1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cooling unit having a base group, a rear wall group, and an upper group, which delimit a cooling chamber from below, the back, and above and are provided at least in part with components of a cooling device and which have a multilayered structure with a flow conduit system therein embodied. In the base group, the rear wall group, and the upper group, intermediate spaces are formed between respective layers as parts of the flow conduit system and in order to allow the air to circulate, the lower intermediate space formed in the base group, on the rear side thereof, is fluidically connected to a lower section of the vertical intermediate space formed in the rear wall group while the upper intermediate space formed in the upper group, on the rear side thereof, is fluidically connected to an upper section of the vertical intermediate space formed in the rear wall group, and an evaporator or another heat exchanger of the cooling device is situated or positioned in the vertical intermediate chamber for generating cooling air.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A cooling unit with such a flow conduit system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Reference JP H06-265 255 A. In this known cooling unit, an air flow produced by fans is conveyed in a flow circuit through a base group, a rear wall group, and an upper group as well as through an open front side of the cooling unit. An evaporator for producing the necessary cooling air is situated in the lower section of the rear wall group adjacent to the base group. In the flow direction upstream of the evaporator, a fan is positioned in a voluminous space of the base group. A part of the air flowing out through the evaporator in an upward direction is conveyed downward between its front side and the rear side of a wall section of the rear wall group and through the rear wall section into the interior of the unit that is to be cooled. A stratified air flow routing is produced in the rear wall group, the upper group, and partially also the base group. In such cooling units, achieving the most energy-efficient cooling possible poses problems. It is also necessary to take into account the most manageable design for installation and for the user.
A cooling unit disclosed in European Patent Reference EP 0 696 893 B1 is also shown with a flow conduit system extending through a base group, a rear wall group, and an upper group and across an open front region of the cooling unit that is embodied in a similar way to the cooling unit described above. Here, too, an evaporator is situated in the transition region between the base group and the rear wall group and a fan is positioned in the base group. The base group is likewise embodied as relatively voluminous.
Other cooling units with similar flow conduit systems are disclosed in Japanese Patent Reference JP 2001-221 561 A, Canadian Patent Reference CA 821 795 A, Chinese Patent Reference CN 1 935 060 A, Japanese Patent Reference JP S52-28 053 A, Japanese Patent Reference JP S62-105 077 A, Japanese Patent Reference JP S61-3 378 U, Taiwanese Patent Reference TW 382 439 U, Japanese Patent Reference JP S 59-76 973 U, Japanese Patent Reference JP S51-125 372 U, Japanese Patent Reference JP S58-20 885 U, Canadian Patent Reference CA 676 020 A, Japanese Patent Reference JP S48-45 596 U, Japanese Patent Reference JP H01-158 092 U, and Japanese Patent Reference JP H04-110 365 U.
German Patent Reference DE 20 2010 008 333 U1 discloses a cooling unit with a single-layer air flow in which a heat exchanger with an especially flat embodiment is situated above a blower system on an active wall in the lower region of the rear wall group. In the region of the base group, the air flow travels over the floor or over an insulation lying on the floor. In the rear wall, in the flow conduit, positioning rails are installed across the latter's layer thickness, in which shelf supports are hung.
Another cooling unit with a flow conduit system in a rear vertical region and in a lower and upper horizontal region is disclosed in PCT Patent Reference WO 2012/025 240 A2. In this known cooling unit, on the front side, warmed air that is guided into a lower horizontal sub-chamber is conveyed into a rear, vertical sub-chamber and in the latter, is conveyed through an evaporator in order to cool it. Part of the cool air exiting the top side of the evaporator is conveyed downward along the rear wall of the cooling chamber and via openings there, travels into the cooling chamber from the rear in order to cool the latter. Another partial flow of the air cooled by the evaporator travels into the upper sub-chamber and in the latter's front section, is conveyed downward through an opening in order to form a cooling air curtain and thus achieve a thermal insulation of the cooling chamber relative to the surrounding air. These measures make a significant contribution to improving the cooling conditions in the cooling unit. It is nevertheless difficult to achieve an optimum cooling function in a cooling unit.
One object of this invention is to provide a cooling unit of the type mentioned above but in which it is possible to improve the cooling properties with the most efficient possible use of cooling power and with a structurally favorable design.
This object and others are achieved with the features described in this specification and in the claims. In this case, at least one fan, particularly embodied in the form of a radial fan, is also provided at least in the vertical intermediate space in order to produce an air flow through the intermediate spaces.
This design of the rear wall group, base group, and upper group produces an advantageous envelope around the cooling chamber for an efficient cooling with good flow conditions.
In order to achieve the air flow routing and efficient cooling with an advantageous structural design, it is advantageous that the at least one fan, in particular a radial fan, is situated in the upper half of the vertical intermediate space above the evaporator or other heat exchanger. This achieves a uniform air flow through the gap between the vertically oriented fins of the evaporator without back pressure, which can occur when fans are situated beneath, and without the risk of an electrical malfunction or damage due to fluid dripping down.
The evaporator in this case, with its longitudinal axis extending horizontally along the rear wall, is preferably positioned relative to the vertical or a little above the middle region of the rear wall so that there is enough installation space on the rear wall above or below the heat exchanger, such as for fans or flow conduit elements.
An advantageous embodiment of the cooling unit, both in terms of the design and function, is that at least some sections of the vertical intermediate space are situated directly against the back side of a plate-shaped inner cover of the rear wall group adjoining the cooling chamber, at least some sections of the lower intermediate space are situated directly against the back side of a plate shaped floor cover adjoining the cooling chamber, and at least some sections of the upper intermediate space are situated directly against the top surface of a lower cover of the upper group adjoining the cooling chamber.
One advantageous air flow routing results from the upper intermediate space, via a slit-like outlet opening in a front top section, being brought into a fluidic connection with the lower intermediate space via a slit-like inlet opening in the front section of the base group in order, together with the upper intermediate space, the lower intermediate space, and the vertical intermediate space, to produce a circulating air flow by a front air curtain.
For the design and the cooling function, it is advantageous if in front of the evaporator or other heat exchanger, there is an open space for conveying away cooling air, which is produced in the evaporator or other heat exchanger and travels into the cooling chamber through distributed openings, in particular slots, in the inner cover.
Other features that are advantageous for the function and design relate to that on the side of the intermediate spaces oriented away from the cooling chamber, outer flow conduits are provided for stratified air flow routing. An outer vertical flow conduit is formed in the rear wall group between an outer casing and an intermediate partition that delimits at least some sections of the vertical intermediate space at the back. An outer lower flow conduit is formed on the inside of the deflector plate or in the base group between a deflector plate that delimits at least some sections of the lower intermediate space at the bottom and a base plate situated under it. An outer upper flow conduit is formed in the upper group between an upper cover of the upper group and an intermediate cover that delimits at least some sections of the upper intermediate space toward the top. The outer lower flow conduit is fluidically connected to a lower section of the vertical outer flow conduit while the outer upper flow conduit is fluidically connected to an upper section thereof in order to allow the air to circulate.
A stratified air flow routing is advantageously achieved if the outer upper flow conduit, via an outlet slit situated in the front top section, in front of the slit-like outlet opening, is brought into a fluidic connection with the outer lower flow conduit via an inlet opening extending along the front side in the front section of the base group in order, together with the outer upper flow conduit, the outer lower flow conduit, and the outer vertical flow conduit, to produce a circulating air flow by an outer front air curtain, which forms a warm air curtain relative to the, then inner, front air curtain forming a cold air curtain.
It is also advantageous for the design and function if to produce an air flow, at least one fan, in particular a radial fan, is situated at least in the vertical outer flow conduit, preferably in the lower region of the vertical outer flow conduit below the evaporator or other heat exchanger.
Also contributing to an advantageous design and a good air flow routing are the fact that the intermediate partition of the rear wall group has an intermediate wall that is mounted to the front side of the outer casing and spaced apart from it by vertical spacer strips and/or Z-shaped bends at its vertical edges. As a result of these features, the intermediate partition is attached in a stable fashion so that the evaporator or other heat exchanger, for example, can be advantageously mounted to its front side.
An advantageous thermal insulation of the cooling chamber with a simple, stable construction is provided if the outer casing of the rear wall group, the deflector plate of the base group, and the upper cover of the upper group are embodied in the form of thermally insulating plates.
One embodiment of the flow conduit system benefits if the outer lower flow conduit, possibly embodied with a plurality of branched individual conduits, is at least partially composed of at least one conduit that is molded into the deflector plate. The conduits in this case can be entirely embedded in the deflector plate, which is made out of foamed plastic, for example, or preferably can be molded into its underside, making it possible to achieve a selective air flow routing to the transition in the lower section of the outer vertical flow conduit in the rear wall group. For example, the deflector plate is produced in the form of a plastic sleeve that is blown into a mold with the flow conduit and is filled with the foamed plastic, such as PU foam, which then hardens and yields a stable, favorably insulating plate body.
One advantageous, stable design, such as in the form of a shelving module, is achieved if the rear wall group, the upper group, and the base group have plate-shaped wall elements, which are mounted to frame profiles of two side frames that laterally delimit a shelving module, with the adjacent narrow sides of the outer casing, the deflector plate, and the upper insulating cover protruding slightly beyond the lateral outsides of the side frames in order to produce a good thermal insulation between the narrow sides that are oriented toward one another.
In one advantageous embodiment, the side frames have a C-shaped form when viewed from the side, in the upper and lower end region of each rear vertical profile, a lower horizontal profile and an upper horizontal profile are respectively attached so that they protrude toward the front and the plate-shaped wall elements of the rear wall group are installed on the front side of the vertical profiles on both sides, the plate-shaped wall elements of the upper group are installed on the underside of the upper horizontal profiles, and the plate-shaped wall elements of the base group are installed between and/or on the lower horizontal frame profiles and, spaced apart from and in front of the vertical frame profiles, vertical support profiles are installed between the lower and upper horizontal frame profiles by a thermally insulating connection.
In other advantageous embodiments, the design and function result in the evaporator or other heat exchanger being fastened to the intermediate wall and also that when a plurality of fans are situated next to one another in the vertical intermediate space, an intermediate partition is installed between the fans in order to avoid or reduce a reciprocal negative flow influence such as short-circuiting.
A cooling unit system composed of or comprising a plurality of cooling units aligned next to one another and embodied in the form of shelving modules offers the user advantageous embodiment options. The transitions between the shelving modules along the adjacent narrow edges of at least the plate-shaped wall elements of the rear wall group are sealed by inserting sealing components. The shelving modules are in particular screwed to one another in adjacent frame profiles.
This invention is explained in greater detail in view of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein:
To keep the cooling chamber 4 cold, components of a cooling device 5 are integrated into the cooling unit system (see
In one version of the exemplary embodiment shown, the condenser 52 with corresponding connectors 53 is situated or positioned in or on an upper group 13 in an upper cooling component recess 13.30 situated there in the region of an upper cover 13.3 so that it is easily accessible from above or behind, while the compressor 51 is preferably situated in the lower region of a rear wall group 12, behind an inner cover 12.1 that delimits the cooling chamber 4 at the back, in a receiving space (not shown in detail) of a receiving device. In the middle region of the rear wall group 12, the evaporator 50, 50′, 50″ is likewise situated behind the inner cover 12.1 and is mounted with the receiving device. As clear from
Aside from the upper group 13 and rear wall group 12 mentioned above, each shelving module 1, 2, 3 also has a base group 11. With a floor cover 11.1 situated on top, it delimits the bottom of the cooling chamber 4 and at its front, has a covering grating 11.10, which is provided with air passage holes, in particular air passage slots, and a front cover 11.4 with a protective or decorative molding in the front edge region.
Essential components of each shelving module 1, 2, 3 are the side frames 10 situated on each side, which have a C-shaped form when viewed from the side, with a vertical profile 10.1 along the back side, a lower horizontal profile 10.2 connected to the vertical profile at the bottom and extending toward the front, and an upper horizontal profile 10.3 connected to the upper end section of the vertical profile 10.1 and extending toward the front. In the depiction shown, the lower horizontal profile 10.2 extends farther forward than the upper horizontal profile 10.3. Further testing, however, has shown that an upper profile 10.3 that is exactly as long as or longer than the lower horizontal profile 10.2 can be advantageous, for example, to support a front part with a roller curtain and lighting system in a stable fashion, without flexing. A support profile 10.4 is installed in front of the vertical profile 10.1, spaced apart from it toward the front, between the lower and upper horizontal profile 10.2, 10.3. The lower horizontal profile 10.2 is supported on height-adjustable feet 60, 61. The two side frames 10 of each shelf module 1, 2, 3 support the base group 11 by their lower horizontal profiles 10.2, support the rear wall group 12 by their vertical profiles 10.1 and support profiles 10.4, and support the upper group 13 by their upper horizontal profiles 10.3 and produce a stable structure with simple assembly steps. They also make it possible to align a plurality of shelving modules 1, 2, 3 next to one another in a stable fashion to form the cooling unit system, it thus being possible to transport the cooling unit system as a stable unit by a hoisting device or vehicle.
As shown in
An evaporator 50′, 50″ extending across a plurality of shelving modules 1, 2, 3 can also be subsequently inserted with relative ease between the relevant vertical profiles 10.1 and support profiles 10.4 that are spaced apart from them and fastened to the vertical profiles and/or to an intermediate partition, in particular an intermediate wall 12.2. The subsequent installation takes place, for example, by inserting the heat exchanger, in particular the evaporator 50, 50′, 50″, from a side parallel to the plane of the rear wall or from the front, after the removal of relevant support profiles 10.4, which are then reinstalled. As described in greater detail below, the particular assembly method of the support profiles 10.4 permits a simple installation and removal.
As evident from
As shown in
As shown in greater detail from
Under the intermediate space 11.6 situated beneath the floor cover 11.1, there is a deflector plate 11.2 composed of or comprising heat-insulating and sound-insulating material, the top of which simultaneously serves as a catch basin for liquid that forms and has a drain hole 11.21, to which a drainpipe system is connected. On the underside, the deflector plate 11.2 is provided with a system 11.20 of molded conduits by which, beneath the deflector plate 11.2, a lower, outer horizontal intermediate space is embodied in the form of a lower, outer air flow conduit 11.7, which is covered at the bottom by a base plate 11.3 or a plurality of partial base plates or cover plates on the underside of the base group 11.
As shown in
The fan 57 situated in the lower region of the rear wall group 12 is situated in the outer vertical intermediate space or in the vertical outer flow conduit 12.5 formed by it, which extends upward through the intermediate partition with the intermediate wall 12.2 behind the evaporator 50, 50′, 50″ and in front of the outer casing 12.3 and is connected to an outer upper intermediate space or outer upper flow conduit 13.8, forming a fluidic connection, as is clear from
As shown in
In the exemplary embodiment shown, the insulating outer casing 12.3 of the rear wall group 12, the insulating upper cover 13.3 of the upper group 13, and the insulating deflector plate 11.2 of the base group 11 are each mounted to the inside of the vertical profile 10.1 oriented toward the cooling chamber 4, to the upper horizontal profiles 10.3, and to the lower horizontal profiles 10.2, respectively, of the associated side frames 10. At least on the inside oriented toward the cooling chamber numeral 4, the outer casing 12.3 is provided with a stable covering or is entirely embodied in the form of a stable, load-bearing plate so as to permit the intermediate wall 12.2 of the intermediate partition to be mounted thereon in a stable fashion, for example by a vertical spacer profiles that have an H-shaped cross-section, with the relevant spacing for the outer vertical intermediate space. The intermediate wall 12.2 can be bent at the vertical edges, such as in a Z shape, with end sections protruding outward in a flange-like fashion, and can be fastened to the side of the outer casing 12.3 oriented toward the cooling chamber 4, such as by screws or rivets.
The intermediate wall 12.2, which is composed of or comprises sheet steel or another suitable metal, offers a stable support base for the attachment of the evaporator 50, 50′, 50″, which advantageously extends across a plurality of shelving modules 1, 2, 3, as described above. The evaporator 50, 50′, 50″, which can be composed of or comprises sections associated with the shelving modules 1, 2, 3, is thus situated in the region of the cooling air conduit in front of the warm air conduit and is mounted there in stable fashion by connectors of the receiving device, such as by fastening screws and fastening lugs. In an evaporator 50, 50′ 50″ extending across a plurality of shelving modules 1, 2, 3, there is enough space provided at least on one side, (for example, see
In alternative exemplary embodiments, in lieu of an evaporator for the cooling, it is also possible for another heat exchanger to be built into the rear wall group 12 or the upper region of the cooling unit, with the refrigerant advantageously being cooled in a remotely positioned central heat exchanger (such as with a water chiller).
The support profile 10.4 is screwed to and supported on the underside of the upper horizontal profile 10.3 of the side frame 10 in stable fashion by an intermediate piece that is elongated from front to back and an upper support plate 10.50 (see
The metallic support profiles 10.4 are provided with rows of holes in a predetermined, preferably standardized, spacing pattern, in which the plates of the inner cover 12.1 of the rear wall group 12 are accommodated so that they can be easily hooked and unhooked. In addition, support arms for the shelves can easily be hooked into the support profiles at the desired height.
Anti-tipping devices 62 protruding downward are mounted at the lower end section of the vertical profiles 10.1, which advantageously permit an adaptation to uneven floors, for example by resilient or elastic intermediate elements and/or adjusting elements. A lighting device 64 can be positioned in the front region of the base group 11 and/or upper group 13. Advantageously, a roller curtain 63 is situated in the front, upper region in order to close the cooling chamber at the front, for example during non-business hours, and thus to save cooling energy.
Sealing components are installed at the sides in order to seal the intermediate spaces in the base groups 11, rear wall groups 12, and upper groups 13 of the shelving modules 1, 2, 3.
In this case, the sealing components are advantageously inserted, for example, between the adjacent outer casings 12.3, the upper covers 13.3, and particularly also between the deflector plates 11.2. Additional sealing elements can in fact or solely be situated between the side frames 10 of adjacent shelving modules 1, 2, 3 aligned next to one another in order to seal the cooling chamber 4 between the shelving modules 1, 2, 3, but the side frames 10 are clamped to one another in a stable fashion and with a definite positioning, preferably only by interposed spacer elements such as spacer sleeves. Various embodiments of sealing elements can be used for the sealing components, for example sealing strips with a mushroom-shaped cross-section and leaves. In addition, with adapted sealing components, side walls can be attached to the side frames 10 in a corresponding fashion, such as particularly can be attached to the narrow edges of the outer casing 12.3, to the lower cover 13.3, and to the deflector plates 11.2 in a sealed fashion at the respective connecting edge.
Various lateral partitioning elements can be used for laterally sealing the inner intermediate spaces 11.6, 12.4, 13.7 for the cold air flow and the outer flow conduits 11.7, 12.5, 13.8 for the warm air flow. In an exemplary embodiment that has been tested in an experimental setup, with a plurality of shelving modules 1, 2, 3 in a row, the inner intermediate spaces 12.4 of the rear wall group 12 are continuously connected to one another across the entire cooling unit system and only terminated in a sealed fashion at the two ends of the cooling unit system by relevant partitioning elements. This has one advantage of not hindering the use of a continuous evaporator 50′, 50″. By contrast, in an advantageous embodiment, the inner intermediate spaces 11.6 and 13.7 of the base group 11 and upper group 13 are partitioned on both sides of each shelving module 1, 2, 3 and are connected to the vertical, inner intermediate space 12.4 by appropriate air baffle plates in order to avoid disadvantageous flow leakages. The inner cover 12.1 of the rear wall group 12 is supplemented by intermediate plates in the transition region between the aligned shelving modules 1, 2, 3.
In the tested exemplary embodiment, the outer flow conduits 11.7, 12.5, 13.8 are respectively partitioned for each shelving module 1, 2, 3. In the rear wall group 12, this occurs in the region of or near the intermediate wall 12.2, for example by its lateral edges or by inserted strips, and correspondingly also in the region of the upper group 13 and in the region of the base group 11, for example by the molded indentations on the underside of the deflector plate 11.2.
First, according to
In another step (
In a subsequent step according to
Then according to
In another step, the upper cover 13.3 is mounted to the underside of the upper horizontal profiles 10.3 (
In the next step shown in
Then, the support profiles 10.4 are installed between the upper and lower horizontal profiles 10.3, 10.2, in their rear region, spaced apart from and parallel to the front side of the vertical profiles 10.1, using the support plates 10.40, 10.50 and the insulating intermediate pieces between the underside of the upper cover 13.3 and the top side the deflector plate 11.2 (
In the next step of the method (
In a subsequent step (
In another step (
A plate-like cooling air baffle plate 12.40 is mounted onto the intermediate wall 12.2 and spaced apart from it, behind which the evaporator 50, 50′, 50″ (not shown) or another heat exchanger is placed. In addition, the upper fan 56 is mounted on a plate that is spaced apart from the intermediate wall 12.2 (
The outer vertical flow conduit 12.5 is also connected to the relevant outer upper flow conduit 13.8 of the upper group 13, after which the outer upper flow conduit 13.8 and the upper intermediate space 13.7 in the upper group 13 are produced using the support pins 13.6 (
In other steps, a cooling unit system is constructed, such as out of two shelving modules 1, 2, as shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2012 107 712.6 | Aug 2012 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2013/066455 | 8/6/2013 | WO | 00 |