WO2007115880A2

WO2007115880A2 - Refrigerating device comprising a subdivided interior

Info

Publication number: WO2007115880A2
Application number: PCT/EP2007/052316
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alexander GÖRZ; Cemalettin HASTÜRK
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2006-04-05
Filing date: 2007-03-13
Publication date: 2007-10-18
Also published as: DE202006005548U1; WO2007115880A3; CN101410681A; CN101410681B; EP2005092A2; US20090308094A1

Abstract

The interior of a refrigerating device is subdivided, by means of a thermally insulating intermediate base, into two areas (4, 6) wherein the temperature can be controlled independently from each other. The intermediate base (5) comprises a plate (38, 39, 40) which is bordered on the front and rear edges thereof by extrusion profiles (41, 42, 48).

Description

Refrigerating appliance with divided interior

The present invention relates to a refrigerator with a housing enclosing an interior, which is divided by an intermediate floor in two independently temperature-controlled zones.

When installing refrigerators, it is common practice to first mount the housing hollow-walled and then injected into the hollow interior of the housing a resin that foams in the cavity and this fills it, and finally solidified therein. However, a problem arises from the fact that the thickness of the false bottom is generally smaller than that of the outer walls of the housing. If the outer walls and the intermediate floor form a coherent, auszuschäumenden cavity, although the foam efficiently expands in the wide cavities of the outer walls, but penetrates only in a small amount in the false floor, so that there is a risk that parts of the false floor remain unexpanded and so Forming cold bridges between the temperature zones of the refrigerator. This problem is difficult to remedy in an economical manner. Although one could increase the amount of resin used to ensure that the foam also fills the false bottom, but this is associated with increased material costs, and it leads to a higher density and thus to a poorer insulation efficiency of the foam in the outer walls. By broadening the false floor, it would be possible to facilitate the penetration of the foam, but this would result in lost useful volume of the refrigerator.

It has therefore gone over to manufacture the thermally insulating intermediate floor separately from the rest of the housing and to insert it later into the interior of the housing. In comparison, for example, with a solution in which the intermediate bottom is deep-drawn together with an interior of the refrigerator limiting inner container integrally, the separate production and assembly of the false bottom is considerably more expensive and expensive, since two sets of molds are required for each refrigerator model, respectively one for the inner container and another for the parts of the false shelf. If several models of a refrigerator to be manufactured, which differ from each other substantially in the width of their housing, this is a not inconsiderable cost factor.

Object of the present invention is therefore to provide a refrigerator with a subdivided by a thermally insulating shelf in two independently temperature-controlled zones interior, which can be made inexpensively with different housing widths and with the help of a small set of specific tools.

The object is achieved in that the intermediate bottom of this refrigerator comprises a plate which is bordered at its front and rear edges of extrusion profiles. This makes it possible to prefabricate the plate as well as the extrusion profiles in the form of long strands, which are not yet specific to a particular housing width of the refrigerator, and the required for the assembly of a refrigerator with a given housing width lengths of these parts as needed by the strands to cut off.

At its lateral edges, the plate is preferably edged by injection molded parts. These injection-molded parts can be used identically in each of several device models of different widths, so that they can be manufactured inexpensively in large series.

To supply energy consuming or signal processing components mounted in or on the false floor, the false floor should be provided with a cable connector which can connect to a complementary connector of the housing. In order to simplify the assembly of the intermediate floor and its mounting in the refrigerator, the connector is preferably attached to a rear end of at least one of the injection molded parts.

The plate preferably comprises an insulation-effective inner layer of porous material and for its protection at least one moisture-impermeable outer layer. A cable duct between a cable connector and an energy consuming or signal processing component is expediently recessed in the inner layer. As energy-consuming and / or signal-processing component, in particular a light source and / or a temperature sensor can be provided on the intermediate bottom, preferably on its underside.

Furthermore, an electronic module can be attached to the front edge of the intermediate floor, which can serve, for example, to display a temperature measured in one of the zones of the interior space or set as target temperature for this zone and / or to set this setpoint temperature.

Operating and / or display elements of the electronic module are preferably exposed through a window of the attached at the leading edge extrusion profile.

The extrusion profile attached to the leading edge can also be divided into two, in which case the electronic module is arranged between the two parts.

Both types of extrusion profiles can be used on a false floor.

In order to effectively separate the two zones of the interior, a seal is preferably provided between the front edge of the false floor and a door of the refrigerator. This seal may optionally be attached to the false floor or to the door. Preferably, it is attached to the intermediate floor, since then tolerances of the installation height of the door can hardly affect the effect of the seal.

On the underside of the false bottom, an air distribution chamber is preferably also arranged, which communicates with a running in a wall of the housing cold air supply line and distributed openings with the lying under the false floor zone.

In an analogous manner, a Luftsammeikammer can be arranged on the underside of the false floor, which communicates via distributed openings with the lying under the intermediate floor zone and with a running in a wall of the housing hot air discharge line. The housing comprises body and door, so that not only a wall of the body, but also the door is to be regarded as a wall of the housing. Expediently, the air distribution chamber and the Luftsammeikammer each extend over a portion of the false floor. A light source housing for illuminating the zone located below the intermediate floor is then expediently arranged at a boundary between the two chambers.

For mounting the false floor, a horizontal fastening profile is preferably attached to each side wall of the housing, engage in the lateral edges of the false floor.

If the side walls have a metallic inner layer, so this inner layer is suitably interrupted at the level of the false floor to prevent heat exchange between the zones on the intermediate bottom over the inner layer.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator to which the present invention is implemented;

FIG. 2 shows a section through the refrigerator of FIG. 1 along the line II of FIG. 1; FIG.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the intermediate bottom;

4 shows a section through the front edge of the intermediate bottom.

5 shows a section through a lateral edge of the intermediate bottom and a part of a side wall of the housing carrying the intermediate bottom;

FIG. 6 shows a section analogous to FIG. 5 according to an alternative embodiment; FIG.

7 shows a perspective view of an air guide housing provided for attachment under the intermediate bottom; and Fig. 8 is an analogous to Fig. 5 and 6 section showing an intermediate floor mounted thereon air duct housing.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a refrigerator, to which the present invention is to be explained. The device has a body 1 and a door 2. The interior of the body 1 is subdivided into an evaporator region 3 at the top under the ceiling of the body 1, an upper, first cooling region 4 and, separated therefrom by an insulating intermediate bottom 5, a lower, second cooling area 6. In the second cooling area 6 an extract box 7 is housed. A second drawer is suspended in the first cooling area 4 directly above the intermediate bottom 5 on the side walls 35 of the body 1. The first cooling area 4 is normally subdivided by a plurality of refrigerated goods carriers into compartments lying one above the other, but these are omitted in the figure in order to be able to show the rear wall 8 of the body 1 as extensively as possible.

An air inlet opening 10 is formed on the front side of an intermediate wall 9 separating the evaporator region 3 from the first cooling region 4 (see FIG. 2), through which air can enter the evaporator region 3 from the first cooling region 4. Lines through which air can flow from the second cooling area 6 to the evaporator area 3 can-not visible in the figure-extend in side walls of the body 1; another option shown in FIG. 1 is an air duct 1 1 in the interior of the door 2, which begins at the level of the second cooling area 6 and ends opposite the air inlet opening 10, and whose course is indicated in the figure by dashed lines.

Adjacent to the rear wall 8, a distributor hood 12 is attached to the intermediate wall 9, on which a plurality of air holes 13 is formed, through which cold air originating from the evaporator area 3 is distributed in various directions in the upper part of the first cooling area 4. Below the distributor hood 12 are located on the rear wall 8 a plurality of pairs of openings 14, from which also cold air can flow out. The height of these pairs of openings 14 is chosen so that, when refrigerated goods carriers are mounted in the first cooling area 4, each pair of openings 14 feeds a compartment. FIG. 2 shows the refrigeration device of FIG. 1 in a section along a center plane extending vertically and in the depth direction of the body 1, which is shown in FIG. 1 by a dot-dash line II. In the interior of the evaporator region 3, cooling coils of an evaporator 15 can be seen in the section, which are flowed through by the air entering through the air inlet opening 10. The intermediate wall 9 is down to the rear wall 8 of the body 1 down to a channel 16, in which collects from the evaporator 15 dripping condensate. Via a pipe, not shown, the condensate reaches a in the base area 17 (see Fig. 1) of the body 1 housed evaporator.

Behind the channel 16, adjacent to the rear wall 8, a fan is housed, which comprises a motor 18, a paddle wheel 19 driven by the latter and a housing 20. At the front of the housing 20, in the axial direction of the impeller 19, an intake opening is formed. The upper half of the housing 20 extends circumferentially closely around the paddle wheel 19; downwardly, the housing 20 is open, so that by a rotation of the impeller 19 radially outwardly accelerated air flows down into a chamber 21.

In this chamber 21 a pivotable flap 22 is housed. In the position shown in the figure, the flap 22 blocks a cold air supply opening 23, which leads vertically down to the first cooling area 4. The air is thus pushed towards the rear wall 8 and into a cold air supply path 24, which leads to the second cooling region 6 inside the rear wall 8, separated from the first cooling area 4 by a thin insulation layer 25. When the flap 22 hinged to an intermediate wall 26 between the cold air supply port 23 and the cold air supply line 24 is brought into a vertical position shown in the figure as a dotted outline, it obstructs the cold air supply path 24 and the cold air flow reaches the distributor hood 12 through the cold air supply port 23 FIG. 1 shows one of the air holes 13 through which air flows out of the distributor hood 12 into the first cooling region 4. Out of the cutting plane openings in the rear wall of the distributor hood 12 and the insulating layer feed two channels which extend on both sides of the cold air supply path 24 and the openings 14 supply. The cold air supply path 24 leads to a cold air supply opening 37 of the second cooling area 6 and reaches an air distribution chamber 27 in an air guide housing 28 mounted below the intermediate floor 5. A vertical partition wall 29 separates the air distribution chamber 27 filling the rear area of the air guide housing 28 from an air collecting chamber filling the front area 30. In a bottom plate 31 of the air guide housing 28, a plurality of openings 32 is formed (see Fig. 7), via the cold air from the air distribution chamber 27 exits into the second cooling region 6 and from there into the Luftsammeikammer 30 occurs.

An air discharge opening 33 on the door 2 facing side of the Luftsammeikammer 30 is opposite to an inlet opening of the door 2 through the back to the evaporator section 3 extending air line 1 1. A flexible sealing strip 34 made of rubber attached to the front edge of the intermediate bottom 5 and compressed between it and the door 2 prevents the passage of air from the collecting chamber 30 and the second cooling area 6 into the first cooling area 4 and thereby ensures that the two cooling areas 4 , 6 separated and without affecting each other can be acted upon with cold air.

3 shows a perspective exploded view of the intermediate bottom 5. A plate of the intermediate bottom 5 comprises an inner layer 38 which is cut from a sheet of expanded synthetic resin material such as EPS, surrounded by dense outer layers, here in the form of an opaque glass plate 39, which forms the top of the plate and a thin, solid plastic plate or sheet 40. The layers 38, 39, 40 are held together by extruded plastic profiles 41, 42 placed on their front and rear edges. The front profile 42 consists of two parts, which are mounted on both sides of a central recess 43 at the front edge of the foam plate 38. The recess 43 is provided to receive an electronic module 44, the front side of which in the assembled state is flush with the outer surfaces of the profile pieces 42. A cable channel 45 in the form of a downwardly open groove extending from the recess 43 at the bottom of the foam plate 38th

At the front of the electronic module 44, a control panel 46 with display elements and / or keys 47 is arranged, on which a user in the second cooling area. 6 read the current temperature or the setpoint of this temperature and set the setpoint.

An also extruded decorative profile 48 is provided to be plugged onto the electronic module 44 and the adjacent profiles 42 and to hide them, with the exception of the control panel 46, which remains accessible via a cut into the decorative profile 48 window 49.

The decorative profile 48 does not extend over the entire width of the intermediate bottom 5; At its ends, flush heads 50 of injection molded side skirt members 51 are respectively included. The two enclosure parts 51 are mirror-symmetrically shaped to each other to be plugged onto the right and left edges of the plate formed by the layers 38, 39, 40. In Fig. 3 of the two skirt parts 51, only the right is shown.

At a rear end of the skirt member 51, a sleeve 52 is formed, which receives an electrical connector. About this connector and ending in the vicinity of the sleeve 52 cable channel 45 u. a. the electronics module 44 supplies.

A connector complementary to the connector received in the sleeve 52 and not shown is mounted on the rear wall 8, so that the two connectors can be contacted by simply inserting the intermediate bottom 5 into the interior of the body 1.

Fig. 4 shows in detail a section through the front edge of the intermediate bottom 5 with the two front profiles 42, 48. The profile 42 has on its rear side two grooves in which the glass plate 39 and the sheet 40 are held. In a downwardly directed groove of the profile 42 of the sealing strip 34 is engaged. The decorative profile 48 surrounds the top and front of the profile 42 from the top of the glass plate 39 to a notch 53 on the underside of the profile 42, in which the decorative profile 48 is snapped.

At the bottom of the profile 42 extends behind the notch 53 a downwardly open groove along, in which the sealing strip 34 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 5, the skirt parts 51 also have inwardly directed grooves in which the glass plate 39 and the plate 40 are held. Two webs 54, which extend on the outside of the enclosure part 51, engage in grooves of a carrier rail 55, which is anchored to the side wall 35 of the body 1. The side wall 35 comprises, in a manner known per se, an inner wall plate 56 which is deep-drawn from plastic and which, together with an outer wall plate, not shown, delimits a cavity filled with insulating foam 57. In order to achieve a high load capacity of the intermediate bottom 5 at low thickness of the inner wall plate 56, the support rail 55 is held on this by means of a counter rail 58 which bears parallel to the support rail 55 on the foam side of the inner wall plate 56 and with the support rail 55 by screws 59 or riveting is connected. The webs 54 engaging in the grooves of the carrier rail 55 form a labyrinth seal which delimits the two cooling regions 4, 6 from each other in a surge-water-tight manner and also prevents an air exchange between the two. A tight fit between the webs 54 and the grooves is not required and would be more hindering in the assembly of the false floor 5.

FIG. 6 shows, in a section analogous to FIG. 5, the suspension of the intermediate bottom 5 on the side wall 35 according to a second embodiment of the invention. Here, the inner wall plate 56 is made of metal such as aluminum or stainless steel and is therefore highly thermally conductive. In order to prevent unwanted heat exchange between the cooling areas 4, 6, the wall plate 56 is interrupted at the level of the intermediate bottom 5, and the support rail 55 engages in a gap 59 between the two parts of the wall plate 56 a. Since the support rail 55 rests on its entire length on the upper edge of the lower part of the wall plate 56, it can carry a high weight of the intermediate floor 5 and any refrigerated goods placed thereon. In order to prevent the ingress of foam to the gap 59, a profile 60 extending along the gap 59 and bridging it can be provided in the interior of the side wall 35, which profile is held pressed against the carrier rail 55 by means of screws 61 or the like.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the air duct housing 28 already mentioned with reference to FIG. 2. It has the shape of a flat box with side walls 62, a front wall 63 facing away from the viewer in the perspective of FIG the Luftabführöffnung 33 is formed, and open back. The septum 29 between the air distribution chamber 27 and the Luftsammeikammer 30 surrounds a flat cylindrical, downwardly open cavity 64, which is provided to receive an electric bulb for illuminating the lower cooling region 6. The power supply of this lamp extends through a bore, not shown, of the top of the air guide housing 28 covering sheet 40 and the bore passing cable channel 45th

A further downwardly open recess 65 of the air guide housing 28 is provided to receive a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the second cooling region 6. The recess 65 is in the mounted state in the immediate vicinity of the connector receiving sleeve 52 of the right skirt member 51 so that a measuring signal from the temperature sensor leading cable over the entire length of the cable channel 45 to the electronic module 44 may be performed.

Fig. 8 shows a way of mounting the air duct housing 28. In this analogous to Fig. 6 section of the skirt portion 51 is extended by a downwardly directed, angled ridge 66 which surrounds the air duct housing 28, and which allows the air duct housing 28 in Art Insert a drawer under the intermediate bottom 5 or pull it out and remove it to be able to use the space occupied by it for refrigerated goods in case of need.

Claims

claims

1 . Refrigerating appliance having a housing (1, 2) and an interior space provided in the housing (1, 2) into which a thermally insulating intermediate floor (5) is inserted, which divides the interior space into two zones (4, 6) which can be heated independently of one another. Lower part, characterized in that the intermediate bottom (5) is modular from at least predominantly semi-finished single elements (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48) is constructed.

2. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate bottom (5) is sandwiched and comprises at least a largely rigid plate-like support member (39).

3. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the intermediate bottom (5) comprises two at least largely rigid plate-like support members (39, 40), between which a layer (38)

Heat insulating material is arranged.

4. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that the support elements (39, 40) have a different abrasion resistance, wherein the abrasion resistance of the cover layer serving as a support member (39) is greater.

5. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 4, characterized in that serving as a cover layer supporting element (39) made of glass or ceramic material or glass ceramic or metal is formed.

6. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the intermediate bottom (5) comprises a plate (38, 39, 40), which is bordered at its front and rear edges of extrusion profiles 41, 42, 48).

7. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that the plate (38, 39,

40) is bordered at its lateral edges of injection-molded parts (51).

8. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of the injection-molded parts (51) is provided at a rear end (52) with a cable connector.

9. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plate (38, 39, 40) has an inner layer (38) of porous material and at least one moisture-impermeable outer layer (39, 40).

10. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that in the inner layer (38) a cable channel (45) is recessed.

1 1. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the intermediate bottom (5) carries a temperature sensor and / or a lighting means.

12. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an electronic module (44) is attached to the front edge of the intermediate bottom (5).

13. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 12, characterized in that control and / or display elements (47) of the electronic module (44) through a window (49) of the attached at the front edge extrusion profile (48) are exposed.

14. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 12, characterized in that the attached at the leading edge extrusion profile (42) is divided into two and that the

Electronic module (44) between the two parts of the extrusion profile (42) is arranged.

15. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a seal (34) between the front edge of

Between floor (5) and a door (2) of the refrigerator is mounted.

16. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the underside of the intermediate bottom (5) an air distribution chamber (27) is arranged, which with a running in a wall of the housing cold air supply line (24) and via distributed openings (32) the below the intermediate floor (5) lying zone (6) communicates.

17. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the underside of the intermediate bottom (5) a Luftsammeikammer (30) is arranged, via distributed openings (32) with the under the intermediate bottom (5) lying zone (6) and with a in a wall (1) of the housing extending hot air discharge line (1 1) communicates.

18. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 16 and claim 17, characterized in that the air distribution chamber (27) and the Luftsammeikammer (30) extend over in each case a part of the intermediate bottom (5) and that a light source housing at a boundary between the two chambers (27, 34) is arranged.

19. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on each side wall (35) of the housing, a horizontal fastening profile (55) is mounted, engage in the lateral edges of the intermediate bottom (5).

20. Refrigerating appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side walls (35) have a metallic inner layer (56), and that the inner layer at the level of the intermediate bottom (59) is interrupted.