REFRIGERATION APPLIANCE COMPRISING AN ICE AND/OR LIQUID DISPENSER

Abstract

A household refrigeration appliance includes a housing with several walls that have an insulating layer and surround an interior to be cooled, and/or at least one door that has at least one insulating layer. A recess that is accessible from outside is provided in a wall of the housing and/or in the door. In the area of the recess, the wall and/or the door is fitted with at least one heat-insulating element which has a lower thermal conductivity than the insulating layer of the wall and/or door.

Description

The invention below relates to a refrigeration appliance, in particular a household refrigeration appliance, having a housing with several walls that have at least one insulating layer and enclose an interior space to be cooled, and/or having at least one door that has at least one insulating layer, with a recess that is accessible from outside being provided in a wall of the housing and/or in the door.

In the region of the recess or cutout for the ice and/or liquid dispenser of a refrigeration appliance, in particular of a household refrigeration appliance, said recess or cutout being accessible from outside, the inner wall of the housing and/or door is generally offset in the direction of the interior space of the refrigeration appliance in relation to the remainder of its inner wall surface, in other words in the region of the recess the inner wall of the housing and/or door projects into the interior space of the refrigeration appliance in relation to the remainder of the inner wall surface. The wall of the housing and/or door, which projects inward locally in the region of the recess or indentation reduces the interior space available. The recess or indentation in the wall and/or door also brings with it a risk of unwanted energy losses.

The object of the invention is to provide a refrigeration appliance, in particular a household refrigeration appliance, with a recess for an ice and/or liquid dispenser with improved energy efficiency.

This object is achieved with a refrigeration appliance, in particular a household refrigeration appliance, of the type mentioned in the introduction in that the wall and/or door features at least one heat-insulating element in the region of its recess, said heat insulating element having a lower thermal conductivity than its insulating layer.

This permits the thermal insulation in the region of the recess of the wall and/or door of the refrigeration appliance, in particular household refrigeration appliance, as provided for its ice and/or liquid dispenser, to be improved. For example the wall thickness of the wall and/or door in the region of its recess can be selected to be thinner than where there is no heat-insulating element. This means on the one hand that less interior space is required for the wall and/or door. On the other hand adequate thermal insulation of the recess can be achieved in relation to the cooled interior space. This reduces or prevents for example the formation of condensation moisture in the recess, in particular on a rear face of the recess. Also the wall structure and/or door structure in the region of the recess can be simplified due to the at least one heat-insulating element.

In a preferred embodiment the insulating element is configured as a vacuum element, in other words as an element in which a hollow space containing a vacuum is provided. The vacuum permits very good thermal insulation of the recess even if the vacuum element is not very thick. The wall thickness of the wall and/or door in the region of the recess can therefore be configured as thin due to the one or several vacuum elements, in order to achieve adequate insulation.

According to one expedient development of the invention the heat-insulating element is configured in the form of at least one plate, which covers at least a rear wall of the recess partially or completely on the inside and/or outside, or completely or partially forms said wall. This allows improved thermal insulation to be achieved in the region of the recess or cutout in a structurally simple manner, such thermal insulation being provided for the ice/liquid dispenser in a housing wall and/or door of the refrigeration appliance.

The heat-insulating element can advantageously adjoin the recess and can be covered on the inside and/or outside with at least one foamed insulating layer. This produces a composite insulating material structure which features a sufficiently high thermal insulation capacity even with a small overall layer thickness.

It may in particular be expedient if the one or several heat-insulating elements are tailored partially or completely to the respectively desired inner contour of the recess in respect of their geometric shape. This allows the hollow space of the recess to be enclosed or framed, in particular to be lined on the side of the inner wall, partially or completely with at least one heat-insulating element in a particularly simple manner. The respective heat-insulating element here functions as a cladding part for the recess on the side of the wall or door facing the interior space of the refrigeration appliance.

To this end it may be advantageous for the heat-insulating element to be configured for example as a curved plate, which partially or completely covers a rear wall and two side walls of the recess on the inside and/or outside or forms this completely or partially.

Alternatively it may in particular be expedient for the heat-insulating element to be configured as a twice angled plate, in particular a plate that is angled so that it is trapezoidal in cross section, partially or completely covering a rear wall and two side walls of the recess on the inside and/or outside or forming this completely or partially.

In general terms therefore according to one advantageous development of the invention the inner surface of the recess is covered completely or partially by one or several heat-insulating elements and/or the one or several outer walls of the recess are formed by one or several heat-insulating elements. On the one hand the heat-insulating element in each instance can thus be provided partially or completely as an additional cladding part or sheathing part on the inner faces of one or several outer walls of the recess. To this end it is expediently positioned from the rear, i.e. on the interior space side on the inner face of the respective housing wall or the inner face of the outer wall of the door in the region of the recess. On the other hand it may alternatively also be expedient for the heat-insulating element in each instance partially or completely to form one or several outer walls of the recess per se. The respective heat-insulating element can then advantageously replace the hitherto present outer wall of the recess, thereby simplifying the structure.

It may in particular be expedient for the respective heat-insulating element to feature a greater rigidity than the insulating material layer in the interior of the housing wall or door of the refrigeration appliance. This gives the region around the recess sufficient mechanical stability, in other words loading capacity, for the recess to be able to withstand mechanical stresses due to the installed ice/liquid dispenser and other loads to an adequate degree.

It may in particular be expedient for the heat insulating element to adjoin the recess or partially or completely form its outer wall and to be covered on the inside and/or outside with at least one, preferably foamed, insulating layer. This advantageously provides a composite structure with the inside insulating material layer of the respective wall or door, which is largely mechanically stable while at the same time having further improved thermal insulation capacity.

In a further advantageous embodiment the heat insulating element is disposed at least on a rear wall of the recess. It preferably covers the entire rear wall of the recess. The rear wall of the recess is a critical region in respect of the transfer of heat, so the fact of it being covered by the heat-insulating element permits effective insulation of the recess.

In a further expedient embodiment the heat-insulating element also covers two opposing side walls of the recess in addition to the rear wall. This further improves the thermal insulation of the recess. The element here can preferably be configured as a curved plate. Use of the curved plate in particular has the advantage of low-cost production of the heat-insulating element.

In a further expedient embodiment the element has the shape of a twice angled plate, with the rear wall and two opposing side walls of the recess being covered. This additional lateral framing ensures additionally optimized thermal insulation of the recess. The angled shape of the plate permits the essentially cuboid recess to be covered and insulated by means of the element in a space-saving manner.

In a further expedient embodiment a dispenser is provided above the recess, the element reaching up to the dispenser but leaving it freely accessible, in other words not covering it.

In a further expedient embodiment the wall of the housing or door has at least one heat-insulating element and a layer of insulating material in particular on the rear face of the recess, also covering other surface regions of the wall of the housing and/or door. The arrangement of the insulating layer in addition to the heat-insulating element allows the thermal insulation to be increased. Alternatively the element can be embedded in the insulating layer, optionally all round it. This improves the thermal insulation overall.

In a further expedient embodiment the element is fastened to an inner face or rear face of the rear wall and/or the respective side wall of the recess with the aid of an adhesive connection, in particular with double-sided adhesive tape. This type of fastening is simple to execute and permits the application, in particular foaming, of the insulating layer on a rear face of the heat-insulating element and in further regions of the wall of the housing and/or door.

In one preferred embodiment the recess is disposed in a door, in particular in a wing of a double door, which serves to close off the interior space of the housing. This embodiment is particularly suitable for built-in refrigeration appliances, with which only the door is accessible from outside.

In a further embodiment the insulating layer is configured thinner on the rear face of the heat-insulating element than in regions offset to the side of the recess or above and/or below it. It is therefore possible to reduce the space required by the recess in the interior space of the refrigeration appliance.

Other developments of the invention are set out in the subclaims.

Further features and advantages of the invention and its developments are described in more detail below with reference to drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive household refrigeration appliance with a recess for an ice and/or liquid dispenser,

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the rear face of the door of the refrigeration appliance from FIG. 1 with a first exemplary embodiment of a vacuum element as a heat-insulating element for the recess in the door,

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a perspective view of a detail of the vacuum element from FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the rear face of the door of the refrigeration appliance from FIG. 1 with a second advantageous exemplary embodiment of a vacuum element for the recess in the door,

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a perspective view of a detail of the vacuum element from FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view from the side of a cross section through the door from FIG. 4 in the region of its recess,

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view from the side of a cross section through a further advantageous embodiment of the thermal insulation of a door of the household refrigeration appliance from FIG. 1 in the region of its recess,

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a further expedient, alternative embodiment of a door for the household refrigeration appliance from FIG. 1.

Elements of identical function and mode of operation are shown with the same reference characters respectively in FIGS. 1 to 8.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a household refrigeration appliance 1, which has a heat-insulating container 2. The household refrigeration appliance can be configured for example as a refrigerator, a freezer and/or a combined refrigerator and freezer. Its container 2 has walls 3, which enclose at least one interior space. It comprises two side walls, a rear wall, a top element and a bottom element, thereby forming a preferably approximately cuboid container with a front access opening. In the present exemplary embodiment this can be closed off by two pivotable doors 4. The two doors 4 are configured in the form of wing doors which are supported in a pivotable manner on the housing of the container 2 on the outer faces. The container 2 has a multilayered structure. It comprises a box-type inner container IB that is open at the front and has a thermal insulating material layer IM around it on the outside. This is enclosed by a box-type outer housing AG that is open at the front and forms an outer cladding part. In FIG. 1 the inner container IB and the insulating material layer IM are simply indicated with a dot-dash line. The inner container is preferably produced by deep-drawing one or several plastic plates. It encloses an interior space with at least one refrigeration compartment and/or freezer compartment. The respective door is also structured in a similar manner, in other words it has an insulating material layer 22 between its inner wall shell IS and its outer wall shell AS (see FIG. 6 for example). The insulating material for the respective insulating material layer can be configured as PU foam (polymethane) for example.

An essentially rectangular recess or cutout or indentation 5 is let into one of the two doors 4, it being possible to position a vessel for holding ice and/or chilled liquid, in particular water, therein. The recess 5 is bounded by two side walls 6, a rear wall 7, a top wall 26 and a grid 13 in a bottom surface. The recess 5 could also be let into a side wall 3 of the container 2. The respective door 4 in each instance has an inner intermediate layer 22 of thermally insulating material, which fills the hollow space between its inner wall shell or inner lining IS and its outer wall shell AS, in order to insulate the interior space of the household refrigeration appliance 1 thermally from its environment. The insulating material can be configured as PU foam (polymethane) for example. The recess 5 can also be closed off by way of a sliding door or flap, depending on the selected embodiment. The recess 5 is accessible from outside so that chilled liquid, in particular water, and/or ice can be removed from the household refrigeration appliance 1 by means of an ice/liquid dispenser without the door 4 having to be opened. The chilled liquid or ice can be dispensed for example by way of a corresponding input using operating elements 24, which are disposed on the door 4, or automatically by positioning the vessel in the recess 5.

To produce the ice an automatic ice maker for example is provided in the household refrigeration appliance 1, having a collector for prepared ice, which is conveyed into the recess 5 by way of an ice chute and a dispenser.

Instead of or in addition to the ice maker the household refrigeration appliance may also have a cooling facility for liquid, for example water or juice, which dispenses liquid into the recess 5 by way of the dispenser.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the inner face 9 of the outer wall shell or outer housing wall AS of the door 4 in the region of the recess 5 viewed from the interior space of the household refrigeration appliance before the application of the insulating layer 22 and the inner wall shell IS. On the face of its rear wall 7 facing the interior space and the two side walls 6 the recess 5 is enclosed by an additional cladding part in the form of a thermally insulating element 10. Alternatively the rear wall 7 and/or the two side walls 6 of the recess 5 can also be formed solely by the thermally insulating element 10. In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2 the thermally insulating element 10 is configured in the form of a curved plate or panel. The two narrow lateral end edges 11 of the plate, which is curved in particular in the manner of a shell and preferably in the manner of a partial cylinder, are fastened to the inner face 9 of the outer housing wall AS, said plate covering the two side walls 6 and rear wall 7 of the recess 5. Optionally only part of the rear wall 7 and/or part of the side walls 6 may be additionally covered by the thermal element 10 and/or formed by this, depending on the selected embodiment. Alternatively it may in some instances be sufficient only to additionally provide the thermally insulating element 10 in the region of the rear wall 7 or for this to form the rear wall 7 of the recess 5. The material selected for the thermally insulating element 10 is in particular a thermally insulating material that features a lower thermal conductivity than the insulating material of the inner intermediate layer 22 of the door 4. In one preferred embodiment the thermal element 10 is configured in the form of a vacuum element, in particular a vacuum panel. The thermal element 10 here is made of plastic for example and has at least one hollow space in which the pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure. In particular a vacuum may be present in the thermal element 10, being up to 90% below atmospheric pressure or lower. In a further advantageous alternative embodiment the hollow spaces of the thermal element 10 may expediently be filled with a thermally insulating gas.

The bottom face of the recess 5 in FIG. 2 is covered with a grid 13, to allow liquid to be conducted away as required, if it sprays to the side of a drinking vessel as it is being filled. An ice/liquid dispenser 12 is provided above the recess 5, it being possible for the housing of the ice/liquid dispenser 12 also to form the top wall 26 of the recess 5. The dispenser 12 has a supply line connector 14 for the chilled liquid, which projects into the recess 5. The dispenser 12 also has a feed opening 15 for supplying and ejecting ice cubes into the recess 5. The supply opening 15 can be closed off with a flap (not shown), which is held in a closed position with the aid of a spring and opens automatically when ice is fed to it and dispenses the ice into the recess 5.

To produce the door 4 the free, inner surfaces 9 of its outer housing wall or front wall AS are covered with an insulating material, in particular PU foam, to form an insulating layer 22. A rear wall or inner wall lining IS is then applied to the insulating layer 22 and connected to the front wall AS. The insulating layer can be applied in the form of a foam which hardens or as a solid material in the form of plates. According to a first advantageous variant the rear face and side walls of the recess can remain free of the insulating layer.

According to a second expedient embodiment the rear face of the thermally insulating element 10 and the further free regions of the rear surface 9 of the outer housing wall AS are covered with the insulating layer 22 (see FIG. 6). In a further advantageous embodiment the thermally insulating layer 22 rests on the inner face of the thermally insulating element 10 of the recess 5 and on the further free, inner surfaces of the inner face 9 of the outer housing wall AS. This allows the thermally insulating element 10 to be embedded in the insulating layer 22 in a largely form-fit manner.

The end edges of the thermal element 10 are connected to the inner surface 9 of the outer housing wall AS by way of an adhesive connection depending on the selected embodiment. An adhesive tape for example that has an adhesive action on both sides can be used for this purpose.

In a further embodiment the bottom of the recess 5, which is covered with the grid 13, and/or the rear face of the dispenser 12 can also be covered up to its feed opening 5 with the thermally insulating element 10 or with at least a further additional thermally insulating element 10. Such measures further improve the thermal insulation in the region of the recess 5. Instead of a single thermal element 10, several thermally insulating elements 10 can also be provided, covering different regions of the recess 5. The thermally insulating elements 10 can also have different thermal conductivities. For example a thermally insulating element covering a side wall 6 can have a higher thermal conductivity than a thermal element covering the rear wall 7 of the recess 5 from the rear.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the perspective view of a detail of the thermally insulating element 10 from FIG. 2. It is configured in the form of a curved or arched plate. The lateral end edges 11 of the curved plate are covered with an adhesive tape 19 that is adhesive on both sides and ensures fastening to the inner surface 9 of the outer housing wall AS. The curved plate is configured in particular as a cladding element in the manner of a shell or in particular in the manner of a partial cylinder.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of a thermally insulating element 10 in the form of an angled plate 16, which covers two side surfaces 6 and the rear wall 7 of the recess 5. The plate 16 has a flat base plate 18 and two flat partial plates 17 angled from it at the sides. It is preferably configured as a single piece. Viewed in cross section perpendicular to the rear inner surface 9 of the outer housing wall AS it is configured in the manner of a U profile with arms splaying out, in other words its putative enclosing end is configured as trapezoidal. The angled plate 16 allows the cuboidal recess 5 to be covered in a relatively close-fitting manner. In this embodiment too the thermal element 10 can be connected to the rear wall 7 and/or the side walls 6 of the recess by way of adhesive connections. A double-sided adhesive tape can also be used as the adhesive connection. The recess 5 can also taper conically inward for example so that its side walls 6 run parallel to the angled partial plates 17 of the thermally insulating element 10. This results in a largely close-fitting layering or stacking of the wall parts of the recess 5 and the one or several thermally insulating elements 10 positioned, in particular adhered in place, from the rear. This on the one hand produces adequate thermal insulation for the region of the recess. It also allows the recess in some instances to be embodied with a large degree of mechanical stability. To this end it can in particular be expedient for the respective, additionally provided, thermally insulating element to be configured with greater material rigidity than the insulating material layer of the door.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a perspective view of a detail of the thermally insulating element 10 from FIG. 4. It has the shape of a twice angled plate 16, the angled partial plates 17 being aligned at an angle greater than 90° to the base plate 18, producing a trapezoidally extended, half-shell type cladding element. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment a double-sided adhesive tape 19 is applied to the inner face of the partial plates 17, the base plate 18 and the end edges of the partial plates 17 facing the inner surface 9 of the rear face of the outer housing wall AS.

FIG. 6 shows a cross section through a finished door 4 viewed from the side in the region of the recess or indentation 5, the boundary walls 6, 7 of which project further into the interior space 28 of the inner container IB of the household refrigeration appliance 1 than the other inner surfaces 9 of the outer wall shell AS of the door 4. In this embodiment the thermally insulating element 10 is only applied directly to the rear wall 7 of the recess 5. The thermally insulating element 10 extends essentially from the top wall 26 of the recess 5 down to a bottom plate 21, which is disposed below the grid 13. The door 4 comprises the outer housing wall AS and the inner housing wall IS, with the layer 22 of insulating material inserted therebetween. The outer housing wall AS and the inner housing wall IS can be made of plastic. In this embodiment the insulating layer 22 is also disposed in the region of the recess 5 and in the region of the dispenser 12. In a further embodiment a thinner layer of the insulating material may be sufficient in the region of a rear wall of the recess 5 than in other regions of the inner surface of the door 4. Use of the additionally heat-insulating plate in the region of the recess and the dispenser combined with a thinner insulating material layer is sufficient in a plurality of practical circumstances to insulate the door perfectly in the region of the recess 5.

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 6 the thermal element 10 is therefore covered with a thinner layer 22 of insulating material than regions of the door to the side of and/or above and/or below the recess 5. The channels to the feed opening 15 and to the supply line connector 14 in the region of the dispenser 12 are kept free in the layer 22 in order to be able to connect the corresponding lines or the ice chute of the ice/liquid dispenser.

By configuring the thermal element 10 with a thermal conductivity that is lower than that of the material of the insulating material layer 22 it is possible generally to achieve a thinner structure of the door 4 in the region of the recess 5. Adequate insulation of the recess 5 in the region of the rear wall 7 and the side walls 6 of the recess 5 is still ensured however, so little or no defrost water can form there.

FIG. 7 shows a further advantageous embodiment, in which the thermally insulating element 10 is not disposed in direct contact with the wall parts 6, 7 of the recess 5 but at a distance with an intermediate space between it and said wall parts 6, 7. The insulating material 22 is also disposed in this front intermediate space between the thermally insulating element 10 and the wall parts 6, 7 of the recess 5. The insulating material 22 rests on the rear face of the thermally insulating element 10 in the manner of an insulating jacket. This means that the thermal element 10 is covered with the thermally insulating layer 22 on both sides, in other words on its front face in the direction of the recess 5 and on its rear face in the direction of the inner shell IS. It is in particular embedded completely in the insulating material layer 22 and sheathed by this.

However in some instances it may alternatively also be sufficient to omit the insulating material layer 22 at the front or rear in the region of the thermally insulating element 10.

FIG. 8 shows a view from the rear of a door 4 with a front housing wall AS, into which the recess 5 is let, in particular being molded therein. The recess 5 is covered with the thermally insulating element 10 on its rear wall 7 at least. The thermally insulating element 10 is embedded in the insulating layer 22, on the rear face of which the inner shell IS is positioned. The thermally insulating layer 10 can be configured as a flat plate, a curved plate, an angled plate or in the form of several plates.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

• 1 Household refrigeration appliance
• 2 Container
• 3 Wall
• 4 Door
• 5 Recess
• 6 Side wall
• 7 Rear wall
• 9 Rear wall surface of outer wall shell of door
• 10 Thermally insulating element
• 11 End edge
• 12 Ice/liquid dispenser
• 13 Grid
• 14 Supply line connector
• 15 Feed opening
• 16 Angled plate
• 17 Partial plate
• 18 Base plate
• 19 Adhesive tape
• 21 Bottom plate
• 22 Layer
• 24 Operating elements
• 26 Top wall
• 28 Interior space
• IB Inner container of household refrigeration appliance
• AG Outer housing of household refrigeration appliance
• IM Insulating material layer
• IS Inner wall shell of door
• AS Outer wall shell of door

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A refrigeration appliance, comprising: a housing having at least one member selected from the group consisting of several walls provided with at least one insulating layer and enclosing an interior space to be cooled, and at least one door having at least one insulating layer, said member having a recess that is accessible from outside and at least one heat-insulating element in a region of the recess, said heat-insulating element having a thermal conductivity which is lower than a thermal conductivity of the insulating layer of the member.

14. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13 constructed in the form of a household refrigeration appliance.

15. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is configured as a vacuum element.

16. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is configured in the form of at least one plate, which covers at least in part a rear wall of the recess on an inside and/or outside.

17. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is configured in the form of at least one plate, which forms at least part of a rear wall of the recess.

18. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is configured as a curved plate, which covers at least in part a rear wall and two side walls of the recess on the inside and/or outside.

19. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is configured as a curved plate, which forms at least part of a rear wall and two side walls of the recess

20. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is configured as a twice angled plate, which covers at least in part a rear wall and two side walls of the recess on the inside and/or outside.

21. The refrigeration appliance of claim 20, wherein the plate is angled to establish a trapezoidal cross section.

22. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is configured as a twice angled plate, which forms at least part of a rear wall and two side walls of the recess.

23. The refrigeration appliance of claim 22, wherein the plate is angled to establish a trapezoidal cross section.

24. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element has a face which confronts the interior space and is covered by the insulating layer.

25. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, further comprising a dispenser provided in the member above the recess.

26. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the recess is defined by an inner surface which is covered at least in part by the at least one heat-insulating element.

27. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the recess is defined by at least one outer wall which is formed by the at least one heat-insulating element.

28. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element adjoins the recess, said insulating layer being implemented as a foamed insulating layer which covers the heat-insulating element on an inside and/or outside.

29. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the heat-insulating element is fastened to the member by an adhesive.

30. The refrigeration appliance of claim 29, wherein the adhesive is a double-sided adhesive tape.

31. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the door is configured as a wing of a double door of the housing.

32. The refrigeration appliance of claim 13, wherein the insulating layer has in a region of the heat-insulating element a thickness which is smaller than a thickness in a region offset to a side of the recess or above and/or below the recess.

33. The refrigeration appliance of claim 32, wherein the region of the insulating layer is a rear face of the recess.