US20180259238A1 - Frost-free refrigeration appliance - Google Patents
Frost-free refrigeration appliance Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20180259238A1 US20180259238A1 US15/762,112 US201615762112A US2018259238A1 US 20180259238 A1 US20180259238 A1 US 20180259238A1 US 201615762112 A US201615762112 A US 201615762112A US 2018259238 A1 US2018259238 A1 US 2018259238A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- inner chamber
- refrigeration appliance
- appliance according
- closure element
- air channel
- 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
Links
Images
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
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/042—Air treating means within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/045—Air flow control arrangements
-
- 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
- F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
- F25D11/02—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators with cooling compartments at different temperatures
-
- 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
- F25D17/00—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces
- F25D17/04—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection
- F25D17/06—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation
- F25D17/08—Arrangements for circulating cooling fluids; Arrangements for circulating gas, e.g. air, within refrigerated spaces for circulating air, e.g. by convection by forced circulation using ducts
-
- 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
- F25D2201/00—Insulation
- F25D2201/10—Insulation with respect to heat
-
- 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
- F25D2317/063—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 with air guides
-
- 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
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, particularly a domestic refrigeration appliance, in which at least one first and one second inner chamber are separated from one another by a thermally-insulating wall, in a thermally-insulating housing, in order to form compartments for the storage of refrigerated goods at different temperatures, and in which the first inner chamber is divided into a storage compartment for the refrigerated goods and an evaporator chamber, and a passage in the thermally-insulating wall connects the evaporator chamber to the second inner chamber in order to permit a cooling of the second inner chamber without this requiring a separate evaporator.
- the second inner chamber is also divided into a storage compartment for refrigerated goods and an air channel, the passage opening therein and the cold air being distributed therefrom in the storage compartment of the second inner chamber via a plurality of openings of an air channel cover.
- a closure element is required, it being possible thereby to cut off one of the storage compartments from the cold air supply or to throttle at least significantly the inflow of cold air to the relevant storage compartment.
- such a closure element comprises a flap which is arranged in a lower region of the air channel of the second inner chamber.
- a lower part of the air channel below the closure element is continuously connected to the evaporator chamber and, therefore, may reach temperatures which may be considerably below the desired temperature of the storage compartment of the second inner chamber.
- this storage compartment for example, is a normal refrigeration compartment but the evaporator is also designed at the same time to be able to cool a freezer compartment, this lower region of the air channel may then be cooled to considerably below 0° C. and lead to frost damage to refrigerated goods in the storage compartment of the second inner chamber.
- the air channel cover In order to eliminate this, firstly it is necessary to configure the air channel cover to be thermally-insulating, wherein the space required for a thermally-insulating layer at this point is lost from the usable volume of the second inner chamber, and secondly a reliable seal between the air channel and the storage compartment of the second inner chamber is necessary in order to prevent an undesirable escape of cold air into the storage compartment past the closure element, which makes the installation of the air channel cover complex and costly.
- the object is achieved, in a refrigeration appliance in which at least one first and one second inner chamber are separated from one another by a thermally-insulating wall, in a thermally-insulating housing, and the first inner chamber is divided into a storage compartment and an evaporator chamber and a passage in the thermally-insulating wall connects the evaporator chamber to the second inner chamber, by at least one closure element for controlling the air exchange being housed, in said passage, between the evaporator chamber and the second inner chamber.
- the closure element may comprise a flap which is rotatable between an open position and a closed position about an axis.
- the closure element also comprises a frame which completely surrounds the flap in its closed position.
- This frame may function as a sealing frame.
- the second inner chamber is also preferably divided by an air channel cover into a storage compartment and at least one air channel in order to facilitate a uniform distribution of the supplied cold air in the entire storage compartment.
- two parallel air channels are provided, one thereof extending from the passage into a lower region of the second inner chamber and the other thereof extending from the passage past the lower region into an upper region of the second inner chamber.
- a closure element is preferably assigned to each air channel.
- a single closure element may be assigned to each air channel but also a single closure element may control a plurality of air channels.
- the closure element and/or the closure elements are preferably combined with a motor which drives said elements to form a sub-assembly which is mounted in the passage between the inner chambers.
- a single motor may be assigned to both closure elements and connected to the closure elements via a gear mechanism, for example by means of two eccentric cams which are arranged in order to initiate phase-shifted movements of the closure elements, so that at least a position of the motor in which both closure elements are closed, a position in which the first closure element is open and the second closure element is closed, and a position in which the first closure element is closed and the second closure element is open, and possibly a position in which both closure elements are open, are present.
- One and the same closure element may also block the passage between the first and the second inner chamber in a first position, connect the first inner chamber to a first air channel of the second inner chamber in a second position and connect the first inner chamber to a second air channel of the second inner chamber in a third position.
- first inner chamber and the second inner chamber in each case are defined by an internal container—typically deep-drawn from a flat plastics material—a tubular housing may be provided in the passage between said inner chambers, said housing extending between opposing apertures of the internal containers through a thermally-insulating layer of the wall.
- the housing preferably comprises two flanges which in each case bear against one of the two internal containers.
- the flanges may bear against the sides of the internal containers facing the inner chambers, so that the internal containers are pressed against the flanges, when the wall between said internal containers is foamed; preferably the flanges bear on the foam side against the internal container.
- the housing may be made up of two housing parts, each thereof comprising one of the flanges.
- a foamed part for example a molded part made of expanded polystyrene, may be arranged between a rear face of the air channel and a rear wall of the internal container of the second inner chamber. Since such a foamed part contributes to the thermal insulation of the second inner chamber, the thickness of the thermally-insulating layer outside the internal container on the rear wall thereof may be correspondingly reduced and/or the depth of the internal container may be increased. This in turn permits the aperture of the second inner chamber, where the passage opens into the first inner chamber, to be positioned outside a rounded transition between the bottom and the rear wall of the internal container, whereby the aperture is able to be molded more easily, without usable volume in the second inner chamber being lost thereby.
- the air channel cover may come into contact with the foamed part on both sides of the air channel, so that said foamed part is fixed between the air channel cover and the rear wall.
- the closure element should be able to be inserted through one of the apertures of the two internal containers into the housing.
- the mounting of the closure element is generally via the upper aperture.
- a clamp which secures the closure element in its installed position may be latched to the walls of the passage between the closure element and the inner chamber, the closure element being inserted from said inner chamber.
- the clamp is preferably arranged so as to be placed across the motor, since whilst the clamp is able to secure the sub-assembly effectively at that point, at the same time it does not obstruct an air flow passing the closure element.
- FIG. 1 shows a schematic section in the vertical direction through the body of a refrigeration appliance according to the invention
- FIG. 2 shows a section in the horizontal direction along the plane II-II of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a housing which is arranged in a passage between the compartments of the refrigeration appliance body of FIG. 1 and a sub-assembly to be mounted in the housing;
- FIG. 4 shows a schematic section through the housing and the sub-assembly in the state mounted in the body of the refrigeration appliance.
- FIG. 5 shows a simplified modification of the housing and the sub-assembly.
- FIG. 1 shows a schematic vertical section through the body of a no-frost refrigeration appliance according to the invention.
- Two inner chambers 2 , 3 are formed in the body 1 , one 2 in the upper part of the body and the other 3 in the lower part of the body 1 .
- the inner chambers 2 , 3 are defined in each case by an internal container 4 and/or 5 which is deep-drawn from flat plastics material. Both internal containers may be deep-drawn in one piece from the same blank; in the case shown in the figure, the internal containers 4 , 5 are produced separately and encased in profiles of a frame 6 on the front face of the body 1 .
- the insulating material layer 7 extends in this case in one piece into a wall 8 between the inner chambers 2 , 3 .
- the inner chamber 3 is sub-divided by a partition 10 substantially parallel to the rear wall 9 of its internal container 5 into a storage compartment for refrigerated goods, in this case a freezer compartment 11 and an evaporator chamber 12 .
- a further wall 13 divides the evaporator chamber 12 into a suction region 14 in which a lamella-type evaporator 15 is also located and a distributer region 16 .
- a fan 17 is arranged in an opening of the wall 13 in order to suction air through the evaporator 15 and to pump the air thus cooled into the distributor region 16 .
- Via distributor openings 18 in the wall 13 a portion of the cooled air passes directly back into the storage chamber 11 .
- the remaining air passes via a passage 19 in the wall 8 into an air channel 20 of the upper inner chamber 2 .
- the air channel 20 is defined toward a rear wall 23 of the internal container 4 by a molded part 24 made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and delimited from a storage compartment 21 by a plate-shaped air channel cover 22 .
- the air channel cover 22 , and the wall 13 are provided with distributor openings 18 , via which the cold air distributed vertically is able to escape into the storage compartment 21 .
- the air channel 20 and the air channel cover 22 may extend over the entire height of the inner chamber 2 ; in the design shown here they extend only from the bottom 25 of the inner chamber 2 to a horizontal partition 26 inserted in the internal container 4 , so that the air guided in the air channel 20 is only able to be distributed in a lower region 27 of the storage compartment 21 .
- a second air channel 29 is guided through the molded part 24 partially outside the cutting plane of FIG. 1 and the air circulating in this air channel 29 is distributed in the upper region 28 of the inner chamber 2 via distributor openings 18 of a further air channel cover 30 .
- FIG. 2 shows a section through the lower region of the normal refrigeration compartment 2 , level with the line II-II of FIG. 1 .
- the cutting plane of FIG. 1 is denoted in FIG. 2 by I-I.
- the air channel 20 in this case is defined at the front by the air channel cover 22 and toward the rear wall 23 and, in the lateral direction through the molded part 24 , the air channel cover 22 bears against the molded part 24 on both sides of the air channel 20 .
- Latching connections are provided in order to fix the air channel cover 22 in the position shown and to hold the molded part 24 clamped between the air channel cover 22 and the rear wall 23 .
- the latching connections in each case comprise a sleeve 31 and a latching pin 32 engaging in the sleeve.
- the sleeve 31 is bonded, welded or fastened in another suitable manner to the rear wall 23 and engages in a passage 33 of the molded part 24 .
- the latching pin 32 has a shank 34 with a plurality of frusto-conical segments which, when inserted into the sleeve 31 , which is slotted in the longitudinal direction, widen said sleeve in a resilient manner until the segments come into engagement with complementary latching contours in the interior of the sleeve 31 .
- Each latching pin 32 is inserted sufficiently deeply into its sleeve 31 until a head 35 of the latching pin 32 bears fixedly against the air channel cover 22 .
- FIG. 3 A housing 38 which extends between the apertures 37 through the wall 8 , in order to prevent the passage 19 from being closed when the insulating material is foamed, is shown in FIG. 3 in a detailed perspective view.
- the housing 38 comprises a lower housing part 39 and an upper housing part 40 which are injection-molded from plastics separately from one another and plugged together before inserting into the wall 8 .
- the lower housing part 39 in this case comprises two pipe connectors 41 , 42 which are slightly widened in the upward direction and are respectively of rectangular cross section and a flange 43 extending around the lower ends of the pipe connectors 41 , 42 , said flange being provided in order to bear against the top 36 , all around the aperture 37 thereof, when the housing 38 is inserted from the rear face of the body 1 into the wall 8 .
- the flange 43 On its lower face, not visible in FIG. 3 , the flange 43 may be provided with flat ribs which engage in the aperture 37 of the top 36 along the edges thereof in order to fix the installed position of the housing 38 in an accurate manner.
- a flange 44 surrounds an individual connector 45 which is also rectangular in cross section and which at its lower end branches into two connecting parts 46 , 47 complementary to the pipe connectors 41 , 42 .
- On the narrow sides of the flange two projections 67 are formed which together with the flange form grooves which are open in the lateral direction.
- the aperture 37 of the bottom 25 at its edge facing the rear wall 9 has two widenings 68 (see FIG. 4 ), the projections 67 passing through said widenings when inserting the housing 38 into the wall 8 , so that in the mounted state they bear against the bottom 25 and clamp the housing 38 to the bottom 25 .
- a latching projection 49 is positioned on the narrow sides 48 of the connector 45 such that when the downwardly tapering connecting parts 46 , 47 engage by a frictional connection in the pipe connectors 41 , 42 , resilient latching hooks 50 of the lower housing part 39 engage behind the latching projections 49 .
- a sub-assembly 51 shown in FIG. 3 above the upper housing part 40 comprises a motor housing 52 in the form of a vertically oriented cuboid, rectangular frames 53 , 54 protruding from the two main surfaces thereof in plan view.
- the sub-assembly 51 is provided in order to be inserted, in the orientation shown, from above into the upper housing part 40 ; in the installed position the motor housing 52 divides the interior of the connector 45 into two parts, one thereof extending in the extension of the connecting part 46 and the other thereof extending in the extension of the connecting part 47 , and the frames 53 , 54 are positioned on a shoulder 55 extending on at least one longitudinal wall of the connector 45 .
- each frame 53 , 54 a flap 56 (see FIG. 4 ) is pivotably mounted about an axis 57 .
- the walls of the flap 56 bear tightly against the frame 53 and/or 54 so that each flap 56 is able to block one of the two passages on both sides of the motor housing 52 .
- each flap 56 is pivotable downwardly into the connector 45 until it reaches an open position illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 4 , in which it does not prevent an air flow from the evaporator chamber 12 to one of the air channels 20 and/or 29 .
- a gear mechanism is also accommodated in the motor housing 52 , said gear mechanism making it possible to control the positions of the flaps 56 independently of one another by means of two eccentric cams, as mentioned above, for example.
- the upper region 28 and the lower region 27 of the upper storage compartment 21 are thus selectively able to be subjected to cold air, different temperatures may be set in both regions.
- the temperature of the lower region 27 should be the lower temperature, not least because at the height of the lower region 27 the molded part 24 is thicker and thus the thermal insulation of the lower region 27 is more effective than that of the upper region.
- the upper region 28 may be used as a normal refrigeration compartment and the lower region may be used as a fresh food refrigeration compartment.
- a clamp 58 is also provided in order to fix the sub-assembly 51 in the connector 45 , said clamp in the mounted state extending over the upper face of the motor housing 52 from one longitudinal wall of the connector 45 to the other.
- the clamp 58 has an upper wall 59 and two side walls 60 which encompass the motor housing 52 on both sides.
- the clamp 58 In the mounted state, the clamp 58 , on the one hand, is fixed by engagement in a recess 61 to a rear longitudinal wall of the connector 45 and, on the other hand, is fixed by latching between two latching hooks 62 to a front edge of the flange 44 .
- a hook 63 may be provided, a supply cable 64 of the motor being able to be secured below said hook in order to ensure that it does not hang into one of the frames 53 , 54 and prevent the movement of the flaps 56 .
- FIG. 5 shows a simplified variant of the housing 37 and the sub-assembly 51 in a schematic section.
- the sub-assembly 51 in this case comprises a motor located outside the cutting plane and a single flap 56 , of a butterfly shape, which is rotatable about an axis 57 perpendicular to the cutting plane.
- the sub-assembly is fixed by a clamp 58 extending perpendicular to the cutting plane, acting on front walls of the upper housing part 40 , and which divides the opening of the upper housing part 40 into a front part 65 communicating with the air channel 20 and a rear part 66 communicating with the air channel 29 .
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)
- Cold Air Circulating Systems And Constructional Details In Refrigerators (AREA)
Abstract
A refrigeration appliance, particularly a domestic refrigeration appliance, has a thermally-insulating housing in which at least one first and one second inner chamber are separated from one another by a thermally-insulated wall. The first inner chamber is divided into a storage compartment and an evaporator chamber. A passage in the thermally-insulated wall connects the evaporator chamber to the second inner chamber. At least one closure element for controlling the air exchange is housed, in the passage, between the evaporator chamber and the second inner chamber.
Description
- The present invention relates to a refrigeration appliance, particularly a domestic refrigeration appliance, in which at least one first and one second inner chamber are separated from one another by a thermally-insulating wall, in a thermally-insulating housing, in order to form compartments for the storage of refrigerated goods at different temperatures, and in which the first inner chamber is divided into a storage compartment for the refrigerated goods and an evaporator chamber, and a passage in the thermally-insulating wall connects the evaporator chamber to the second inner chamber in order to permit a cooling of the second inner chamber without this requiring a separate evaporator.
- Generally, in such a refrigeration appliance the second inner chamber is also divided into a storage compartment for refrigerated goods and an air channel, the passage opening therein and the cold air being distributed therefrom in the storage compartment of the second inner chamber via a plurality of openings of an air channel cover.
- In order to be able to control the distribution of cold air to the two storage compartments, a closure element is required, it being possible thereby to cut off one of the storage compartments from the cold air supply or to throttle at least significantly the inflow of cold air to the relevant storage compartment.
- In a conventional refrigeration appliance, such a closure element comprises a flap which is arranged in a lower region of the air channel of the second inner chamber. With this construction, a lower part of the air channel below the closure element is continuously connected to the evaporator chamber and, therefore, may reach temperatures which may be considerably below the desired temperature of the storage compartment of the second inner chamber. When this storage compartment, for example, is a normal refrigeration compartment but the evaporator is also designed at the same time to be able to cool a freezer compartment, this lower region of the air channel may then be cooled to considerably below 0° C. and lead to frost damage to refrigerated goods in the storage compartment of the second inner chamber. In order to eliminate this, firstly it is necessary to configure the air channel cover to be thermally-insulating, wherein the space required for a thermally-insulating layer at this point is lost from the usable volume of the second inner chamber, and secondly a reliable seal between the air channel and the storage compartment of the second inner chamber is necessary in order to prevent an undesirable escape of cold air into the storage compartment past the closure element, which makes the installation of the air channel cover complex and costly.
- It is the object of the present invention to provide a refrigeration appliance of the type mentioned in the introduction which is able to be mounted in a simple and cost-effective manner and which has a large usable volume with the given external dimensions.
- The object is achieved, in a refrigeration appliance in which at least one first and one second inner chamber are separated from one another by a thermally-insulating wall, in a thermally-insulating housing, and the first inner chamber is divided into a storage compartment and an evaporator chamber and a passage in the thermally-insulating wall connects the evaporator chamber to the second inner chamber, by at least one closure element for controlling the air exchange being housed, in said passage, between the evaporator chamber and the second inner chamber.
- This construction ensures that a boundary between the temperature zones of the first and the second inner chamber extends exactly inside the thermally-insulating wall. As a result, the need to provide further costly thermal insulation inside one of the inner chambers is dispensed with, and the spaced saved thereby benefits the usable volume. Since only low temperature gradients are present on those parts which are installed in one of the two inner chambers, however, a costly seal is no longer necessary on said parts in order to prevent an undesired flow of heat, and if a seal is desired it is able to be implemented accurately.
- The closure element may comprise a flap which is rotatable between an open position and a closed position about an axis.
- In order to facilitate the installation and for an effective sealing action of the flap in the closed position, it is advantageous if the closure element also comprises a frame which completely surrounds the flap in its closed position. This frame may function as a sealing frame.
- In this case, the second inner chamber is also preferably divided by an air channel cover into a storage compartment and at least one air channel in order to facilitate a uniform distribution of the supplied cold air in the entire storage compartment.
- Preferably, two parallel air channels are provided, one thereof extending from the passage into a lower region of the second inner chamber and the other thereof extending from the passage past the lower region into an upper region of the second inner chamber.
- In order to be able to control a temperature gradient between the upper and the lower region of the second inner chamber, and thus, for example, to be able to use a region of the storage compartment thereof as a normal refrigeration compartment and a further region thereof as a fresh food refrigeration compartment, a closure element is preferably assigned to each air channel. In this case, a single closure element may be assigned to each air channel but also a single closure element may control a plurality of air channels.
- For facilitating the assembly, the closure element and/or the closure elements are preferably combined with a motor which drives said elements to form a sub-assembly which is mounted in the passage between the inner chambers. In this case, a single motor may be assigned to both closure elements and connected to the closure elements via a gear mechanism, for example by means of two eccentric cams which are arranged in order to initiate phase-shifted movements of the closure elements, so that at least a position of the motor in which both closure elements are closed, a position in which the first closure element is open and the second closure element is closed, and a position in which the first closure element is closed and the second closure element is open, and possibly a position in which both closure elements are open, are present.
- One and the same closure element may also block the passage between the first and the second inner chamber in a first position, connect the first inner chamber to a first air channel of the second inner chamber in a second position and connect the first inner chamber to a second air channel of the second inner chamber in a third position.
- If the first inner chamber and the second inner chamber in each case are defined by an internal container—typically deep-drawn from a flat plastics material—a tubular housing may be provided in the passage between said inner chambers, said housing extending between opposing apertures of the internal containers through a thermally-insulating layer of the wall.
- The housing preferably comprises two flanges which in each case bear against one of the two internal containers. The flanges may bear against the sides of the internal containers facing the inner chambers, so that the internal containers are pressed against the flanges, when the wall between said internal containers is foamed; preferably the flanges bear on the foam side against the internal container.
- In order to permit the production of the housing using simple tools, the housing may be made up of two housing parts, each thereof comprising one of the flanges.
- A foamed part, for example a molded part made of expanded polystyrene, may be arranged between a rear face of the air channel and a rear wall of the internal container of the second inner chamber. Since such a foamed part contributes to the thermal insulation of the second inner chamber, the thickness of the thermally-insulating layer outside the internal container on the rear wall thereof may be correspondingly reduced and/or the depth of the internal container may be increased. This in turn permits the aperture of the second inner chamber, where the passage opens into the first inner chamber, to be positioned outside a rounded transition between the bottom and the rear wall of the internal container, whereby the aperture is able to be molded more easily, without usable volume in the second inner chamber being lost thereby.
- The air channel cover may come into contact with the foamed part on both sides of the air channel, so that said foamed part is fixed between the air channel cover and the rear wall.
- The closure element should be able to be inserted through one of the apertures of the two internal containers into the housing. At its simplest, the mounting of the closure element is generally via the upper aperture.
- A clamp which secures the closure element in its installed position may be latched to the walls of the passage between the closure element and the inner chamber, the closure element being inserted from said inner chamber.
- If the closure element and the motor which drives said closure element are combined to form a sub-assembly, then the clamp is preferably arranged so as to be placed across the motor, since whilst the clamp is able to secure the sub-assembly effectively at that point, at the same time it does not obstruct an air flow passing the closure element.
- Further features and advantages of the invention are disclosed from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
-
FIG. 1 shows a schematic section in the vertical direction through the body of a refrigeration appliance according to the invention; -
FIG. 2 shows a section in the horizontal direction along the plane II-II ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a housing which is arranged in a passage between the compartments of the refrigeration appliance body ofFIG. 1 and a sub-assembly to be mounted in the housing; -
FIG. 4 shows a schematic section through the housing and the sub-assembly in the state mounted in the body of the refrigeration appliance; and -
FIG. 5 shows a simplified modification of the housing and the sub-assembly. -
FIG. 1 shows a schematic vertical section through the body of a no-frost refrigeration appliance according to the invention. Twoinner chambers 2, 3 are formed in thebody 1, one 2 in the upper part of the body and the other 3 in the lower part of thebody 1. In a manner known per se, theinner chambers 2, 3 are defined in each case by aninternal container 4 and/or 5 which is deep-drawn from flat plastics material. Both internal containers may be deep-drawn in one piece from the same blank; in the case shown in the figure, theinternal containers frame 6 on the front face of thebody 1. An intermediate space between the outer faces of theinternal containers body 1, not shown inFIG. 1 , is filled with aninsulating material layer 7 which is obtained by injection-molding and expanding a foam-forming synthetic resin in the intermediate space. Theinsulating material layer 7 extends in this case in one piece into awall 8 between theinner chambers 2, 3. - The inner chamber 3 is sub-divided by a
partition 10 substantially parallel to therear wall 9 of itsinternal container 5 into a storage compartment for refrigerated goods, in this case afreezer compartment 11 and anevaporator chamber 12. Afurther wall 13 divides theevaporator chamber 12 into asuction region 14 in which a lamella-type evaporator 15 is also located and adistributer region 16. Afan 17 is arranged in an opening of thewall 13 in order to suction air through theevaporator 15 and to pump the air thus cooled into thedistributor region 16. Via distributor openings 18 in thewall 13, a portion of the cooled air passes directly back into thestorage chamber 11. The remaining air passes via apassage 19 in thewall 8 into anair channel 20 of the upperinner chamber 2. - The
air channel 20 is defined toward arear wall 23 of theinternal container 4 by a moldedpart 24 made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and delimited from astorage compartment 21 by a plate-shapedair channel cover 22. Theair channel cover 22, and thewall 13, are provided withdistributor openings 18, via which the cold air distributed vertically is able to escape into thestorage compartment 21. - The
air channel 20 and theair channel cover 22 may extend over the entire height of theinner chamber 2; in the design shown here they extend only from thebottom 25 of theinner chamber 2 to ahorizontal partition 26 inserted in theinternal container 4, so that the air guided in theair channel 20 is only able to be distributed in alower region 27 of thestorage compartment 21. In order to supply aregion 28 above thepartition 26, asecond air channel 29 is guided through themolded part 24 partially outside the cutting plane ofFIG. 1 and the air circulating in thisair channel 29 is distributed in theupper region 28 of theinner chamber 2 viadistributor openings 18 of a furtherair channel cover 30. -
FIG. 2 shows a section through the lower region of thenormal refrigeration compartment 2, level with the line II-II ofFIG. 1 . The cutting plane ofFIG. 1 is denoted inFIG. 2 by I-I. Theair channel 20 in this case is defined at the front by theair channel cover 22 and toward therear wall 23 and, in the lateral direction through themolded part 24, the air channel cover 22 bears against themolded part 24 on both sides of theair channel 20. - Latching connections are provided in order to fix the
air channel cover 22 in the position shown and to hold themolded part 24 clamped between theair channel cover 22 and therear wall 23. Here, the latching connections in each case comprise asleeve 31 and alatching pin 32 engaging in the sleeve. Thesleeve 31 is bonded, welded or fastened in another suitable manner to therear wall 23 and engages in apassage 33 of themolded part 24. Thelatching pin 32 has ashank 34 with a plurality of frusto-conical segments which, when inserted into thesleeve 31, which is slotted in the longitudinal direction, widen said sleeve in a resilient manner until the segments come into engagement with complementary latching contours in the interior of thesleeve 31. Eachlatching pin 32 is inserted sufficiently deeply into itssleeve 31 until a head 35 of thelatching pin 32 bears fixedly against theair channel cover 22. - In each case at both ends of the
passage 19 apertures 37 (seeFIG. 1 ) are cut into thebottom 25 of theinternal container 4 and thetop 36 of theinternal container 5. Ahousing 38 which extends between theapertures 37 through thewall 8, in order to prevent thepassage 19 from being closed when the insulating material is foamed, is shown inFIG. 3 in a detailed perspective view. Thehousing 38 comprises alower housing part 39 and anupper housing part 40 which are injection-molded from plastics separately from one another and plugged together before inserting into thewall 8. - The
lower housing part 39 in this case comprises twopipe connectors flange 43 extending around the lower ends of thepipe connectors aperture 37 thereof, when thehousing 38 is inserted from the rear face of thebody 1 into thewall 8. On its lower face, not visible inFIG. 3 , theflange 43 may be provided with flat ribs which engage in theaperture 37 of the top 36 along the edges thereof in order to fix the installed position of thehousing 38 in an accurate manner. - In the upper housing part 40 a
flange 44 surrounds anindividual connector 45 which is also rectangular in cross section and which at its lower end branches into two connectingparts pipe connectors projections 67 are formed which together with the flange form grooves which are open in the lateral direction. Theaperture 37 of the bottom 25 at its edge facing therear wall 9 has two widenings 68 (seeFIG. 4 ), theprojections 67 passing through said widenings when inserting thehousing 38 into thewall 8, so that in the mounted state they bear against the bottom 25 and clamp thehousing 38 to the bottom 25. - When the
body 1 is foamed, retaining tools are inserted into theinner chambers 2, 3, said tools forcing the bottom 25 and the top 36 sufficiently far apart until both bear against theflanges - In each case a latching
projection 49 is positioned on thenarrow sides 48 of theconnector 45 such that when the downwardlytapering connecting parts pipe connectors lower housing part 39 engage behind the latchingprojections 49. - A sub-assembly 51 shown in
FIG. 3 above theupper housing part 40 comprises amotor housing 52 in the form of a vertically oriented cuboid,rectangular frames upper housing part 40; in the installed position themotor housing 52 divides the interior of theconnector 45 into two parts, one thereof extending in the extension of the connectingpart 46 and the other thereof extending in the extension of the connectingpart 47, and theframes shoulder 55 extending on at least one longitudinal wall of theconnector 45. - In each
frame 53, 54 a flap 56 (seeFIG. 4 ) is pivotably mounted about anaxis 57. In its closed position the walls of theflap 56 bear tightly against theframe 53 and/or 54 so that eachflap 56 is able to block one of the two passages on both sides of themotor housing 52. From this closed position shown as an outline in dashed lines inFIG. 4 , eachflap 56 is pivotable downwardly into theconnector 45 until it reaches an open position illustrated in solid lines inFIG. 4 , in which it does not prevent an air flow from theevaporator chamber 12 to one of theair channels 20 and/or 29. - In addition to an electric motor, a gear mechanism is also accommodated in the
motor housing 52, said gear mechanism making it possible to control the positions of theflaps 56 independently of one another by means of two eccentric cams, as mentioned above, for example. When refrigeration is not required in thenormal refrigeration compartment 2, bothflaps 56 are closed, when refrigeration is only required in thelower region 27 only theflap 56 of theframe 53 is open in order to subject only theair channel 20 to cold air, when refrigeration is required in theupper region 28 only theflap 56 of theframe 54 is open and when refrigeration is required at the same time in bothregions flaps 56 may be open at the same time. - Since the
upper region 28 and thelower region 27 of theupper storage compartment 21 are thus selectively able to be subjected to cold air, different temperatures may be set in both regions. The temperature of thelower region 27 should be the lower temperature, not least because at the height of thelower region 27 the moldedpart 24 is thicker and thus the thermal insulation of thelower region 27 is more effective than that of the upper region. Thus, in particular, theupper region 28 may be used as a normal refrigeration compartment and the lower region may be used as a fresh food refrigeration compartment. - In a simpler design of the refrigeration appliance, in which the
storage compartment 21 is not sub-divided and only one individual air channel is provided behind thecover 30, one of theframes - A
clamp 58 is also provided in order to fix the sub-assembly 51 in theconnector 45, said clamp in the mounted state extending over the upper face of themotor housing 52 from one longitudinal wall of theconnector 45 to the other. Theclamp 58 has anupper wall 59 and twoside walls 60 which encompass themotor housing 52 on both sides. In the mounted state, theclamp 58, on the one hand, is fixed by engagement in arecess 61 to a rear longitudinal wall of theconnector 45 and, on the other hand, is fixed by latching between two latchinghooks 62 to a front edge of theflange 44. On theclamp 58, as shown inFIG. 3 , ahook 63 may be provided, asupply cable 64 of the motor being able to be secured below said hook in order to ensure that it does not hang into one of theframes flaps 56. -
FIG. 5 shows a simplified variant of thehousing 37 and the sub-assembly 51 in a schematic section. The sub-assembly 51 in this case comprises a motor located outside the cutting plane and asingle flap 56, of a butterfly shape, which is rotatable about anaxis 57 perpendicular to the cutting plane. The sub-assembly is fixed by aclamp 58 extending perpendicular to the cutting plane, acting on front walls of theupper housing part 40, and which divides the opening of theupper housing part 40 into afront part 65 communicating with theair channel 20 and arear part 66 communicating with theair channel 29. In the position of theflap 56 shown in solid lines, only theair channel 20 is subjected to cold air; after a rotation of theflap 56 clockwise by ca. 30°, into the position shown in dashed lines, the cold air is distributed to bothair channels air channel 29 is supplied, and after a further rotation by ca. 60° bothair channels -
- 1 Body
- 2 Inner chamber
- 3 Inner chamber
- 4 Internal container
- 5 Internal container
- 6 Frame
- 7 Insulating material layer
- 8 Wall
- 9 Rear wall
- 10 Partition
- 11 Freezer compartment
- 12 Evaporator chamber
- 13 Wall
- 14 Suction region
- 15 Lamella-type evaporator
- 16 Distributor region
- 17 Fan
- 18 Distributor opening
- 19 Passage
- 20 Air channel
- 21 Storage compartment
- 22 Air channel cover
- 23 Rear wall
- 24 Molded part
- 25 Bottom
- 26 Intermediate wall
- 27 Lower region
- 28 Upper region
- 29 Air channel
- 30 Air channel cover
- 31 Sleeve
- 32 Latching pin
- 33 Passage
- 34 Shank
- 35 Head
- 36 Top
- 37 Aperture
- 38 Housing
- 39 Lower housing part
- 40 Upper housing part
- 41 Pipe connector
- 42 Pipe connector
- 43 Flange
- 44 Flange
- 45 Connector
- 46 Connecting part
- 47 Connecting part
- 48 Narrow side
- 49 Latching projection
- 50 Latching hook
- 51 Sub-assembly
- 52 Motor housing
- 53 Frame
- 54 Frame
- 55 Shoulder
- 56 Flap
- 57 Axis
- 58 Clamp
- 59 Upper wall
- 60 Side wall
- 61 Recess
- 62 Latching hook
- 63 Hook
- 64 Supply cable
- 65 Front part
- 66 Rear part
- 67 Projection
- 68 Widening
Claims (17)
1-15. (canceled)
16. A refrigeration appliance, comprising:
a thermally-insulated housing;
a thermally-insulated wall having a passage formed therein;
at least one first and one second inner chamber being separated from one another by said thermally-insulated wall in said thermally-insulated housing, said first inner chamber is divided into a storage compartment and an evaporator chamber and said passage in said thermally-insulated wall connecting said evaporator chamber to said second inner chamber; and
at least one closure element for controlling an air exchange is housed, in said passage, between said evaporator chamber and said second inner chamber.
17. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16 , wherein said closure element has a flap.
18. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 17 , wherein said closure element has a frame which completely surrounds said flap in a closed position.
19. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16 , further comprising an air channel cover, said second inner chamber is divided by said air channel cover into a further storage compartment and at least one air channel.
20. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 19 , wherein said at least one air channel is one of two air channels, a first of said air channels extends from said passage into a lower region of said second inner chamber and a second of said air channels extending from said passage past said lower region into an upper region of said second inner chamber.
21. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 20 , wherein said at least one closure element is assigned to each of said air channels.
22. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 21 , further comprising a motor for driving said at least one closure element, said at least one closure element combined with said motor forms a sub-assembly which is mounted in said passage.
23. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 19 ,
wherein said thermally-insulated wall has a thermally insulating layer;
wherein said first inner chamber and said second inner chamber in each case are defined by an internal container each having an aperture formed therein; and
further comprising a tubular housing and in said passage said tubular housing extends between said apertures of said internal containers through said thermally insulating layer of said thermally-insulated wall.
24. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 23 , wherein said tubular housing has two flanges which in each case bear against said internal container of one of said first and said second inner chamber.
25. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 24 , wherein said tubular housing has two plug-connected housing parts each with one of said two flanges.
26. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 23 , further comprising a foamed part disposed between a rear face of said air channel and a rear wall of said internal container of said second inner chamber.
27. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 26 , wherein said air channel cover comes into contact with said foamed part on both sides of said air channel and said foamed part is fixed in position between said air channel cover and said rear wall.
28. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16 , wherein said closure element is able to be inserted from sides of one of said first and said second inner chamber into said passage.
29. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 28 , further comprising a clamp, said closure element is secured by said clamp which is latched to said thermally-insulated wall between said closure element and said second inner chamber, said closure element being inserted from said second inner chamber.
30. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 22 , further comprising a clamp disposed so as to be positioned across said motor.
31. The refrigeration appliance according to claim 16 , wherein the refrigeration appliance is a domestic refrigeration appliance.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
DE102015219326.8A DE102015219326A1 (en) | 2015-10-07 | 2015-10-07 | No-frost refrigerating appliance |
DE102015219326.8 | 2015-10-07 | ||
PCT/EP2016/072178 WO2017060067A1 (en) | 2015-10-07 | 2016-09-19 | Frost-free refrigeration appliance |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20180259238A1 true US20180259238A1 (en) | 2018-09-13 |
Family
ID=56940080
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/762,112 Abandoned US20180259238A1 (en) | 2015-10-07 | 2016-09-19 | Frost-free refrigeration appliance |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20180259238A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3359890B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN108351147B (en) |
DE (1) | DE102015219326A1 (en) |
PL (1) | PL3359890T3 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2017060067A1 (en) |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2005069646A (en) * | 2003-08-27 | 2005-03-17 | Sanyo Electric Co Ltd | Refrigerator |
US20100162747A1 (en) * | 2008-12-31 | 2010-07-01 | Timothy Allen Hamel | Refrigerator with a convertible compartment |
Family Cites Families (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2548608A (en) * | 1946-12-18 | 1951-04-10 | Gen Electric | Flow-controlling device for refrigerators |
US3952542A (en) * | 1974-11-22 | 1976-04-27 | Kason Hardware Corporation | Ventilator |
JPH01102275A (en) * | 1987-10-16 | 1989-04-19 | Matsushita Refrig Co Ltd | Refrigerator |
JPH0571851A (en) * | 1991-09-17 | 1993-03-23 | Matsushita Refrig Co Ltd | Freezing refrigerator |
JP3389405B2 (en) * | 1996-03-27 | 2003-03-24 | 三洋電機株式会社 | refrigerator |
JP3510770B2 (en) * | 1997-09-26 | 2004-03-29 | 株式会社東芝 | refrigerator |
US20050081555A1 (en) * | 2003-10-20 | 2005-04-21 | Seiss Richard A. | Relief port |
JP2006170486A (en) * | 2004-12-14 | 2006-06-29 | Sharp Corp | Cooling storage with defrosting chamber |
JP4781395B2 (en) * | 2008-05-28 | 2011-09-28 | 三菱電機株式会社 | refrigerator |
JP5178642B2 (en) * | 2009-06-29 | 2013-04-10 | 日立アプライアンス株式会社 | refrigerator |
EP2339275B1 (en) * | 2009-12-24 | 2017-02-08 | Panasonic Corporation | Refrigerator |
-
2015
- 2015-10-07 DE DE102015219326.8A patent/DE102015219326A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2016
- 2016-09-19 PL PL16766588T patent/PL3359890T3/en unknown
- 2016-09-19 WO PCT/EP2016/072178 patent/WO2017060067A1/en active Application Filing
- 2016-09-19 EP EP16766588.4A patent/EP3359890B1/en active Active
- 2016-09-19 CN CN201680058709.4A patent/CN108351147B/en active Active
- 2016-09-19 US US15/762,112 patent/US20180259238A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2005069646A (en) * | 2003-08-27 | 2005-03-17 | Sanyo Electric Co Ltd | Refrigerator |
US20100162747A1 (en) * | 2008-12-31 | 2010-07-01 | Timothy Allen Hamel | Refrigerator with a convertible compartment |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN108351147A (en) | 2018-07-31 |
CN108351147B (en) | 2022-04-01 |
WO2017060067A1 (en) | 2017-04-13 |
EP3359890A1 (en) | 2018-08-15 |
PL3359890T3 (en) | 2022-01-10 |
EP3359890B1 (en) | 2021-08-18 |
DE102015219326A1 (en) | 2017-04-13 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US10948230B2 (en) | Refrigeration appliance having a divided storage space | |
JP5870235B2 (en) | refrigerator | |
JP5625561B2 (en) | refrigerator | |
JP2008075937A (en) | Refrigerator | |
CN111520946B (en) | Refrigerator with a door | |
JP2008075934A (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP6995351B2 (en) | Refrigerator and its manufacturing method | |
EP2336687B1 (en) | Refrigerating appliance of the no-frost type, in particular for household use, and method for making such an appliance | |
JP5625551B2 (en) | refrigerator | |
JP5510132B2 (en) | refrigerator | |
CN104296460A (en) | Freezing chamber liner component for refrigerator and refrigerator with freezing chamber liner component | |
US20180259238A1 (en) | Frost-free refrigeration appliance | |
US11346591B2 (en) | Single air passageway and damper assembly in a variable climate zone compartment | |
US11512888B2 (en) | Air passageways in a variable climate zone compartment | |
US11747074B2 (en) | Heater in a variable climate zone compartment | |
JP7181578B2 (en) | Refrigerator manufacturing method | |
KR102370091B1 (en) | Refrigerator | |
KR19990029258A (en) | Refrigerator | |
CN107735634B (en) | Refrigerator with a door | |
JP2002228346A (en) | Intermediate partition structure of refrigerator | |
JP6189621B2 (en) | Cooling storage | |
JPH0537183Y2 (en) | ||
JPS5815829Y2 (en) | refrigerator | |
AU2021443587A1 (en) | Refrigerator | |
JP2016161182A (en) | Refrigerator |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BSH HAUSGERAETE GMBH, GERMANY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SCHAEFER, THOMAS;REEL/FRAME:045318/0193 Effective date: 20180315 |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: FINAL REJECTION MAILED |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |