ES2228742T3 - COOLING SYSTEM WITH COLD WATER DISPENSING UNIT. - Google Patents

Abstract

Refrigerating apparatus comprising a thermo-insulated enclosure (2) and a unit for dispensing water from an external general network, said unit comprising a first direct operation solenoid valve (8) coupled to said external general network, a reservoir (10) arranged in the interior of the thermo-insulated casing (2) and which receives the water from the general external network through said first solenoid valve (8), a second direct operation solenoid valve (14) disposed downstream of said reservoir (10) , a water dispenser (13) outside the cooling apparatus, said first solenoid valve (8) having an orifice (87) for the flow of water inside the tank (10) and presenting said second solenoid valve (14) a hole (140) for the flow of water to the dispenser (13), characterized in that said hole (87) of said first solenoid valve (8) has a smaller section than the orific cio (140) of said second solenoid valve (14) in order to reduce the pressure inside the water circuit comprised between said two solenoid valves (8, 14).

Description

Refrigerator with dispensing unit cold water.

The present invention relates to an apparatus refrigerator with a cold water dispensing unit. A device according to the preamble of claim 1 it is known, for example, from the document US-A-5,813,245.

Household refrigerators are known that, inside, they are provided with dispensing devices of drinks. Devices of this type suitable for hosting, in the Inside the thermo-insulated refrigerator enclosure, a bottle containing the desired beverage, in an inverted position, and they comprise a tap, for example of the pressure type, that opens when you want to fill a glass with the drink. In this way, the Drink in the bottle is kept at the temperature inside the thermo insulated refrigerator enclosure.

Some refrigerators are provided with some devices for dispensing water from a general network Exterior. In this case a circuit for the coupling to a general external network and a hydraulic circuit in the inside of the refrigerator suitable for carrying water in the direction ascending to a reservoir inside the envelope heat insulated refrigerator; a tap attached to the tank previously mentioned allows to dispense the water to the outside.

However, the deposit, normally made in plastic material, it can break if the pressure of the water and this happens both due to the cooling of drinking water as due to the increase in water pressure coming from the network general exterior.

In view of the prior art described in the This document, the objective of the present invention is in providing a refrigerator with a dispensing unit of cold water that allows to solve the problem previously mentioned.

According to the present invention, it has been achieved said objective by means of a cooling apparatus comprising a thermally insulated enclosure and a unit intended to dispense water from a general external network, said unit comprising a first direct operation solenoid valve coupled to said general external network, a deposit located inside said thermal insulated envelope and that receives the water coming from said general external network through said first valve solenoid, a second direct operation solenoid valve provided downstream of said reservoir, a water dispenser outside the refrigerator, presenting said first solenoid valve a hole for water flow inside of the reservoir and presenting said second solenoid valve a hole for the flow of water to the dispenser, characterized because said orifice of said first solenoid valve has a section smaller than the orifice of said second valve solenoid in order to reduce the pressure inside the water circuit between said two valves solenoids

Thanks to the present invention, it is possible to make a refrigerator with a unit intended for dispense drinking water outside, which is provided with a hydraulic circuit in which the water flow is maintained constant in the presence of pressure changes.

In addition, the position of the filtering device, assigned to the removal of chlorine and other organic components of drinking water, downstream of the reservoir allows only a small amount of water is constantly without chlorine and therefore not disinfected.

The advantages of the present invention will be put manifest from the following detailed description of a embodiment thereof, which has been illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a schematic view from behind, in section according to a vertical plane, of a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 represents a side section according to a vertical plane of the refrigerator of Figure 1;

Figure 3 represents an enlarged view of the filtering device and tank refrigerator Figure 1;

Figure 4 represents a front view of the grid solenoid valve included in the refrigerator of the Figure 1;

Figure 5 represents a sectional view according to a vertical plane of the solenoid valve of Figure 4;

Figure 6 represents a front view of the solenoid valve of the refrigerator dispenser Figure one;

Figure 7 represents a sectional view according to a vertical plane of the solenoid valve of Figure 6;

Figure 8 represents a perspective view of the refrigerator filtering device of Figure 1;

Figure 9 represents a view of the device for coupling the solenoid valve of the network with the network general exterior;

Figure 10 represents a schematic view of the detail of the filtering device and a deposit of a refrigerator according to a variant of the first embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, illustrates a refrigerator according to a first embodiment of The present invention. Said refrigerator comprises, in a manner known in itself, a closet 1 that wraps inside a thermo insulated enclosure 2 and, at the bottom of it, a freezing cell 3. The thermo-insulated envelope 2 and the cell freeze 3 are open at the front and are provided of doors 4 and 5 that are articulated to the cabinet 1 so that they revolve around a vertical axis. On the back of the envelope 2 are provided a condenser and a compressor, which they are part of a known cooling system not represented in the figures.

The refrigerator is provided with an inlet water 7, which can be coupled to the general domestic network. One valve solenoid 8 is associated with said water inlet 7. At the outlet of solenoid valve 8, a water transport conduit 9, housed in a rear recess of cabinet 1, extends to the upper part of the closet 1, continues until entering a recessed top of said cabinet 1 towards the front of the same, passes through door 4 and ends in a warehouse water accumulator intended to contain a water reserve potable. The tank 10 is mounted on the inner wall of the Door 4 as a console and preferably has a shape elongated A filtering device 11 is associated with the tank 10, said device being able to perform a function chemical filtering of water supplied by the general network, with In order to eliminate possible organic compounds, the products of the reaction of the chlorine contained in the water and the substances detached by the pipes of the general network, which can be appreciate better in Figure 3.

A dispensing device 12 is connected to the filtering device 11 and comprises a tap 13 carrying the filtered water outside. Between the filtering device 11 and the dispensing device 12 a second solenoid valve is provided 14.

The dispensing device 12 comprises a tap 13 consisting of a tubular conduit at right angles 15 and is provided with a button 16 adjacent to one end 30 of the tap which is connected to the valve means 14 and controls the opening and the tap closure.

Also, the dispensing device 12 comprises a frame 17, made of a sheet of plastic material, applied to the outside of the door 4 of the envelope heat insulated 2 in a substantially central position. He frame 17 comprises a recessed part 18 having a substantially horizontal hole 19 at the top and a upper protuberance 20. Said protuberance is suitable for containing the outer part of the tap 13 such that the end 30 of the same tap can protrude from hole 19 together with the button 16. The recessed part 18 of the frame 17 is made of in such a way that not only a glass can be filled with water but also other types of larger capacity containers, such as bottles

Solenoid valve 8 is activated each time it is exerts pressure on button 19. In this way, the water flow inlet from the general outdoor network to the reservoir 10 through conduit 9 and the amount of water flowing in the tank is equivalent to the amount of water that the user, so that the tank 10 is always kept full.

Preferably, the coupling of the input 7 with the general external network is done by a device coupling 21, illustrated in Figure 9, consisting of a hose 22 and two threaded ring nuts 23, 24 provided with suitable filler rings. Ring nuts 23, 24 can connect respectively with the threaded inlet 7 of the valve solenoid 8 and with a tap that exists in the building where it is located the refrigerator. If hose 22 is too long, can be shortened by decoupling it from its connection with a nut annular, cutting and then coupling it with the nut cancel.

Solenoid valve 8, which can be seen better in Figures 4 and 5, it is the type of direct operation and it is provided with a 70 liter counter intended to count the amount of water flowing inside. Solenoid valve 8 it comprises a body 80 composed of the threaded hole 7 for the coupling with the general external network, such that water passes through hole 81 whose diameter is reduced as approaches the inside of said solenoid valve 8 and preferably it comprises a mesh 82 for water filtration. Hole 81 leads into a chamber 83 so cylindrical, but cut transversely by a wall oblique 84. Said chamber 83 comprises a cylindrical body 85 in its interior which, together with wall 84, delimits chamber 83 in the background. The cylindrical body 85 is hollow and has in its part upper 86 a round hole 87, preferably 1.6 mm of diameter, for the flow of water through it; hole 87 is normally closed by a piston 88, driven by a spring 89 arranged in a tubular conduit 90 of a part 95, to close chamber 83. In turn, the tubular conduit 90 is disposed in the inside a body 91 that contains a coil that allows it to lift the piston 88 according to a known operation and, therefore so much, that the water flows inside the cylindrical body 85. Said body carries the water to the 70 liter counter that provides the count of the amount of water that is passed to through outlet 92 inside the pipe 9.

The second solenoid valve 14, controlled also by button 19, it consists of a solenoid valve of direct operation, which can be best seen in the Figures 6 and 7, which is similar to solenoid valve 8, but has a round hole 140, for water flow, greater than the hole 87 provided on solenoid valve 8, and preferably has a 2mm diameter Through a solenoid valve 14 of this type, get the water from the dispensing unit does not come into contact With the outside air. Also, for this second solenoid valve 14 a conduit 141 for water inlet is provided filtered, which, through the holes 142 made in a filler ring 144, flows in an area 143. If piston 145 does not close hole 140, filtered water can flow into a pipe 146 that leads to tap 13.

Although not represented in the figures, a non-return valve for water in order to prevent the flow of water from the dispensing unit to the general network, is located upstream of solenoid valve 8 or is introduced into it.

The dispensing unit works as follows way:

Water from the general network passes through the supply hose 22 and inlet 7 of solenoid valve 8, and is led into the chamber 83 through the hole 81.

If you want to fill any container with water, button 19 that controls the opening of the valves is activated solenoids 8 and 14. In this way, coil 91 allows the piston lift 88 and therefore the flow of water through of hole 87, of hollow cylindrical body 85, of the counter 70 liters and through exit 92 towards pipe 9.

After having entered the flow in the pipe 9, the water reaches the tank 10 arranged in the wall inside the door 4 of the heat insulated enclosure 2. Said tank 10 is generally made of a plastic material, It has an elongated U shape and is provided with two inputs threads 101, 102 made by molding during the same process of tank molding 10.

Once the tank 10 has been filled, the water reaches the filtering device 11 composed of a body 110 to which a filter 111 is connected at the bottom, being arranged said filter inside a container 112 that can threadedly engaging body 110 and having the shape of a glass. Finally, water passes through the solenoid valve 14 and reaches the device 12 for its exit to the outside.

When button 19 is activated to end the water outlet, the same button controls, simultaneously, the closing the solenoid valve 8 by lowering the piston 88 over the hole 87 and solenoid valve 14 closing hole 140 by piston 145. However, the difference in dimension between the two holes 87 and 140 determines a delayed closing of the hole 140 and this causes a reduction in water pressure in the inside of the output circuit, called residual pressure. This allows to avoid possible breakage of the tank 10 and possible high pressure water jets at the outlet of the tap 13. Preferably, the purpose is to guarantee a water pressure in the inside of the dispensing unit, between 0.2 and 2 bars, with a network pressure between 0.2 and 8 bars, considering that the cooling of drinking water in the inside the tank increases the water pressure, by example the passage of water from 10 to 4 degrees determines an increase in the water pressure inside the tank 10 equivalent to 1 atm.

Preferably, solenoid valve 8 is calibrated to 8 bars in order to resist possible changes sudden pressure (called the "water hammer") of water in the general external network.

Solenoid valve 14 is calibrated preferably at 4 bars. In this way, when a valve solenoid 14 presenting these characteristics closes, indicates the failure of solenoid valve 8; in fact, a failure of the solenoid valve 8 determines an increase in pressure inside of the circuit of the dispensing unit that results in the closure of the solenoid valve 14, thus preventing water leakage. Yes this occurs, the user can contact the department of service for the control of the device dispensing system fridge.

Preferably, a variant of the embodiment described above, in which a bag of air 200, composed of a chamber 201 containing air and which it is insulated by a membrane 202 of the part of the tank 10 which contains the water, is introduced inside the tank 10 to further reduce the residual pressure inside of the dispensing unit, as can be seen in Figure 10.

The presence of the two solenoid valves 8 and 14 facilitates the replacement operation of the filter 111 which also it can take place in the presence of water in the water circuit between the two solenoid valves 8, 14. An operation of this type every time the liter counter counts an amount of water equivalent to 1000 liters, which is indicated when a Appropriate LED that may be blinking preferably when the counter reaches 950 liters. An operation of this type implies unscrew the vessel 110 containing the filter 111, decouple said filter and replace it, and then re-screw said glass, as illustrated in Figure 8.

Claims (11)

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a thermo-insulated enclosure (2) and a unit for dispensing water from an external general network, said unit comprising a first direct operation solenoid valve (8) coupled to said external general network, a reservoir (10) disposed inside the thermo-insulated envelope (2) and receiving the water from the general external network through said first solenoid valve (8), a second direct operation solenoid valve (14) disposed downstream of said reservoir ( 10), a water dispenser (13) outside the cooling apparatus, said first solenoid valve (8) having an orifice (87) for the flow of water inside the tank (10) and presenting said second solenoid valve ( 14) a hole (140) for the flow of water to the dispenser (13), characterized in that said hole (87) of said first solenoid valve (8) has a smaller section than the orifice silicon (140) of said second solenoid valve (14) in order to reduce the pressure inside the water circuit comprised between said two solenoid valves (8, 14). 2. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the orifice (87) of said first solenoid valve (8) is circular and has a diameter of substantially 1.6 millimeters and the orifice (140) of said second solenoid valve (14) It is circular and has a diameter of substantially 2 millimeters. 3. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said second solenoid valve (14) is calibrated in terms of pressure with values lower than the first solenoid valve (8) such that when closed, it indicates a failure of the first solenoid valve (8). 4. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the first solenoid valve (8) is calibrated to 8 bars and said second solenoid valve (14) is calibrated to 4 bars. 5. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said first solenoid valve (8) is provided with a liter counter (70) intended to count the amount of water flowing through it. 6. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said dispensing unit comprises a filtering device (11) disposed between said reservoir (10) and said second solenoid valve (14). 7. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said filtering device (11) comprises a filter (111) and a vessel shaped container (112) that can be easily removed for replacement of the filter (111). 8. Refrigerating apparatus according to claims 7 and 5, characterized in that it allows for the replacement of said filter (111) of the filtering device (11) to reach a predetermined amount of water flowing through said first solenoid valve (8). 9. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said thermo-insulated envelope (2) is opened and closed by a door (4) and said reservoir (10) and said filtering device (11) are arranged on the inner wall of said door (4) of said thermo-insulated envelope (2). 10. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that means (21) are provided for coupling said first solenoid valve (8) with the general external network, said coupling means (21) comprising a flexible hose (22) which It can be shortened. 11. Refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said reservoir (10) comprises an air bag (200) in order to reduce to a greater extent the pressure inside the water circuit comprised between the two solenoid valves (8, 14).