U.S. patent application number 12/085070 was filed with the patent office on 2009-06-18 for refrigeration device with a siphon.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH. Invention is credited to Wolfgang Becker, Michaela Malisi.
Application Number | 20090151383 12/085070 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35854110 |
Filed Date | 2009-06-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090151383 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Becker; Wolfgang ; et
al. |
June 18, 2009 |
Refrigeration Device With a Siphon
Abstract
A refrigeration device with an interior which is surrounded by a
thermally insulating housing, a condensation water conduit is
passed through the housing and has a siphon which is embedded in an
insulation layer of the housing.
Inventors: |
Becker; Wolfgang;
(Blaustein, DE) ; Malisi; Michaela; (Heidenheim,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BSH HOME APPLIANCES CORPORATION;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
100 BOSCH BOULEVARD
NEW BERN
NC
28562
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate
GmbH
Munchen
DE
|
Family ID: |
35854110 |
Appl. No.: |
12/085070 |
Filed: |
October 23, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
October 23, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2006/067674 |
371 Date: |
May 15, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/285 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2321/146 20130101;
F25D 2321/1411 20130101; F25D 21/14 20130101; F25D 23/068
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/285 |
International
Class: |
F25D 21/14 20060101
F25D021/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 30, 2005 |
DE |
20 2005 018 725.9 |
Claims
1-5. (canceled)
6. A refrigerator comprising: a housing having an interior; the
housing having a thermal insulation layer; and a condensation water
conduit passing through the housing; the condensation water conduit
including a siphon; the siphon being embedded in the thermal
insulation layer of the housing.
7. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the siphon is an
S-shape curved pipe.
8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the housing
includes a vertical wall; the siphon being received in a vertical
wall of the housing.
9. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, wherein the siphon is
arranged adjacent to an outer side of the thermal insulation layer.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator with an
interior which is surrounded by a thermally insulated housing, in
which a condensation water conduit passed through the housing
features a siphon.
[0002] A refrigerator of this type is for example described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,499,514. With this known refrigerator the condensation
water conduit goes from the floor of an evaporator chamber in the
interior of the device and extends directly into a machine area in
the base of the device where it comes out into an evaporation tray.
Within the machine area the condensation water conduit has an
S-shaped bent course so that water can collect in the low-lying
bend of the conduit, without flowing out into the evaporation tray.
This water prevents a free exchange of air between the interior of
the device and the surroundings through the condensation water
conduit, but allows the brief return flow of air into the interior,
for example if warm air which has penetrated into the interior when
the door is open, cools down therein after the door is closed and
gives rise to a vacuum.
[0003] High temperatures can occur in the machine area of a
refrigerator, in particular housing temperatures of the compressor
accommodated therein of 70 to 80.degree. during operation are not a
rarity. The condensation water conduit running in close proximity
to the compressor in the refrigerator from U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,514
is thus subjected to high temperatures which promotes the growth of
bacteria and the development of unpleasant smells. These can become
a noticeable problem if, during a pressure equalization, air is
drawn through the polluted water into the interior, or if during a
defrosting process the contaminated water penetrates into the
evaporation tray. Another disadvantage is the large amount of space
required for the condensation water conduit in the machine
area.
[0004] A siphon for a refrigerator is known from EP 1 128 141 B1 in
which a tubular pipe stub extends through a horizontal insulation
layer of the housing and comes out on an underside of the
insulation layer into an inserted cup in which water can collect,
so that it closes off the outlet of the pipe stub. Although this
layout is more compact than that known from U.S. Pat. No.
5,499,514, here too the water standing in the cup is subjected to
high temperatures and the danger of contamination.
[0005] A pressure equalization device for a freezer device is known
from EP 0 848 217 B1 which comprises a pipe extending vertically
through the insulation layer and a float sitting on a shoulder of
the pipe. The float is to be lifted out of its position by
condensation water flowing from above from an interior of the
freezer, so that the condensation water can flow out past the
float. Even in the case of a vacuum in the interior the float can
be lifted from its seat and air can flow into the interior. This
layout is definitely compact, and since it contains no standing
water, the danger of contamination is small. However there is the
danger of failure if the float freezes onto its seat or sticks to
its seat as a result of contaminants contained in the outflowing
condensation water or is prevented by such contaminants from
closing tightly.
[0006] The object of the present invention is thus to create a
refrigerator which guarantees a problem-free equalization of
pressure between the interior and the surroundings through a simple
and compact layout and the avoids the danger of contamination or of
smells developing.
[0007] The object is achieved by a refrigerator with the features
of claim 1. The fact that the siphon of this refrigerator is
embedded into the insulation layer of the housing means that water
contained within it is protected from excessive heat, so that the
growth of bacteria can be kept low. In addition its embedding into
the insulation layer means that the siphon is protected against
incident light which also promotes the growth of bacteria. The
danger of drying out and of the siphon consequently becoming
ineffective is averted by the cooler placement.
[0008] The siphon could be embodied by interlocking cups and tubes,
but because of the simplicity and the low height which fits well
into a housing wall of the refrigerator, a siphon in the form of an
S-shaped curved pipe is preferred.
[0009] The placing of the siphon in more or less close proximity to
a warm outer side or a cold inner side of the insulation layer can
be determined as a function of the intended operating temperature
of the interior. To definitely exclude the possibility of liquid
freezing in the siphon, accommodating the siphon adjacent to an
outer side of the insulating layer is generally preferred.
[0010] Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from
the description of exemplary embodiments given below which refer to
the enclosed figures. The figures show:
[0011] FIG. 1 a perspective part view of a refrigerator housing in
accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; and
[0012] FIG. 2 a vertical part section through a refrigerator
housing in accordance with a modified embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the lower half
of the carcass 1 of a refrigerator. A door of the device is omitted
from the figure. Walls 2, 3, 4 of the carcass are each embodied
through a fixed outer skin 5 depicted as transparent in the Figure,
which is assembled from metal or plastic elements, a one-piece
inner skin 6 common to all walls and an insulating foam made from a
foam plastic filling the space between inner and outer skin 6, 5.
At the foot of the rear wall 3 a compartment 7 is cut out which is
intended to accommodate a compressor, an evaporator tray and also
possibly a condenser. An evaporator is accommodated in the upper
area of the carcass 1 not shown. This can for example involve a
coldwall evaporator which is placed in the upper area of the rear
wall 3 on the inner skin 6, or a no-frost evaporator, which for
example can be accommodated in a chamber below the roof of the
carcass or in a horizontal dividing wall between two cooling
chambers of the carcass.
[0014] Running outwards from this evaporator is a condensation
water conduit 8 which extends downwards in the insulation layer of
the rear wall 3 and is shown partly in the figure. Between two
vertical pipe sections of the conduit 8 running downwards are
inserted two opposingly curved sections 9, 10 which form a siphon.
The entire conduit 8 can be bent in one piece from a metal or
plastic pipe; the straight sections and the bends 9, 10 can also
each be individually manufactured and plugged into each other. All
sections of the condensation water conduit 8 lie in the same plane
parallel to the outer and inner skin of the rear wall 3, in order
to keep the depth of the siphon as small as possible and to keep
the weakening of the insulation effect of the rear wall resulting
from the presence of the condensation water conduit 8 small.
[0015] The condensation water conduit 8 comes out into a
compartment 7, where a tray for catching and evaporating the
condensation water not shown in FIG. 1 is provided.
[0016] As can be seen from the horizontal section through the walls
2, 3, 4 in FIG. 1, the condensation water conduit 8 runs in close
proximity to the outer skin 5, so that it is insulated much more
from the interior of the carcass 1 than from the surroundings. This
ensures that water standing in the bend 9 of the condensation water
conduit 8 is not frozen, even when the interior is held at a
temperature well below 0.degree. C. In the case of a refrigerator
in which the interior does not reach temperatures of below
0.degree. C., the condensation water conduit 8 could also be placed
in the immediate vicinity of the inner skin 6 in order in this way
to obtain a temperature of the water in the bend 9 which is as low
as possible to inhibit evaporation and bacteria growth.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a schematic section through the compartment 7
and its environment in accordance with a slightly modified
embodiment of the invention. Here too the condensation water
conduit 8 essentially runs in close proximity to the outer skin 5
of the rear wall 3. Only in the vicinity of its lower end does the
conduit 8 deviate from its course in a plane in parallel to the
outer skin 5 and extends to the front side of the carcass 1 in a
horizontal end section 11 above the compartment and into it in
order to come out subsequently centrally above an evaporation tray
12 in the compartment 7.
[0018] The evaporation tray 12 is mounted in close thermal contact
on a compressor 13.
[0019] Instead of being routed in the rear wall 3, the condensation
water conduit 8 could also be routed in one of the side walls 2, 4.
This can especially be of advantage for a refrigerator, in which
compressor and evaporation tray are accommodated in a base area
below the carcass, and the evaporation tray is not far removed from
the front side of the device.
* * * * *