US20100326120A1 - Refrigeration device comprising a water tank - Google Patents

Refrigeration device comprising a water tank Download PDF

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Publication number
US20100326120A1
US20100326120A1 US12/865,401 US86540109A US2010326120A1 US 20100326120 A1 US20100326120 A1 US 20100326120A1 US 86540109 A US86540109 A US 86540109A US 2010326120 A1 US2010326120 A1 US 2010326120A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
water tank
refrigeration device
heating system
tank
flat heating
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.)
Abandoned
Application number
US12/865,401
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Martin Buchstab
Irene Dumkow
Adolf Feinauer
Klaus Flinner
Bernd Heger
Peter Nalbach
Nathan Wrench
Kasim Yazan
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.)
BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Original Assignee
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
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 BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH filed Critical BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Assigned to BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERAETE GMBH reassignment BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERAETE GMBH ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: NALBACH, PETER, WRENCH, NATHAN, YAZAN, KASIM, BUCHSTAB, MARTIN, FEINAUER, ADOLF, FLINNER, KLAUS, DUMKOW, IRENE, HEGER, BERND
Publication of US20100326120A1 publication Critical patent/US20100326120A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D23/00—General constructional features
    • F25D23/12—Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
    • F25D23/126—Water cooler
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
    • F25C2700/00—Sensing or detecting of parameters; Sensors therefor
    • F25C2700/14—Temperature of water
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2317/00—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • F25D2317/06—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation
    • F25D2317/066—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air supply
    • F25D2317/0666—Details or arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Details or arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces, not provided for in other groups of this subclass with forced air circulation characterised by the air supply from the freezer
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2323/00—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • F25D2323/122—General constructional features not provided for in other groups of this subclass the refrigerator is characterised by a water tank for the water/ice dispenser
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
    • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
    • F25D2400/02—Refrigerators including a heater

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a refrigeration device comprising a water tank.
  • Refrigeration devices such as refrigerators or freezers comprising such a water tank, which supplies a tap attached to the outside of the device with cooled drinking water, are enjoying increasing popularity with consumers.
  • the water in such a tank must never freeze, firstly because the expansion of the water associated with the freezing process could damage the tank and secondly because water cannot be tapped from a frozen tank.
  • the water tank must therefore not have excessively close thermal contact with an interior if this can be cooled down to temperatures below 0° C.
  • Refrigeration devices are known, whereby attempts are made to fulfill this requirement, by the tank being embedded in a wall of the refrigeration device housing, so that it is surrounded by an insulating layer both outwardly and towards the interior.
  • the ratio of the heat conductivities of these layers and the interior and ambient temperature determine the temperature which the contents of the tank adopt under stationary conditions.
  • the problem nevertheless arises here in that the interior temperature and, to an even greater degree than this, also the ambient temperature are variable.
  • a refrigeration device which is designed for use in temperate zones, is not able to cool the tank contents to a satisfying degree when used in tropical environments.
  • the need to insulate the water tank from the interior of the refrigeration device means that if fresh water flows out at ambient temperature after tapping water from the tank, it takes a very long time until this fresh water is cooled down.
  • the object of the present invention is to create a refrigeration device, which can be used in significantly variable ambient temperatures.
  • a refrigeration device comprising a water tank having at least one side wall and a bottom surface, a flat heating system arranged on the water tank for preventing the tank contents from freezing and extending at least partially upwards across the bottom surface of the water tank, and in heat-conductive contact herewith.
  • the bottom surface is generally considerably smaller than the side wall as a result of the restricted thickness of the housing wall.
  • the heating system expediently also extends across the side wall and is in heat-conducting contact herewith.
  • the side wall provided with the heating system is preferably facing an exterior of the housing, so that it is insulated against an interior of the refrigeration device and from the tank and its contents.
  • a second side wall of the tank preferably borders a hollow space, which communicates with a cooled interior of the refrigeration device in order, if necessary, to enable an efficient cooling of the contents of the water tank.
  • the water tank can be advantageously provided with clamping apparatuses. It is thus possible to dispense with gluing the heating system to the tank, since here, if it is not performed sufficiently accurately, the risk of air bubbles between the water tank and the heating system or wrinkling exists.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic cutout through an inventive refrigeration device comprising a water tank mounted in a niche of the door
  • FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the water tank
  • FIG. 3 shows a detailed cutout of the water tank
  • FIG. 4 shows a second detailed cutout in accordance with a further developed embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic cutout through a refrigeration device comprising a water tank according to the present invention.
  • the refrigeration device shown can be a freezer or the freezer part of a side-by-side combination device.
  • the walls of the carcass 1 and door 2 which surround the interior 3 of the device, are realized in a manner known per se in each instance with a solid outer skin and inner skin which enclose the intermediate space foamed with insulating resin.
  • the inner skin 4 of the door 2 is deep drawn in one piece from plastic and has a protrusion 5 protruding into the interior 3 in a central region.
  • the outer skin is composed of an essentially flat front panel 6 , which is shown here covered with a furniture plate 7 , and is cut into a central window, and with an essentially square housing 8 which opens forwards and is injection molded from plastic, said housing 8 engaging in the protrusion 5 of the inner skin 4 and filling the window of the front panel 6 .
  • Two levels 9 on the bottom and top wall of the housing 8 arrange the niche formed in its interior into an inner region 10 and an outer region 11 which opens toward the front side of the device.
  • the inner region 10 is essentially closed by a panel 12 which is inserted into the housing 8 from the front and rests against the level 9 .
  • a water tank 13 is accommodated in the inner region 10 . Pipes 14 and/or 15 connect the water tank 13 to the drinking water network on the one hand and to a tap 16 on the other hand in the outer region 11 of the housing 8 .
  • a hollow space 17 is located between a rear of the approximately square water tank 13 and a rear wall of the housing 8 .
  • Several passages 18 connect the hollow space 17 to the interior 3 .
  • a control element (not shown in FIG. 1 ), like for instance a flap or a fan, is arranged on at least one of these passages 18 , said control element enabling the circulation of air between the hollow space 17 and the interior 3 to be restricted to a minimum if the water temperature notified by a sensor attached the tank 13 is low enough and/or allows or drives air circulation, if after the inflow of fresh water into the tank 13 , the water temperature in the tank 13 is above the desired value.
  • An automatic ice maker 19 and a storage container 20 in which the icemaker 19 outputs frozen ice cubes, is located in the interior 3 .
  • An output opening of the storage container 20 is above a shaft 21 , which extends through the wall of the door 2 , and opens into the housing 8 on the ceiling of the outer region 11 .
  • a container placed in the outer region 11 can be filled both with cold water from the tank 13 and also with ice cubes from the storage container 20 .
  • FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the water tank 13 , seen from its front side facing the niche 11 .
  • the water tank 13 is essentially square by design. It is essentially composed of a flat shell 22 , which forms a front wall 23 , a bottom surface 24 , a ceiling 25 and side walls 26 of the tank 13 , and a rear wall 28 , which is welded to a collar 27 of the shell 22 which runs around the bottom surface 24 , ceiling 25 and side walls 26 .
  • Inlet and outlet connections 29 , 30 protrude from the upper edge of the front wall 23 .
  • a bag 31 made of plastic foil is welded to one of the side walls 26 adjacent to the outlet connection 30 , said bag being provided to accommodate a temperature sensor inserted from above in order to detect the water temperature in the tank 1 .
  • the tank 13 is sealed by a flat welding, designated in FIG. 4 by 39 , between the collar 27 and the rear wall 28 .
  • Two brackets 32 are molded on the front wall 23 , said brackets holding a foil heating system 33 against the wall 23 using pressure.
  • the foil heating system extends across the larger part of the front wall 23 and the bottom surface 24 until reaching the vicinity of the collar 27 , where it is held by further brackets (not shown in this view).
  • the foil heating system 33 By the foil heating system 33 extending beyond the lower edge of the wall 23 which protrudes across an imaginary connecting plane between the upper and lower brackets, it is held in close contact with the shell 22 over its entire surface.
  • an upper and a lower edge of the foil heating system 33 is wrapped around a rigid rod-type beading 34 .
  • This beading 34 provides the otherwise flexible foil heating system 33 with the necessary rigidity in order to be inserted into the bracket 32 and provides for a continuous hold by means of a form-fit connection.
  • the bracket 32 which is elastically braced by the beading 34 from the wall 23 simultaneously exerts an upwardly directed traction on the foil heating system 33 , so that this is held under tension and rests closely against the surface of the tank 13 .
  • FIG. 4 shows a type of anchorage which is modified in this respect.
  • the edge of the foil heating system 33 is also wrapped around a rod-type beading 34 here.
  • the circumferential collar 27 of the shell 22 is lengthened outwards by an angled web 36 in each instance so that a groove 35 results on the front of the collar 27 , which receives the beading 34 .
  • the rear wall 28 is provided with a circumferential web 37 , which supports a projection 38 protruding from each side of the web 36 and partially closes the groove 35 .
  • the web 37 and projection 38 function together as a bracket, which holds the beading 34 and thereto the lower edge of the foil heating system 33 in the groove 35 .

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
  • Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
  • Removal Of Water From Condensation And Defrosting (AREA)
US12/865,401 2008-02-19 2009-02-16 Refrigeration device comprising a water tank Abandoned US20100326120A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102008009788A DE102008009788A1 (de) 2008-02-19 2008-02-19 Kältegerät mit Wassertank
DE102008009788.8 2008-02-19
PCT/EP2009/051775 WO2009103676A1 (de) 2008-02-19 2009-02-16 Kältegerät mit wassertank

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20100326120A1 true US20100326120A1 (en) 2010-12-30

Family

ID=40845976

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/865,401 Abandoned US20100326120A1 (en) 2008-02-19 2009-02-16 Refrigeration device comprising a water tank

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US20100326120A1 (ru)
EP (1) EP2242972A1 (ru)
CN (1) CN101946146A (ru)
DE (1) DE102008009788A1 (ru)
RU (1) RU2010135808A (ru)
WO (1) WO2009103676A1 (ru)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2452214A (en) * 1945-11-19 1948-10-26 Hotpoint Inc Clamp-on electric heater for water tanks and the like
US4839498A (en) * 1988-02-29 1989-06-13 Maryan Chak Electrically heated fish tank unit
US6403928B1 (en) * 2001-05-18 2002-06-11 Tracy L. Ford Beverage heating assembly
US20060096310A1 (en) * 2004-11-09 2006-05-11 Lg Electronics Inc. Cooling air flow passage of refrigerator
US7207189B2 (en) * 2003-03-03 2007-04-24 Lg Electronics Inc. Refrigerator having dispenser

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH094958A (ja) * 1995-06-22 1997-01-10 Toshiba Corp 冷温水機
JP2004132619A (ja) 2002-10-10 2004-04-30 Toshiba Corp 貯蔵庫
WO2005052477A1 (en) 2003-11-28 2005-06-09 Lg Electronics Inc. Refrigerator having dispenser
JP2006327593A (ja) * 2005-05-23 2006-12-07 Hoshizaki Electric Co Ltd ウォーターディスペンサー

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2452214A (en) * 1945-11-19 1948-10-26 Hotpoint Inc Clamp-on electric heater for water tanks and the like
US4839498A (en) * 1988-02-29 1989-06-13 Maryan Chak Electrically heated fish tank unit
US6403928B1 (en) * 2001-05-18 2002-06-11 Tracy L. Ford Beverage heating assembly
US7207189B2 (en) * 2003-03-03 2007-04-24 Lg Electronics Inc. Refrigerator having dispenser
US20060096310A1 (en) * 2004-11-09 2006-05-11 Lg Electronics Inc. Cooling air flow passage of refrigerator

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP2242972A1 (de) 2010-10-27
RU2010135808A (ru) 2012-03-27
DE102008009788A1 (de) 2009-08-20
CN101946146A (zh) 2011-01-12
WO2009103676A1 (de) 2009-08-27

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERAETE GMBH, GERMANY

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BUCHSTAB, MARTIN;DUMKOW, IRENE;FEINAUER, ADOLF;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20100719 TO 20100727;REEL/FRAME:024764/0627

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION