EP3393307A1 - Refrigerated sales furniture - Google Patents

Refrigerated sales furniture

Info

Publication number
EP3393307A1
EP3393307A1 EP16795390.0A EP16795390A EP3393307A1 EP 3393307 A1 EP3393307 A1 EP 3393307A1 EP 16795390 A EP16795390 A EP 16795390A EP 3393307 A1 EP3393307 A1 EP 3393307A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
refrigerated sales
door
flow
furniture
warm air
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP16795390.0A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP3393307B1 (en
Inventor
Christophe Vallee
Hans-Jörg HASELBACH
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Carrier Corp
Original Assignee
Carrier Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Carrier Corp filed Critical Carrier Corp
Publication of EP3393307A1 publication Critical patent/EP3393307A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP3393307B1 publication Critical patent/EP3393307B1/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
    • A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
    • A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
    • A47F3/0404—Cases or cabinets of the closed type
    • A47F3/0408—Cases or cabinets of the closed type with forced air circulation
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
    • A47F3/00—Show cases or show cabinets
    • A47F3/04—Show cases or show cabinets air-conditioned, refrigerated
    • A47F3/0404—Cases or cabinets of the closed type
    • A47F3/0426—Details
    • A47F3/043—Doors, covers

Definitions

  • the invention relates to refrigerated sales furniture, in particular to refrigerated sales furniture comprising at least one door and at least one warm air channel, which is configured to reduce the risk of condensation at the at least one door.
  • refrigerated sales furniture may be equipped with doors, in particular glass doors, establishing a separation between a refrigerated space inside the furniture and the warm environment outside the furniture.
  • doors in particular glass doors, establishing a separation between a refrigerated space inside the furniture and the warm environment outside the furniture.
  • condensate forms on the lower portion of the doors. This is undesirable and should be avoided.
  • such refrigerated sales furniture comprises: a furniture body providing a refrigerated sales space for storing products to be presented therein; at least one access area providing access to the refrigerated sales space; at least one door which is pivotally or slidably supported by upper and lower portions of a door support frame at the at least one access area and which is movable between a closed position closing the at least one access area and at least one open position allowing access to the refrigerated sales space via the at least one access area; a return air opening which is provided at a bottom of the refrigerated sales space next to the at least one door for receiving a flow of cold air flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space; a deflection element, which is fixed to an inner surface of the at least one door for deflecting the flow of cold air, and at least one warm air channel extending from a front side of the refrigerated sales furniture into the refrigerated sales furniture and
  • the at least one warm air channel comprises an outer portion extending below the at least one door and an inner portion extending between a portion of the deflection element and an upper end of a stopper bar provided at the lower portion of the door support frame.
  • the refrigerated sales furniture is configured such that the flow of warm air is sucked through the at least one warm air channel by the flow of cold air and is merged with said flow of cold air.
  • Exemplary embodiments of the invention further include a method of reducing the risk of formation of undesired condensate on the outer surface of a door of such refrigerated sales furniture, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing a flow of cold air flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space next to the inside of a lower portion of the at least one door into a return air opening provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space and deflecting the flow of cold air by means of the deflection element in order to suck warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture into the refrigerated sales furniture through the warm air channel, when the door is in closed position to increase the temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door, the flow of warm air merging with the flow of cold air.
  • the convective heat transfer on the lower portion of the outer surface of the door is increased by generating a flow of warm air along the lower portion of the door.
  • Said flow of warm air causes an increase of the temperature at a lower portion of the outer surface of the door. This helps keeping the temperature of said lower portion over the dew point temperature of the ambient air in order to keep the door free from undesired condensate.
  • the flow of warm air is generated without employing additional fans, but simply by forming a warm air channel below the door, in particular within a door abutment profile, and generating a local low pressure (underpressure) at the outlet of said warm air channel with help of the deflection element according to Bernoulli's principle using the flow of cold air induced by the fan(s) already present in the furniture.
  • a benefit of the exemplary embodiments of the invention is the simplicity with which the problem of undesired condensate forming at a lower portion of the door can be solved without the need to modify the design of the door or adding new active components such as additional electrical heaters or fans.
  • the exemplary embodiments of the invention reliably avoid the problem of undesired condensate formation even if thermal bridges caused by a glass spacer element, the door frame, hinges and other solid elements of the door assuring the mechanical structure of the door are present, and despite the fact that the edges of the doors, particularly the lower portion of the doors, constitute an intrinsic weakness of the thermal insulation.
  • the exemplary embodiments of the invention reliably avoid the problem of undesired condensate formation although an enhanced heat transfer occurs on the inner surface of the door due to the local air flow acceleration taking place at the return air grille, which is provided inside the refrigerated sales furniture.
  • exemplary embodiments of the invention can replace other conceivable ways for maintaining the temperature in the lower portion of the door above the dew point temperature that include improving the thermal resistance of the door edge design and/or using an air baffle for avoiding the cold air from contacting the door directly.
  • exemplary embodiments of the invention can also be provided in addition thereto.
  • Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a refrigerated sales furniture according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of an area at the lower end of a glass door of the refrigerated sales furniture shown in Figure 1 .
  • Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of an area at the lower end of a glass door of the refrigerated sales furniture shown in Figure 1 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 4 shows an enlarged sectional view of the deflection element employed in the second exemplary embodiment of the invention ( Figure 3).
  • Figure 5 shows an enlarged sectional view a deflection element according to a third exemplary embodiment.
  • Figure 1 depicts a schematic sectional view of a refrigerated sales furniture 10 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.
  • the refrigerated sales furniture 10 comprises a furniture body 1 defining a refrigerated sales space 28 which is configured for storing products (not shown) to be presented therein.
  • a plurality of shelves or racks 22 which are configured for accommodating and supporting said products, are provided on top of each other within the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • An evaporator 2 which is part of a refrigeration circuit, is provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales furniture 10 below the refrigerated sales space 28. Additional components of the refrigeration circuit, such as a compressor, a condenser and an expansion device, which are not shown in Figure 1 , may be provided within the refrigerated sales furniture 10 as well. Alternatively, one or more of these components may be located outside the refrigerated sales furniture 10, for example in a machine room or on the outside/on the roof of the building (not shown) housing the refrigerated sales furniture 10.
  • An access area 11 provided at the front side of the refrigerated sales space 28 may be closed by means of a door 8, in particular a glass door, which is pivotally supported by upper and lower portions 6a, 6b of a door support frame and upper and lower hinges 7.
  • the refrigerated sales furniture 10 may be equipped with two or more doors 8 including sliding doors mounted on ball bearings rolling on rails.
  • Elastic buffers 13 are arranged between the door 8 and stopper bars 12 located at the upper and lower portions 6a, 6b of a door support frame for damping the impact of the door 8 onto the stopper bars 12 when the door 8 is being closed and for maintaining a defined gap between the door 8 and the stopper bars 12.
  • a sealing lip 9 is provided between the stopper bar 12 formed at the upper portion 6a of door support frame and the door 8. The skilled person will understand that with a sealing lip 9
  • a return air duct 26 extending basically along a horizontal axis is formed between a return air opening 34 located at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28 and an inlet side of the evaporator 2, which is the right side of the evaporator 2 in the exemplary configuration shown in Figure 1.
  • the return air duct 26 houses a fan 3 which is configured to suck air from the refrigerated sales space 28 through the return air opening 34 into the return air duct 26 and to deliver said air to the evaporator 2 where it is cooled.
  • the return air opening 34 is covered by a return air grille 4 for preventing goods and other objects from falling into the return air duct 26.
  • Cooled air leaving the evaporator 2 (on its left side in the exemplary configuration shown in Figure 1 ) is delivered into a vertical cold air duct 24 extending vertically along the back side 29 of the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • the vertical cold air duct 24 may be provided with at least one cold air opening 30 for delivering cold air from the vertical cold air duct 24 into the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • a horizontal cold air duct 25 may be fluidly connected with the upper end of the vertical cold air duct 24 for delivering cold air from the vertical cold air duct 24 to the front side of the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • a front side end of the horizontal cold air duct 25 is provided with an air discharge opening 5 for discharging cold air from the horizontal cold air duct 25 into an upper front area of the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • Cold air which is discharged through the air discharge opening 5 into the upper front area of the refrigerated sales space 28 provides a flow of cold air ("cold air curtain") C flowing basically vertically from the top to the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28 along the inside of the door 8 facing the refrigerated sales space 28. Said flow of cold air C reduces the temperature of the door 8.
  • a warm air channel 18 extending from the exterior into a lower portion of the refrigerated sales space 28 is provided.
  • a flow of relatively warm ambient air W flowing through said warm air channel 18 increases the temperature of the mechanical structure elements of the door 8 in an area located at the lower portion of the door 8. This reduces the risk that the temperature of said lower portion of the door 8 falls below the dew point temperature of ambient air A and that undesired condensate is forming.
  • Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of a lower portion of the front side of the refrigerated sales furniture 10, in particular of the area around the lower portion of the door 8.
  • the door 8 in particular is an insulating glass door 8 comprising an inner glass pane 8a facing the refrigerated sales space 28 and an outer glass pane 8c facing the outside of the refrigerated sales furniture 10.
  • the outer glass pane 8c is spaced apart from the inner glass pane 8a by means of a glass spacer element 8d.
  • an insulating cavity 8b which in particular may be filled with a thermally insulating gas such as argon or which may be evacuated to a vacuum, is formed between the inner and the outer glass panes 8a, 8c for providing thermal insulation.
  • a lower door hinge 7 comprising a frame side hinge element 7a and a door side hinge element 7b, which are pivotably connected by means of a connecting element 7c, pivotably supports the door 8 at a lower portion 6b of the door support frame.
  • a stopper bar 12 extends vertically from the lower portion 6b of the support frame at a position higher than the lower edge of door 8.
  • a deflection element 20 is attached to the inner glass pane 8a of the glass door 8 at a height slightly above the upper end of the stopper bar 12.
  • the warm air channel 18 extends from the exterior into a lower portion of the refrigerated sales space 28 and comprises an outer portion 18a provided between the underside of the at least one door 8 in its closed position and an upper side of the lower portion 6b of the door support frame, an adjacent intermediate portion 18b extending between the inner glass pane 8a and the stopper bar 12, and an inner portion 18c extending between an upper edge of the stopper bar 12 and a lower first plane surface 20a of the deflection element 20 attached to the door 8. Due to the configuration of the stopper bar 12, the inner and outer portions 18a, 18c of the warm air channel 18 may extend along an axis which is oriented basically horizontally, and the intermediate portion 18b may extend along an axis which is oriented basically vertically.
  • At least one of the inner, intermediate and outer portions 18a, 18b, 18c of the warm air channel 18 may be oriented at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to a horizontally or vertically extending axis.
  • the deflection element 20 which in particular may extend over the whole width of the at least one door 8, is provided with a lower first plane surface 20a facing the upper end of the stopper bar 12 thereby defining the inner portion 18c of the warm air channel 18.
  • the deflection element 20 further comprises a second plane surface 20b which is attached, e.g. by means of an adhesive, in particular an adhesive strip, to the inner glass pane 8a, and a third surface 20c facing the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • Said third surface 20c may be an inclined plane surface.
  • said third surface 20c may be an arcuate surface as shown in Figure 2.
  • the deflecting element 20 may have a height of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a height of 15 mm.
  • the height H 2 of the inner portion 18c of the warm air channel 18 may be between 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular a height H 2 of 4 mm.
  • the height Hi of the outer portion 18a of the warm air channel 18 may be between 5 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 6 mm and 8 mm.
  • the width D of the intermediate portion 18b of the warm air channel 18 may be between 3 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 4 mm and 6 mm.
  • the deflection element 20 in particular the inclined or arcuate third surface 20c of the deflection element 20, deflects the basically vertically flowing cold air flow C, which flows basically parallel to the surface of the inner glass pane 8a. This deflection prevents cold air from the cold air flow C from flowing out of the refrigerated sales space 28 via the warm air channel 18.
  • the deflection caused by the deflection element 20 further results in a reduction of the width of the space which is available for the flow of cold air C.
  • Said reduction of the available space acts as a nozzle which causes the speed of the flow of cold air C to increase.
  • Said increase of the speed of the flow of cold air C causes a decrease of the static pressure in a low pressure area 36 located within the refrigerated sales space 28 next to the deflection element 20 and the stopper bar 12.
  • Said decrease of static pressure results in a pressure difference between said low pressure area 36 and the warm air channel 18. In consequence, warm air W is sucked through the at least one warm air channel 18 into the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • the temperature of the lower part of the glass door 8 including the door side hinge element 7b, mechanical structure elements of the door, which are not visible in the figures as they are located behind the hinge element 7b, glass spacer element 8d and in particular the lower portion 8e of the outer glass pane 8c is increased. This makes it easier to maintain the temperature of this area above the dew point temperature of ambient air A, considerably reducing the risk of undesired condensate formation in this area.
  • the warm air W which has been drawn into the refrigerated sales space 28, merges with the flow of cold air C and is sucked through the return air opening 34 into a return air duct 26 provided below the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • FIG. 1 shows an enlarged view of a lower portion of a front side of a refrigerated sales furniture 10 according to a second exemplary embodiment which in particular comprises a different type of deflection element 21 .
  • An enlarged sectional view of said deflection element 21 according to the second exemplary embodiment is shown in Figure 4.
  • the deflection element 21 shown in Figures 3 and 4 has the form of a thin profile, which e.g. may be made of sheet metal or plastic.
  • the deflection element 21 comprises a straight central portion 21 b extending parallel to the inner surface of the inner glass pane 8a of the at least one door 8 when the deflection element 21 is attached to the at least one door 8.
  • the straight central portion 21 b may be attached to the inner glass pane 8a of the at least one door 8 by means of an adhesive, e.g. an adhesive strip 23 (see Figure 4), which is provided between the straight central portion 21 b and the inner glass pane 8a.
  • the deflection element 21 further comprises a lower fixing portion 21 c extending basically orthogonally from the straight central portion 21 b.
  • the lower fixing portion 21 c in particular extends basically horizontally along the lower edge of the at least one door 8 when the deflection element 21 is mounted to the at least one door 8.
  • the lower fixing portion 21 c may be fixed to the lower edge of the at least one door 8 by means of an adhesive, e.g. an adhesive strip, which is not shown in the figures.
  • the deflection element 21 also comprises an upper deflecting portion 21 a extending from the straight central portion 21 b on a side opposite to the lower fixing portion 21 c.
  • the upper deflecting portion 21 a extends into the refrigerated sales space 28 when the deflection element 21 is mounted to the inner surface of the at least one door 8 as illustrated in Figure 3.
  • the upper deflecting portion 21 a has a lower tip 21 d.
  • the lower tip 21 d protrudes into the cabinet relatively to an inner surface 12a of the stopper bar 12 and extends downwardly into the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • the stopper bar 12 may be in the range from 1 mm to 5 mm, particularly from 2 mm to 3 mm.
  • Such a protrusion associated with the downward orientation causes condensate forming on the lower side of the upper deflecting portion 21 a to flow and drop downwardly into the return air duct 26 provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28.
  • the upper deflecting portion 21 has a basically arcuate shape with a radius R (see Figure 4) of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a radius R of 13 to 15 mm.
  • the upper deflecting portion 21 a may be straight but inclined with respect to the plane of the at least one door 8.
  • a smaller portion of a circle i.e. a portion extending over an angle of less than 90° and having a larger radius R, may be used.
  • the upper deflecting portion 21 a may comprise a plurality of differently, in particular progressively, inclined straight portions 19a, 19b, 19c which are arranged adjacent to each other resulting in a buckled shape of the upper deflecting portion 21 a which overall is similar to the arcuate shape shown in Figure 4.
  • the lower tip 21 d of the upper deflecting portion 21 a may end at a height H 2 of 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular at a height H 2 of 4 mm above an upper edge 12b of the stopper bar 12.
  • the deflecting element 21 extends basically over the whole width of the at least one door 8 and may have a height h of 30 mm to 40 mm, in particular a height of 35 mm.
  • the height H 2 of the inner portion 18c of the warm air channel 18 may be between 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular a height H 2 of 4 mm.
  • the height Hi of the outer portion 18a of the warm air channel 18 may be between 5 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 6 mm and 8 mm.
  • the width D of the intermediate portion 18b of the warm air channel 18 may be between 3 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 4 mm and 6 mm.
  • the upper deflecting portion 21 a deflects the flow of cold air C flowing along the front portion of the refrigerated sales space 28 similar to the third surface 20c of the deflection element 20 shown in Figures 1 and 2.
  • the effect of sucking a flow of warm air W into the refrigerated sales space 28 along a lower portion of the at least one door 8 for avoiding condensation is the same as it has been described before with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
  • a deflection element 21 according to the second embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 is easy to produce at low costs, e.g. by extruding a plastic material or by bending / roller molding an appropriate sheet of metal.
  • the lower fixing portion 21 c of the deflection element 21 defines a mounting position of the deflection element 21 in the vertical direction. It particularly defines the vertical position of the upper deflecting portion 21 a with respect to the lower edge of the at least one door 8. Consequently, this enables to control the position of the upper deflecting portion 21 a relatively to the other parts and especially the vertical distance H 2 left open between lower tip 21 d of the upper deflecting portion 21 a and the upper edge 12b of stopper bar 12. As a result, the deflection element 21 according to the second embodiment may be mounted in the correct position easily and with high reliability.
  • the warm air channel further comprises an intermediate portion, extending basically vertically between the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door and a front side portion of a stopper bar at the lower door frame portion, and fluidly connecting the inner and outer portions of the warm air channel. Due to the configuration of the stopper bar, the inner and outer portions of the warm air channel may extend along an axis which is oriented basically horizontally, and the intermediate portion may extend along an axis which is oriented basically vertically. As a result, the mechanical structure elements of the lower part of the door are almost surrounded by ambient air or the warm air flowing within the warm air channel and not by cold air. In an alternative configuration, at least one of the inner, outer and intermediate portions may be oriented at an arbitrary angle with respect to a horizontally/vertically extending axis.
  • the substantially vertical portion has a width of 3 mm to 10 mm, particularly a width of 4 mm or 6 mm.
  • a width in said range has proven to provide the air flow rate needed to avoid condensation at the lower portion of the at least one door without unreasonably increasing the depth of the lower portion of the door support frame including the stopper bar.
  • the deflection element comprises a central portion extending parallel to the inner surface of the at least one door, a lower fixing portion extending along the lower edge of the at least one door, and an upper deflecting portion which extends from the inner surface of the at least one door into the refrigerated sales space.
  • the central portion and the lower fixing portion in particular may extend orthogonally with respect to each other.
  • a deflection element having such a configuration is easy to produce and to mount on the door at low costs.
  • the lower fixing portion ensures an exact positioning of the deflection element at the door.
  • the upper deflecting portion has a low tip, which protrudes into the cabinet relatively to the inner surface of the stopper bar and is oriented downwardly into the refrigerated sales space.
  • a horizontal distance between the lower tip of the upper deflecting portion and an inner surface of the stopper bar may be in the range of 1 mm to 5 mm, in particular in the range of 2 mm to 3 mm.
  • Such an upper deflecting portion allows condensate forming on the lower side of the upper deflecting portion to flow and drop downwardly into a return air duct provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space. It further allows for an efficient deflection of the flow of cold air flowing basically vertically along the front of the refrigerated sales space.
  • the upper deflecting portion has an arcuate shape, in particular an arcuate shape having a radius of 10 mm to 20 mm, more particular a radius of 13 to 15 mm.
  • the lower end of the upper deflecting portion may end 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular 4 mm, above a higher edge of the stopper bar.
  • a gap in said range has proven as to be efficient to avoid condensation at the lower portion of the at least one door without unreasonably increasing the energy consumption of the refrigerated sales furniture due to the warm air being sucked into the refrigerated sales space.
  • the deflection element may have a height of 30 mm to 40 mm, in particular a height of 35 mm. In an alternative configuration the deflection element may have a height of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a height of 15 mm. Such configurations allow for a proper deflection of the flow of cold air flowing basically vertically along the front of the refrigerated sales space and for an efficient suction of ambient air through the warm air channel.
  • the upper deflecting portion extending into the refrigerated sales space is configured such that an outlet surface of the warm air channel into the refrigerated sales space, which is formed between the lower tip of the upper deflecting portion and a higher edge of the stopper bar is oriented substantially parallel with respect to the direction of flow of the flow of cold air.
  • An outlet surface of the warm air channel which is oriented substantially parallel to the main direction of flow of cold air reduces the dynamic pressure component generated by the flow of cold air acting at said outlet surface, particularly close to zero. This decreases the pressure acting at said outlet surface close to its minimum, which is equal to the static pressure.
  • such a configuration provides a low pressure at said outlet surface close to the lowest pressure which is possible for a given velocity of the flow of cold air and, therefore, an efficient suction of warm air flowing through the warm air channel.
  • the deflection element extends over the whole width of the at least one door in order to prevent cold air flowing basically vertically along the front of the refrigerated sales space from entering into the warm air channel and in order to provide a flow of warm air into the refrigerated sales space over the whole width of the at least one door.
  • the deflection element is attached by means of an adhesive, in particular by means of an adhesive strip, to the at least one door.
  • An adhesive in particular an adhesive strip, allows for a secure and convenient attachment of the deflection element to the at least one door.
  • the refrigerated sales furniture comprises a cold air flow guiding section having a reduced width for increasing the cold air flow speed.
  • a cold air flow guiding section generates a local low pressure and, consequently, a suction effect sucking warm air through the at least one warm air channel into the refrigerated sales space.
  • the cold air flow guiding section In order to create the suction effect at a lower portion of the at least one door, basically at the height of the warm air channel outlet, the cold
  • air flow guiding section in particular may be situated between the front of the bottom portion of the refrigerated sales space and the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door and/or the rear side of the lower door frame portion.
  • the refrigerated sales furniture is configured to provide a flow of cold air, i.e. a "cold air curtain", flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space along the inner surface of the at least one door when it is in its closed position.
  • a cold air curtain provides additional thermal insulation at the front of the refrigerated sales space and separates the goods stored in the refrigerated sales space from the ambient air when the at least one door is open.
  • At least one elastic buffer is provided between the stopper bar and the door for damping the impact of the door onto the stopper bar when the door is being closed, and for maintaining a defined gap between the door and the stopper bar in order to realize the intermediate portion of the warm air channel when the door is closed.
  • the refrigerated sales furniture further comprises at least one return air opening within the refrigerated sales space.
  • the at least one return air opening is arranged at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space next to the at least one warm air channel and is configured to receive the warm air which is sucked through the at least one warm air channel and the cold air from the refrigerated sales area. This allows to efficiently remove warm air which has been sucked through the at least one warm air channel from the refrigerated sales space and avoids an undesirable increase of the temperature within the refrigerated sales space and especially of the foodstuffs stored therein.
  • the at least one return air opening may be covered by a return air grille in order to prevent goods and other objects from falling into the return air duct.
  • the at least one return air opening is fluidly connected to a return air duct which houses at least one fan.
  • the fan is configured for delivering air, which has been received by at least one return air opening, to an evaporator of a refrigeration circuit in order to cool the mixture of cold return air and warm air, which has been sucked through the at least one warm air channel, into the refrigerated sales space. This allows to maintain the temperature within the refrigerated sales space within appropriate limits.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
  • Freezers Or Refrigerated Showcases (AREA)

Abstract

A refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured for providing a flow of cold air (C) flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of a refrigerated sales space (28) and along the inside of a lower portion of at least one door (8). The refrigerated sales furniture (10) comprises at least one warm air channel (18) extending below the at least one door (8) from a front side of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) into the refrigerated sales furniture (10). A deflection element (20; 21 ) is fixed to an inner surface of the at least one door (8) for deflecting the flow of cold air (C) and generating a local low pressure. The warm air channel (18) is configured for flowing warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) and for keeping the temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door (8) above the dew point temperature of the ambient air (A). The refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured such that the flow of warm air (W) is sucked through the at least one warm air channel (18) by the flow of cold air (C) and merges with the flow of cold air (C).

Description

Refrigerated Sales Furniture
The invention relates to refrigerated sales furniture, in particular to refrigerated sales furniture comprising at least one door and at least one warm air channel, which is configured to reduce the risk of condensation at the at least one door. In order to enhance energy efficiency, refrigerated sales furniture may be equipped with doors, in particular glass doors, establishing a separation between a refrigerated space inside the furniture and the warm environment outside the furniture. A common problem with this kind of refrigerated sales furniture is that condensate forms on the lower portion of the doors. This is undesirable and should be avoided.
It therefore would be beneficial to provide improved refrigerated sales furniture which avoids formation of undesired condensate on the lower portion of its doors efficiently.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, such refrigerated sales furniture comprises: a furniture body providing a refrigerated sales space for storing products to be presented therein; at least one access area providing access to the refrigerated sales space; at least one door which is pivotally or slidably supported by upper and lower portions of a door support frame at the at least one access area and which is movable between a closed position closing the at least one access area and at least one open position allowing access to the refrigerated sales space via the at least one access area; a return air opening which is provided at a bottom of the refrigerated sales space next to the at least one door for receiving a flow of cold air flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space; a deflection element, which is fixed to an inner surface of the at least one door for deflecting the flow of cold air, and at least one warm air channel extending from a front side of the refrigerated sales furniture into the refrigerated sales furniture and being configured to guide warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture into the refrigerated sales furniture in order to keep the temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door above the dew point temperature. The at least one warm air channel comprises an outer portion extending below the at least one door and an inner portion extending between a portion of the deflection element and an upper end of a stopper bar provided at the lower portion of the door support frame. The refrigerated sales furniture is configured such that the flow of warm air is sucked through the at least one warm air channel by the flow of cold air and is merged with said flow of cold air.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention further include a method of reducing the risk of formation of undesired condensate on the outer surface of a door of such refrigerated sales furniture, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing a flow of cold air flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space next to the inside of a lower portion of the at least one door into a return air opening provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space and deflecting the flow of cold air by means of the deflection element in order to suck warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture into the refrigerated sales furniture through the warm air channel, when the door is in closed position to increase the temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door, the flow of warm air merging with the flow of cold air. According to exemplary embodiments of the invention, the convective heat transfer on the lower portion of the outer surface of the door is increased by generating a flow of warm air along the lower portion of the door. Said flow of warm air causes an increase of the temperature at a lower portion of the outer surface of the door. This helps keeping the temperature of said lower portion over the dew point temperature of the ambient air in order to keep the door free from undesired condensate.
According to exemplary embodiments of the invention, the flow of warm air is generated without employing additional fans, but simply by forming a warm air channel below the door, in particular within a door abutment profile, and generating a local low pressure (underpressure) at the outlet of said warm air channel with help of the deflection element according to Bernoulli's principle using the flow of cold air induced by the fan(s) already present in the furniture. A benefit of the exemplary embodiments of the invention is the simplicity with which the problem of undesired condensate forming at a lower portion of the door can be solved without the need to modify the design of the door or adding new active components such as additional electrical heaters or fans.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 The exemplary embodiments of the invention reliably avoid the problem of undesired condensate formation, in particular in refrigerated sales furniture in which a cold air curtain is flowing next to the door(s).
The exemplary embodiments of the invention reliably avoid the problem of undesired condensate formation even if thermal bridges caused by a glass spacer element, the door frame, hinges and other solid elements of the door assuring the mechanical structure of the door are present, and despite the fact that the edges of the doors, particularly the lower portion of the doors, constitute an intrinsic weakness of the thermal insulation. The exemplary embodiments of the invention reliably avoid the problem of undesired condensate formation although an enhanced heat transfer occurs on the inner surface of the door due to the local air flow acceleration taking place at the return air grille, which is provided inside the refrigerated sales furniture.
The exemplary embodiments of the invention can replace other conceivable ways for maintaining the temperature in the lower portion of the door above the dew point temperature that include improving the thermal resistance of the door edge design and/or using an air baffle for avoiding the cold air from contacting the door directly. Alternatively, exemplary embodiments of the invention can also be provided in addition thereto.
In the following, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the enclosed figures:
Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a refrigerated sales furniture according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of an area at the lower end of a glass door of the refrigerated sales furniture shown in Figure 1 .
Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of an area at the lower end of a glass door of the refrigerated sales furniture shown in Figure 1 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 shows an enlarged sectional view of the deflection element employed in the second exemplary embodiment of the invention (Figure 3).
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241 WO01 _final_Draft.docx] 15/11 16 15:40:47 Figure 5 shows an enlarged sectional view a deflection element according to a third exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 depicts a schematic sectional view of a refrigerated sales furniture 10 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The refrigerated sales furniture 10 comprises a furniture body 1 defining a refrigerated sales space 28 which is configured for storing products (not shown) to be presented therein. A plurality of shelves or racks 22 which are configured for accommodating and supporting said products, are provided on top of each other within the refrigerated sales space 28.
An evaporator 2, which is part of a refrigeration circuit, is provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales furniture 10 below the refrigerated sales space 28. Additional components of the refrigeration circuit, such as a compressor, a condenser and an expansion device, which are not shown in Figure 1 , may be provided within the refrigerated sales furniture 10 as well. Alternatively, one or more of these components may be located outside the refrigerated sales furniture 10, for example in a machine room or on the outside/on the roof of the building (not shown) housing the refrigerated sales furniture 10.
An access area 11 provided at the front side of the refrigerated sales space 28 may be closed by means of a door 8, in particular a glass door, which is pivotally supported by upper and lower portions 6a, 6b of a door support frame and upper and lower hinges 7. In alternative embodiments, which are not shown in the Figures, the refrigerated sales furniture 10 may be equipped with two or more doors 8 including sliding doors mounted on ball bearings rolling on rails.
Elastic buffers 13 are arranged between the door 8 and stopper bars 12 located at the upper and lower portions 6a, 6b of a door support frame for damping the impact of the door 8 onto the stopper bars 12 when the door 8 is being closed and for maintaining a defined gap between the door 8 and the stopper bars 12. In order to prevent cold air from flowing out of the refrigerated sales space 28 and warm air from flowing into the refrigerated sales space 28, a sealing lip 9 is provided between the stopper bar 12 formed at the upper portion 6a of door support frame and the door 8. The skilled person will understand that with a sealing lip 9
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 provided between the stopper bar 12 and the door 8, the buffer 13 provided at the top portion 6a of the door support frame is optional.
A return air duct 26 extending basically along a horizontal axis is formed between a return air opening 34 located at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28 and an inlet side of the evaporator 2, which is the right side of the evaporator 2 in the exemplary configuration shown in Figure 1. The return air duct 26 houses a fan 3 which is configured to suck air from the refrigerated sales space 28 through the return air opening 34 into the return air duct 26 and to deliver said air to the evaporator 2 where it is cooled. The return air opening 34 is covered by a return air grille 4 for preventing goods and other objects from falling into the return air duct 26.
Cooled air leaving the evaporator 2 (on its left side in the exemplary configuration shown in Figure 1 ) is delivered into a vertical cold air duct 24 extending vertically along the back side 29 of the refrigerated sales space 28.
The vertical cold air duct 24 may be provided with at least one cold air opening 30 for delivering cold air from the vertical cold air duct 24 into the refrigerated sales space 28.
A horizontal cold air duct 25 may be fluidly connected with the upper end of the vertical cold air duct 24 for delivering cold air from the vertical cold air duct 24 to the front side of the refrigerated sales space 28. A front side end of the horizontal cold air duct 25 is provided with an air discharge opening 5 for discharging cold air from the horizontal cold air duct 25 into an upper front area of the refrigerated sales space 28.
Cold air which is discharged through the air discharge opening 5 into the upper front area of the refrigerated sales space 28 provides a flow of cold air ("cold air curtain") C flowing basically vertically from the top to the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28 along the inside of the door 8 facing the refrigerated sales space 28. Said flow of cold air C reduces the temperature of the door 8. When the temperature of the outer surface of the door 8 facing the outside of the refrigerated sales furniture 10 drops below the dew point temperature of ambient air A,
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241 WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 undesired condensate from ambient air A will form on the outside of the door 8. Due to the mechanical structure elements of the door 8 and to the structural components supporting the door 8 in particular including the door support frame portion 6b and the hinge 7, and due to the enhanced heat transfer in said region, the risk of undesired condensate formation is particularly high at the lower portion of the door 8.
In order to reduce the risk of undesired condensate formation in said lower portion of the door 8, a warm air channel 18 extending from the exterior into a lower portion of the refrigerated sales space 28 is provided. A flow of relatively warm ambient air W flowing through said warm air channel 18 increases the temperature of the mechanical structure elements of the door 8 in an area located at the lower portion of the door 8. This reduces the risk that the temperature of said lower portion of the door 8 falls below the dew point temperature of ambient air A and that undesired condensate is forming.
In the following, the structure of the warm air channel 18 will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of a lower portion of the front side of the refrigerated sales furniture 10, in particular of the area around the lower portion of the door 8.
The door 8 in particular is an insulating glass door 8 comprising an inner glass pane 8a facing the refrigerated sales space 28 and an outer glass pane 8c facing the outside of the refrigerated sales furniture 10. The outer glass pane 8c is spaced apart from the inner glass pane 8a by means of a glass spacer element 8d. As a result, an insulating cavity 8b, which in particular may be filled with a thermally insulating gas such as argon or which may be evacuated to a vacuum, is formed between the inner and the outer glass panes 8a, 8c for providing thermal insulation.
A lower door hinge 7 comprising a frame side hinge element 7a and a door side hinge element 7b, which are pivotably connected by means of a connecting element 7c, pivotably supports the door 8 at a lower portion 6b of the door support frame.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draftdocx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 A stopper bar 12 extends vertically from the lower portion 6b of the support frame at a position higher than the lower edge of door 8.
A deflection element 20 is attached to the inner glass pane 8a of the glass door 8 at a height slightly above the upper end of the stopper bar 12.
The warm air channel 18 extends from the exterior into a lower portion of the refrigerated sales space 28 and comprises an outer portion 18a provided between the underside of the at least one door 8 in its closed position and an upper side of the lower portion 6b of the door support frame, an adjacent intermediate portion 18b extending between the inner glass pane 8a and the stopper bar 12, and an inner portion 18c extending between an upper edge of the stopper bar 12 and a lower first plane surface 20a of the deflection element 20 attached to the door 8. Due to the configuration of the stopper bar 12, the inner and outer portions 18a, 18c of the warm air channel 18 may extend along an axis which is oriented basically horizontally, and the intermediate portion 18b may extend along an axis which is oriented basically vertically. As a result, the solid elements of the lower part of the door 8 are almost surrounded by ambient air or the warm air flow W flowing through the warm air channel 18 instead of cold air. In an alternative configuration, which is not shown in the figures, at least one of the inner, intermediate and outer portions 18a, 18b, 18c of the warm air channel 18 may be oriented at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to a horizontally or vertically extending axis.
The deflection element 20, which in particular may extend over the whole width of the at least one door 8, is provided with a lower first plane surface 20a facing the upper end of the stopper bar 12 thereby defining the inner portion 18c of the warm air channel 18. The deflection element 20 further comprises a second plane surface 20b which is attached, e.g. by means of an adhesive, in particular an adhesive strip, to the inner glass pane 8a, and a third surface 20c facing the refrigerated sales space 28. Said third surface 20c may be an inclined plane surface. Alternatively, said third surface 20c may be an arcuate surface as shown in Figure 2.
The deflecting element 20 may have a height of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a height of 15 mm.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draftdocx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 The height H2 of the inner portion 18c of the warm air channel 18 may be between 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular a height H2 of 4 mm.
The height Hi of the outer portion 18a of the warm air channel 18 may be between 5 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 6 mm and 8 mm. The width D of the intermediate portion 18b of the warm air channel 18 may be between 3 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 4 mm and 6 mm.
In a cold air flow guiding section 32 next to a lower portion of the door 8, the deflection element 20, in particular the inclined or arcuate third surface 20c of the deflection element 20, deflects the basically vertically flowing cold air flow C, which flows basically parallel to the surface of the inner glass pane 8a. This deflection prevents cold air from the cold air flow C from flowing out of the refrigerated sales space 28 via the warm air channel 18.
The deflection caused by the deflection element 20 further results in a reduction of the width of the space which is available for the flow of cold air C. Said reduction of the available space acts as a nozzle which causes the speed of the flow of cold air C to increase. Said increase of the speed of the flow of cold air C causes a decrease of the static pressure in a low pressure area 36 located within the refrigerated sales space 28 next to the deflection element 20 and the stopper bar 12. Said decrease of static pressure results in a pressure difference between said low pressure area 36 and the warm air channel 18. In consequence, warm air W is sucked through the at least one warm air channel 18 into the refrigerated sales space 28.
As a result of this flow of relatively warm ambient air W, the temperature of the lower part of the glass door 8 including the door side hinge element 7b, mechanical structure elements of the door, which are not visible in the figures as they are located behind the hinge element 7b, glass spacer element 8d and in particular the lower portion 8e of the outer glass pane 8c is increased. This makes it easier to maintain the temperature of this area above the dew point temperature of ambient air A, considerably reducing the risk of undesired condensate formation in this area.
The warm air W, which has been drawn into the refrigerated sales space 28, merges with the flow of cold air C and is sucked through the return air opening 34 into a return air duct 26 provided below the refrigerated sales space 28. Via the
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 return air duct 26 the warm air W is delivered to the evaporator 2, which is not shown in Figure 2, where it is refrigerated before it is delivered back into the refrigerated sales space 28 as illustrated in Figure 1 . Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of a lower portion of a front side of a refrigerated sales furniture 10 according to a second exemplary embodiment which in particular comprises a different type of deflection element 21 . An enlarged sectional view of said deflection element 21 according to the second exemplary embodiment is shown in Figure 4.
The deflection element 21 shown in Figures 3 and 4 has the form of a thin profile, which e.g. may be made of sheet metal or plastic.
The deflection element 21 comprises a straight central portion 21 b extending parallel to the inner surface of the inner glass pane 8a of the at least one door 8 when the deflection element 21 is attached to the at least one door 8. The straight central portion 21 b may be attached to the inner glass pane 8a of the at least one door 8 by means of an adhesive, e.g. an adhesive strip 23 (see Figure 4), which is provided between the straight central portion 21 b and the inner glass pane 8a.
The deflection element 21 further comprises a lower fixing portion 21 c extending basically orthogonally from the straight central portion 21 b. The lower fixing portion 21 c in particular extends basically horizontally along the lower edge of the at least one door 8 when the deflection element 21 is mounted to the at least one door 8. Optionally, the lower fixing portion 21 c may be fixed to the lower edge of the at least one door 8 by means of an adhesive, e.g. an adhesive strip, which is not shown in the figures.
The deflection element 21 also comprises an upper deflecting portion 21 a extending from the straight central portion 21 b on a side opposite to the lower fixing portion 21 c. In consequence, the upper deflecting portion 21 a extends into the refrigerated sales space 28 when the deflection element 21 is mounted to the inner surface of the at least one door 8 as illustrated in Figure 3. The upper deflecting portion 21 a has a lower tip 21 d. The lower tip 21 d protrudes into the cabinet relatively to an inner surface 12a of the stopper bar 12 and extends downwardly into the refrigerated sales space 28. A horizontal distance L between the lower tip 21 d of the upper deflecting portion 21 a and the inner surface
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 12a of the stopper bar 12 may be in the range from 1 mm to 5 mm, particularly from 2 mm to 3 mm.
Such a protrusion associated with the downward orientation causes condensate forming on the lower side of the upper deflecting portion 21 a to flow and drop downwardly into the return air duct 26 provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space 28.
In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, the upper deflecting portion 21 has a basically arcuate shape with a radius R (see Figure 4) of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a radius R of 13 to 15 mm. In alternative embodiments, which are not shown in the figures, the upper deflecting portion 21 a may be straight but inclined with respect to the plane of the at least one door 8. Alternatively, a smaller portion of a circle, i.e. a portion extending over an angle of less than 90° and having a larger radius R, may be used.
In a third embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, the upper deflecting portion 21 a may comprise a plurality of differently, in particular progressively, inclined straight portions 19a, 19b, 19c which are arranged adjacent to each other resulting in a buckled shape of the upper deflecting portion 21 a which overall is similar to the arcuate shape shown in Figure 4.
When the deflection element 21 is mounted to the at least one door 8, the lower tip 21 d of the upper deflecting portion 21 a may end at a height H2 of 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular at a height H2 of 4 mm above an upper edge 12b of the stopper bar 12.
The deflecting element 21 extends basically over the whole width of the at least one door 8 and may have a height h of 30 mm to 40 mm, in particular a height of 35 mm.
The height H2 of the inner portion 18c of the warm air channel 18 may be between 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular a height H2 of 4 mm. The height Hi of the outer portion 18a of the warm air channel 18 may be between 5 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 6 mm and 8 mm. The width D of the intermediate portion 18b of the warm air channel 18 may be between 3 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 4 mm and 6 mm.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241 WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 The upper deflecting portion 21 a deflects the flow of cold air C flowing along the front portion of the refrigerated sales space 28 similar to the third surface 20c of the deflection element 20 shown in Figures 1 and 2. Thus, the effect of sucking a flow of warm air W into the refrigerated sales space 28 along a lower portion of the at least one door 8 for avoiding condensation is the same as it has been described before with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
A deflection element 21 according to the second embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 is easy to produce at low costs, e.g. by extruding a plastic material or by bending / roller molding an appropriate sheet of metal.
The lower fixing portion 21 c of the deflection element 21 defines a mounting position of the deflection element 21 in the vertical direction. It particularly defines the vertical position of the upper deflecting portion 21 a with respect to the lower edge of the at least one door 8. Consequently, this enables to control the position of the upper deflecting portion 21 a relatively to the other parts and especially the vertical distance H2 left open between lower tip 21 d of the upper deflecting portion 21 a and the upper edge 12b of stopper bar 12. As a result, the deflection element 21 according to the second embodiment may be mounted in the correct position easily and with high reliability.
A number of optional features are set out in the following. These features may be realized in particular embodiments, alone or in combination with any of the other features.
In one embodiment, the warm air channel further comprises an intermediate portion, extending basically vertically between the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door and a front side portion of a stopper bar at the lower door frame portion, and fluidly connecting the inner and outer portions of the warm air channel. Due to the configuration of the stopper bar, the inner and outer portions of the warm air channel may extend along an axis which is oriented basically horizontally, and the intermediate portion may extend along an axis which is oriented basically vertically. As a result, the mechanical structure elements of the lower part of the door are almost surrounded by ambient air or the warm air flowing within the warm air channel and not by cold air. In an alternative configuration, at least one of the inner, outer and intermediate portions may be oriented at an arbitrary angle with respect to a horizontally/vertically extending axis.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 In another embodiment, the substantially vertical portion has a width of 3 mm to 10 mm, particularly a width of 4 mm or 6 mm. A width in said range has proven to provide the air flow rate needed to avoid condensation at the lower portion of the at least one door without unreasonably increasing the depth of the lower portion of the door support frame including the stopper bar.
In another embodiment, the deflection element comprises a central portion extending parallel to the inner surface of the at least one door, a lower fixing portion extending along the lower edge of the at least one door, and an upper deflecting portion which extends from the inner surface of the at least one door into the refrigerated sales space. The central portion and the lower fixing portion in particular may extend orthogonally with respect to each other. A deflection element having such a configuration is easy to produce and to mount on the door at low costs. The lower fixing portion ensures an exact positioning of the deflection element at the door.
In another embodiment, the upper deflecting portion has a low tip, which protrudes into the cabinet relatively to the inner surface of the stopper bar and is oriented downwardly into the refrigerated sales space. A horizontal distance between the lower tip of the upper deflecting portion and an inner surface of the stopper bar may be in the range of 1 mm to 5 mm, in particular in the range of 2 mm to 3 mm. Such an upper deflecting portion allows condensate forming on the lower side of the upper deflecting portion to flow and drop downwardly into a return air duct provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space. It further allows for an efficient deflection of the flow of cold air flowing basically vertically along the front of the refrigerated sales space. In another embodiment, the upper deflecting portion has an arcuate shape, in particular an arcuate shape having a radius of 10 mm to 20 mm, more particular a radius of 13 to 15 mm. The lower end of the upper deflecting portion may end 2 mm to 10 mm, in particular 4 mm, above a higher edge of the stopper bar. A gap in said range has proven as to be efficient to avoid condensation at the lower portion of the at least one door without unreasonably increasing the energy consumption of the refrigerated sales furniture due to the warm air being sucked into the refrigerated sales space.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 The deflection element may have a height of 30 mm to 40 mm, in particular a height of 35 mm. In an alternative configuration the deflection element may have a height of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a height of 15 mm. Such configurations allow for a proper deflection of the flow of cold air flowing basically vertically along the front of the refrigerated sales space and for an efficient suction of ambient air through the warm air channel.
In another embodiment, the upper deflecting portion extending into the refrigerated sales space is configured such that an outlet surface of the warm air channel into the refrigerated sales space, which is formed between the lower tip of the upper deflecting portion and a higher edge of the stopper bar is oriented substantially parallel with respect to the direction of flow of the flow of cold air. An outlet surface of the warm air channel which is oriented substantially parallel to the main direction of flow of cold air reduces the dynamic pressure component generated by the flow of cold air acting at said outlet surface, particularly close to zero. This decreases the pressure acting at said outlet surface close to its minimum, which is equal to the static pressure. As a consequence, such a configuration provides a low pressure at said outlet surface close to the lowest pressure which is possible for a given velocity of the flow of cold air and, therefore, an efficient suction of warm air flowing through the warm air channel.
In another embodiment, the deflection element extends over the whole width of the at least one door in order to prevent cold air flowing basically vertically along the front of the refrigerated sales space from entering into the warm air channel and in order to provide a flow of warm air into the refrigerated sales space over the whole width of the at least one door.
In another embodiment, the deflection element is attached by means of an adhesive, in particular by means of an adhesive strip, to the at least one door. An adhesive, in particular an adhesive strip, allows for a secure and convenient attachment of the deflection element to the at least one door.
In another embodiment, the refrigerated sales furniture comprises a cold air flow guiding section having a reduced width for increasing the cold air flow speed. Such a cold air flow guiding section generates a local low pressure and, consequently, a suction effect sucking warm air through the at least one warm air channel into the refrigerated sales space. In order to create the suction effect at a lower portion of the at least one door, basically at the height of the warm air channel outlet, the cold
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 air flow guiding section in particular may be situated between the front of the bottom portion of the refrigerated sales space and the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door and/or the rear side of the lower door frame portion. In another embodiment, the refrigerated sales furniture is configured to provide a flow of cold air, i.e. a "cold air curtain", flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space along the inner surface of the at least one door when it is in its closed position. Such a cold air curtain provides additional thermal insulation at the front of the refrigerated sales space and separates the goods stored in the refrigerated sales space from the ambient air when the at least one door is open.
In another embodiment, at least one elastic buffer is provided between the stopper bar and the door for damping the impact of the door onto the stopper bar when the door is being closed, and for maintaining a defined gap between the door and the stopper bar in order to realize the intermediate portion of the warm air channel when the door is closed.
In another embodiment, the refrigerated sales furniture further comprises at least one return air opening within the refrigerated sales space. The at least one return air opening is arranged at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space next to the at least one warm air channel and is configured to receive the warm air which is sucked through the at least one warm air channel and the cold air from the refrigerated sales area. This allows to efficiently remove warm air which has been sucked through the at least one warm air channel from the refrigerated sales space and avoids an undesirable increase of the temperature within the refrigerated sales space and especially of the foodstuffs stored therein.
The at least one return air opening may be covered by a return air grille in order to prevent goods and other objects from falling into the return air duct.
In another embodiment, the at least one return air opening is fluidly connected to a return air duct which houses at least one fan. The fan is configured for delivering air, which has been received by at least one return air opening, to an evaporator of a refrigeration circuit in order to cool the mixture of cold return air and warm air, which has been sucked through the at least one warm air channel, into the refrigerated sales space. This allows to maintain the temperature within the refrigerated sales space within appropriate limits.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01Jinal_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 The return air duct and/or the evaporator in particular are arranged below and/or behind the back side of the refrigerated sales space. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition many modifications may be made to adopt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241 WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 References
1 furniture body
2 evaporator
3 fan
4 return air grille
5 air discharge opening
6a upper portion of the door support frame
6b lower portion of the door support frame
7 door hinge
7a frame side hinge element
7b door side hinge element
7c connecting hinge element
8 door
8a inner glass pane
8b insulating cavity
8c outer glass pane
8d glass spacer element
8e lower portion of the outer glass pane
9 sealing element
10 refrigerated sales furniture
11 access area
12a inner surface of the stopper bar
12b upper edge of the stopper bar
12 stopper bar
13 elastic buffer
18 warm air channel
18a outer portion of the warm air channel
18b intermediate portion of the warm air channel
18c inner portion of the warm air channel
19a, 19b, 19c inclined straight portions of the deflection element
20 deflection element (first embodiment)
20a first plane surface of the deflection element
20b second plane surface of the deflection element
20c third surface of the deflection element
21 deflection element (second embodiment)
21 a upper deflecting portion of the deflection element
21 b central portion of the deflection element
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 21 c lower fixing portion of the deflection element
21 d lower tip of the upper deflecting portion
22 shelve / rack
23 adhesive strip
24 vertical cold air duct
25 horizontal cold air duct
26 return air duct
28 refrigerated sales space
29 back side of the refrigerates sales space
30 cold air openings
32 cold air flow guiding section
34 return air opening
36 low pressure area A ambient air
C flow of cold air
D width of the vertical portion of the warm air channel
Hi height of the outer portion of the warm air channel
H2 height of the inner portion of the warm air channel
h height of the deflection element
L protrusion of the tip of the deflection element into the refrigerated sales space relatively to the inner surface of the stopper bar
W flow of ambient air
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241 WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47

Claims

Claims 1. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) comprising:
a furniture body (1 ) providing a refrigerated sales space (28);
at least one access area (11 ) for accessing said refrigerated sales space (28); at least one door (8) which is supported by upper and lower portions (6a, 6b) of a door support frame at the at least one access area (11 );
a return air opening (34) which is provided at a bottom of the refrigerated sales space (28) next to the at least one door (8) for receiving a flow of cold air (C) flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space (28);
a deflection element (20; 21 ) which is fixed to an inner surface of the at least one door (8) for deflecting the flow of cold air (C); and
at least one warm air channel (18) extending between the inside and the outside of the refrigerated sales furniture (10), said channel configured to conduct warm air from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) to keep the temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door (8) above the dew point temperature of the ambient air (A);
wherein the refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured such that the flow of warm air (W) is sucked through the at least one warm air channel (18) by the flow of cold air (C) and merges with said flow of cold air (C); and
wherein the at least one warm air channel (18) comprises an outer portion (18a) extending below the at least one door (8) and an inner portion (18c) extending between a portion (20c; 21 c) of the deflection element (20; 21 ) and an upper end of a stopper bar (12) provided at the lower portion (6b) of the door support frame.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47
2. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 1 , wherein the warm air channel (18) further comprises an intermediate portion (18b) situated between the rear side of a lower portion of the at least one door (8) and a front side portion of the stopper bar (12), and wherein the intermediate portion (18b) fluidly connects
5 the outer portion (18a) with the inner portion (18c) of the warm air channel (18).
3. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate portion (18b) has a width (D) of 3 mm to 10 mm, in particular a width of 4 mm to 6 mm.
i o
4. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of claim 1 to 3, wherein the deflection element (21 ) comprises a central portion (21 b) extending parallel to the inner surface of the at least one door (8), a lower fixing portion (21c) extending along the lower edge of the at least one door (8), and an upper deflecting portion
15 (21 a) which extends from the inner surface of the at least one door (8) into the refrigerated sales space (28).
5. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 4, wherein the central portion (21 b) and the lower fixing portion (21 c) extend orthogonally with respect to
20 each other.
6. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the upper deflecting portion (21 a) has a lower tip (21d) which extends downwardly into the refrigerated sales space (28).
25
7. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 6, wherein the lower tip (21 d) of the upper deflecting portion (21 a) protrudes inside the refrigerated sales space (28).
30 8. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the horizontal distance (L) between the lower tip (21 d) of the upper deflecting portion (21a) and an inner surface (12a) of the stopper bar (12) is 1 to 5 mm, in particular 2 to 3 mm.
35 9. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of claims 4 to 8, wherein the upper deflecting portion (21 a) has an arcuate shape.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241 WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 16 15:40:47
10. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 9, wherein the arcuate shape of the upper deflecting portion (21 a) has a radius (R) of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a radius of approximately 13 to 15 mm.
11. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of claims 6 to 10, wherein the upper deflecting portion (21 a) extending into the refrigerated sales space (28) is configured such that an outlet of the warm air channel (18) into the refrigerated sales space (28), which is formed between the lower tip (21 d) of the upper deflecting portion (21 a) and an upper edge (12b) of the stopper bar (12) is oriented substantially parallel with respect to the direction of flow of the flow of cold air (C).
12. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of claims 4 to 11 , wherein the vertical distance (H2) between the lower end of the upper deflecting portion (21 a) and the upper edge (12b) of the stopper bar (12) is 2 mm to 10 mm long, in particular 4 mm long.
13. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the deflection element (21 ) has a height (h) of 30 mm to 40 mm, in particular a height of 35 mm.
14. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the deflection element (20) has a height of 10 mm to 20 mm, in particular a height of 15 mm.
15. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the deflection element (20; 21 ) extends over the whole width of the at least one door (8).
16. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the deflection element (20; 21 ) is attached by means of an adhesive, in particular an adhesive strip (23), to the at least one door (8).
17. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a cold air flow guiding section (32) having a reduced width for increasing the speed of the cold air flow (C), the cold air flow guiding section (32) in particular being situated between the front of a bottom portion of the refrigerated sales space (28) and the rear side of the lowermost portion of the at least one door (8) and/or the rear side of the lower portion (6b) of a door support frame.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241 WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47
18. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the refrigerated sales furniture (10) is configured to provide a flow of cold air (C) flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space (28) along the inside of the at least one door (8), when it is in its closed position.
19. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to any of the preceding claims comprising at least one return air opening (34) within the refrigerated sales space (28), the at least one return air opening (34) being arranged next to the at least one warm air channel (18) and being configured to receive the warm air which has been sucked through the at least one warm air channel (18) after merging with the flow of cold air (C) from the refrigerated sales space (28).
20. Refrigerated sales furniture (10) according to claim 19, wherein the at least one return air opening (34) is fluidly connected to a return air duct (26) comprising at least one fan (3) configured to deliver air, which has been received by at least one return air opening (34) to an evaporator (2) which is part of a refrigeration circuit.
21 . Method of reducing the risk of condensation on the surface of a door (8) of a refrigerated sales furniture (10), the refrigerated sales furniture (10) comprising: a furniture body (1 ) providing a refrigerated sales space (28) for storing products to be presented therein;
at least one access area (11 ) providing access to the refrigerated sales space (28); and
at least one door (8) which is supported by upper and lower portions (6a, 6b) of a door support frame at the at least one access area (11 ) and which is movable between a closed position closing the at least one access area (11 ) and at least one open position allowing access to the refrigerated sales space (28) via the at least one access area (11 );
a deflection element (20; 21 ), which is fixed to an inner surface of the at least one door (8); and
at least one warm air channel (18) extending below the at least one door (8) from a front side of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) into the refrigerated sales furniture (10);
wherein the at least one warm air channel (18) comprises an outer portion (18a) extending below the at least one door (8) and an inner portion (18c)
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47 extending between a portion of the deflection element (20; 21 ) and an upper end of a stopper bar (12) provided at the lower portion (6b) of the door support frame; and wherein the method comprises the steps of:
providing a flow of cold air (C) flowing substantially vertically in a downward direction in at least a lower front portion of the refrigerated sales space (28) next to the inside of a lower portion of the at least one door (8) into a return air opening (34) provided at the bottom of the refrigerated sales space (28);
deflecting the flow of cold air (C) by means of the deflection element (20; 21 ) for sucking warm air (W) from an area in front of the refrigerated sales furniture (10) into the refrigerated sales furniture (10) through the warm air channel (18), when the door (8) is in its closed position for increasing the temperature at a lower portion of the at least one door (8) and as a consequence keeping it above the dew point temperature; and
merging the flow of warm air (W) with the flow of cold air (C).
22. Method according to 21 , further comprising the step of drawing with at least one fan (3) the flow of cold air (C) after it has merged with the flow of warm air (W), through a return air duct (26) into an evaporator (2), the return air duct (26) and/or the evaporator (2) and/or the fan (3) preferably being arranged below or behind the refrigerated sales space (28).
23. Method according to 21 or 22, wherein the step of providing a flow of cold air (C) includes flowing the flow of cold air (C) substantially vertically in a downward direction in front of the refrigerated sales space (28) and along the inside of the at least one door (8), when it is in its closed position.
[/data/so52/8/88/88132/161115_95241WO01_final_Draft.docx] 15/11 /16 15:40:47
EP16795390.0A 2015-12-22 2016-11-16 Refrigerated sales furniture Active EP3393307B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2015/081009 WO2017108101A1 (en) 2015-12-22 2015-12-22 Refrigerated sales furniture
PCT/EP2016/077886 WO2017108281A1 (en) 2015-12-22 2016-11-16 Refrigerated sales furniture

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EP3393307A1 true EP3393307A1 (en) 2018-10-31
EP3393307B1 EP3393307B1 (en) 2020-01-01

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN108430277A (en) 2018-08-21
WO2017108281A1 (en) 2017-06-29
EP3393306A1 (en) 2018-10-31
EP3393306B1 (en) 2020-09-16
CN108463143B (en) 2020-10-16
WO2017108101A1 (en) 2017-06-29
EP3393307B1 (en) 2020-01-01
CN108430277B (en) 2021-04-02
CN108463143A (en) 2018-08-28

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