Refrigerator Unit and/or a Freezer Unit

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit comprising a cooling tank as well as an evaporator which is accommodated in an evaporator accommodation space in the cooling tank. In accordance with the invention, the refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit is characterized in that the evaporator has a multi-sided jacket of a soft, resilient and/or yielding padding material.

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit comprising a cooling tank as well as an evaporator, preferably a lamellar evaporator, which is accommodated in an evaporator accommodation space in the cooling tank.

In such refrigerator units and/or freezer units comprising an evaporator embedded into the inner tank, said evaporator is seated with a relatively precise fit in the evaporator accommodation space provided therefor. The clicking noises during operation of the unit represent a problem which arises in this context. It can be assumed that these clicking noises are caused by a cyclic freezing of the evaporator to the walls of the evaporator accommodation space and a release of it again due to the regular defrosting process. Since a lot of moisture is present after a defrosting process, residual drops freeze on between the evaporator surface and the inner tank if a cooling takes place again after the defrosting. On a sudden relaxation and an abrupt breaking off of the frozen points, the unwanted clicking noises can occur.

To eliminate, or at least substantially reduce, these clicking noises as a result of the freezing on and releasing again of the evaporator, it has already been proposed to provide a sufficient spacing between the evaporator-module and the rear wall of the unit, whereby a freezing on should be wholly avoided. Such a defined spacing, however, results in a loss of useful inner space.

It is therefore the underlying object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit of the named kind which avoids disadvantages of the prior art and further develops it in an advantageous manner. The clicking noises emitted by the evaporator should in particular be eliminated, or at least substantially reduced, without wasting valuable useful, inner space.

This object is solved in accordance with the invention by a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1. Preferred configurations of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

It is proposed for the avoidance of the aforesaid clicking noises, starting from the evaporator, to decouple said evaporator from the inner tank of the refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit. In accordance with the invention, the evaporator is provided with a multi-side jacket made from a soft, resilient and/or deformable padding material. A direct freezing together of the evaporator module and of the evaporator environment, in particular of the cooling tank inner wall, is prevented by this jacket. A freezing together of the evaporator and of the padding material, on the one hand, or of the padding material and the inner wall of the unit, on the other hand, can admittedly occur. Relative movements arising due to thermal strains can, however, be balanced by the deformable padding material so that clicking noises arising due to connection which break open suddenly are precluded. Strains and clicking noises no longer occur due to the relative movements which take place in the padding material. The construction space in the interior of the unit is nevertheless used to the best possible degree. No useful space is lost by the jacket of padding material instead of the initially mentioned large, defined air gap. In addition, the jacket can bring about an air seal so that no external air can be directed past the evaporator, which would impair the energy efficiency. The padding material can in particular also have a thermal insulating function and can accordingly act as a thermal insulator, which likewise has a positive effect on the energy consumption.

In a further development of the invention, the jacket is provided at least on the contact sides of the evaporator with which the evaporator comes into contact with walls of the cooling tank, in particular of the evaporator accommodation space. The jacket is therefore provided where the evaporator could freeze on.

It may be optional for specific applications only to provide the jacket on the said contact sides partially, for example, in strip shape. The jacket of insulating material, however, preferably covers the contact surfaces of the evaporator over the whole area. Clicking noises can be largely completely eliminated by a full covering of the contact surfaces of the evaporator by the jacket of padding material. Care is preferably taken in this context that also no open abutting edges remain, but that also the rim regions and edges of the evaporator housing are largely completely sheathed by the insulating material.

Different sides of the evaporator can form the contact surfaces depending on the design of the evaporator. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the jacket substantially completely covers two wide sides and three flat sides of the evaporator.

The jacket can generally be made of different materials. In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the jacket comprises a foam, in particular a closed-cell polyethylene foam. The jacket is advantageously resiliently deformable at least to a specific degree so that it makes possible the described compensation movements.

In accordance with a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the jacket can be made at least partly hydrophobic, i.e. water repellant, with at least the surface of the jacket in particular being made hydrophobic. The jacket advantageously does not absorb any water during the whole operating period of the unit. This can be achieved, for example, by a jacket made from a closed-cell foam material.

The jacket could generally be made in one piece. The evaporator could, so-to-say, be foamed in at its contact surfaces. The jacket preferably, however, comprises a plurality of foam pieces which are set in an exact fit onto the contact sides or contact areas of the evaporator and terminate flush with one another at their abutment edges so that no open abutment edges of the evaporator remain.

A slight thickness of the jacket of padding material in the range of a few millimeters can already be sufficient. Different wall thicknesses of the jacket can be provided on different sides of the evaporator in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The jacket can in particular have a larger wall thickness on the side of the evaporator facing the refrigeration space than on the side of the evaporator remote from the cooling space and/or at flat sides of the evaporator. A heat transfer into the freezing space can hereby be suppressed or minimized during defrosting. For example, the jacket can have a thickness of 3 to 5 mm on the side facing the interior space of the refrigerator unit and a thickness of 1 to 3 mm on the other sides of the evaporator. It is, however, understood that, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a jacket is used having a uniform, sufficient wall thickness on all sides of the evaporator.

In a further development of the invention, the jacket is connected areally to the respective evaporator surface and is preferably fastened thereto in a force-transmitting manner or in a firmly bonded manner. The jacket made of foam can in particular be adhesively bonded to a sheet metal jacket of the evaporator.

The evaporator can per also already be sufficiently fastened by an exactly fitting insertion into the evaporator accommodation space provided therefor. The evaporator accommodation space is adapted for this purpose with respect to its shape to the outer contour of the evaporator. Provision can preferably be made for the evaporator to be inserted into the evaporator accommodation space with a light press fit which is compensated by a light resilient deformation of the jacket. In this connection, the slightly compressed foam of the jacket holds the evaporator without wobble and secure against impact in the evaporator accommodation space.

Further fastening means can generally be completely dispensed with. To nevertheless prevent a slipping of the evaporator on installation, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the evaporator can be fastened to the inner tank using a force-transmitting means, in particular a screw. It has been found to be advantageous for the evaporator to be fastened to the inner container not by plastic plugs or plastic bayonet fittings, but rather by a plurality of screws at different points of the inner tank. This further reduces the formation of clicking noises.

The evaporator accommodation space can generally be of various configurations. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, it can comprise a substantially tub-shaped recess in the inner wall of the tank which can be closed by an inner cover. The evaporator can be inserted into the evaporator accommodation space in the inner tank from the inner space of the cooling tank. If the inner cover is then placed onto the tub-shaped recess to close it, the evaporator or the jacket of padding material applied thereto comes into contact with the tub base, the tub rims and the inner cover. It has been found to be advantageous for the inner cover to have no webs projecting into the evaporator accommodation space at least in the region of the evaporator, but to be fastened lying flat on the rims of the tub-shaped recess. Sealing beads of padding material, in particular foam beads, can be provided for sealing at the rims of the inner cover and/or at the rims of the tub-shaped recess so that no clicking noises can arise between the inner cover and the inner wall of the tank either.

The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with respect to a preferred embodiment and to associated drawings. There are shown in the drawings:

FIG. 1: a schematic perspective overall view of a refrigerator unit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2: a perspective inner view of the cooling tank of the unit of FIG. 1 with an open door which shows, in the rear wall of the cooling tank, the evaporator accommodation space provided therein and the evaporator inserted therein;

FIG. 3: a perspective view of the evaporator of the unit from the preceding Figures which shows the jacket of insulation material on the sheet metal jacket of the evaporator;

FIG. 4: a perspective view of an inner tank cover for the closing of the evaporator accommodation space in the rear wall of the cooling tank;

FIG. 5: a schematic representation of the freezing on conditions adopted in the evaporator provided with a jacket and in a surrounding surface; and

FIG. 6: the freezing on conditions adopted in an evaporator without a jacket and in the surrounding surface.

The refrigerator 1 shown in the Figures includes a substantially cubic cooling tank 2 which can be closed by a door 3. The inner space 4 of the cooling tank 2 shown in FIG. 2 is bounded by the walls of an inner tank 5. A tub-shaped recess 6 is formed in the rear side of the inner tank 5 disposed opposite the door 3 and bounds an evaporator accommodation space 7 in which the evaporator 8 is accommodated. A fan 9 is accommodated in the tub-shaped recess 6 in addition to the evaporator 8 in the embodiment drawn and is arranged at the upper rim of the recess 6.

The tub-shaped recess 6 is substantially rectangular, with the lower edge (cf. FIG. 2) being configured slightly inclined toward the center.

The tub-shaped recess 6 can be closed by an inner cover 20 which is shown in FIG. 4, is adapted to the contour of the recess 6 with respect to its outer contour, is seated on the peripheral rim 11 of the recess 6 and can be fastened there. The inner cover 20 is seated in as airtight a manner as possible on the side rims 11 to the right and left of the recess 6, which can be achieved, for example, by the application of foam beads onto the said rims 11. The inner cover, however, is not seated in an air-tight manner on the rim 11 of the recess 6 at its lower end so that air can be sucked in here. The fan 9 shown in FIG. 2 sucks in air over this gap between the lower section of the rim 11 of the recess 6 and the inner cover 20 so that said air flows upwardly over the evaporator 8 and flows out again at the fan opening provided at the upper end of the inner cover 20.

As FIG. 2 shows, the evaporator 8 is seated with an exact fit in the tub-shaped recess 6. Its two vertical flat sides as well as its lower flat side are seated with an exact fit on the side walls of the tub-shaped recess 6 and are in contact therewith. Toward the upper side, the evaporator accommodation 7 is made larger than the evaporator so that free space remains which accommodates the infeeds and outfeeds of the evaporator as well as further cables.

The evaporator 8 furthermore corresponds with respect to its thickness approximately to the depth of the tub-shaped recess 6 which would have to be measured perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 2. If the inner cover is set over the tub-shaped recess 6 in the inner tub 5 to close it, a contact of the evaporator 8 is adopted to the base of the recess 6, on the one hand, and to the inner cover, on the other hand. Although the evaporator 8 would per se be accommodated with an exact fit in the evaporator accommodation space 7 and would per se be sufficiently fastened, the evaporator can be screwed on by a screw connection, preferably to the base of the tub-shaped recess 6. This in particular prevents an upward sliding of the evaporator into the hollow space accommodating the tubing or cabling, e.g. during installation.

As FIG. 3 shows, the evaporator 8 is sheathed by a jacket 12 made of closed-cell hydrophobic foam. The jacket 12 covers the contact surfaces of the evaporator housing 8 in each case over the whole surface, the evaporator 8 contacting the walls of the tub-shaped recess 6 as well as the inner cover with said contact surfaces. The evaporator 8 itself has an aluminum sheet metal jacket which forms the said contact surfaces and so-to-say forms a housing of the evaporator 8. The jacket 12 of foam is adhesively bonded to this aluminum metal jacket areally so that the evaporator 8 is sheathed on all sides at the said contact surfaces.

If the evaporator 8 has the prescribed jacket 12 of soft, yielding padding material, the freezing state shown in FIG. 5 results if a repeated cooling down takes place after a defrosting procedure. The surface of the evaporator 8 can admittedly freeze together with the jacket 12 on the one hand, and the jacket 12 with the surface of the unit surroundings, on the other hand, in particular with the inner unit wall of the recess 6. In FIG. 5, an ice film is shown in each case between the jacket 12 and the evaporator 8 as well as between the jacket 12 and the recess 6. If relative thermal movements occur between the evaporator 8 and the inner wall of the unit, they would result in a breaking off of the frozen ice drops without the jacket 12. The jacket 12 can, however, compensate these relative movements and therefore avoid corresponding clicking noises.

In contrast to this, FIG. 6 shows the direct freezing on of an evaporator 8 without a jacket directly to the inner surface of the recess 6, as would occur in the prior art without the jacket 12 in accordance with the invention. If relative movements occur here, they cannot be compensated and the unwanted clicking noises occur.

Claims

1. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit comprising a cooling tank (2) as well as an evaporator (8) which is accommodated in an evaporator accommodation space (7) in the cooling tank (2), wherein the evaporator (8) has a multi-sided jacket (12) of a soft resilient and/or yielding padding material.

2. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) is provided at least on all contact sides of the evaporator (8) with which the evaporator (8) comes into contact with walls of the evaporator accommodation space (7).

3. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein the contact surfaces (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) of the evaporator (8) are completely covered by the jacket (12).

4. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) substantially completely covers two wide sides (16, 17) and/or a plurality of flat sides or end face sides (13, 14, 15) of the evaporator (8).

5. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) comprises a foam, in particular a closed-cell polyethylene foam.

6. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) is made at least partially hydrophobic, in particular has a hydrophobic surface.

7. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) is made permanently free of water absorption.

8. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) is made in multiple pieces, preferably comprises a plurality of plates, which each cover an evaporator side.

9. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) is connected to the respective evaporator surface areally, preferably in a force-transmitting manner and/or a firmly bonded manner, in particular adhesively bonded.

10. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the jacket (12) is connected to the respective unit surface surrounding the evaporator (8) areally, preferably in a force-transmitting manner and/or a firmly bonded manner, in particular adhesively bonded.

11. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaporator (8) is inserted into the evaporator accommodation space (7) with an exact fit, preferably with a slight press fit which slightly compresses the jacket (12).

12. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaporator accommodation space (7) has a tub-shaped recess (6) in an inner wall of the cooling tank (2) which can be closed by an inner cover.

13. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the inner cover is made without webs projecting into the evaporator accommodation space at least in the region of the evaporator (8) and can preferably be placed flat on a rim (11) of the tub-shaped recess (6).

14. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaporator (8) is fastened by a screw connection to the inner wall of the cooling tank (2).

15. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the evaporator (8) is made as a lamellar evaporator and/or has a sheet metal jacket to which the jacket (12) of insulation material is applied.

16. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein the jacket (12) substantially completely covers two wide sides (16, 17) and/or a plurality of flat sides or end face sides (13, 14, 15) of the evaporator (8).

17. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 3, wherein the jacket (12) substantially completely covers two wide sides (16, 17) and/or a plurality of flat sides or end face sides (13, 14, 15) of the evaporator (8).

18. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 17, wherein the jacket (12) comprises a foam, in particular a closed-cell polyethylene foam

19. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 16, wherein the jacket (12) comprises a foam, in particular a closed-cell polyethylene foam

20. A refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit in accordance with claim 4, wherein the jacket (12) comprises a foam, in particular a closed-cell polyethylene foam