EP3108190B1 - Cooling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooling device, in particular a freezer, with a cooling circuit, the cooling circuit having a compressor, at least one evaporator and a condenser, and a closable cooling space with a plurality of cooling space side walls, a cooling space floor, at least one cooling element and an insulating container, wherein the evaporator and the cooling element are arranged within the cooling space in such a way that a first side of the cooling element at least partially abuts the evaporator and a second side of the cooling element faces the insulating container, and the insulating container is closed at least towards the at least one cooling element and forms a cooling goods space ,

Such cooling devices are usually used in remote areas, particularly in developing countries, in which a stable and safe and continuous energy supply, for example via a power grid, cannot be guaranteed. Nonetheless, especially in these areas, in which extreme climatic conditions also predominate, an uninterrupted cold chain for food and in particular medical products, such as vaccines or blood supplies, is essential. In particular, the handling and storage of the latter products within the framework of the manufacturer's requirements to maintain the usability and effectiveness of the products is often difficult, which is one of the reasons for the extremely poor living conditions of the people living there and, among other things, contributes significantly to high death rates.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has therefore drawn up a catalog with minimum criteria that must be met by the refrigeration equipment used for the transport and storage of medical products. Isolation boxes with ice packs or freeze packs, in particular, have been established for transport over short distances, by means of which the necessary cooling of the stored substances can be ensured, at least during short-term transport. There are stricter requirements for the storage of medical products. The cooling temperature, in particular for various vaccines, must not be more than plus 8 degrees Celsius and not less than plus 2 degrees Celsius. Adequate cooling of at least three days must also be ensured in the event of a power failure. Electrical cooling devices with or without cooling elements or battery-operated cooling elements are therefore particularly suitable. It turned out to be practicable to generate the energy required for operation photovoltaically, since the solar radiation in most developing countries is sufficiently high throughout the year.

The failure of the energy supply, as occurs regularly in a photovoltaic cooling device during the sun-free period (e.g. at night or in clouds), but also the requirement to be able to transport medical products over country in cool boxes makes it necessary, for example, to produce ice, with which the refrigerated goods can be cooled during the energy-free period or during transport. In order to be able to freeze water effectively, for example, a temperature is required which is clearly below 0 degrees Celsius in order to ensure sufficient subcooling of the water and thus rapid ice formation. Temperatures of less than -6 ° Celsius have proven to be particularly effective. However, since this is clearly below the minimum value of + 2 ° Celsius for the storage of medical products required by the WHO, the cooling devices known in the prior art have, in addition to a cooling room for the products to be stored, a freezer room for producing the ice packs or freeze packs , The cooling room and the freezer room are cooled by separate cooling circuits. The cold room or other cold rooms serve to store the medical products and the freezer room to generate sufficient ice to bridge the lack of energy.

So-called SDD cooling devices (solar direct drives) are known, for example, in which auxiliary batteries supply the cooling devices with energy as a buffer at night and during sunless days. The energy is usually used to operate an internal fan, which brings "cold" from an ice store into the refrigerated goods space during the de-energized period, or to operate a heater that prevents the temperature from falling below the minimum temperature.

These systems have proven to be extremely practical in long-term field tests. However, the storage capacity for medical products is correspondingly limited in these systems by the additional freezer space required for producing the ice packs or freeze packs. In addition, it has proven to be problematic that the auxiliary batteries for the energy supply have a limited lifespan and that the renewal causes high costs and logistical effort. In addition, improper disposal of used batteries causes environmental problems. Furthermore, a large number of additional components, for example fans and control components, are necessary whose supply of spare parts or maintenance entails problems due to the remote location in which these products are used. Furthermore, the additional components increase the dimensions of the cooling device, the weight and the energy requirement of the cooling device.

The publication WO 2013/091913 A1 describes a cooling device. The cooling device comprises at least one cooling circuit, the cooling circuit having a compressor, an evaporator and a condenser, and a closable cooling space with a plurality of cooling space side walls, a cooling space floor and a cooling space, and at least one cooling element. The evaporator and the cooling element are arranged within the cooling space in such a way that the back of the cooling element lies against the evaporator and the front faces the cooling goods space.

The publication US 2013/0340467 A1 describes a passive cool box. Inner side walls of the cool box include receiving areas which are provided for receiving cold packs.

The publication GB 2 383 403 A describes an insulated box. A heating panel, which is connected to a control circuit, is arranged on an inner side wall of the insulating box.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to show a cooling device which has an expanded storage capacity combined with a compact, reliable and simple construction and can at the same time meet the criteria and objectives described above.

The problem is solved with a cooling device according to claim 1. Advantageous further developments are described in the subclaims.

The cooling device according to the invention is distinguished from the cooling devices known from the prior art in that the first side of the cooling element, which bears against the at least one evaporator, has at least one recess into which at least one removable cold store can be inserted, and furthermore that the insulating container is preferably in the Region of its downward-facing end has at least one heating element and at least one storage element. Suitable cooling elements and / or removable cold stores are those elements which, once cooled, can absorb a large amount of energy without significantly increasing one's own temperature. The design of the cooling element described has the advantage that the removable cold stores necessary for the transport of medical products are cooled and then stored within the cooling space until the contents freeze, in which the cooling elements are also cooled, which in the event of a power supply failure, the refrigerated goods space cool inside the cooling device and the products stored in it. Since the at least one recess into which the at least one removable cold storage device can be inserted is arranged on the first side of the cooling element that is adjacent to the at least one evaporator, the at least one removable cold storage device can also lie directly over the extensive area of the at least one evaporator, thereby ensuring a good energy flow of the at least one removable cold store on the at least one evaporator. This ensures that the ingredient freezes quickly and the at least one removable cold storage unit can be removed and used at short notice. Another important advantage of the claimed cooling device is that the refrigerated goods space can be uniformly temperature-controlled with the at least one heating element and the at least one storage element, which is preferably provided in the region of the downward-facing end of the insulating container, since the heat generated there from bottom to top in the refrigerated goods space can rise. In this way it can be ensured that a temperature in the required range of preferably + 2 ° to + 8 ° Celsius is always present in the interior of the refrigerated goods space, in particular when the content of the at least one cold store is frozen and an additional cold flow is applied to the Refrigerated goods exercise. The cooling device according to the invention thus creates a compact and simple construction with an expanded storage capacity and small dimensions, which with a single cooling circuit both freezes and stores the removable cold stores but also stores sensitive refrigerated goods, for example vaccines, within the required temperature limits in the refrigerated goods room guaranteed. Since, in addition, the at least one storage element, in particular, avoids excessive cooling of the refrigerated goods space during the no-energy period, auxiliary batteries for operating a heater can also be dispensed with. This in turn increases the operational safety of the cooling device and solves the disposal problem of the auxiliary batteries.

In an advantageous development of the cooling device, the area inside the cooling space and outside the cooling goods space forms a freezing zone and the cooling goods room forms a cooling zone in which a cooling goods to be cooled can be stored. The insulating container and the at least one heating element and / or the at least one storage element protect it from excessive cooling. A freezer zone is understood to mean an area in which the temperature is clearly below the freezing point as long as the cooling device is supplied with energy. The cooling zone, on the other hand, corresponds to the refrigerated goods space in which there is an optimum temperature required for storing the refrigerated goods within the cooling device. The design of the cooling room as a freezer zone, on the other hand, has the advantage that the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device arranged there on the evaporator can be cooled very strongly and directly as long as energy is available for the cooling device. Subsequently, during the energy-free period, the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device can cool the refrigerated goods space the longer, the more the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device has previously been cooled. The temperature in the refrigerated goods space can advantageously be controlled by a cooperation of at least the insulating container and the at least one heating element and / or the at least one storage element, preferably in the range of a defined minimum temperature.

In an advantageous development, the at least one heating element can preferably be operated electrically and can have a regulation. This ensures that the required minimum temperature in the refrigerated goods room is not exceeded. Since the operation of a cooling device according to the invention takes place above all in developing countries, an electrically operated heating element is appropriate, since the heating element and the cooling device can also be operated there as an alternative to mains electricity by means of alternative energy sources, for example photovoltaic or with wind power.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if the at least one storage element is preferably designed as a latent heat store, which is designed such that it releases the stored thermal energy into the refrigerated goods space when the required minimum temperature is undershot. This ensures that the required minimum temperature in the refrigerated goods room is not exceeded becomes. The latent heat store according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that it is filled with a phase change material which changes from a liquid to a crystalline state at a material-specific temperature and thereby releases heat of crystallization. By a suitable choice of the phase change material, the latent heat storage device can be designed in such a way that the phase change material in it crystallizes when the temperature falls below the required minimum temperature and thereby releases heat of crystallization into the refrigerated goods room. Since the crystallization of the phase change material is only temperature-dependent, the at least one storage element can prevent the temperature from falling below the required minimum temperature even during an energy-free period. Another advantage of using a latent heat store is that the crystallization of the phase change material is reversible. This means that by adding energy, the crystals formed during cooling can be dissolved and the latent heat storage device can be returned to its original state. In the cooling device according to the invention, the latent heat accumulator can be charged by the at least one heating element, preferably arranged below the at least one latent heat accumulator. Since the temperature of the latent heat store does not increase significantly during the melting of the phase change material, the use of a latent heat store also avoids excessive heat input into the refrigerated goods space during operation of the at least one heating element.

For the operation of the cooling device, it is advantageous that the refrigerated goods are stored in the refrigerated goods room in a storage device, preferably in the form of a mesh basket. The storage device prevents direct contact of the refrigerated goods with the insulating container and with the at least one heating element and the at least one storage element. In addition, the removal of the refrigerated goods is made easier. Since the insulated container separates the cooling zone from the freezer zone, temperatures in the refrigerated goods space on the surface of the insulated container can be locally below the required minimum temperature due to the energy flow through the insulated container. The use of the storage device, preferably in the form of a grid basket for storing the goods to be cooled, prevents direct contact of the goods to be cooled with the insulating container and the associated drop below the required minimum temperature in the goods to be cooled. Contact of the goods to be cooled with the at least one heating element and at least one storage element is also effectively avoided, since local heating of the at least one heating element and at least one storage element can lead to the goods to be heated up too much on contact. In this respect, the use of the storage device for storing the refrigerated goods in the refrigerated goods room supports a uniform temperature control of the refrigerated goods.

In a further development of the cooling device according to the invention, the items to be cooled are expediently formed by at least one heating element and / or the at least one storage element Spacer grids that can be used within the refrigerated goods room are stored at a distance. Such an arrangement ensures that the refrigerated goods have no direct contact with the at least one heating element and / or with the at least one storage element. This not only avoids local overheating of the refrigerated goods, but also achieves an even distribution of heat in the refrigerated goods room if it is cooled too much by the freezer zone. Furthermore, the provision of a spacer grid according to the invention prevents the unauthorized removal of the at least one heating element and / or the at least one storage element. This avoids incorrect operation, for example confusing the at least one heating element and / or the at least one storage element with a removable cold storage device and consequently prevents the temperature in the refrigerated goods room from falling below the required minimum temperature.

Furthermore, it has proven to be expedient that the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device can be filled with a substance, preferably a liquid such as water or a eutectic medium. These easily controllable media allow safe and easy handling and ensure the desired function even in remote areas and adverse conditions. In a further development, the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device can be designed to be emptied and refillable via a reclosable opening. For this purpose, the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device is preferably designed as a hollow body. Because the opening can be resealed, it is therefore not necessary to fill the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold store at the factory. This can be done at any time on site, for example with water. In this way, the transport weight of the cooling device can advantageously be considerably reduced during transport to the place of use of the cooling device. The use of water as a cooling liquid also has the advantage that water is usually also available in remote areas in developing countries. In addition, water has good cold storage properties, in particular because the specific melting enthalpy of water is a multiple of the specific heat capacity and can therefore cool the refrigerated goods inside the cooling device for a long time through its melting, even if no energy is available to operate the cooling device Available. Furthermore, by adding salts to the water, a eutectic medium can be produced which has a significantly lower freezing point than pure water. This is of particular interest if the desired minimum temperature in the refrigerated goods room is to be below zero degrees Celsius.

According to an advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention, the volume of the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold accumulator selected in such a way that after filling the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold store with the predefined amount of the substance, a dead volume serving as an expansion space for the freezing substance necessarily results. Furthermore, it can be advantageous for the filling of the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device if the reclosable opening is arranged vertically on the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold storage device in such a way that the required inevitable when filling Dead volume results. This serves as an expansion space for the freezing water or eutectic medium and effectively prevents overfilling. This avoids deformation of the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold store when the water or the eutectic medium freezes, and thus a deterioration in the heat conduction to the evaporator of the cooling device.

It can be advantageous if the at least one removable cold store with a cold store holder can be inserted into and removed from the at least one recess of the at least one cooling element. The use of a cold storage holder makes it easier to remove and reinsert the at least one removable cold storage, since in the frozen state it can often be surrounded by a fine layer of ice, which makes its surface particularly smooth and slippery and thus makes manipulation by the user more difficult.

An advantageous development of the cooling device is characterized in that the cold storage holder is designed as an elastic spring element in such a way that the cold storage holder rests at least partially, preferably over the entire surface, elastically resiliently against a first side of the at least one removable cold storage device against the at least one evaporator , This arrangement ensures the largest possible contact area between the at least one removable cold storage device and the evaporator. As a result, the cooling of the at least one removable cold store is improved by the at least one evaporator.

In an advantageous development of the cooling device, the cold storage holder can have a holding section at its upper end, at which the cold storage holder can be manipulated or gripped by the user of the cooling device in order to insert the at least one removable cold storage device into the at least one recess or from this. The holding section at the upper end of the cold storage holder facilitates the removal of the at least one removable cold storage device if it is introduced together with the cold storage device holder in the at least one recess of the at least one cooling element.

In an advantageous development of the cooling device, the at least one cooling element can have at least one recess on its upper edge and / or lower edge for receiving at least one holding means. The holding means is preferably designed as an elastic spring element such that the holding means rests the first side of the at least one cooling element resiliently against the at least one evaporator, at least partially, preferably over the entire surface. The elastically resilient attachment of the at least one cooling element to the evaporator effectively prevents deformation of the evaporator when the at least one cooling element freezes. At the same time, a direct and continuous contact with the evaporator is ensured by the spring force during the subsequent thawing. Accordingly, the cooling of the at least one cooling element is improved by the at least one evaporator.

It is expedient that the at least one recess for receiving the at least one cooling element has inclined side surfaces and an inclined bottom surface. Condensed water that may occur thus flows safely to the lowest point of the at least one recess and cannot accumulate in the at least one recess. The inclined side surfaces and the inclined bottom surface ensure that, when the cooling device is operated with numerous frost and thaw cycles, no moisture from the air can collect on the cold surfaces of the at least one cooling element and / or the at least one removable cold store in the form of condensed water. Rather, it can flow downwards in a controlled manner. The targeted and controlled drainage of the condensed water can effectively prevent the at least one removable cold store from freezing in the at least one recess.

The first side of the cooling element expediently has at least one preferably vertically arranged grooves through which the condensation water occurring in the at least one recess can preferably flow downward. The inclined side surfaces and the inclined bottom surface incline towards the groove to ensure a complete drainage of the condensed water. During operation of the cooling device with numerous frost and thaw cycles, this effectively prevents the condensation water from accumulating at the lower end of the at least one recess and freezing of the at least one removable cold store.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention, the at least one cooling element can preferably be secured by means of a cover frame which can be attached to the upper edge of the cooling space. The cover frame has at least one opening for access on and the removal of the at least one removable cold storage. In addition, the cover frame also connects to the insulated container, so that heat transfer from the cooling zone to the freezer zone is avoided.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Kühlvorrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Kühlvorrichtung mit Kühlgut,

Fig. 3

eine Explosionszeichnung der erfindungsgemäßen Kühlvorrichtung,

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Frontansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Kühlelementes sowie eines entnehmbaren Kältespeichers und eines Kältespeicher-Halters,

Fig. 5

eine perspektivische Rückansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Kühlelementes sowie eines entnehmbaren Kältespeichers und eines Kältespeicher-Halters,

Fig. 6

eine perspektivische Detailansicht des erfindungsgemäßen Isolierbehälters mit Heizelement und Speicherelementen und

Fig. 7

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen entnehmbaren Kältespeichers zei-gen.

An advantageous embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention is described with reference to the following figures, wherein

Fig. 1

2 shows a perspective view of a cooling device according to the invention,

Fig. 2

2 shows a perspective view of a cooling device according to the invention with items to be cooled,

Fig. 3

an exploded view of the cooling device according to the invention,

Fig. 4

2 shows a perspective front view of a cooling element according to the invention and of a removable cold storage device and a cold storage device holder,

Fig. 5

3 shows a perspective rear view of a cooling element according to the invention and of a removable cold storage device and a cold storage device holder,

Fig. 6

a detailed perspective view of the insulating container according to the invention with heating element and storage elements and

Fig. 7

show a perspective view of a removable cold storage device according to the invention.

In the Figure 1 Obvious cooling device 1 according to the invention is in the form of a freezer 2. However, other forms of the cooling device are also conceivable, for example as a refrigerator. The freezer 2 is composed of a freezer body 45 which is closed by a lid 41 and can be closed with this. Inside the freezer 2 there is a cooling space 6. Furthermore, the freezer 2 has an insulating container 10 arranged in the inside of the cooling space 6, which isolates the refrigerated goods space 13 from the cooling space 6. The area between the insulating container 10 and the cooling space 6 is closed off at the upper edge of the cooling space 33 by a cover frame 34. The cover frame 34 also has a plurality of openings 35 through which a removable cold accumulator 15 located therein can be removed with the aid of a cold accumulator holder 27. In a departure from the illustrated embodiment, the cooling device 1 can also have more or fewer openings 35 and removable ones Have cold storage 15, the cover frame 34 then having the number of removable cold storage 15 corresponding number of openings 35.

Figure 2 shows the below Figure 1 Shown embodiment of a cooling device 1, wherein a storage device, designed in the present embodiment as a mesh basket 22, is introduced into the refrigerated goods space 13. The storage device can also be designed in the form of trays or in a similar suitable form. The storage facility can be removed. The refrigerated goods 21 (schematic representation) are introduced into the storage device.

The cooling device 1 according to the invention Figure 3 consists of a freezer 2 which has a cooling space 6 which is delimited by four cooling space side turns 7, the cooling space floor 8 and a closable cover 40. An evaporator 5 is arranged on the surface of the cooling space side walls 7 facing the cooling space 6, so that it covers the surface of the cooling space side walls 7 facing the cooling space 6. Overall, the cooling device 1 shown in the exemplary embodiment has an evaporator 5. In addition, the cooling device 1 has four cooling elements 9. These are fastened to the surface of the evaporator 5 by retaining clips 38 in the assembled state. Furthermore, the cooling space 6 of the present exemplary embodiment has eight removable cold stores 15 and eight associated cold store holders 27. However, other numbers are conceivable. According to the number of removable cold stores 15, eight openings 35 are provided in the cover frame 34. The refrigerated goods space 13 is also separated from an insulating container 10 which is closed towards the four cooling elements 9. The upper and lower ends of the insulating container 10 have openings. A spacer grid 23 is arranged in the region of the lower end 16 of the insulating container 10. Four storage elements 18 are provided on a receiving plate 37 below the spacer grid 23. A heating element 17 is also provided below the receiving plate 37. The cooling device 1 has a storage device in the form of a grid basket 22, which is inserted into the cooling space 13, for receiving a cooling good 21.

In Figure 4 A cooling element 9 is shown together with two associated removable cold stores 15 and cold store holders 27. The embodiment shown of the cooling elements 9, the removable cold accumulator 15 and the cold accumulator holder 27 corresponds to that in FIG Figure 1 to Figure 3 illustrated embodiment. The cooling element 9 has two cutouts 14 on the first side 11, in the present exemplary embodiment the rear 11 of the cooling element 9. In each of the recesses 14, one of the two removable cold stores 15 is inserted together with one of the two cold store holders 27. Furthermore, the cooling element 9 according to the invention has inclined side surfaces 31 and an inclined bottom surface 31 in each of the cutouts 14. The inclined surfaces 31 on the back 11 of the cooling element 9, each recess 14, one vertical groove 32. The inclination of the inclined surfaces 31 is chosen such that the condensed water collecting in the recess 14 flows in the direction of the vertical groove and can flow out through the vertical groove 32 in the direction of the lower edge of the cooling element 29. As a result, when the cooling element 9 and the associated removable cold stores 15 freeze, ice formation in the recess 14 as a result of condensation water is avoided. Furthermore, on the upper edge 28 of the cooling element 9 three recesses 30 can be seen, in each of which a holding means, here in the form of a holding clip 38, engages. The holding clip 38 visible on the lower edge 29 of the cooling element 9 likewise engages in a recess 30 on the lower edge 29 of the cooling element 9, which is not visible in the perspective view. The cooling element 9 is fastened during assembly with the aid of the retaining clips 38 which engage in the recesses 30, the rear side 11 of the cooling element 9 facing the evaporator 5. How Figure 4 can be seen, the retaining clips 38 are made of sheet metal, so that the retaining clips 3 press the cooling element 9 resiliently against the evaporator 5 and so the back 11 of the cooling element 9 is in contact with the surface of the evaporator 5. Like the holding means 38, the cold storage holders 27 are made of a flat sheet metal and have an arcuate deformation from their upper end 41 to their lower end 43. This arcuate deformation causes the removable cold accumulators 15 to be pressed against the evaporator 5 as soon as the removable cold accumulators 15 are inserted into the recess 14 using the cold accumulator holders 27. Furthermore, the cold storage holder 27 has at its upper end 41 a holding section 42, on which the user of the cooling device 1 can grip the cold storage holder 27 ergonomically.

In Figure 5 is a cooling element 9 according to the invention together with two associated removable cold stores 15 and cold store holders 27 according to the in Figure 1 to Figure 4 illustrated embodiment shown, wherein in Figure 5 the front of the cooling element 12 is shown. On the front of the cooling element 12 there are four recesses 30, in each of which a holding means 38 engages in order to fasten the cooling element 9 to the evaporator 5. As already explained above, the cooling element 9 in the embodiment shown has three recesses 30 on its upper edge 28 of the cooling element 9. In the Figure 4 Not visible recess 30 at the bottom of the cooling element 29 is now in Figure 5 visible. Furthermore, the two cutouts 14 present on the rear side 11 of the cooling element 9 can be seen, each of which can accommodate a removable cold accumulator 15 and a cold accumulator holder 27. Furthermore, the central recess 30 of the recesses 30 arranged on the upper edge 28 of the cooling element 9 has a reclosable opening 25 through which the cooling element 9 can be filled with water or a eutectic medium 24. The reclosable opening 25 is lower than the upper edge 28 of the cooling element 9, so that a dead volume 26 is formed above the reusable opening 25. This will make the maximum fill level 39 of the cooling element 9 defined. This dead volume 26 serves the water or the eutectic medium 24 as an expansion space during freezing. Likewise, on the two cold storage holders 27, a holding section 42 can be seen at their upper end 41, on which the user of the cooling device 1 can grip the cold storage holder 27 ergonomically.

Figure 6 shows a detailed view of the insulating container 10 and of the storage elements 18 and the heating element 17 arranged at the lower end 16 of the insulating container 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the cooling device 1 has four storage elements 18 which, when the temperature in the refrigerated goods space 13 falls below the minimum, the stored heat into the Deliver refrigerated goods room 13. In order to avoid that the refrigerated goods 21, which are located in the refrigerated goods space 13, become too hot when they come into contact with the storage elements 18, a spacer grid 23 is attached above the storage elements 18. In addition to the uniform temperature control of the refrigerated goods 21 in the refrigerated goods room 13, the spacer grid 23 also prevents unauthorized removal of the storage elements 18. The storage elements 18 are held in the cooling device 1 in a receiving plate 37. A heating element 17 is located below the receiving plate 37. This, for example, electrically operated heating element 17 ensures that, as long as energy is available for the operation of the cooling device 1, the storage elements 18 are sufficiently charged with heat that the temperature in the refrigerated goods space falls below the minimum temperature 13 to avoid during the dead time. On the other hand, the heating element 17 ensures that the minimum temperature in the refrigerated goods space 13 is not exceeded by the evaporator 5, cooling elements 9 and removable cold storage 15 arranged around the insulating container in the freezer zone 19, as long as electrical energy is available.

In Figure 7 A removable cold storage 15 according to the invention is shown. It can be seen that this removable cold store 15 has a reclosable opening 25, through which the cold store 15 can be filled with water or a eutectic medium 24. Since the reclosable opening 25 lies deeper than the highest point in the interior of the removable cold store, this results in a maximum fill level 39, which at the same time ensures that a dead volume 26 is formed above the maximum fill height 39, which when the water or eutectic medium 24 freezes as Expansion space serves.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1:

cooler

2:

freezer

3:

Cooling circuit (not shown)

4:

Compressor (not shown)

5:

Evaporator

6:

refrigerator

7:

Refrigerator sidewall

8th:

Refrigerator ground

9:

cooling element

10:

Insulated

11:

First side of the cooling element

12:

Second side of the cooling element

13:

Kühlgutraum

14:

recess

15:

removable cold storage

16:

Lower end

17:

heating element

18:

storage element

19:

freezing zone

20:

Cooling zone (not shown)

21:

Refrigerated goods (not shown)

22:

Storage facility

23:

spacer grids

24:

Eutectic medium

25:

Resealable opening

26:

dead volume

27:

Cold Storage Holders

28:

Top edge of the cooling element

29:

Lower edge of the cooling element

30:

recess

31:

Sloping side surfaces and sloping floor surface

32:

Vertical groove

33:

Upper edge of the cold room

34:

Cover

35:

openings

36:

Contact surface (not shown)

37:

Support panel

38:

holding means

39:

filling level

40:

cover

41:

Top end

42:

holding section

43:

Lower end

44:

Capacitor (not shown)

45:

Freezer cabinet

Claims (17)

1. A cooling device (1), in particular a freezer (2), having a cooling circuit (3), wherein the cooling circuit (3) has a compressor (4), at least one evaporator (5), and a condenser (44), and a closable cooling space (6) with a plurality of cooling space sidewalls (7), a cooling space base (8), at least one cooling element (9), and an insulation vessel (10), wherein the at least one evaporator (5) and the at least one cooling element (9) are disposed within the cooling space (6) such that a first side (11) of the cooling element (9) at least partially abuts the at least one evaporator (5) and a second side (12) of the cooling element (9) faces the insulation vessel (10), and the insulation vessel (10) is closed at least towards the at least one cooling element (9) and forms a space for cooling goods (13), characterized in that the first side (11) of the cooling element (9) abutting the at least one evaporator (5) has at least one recess (14) into which at least one removable cold accumulator (15) can be inserted.
2. A cooling device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one heating element (17) and at least one storage element (18) are arranged in the region of the downwardly facing end (16) of the insulation vessel (10).
3. A cooling device (1) according claim 2, characterized in that the temperature in the space for cooling goods (13) can be controlled by the interaction of at least the insulation vessel (10) as well as the at least one heating element (17) and/or the at least one storage element (18), and preferably adjusted in the range of a defined minimum temperature.
4. A cooling device (1) according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the at least one heating element (17) is preferably electrically operated and has a control that prevents falling below the required minimum temperature in the space for cooling goods (21).
5. A cooling device (1) according to claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the at least one storage element (18) is preferably formed as latent-heat storage tank that is designed such that it emits the stored thermal energy into the space for cooling goods (13).
6. A cooling device (1) according to claim 2, 3 ,4 or 5, characterized in that in the space for cooling goods (13) a storage facility (22) for storing the cooling goods (21) is provided that is configured such that a contact of the cooling goods (21) with the insulation vessel (10) as well as the at least one heating element (17) and the at least one storage element (18) is avoided and at the same time the cooling goods (21) can be removed.
7. A cooling device (1) according to claim 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that a spacer grid (23) can be inserted into the space for cooling goods (13) spaced apart from the heating element (17) and/or the at least one storage element (18) by which the cooling goods (21) can be stored spaced apart from the at least one heating element (17) and/or the at least one storage element (18).
8. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one cooling element (9) and/or the at least one removable cold accumulator (15) can be filled with a substance, preferably a fluid such as water or a eutectic medium (24).
9. A cooling device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the volume of the at least one cooling element (9) and/or the at least one removable cold accumulator (15) is chosen such that after filling the at least one cooling element (9) and/or the at least one removable cold accumulator (15) with the predefined amount of the substance there inevitably results a dead volume (26) serving as an expansion space for the freezing substance.
10. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one removable cold accumulator (15) can be inserted into and removed from the at least one recess (14) of the at least one cooling element (9) with a cold accumulator holder (27).
11. A cooling device (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the cold accumulator holder (27) is formed as an elastic spring element such that the cold accumulator holder (27) serves to make a first side of the at least one removable cold accumulator (15) abut on the at least one evaporator (5) in a resilient manner at least over a part of the surface, preferably over the whole surface.
12. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cold accumulator holder (27) at its upper end (41) has a holding portion (42) for manipulation by the user.
13. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one cooling element (9) at its upper edge (28) and/or lower edge (29) has at least one recess (30) for receiving at least one holding means (38), wherein the holding means (38) is preferably formed as an elastic spring element such that the holding means (38) serves to make the first side (11) of the at least one cooling element (9) abut on the at least one evaporator (5) in a resilient manner at least over a part of the surface, preferably over the whole surface.
14. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one recess (14) for receiving the at least one removable cold accumulator (15) has inclined lateral surfaces (31) and an inclined bottom surface (31).
15. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first side (11) of the cooling element (9) has at least one preferably vertically arranged groove (32) for the flow off of condensed water from the recess (14).
16. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one cooling element (9) can be secured by means of a covering frame (34) that can be attached to the upper edge of the cooling space (33), wherein the covering frame (34) has at least one opening (35) for access to the at least one removable cold accumulator (15).
17. A cooling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the region within the cooling space (6) and outside of the space for cooling goods (13) forms a freezing zone (19) and the space for cooling goods (13) formed by the insulation vessel (10) forms a cooling zone for receiving cooling goods (21).

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