Refrigeration Device with Illumination of the Inner Chamber

Abstract

A refrigeration appliance is provided having an inner chamber surrounded by insulating walls and an illumination system for the inner chamber, the illumination system including an elongated light source and a housing which surrounds the light source. A rear wall of the housing penetrates into one of the insulating walls, the depth of penetration of the rear wall into the insulating wall being maximal in the vicinity of the light source and diminishing as the distance from the light source increases.

Description

The invention relates to a refrigeration appliance and in particular an interior illumination system of such a refrigeration appliance.

Conventionally, such an interior illumination has as its light source an incandescent lamp which may be regarded as a light source forming a point, and thus incapable of enabling homogeneous, shadow-free illumination of the internal space. The housings of the aforementioned interior illumination systems are conventionally mounted on the inner skin of a wall of the refrigeration appliance, that is they intrude into the internal space. This has the result that the internal space is narrowed in the vicinity of the mounted interior illumination system. For this reason, the tendency has already been to move towards arranging the housing of this interior illumination system at least partially in a recessed manner within the wall of the refrigeration appliance. However this results in less effective illumination of the internal space.

Furthermore interior illumination systems have recently been proposed which use an elongated light source, for example in the form of a fluorescent tube, which can be mounted vertically on a wall of the refrigeration appliance in order to illuminate a number of compartments within this internal space which are separated from each other by compartment bases.

Especially in the case of such interior illumination systems the problem arises that if it protrudes far into the internal space, all the compartment bases must be made narrower, in order to enable them to be pushed past the lighting system into the internal space. Valuable storage surface on the compartment bases is thus lost.

The object of the invention is to create a refrigeration appliance with a light source, in particular an illumination system using an elongated light source, in which the illumination of the internal space can be improved by means of simple structural measures, thus avoiding the disadvantages of the state of the art.

This object is achieved by means of the features in claim 1. By means of light reflected towards the door of the refrigeration appliance for example via a correspondingly inclined reflector arrangement, then even in the case of an interior illumination system arranged in a recessed manner within the heat insulation of a wall of the refrigeration appliance which surrounds the internal space, it is possible to achieve favourable illumination of the internal space while at the same time gaining storage space, particularly when this is an elongated light source. It is particularly simple to position the reflector precisely in relation to the housing of the interior illumination system if the reflector is shaped according to a preferred embodiment by the rear wall of the housing. A reduction in the number of parts is also achieved thereby. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided for the rear wall of the housing to penetrate into one of the insulating walls, the depth of penetration of the rear wall into the insulating wall being at its maximum in the vicinity of the light source and diminishing as the distance from the light source increases, that is towards the rear wall of the body. This form of the rear wall makes it possible to provide for greater width of the interior illumination coupled with negligible loss of insulation volume. Additionally, a large proportion of the light radiated from the light source in a direction more or less parallel to the insulating wall of the housing or towards this wall is scattered on the rear wall of the housing into the internal space.

The light source is preferably arranged on an area of the rear wall facing the front side of the refrigeration appliance. It is thereby largely shaded relative to the front side of the appliance, and the danger of a user looking into the internal space being dazzled by the light source is thus avoided. In order to achieve high light yield in the internal space, the rear wall is preferably embodied as a reflector.

The rear wall of the housing of the internal space illumination system is preferably affixed on the foam side to an inner skin of the insulating wall, filling a window in said inner skin. During foaming of the insulating wall, the rear wall is thus pressed against the inner skin by the foam, and the danger of the foam intruding between the inner skin and the rear wall is minimal.

With a view to simplified assembly, the rear wall of the illumination system housing is embodied in at least 2-part form, with the part facing the light source being longer and located at least partially in the heat insulation, while the other part is arranged on the internal face of the wall. In order to fasten a further part of the interior illumination system, at least one insert groove is preferably embodied on the rear wall.

In particular, an insert groove open towards the front of the refrigeration appliance is embodied on an edge region of the rear wall adjacent to the front of the refrigeration appliance. This allows the removal of a housing part affixed in this insert groove parallel to the insulating wall towards the front of the refrigeration appliance. By means of a suitable shaping of the compartment bases it is possible to enable the housing part to be removed to the front without it being necessary to remove the compartment bases for this purpose.

The light source is preferably free and can be replaced if the housing part is removed. In order to avoid the user being dazzled, the housing part is further preferably opaque. To fasten a further housing part, an insert groove open vertically to the insulating wall is embodied on an edge region of the rear wall adjacent to the rear of the refrigeration appliance. By means of the different orientation of the insert grooves, it is ensured that this second housing part does not inadvertently come loose when the first one is removed.

One edge of the window of the inner skin is preferably covered in each case by the housing part inserted into the first and/or second insert groove.

Further features and advantages of the invention are revealed on the basis of the description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures where

FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross section through a refrigeration appliance according to the invention and

FIG. 2 shows a horizontal cross section through an insulating wall of the refrigeration appliance housing along line II from FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross section through a refrigeration appliance according to the invention with a housing comprising a body 1 with side walls 2 and a rear wall 3, and with a door 4 hung on the body 1, which as a whole are embodied as hollow bodies foamed with an insulating material. The internal space 5 encompassed by the body 1 and door 4 is divided into a number of compartments 7, 8 by means of compartment bases 6. The lowermost compartment 8 contains a pullout box; its depth is reduced compared with that of the compartments 7 to cater for a compressor recess at the rear of the appliance.

An interior illumination system 10 extends across the entire height of the compartments 7 on one of the side walls 2.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the interior illumination system 10 on the basis of a cross section through the insulating side wall 2 at the level of the line II from FIG. 1. The side wall is constructed in the known manner from a rigid internal skin 11, which is formed by means of the deep drawing of a plastic plate, and surrounds the entire internal space 5 in one piece, a likewise rigid external skin 12, and an insulation layer 13 made of expanded polymer material lying between these.

A window is cut in the internal skin 11, which on the foam side is backed with a rear wall 14 of the interior illumination system 10. The rear wall 14 has a surrounding marginal web 15, which is fixed around the window on the foam side of the internal skin 11 in a foam-tight manner, for example through the use of adhesive. The depth to which the rear wall 14 penetrates into the insulation layer 13, is at its greatest in the region 16 adjacent to the front of the body 1; an inclined wall piece 17 joins the rear of the body 1, the depth of penetration of which into the insulation layer 13 always diminishes as the distance from an elongated light source 18 arranged on the forward area 16 increases. On its inner face, the inclined wall piece 17 serves as a reflector, being for example mirror-coated, in order to reflect light striking it from the light source 18 with the minimum possible loss onto a translucent diffuser plate 19 which separates the interior illumination system 10 from the internal space 5. In order to distribute the light from the diffuser plate 19 into the internal space 5 in as diffuse a manner as possible, the diffuser plate 19 can be milky opaque or can be provided with imprinted structures which diffract the light in different directions.

A further reflecting surface 20 is arranged between the forward area 16 of the rear wall and the light source 18.

On the forward area 16 of the rear wall 14 is formed a web 21 which engages through the window in the internal skin 11, with a insert groove 22 open towards the front of the body 1. A spring 23 of a plastic profile section which forms a further part 24 of the housing of the interior illumination system 10 engages with the insert groove 22. The housing part 24 is latched in a releasable manner onto a detent tip 25 of the web 21 and has a groove 26 open towards the rear wall 3 of the body (towards the right in FIG. 2) with which a spring of the diffuser plate 19 engages.

An edge 27 of a compartment base 6 runs a short distance away from the diffuser plate 19. As may readily be seen, this edge 27 does not prevent the housing part 24 being pulled away towards the front of the body 1, that is towards the left in the view shown in FIG. 2. If the housing part 24 is removed, the light source 18 of the interior illumination system is exposed, and can be changed.

A groove 28 which is open towards the internal space 5 is formed in the rear wall 14 where the inclined wall part 17 of the rear wall 14 meets the internal skin 11, into which latches a spring of a housing part 29 likewise manufactured as a profile section which forms a rear fixing for the diffuser plate 19, likewise by means of a tongue-and-groove connection. The housing part 29 encompasses a wall piece 30 running along the extended inclined wall piece 17 of the rear wall 14, likewise having a reflective coating.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A refrigeration appliance comprising:

a.) a heat-insulated body having a plurality of walls delimiting an internal space, the heat-insulated body having a door opening providing access into the internal space;

b.) a door for selectively closing off, and permitting access through, the door opening of the heat-insulated body; and

c.) an interior illumination system disposed on one of the walls of the heat-insulated body, the interior illumination system having a housing, a light source, and a reflector that reflects light emitted from the light source in the direction of the door opening.

19. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the light source of the interior illumination system is an elongated light source and is arranged on a side wall of the heat-insulated body.

20. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the reflector is formed by a rear wall of the housing.

21. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein a rear wall of the housing penetrates at least partially an insulating wall of the heat-insulated body, the depth of penetration of the rear wall into the insulating wall being at its greatest in the vicinity of the light source, and the depth of penetration of the rear wall into the insulating wall diminishing as the distance between the light source and the rear wall of the heat-insulated body increases.

22. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the light source is arranged in an area of a rear wall of the heat-insulated body facing the front of the refrigeration appliance.

23. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein a rear wall of the heat-insulated body is configured as a reflector.

24. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least on of the walls of the heat-insulated body is an insulating wall having an outer skin, an inner skin, and foam disposed between the outer skin and the inner skin, the housing of the interior illumination system has a rear wall, and, on the foam side, the rear wall of the interior illumination system is affixed to an inner skin of the insulating wall and fills a window in the insulating wall.

25. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rear wall of the heat-insulated body is an insulating wall and the rear wall of the housing of the interior illumination system is configured in at least two parts, with at least the part housing therein the light source penetrating the insulating rear wall of the heat-insulated body.

26. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 25, wherein a further part of the rear wall of the housing of the interior illumination system is mounted on the inner face of the insulating rear wall of the heat-insulated body in a releasable configuration.

27. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 25, wherein the rear wall of the housing of the interior illumination system has two parts forming an inclined plane that ascends towards the rear wall of the heat-insulated body.

28. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18 and further comprising at least one insert groove formed on the rear wall of the housing of the interior illumination system for fastening a further part of the housing.

29. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18 and further comprising an insert groove open towards the front of the refrigeration appliance formed on an edge region of the rear wall of the housing of the interior illumination system adjacent to the front of the refrigeration appliance.

30. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 29, wherein a part of the housing of the interior illumination system is insertable into the insert groove open towards the front and is removable from the insert groove and the light source is exposed when the housing part is removed.

31. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 30, wherein the housing part is opaque.

32. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least on of the walls of the heat-insulated body is an insulating wall and further comprising an insert groove an insert groove open vertically to the insulating wall and formed on an edge region of the rear wall of the housing of the interior illumination system adjacent to the rear of the refrigeration appliance.

33. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 30, wherein an edge of the window is covered by the housing part inserted into the insert groove.

34. The refrigeration appliance as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rear wall of the heat-insulated body is arranged at least essentially over the height of the internal space and its two lateral walls.