WO2012007284A2

WO2012007284A2 - Housing component for a refrigeration unit

Info

Publication number: WO2012007284A2
Application number: PCT/EP2011/060985
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Nalbach
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2010-07-12
Filing date: 2011-06-30
Publication date: 2012-01-19
Also published as: CN103154648A; WO2012007284A3; DE102010031249A1; CN103154648B; EP2593737A2

Abstract

A housing component (1; 10; 14) for a refrigeration unit, in particular a household refrigeration unit, comprises at least one vacuum insulation panel (2) around which is formed a reinforcement layer (5). At least one support contour (6; 11; 13; 25; 26; 27; 33) for the attachment of a fixture (12; 28; 31) of the refrigeration unit is molded in one piece with the reinforcement layer (5).

Description

Housing component for a refrigeration device

The present invention relates to a housing component for a refrigeration appliance, in particular for a household refrigerator, with at least one with a

Reinforcement layer reformed vacuum insulation panel. Such

Housing component is known from DE 103 42 859 A1.

Vacuum insulation panels are generally constructed of a highly diffusion-tight plastic film and a porous, pourable filling material, for example zeolite, which is airtight coated by the film. The pressure acting from outside over the film on the standing under negative pressure filler material is the

Vacuum insulation panel a solid form. Because the edge lengths of such

Insulation panels are generally much larger than its thickness, the mechanical strength of the panel is low. Without proper protection, the wrapping film can be easily damaged resulting in the loss of both the insulating effect and the rigidity of the vacuum insulation panel. In DE 103 42 859 A1 it has been proposed to improve the robustness of the vacuum insulation panels by forming with a reinforcing layer of compact polyurethane.

The internal structure of the vacuum insulation panels means that they can only be manufactured in simple shapes without appreciable concavities and are usually in the form of simple cuboid or flat parallelepiped plates. This limitation and the fact that post-processing of the panels to accommodate a desired shape is virtually impossible have hitherto prevented the widespread use of vacuum insulation panels in the field of refrigeration equipment despite their excellent thermal properties.

The housings of the presently available on the market refrigerators each have a body and a door with a plastic deep-drawn inner wall, one of different materials, usually multi-part, assembled outer wall and an insulating layer of polyurethane foam, which is injected into the cavity between the inner and outer walls and themselves when foaming the contour of the inner wall adapts. On the inner wall contours can therefore be deep-drawn, the finished mounted refrigeration device can serve as a carrier for built-in parts, allowing a rational production. On a vacuum insulation panel such carrier contours are generally not feasible, so that other ways to attach the necessary

Built-in parts must be found. The object of the invention is therefore to provide a housing component for a refrigeration device with at least one Vakuumisolationspaneel, which allows a simple and efficient production of refrigerators.

Under a refrigeration device is in particular a household refrigeration appliance understood, ie a refrigeration appliance for household management in households or possibly in the

Catering area is used, and in particular serves to store food and / or drinks in household quantities at certain temperatures, such as a refrigerator, a freezer, a fridge-freezer, a freezer or a wine storage cabinet.

The object is achieved by a housing component having at least one vacuum insulation panel formed with a reinforcing layer, in which at least one support contour for attachment of a built-in part of the refrigeration device with the

Reinforcing layer is molded in one piece.

The housing component may be a refrigerator door.

Here, the carrier contour may in particular comprise at least two vertical spars on which door racks can be mounted.

The housing component may also form a first wall of a refrigerator body.

In this case, connector elements may be conveniently formed in the reinforcing layer for connection to a second wall of the refrigerator body. Thus, the body can be quickly and easily assembled by plugging together several components. The housing component may also be a complete refrigerator body. In this case, it is expedient if each wall of the refrigerator body at least one

Contains vacuum insulation panel.

If the housing component is a body or a wall of a body, the carrier contours can expediently comprise at least one substantially horizontal groove or rib, which can serve as a support for a plate-shaped refrigerated goods carrier.

For attachment of further components of the refrigeration device, it may be expedient if the carrier contour comprises a Schraubdom.

To simplify the installation of the refrigeration device, it helps if an evaporator is embedded in the reinforcing layer. Such an evaporator may be exposed to an interior of the refrigeration device housing; but it can also be separated from the interior by the reinforcing layer.

Similarly, a temperature sensor may be embedded in the reinforcing layer, or may also be a conduit for electricity or for refrigerant supplying the temperature sensor, interior lighting, evaporator or the like.

To simplify the assembly also helps if one in the

Reinforcing layer embedded component such as the evaporator, the

Temperature sensor, the line or a stiffening structural element on the

Vacuum insulation panel is attached. To minimize the risk of damage, the attachment is preferably a bond.

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 shows a schematic section through a refrigerator door according to a first

Embodiment of the invention; 2 shows a schematic section through a refrigerator door according to a second embodiment of the invention.

3 shows a schematic section through a side wall of a refrigerator body according to a third embodiment of the invention.

4 shows a section through a side wall of a refrigerator body according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

5 shows a section through a rear wall and parts of the side walls of

Refrigeration appliance body according to Fig. 3 or Fig. 4;

6 shows a schematic section through a rear wall of a refrigeration appliance body in Coldwall construction; and

7 shows a schematic partial section through a refrigeration appliance body in Nofrost construction.

1 shows, in a schematic section along a horizontal sectional plane, a refrigerator door according to a first embodiment of the invention. The door 1 consists for the most part of a plate-shaped vacuum insulation panel 2 by a person skilled in the known structure, with a filling 3 of highly porous material such as silica gel, airgel, open-cell polystyrene or polyurethane foam or the like., By a surrounding plastic film 4th held under reduced pressure and dimensionally stable. The vacuum insulation panel 2 is surrounded all around by a reinforcing layer 5 of compact polyurethane. Two integrally formed with the reinforcing layer 5 ribs 6 extend vertically on an inner side of the door 1 and are provided at their mutually facing flanks 7 with projections 8 for anchoring (not shown) door racks.

Fig. 2 shows a variant of the door 1 in a similar to FIG. 1 section. To one

Inside the vacuum insulation panel 2 are reinforcing structural elements, two glued in the vertical direction, transverse to the cutting plane, elongated T-profiles 9, which then together with the vacuum insulation panel 2 with the reinforcing layer 5 so that they are not visible on the finished door. The use of T-profiles 9 gives the ribs 6 a high load capacity even at low

Wall thickness of the reinforcing layer 5 of preferably only about 3 mm.

Fig. 3 shows a vertical section through a side wall 10 of a refrigerator body. As in the case of the door 1, a vacuum insulation panel 2 in the interior of the side wall is encircled around with a reinforcing layer 5 made of polyurethane, wherein on an inner side of the reinforcing layer 5 horizontal grooves 1 1 are molded, the familiar in the art as a support surfaces for a shelf 12 can serve.

In order to keep the cost of materials for the reinforcing layer 5 low, the grooves 1 1 can be replaced by horizontal ribs 13 on the inside of the reinforcing layer 5, as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows a horizontal section through the side walls 10 and a rear wall of the refrigeration appliance body of Fig. 3 or 4. At the mutually facing inner surfaces of the side walls 10, the reinforcing layer 5 has two vertical ribs 15, the outside of the cutting plane at its upper and lower Ends are connected together to form a square frame, in each of which a left and right edge portion of the rear wall 14 is inserted. Corresponding ribs may be provided on a ceiling and a bottom plate of the body, not shown in the figure, in order to put these together with the rear and side walls 14, 10 together. Each of the elements thus assembled comprises one of one

Reinforcing layer 5 sheathed vacuum insulation panel 2.

6 shows a schematic vertical section through a rear wall 14 of a coldwall refrigerator according to the invention. An evaporator 16, for example of the rollbond or tube-on-sheet type, has been adhesively bonded to the reinforcement layer 5 on an inner side of the vacuum insulation panel 2, for example, by an adhesive layer 17 made of bitumen or a synthetic resin foam, the interspaces between tubes 18 of the evaporator at least partially fills. A connected to the tubes 18 board 19 of the evaporator is from the vacuum insulation panel 2 off and facing an interior of the body. The thickness of the reinforcing layer 5 is selected in the representation of FIG. 6 such that the reinforcing layer 5 separates the board 19 from the interior of the refrigerating device. It would also be conceivable, when pouring the vacuum insulation panel 2 with the

Reinforcing layer 5 to place the board 19 in direct contact with the wall of a mold, so that the board 19 is exposed in the finished refrigerator.

A temperature sensor 20 and an electrical signal line 21, which connects the temperature sensor 20 with a control circuit, not shown, are also glued to the vacuum insulation panel 2 before encapsulation. In particular, by the signal line 21 is glued over its entire length or stretched taut between adhesive dots, it can be easily ensured that the signal line 21 is exposed in any surface area of the reinforcing layer 5 visible to a user.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic vertical section through a refrigeration device in Nofrost construction. Vacuum insulation panels 2 of a ceiling 22 and the rear wall 14 are surrounded by a common, one-part reinforcing layer 5. The reinforcing layer 5 also extends through a gap 23 between the two vacuum insulation panels 2 to make room for passing a conduit, here a refrigerant line 24, between the panels 2 free.

The reinforcing layer 5 on the underside of the ceiling 22 has a rib 25 extending in the width direction of the body as well as a plurality of screw domes 26; another horizontally extending rib 27 is formed on the reinforcing layer 5 of the rear wall 14. At the two ribs 25, 27 an intermediate wall 28 is engaged, which separates an evaporator chamber 29 from a storage chamber 30. An evaporator 31 is fixed in the evaporator chamber 29 to the screw domes 26 and 32 at the

Refrigerant line 24 connected. The evaporator chamber further includes a fan (not shown) which drives the exchange of air between the chambers 29, 30. The fan may also be fastened by means of screw domes formed on the reinforcing layer 5 of the cover 22 or the rear wall 14.

On the reinforcing layer of the side wall 10 shown in plan view is a

formed annular rib 33 which is provided to a (not shown) thereto Screen to fix an interior lighting for the storage chamber 30. A

Supply line 34 for a lamp of the interior lighting is on

Vacuum insulation panel of the side wall 10 attached and hidden under its reinforcing layer. The supply line 34 may, as indicated in Figure 7, be guided through a gap between the vacuum insulation panels 2 of the rear wall 14 and the side wall 10; It would also be conceivable to guide the supply line 34 through the gap 23, so that the vacuum insulation panels 2 of the side wall 10 and the rear wall 14 can be arranged in direct contact with each other.

Exposed, visible to a user surfaces of the reinforcing layers 5 on the body and / or door of the refrigerator may be provided according to a further development with a coating, on the one hand to protect the PU material from UV radiation, on the other hand, but also to aesthetic requirements of the user to be able to correspond.

Claims

1. Housing component (1, 10, 14) for a refrigeration device, in particular a

Domestic refrigerating appliance, comprising at least one vacuum insulation panel (2) formed with a reinforcing layer (5), characterized in that at least one carrier contour (6; 1 1; 13; 25; 26; 27; 33) is provided for mounting a fitting (12; 28;

31) of the refrigerator with the reinforcing layer (5) is integrally molded.

2. Housing component according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a

Refrigeration appliance door (1) is.

3. housing component according to claim 2, characterized in that the

Carrier contour comprises at least two vertical ribs (6).

4. housing component according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a first wall (10) of a refrigerator body.

5. housing component according to claim 4, characterized in that in the

Reinforcing layer (5) connector elements (15) are formed for connection to a second wall (14) of the refrigerator body.

6. housing component according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a

Refrigeration appliance body is.

7. Housing component according to claim 6, characterized in that each wall (10; 14) of the refrigerator body contains at least one vacuum insulation panel (2).

8. housing component according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the carrier contours at least one substantially horizontal groove (1 1) or rib (13, 27).

9. housing component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one carrier contour comprises a Schraubdom (26).

10. Housing component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized

in that an evaporator (16) is embedded in the reinforcing layer (5).

1 1. Housing component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized

characterized in that a temperature sensor (20) is embedded in the reinforcing layer (5).

12. Housing component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized

characterized in that an at least line (21; 24; 34) for electricity or for refrigerant is embedded in the reinforcing layer (5).

13. Housing component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized

characterized in that a component (16; 20; 21; 24; 31) embedded in the reinforcing layer is fastened to the at least one vacuum insulation panel (2).