EP2807435A1

EP2807435A1 - Refrigeration device

Info

Publication number: EP2807435A1
Application number: EP13700091.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Adolf Feinauer; Stefan Holzer
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 2012-01-26
Filing date: 2013-01-09
Publication date: 2014-12-03
Also published as: CN104053961B; CN104053961A; DE102012201107A1; WO2013110499A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigeration device, in particular a domestic refrigeration device, comprising at least one refrigerated compartment (3) which is defined by walls (8, 15), said walls (8, 15) being provided with, at least locally, a heat-insulating coating (16) on the surface facing the compartment (3).

Description

The refrigerator

The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a household refrigeration appliance such as a refrigerator and / or freezer.

The housing of such a refrigeration device comprises a heat-insulating body in which one or more compartments for accommodating refrigerated goods are formed, and at least one flap or door which is hinged to the body to allow access to the compartment or the compartments.

Each time the flap or door is opened, warm ambient air gets into it

behind refrigerated compartment. As this ambient air cools in the compartment, moisture contained within it tends to condense on the walls of the compartment. Conventionally, the evaporator cooling the compartment formed by far the coldest surface, so that the condensation took place substantially at the evaporator. In this way, the registered when opening the door moisture was bound and kept away from refrigerated goods. In modern, high quality insulated refrigeration appliances is the

Temperature difference between the evaporator and other wall surfaces of the compartment only low, and there is a risk that moisture condenses on surfaces where it can come into contact with the refrigerated goods, or that the moisture is no longer effectively bonded to the evaporator and collects in other places in the refrigerator.

In US 2005 005 0925 A1 it has been proposed to prevent fogging of a transparent washing machine door by providing it with a hydrophilic surface layer. At this surface layer, moisture that condenses out can spread over a large area, instead of droplets that obstruct the viewing

contract. The condensation itself is not avoided by this hydrophilic coating, but rather favors. Such an approach is therefore not suitable for the condensation of humidity in a refrigerator

prevent unwanted spots. One known approach to condensation prevention is to heat a surface at high condensation above the dew point. It is obvious that a heat input associated with such a heating in a domestic refrigerator would cancel out the reduction in energy consumption achieved by improved insulation.

DE 10 2009 035 453 A1 proposes to provide a surface of a refrigerator with surface-modifying proteins and / or polymers intended to prevent or reduce the condensation and / or freezing and / or resublimation of moisture on the surface, but The term "preventing or reducing ice formation" is also understood to mean the case where an ice sheet is formed, but it does not firmly adhere to the surface and can be wiped off, a surface finish that merely adheres to a layer of ice, but not the same Preventing formation is useless in a refrigerator where the shelf temperature is above 0 ° C, since it can not prevent the formation of water droplets on the surface and concomitant moisture penetration of refrigerated goods satisfactory if an ice chute formed on a surface of the storage compartment Although not firmly adhering to this surface, but possibly on the lying on the surface of refrigerated goods, and thus the ice layer moistens the refrigerated goods when it is removed together with this from the freezer.

Object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration device in which the

Condensation at undesirable locations in a compartment can be prevented or at least reduced in a simple manner and without adverse effects on the energy consumption of the device.

The problem is solved by a refrigeration device, in particular a

Domestic refrigerating appliance, with at least one cooling compartment bounded by walls, the walls on a surface facing the compartment are at least locally provided with a heat-insulating coating. When moisture condenses on the coating, heat is released. As a result, if the coating is heated at least superficially to the dew point, the condensation stops and residual moisture must be deposited elsewhere. By the Coating at a point where condensation is to take place, such as one

Evaporator, absent, can be forced that the condensation takes place predominantly at this point, even if this is only slightly colder than other areas of the compartment. The inner container wall of a refrigeration device conventionally consists generally of a solid, relatively heat-conducting and thus condensation-endangered plastic layer as compared to a surrounding insulating layer. Such an inner container wall may therefore be expediently provided with the heat-insulating coating.

The coating does not have to contribute significantly to the overall isolation of the subject; For this purpose, preferably an insulating layer which surrounds the inner container; he should only slightly warmer than other wall surfaces of the compartment after the penetration of warm ambient air until the moisture of the ambient air is condensed on these other wall surfaces.

A sheath facing surface may also be part of a shelf. Especially at the top of a shelf

Condensing moisture is disturbing because it comes into direct contact with refrigerated goods placed on the shelf. Warm air coming in at the door opening

Refrigeration device has arrived, rises and therefore can accumulate on the underside of a shelf, so that there the tendency to condensation is particularly high. Although moisture condensed on the underside of the shelf does not usually come into direct contact with refrigerated goods, it can drip down onto underlying refrigerated goods. Therefore, the heat insulating coating may be useful both at the top and at the bottom of a shelf.

To be effective, the thermal conductivity of the coating should be less than that of the wall provided with the coating.

The coating may be formed as a self-adhesive film. Such a configuration is particularly useful when an existing conventional refrigeration device to be retrofitted according to the invention to prevent unwanted condensation.

In a refrigeration device manufactured according to the invention from the outset, the coating can also be formed as a lacquer layer.

A low thermal conductivity of the coating can be achieved by embedded in a carrier matrix hollow body.

The coating may also be a foam layer, which should have a waterproof surface to prevent condensation from accumulating in the pores of the foam layer and thus negate their insulating effect.

In particular, when the cover is mounted on a trained in a conventional manner as a glass plate shelf, it should be expediently transparent so as not to shade a compartment of the refrigerator relative to a mounted in another compartment interior lighting.

The thickness of the heat-insulating coating should preferably not 1 mm

exceed.

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. Therefore, the fact that several such features are mentioned in the same sentence or in a different type of textual context does not justify the conclusion that they can occur only in the specific combination disclosed;

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 section through an inventive

The refrigerator;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of Fig. 1; 3 shows a partial section through a shelf of the refrigerator of Fig. 1.

and

1 shows a schematic cross section through a combination refrigerator according to the present invention, with a heat-insulating body 1 and two hinged thereto, each a freezer compartment 2 and a normal refrigeration compartment 3 closing doors 4 and 5. Body 1 and doors 4, 5 are each constructed similarly in a conventional manner; a solid outer skin 6, e.g. made of sheet metal, and an inner wall 7 and an inner container 8, each deep drawn from plastic, are joined together at their edges to form a filled with heat-insulating foam 9 hollow body.

In the case of the Coldwall refrigerating appliance shown here by way of example, an evaporator 10 is located between the rear wall of the inner container 8 of the normal cooling compartment 3 and the surrounding

Inserted foam layer 9, so that the cooled from the evaporator 10 part of

Inner container rear wall forms the coldest surface of the normal cooling compartment 3.

Moisture that precipitates on this surface can be up to one

Collecting channel 1 1 down flow; from the lowest point of the collecting trough 1 1 leads out a passage 12 through the foam layer 9 through the outside, so that

Condensation over the passage 12 in a not shown here

Evaporation tray can drain.

The freezer compartment 2 has an evaporator 13 whose dimensions are larger in relation to those of the compartment than in an evaporator 10 of the normal refrigeration compartment 3. It fills the rear wall of the inner container 8 of the freezer compartment 2 and can, as shown, in a partition wall 14th between the compartments 2, 3 extend. The underside of the partition wall 14, because of their proximity to the freezer compartment 2 or its evaporator 13th easily form the coldest to the rear wall surface of the normal refrigeration compartment 3, and since after opening the door 5 in the normal cooling compartment 3 penetrated warm outside air tends to collect in the upper part of the normal refrigeration compartment 3, there is a risk that at the bottom of the Partition wall 14 condensation condenses and drips deposited on an underlying shelf 15 refrigerated goods, unless appropriate countermeasures are taken.

Fig. 2 shows this countermeasure based on an enlarged section through a part of the partition wall 14. About the wall of the inner container 8 extends the

Foam layer 9. On the underside of the inner wall, a heat-insulating coating 16 is attached. The cover 16 comprises a preferably closed-cell foam view 17, an adhesive layer 18, by means of which the foam layer 17 is fastened to the inner container wall, and a thin, water-impermeable skin 19 on the surface of the foam layer 17 facing the interior of the cooling compartment 3. The entire cover 16 is not stronger than the wall of the inner container 8 itself;

in particular, the waterproof skin 19 preferably has a thickness of at most a few tens of microns, so that when it comes in contact with moist air, the condensation of a minimum, insufficient for the formation of macroscopic drops amount of water is sufficient to the skin 19 on the dew point to warm and the

To bring condensation to a standstill. Air that can not condense its excess moisture on the ceiling of the normal refrigeration compartment 3 for this reason, continues to flow under the ceiling until it finally reaches the back wall, where the evaporator 10 allows condensation.

The coating 16 may be prefabricated in the form of a self-adhesive film which comprises the layers 17, 18 and 19 and, if appropriate, a release paper for protecting the adhesive layer 18, and may, if appropriate after removal of the release paper, be glued into a finished refrigerator. Of course, in such a refrigerator, the coating 16 does not

necessarily be mounted under the ceiling of the normal refrigeration compartment 3; Rather, it will be observed in such a refrigeration device at which points of the compartments 2, 3 undesirably condenses out moisture during operation, and specifically provided these surfaces with the coating 16. 3 shows a partial section through one of the shelves 15 of the normal cooling compartment 3. In a conventional manner, the shelf 15 comprises a plate 20, preferably made of safety glass, of the one or more edges to protect against impact damage and / or overload in profiles 21st are enclosed. The profiles 21 can be individually attached to the edges of the plate 20 or as a one-piece all around the plate 20 extending frame, in particular made of plastic, molded. The plate 20 is painted on the lower and / or upper side with a heat-insulating coating 16, the structure of which is shown in Fig. 4 in an enlarged section: in a consisting of transparent plastic matrix 22 of the paint layer are embedded in large numbers hollow body 23 whose Walls made of glass or also made of transparent plastic. Preferably, the hollow bodies 23 are spherical; the spherical shape gives the hollow bodies 23 a high mechanical stability even if their interior is substantially evacuated to improve the thermal insulation effect.

Again, the effect of the coating 16 based on the fact that an exposed surface 25 of the coating 16 is isolated by underlying cavities against a relatively good heat conducting carrier, here the plate 20, so that minimal condensation is sufficient to heat the surface 25 and the Stop condensation before they form macroscopic drops. Although here can also

Insulation effect of the coating 16 does not permanently prevent the surface 25 from cooling down again, but by delaying this cooling, the

Moisture-saturated air reach the rear wall of the standard cooling compartment 3 and condense out there, and the condensation water formed thereby can be removed from the cooling compartment 3. Even if the material of the matrix 22 and the edges of the hollow body 23 are each clear, the refraction of light occurring on the hollow bodies 23 causes the coating 16 to appear milky as a whole. However, the milky haze does not prevent light of an interior light 24, which is mounted on a side wall of the normal cooling compartment 3 at the level of a middle compartment between two shelves 15, from passing through the shelves 15 to an upper or lower compartment of the standard refrigerator compartment 3.

Claims

Refrigerating appliance, in particular household refrigerating appliance, with at least one refrigerated compartment (3) delimited by walls (8; 15), characterized in that the walls (8; 15) on a surface facing the compartment (3) at least locally with a heat-insulating coating (16 ) are provided.

Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat-insulating coating (16) on a wall of an inner container (8) is mounted.

Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat-insulating coating (16) on a shelf (15) is mounted.

Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal conductivity of the coating (16) is lower than that of a wall (8, 15) provided with the coating (16).

Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coating (16) is designed as a self-adhesive film.

Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coating (16) is a lacquer layer.

Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coating (16) in a carrier matrix (22) embedded hollow body (23).

Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coating (16) comprises a foam layer (17).

Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat-insulating coating (16) is transparent.

10. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thickness of the heat-insulating coating (16) is at most 1 mm.

1 1. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on one of the compartment (3) facing away from the surface of the walls (8) an insulating layer (9) is arranged, the heat transfer coefficient is lower than that of the coating.