of the ring 23 forms the suction opening, via which the fan, when the rotor 19 is in motion, sucks air from the section 17 and in the radial direction, parallel to Rear wall 7, again ejects. The diameter of the suction opening corresponds to the maximum height of the portion 17, which reaches this at its rear end. The outer diameter 19 of the rotor is slightly smaller than the thickness of the partition wall 3 at its rear edge, so that it finds room between the partition wall 3 and the rear wall 7, without appreciably intervene in the upper branch 12 and the intake passage 9 and without far about the

Bottom of the partition wall 3 to stand down. Fig. 2 shows a section through the body 1 and the partition wall 3 along a through the lower branch 15 extending, in Fig. 1 with II-II designated cutting plane. A wall plate 29 closes in the lateral direction on both sides of the suction port 24 of the centrifugal fan 18, to prevent the ejected from the centrifugal fan 18 air is sucked again. The evaporator 16 is fixed between two flanks 26 of the dividing wall 3 filled with insulating foam, pipe bends of the refrigerant line 25 each engaging in a groove of the two flanks 26. The refrigerant circulates in the line 25 in opposite directions to the air flow, ie an injection point 27 is located on the rear wall 7 facing the end of

Refrigerant line 25, and a suction port 28 at the front edge 14. The width of the portion 17 is here in the depth direction constant to the wall plate 29 behind the radial fan 18 is located. However, the edges 26 could also, as indicated by dashed lines, converge at the level of the portion 17 to the opening 24 of the centrifugal fan 18 out.

The wall plate 29 and the rear wall 7 delimit a fan chamber 30, which merges downwardly into a distribution channel 31 running along the rear wall 7 (see Fig. 1). Several passage openings 32 open from the distribution channel 31 into the cold storage compartment 5. These passage openings 32 are expediently arranged in each case between two pull-out boxes 33 of the cold storage compartment 5, in order to produce an airflow directed towards the door 2 between the pull-out boxes 33. On the inside of the door 2, the air rises and reaches through a gap 34 between the front edge 14 of the partition wall 3 and the door 2, the normal refrigeration compartment 4. Thus, when

Cooling requirement in the cold storage compartment 5 has been detected and therefore the evaporator 16 and the fan 18 are in operation, both the cold storage compartment 5 cooled and the normal refrigeration compartment 4 gradually flooded from below with cold air from the cold storage compartment 5. A cooling of the cold storage compartment 5 alone is not possible, but can be ensured by appropriate dimensioning of the insulation of the normal refrigeration compartment 4 and cold storage compartment 5 that cooling demand in the cold storage compartment 5 less often than in

Normal cooling compartment 4 occurs and it consequently not to a hypothermia of the

Normal refrigerator compartment 4 is coming. If the standard refrigerator 4 has cooling needs, the

Cold storage compartment 5 but not, it is sufficient to turn on the fan 18 to move cold air from the cold storage compartment 5 in the normal refrigeration compartment 4. Fig. 4 shows a perspective partially cutaway view of a piece of the body 1 and the partition wall 3. The bottom plate 13 of the partition wall 3 is omitted in this view, in the depth direction of the body 1 oriented, the bottom plate 13 supporting ribs 35 in the first branch 12 of the airway to show the partition 3 can. The bottom of the second branch 15 is sloping down to one

Condensation channel 36 immediately in front of the wall plate 29. In this channel 36 condensate collects during defrosting of the evaporator 16 and passes through a channel, not shown in the rear wall 7 to a evaporator, in a

Engine room niche 37 is housed at the foot of the rear wall 7 in thermal contact with a compressor.

The sloping course and the underside of the partition wall 3 can be used to adjacent to the front edge 14, a light 42 for illuminating the

Mount cold storage compartment 5, without thereby appreciably restrict the usable volume of the pull-out boxes 33.

Both the intake passage 9 and the air passage 12, 15 in the partition wall 3 and the distribution channel 31 extend in this embodiment over the entire width of the compartments 4, 5, to both a uniform flow through the evaporator 16 over its entire width and one over the width to ensure even distribution of cold air in the compartment 5.

Fig. 5 showed an alternative embodiment of the refrigerator, with parts of these

Embodiment, which correspond to parts already explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be explained again.

According to this embodiment, the intake passage 9 is restricted to a part of the rear wall 7, and a distribution passage 38 having a plurality of passage openings 39 arranged at different heights fills the part of the rear wall 7 which is not occupied by the intake passage 9. In the fan chamber 30 is adjacent to the (not visible in the figure) fan 18 below the distribution channel 38 a similar rocker about a horizontal axis 40 pivotally flap 41 housed. Fig. 5 shows the flap 41 in a position in which it the passage to the distribution channel 31 of the

Cold storage compartment 5 blocks and so at least part of the fan 18th blown air supplied to the distribution channel 38 to allow direct cooling of the normal refrigeration compartment 4. In a pivoted about the axis 40 in the clockwise position of the flap 41 whose upper edge abuts the wall plate 29 and thus blocks access to the distribution channel 38. In this position, the flap 41, the entire expelled air from the fan 18 passes into the distribution channel 31 of Cold storage compartment 5.

In order to ensure a uniform distribution of the incoming air over the width of the evaporator 16 in this embodiment, the ribs 25 are arranged fan-shaped in the upper branch 12 of the air path of the partition wall 3, and the branch 12 widens from back to front.

Claims

Refrigerating appliance, in particular household refrigerating appliance, with two storage chambers (4, 5) designed for different operating temperatures and one evaporator (16) accommodated in a dividing wall (3) between the storage chambers (4, 5), one outlet side of the evaporator (16) with the colder one Storage chamber (5) and an inlet side of the evaporator (16) with the warmer storage chamber (4) is connected, characterized in that the inlet side of the colder storage chamber (5) is separated and an edge (14) of the partition (3) one Limited gap (34) connecting two storage chambers (4; 5).

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the warmer

Bearing chamber (4) above the colder (5) is arranged and the inlet side of the evaporator (16) with an intake passage (9) is connected, which

Inlet opening (10) in an upper region of the warmer storage chamber (4).

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the suction channel (9) has at least in a lower region the same width as the evaporator (16).

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that a

Radial fan (18) in height of the partition wall (3) between the outlet side of the evaporator (16) and an outlet side opposite outer wall (7) of the refrigeration device is arranged.

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 4, characterized in that the axis of the radial fan (16) is perpendicular to the outer wall (7).

6. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a with the outlet side of the evaporator (16) connected to the distribution channel (31) extends along a wall (7) of the colder chamber (5).

7. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the intake duct (9) and the distribution channel (31) are arranged on the same outer wall (7) of the refrigerating appliance.

8. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that an air path (12, 15) in the partition wall (3) hairpin-shaped with one of the outer wall (7) facing edge to the opposite edge (14) extending upstream branch ( 12) and a downstream direction extending branch (15) is formed.

9. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that the air path (12, 15) extends at least substantially over the width of the partition wall.

10. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that between the upstream branch (12) and the downstream branch (15) has a heat-insulating intermediate wall with an air passage at the outer wall (7) opposite end of the partition (3) for connecting the Branches is provided.

11. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that between the downstream branch (15) and the colder chamber (5), a heat-insulating partition wall is provided.

12. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 1 1, characterized in that the outer wall (7) opposite edge (14) bounds the two chambers (4; 5) connecting gap (34).

13. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that one of the branches (12) which does not contain the evaporator (16) through

Longitudinally extending ribs (35) is stiffened.

14. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the evaporator (16) is housed in the lower branch (15). Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that the evaporator (16) containing branch (15) to the outer wall (7) is downhill.

Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that one (15) of the branches (12, 15) to the outer wall (7) diverges in the vertical direction.

Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a refrigerant line (25) of the evaporator (16) is guided in one layer.

Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the dividing wall (3) is inserted in a common inner container of the storage chambers (4, 5).