Cooling device

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling device (2), comprising a housing (4), a cooling chamber (6) arranged in the housing (4), a controller (8), and at least one electronic unit (10, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 60) connected to the controller (8) for signal and energy transmission for carrying out a cooling device function of the cooling device (2), wherein the electronic unit (10, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 60) is connected to the controller (8) for signal and energy transmission by means of an electrical connection device (12) of the cooling device (2), characterized in that the electrical connection device (12) comprises a rear wall (14) of the cooling chamber (6) designed as a printed circuit board.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cooling device of the type mentioned in the preamble of patent claim 1.

[0002] Such cooling devices are already known from the prior art in a large number of embodiments and comprise a housing, a cooling chamber arranged in the housing, a controller, and at least one electronic unit connected to the controller in a signal- and energy-transmitting manner for carrying out a cooling device function of the cooling device, wherein the electronic unit is connected to the controller in a signal- and energy-transmitting manner by means of an electrical connection device of the cooling device.

[0003] The invention therefore addresses the problem of improving a cooling device.

[0004] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a cooling device having the features of patent claim 1, which is characterized in that the electrical connection device comprises a rear wall of the cooling chamber designed as a circuit board. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are set forth in the following subclaims.

[0005] The advantage achievable with the invention lies in the particular improvement of a cooling device. Due to the inventive design of the cooling device, the signaling and power connection of the at least one electronic unit of the cooling device to the control system of the cooling device is significantly simplified. The cable harnesses and cable looms commonly used are difficult to standardize and must therefore be specially prefabricated for each type of cooling device. Furthermore, the installation of cable harnesses and cable looms is error-prone and very complex. In addition, appropriate channels and recesses for the cable harnesses and cable looms must be formed in an inner body of the cooling device that defines the cooling space. This inner body is the actual cost driver in the manufacture of cooling devices, as it requires large and therefore expensive tools.Subsequent modifications are either impossible or very expensive, as a new interior carcass would have to be manufactured. Accordingly, subsequent functional expansion of the cooling device, for example with additional functions such as additional sensors, lighting, displays, or actuators, is difficult or even impossible. This is where the invention provides a remedy. With the rear wall of the cooling compartment designed as a circuit board, a flexible and modular, i.e., expandable, platform for a cooling device is created. The number and extent of cable harnesses and cable looms is significantly reduced, enabling cooling device differentiation, for example through additional functions and features, without modifying the interior carcass.Accordingly, a basic type of the cooling device according to the invention can be realized for a plurality of mutually different embodiments of this basic type with a plurality of mutually different features and functions, without, for example, the inner body of the cooling device having to be adapted to realize the individual embodiments.

[0006] In principle, the cooling device according to the invention can be freely selected within wide, suitable limits in terms of type, function, material, and dimensions. For example, the cooling device according to the invention can be designed as a refrigerator with or without a freezer compartment, or as a wine cabinet. Furthermore, the cooling device according to the invention can be designed as a household appliance or as a commercial appliance, i.e., a cooling device for professional use.

[0007] An advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention provides that the rear wall is designed as a one-piece rear wall of the cooling compartment. This allows the rear wall, and thus the cooling device, to be realized in a particularly simple manner in terms of design and manufacturing technology.

[0008] A further advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention provides that the rear wall simultaneously forms a cover for covering a part of the cooling device located behind the rear wall as seen from the cooling chamber and / or forms an air duct with the housing. Preferably, the air duct extends along an evaporator of the cooling device. Particularly preferably, electronics of the cooling device, which are fluidically connected to the air duct and designed as a fan, are arranged on or on the rear wall. As a result, the rear wall not only serves to control and supply power to at least one electronic unit of the cooling device according to the invention, but also to cover components of the cooling device according to the invention that are not intended to be visible from the cooling chamber, i.e., by a user of the cooling device according to the invention when the cooling device door is open.Accordingly, the overall visual impression of the refrigeration device according to the invention is improved when the door is open. On the other hand, the functionality of the rear wall is enhanced in that the rear wall allows for the delimitation of an air duct of the refrigeration device according to the invention, thus simplifying the structural and manufacturing design of the refrigeration device according to the invention. This applies particularly to the preferred and especially to the particularly preferred embodiment of this development, in which an even more extensive combination of the rear wall with a ventilation system of the refrigeration device according to the invention is achieved.

[0009] Another advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention provides that the electronics are connected to the rear wall by means of a shelf of the cooling device arranged in the cooling chamber in a signal and power-transmitting manner, preferably that the electronics are arranged on or in the shelf. In this way, a signal and power-transmitting connection between the control system on one side and electronics of the cooling device according to the invention, which are spaced apart from the rear wall, is made possible in a particularly simple manner in terms of design and production technology. This applies in particular to the preferred embodiment of this development. The shelf can be designed as a grate or as a closed shelf. The shelf can also be designed to divide the cooling chamber of the cooling device according to the invention into two cooling chamber sections separated from one another by the shelf, i.e. subsections of the cooling chamber.For example, these cooling compartment sections can be cooled independently of one another. It is also conceivable for the shelf to be removable from the cooling device according to the invention and, for example, to be electrically connected to the rear wall via an interface when the shelf is inserted.

[0010] A further advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention provides that the at least one PCB backplane electronics is designed as a lighting device and / or as a camera and / or as a sensor and / or as an actuator and / or as a power connection that can be electrically contacted by an electrical load and / or as a display. This provides essential electronics for the operation of a modern cooling device, so that the cooling device according to the invention can be used for a variety of different applications.

[0011] A particularly advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention provides that a lighting device of the cooling device, which is connected to the control system for transmitting signals and energy, is arranged on a side of the PCB rear wall facing the cooling chamber in such a way that the rear wall arranged behind the lighting device, as seen from the cooling chamber, is invisible by means of the lighting device over at least part of the extent of the rear wall when the lighting device is in an operating state, preferably that the rear wall is invisible by means of the lighting device over essentially the entire extent of the rear wall. In this way, for example, it is not necessary to match the color of the rear wall to the design of the cooling chamber. Furthermore, the lighting device enables a much greater variety of designs, thus providing greater design freedom.The design can be adapted to the respective wishes not only in the factory, i.e. during the manufacture of the cooling device according to the invention, but also subsequently on site, i.e. at the end customer and user of the cooling device according to the invention.

[0012] An advantageous refinement of the aforementioned embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention provides that the lighting device comprises at least one diffuser and / or at least one light guide and / or at least one glass pane and / or at least one plastic pane, preferably an acrylic pane. This allows the lighting device to be easily adapted to the requirements of each individual case. Acrylic panes, i.e., plastic panes made of PMMA, are particularly suitable for use in cooling devices because acrylic glass, for example, is highly break- and impact-resistant.

[0013] An advantageous development of the last two developments of the refrigeration device according to the invention provides that the lighting device is designed and configured in such a way that the lighting device enables the emission of visible light in at least one section of the refrigeration chamber for the purpose of illuminating this section, preferably independently for each of the sections in the case of a plurality of sections of the refrigeration chamber. In this way, the lighting device not only enables so-called emotional illumination, but also illumination of the refrigeration chamber. Purely emotional illumination is not usually used to illuminate a room, since emotional illumination is far too weak for this. In contrast, the lighting is specifically designed to illuminate a room, so that, for example, the user of the refrigeration device according to the invention can easily orient themselves visually in the refrigeration chamber.The preferred embodiment of this further development also has the further advantage of even better adaptation of the lighting of the refrigeration compartment, namely, illumination specific to specific sections of the refrigeration compartment. These sections of the refrigeration compartment can, for example, be created in the manner described above by means of at least one shelf arranged in the refrigeration compartment.

[0014] An advantageous refinement of the aforementioned embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention provides that the lighting device is designed and configured in such a way that the light is emitted without glare for a user of the cooling device. This significantly improves the ease of use for the user of the cooling device according to the invention.

[0015] An advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention according to one of claims 6 to 9 provides that the lighting device comprises a plurality of light sources, wherein at least some of the light sources of the plurality of light sources can be controlled independently of one another by means of the controller, preferably that the plurality of light sources are arranged on the rear wall in a signal and energy transmitting manner. In this way, extensive flexibility in the lighting design is achieved by means of the lighting device. For example, the light sources, which can be controlled individually or in groups, can have different colors or the like. The preferred embodiment of this development also has the further advantage that the signal and energy transmitting connection of the light sources to the rear wall designed as a circuit board is direct, so that the structure of the lighting device and the circuit technology are further simplified.

[0016] An advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention according to one of claims 1 to 10 provides that the PCB rear panel and / or the lighting device are / is designed to display a logo. This further increases the functionality of the rear panel and / or the lighting device. For example, the logo can be a company logo, a brand, a logo designed specifically for the respective user, or the like.

[0017] Furthermore, a particularly advantageous development of the cooling device according to the invention according to one of claims 1 to 11 provides that the controller has a communication interface for wireless and / or wired communication with a third-party device. This enables data exchange between the cooling device according to the invention on the one hand and a third-party device on the other hand. The third-party device can be, for example, a separate control unit, a smartphone, or an internet server.

[0018] Seven embodiments of the invention are shown purely schematically in the drawings and are described in more detail below. Fig. 1a shows a first embodiment of the refrigerator according to the invention in a front view, with the refrigerator door in its open position, Fig. 1b the first embodiment in a side sectional view, with the refrigerator door in its closed position, Fig. 2 a second embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention in the Fig. 1a comparable representation, Fig. 3 a third embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention in the Fig. 1a comparable representation, Fig. 4 a fourth embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention in the Fig. 1a comparable representation, Fig. 5 a fifth embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention in the Fig. 1a comparable representation, Fig. 6a a sixth embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention in the Fig. 1a comparable representation, Fig. 6b the sixth embodiment in the Fig. 1b comparable representation, Fig. 7a a seventh embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention in the Fig. 1a comparable representation and Fig. 7b the seventh embodiment in the Fig. 1b comparable representation.

[0019] In the Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b shows a first embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention purely by way of example.

[0020] The cooling device 2 is designed as a household refrigerator and comprises a housing 4, a cooling chamber 6 arranged in the housing 4, a controller 8, and at least one electronic unit 10 connected to the controller 8 for signal and power transmission for executing a cooling function of the cooling device 2. The electronic unit 10 is connected to the controller 8 for signal and power transmission by means of an electrical connection device 12 of the cooling device 2. According to the invention, the electrical connection device 12 comprises a rear wall 14 of the cooling chamber 6 designed as a printed circuit board. The rear wall 14 here replaces the otherwise customary decorative rear wall in conventional cooling devices. The rear wall 14 designed as a printed circuit board essentially replaces the cable harness and the cable strands in an interior of the cooling device 2 that defines the cooling chamber 6.

[0021] The circuit board backplane 14 can also contain the control electronics or their components, as well as additional components such as cameras, etc. (not shown). The electronics can also be located near the cooling unit (compressor, etc.) (not shown).

[0022] Furthermore, the electrical connection device 12 has a connecting cable 15 for the purpose of signal and power transmission between the control unit 8 and the rear wall 14. The control unit 8 comprises, in addition to a computing unit (not shown in detail), a display (also not shown in detail). The cooling chamber 6 can be closed in a manner known to those skilled in the art by means of a cooling device door 16, wherein the cooling device door 16 is Fig. 1a is shown in an open position.

[0023] In the present embodiment, the rear wall 14 is designed as a one-piece rear wall of the cooling compartment 6, whereby the rear wall 14 does not extend over the entire rear side of the cooling compartment 6. A drawer for a so-called vegetable drawer 18 is arranged in a lower area of the cooling compartment 6.

[0024] The rear wall 14 is simultaneously designed as a cover for covering a part of the cooling device 2 located behind the rear wall 14 as seen from the cooling chamber 6, wherein the rear wall 14 furthermore forms an air duct 20 with the housing 4. The air duct 20 extends along an evaporator 22 of the cooling device 2, wherein the electronics 10 of the cooling device 2, which are fluidically connected to the air duct 20 and are designed here as a fan or have a fan, are arranged on the rear wall 14 designed as a printed circuit board in a signal and energy-transmitting manner. See the Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b in a summary.

[0025] Components can be arranged on the rear wall 14, which is designed as a printed circuit board, both on its front and / or rear side.

[0026] Furthermore, the cooling device 2 has a total of four shelves 24, 26, 28, 30, wherein the shelves 24, 26, 28, 30 are mechanically connected to the rear wall 14 and / or the housing 4 in a manner known per se to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the shelves 24 and 26 are also electrically connected to the rear wall 14, namely in such a way that an electronic unit 32, 34, designed as a lighting device and arranged in the respective shelf 24, 26, is connected to the rear wall 14 by means of a connecting cable 36 and to the controller 8 by means of the rear wall 14 for signal and power transmission. The at least one electronic unit is thus designed here as a fan 10 and two lighting units 32, 34 or comprises the fan. The electronic unit can also be arranged on the rear side of the PCB (not shown).

[0027] In the Fig. Figures 2 to 7b show six further embodiments of the refrigeration device according to the invention purely by way of example. Identical or equivalent components are designated by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the further embodiments are explained only in terms of their distinguishing features. Otherwise, reference is made to the preceding embodiments, in particular the first embodiment.

[0028] In the Fig. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention. In contrast to the first exemplary embodiment, the second exemplary embodiment has a one-piece rear wall 14 which extends essentially over the entire rear of the cooling compartment 6. Furthermore, the cooling device 2 here only has a single shelf 30, wherein this shelf 30 is constructed analogously to one of the two shelves 24, 26 from the first exemplary embodiment. Thus, the shelf 30 here also has electronics integrated into the shelf 30 and designed as a lighting device 38. In addition to the lighting device 38 and the electronics already explained above and designed as a fan 10 orIn addition to the electronics comprising a fan, the cooling device 2 of the second exemplary embodiment further comprises electronics configured as interior lighting 40 for illuminating the section of the cooling chamber 6 located above the shelf 30, electronics configured as a camera 42 for observing the cooling chamber 6, electronics configured as a temperature sensor 44 for measuring the temperature in the cooling chamber 6, and electronics configured as a USB port 46 for supplying power and data to an external device (not shown). The aforementioned electronics 40, 42, 44, and 46 are each directly connected to the PCB rear panel 14 and thus to the controller 8 for signal and power transmission. Furthermore, further and different electronics of the cooling device according to the invention are also conceivable.Purely by way of example, reference is made here to a display, for example a display integrated in a shelf, an actuator and a different type of power connection for the signal and energy exchange of the cooling device according to the invention with an external device.

[0029] The third embodiment according to the Fig. 3 essentially corresponds to the aforementioned second exemplary embodiment. In contrast to the second exemplary embodiment, the controller 8 here additionally comprises a communication interface (not shown in detail) for wireless communication with an external third-party device 48. See also the relevant explanations in the introduction to the description. The aforementioned communication can, for example, take place directly or indirectly with the third-party device 48, for example a smartphone. The transmission technologies required for this are known to those skilled in the art. Purely by way of example, reference is made here to WiFi communication and to an external server, i.e., a so-called cloud. For example, a user of the refrigeration device 2 (not shown) could use the smartphone 48 to control the brightness and / or color temperature of the interior lighting 40.Of course, other of the above-mentioned electronics, for example the camera 42 and the temperature sensor 44, could also be adjusted and / or controlled by means of the smartphone 48 or another external third-party device in a manner known per se to the person skilled in the art.

[0030] In the Fig. Figure 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the cooling device according to the invention. In contrast to the three aforementioned embodiments, the cooling device 2 of the fourth embodiment is designed as a wine cabinet for storing wine bottles 50. For this purpose, the cooling device 2 again has four shelves 24, 26, 28, 30, with each individual shelf 24, 26, 28, 30 being designed for storing wine bottles 50 or the like. The respective shelf 24, 26, 28, 30 can be designed, for example, as a grate.

[0031] In the fifth embodiment according to the Fig. 5 also depicts a cooling device 2 designed as a wine cabinet. Unlike the fourth exemplary embodiment, the cooling device 2 here has only three shelves 24, 28, 30, so that in the upper half of the cooling compartment 6, at the rear of the cooling compartment 6, namely on the rear wall 14, a larger area is created that is not divided by a shelf. This area is used in the fifth exemplary embodiment to display a logo 52, namely a company logo. In principle, any other known representation of a similar logo is also possible, and alternatively, even over the entire surface without regard to shelves, etc. (not shown here).

[0032] The sixth embodiment according to the Fig. 6a and Fig. 6b is again closer to the first exemplary embodiment, i.e. to the cooling device 2 designed as a household refrigerator. However, the cooling device 2 of this sixth exemplary embodiment differs from the cooling device of the first exemplary embodiment in that a lighting device 54 of the cooling device 2, which is connected to the controller 8 for signal and energy transmission, is arranged on a side of the rear wall 14 facing the cooling chamber 6. In this way, the rear wall 14, which is arranged behind the lighting device 54 as seen from the cooling chamber 6, is invisible by means of the lighting device 54 over at least part of the extent of the rear wall 14 in an operating state of the lighting device 54, wherein the rear wall 14 in the present exemplary embodiment is invisible by means of the lighting device 54 essentially over the entire extent of the rear wall 14. For this purpose, the lighting device 54 comprises at least one diffuser 56 and a plastic pane 58, namely an acrylic glass pane.

[0033] Furthermore, the light device 54 is designed and configured such that the light device 54 enables the emission of visible light at least in a partial section of the cooling chamber 6 for the purpose of illuminating this partial section, preferably independently for each of the partial sections in the case of a plurality of partial sections of the cooling chamber 6. As can be seen from the Fig. 6a and Fig. 6b, the cooling chamber 6 has a total of four sections, which are separated from one another by the shelves 24, 26, 28. For the purpose of illuminating the aforementioned sections of the cooling chamber 6, the lighting device 54 comprises a plurality of electronic units designed as light sources 60, wherein at least some of the light sources 60 of the plurality of light sources 60 can be controlled independently of one another by means of the controller 8, and wherein the plurality of light sources 60 are arranged on the rear wall 14 in a signal and energy-transmitting manner. The individual light sources 60 are each grouped in a so-called light strip comprising a plurality of individual LEDs. Light can be coupled out from the lighting device 54 both via the edges of the acrylic glass pane 58 and across the entire surface of the acrylic glass pane 58.Furthermore, the lighting device 54 is designed and configured such that the light is emitted without glare for a user (not shown) of the refrigerator 2. In other embodiments of the invention, it may further be provided that, alternatively or in addition to a logo formed solely by means of the rear wall, a logo can be formed by means of the lighting device.

[0034] The seventh embodiment according to the Fig. 7a and Fig.7b is essentially identical to the sixth embodiment. In contrast to the sixth embodiment, the acrylic glass pane 58 of the seventh embodiment is partially designed as a light guide, so that the light emitted by the individual LEDs of the light sources 60 is at least partially guided through the acrylic glass pane 58 parallel to the rear side of the cooling chamber 6, thus being radiated into the cooling chamber 6 over a larger area of the acrylic glass pane 58.

[0035] Due to the inventive design of the cooling device 2, the signaling and power connection of the at least one electronic unit 10, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 60 of the cooling device 2 to the control unit 8 of the cooling device 2 is significantly simplified. The commonly used cable harnesses and cable looms are difficult to standardize and must therefore be specially prefabricated for each cooling device type. Furthermore, the installation of cable harnesses and cable looms is error-prone and very complex. In addition, appropriate channels and recesses for the cable harnesses and cable looms must be formed in an inner body of the cooling device that defines the cooling space. This inner body is the real cost driver in the manufacture of cooling devices, as it requires large and therefore expensive tools. Subsequent modifications are either not possible or very expensive, as a new inner body would have to be manufactured.Accordingly, subsequent functional expansion of the cooling device, for example with additional functions such as additional sensors, lighting, displays, or actuators, is difficult or even impossible. The cooling device 2 according to the present exemplary embodiments provides a remedy here. With the rear wall 14 of the cooling chamber 6 designed as a circuit board, a flexible and modular, i.e., expandable, platform for the cooling device 2 is created. The number and extent of cable harnesses and cable looms are significantly reduced, enabling cooling device differentiation, for example, by means of additional functions and features, without modifying the internal body of the cooling device 2.Accordingly, the basic type of cooling device 2 can be implemented for a multitude of different embodiments of this basic type with a multitude of different features and functions, without, for example, the internal body of the cooling device 2 having to be adapted to implement the individual embodiments. Instead of adapting cable harnesses and cable looms as well as the internal body of the cooling device 2, new functions and features can be implemented by means of assembly variants of the rear panel 14 designed as a printed circuit board. Furthermore, cable harnesses and cable looms are largely eliminated because they are substituted by the rear panel 14. A few universal cable harnesses and looms are sufficient to cover a multitude of design variants.By arranging at least one electronic unit and the electrical connection technology primarily directly on the rear wall 14, very effective cooling of the electronics is possible by means of the fan 10 and the air duct 20 directly connected to the rear wall 14. This is especially true when the control and power electronics are arranged on the rear side of the rear wall 14, facing away from the cooling chamber 6. Overall, with the same size, the cooling device 2 also provides more usable cooling chamber 6 compared to commercially available cooling devices. Accordingly, cooling devices according to the invention can be updated, for example, simply by replacing the rear wall.

[0036] However, the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments explained above. See, for example, the relevant statements in the introduction to the description as well as in the specific explanation of the seven exemplary embodiments. In particular, the cooling device according to the invention is not limited to the explicitly mentioned electronics. A combination of the individual exemplary embodiments is also possible, such that individual components, i.e., parts, of one exemplary embodiment can be transferred to another of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments.

Claims

[1] Cooling device (2), comprising a housing (4), a cooling chamber (6) arranged in the housing (4), a controller (8), at least one electronic unit (10, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 60) connected to the controller (8) for signal and energy transmission for carrying out a cooling device function of the cooling device (2), wherein the electronic unit (10, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 60) is connected to the controller (8) for signal and energy transmission by means of an electrical connection device (12) of the cooling device (2), characterized by that the electrical connection device (12) comprises a rear wall (14) of the cooling chamber (6) designed as a printed circuit board. [2] Cooling device (2) according to claim 1, characterized by that the rear wall (14) is designed as a one-piece rear wall of the cooling chamber (6). [3] Cooling device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the rear wall (14) simultaneously forms a cover for covering a part of the cooling device (2) which lies behind the rear wall (14) as seen from the cooling chamber (6) and / or forms an air duct (20) with the housing (4), preferably that the air duct (20) extends along an evaporator (22) of the cooling device (2), particularly preferably that an electronics unit (10) of the cooling device (2) which is fluidically connected to the air duct (20) and is designed as a fan is arranged on or on the rear wall (14). [4] Cooling device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the electronics (32, 34, 38) are connected to the rear wall (14) by means of a shelf (24, 26, 30) of the cooling device (2) arranged in the cooling chamber (6) in a signal and energy-transmitting manner, preferably that the electronics (32, 34, 38) are arranged on or in the shelf (24, 26, 30). [5] Cooling device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized bythat the at least one electronic unit (10, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 60) is designed as a lighting device (10, 32, 34, 38, 40, 60) and / or as a camera (42) and / or as a sensor (44) and / or as an actuator and / or as a power connection (46) that can be contacted in a current-conducting manner by means of an electrical consumer and / or as a display. [6] Cooling device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized bythat on a side of the rear wall (14) facing the cooling chamber (6), a lighting device (54) of the cooling device (2) is arranged, which is connected to the controller (8) in a signal- and energy-transmitting manner, in such a way that the rear wall (14) arranged behind the lighting device (54), as seen from the cooling chamber (6), is invisible by means of the lighting device (54) in an operating state of the lighting device (54) at least over part of the extent of the rear wall (14), preferably that the rear wall (14) is invisible by means of the lighting device (54) essentially over the entire extent of the rear wall (14). [7] Cooling device (2) according to claim 6, characterized by that the lighting device (54) comprises at least one diffuser (56) and / or at least one light guide (58) and / or at least one glass pane and / or at least one plastic pane, preferably an acrylic glass pane (58). [8] Cooling device (2) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized bythat the lighting device (54) is designed and configured in such a way that, by means of the lighting device (54), an emission of visible light is made possible at least in a partial section of the cooling chamber (6) for the purpose of illuminating this partial section, preferably independently for each of the partial sections in the case of a plurality of partial sections of the cooling chamber (6). [9] Cooling device (2) according to claim 8, characterized by that the light device (54) is designed and arranged such that the emission of the light is glare-free for a user of the cooling device (2). [10] Cooling device (2) according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized bythat the lighting device (54) comprises a plurality of light sources (60), wherein at least some of the light sources (60) of the plurality of light sources (60) can be controlled independently of one another by means of the controller (8), preferably that the plurality of light sources (60) are arranged on the rear wall (14) in a signal and energy transmitting manner. [11] Cooling device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by that the rear wall (14) and / or the lighting device are / is designed to display a logo (52). [12] Cooling device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by that the controller (8) has a communication interface for wireless and / or wired communication with a third-party device (48).

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