Refrigerator and / or freezer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and / or freezer with a refrigerant circuit and with a valve arranged in the refrigerant circuit, wherein a base is provided on or in which the valve is arranged, wherein the base is attached to a part of the refrigerator and / or freezer and consists of or comprises a polymer material.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigerator and / or freezer with a refrigerant circuit and with a valve arranged in the refrigerant circuit.

[0002] Such devices are known from the prior art. The valve located in the refrigerant circuit serves to shut off or throttle the flow of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit. It can be used instead of or in addition to a throttling capillary and causes a pressure drop in the refrigerant flowing through the valve before it enters the evaporator.

[0003] Such valves are designed, for example, as stepper motor valves.

[0004] It is known from the prior art to screw the stepper motor valve to a sheet metal bracket, which is then covered with butyl rubber dampers and then inserted into a foam part. In addition, the pipes on the refrigerant valve are also covered with a butyl rubber damper. The assembly consists of eight individual parts and requires the use of tools to assemble.

[0005] The present invention is based on the object of developing a refrigerator and / or freezer of the type mentioned above in such a way that the installation of the valve is simple and cost-effective.

[0006] This object is achieved by a refrigerator and / or freezer having the features of claim 1.

[0007] According to this, a base is provided on or in which the valve is arranged. The base is attached to a part of the refrigerator and / or freezer and consists of or comprises a polymer material, in particular polyurethane. Due to its choice of material, the base is capable of dampening the noise emission (airborne noise) emanating from the valve.

[0008] Another feature of the base is to prevent the transmission of structure-borne noise from the valve to the refrigerator and / or freezer or to its housing or to the part.

[0009] The part is preferably part of the compressor niche or the engine compartment of the device.

[0010] The base thus serves as both a mounting component for the valve and a damper. It ensures the secure attachment of the valve with just one component, the base.

[0011] Since the base serves as both a fastening device and a damper, separate parts that perform these tasks are not required.

[0012] The base decouples the valve from the mentioned part and preferably from the housing of the refrigerator and / or freezer and also provides noise dampening.

[0013] Preferably, the base can be mounted on the refrigerator and / or freezer without the use of tools. For example, a plug-in or snap-in connection is possible.

[0014] The part in question may be a part of the housing of the refrigerator and / or freezer.

[0015] Preferably, the polymer material of the base consists partially or entirely of a polymer foam. This is preferably polyurethane foam.

[0016] The polymer foam may be provided with a heavy aggregate.

[0017] The material PureXilence 3D ® is preferably used.

[0018] A cover part may be provided that partially encloses the valve, preferably providing that the cover part directly adjoins the base. In this case, the valve is preferably surrounded (preferably completely or largely) by the base and cover.

[0019] The cover can be dome-shaped and placed over the valve. Preferably, the cover is placed over the part of the valve that protrudes beyond the base.

[0020] In a further embodiment of the invention, the base has a receiving space in which the valve is completely or partially received.

[0021] Preferably, the base has at least one region separating the valve from the part where the base is located.

[0022] The base may preferably have groove-shaped receptacles for the sections of the refrigerant line leading to and from the valve.

[0023] It is conceivable that part of the valve is at least partially covered by a damper. This damper can be used instead of the cover, which has the advantage of reducing the risk of overheating of the valve coil compared to if the cover completely or partially encloses the valve body.

[0024] The damper mentioned is preferably a butyl mass damper.

[0025] A particularly good decoupling is achieved if the valve is not directly connected to the part of the refrigerator and / or freezer, but is separated from it by the base.

[0026] Preferably, it is provided that the valve, apart from a power and / or data line, is connected exclusively to the base and the refrigerant lines, ie the supply and discharge lines to and from the valve.

[0027] If a cover or damper is provided, it is conceivable that the valve, apart from a power and / or data line, is connected exclusively to the base and the refrigerant lines and the cover or damper.

[0028] It should be noted here that the terms "a" and "an" do not necessarily refer to exactly one of the elements, although this is a possible interpretation, but can also refer to a plurality of the elements. Likewise, the use of the plural also includes the presence of the element in question in the singular, and conversely, the singular also encompasses several of the elements in question.

[0029] Furthermore, all features of the invention described herein may be combined with one another as desired or claimed in isolation from one another.

[0030] Further details and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing.

[0031] They show: Fig. 1: perspective views of the valve with base, Fig. 2: perspective views of the valve with base and cover and Fig. 3: Perspective views of the valve with base and damper.

[0032] The figures show a refrigerant valve with reference number 10. This is a valve located in the refrigerant circuit whose task is to throttle the refrigerant flow upstream of the evaporator.

[0033] The valve 10, for example, is a stepper motor valve.

[0034] 20 indicates its power supply and control of valve 10.

[0035] The reference numeral 30 denotes a line section of the refrigerant circuit leading from the condenser to the valve 10, and 40 denotes a line section of the refrigerant circuit leading from the valve 10 to the evaporator.

[0036] The reference symbol S denotes a base having a bottom portion that is inserted into a groove-shaped receptacle N of a housing part G of the device. The base has a portion that interacts with the groove-shaped receptacle such that the base can be inserted into the groove and is then fixed there.

[0037] The base S has the functions and properties of dampening the noise emission (airborne noise) of the refrigerant valve, preventing the transmission of structure-borne noise from the valve 10 to the housing G, and ensuring secure fastening of the refrigerant valve 10 in the engine compartment with only one part in the form of the base S. The base S simultaneously dampens noise and decouples it.

[0038] It can be mounted without tools and without additional parts, which allows a quick and cost-effective fixing of the valve 10 to the device

[0039] Few parts are required, which offers an assembly advantage since it's a purely plug-in solution. The base S is made of or features the material PureXilence3D, a type of PU foam with a heavy aggregate.

[0040] The base S combines the functions of damping, decoupling and fastening in one or two parts - base and cover.

[0041] Fig. Figure 2 shows the arrangement with base S and cover 50, which is placed directly on the base. The cover can be made of the same material as base 40 or a different material.

[0042] Another variant is in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the cover is replaced by a butyl mass damper 60. This results in a cost advantage with better noise damping and a lower risk of coil overheating than if the cover part completely encloses the valve body. Instead of a butyl material, the damper 60 can also be made of or comprise another material or polymer.

Claims

[1] Refrigerator and / or freezer with a refrigerant circuit and with a valve arranged in the refrigerant circuit, characterized by that a base is provided on or in which the valve is arranged, wherein the base is attached to a part of the refrigerator and / or freezer and consists of or comprises a polymer material. [2] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to claim 1, characterized by that the base is attached to the part by a plug-in or snap-in connection and / or that the part is a housing part of the refrigerator and / or freezer. [3] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , the polymer material is partly or completely a polymer foam. [4] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat a cover part is provided that partially encloses the valve, wherein it is preferably provided that the cover part is directly connected to the base. [5] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the base has a receiving space in which the valve is completely or partially accommodated. [6] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that part of the valve is at least partially covered by a damper. [7] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to claim 6, characterized by that the damper in the is a butyl mass damper. [8] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the valve is not directly connected to the part of the refrigerator and / or freezer. [9] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat apart from a power and / or data line, the valve is only connected to the base and the refrigerant lines. [10] Refrigerator and / or freezer according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that apart from a power and / or data line, the valve is only connected to the base and the refrigerant lines and the cover or damper.

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