JP5774705B2 - refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION The present invention comprises an insulated refrigerated compartment, a chiller capable of cooling the refrigerated compartment to a temperature below ambient temperature, and at least one door through which the refrigerated compartment can be accessed from the outside. It is related with the refrigerator provided.

  Such refrigerators serve to store heat-sensitive products or products. These refrigerators are mainly used in the home, restaurant and restaurant industries, but are also used in the food processing industry, medicine and research. These refrigerators are generally composed of an insulated refrigerated compartment that serves to store the corresponding product or product and a cooler that cools the refrigerated compartment. In principle, the chiller may have any desired mode of operation, but in most cases it will be a compression type chiller or, to a lesser extent, an absorption unit. All types of refrigerators are based on the following operating principle. Heat is extracted from the inside of the refrigerator and transmitted to the outside. Both of these actions are performed by a heat exchanger. Typical operating temperatures inside refrigerators used in the home or restaurant and restaurant industries range from 2 ° C to 8 ° C.

  Various refrigerators are available for use in the home, restaurant and restaurant industries. In addition to refrigerators having a typical width of approximately 60 cm and a height of up to 2 m and intended to be installed in private kitchens, there are relatively small refrigerators primarily used in the restaurant and restaurant industries. This relatively small refrigerator can be placed on a counter, for example, to make it more visible to restaurant customers or to allow customers to see the cooled beverages and groceries being sold. Good. Such display-type refrigerators are provided with a transparent door in most cases, and are provided to restaurants and canteens from manufacturers of beverage suppliers. In general, since this is for the purpose of sales promotion, these refrigerators are labeled with the beverage manufacturer's trademark, product logo, sales promotion message, and the like.

  These beverages are increasingly stored in cans or bottles with a maximum content of 0.5 liters and sold, for example, in units defined by the content of cans or bottles.

  Beverages stored in the cans or bottles are often served in a restaurant and canteen mixed with other beverages. For example, it is common to mix a soft drink and alcohol to make a mixed liquor. In general, since only a relatively small amount of alcohol is mixed, it is sufficient to have a bottle of alcohol to prepare a correspondingly large amount of mixed liquor. For optimal results, alcohol must be cooled, as well as cans or bottles of soft drinks. This means that every time you prepare mixed liquor, you must return the bottle of alcohol to the refrigerator. As a result, the refrigerator must be opened and closed many times, which causes warm ambient air to flow into the refrigerator compartment. For this reason, the cooling parts of small refrigerators used in the restaurant and restaurant industry often will not be able to ensure a constant low temperature inside the refrigerator due to their compact design and low cooling capacity.

  Another disadvantage of conventional refrigerators, particularly in the restaurant and restaurant industry, is that the refrigeration compartment and especially the shelf arrangement in the refrigeration compartment is optimized to accommodate as many cans or bottles of the same size as possible. Is mentioned. This creates a problem, for example, when the above-mentioned alcohol bottle has to be further arranged in such a refrigerator.

  Separate refrigerators could be used to store beverages and alcohol cans or bottles, but this would require additional capital investment on the one hand by the restaurant or canteen and on the other hand by the service staff. The amount of labor that must be increased. Cooling cans or bottles of soft drinks and bottles of alcohol to people inside the restaurant but outside the bar or counter area, such as those in a restaurant VIP area, table, stage, mixing table, etc. It is also inconvenient to use two or more separate refrigerators if they must be provided in a state. This is also true for private homes or private cases.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling unit that can eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages. In particular, in addition to cooling food and / or beverages in smaller units, refrigerators can be easily accessed by service staff or consumers without adversely affecting the cooling of other beverages or foodstuffs. The option to cool at least one bottle of beverage must be provided at the same time. The refrigerator should be as small as possible so that it can be placed in a bar or counter as needed. In addition, the refrigerator must be easily transportable.

  To achieve this object, as a basic concept of the present invention, a refrigerator of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph includes a bottle cooler. The interior of this bottle cooler is designed to accommodate at least one bottle, can be cooled to a temperature lower than ambient temperature, and the bottle cooler opening for placing the bottle inside and taking out the bottle The part is preferably arranged on the upper surface of the refrigerator. If such a dedicated bottle cooler is provided, in addition to the normally rectangular refrigeration compartment, a further cooling unit specifically optimized to accommodate the bottles is provided. An essential feature of the bottle cooler is that it can be accessed from its own opening separate from the access path to the refrigeration compartment, thus eliminating the need to open the refrigeration compartment door to remove or return the bottle. . In this way, alcohol bottles can be accessed quickly and directly, for example, without the risk of the refrigerated compartment becoming warm if the bottle is removed and returned many times. Preferably, the cylindrical bottle cooler can be accessed from above, so that easy access is ensured on the one hand, and on the other hand, the locking mechanism of the access opening is preferably omitted. This is because the cool air has a higher specific weight and therefore remains in the bottle cooler without a lock mechanism.

  The refrigerator is preferably designed as a self-supporting device that is easy to transport. The maximum external dimensions are preferably 50 × 50 × 80 cm (width × depth × height).

  The bottle cooler according to the present invention can be cooled to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature. In this case, positive cooling by a cooler is preferable.

  In particular, the bottle cooler can be cooled to a temperature below ambient by the same cooler that also cools the refrigerated compartment.

  A particular problem with the refrigerator of the present invention is to place the bottle cooler in such a way that on the one hand there is a bottle cooler so that the refrigerated compartment is not miniaturized and on the other hand the overall dimensions of the refrigerator are not so large. . According to a preferred configuration of the refrigerator according to the invention in this context, the chamber is arranged above the refrigerated compartment. In this chamber, the essential components of the cooler (especially the compression element, etc.) are arranged, in which a bottle cooler extends from above. The chamber is preferably a closed space above the refrigeration compartment, the bottom area of the refrigeration compartment substantially corresponding to the bottom area of the refrigerator. The chamber created due to the dimensions required for the bottle cooler is therefore used to place at least some of the technical components necessary for the operation of the cooler. Thus, the components of the chiller are located above the refrigerated compartment, thereby maximizing the bottom area of the refrigerated compartment and resulting in optimal use of the available space. Since the most important technical components of the chiller (especially compression elements etc.) are located in the chamber above the refrigeration compartment and not behind the refrigerator, there are two doors on both sides of the refrigerator, each through The advantage is that the refrigerated compartment can be accessed from the outside. On the one hand, this makes it more convenient for the user, especially when the refrigerator is arranged at a distance from other units, walls, etc. This is because chilled beverages and / or groceries can be accessed from both of the two doors. On the other hand, if one door is preferably designed to open and close on the left side and the other door is designed to open and close on the right side, the installation work is reduced. In order to change the side that opens and closes the door, the refrigerator must be rotated exactly 180 ° and placed or installed at the rotated position.

  The design and / or operating principle of the cooler can in principle be freely selected in the context of the present invention. Preferably, the cooler has a first heat exchanger for absorbing heat below ambient temperature and a second heat exchange for releasing heat above ambient temperature to perform the circulation process. Including The cooler can be designed as a compression type cooling device, for example. In this case, the compression and expansion elements and the first and second heat exchangers are periodically interconnected such that the heat exchanger is connected between the compression and expansion elements on both sides. In order to maximize the surface area available for heat transfer in any case while the required space remains the same, in a preferred configuration, the first heat exchanger is a serpentine pipe, in particular An evaporator having at least one evaporator coil, wherein the second heat exchanger comprises a serpentine pipe, in particular a condenser having at least one condensation coil.

  If at least one pipe of the first heat exchanger, in particular the evaporator coil, is wound around the bottle cooler according to a preferred configuration, the bottle cooler can be cooled particularly efficiently. In order to cool both the refrigerated compartment and the bottle cooler in a simple manner, a first section of the first heat exchanger pipe may be thermally coupled to the refrigerated compartment, and the first section of the first heat exchanger pipe. Two zones may be thermally coupled to the bottle cooler, and in particular may be wrapped around the bottle cooler.

  In order to sufficiently insulate the refrigerated compartment in a simple manner, the extent of the refrigerated compartment is defined by a lower inner wall element, at least two lateral inner wall elements and an upper wall element, at least one of the inner wall elements being at a distance from the inner wall element It is preferable to provide a corresponding outer wall element disposed with a gap between the inner wall element and the corresponding outer wall element. As a result, at least one wall of the refrigerated compartment is designed to be a double wall. The section of the pipe of the first heat exchanger can be arranged in a simple manner between the inner wall element and the outer wall element. According to an advantageous configuration, the meandering area of the pipe of the first heat exchanger is arranged outside the lateral inner wall element in order to provide a good heat transfer between the refrigeration compartment and the first heat exchanger; Optionally, it is thermally coupled to the outside of the lower inner wall element, in particular in direct contact therewith. The above-mentioned heat insulating material should be disposed on the opposite side of the first heat exchanger pipe from the refrigerated compartment. The pipes of the first heat exchanger can also be originally placed inside the refrigerated compartment.

  The cooling capacity of the refrigerator not only depends on the proper insulation of the refrigerated compartment, but also greatly depends on the amount of heat released to the surroundings by the second heat exchanger. This is because the amount of heat determines the amount of heat that can be extracted from the refrigeration compartment and / or bottle cooler. For this reason, it must be ensured that the second heat exchanger includes a sufficiently large surface area for heat exchange with the surrounding environment.

  According to a preferred configuration in this context, the serpentine area of the second heat exchanger pipe is arranged in the chamber and interacts with means for improving or accelerating the heat transfer to the surrounding environment. Means for improving and / or accelerating heat transfer may include, for example, a fin structure or a lattice structure that is thermally coupled to the pipe of the second heat exchanger and in particular directly connected thereto. Alternatively or additionally, the means for accelerating heat transfer may include an electric fan located near the pipe of the second heat exchanger.

  To further increase the surface area of the second heat exchanger that can be used for heat exchange with the surrounding environment without increasing the size of the refrigerator, a section of the pipe of the second heat exchanger, in particular a meandering section, Preferably extends inside the outer wall element, preferably inside the lateral outer wall element and inside the lower outer wall element. In this way, the additional cooling required by the bottle cooler can be provided in a simple manner.

  The present invention will now be described in more detail in connection with specific embodiments schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

It is a perspective view which shows a refrigerator. It is a figure which shows the state from which the housing was removed. It is another figure which shows the state from which the housing was removed. It is detail drawing of a housing wall.

  FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator 1 intended to be used in the restaurant and restaurant industry. The refrigerator 1 includes two side walls 2 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1), a door 3 disposed on the front side, and a door 4 disposed on the rear side. The refrigerator 1 includes a cover plate 5 on the upper surface. A hinge for opening the front door 3 is indicated by 6, and a hinge for opening the rear door 4 is indicated by 7. The hinges 6 and 7 are arranged in such a way that the front door 3 is designed to open and close on the left side and the rear door 4 is designed to open and close on the right side. Both the front door 3 and the rear door 4 are provided with windows 8 from which the inside of the refrigerated compartment can be seen. The refrigerated compartment can be accessed from outside through doors 3 and 4. A bottle cooler 9 is provided in the upper area of the refrigerator 1, and its opening 10 is arranged on the upper surface of the refrigerator 1. In this particular embodiment, the bottle cooler is designed to be cylindrical and dimensioned to accommodate a 1 liter bottle in an upright position. The opening 10 may be closed with a separate lid, and the bottle cooler 9 is designed to open at the top in this particular embodiment, so that the bottle cooler limits the height of the bottle. There is nothing. Bottles can be easily and quickly removed from the bottle cooler and returned to the bottle cooler, especially if the bottle cooler is dimensioned so that the bottle neck protrudes beyond the cooler depending on the bottle type. it can. It can be envisaged that the interior of the bottle cooler, in particular cylindrical, is open downwards towards a particularly rectangular refrigerated compartment, but with a separate cooling volume in which the bottle cooler is cut off from the refrigerated compartment It is preferable.

  Side wall 2 and lower wall 11 are designed as double wall elements, each consisting of an inner wall element and an outer wall element. 2 and 3 show a refrigerator without lateral outer wall elements, doors 3 and 4 and a cover plate 5. For clarity, FIG. 2 shows only the evaporator coil and FIG. 3 shows only the condensing coil.

  It will be appreciated that the refrigerated compartment 15 is delimited by two lateral inner wall elements 12, a lower inner wall element 13 and an upper wall element 14. A chamber 16 is provided above the refrigeration compartment 15 in which the technical components of the cooler and the bottle cooler 9 are arranged. Chamber 16 is separated from the refrigerated compartment by wall element 14. The chiller is designed as a compression type cooling device, in which case the compression and expansion elements and the first and second heat exchangers are connected between the compression and expansion elements on both sides of the heat exchanger Are interconnected periodically. The compression element is designed as a compressor 17. The first heat exchanger comprises an evaporator coil that is wound around the bottle cooler 9 in the first zone 18 to cool the bottle cooler. The bottle cooler 9 includes a thermally insulated jacket 19. The insulated jacket 19 suppresses heat transfer from the outside, for example, from the compressor 17 to the bottle cooler 9 and the evaporator coil 18. In the second adjacent section 20 (FIG. 2), the first heat exchanger evaporator coil follows a serpentine path and is mounted on the transverse inner wall element 12 and the lower inner wall element 13. And thus the refrigerated compartment 15 is cooled. The two areas of the evaporator coil 20 extending on the transverse inner wall element 12 are connected to each other by the area extending on the lower inner wall element 13.

  The expansion element of a compression type cooling device is designed as a throttle, for example an expansion valve or a capillary tube. The second heat exchanger includes a condensing coil, and the first section 21 of the condensing coil follows a serpentine path and is disposed in the chamber 16. In order to improve heat transfer to the surrounding environment, the condensing coil 21 is attached to a fin structure or grid structure 22. In addition, the electric fan 23 is provided near the condensing coil 21 in the chamber 16 to further improve heat transfer to the surrounding environment. The second section 24 (FIG. 3) of the condensing coil of the second heat exchanger follows a serpentine path inside the lateral outer wall element 25 and inside the lower outer wall element 26. The two areas of the condensing coil 24 extending on the lateral outer wall element 25 are connected to each other by the area extending on the lower outer wall element 26.

  In the sectional view according to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the insulation 27 is arranged between the lateral inner wall element 12 and the lateral outer wall element 25 in the side wall 2. This insulator is made of, for example, mineral wool or foam (for example, styrofoam). The lower wall 11 has a similar structure.

  The operation principle of the compression type cooling device is as follows. The gaseous refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 17 in an adiabatic manner, that is, without heat exchange with the surrounding environment, thereby warming the refrigerant. Heat is released to the surroundings in the second heat exchanger, i.e. the condenser containing the condensing coils 21, 24, which causes the fluid to condense. The fluid then passes through the throttle to reduce the pressure and flow into the first heat exchanger, the evaporator containing the evaporator coils 18 and 20. Here, the evaporating refrigerant takes in the amount of heat necessary for evaporation from the refrigeration section 15 and / or the bottle cooler 9 and flows into the compressor 17 as a gas.

Claims (15)

A refrigerator,
An insulated refrigerated compartment (15);
A chiller capable of cooling the refrigerated compartment (15) to a temperature below ambient temperature;
Comprising at least one door (3, 4) allowing access from outside to the refrigerated compartment (15);
The refrigerator (1) includes a bottle cooler (9), the interior of which is designed to accommodate at least one bottle, and can be cooled to a temperature lower than ambient temperature by the cooler. The opening (10) of the bottle cooler (9) for placing the bottle inside and taking out the bottle is its own opening separate from the access path to the refrigerated compartment (15), preferably Located on the top surface of the refrigerator (1), and therefore does not require opening the door of the refrigerated compartment to remove or return the bottle,
The chamber (16) is arranged above the refrigerated compartment (15), in which at least some of the technical components necessary for the operation of the cooler are arranged, in which the bottle cooler (9) extends. There is a refrigerator.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the bottle cooler (9) can be cooled to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature by a cooler.   The refrigerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottle cooler (9) is designed in a cylindrical shape.   The refrigerator according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a compression element (17) is arranged in the chamber (16) above the refrigerated compartment (15).   The cooler includes a first heat exchanger for absorbing heat below ambient temperature and a second heat exchanger for releasing heat above ambient temperature to perform a circulation process. The refrigerator in any one of Claim 1 to 4 containing.   The chiller is designed as a compression type cooling device, the compression element (17) and the expansion element and the first and second heat exchangers are located between the compression element (17) and the expansion element on both sides. The refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the refrigerator is periodically interconnected in such a manner as to be connected.   The first heat exchanger comprises a serpentine pipe, in particular an evaporator having at least one evaporator coil (18, 20), and the second heat exchanger has a serpentine pipe, in particular at least one condensing coil. The refrigerator according to claim 5 or 6, comprising a condenser having (22, 24).   The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein at least one pipe (18) of the first heat exchanger is wound around a bottle cooler (9).   The area of the refrigerated compartment (15) is defined by a lower inner wall element (13), at least two lateral inner wall elements (12) and an upper wall element (14), wherein at least one of the inner wall elements (12, 13) One has a corresponding outer wall element (25, 26) arranged at a distance from the inner wall element (12, 13), and the thermal insulation (27) is an outer wall corresponding to the inner wall element (12, 13). 9. Refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, arranged between the elements (25, 26).   The serpentine zone (20) of the pipe of the first heat exchanger is thermally coupled, in particular in direct contact with the outside of the transverse inner wall element (12) and optionally the outside of the lower inner wall element (13). The refrigerator according to claim 9.   11. The meandering area (21) of the pipe of the second heat exchanger is located in the chamber (16) and interacts with means for improving or accelerating heat transfer to the surrounding environment. The refrigerator described.   The means for enhancing and / or accelerating heat transfer comprises a fin structure or a lattice structure (22) that is thermally coupled to the pipe (21) of the second heat exchanger and in particular in direct contact therewith. 11. The refrigerator according to 11.   13. A refrigerator according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the means for accelerating heat transfer comprises an electric fan (23) arranged near the pipe (21) of the second heat exchanger.   The area of the pipe of the second heat exchanger, in particular the meandering area (24), extends inside the outer wall element, preferably inside the lateral outer wall element (25) and inside the lower outer wall element (26). The refrigerator of Claim 11 or 12 which exists.   Refrigerator according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein two doors (3, 4) are provided on both sides of the refrigerator (1), through which each can access the refrigerated compartment (15) from the outside. .

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