Refrigerator and / or freezer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling and / or freezing appliance with a water system comprising a water dispensing unit and / or an ice maker, wherein the water system comprises a line and wherein this line comprises an addition device for adding a substance to the water flowing through the line, wherein the addition device has a reduction in the line such that the flow cross-section decreases from an area before the reduction to the reduction, and wherein an injection section is provided which has an injection point for the substance to be added in the area of ​​the reduction.

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigeration and / or freezer with a water system which has a water output unit and / or an ice maker, wherein the water system has a line and wherein this line has an addition device for adding a substance into the water flowing through the line.It is known from the prior art to provide a cleaning system for the water system of the appliance in such cooling and / or freezing appliances. This cleaning system has metering elements for the substance to be added and complicated actuator sections, such as actively controlled valves, etc. It is also known from the prior art to introduce the cleaning agent into the water system in the solid state. This is then dissolved by or in the water stream. Active actuator sections have the disadvantages of increased costs, a comparatively complicated construction and a certain susceptibility to errors.The object of the present invention is therefore to further develop a cooling and / or freezing appliance of the type mentioned at the beginning to the effect that a simple, cost-effective and reliable addition of substances is made possible.This object is achieved by a refrigeration and / or freezer with the features of claim 1.According to this, it is provided that the addition device has a first section with a first flow cross section and a second section with a second flow cross section, wherein the second flow cross section is smaller than the first flow cross section, and that an injection section is present which has an injection point for the substance to be added in the second section.The term "water" comprises not only pure water, in particular tap water, but also water which has already been admixed with one or more additives.By integrating an interface for the continuous or discontinuous metering of supplementary substances into the water system of cooling and / or freezing apparatuses, the possibility is created according to the invention of enriching the drinking water being pumped with substances which have a characteristic property, depending on the need. This can / can be, for example, a cleaning substance and / or minerals.In principle, the substance can be a substance suitable for consumption or unsuitable for consumption.The reduction according to the invention of the flow cross section from the first section to the second section of the line arranged downstream thereof leads to an increase in the flow speed of the water in the second section compared to the first section of the line, resulting in a static negative pressure in the second section of the line, which leads to a suction of the substance(s). Thus, preferably neither valves and / or pumps or other conveying elements are required for adding the substance(s), although their use is also not excluded according to the invention.The transition from the first to the second section can be continuous or stepwise.By integrating a corresponding geometry into the water system of cooling and / or freezing devices, it is thus possible, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, to bring about a change in the energy level in the form of different pressure values at different points of this adapter, i.e. of the water line, purely by static arrangement of successive different partial geometries, which can be represented by the change in diameter. These result in the injection of a preferably liquid medium, which is injected from the outside, into the main water stream, i.e. into the line.The line mentioned can be designed as a separate part, in particular as a hose piece or as a pipe piece or adapter. It can be designed, for example, as a retrofit part for an existing cooling and / or freezing appliance.It is also conceivable for the line to be formed as a preferably integral component of a component of the cooling and / or freezing appliance. It is thus conceivable, for example, to provide a specific section of a component of the device as a line. Thus, it can be provided that the geometry, i.e. the line as an individual component and / or as a partial geometry of a further characteristic component, such as a water valve, or a filter receptacle, can be arranged within a water flow and additionally can be subjected to, for example, a flexible integration with respect to the position in the water system.In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that an arrangement of the line in any angular position is possible, which on the one hand includes a horizontal and / or vertical integration and all further angular arrangements within 360°.The component can thus be, for example, a valve or a filter receptacle.It is particularly advantageous if the adding device does not have any actuators. The addition device is thus an exclusively passive element in this embodiment: as soon as a flow of water through the line takes place, a reduced pressure arises at the injection point, as in the case of a Venturi nozzle, so that the substance to be added reaches the line through the injection line or from a reservoir etc. through the injection point and thus into the water located therein.The substance to be added is preferably in liquid form.The line can be designed in such a way that, in response to the tapering from the first section to the second section, the flow cross section of the line is again enlarged in a third section. In other words, in this embodiment, the line has in each case larger flow cross sections before and after the second section than in the second section itself.The transition from the second to the third section can be continuous or stepwise.It is conceivable that the flow cross section of the line before and after the second section is identical and / or that the first and third sections are symmetrical in some areas or overall relative to the second section.Different flow cross sections of the first and third sections are also conceivable and are encompassed by the invention.Preferably, the injection site is located exactly at the location of the smallest flow cross section of the line. However, the invention includes any position of the injection point in which a negative pressure is caused by a reduction in the flow cross-section of the line. In other words, the injection point or the second section thus does not have to be situated exactly at the point of the smallest flow cross section of the line, but can also be arranged before or after this point.In one conceivable configuration of the invention, the injection point has a smallest diameter and / or a smallest flow cross section which is smaller than the smallest diameter and / or the smallest flow cross section of the line. It follows from this that in this embodiment the diameter or the flow cross section of the injection section is always smaller than that of the main water flow, i.e. of the line.In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a backflow prevention element is present in the injection section, which prevents a backflow through the injection section, wherein it is preferably provided that the backflow prevention element is a valve. The backflow prevention element is preferably adjustable in its force which opposes a flow of liquid in the flow direction.Thus, a component can be provided as a partial geometry, which completely prevents a return flow to the outside via the injection section or from the line into the injection section. This results in the advantage that it is possible to stop the volume flow of the main water flow, i.e. in the line, without water flowing from the line into the injection point and from there into the injection section.In order to prevent uncontrolled outflow in the event of a malfunction of the backflow prevention element, a shut-off device may be provided which is arranged to prevent a flow through the injection section in the closed state and that a detection unit is present which is designed to detect a fault of the backflow prevention valve and to activate, i.e. close, the shut-off device on detection of a fault. The shut-off device can be a valve, for example.It is furthermore conceivable that the angle of inclination of the taper is identical before and after the location of the smallest flow cross section, i.e. in the first and third sections, or that different angles of inclination are present and / or that the length of the line is identical before and after the location of the smallest flow cross section from and up to a connection to the line, or that different lengths are present.The angle of inclination is understood to mean the inclination of the inner wall in relation to the longitudinal axis of the line.It is pointed out at this point that the terms "a" and "an" do not necessarily refer to exactly one of the elements, although this represents a possible embodiment, but rather can also denote 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 includes a plurality of the elements in question.Furthermore, all features of the invention described herein can be claimed as being combined with one another or isolated from one another as desired.Further details and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing.The single figure shows a schematic longitudinal sectional view through a line of a cooling and / or freezing apparatus according to the invention.The conduit may be circular in cross section, for example.The line has a first section 10 in the form of an inlet geometry and a third section 30 in the form of an outlet geometry.Between the sections 10, 30 is the second section 20, which has a constant flow cross section over its length. The sections 10, 30 are designed conically.As can be seen from the figure, the second section has a smaller inner diameter and thus a smaller flow cross section than the first section 10 and the third gate 30.Starting from the inlet E for the main water stream, the water reaches the second section 20 through the tapering inlet geometry in the form of the first section 10.The injection section 100 opens into the second section 20 at the injection point 110. In the injection section 100, a check valve 120 is located, which allows a flow through the injection section 100 only to the injection point 110, i.e. from bottom to top according to the figure.The valve 120 is opened by the negative pressure present in the second section 20 and liquid from the injection section 100 enters the water flow in the second section 20, and the mixture of liquid and water flows from the second section 20 further to the third section 30, which has an increase in the flow cross section starting from the second section 20.After flowing through the third section 30, the mixture or the water provided with the substance reaches the outlet A and from there, for example, to an ice maker, water dispenser, etc.As can be seen from the figure, no electrically or manually operated actuator is present. The addition device is of simple construction and maintenance-free.If the check valve 120 is adjustable, it is possible to define the flow rate at which how much liquid is metered in the line. The easier the valve is adjusted, the more metered addition takes place and the higher the concentration of the substance in the water.

Claims

Cooling and / or freezing appliance having a water system which has a water output unit and / or an ice maker, wherein the water system has a line and wherein this line has an addition device for adding a substance into the water flowing through the line, characterized in that the addition device has a taper of the line, such that it experiences a reduction in the flow cross section from a region before the taper towards the taper, and in that an injection section is present which has an injection point for the substance to be added in the region of the taper.Cooling and / or freezing appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the line is constructed as a separate part, in particular as a hose or tube, and / or that the line is constructed as a preferably integral component of a component of the cooling and / or freezing appliance.The cooling and / or freezing appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the component is a valve or a filter receptacle.Cooling and / or freezing appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adding device has no feed pump and / or no actuators.Cooling and / or freezing appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the line is formed in such a way that an enlargement of the flow cross-section of the line takes place in response to the tapering.Cooling and / or freezing appliance according to claim 5, characterised in that the flow cross-section of the line before and after the tapering is identical.Cooling and / or freezing appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the injection point has a smallest diameter and / or a smallest flow cross-section which is smaller than the smallest diameter and / or the smallest flow cross-section of the line.Cooling and / or freezing appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a backflow prevention element is present in the injection section, which prevents a backflow through the injection section, wherein it is preferably provided that the backflow prevention element is a valve.The cooling and / or freezing appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that a shut-off device is provided, which is arranged to prevent a flow through the injection section in the closed state, and that a detection unit is provided, which is configured to detect a fault of the backflow prevention valve and to activate the shut-off device upon detection of a fault.The cooling and / or freezing appliance according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the angle of inclination is identical before and after the location of the smallest flow cross section or that different angles of inclination are present and or that the length of the line before and after the location of the smallest flow cross section from and up to a connection is identical or that different lengths are present.Cooling and / or freezing appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the angle of inclination before and after the point of smallest flow cross-section is identical or that different angles of inclination are present.

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