U.S. patent application number 11/629890 was filed with the patent office on 2007-09-06 for vacuum storage compartment constrcution in a cooling apparatus body.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH. Invention is credited to Max William Middleton, Simon james Naylor, James Beeching Neave, Sameer Shirgaonkar.
Application Number | 20070205705 11/629890 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32843516 |
Filed Date | 2007-09-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070205705 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Middleton; Max William ; et
al. |
September 6, 2007 |
Vacuum Storage Compartment Constrcution in a Cooling Apparatus
Body
Abstract
A cooling apparatus body (11), for example, for a refrigerator
(10), has a first compartment (15) intended for storage of items at
atmospheric pressure and a second compartment (16) for storage of
items at subatmospheric pressure, the two compartments being
surrounded by surrounds formed by a thermal insulation element
(13). The second compartment (16) is lined within the associated
surround by a separately constructed hermetic liner (23) bonded to
that surround. The liner (23) can be an integrally formed
box-shaped component produced by, for example, injection moulding
or blow moulding from plastics material. The resistance of the
liner (23) to the internal load of subatmospheric pressure is
provided primarily by the thermal insulation lining surround and
the bond therewith, so that the liner, whilst providing a hermetic
barrier relative to the surround, can be of inexpensive lightweight
construction.
Inventors: |
Middleton; Max William;
(Cambridgeshire, GB) ; Naylor; Simon james;
(Cambridgeshire, GB) ; Neave; James Beeching;
(Cambridgeshire, GB) ; Shirgaonkar; Sameer;
(London, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate
GmbH
Munich
DE
|
Family ID: |
32843516 |
Appl. No.: |
11/629890 |
Filed: |
July 4, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
July 4, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP05/53167 |
371 Date: |
December 15, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/401 ;
62/268 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 23/064 20130101;
F25D 23/066 20130101; F25D 2317/043 20130101; F25D 17/042 20130101;
F25D 17/065 20130101; F25D 2201/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/401 ;
062/268 |
International
Class: |
F25B 19/00 20060101
F25B019/00; A47B 96/04 20060101 A47B096/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 2, 2004 |
GB |
0414920.9 |
Claims
1-21. (canceled)
22. A cooling apparatus body comprising: a first compartment for
storage at atmospheric pressure; and a second compartment for
storage below atmospheric pressure, the compartments being
surrounded by surrounds formed by an internal thermal insulation
element and the second compartment being lined within the
respective surround by a separately constructed hermetic liner
bonded to that surround.
23. The body according to claim 22, wherein the liner is an
integrally formed component.
24. The body according to claim 22, wherein the liner is
substantially box-shaped with mutually opposite side walls, a top
wall, a bottom wall and a back wall.
25. The body according to claim 24, wherein at least one of the
junctions of the walls is radiussed.
26. The body according to claim 22, wherein at least part of the
outer surface of the liner is structured to increase the surface
area bonded with the respective surround.
27. The body according to claim 26, wherein the structuring is
provided by ribs.
28. The body according to claim 22, wherein the liner is made of a
plastic material.
29. The body according to claim 28, wherein the plastic material is
polystyrene.
30. The body according to claim 22, wherein the liner has a wall
thickness of about three millimeters.
31. The body according to claim 22, wherein the liner has
integrally formed functional elements.
32. The body according to claim 31, wherein the functional elements
comprise guides for a drawer of the second compartment.
33. The body according to claim 22, wherein the thermal insulation
element comprises polyurethane.
34. The body according to claim 22, wherein the surrounds of the
first and second compartments include a common partition separating
the compartments.
35. The body according to claim 22, wherein the first compartment
is disposed above the second compartment.
36. The body according to claim 22, wherein the surround of the
first compartment is lined by a lining.
37. The body according to claim 36, wherein the facing wall is made
from polystyrene.
38. The body according to claim 22, wherein the second compartment
is closed by a separate door accessible by way of a main door of
the apparatus.
39. The body according to claim 22, wherein the cooling apparatus
body includes a refrigerator.
40. A method of manufacturing a cooling apparatus body comprising a
first compartment for storage at atmospheric pressure, and a second
compartment for storage below atmospheric pressure, the
compartments being surrounded by surrounds formed by an internal
thermal insulation element and the second compartment being lined
within the respective surround by a separately constructed hermetic
liner bonded to that surround, the method comprising the acts of
disposing at least one first internal wall member, which defines
the first compartment, in an external casing at a spacing
therefrom, disposing a second internal wall member, which defines
the second compartment, in the casing at a spacing therefrom and
from the first wall member or members and filling the space between
the casing and the wall members with thermal insulation material
hardenable to bond to the casing and the wall members and to
provide the thermal insulation element.
41. A refrigerator comprising: a body; a first compartment within
the body for storage at atmospheric pressure; and a vacuum
compartment within the body for storage below atmospheric pressure
in the vacuum compartment, the compartments being surrounded by an
internal thermal insulation element and the vacuum compartment
being lined with a separately constructed hermetic liner.
42. The refrigerator according to claim 22, further comprising a
vacuum pump generating a below atmospheric pressure within the
vacuum compartment.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus body
and has particular reference to vacuum storage compartment
construction in a cooling apparatus body.
[0002] It has been proposed to include in cooling apparatus,
particularly domestic refrigerators, freezers and
refrigerator/freezer combinations, vacuum storage compartments for
storage of foodstuffs in a vacuum environment. Such an environment
offers the possibility of retarding deterioration of the stored
products by, amongst other factors, reducing aerobic bacterial
growth and photosynthesis. Compartments of that kind should
preferably be evacuated automatically when products are placed in
storage and returned to atmospheric pressure to allow removal of
products via a closable access opening of the compartment.
Accordingly, the compartments should be simple to evacuate and
repressurise, capable of withstanding subatmospheric pressure
levels in the order of 200 millibars absolute for lengthy periods
of time and with repeated cycling, and relatively easy to keep
hygienic and to clean. The need for sustained maintenance of an
internal underpressure should be met in part by a minimum number of
potential points of leakage. In wider terms, such compartments
should be simple and economic to incorporate in the body of the
cooling apparatus without introducing significant penalties in
weight. They should also be efficient in their utilisation of the
internal space of the apparatus so that the storage volume in the
adjoining primary storage space at atmospheric pressure is not
unduly compromised. Efficiency of space utilisation also applies to
the compartment interior, which should not be diminished under the
load caused by underpressure, in particular by inward deflection of
boundary walls. Structural rigidity of the compartment is thus of
substantial importance.
[0003] The principal object of the invention is therefore to
provide a cooling apparatus body having a storage compartment which
can be efficiently incorporated in a body of that kind at
relatively low cost and which satisfies the need for sturdy
construction and low risk of leakage.
[0004] Subsidiary objects of the invention include ease of cleaning
and space-saving construction. Further objects and advantages of
the invention will be apparent from the following description.
[0005] According to the present invention there is provided a
cooling apparatus body having a first compartment intended for
storage at atmospheric pressure and a second compartment intended
for storage below atmospheric pressure, the compartments being
surrounded by surrounds formed by an internal thermal insulation
element and the second compartment being lined within the
respective surround by a separately constructed hermetic liner
bonded to that surround.
[0006] Provision of a vacuum storage compartment in a cooling
apparatus body, for example a body of a refrigerator, freezer or
refrigerator/freezer combination, by integration in the thermal
insulation element within the body represents a particularly
economic approach to inclusion of such a storage facility. In
effect, the usually necessary thermal insulation element is formed
so as to bound the second compartment and to provide the major part
of the structural integrity necessary to resist the load induced by
internal vacuum. The necessary hermetic enclosure of the vacuum
storage compartment, apart from an access opening, is achieved by
the hermetic liner. The liner, as a separately produced part, can
easily be designed to have minimum potential leakage paths. Since
the liner does not have to withstand the vacuum load unaided, it
can be of relatively lightweight and even non-rigid construction,
the internal load being transmitted to the lining via the bonded
interface therewith.
[0007] Minimisation of points of leakage, particularly by
elimination of joints, can be achieved in simple manner if the
liner is an integrally formed component, preferably substantially
box-shaped with mutually opposite side walls, a top wall, a bottom
wall and a back wall. An integral box form can be produced
inexpensively by, for example, injection moulding or blow moulding
from plastics material. Points of possible leakage can be reduced
to the region of door sealing at an access opening and the
connections of ducts for supply and extraction of air. It is also
advantageous if one or more of the junctions of the walls of the
liner is or are radiussed so as to avoid abrupt transitions, which
assists maintenance of hygiene by reducing food traps and eases the
task of cleaning.
[0008] For preference, at least part of the outer surface of the
liner is structured to increase the surface area bonded with the
respective surround, the structuring having the form of, for
example, ribs. The increase in external surface area achieved by
the structuring enhances the bond of the hermetic liner with its
surround so that the resistance of the liner to buckling under
internal load induced by underpressure is commensurately increased.
The ribs also impart some degree of additional rigidity and
structural strength to the liner regardless of the support provided
by the bonded surround.
[0009] The liner is preferably made of plastics material, in which
case the liner can be readily produced by, for example, injection
moulding. A particularly suitable material is polystyrene. The
liner can have a wall thickness of, for example, substantially
three millimetres, which ensures sufficient stability of shape
independently of the supporting surround and allows particularly
economic manufacture of the liner.
[0010] The use of a separately constructed liner within the thermal
insulation surround bounding the vacuum storage compartment also
provides scope for integral formation of functional elements at the
liner, for example guides for a drawer. In the case of
injection-moulding or blow-moulding the liner from plastics
material, the functional elements can thus be formed during the
moulding process. Different internal fittings for such compartments
can be achieved by use of different liners without necessarily
changing the basic internal format of the cooling apparatus, in
particular the thermal insulation element.
[0011] The material of the surrounds is preferably polyurethane. In
one convenient embodiment, which is particularly economical in
terms of utilisation of space, the surround of the first
compartment and that of the second compartment include a common
partition separating the two compartments. The first compartment,
which will normally have several times the volume of the second
compartment, is preferably disposed above the latter. The surround
of the first compartment is preferably lined by a lining, which for
preference is made of polystyrene.
[0012] The second compartment is preferably closed by an own door
accessible by way of a main door of the apparatus. The door
individual to the second compartment can be carried by the
above-mentioned drawer when that is present.
[0013] The invention also embraces a method of manufacturing such a
cooling apparatus body, the method comprising the steps of
disposing at least one first internal wall member, which defines
the first compartment, in an external casing at a spacing
therefrom, disposing a second internal wall member, which defines
the second compartment, in the casing at a spacing therefrom and
from the first wall member or members and filling the space between
the casing and the wall members with thermal insulation material
hardenable to bond to the casing and the wall members and to
provide the thermal insulation element.
[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will now be more
particularly described by way of example with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a refrigerator with a
body embodying the invention; and
[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic perspective view, to
enlarged scale, of the region of the storage compartment.
[0017] Referring now to the drawings there is shown in FIG. 1, in
highly schematic form, a refrigerator 10 comprising a body 11 which
is essentially formed by an external casing 12 of sheet metal
internally lined by an insulating element 13 of thermal insulation
material, in particular polyurethane having a thickness of about 20
millimetres, introduced--as explained further below--in liquid foam
state. The element 13 is in turn lined by a lining 14 of
polystyrene having a thickness of approximately 0.8 millimetres.
The element 13 forms surrounds which bound a top compartment 15 for
storage of items at atmospheric pressure, a middle, vacuum storage
compartment 16 for storage of items at subatmospheric pressure and
a bottom compartment 17 for storage of items again at atmospheric
pressure, but, subject to appropriate structuring of the element
13, optionally at significantly reduced temperature relative to
that present in the top compartment 15 so as to provide a facility
for deep-freezing. The surrounds formed by the element 13 include a
common wall portion separating the top and middle compartments 15
and 16 and a further common wall portion separating the middle and
bottom compartments 16 and 17. The top and bottom compartments 15
and 17 include shelves, bins and other fittings, none of which is
shown, conventionally present in a refrigerator.
[0018] The body 11 is fitted with a top door 18 and a bottom door
19 respectively providing access to the top compartment 15 and the
bottom compartment 17. The middle compartment 16 is closed by an
own door 20 accessible by way of the top door 18. The door 20
carries a seal, or co-operates with a seal, to provide hermetic
closure of the middle, i.e. vacuum storage, compartment.
[0019] Also present in the body 11 is an enclosure 21 accommodating
conventional components, schematically represented by the unit 22,
of an evaporating and condensing circuit of the refrigerator as
well as a vacuum pump and associated ducts and control elements for
the vacuum storage compartment 16.
[0020] The compartment 16 is lined by a separately constructed
hermetic liner 23, which is shown in more detail in FIG. 2, to
provide a hermetic barrier relative to the surround formed by the
lining 13. The lining 14 is thus replaced by the liner 23 in the
region of the compartment 16. The liner 23 is an integrally formed
injection-moulded or blow-moulded lightweight component of
polystyrene with a wall thickness of approximately 3 millimetres
and has a box shape with two mutually opposite side walls, a top
wall, a bottom wall and a back wall. An access opening is provided
opposite the back wall, the opening being closed by the door 20.
The junctions of all the walls of the liner 23 are radiussed so as
to optimise the strength of liner by removing bend locations and to
provide smooth uninterrupted internal wall transitions and thus
eliminate traps for food residues as well as ease the task of
cleaning.
[0021] The liner 23 is fixed in place by bonding to the constituent
polyurethane material of the thermal insulation lining 13, as is
the facing wall 14. More particularly, for construction of the body
11 of the refrigerator 10 the lining 14 and liner 23 as independent
components are introduced into the sheet metal casing 12 at a
predetermined spacing from the casing and from each other, the
spacing between fixed by webs or other spacer elements at suitable
positions. The space between the casing 12, lining 14 and liner 23
is then filled with polyurethane in liquid foam state. Hardening of
the polyurethane creates the thermal insulation element 13 and
produces an intimate bond with the lining 14 and liner 23. Due to
this bond and the rigidity of the hardened thermal insulation
element with the mentioned thickness of 20 millimetres, neither the
lining 14 nor the liner 23 necessarily has to have a significant
degree of inherent strength in terms of shape stability. The liner
23 can thus derive its resistance to the forces produced by the
internal underpressure primarily from the rigidity of the surround
formed by the element 13 and the bond with that surround whereby
the liner can be of inexpensive, lightweight construction.
[0022] The external surface of the liner 23 includes integrally
formed ribs 24 which have the effect of increasing the external
surface area of the liner and thus the strength of the bond with
the surround formed by the element 13. The ribs 24 additionally
impart resistance to buckling of the walls of the liner 23 in the
length direction of the ribs. The presence of the ribs 24 causes
complementary grooves 25 to arise in the hardened material of the
thermal insulating element 13.
[0023] The door 20 serving to close the vacuum storage compartment
16, thus the open side of the liner 23, can be made wholly or
partly of glass so as to afford a view into the compartment. The
door either carries a resilient seal which co-operates with the end
face of the compartment surround formed by the element 13, so that
the compartment can be securely hermetically sealed from the
atmospheric pressure otherwise prevailing within the refrigerator
body 11, or co-operates with such a seal secured to the end face of
the surround. The door 20 can be mounted on a drawer (not shown)
which is slidably guided on runners 26 integrally formed at the
inner surfaces of the two side walls of the liner 23. On opening of
the door 20, the drawer slides out to provide easy access to items
stored in the compartment 16.
[0024] The back wall of the liner 23 includes connections (not
shown) for vacuum pipes, hoses or other conduits for extraction of
air from the compartment in an evacuation phase, as well as
maintenance of an evacuated state in a storage phase, and feed of
air to the compartment to restore atmospheric pressure so as to
allow opening of the door 20 for insertion and removal of
items.
[0025] Use of the vacuum storage compartment 16 in operation of the
refrigerator 10 is self-evident from the foregoing description.
Access to the compartment 16 is gained by opening the external top
door 18 after which, and following pressurisation of the
compartment, the door 20 can be opened. After closure of the door
20, the compartment can be evacuated again. Pressurisation and
evacuation can be controlled automatically by detectors responsive
to operation of the door 20 and/or door 18 and to the pressure
level. The detectors can be, for example, mechanical switches and
pressure switches. Manually actuated switches can also be provided
for control exclusively by a user and/or for overriding automatic
operation.
[0026] The refrigerator body hereinbefore described incorporates a
vacuum storage compartment which is integrated into the body in
such a way as to make additional use of the thermal insulation
element that is normally provided. Resistance to the loading
induced by the underpressure created in the compartment is achieved
by the rigid compartment surround formed by the element. Hermetic
enclosure of the compartment, apart from the access opening, is
provided by the separately constructed liner. The liner can be
designed, by way of integral construction, appropriate shaping and
suitable selection of material, to be sufficiently form-stable to
the extent necessary for the production phase of embedding in
liquid foam thermal insulation material and in use to offer few
points of potential vacuum leakage. Features such as drawer guides
can be readily incorporated in the liner at the time of
manufacture. An integrated compartment of such a construction thus
represents an economic method of providing a vacuum storage
facility in mass-produced refrigerators and other cooling
apparatus.
* * * * *