WO2006013181A1

WO2006013181A1 - Multi-part refrigerator body and method for the production thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2006013181A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/053666
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Benz; Alexander GÖRZ
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2004-07-29
Filing date: 2005-07-27
Publication date: 2006-02-09
Also published as: US20080000258A1; DE102004036749A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a refrigerator housing comprising a door (9, 10, 36, 37) and a base body (1, 2) which comprises lateral walls (4, 5), a rear wall (13), a cover (6) and a base (7). The thickness of the isolation layer of the lateral walls (4, 5) is smaller than that of the rear wall (13), the base (7) or the cover (6), and an additional isolation layers (4, 11, 12) is mounted on the lateral walls (4, 5). An additional isolation layer can be, in particular, a plate (11, 12) or a lateral wall (4) of an adjacent base body (2, 1).

Description

Multi-part refrigeration appliance body and

Manufacturing process for it

The present invention relates to a body for a refrigerator of modular construction and a method for producing such a body.

The body of a conventional refrigerator is generally a substantially cuboid hollow body with open front, two side walls, a rear wall, ceiling and floor, in which the inside of the walls are integrally formed integrally by deep drawing of plastic sheet, the outsides of the walls of a Knife cylinder of plates made of sheet metal or other rigid materials are joined together and a gap between the inner and outer sides is filled with insulating material. The thickness of the insulating material layer is generally determined by the intended use of the body; the lower the intended operating temperature inside the refrigeration device should be, the more effective the insulation and accordingly the thicker the insulation layer must be.

If you place several individual refrigerators, such as a refrigerator and a freezer side by side, so that touch their side walls, so creates an insulation layer of considerable thickness between the interiors of refrigerators, the benefits of which is low, because the temperature difference between the interiors is smaller than between the indoor environment and the environment, and because any heat transfer between indoor spaces would not affect the overall energy balance of the appliances.

This fact is exploited in one-piece side-by-side refrigerators in which two interiors are arranged side by side in a coherent body each for use as a refrigerator compartment or as a freezer, and an insulation layer between the two interiors is made thinner than at the device exterior. Although such a design is economical because it allows to achieve the same quality of insulation as in two separate devices with a significantly reduced amount of insulation material compared to these; Also, the ratio of usable interior space to the total volume of the device is better than for single devices. However, the low flexibility remains unsatisfactory in such a device: while in two individual devices, the user can freely decide how they should stand next to each other and what volumes they should have, is in the one-piece side-by-side device generally by the manufacturer Which compartment is usable as the freezing compartment and which as the refrigerating compartment can be determined, and adaptation to individual preferences of the user with regard to the arrangement and sizes of the individual compartments is possible only when a large number of different models are manufactured, but by reducing the amount The cost advantage achieved with insulation material was canceled out again.

Object of the present invention is to provide a construction for a refrigerator body or a manufacturing method, which allow to produce a large number of different refrigerator models from a manageable number of different types of carcass parts, which flexibly adapt to the needs of users.

The inventive construction of the refrigeration unit body of a base body with side walls, in which the thickness of the insulation layer is lower than other walls and mounted on the side walls additional insulation layer creates the possibility of a same basic body both in a single device and in a Side-by-side device by the intrinsically insufficient insulation of the side walls of the main body is supplemented by a suitable additional insulation layer.

In a single device or on an outer side of a side-by-side device, such an additional insulation layer then preferably has the shape of a flat plate, particularly preferably a solid hollow body filled with an insulating foam.

In a side-by-side device, the additional insulation layer mounted on a side wall of a first base body is the adjacent side wall of the second base body. For use of the two Grundkorpusse at different operating temperatures are preferably mutually corresponding walls such as side walls, rear wall, floor, ceiling on one of the Grundkorpusse each formed stronger than the other.

In order to keep the variety of types of the base body low, but it may also be appropriate to make corresponding walls of the Grundkorpusse each equal strength, so that a same type of basic body can be installed in a model of refrigeration as a refrigerated compartment and in another as a freezer compartment ,

When two basic carcasses are mounted side by side, both preferably carry on their outer sides in each case a flat plate as an additional insulating layer, wherein the two plates according to a use of a basic body as a cooling compartment and the other as freezer each have different wall thicknesses.

In order to cover joints resulting from the joining together of the various parts at the front side of the refrigeration device housing, the door-side edges of the housing are preferably concealed by a common decorative frame.

This decorative frame can contribute to the cohesion of at least the door-side front of the refrigerator by overlapping the door-side edges of the housing.

It is also useful if the decorative frame at least in places consists of ferromagnetic material to which the magnetic seal of a door can tightly nestle.

For the mounting of an additional insulation layer on the adjacent side wall of the base body, preferably intermeshing connection profiles are provided, which are fastened in each case to the front edges of the side wall or the additional insulation layer. Such connection profiles can also serve as a decorative frame, especially when these connection profiles are formed as extruded profiles.

The engagement between the connection profiles is preferably canceled by pivoting side wall and additional insulation layer to each other. That is, as long as the additional insulation layer is applied to the side wall, it is at this by the - A -

Holding connection profiles, but this connection can be canceled by pivoting about a common leading edge of side wall and additional insulation layer.

In order to prevent significant heat from penetrating into a gap between the mutually facing outer skins of the side wall and the insulating layer via the connecting profiles, a layer of insulating material is preferably inserted between each connecting profile and the respective outer skin.

The connection profiles may expediently produce a connection not only between the side wall and the additional insulation layer, but also between the inner container and outer skin of the side wall or between outer skin pieces on opposite sides of a plate-shaped additional insulation layer.

As a further measure to prevent the penetration of heat into an air gap between the side wall and the additional insulation layer mounted thereon, this air gap is filled at least at its edges with a flexibly compressible, substantially air-impermeable material.

The object of the invention is further achieved by a method for producing a refrigerator body, in particular a refrigerator body as described above, with the steps:

a) providing base bodies in a plurality of types of different widths and of flat panels which can be mounted as additional insulation layer on the main body in two wall thicknesses;

b) assembling at least one main body and two plates to the refrigerator body,

in which the widths of the main bodies and the wall thicknesses of the plates are selected such that, by combining different types of basic bodies, total widths of the refrigeration appliance body can be realized which differ from each other by n times a basic measure D, where n is a small natural number , Thus, with a comparatively small number of basic body types, by combining with each other and with the plates, a wide variety of refrigeration appliance models can be realized, each differing in their total width by D or a multiple thereof. D can thereby correspond to the customary difference between the widths of different models of refrigeration appliance housings, such as 2 "or 10 cm or a small integer fraction of such a value, eg 1", 5 cm or 2.5 cm.

Such a selection of carcass widths may be advantageously formed when providing a first group of basic body types having a first set of widths and a second group of basic body types having a second set of widths, wherein a plurality of widths of the first set each width exists in the second set, which differs from the corresponding one of the first set by 2d, where d is the wall thickness difference between two plates of different wall thickness. This selection makes it possible to manufacture single units whose basic body consists of a basic body and two plates mounted laterally on it and in which the widths of the individual device models are the same, if in each case basic body types of the first group with plates of a first wall thickness and basic body Types of the second group can be combined with plates of the second wall thickness.

The sum of the two different wall thicknesses of the plates is preferably equal to the basic dimension D, because this ensures that the widths of the manufacturable side-by-side devices differ from those of the individual devices by an integer multiple of D.

Another special feature of the invention is that it makes it possible to adapt the device to changing needs in an already installed device by removing existing plates and mounting new plates. Such exchange may e.g. serve to improve the existing insulation, to vary the external appearance of the device, etc ..

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it: 1 is an exploded perspective view of a combination refrigerator according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic section through a refrigerator and a freezer, each having a base body and two additional insulation plates.

3 shows detailed sections through the components of a combination

Refrigeration unit;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 shows a section through a built-in furniture furniture refrigeration device.

The perspective view of Fig. 1 shows a simplified representation of a first base body 1 and a second base body 2 of a refrigerator housing 1 a and 2a, each with an interior 3, side walls 4, 5, a rear wall, a ceiling 6 and a bottom. 7 The walls, ceiling and floor are each filled between a solid inner and outer skin with an insulating layer whose thickness in the two side walls 4, 5 is equal and in each case smaller than in the rear wall, ceiling 6 and bottom 7. A hinged bracket 8 on the base body 1 and 2 hung door 9, 10 forms together with the base carcasses the refrigerator housing 1 a and 2a and has an insulating layer whose thickness corresponds to that of the ceiling, floor or rear wall.

In the example shown here, the base body 1 is provided for receiving a refrigerating compartment, and the thickness of an additional insulating plate 1 1, which is provided to be attached to the side wall 5 of the base body 1 and to cover it over the entire surface, is dimensioned, in that, together with the side wall 5, it achieves a thermal insulation value required for economical operation of the refrigerating compartment.

The additional insulation plate 1 1 can be realized in the form of a self-rigid hollow body whose outer skin is assembled in the same way and from the same materials as the outer skin of the base body 1, and which is filled like this inside with an expanded foam material. It may also be an inherently rigid plate of a solid insulating material such as expanded Polystyrene, which is coated to protect against contamination and / or damage with a thin outer skin such as a shrunk-on film. The latter possibility is especially in a refrigerator in built-in design into consideration, in which the outer surfaces of the additional insulation panel 1 1 are covered after installation of furniture parts.

The second basic body 2 is provided for receiving a freezer compartment. Its side walls 4, 5, rear wall, ceiling 6, bottom 7 are each slightly stronger than the corresponding walls of the base body. 1 A to be mounted on the side wall 5 additional insulation plate 12 has a higher wall thickness than the plate 1 first

The basic body 1 and the basic body 2 each belong to a first or second group of basic body types, wherein within a group all types have identical wall thicknesses and differ only in their overall width or that of the interior space 3. The widths are staggered within a group in steps of D = 1 "or an integer multiple thereof.

According to a first embodiment, the basic body 2 provided for forming a freezer compartment belongs to a first group of types A to G with basic body widths between 15.25 "and 33.25". At a thickness of the side plates 12 of 1.375 "intended for use in combination with a freezer compartment, housing widths in a 6 inch grid, of 18, 24, 30 and 36", result for types A, D, F, G , as summarized in Table 1 below.

Table 1

The basic body 1 belongs to a second group, which includes types H to L, which are respectively provided for the realization of a standalone cooling device or a refrigerating compartment in a side-by-side device. With 0.625 "Side Panel 11 thicknesses, the overall widths of the 18, 24, 30, and 36" Chillers are H, I, K, L, and combination units with 36-48 "increments in 6-inch increments. are realized by various combinations of housing types B, C, E and H, I, J, K. Fig. 2 shows schematic sections through a refrigerator with basic body 1, two side additional insulation panels 1 1 and 9 door, and by a freezer with the same overall width B, with the base body 2 and additional insulation panels 12 and door 10, wherein the width of the Basic body 2 is 2d smaller than that of the main body 1.

According to a second embodiment, a base body 2 for the realization of a freezer compartment has a side wall thickness of 1.5 "and the side panels provided for attachment to a side wall of such a base body have a thickness of 1.25", while for a refrigeration compartment base body 1 a side wall thickness of 1.25 "and for the side plates 0.75" to be mounted thereon. Possible widths for basic body types a to h of a first and i to n of a second group are given in Table 2. Stand-alone freezers with overall widths of 18, 24, 30 and 36 "are here in each case with the basic body types a, d, f, g realized, cooling units with the same widths with basic body types h, j, m, n, and side-by -Side devices with widths 36, 42, 48 "by various combinations of types a to f of the first group and h to I of the second group.

Table 2

Fig. 3 shows in a detailed horizontal section the various components of the refrigeration appliance body according to the invention. The basic carcasses 1, 2 each differ in the strength of their rear walls 13; this is at the intended as a cooling compartment basic body 1 less than in the freezer compartment provided as the main body 2. The strength of the side walls 4, 5 is the same in both. Apart from the dimensions, the structure of each basic body is the same, it will therefore be described in more detail here only for the basic body 1 here. The inside of the walls is formed by a one-piece plastic container 14. The outer skin of the walls consists here of flat sheets 15, 16, which are firmly connected at their mutually facing longitudinal edges by heat-insulating profiles 17 made of plastic. The sheets 15 of the side walls each have a folded front edge 18 which, as can be seen more clearly in the enlargement of Fig. 4, each engage in a groove of a connecting profile 19 and 20, over the entire height of the base body on the Leading edges of the side walls 4, 5 extend. A correspondingly folded over front edge 21 of the plastic container 14 engages in a similar manner in a groove of the connection profile 19, 20, so that the connection profile 19, 20 establishes the cohesion between the container 14 and outer skin. A foam insulation layer 22 prevents large-area contact between the metal sheet 15 and the metallic load-carrying connection profile 19 or 20, and thus prevents heat in larger quantities via the connection profiles 19, 20 and the plates 15 in an air gap 23rd penetrates between the two basic carcasses. On one of the two opposing sheets 15, a closed-cell foam strip 24 is glued, which forms a closed frame extending along the edges of the sheet 15 and contacts the opposite sheet 15 over its entire length. The foam strip 24 thus prevents the ingress of hot air into the depth of the air gap 23 and thus not only the ingress of heat between the main body 1, 2, but also of moisture, which could otherwise lead to condensation in the air gap 23.

The connecting profile 19 carries at its outer edge over the entire length of the edge extending web, at the end of a cylindrical bead 25 is formed with a protruding nose 26. In the solid in Fig. 4 drawn position of the connection profile 19 of the bead 25 is received in an approximately complementary shaped recess 27 of the adjacent connection profile 20. In this position, the connection profiles are not detachable from each other. Only in a pivoted position, shown in FIG. 3 as a dashed outline of the connection profile 19, whose bead 25 can be inserted or removed from the recess 27. In order to fasten the basic carcasses to each other, therefore, first the bead 25 must be inserted into the recess 27 and then the basic carcasses 1, 2 are pivoted side by side; then, by attaching a connecting part (not shown) between the rear corner profiles 17, a firm connection between the basic bodies 1, 2 can be made.

The structure of the additional insulating plates 1 1, 12 is similar to that of the basic body 1, 2. Two outer sheets 28 surround a flat insulator body 29 of expanded polystyrene. The outer panels 28 are bordered at all four edges in circumferential profiles, two of which can be seen in the section of Fig. 2. A front profile is designed as a connection profile 30 or 31, which matches the connection profiles 19, 20, with a projecting bead or a recess for receiving such a bead. The rear profiles 32 each have a laterally projecting web 33, which is shaped to be latched or otherwise secured to a corner profile 17 of the adjacent base body 1 or 2.

Fig. 5 shows a side-by-side refrigerator with inventive body in the assembled state, installed in a furniture tables. The furniture has two door panels 34, 35, on whose inner sides in each case one of the basic body 1 and 2 associated refrigerator door 36 and 37 is mounted. The width of the refrigerator door 36, 37 corresponds in each case to that of the associated basic body 1, 2; At the opposite edges of the doors 36, 37 each have a door widening element 38 and 39 is mounted, the width of each of the thickness of the adjacent additional insulation panel 1 1 or 12 corresponds. The widening elements 38, 39 here each carry a spring which engages in a groove 40 of a side edge of the door 36 and 37, respectively. Grooves 40 are formed on both side edges of the doors, so that if necessary a spreading element can be attached to both sides. Thus, it is possible to always use a same type of door on a given type of main body, regardless of whether the basic body is to be used in a side-by-side device as shown in Fig. 5 - only one at a time Widening element per door is used - or whether the basic body is equipped in an independent refrigeration unit on both side walls with additional insulation panels - in which case also provided on both sides with widening elements door is used.

A contiguous decorative frame 41 made of plastic covers each of the doors 37, 36 facing the front sides of the main body 1, 2 and the additional insulation plates 1 1, 12, so that the modular structure of the overall device remains hidden from a user. The decorative frame 41 engages in each case a little way into the door openings of the base carcasses 1, 2 and surrounds these and the additional insulating panels 1 1, 12 also on their outer sides, so that in section of Fig. 5 is a cross section of the decorative frame 41 in shape of three U-shaped sections.

The decorative frame is deposited on its front with metal to magnetic seals 42 of the doors 36, 37 to provide support. Between it and the front sides of the side walls 4, 5 or additional insulating panels 1 1, 12, a foam insulation layer is preferably also housed.

Claims

claims

1 . Refrigeration appliance housing having at least one base body (1, 2), the side walls (4, 5), a rear wall (13), ceiling (6) and bottom (7) and at least one door (9, 10, 36, 37), characterized in that the thickness of an insulating layer of the side walls (4, 5) is less than that of the rear wall (13), the bottom (7) or the

Ceiling (6), and in that on the side walls (4, 5) each have an additional insulation layer (4, 1 1, 12) is mounted.

2. Refrigeration appliance housing according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the additional insulating layers is a flat plate (1 1, 12).

3. Refrigeration appliance housing according to claim 2, characterized in that the plate (1 1, 12) is filled with a foam solid hollow body.

4. Refrigerating appliance housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a second base body (2), and that the additional insulating layer on one of the side walls (4) of the first base body (1) by an adjacent side wall (4) of the second Basic body (2) is formed.

5. Refrigeration appliance housing according to claim 4, characterized in that mutually corresponding walls (4, 5) on the first base body (1) are formed stronger than on the second device body (2).

6. Refrigeration appliance housing according to claim 4, characterized in that the first and the second basic body (1, 2) each have the same wall thicknesses.

7. refrigeration appliance housing according to claim any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the first and the second basic body (1, 2) each carrying a flat plate as an additional insulating layer (1 1, 12), wherein the two plates (1 1, 12) have different wall thicknesses.

8. Refrigeration appliance housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the door side edges of the housing (1 a, 2 a) by a common decorative frame (41) are covered.

9. Refrigeration appliance housing according to claim 8, characterized in that the decorative frame (41) has a U-shaped section, with which he the door-side

Edge of the housing (1 a, 2a) overlaps.

10. Refrigeration appliance housing according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the decorative frame (41) at least partially consists of ferromagnetic material.

1 1. Refrigeration appliance housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the additional insulation layers (4, 1 1, 12) on its adjacent side wall (4) by means of in each case at the leading edges of the side wall (4, 5) and the additional Insulating layer (22) mounted, interlocking connection profiles (19, 20, 30, 31) is mounted.

12. Refrigeration appliance housing according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the connecting profiles (19, 20, 30, 31) form the decorative frame (41).

13. Refrigerating appliance housing according to claim 1 1 or 12, characterized in that the engagement between the connecting profiles (19, 20, 30, 31) by pivoting of side wall (4) and additional insulation layer (4, 1 1, 12) can be canceled each other ,

14. Refrigerating appliance housing according to one of claims 1 1 to 13, characterized in that between each connecting profile (19, 21, 30, 31) and an outer skin (28, 15) of the side wall (5) or additional insulating layer (1 1, 12 ), on which the connection profile (19, 20, 30, 31) is mounted, a layer of insulating material (22) is inserted.

15. Refrigerating appliance housing according to one of claims 1 1 to 14, characterized in that one of the connecting profiles (19, 20) inner container (14) and outer skin (15) of the side wall (4, 5) interconnects.

16. Refrigerating appliance housing according to one of claims 2 or 1 1 to 14, characterized in that one of the connecting profiles (30, 31) outer skin pieces (28) on opposite sides of the plate (12) interconnects.

17. Refrigerating appliance housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an air gap (23) between one of the side walls (4) and the additional insulating layer mounted thereon (4, 1 1, 12) at least at its edges with a flexibly compressible, in essential air-impermeable material

(24) is completed.

18. Refrigerating appliance housing according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that corresponding to the by the additional insulating layer (4, 1 1, 12) created wall thickness increase adapted spreading elements (38, 39) are provided, which on the side cheeks of the door (36 , 37) can be fixed.

19. A method for producing a refrigerator housing, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of a) providing base bodies (1, 2) in a plurality of types of different width and of additional insulation layer on the base body mountable flat plates (1 1 , 12) in two wall thicknesses; b) assembling at least one basic body (1, 2) and two plates

(1 1, 12) to the refrigerating appliance body, characterized in that the widths of the basic bodies (1, 2) and the wall thicknesses of the plates (1 1, 12) are selected such that by combining different types of base body and plates widths of Refrigeration appliance body can be realized, which differ from each other by n times a basic measure D, where n is a small natural number.

A method according to claim 19, characterized in that a first group of basic body types is provided with a first set of widths and a second group of basic body types with a second set of widths, wherein to a plurality of widths of the first set each width exists in the second set, which differs from that of the first set by 2d, where d is the wall thickness difference between two plates of different wall thickness.

21. A method according to claim 20, characterized in that the thickness of the bottom (6), rear wall (13) and / or ceiling (7) in the basic body types of a group is the same and different between the two groups.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the sum of the two different wall thicknesses of the plates (1 1, 12) D is.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that in step b) a basic body (1, 2) and two equally strong plates (1 1, 12) to a

Refrigeration unit body are joined together.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that in step b) two basic bodies and two differently strong plates are joined together to form a refrigerator body.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, characterized in that before the step b) two existing plates are removed.